Bead feeding method and bead feeding unit

{
  "publication_number": "US11219241B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Bead feeding method and bead feeding unit",
  "abstract": "Bead feeding unit (1) on a production machine in the tobacco industry, provided with a unit of supply channels (4) feeding individual bead (2) streams from a store (2 A) to holding pockets (14) situated at the outlets of the supply channels (4), a transferring unit (13) comprising two guiding discs (5,6) situated coaxially and movable feeding means (8) adapted to direct the beads to receiving channels (18) of the transferring unit (13). The unit (1) is characterised in that the transferring unit (13) has at least one cleaning element (25) adapted to clean the holding pockets (14).",
  "claims": [
    "1. A bead feeding unit (1) in a production machine in the tobacco industry, provided with a unit of vertical supply channels (4) feeding streams of beads (2) from a store (2 A) to holding pockets (14) situated at the outlets of the supply channels (4) and limited from below by a disc (15), a transferring unit (13) comprising at least one guiding disc (5, 6) and a movable feeding means (8) adapted to direct the beads to receiving pockets (18) of the transferring unit (13), wherein the transferring unit (13) has at least one cleaning element (25) adapted to clean the holding pockets (14) situated at the outlets of the vertical supply channels (4) and limited from below by the disc (15), wherein the cleaning element (25) is situated on the movable feeding means (8).",
    "2. The unit (1) as in claim 1, wherein the cleaning element (25) is situated on the movable feeding means (8) on a cam (23) underneath a pushing segment (10).",
    "3. The unit (1) as in claim 1, wherein the cleaning element (25) has the form of a scraper adapted to sink into the holding pocket (14) or a nozzle blowing compressed air or a sucking mouthpiece using vacuum or a combination of the above means.",
    "4. The unit (1) as in claim 1, wherein the movable feeding means (8) is situated between two guiding discs (5, 6).",
    "5. The unit (1) as in claim 1, wherein the movable feeding means (8) has channels supplying compressed air to the holding pockets (14) to the cleaning element (25).",
    "6. The unit (1) as in claim 5, wherein the channels supplying compressed air or vacuum are situated behind the cleaning element (25).",
    "7. The unit (1) as in claim 1, wherein the movable feeding means (8) has channels supplying vacuum to the holding pockets (14) to the cleaning element (25).",
    "8. The unit (1) as in claim 1, wherein the movable feeding means (8) has at least one pushing edge (11), whereas the cleaning element (25) is situated on the movable feeding means (8) behind the pushing edge (11).",
    "9. A method of feeding beads (2) in a bead feeding unit in the tobacco industry, the unit being provided with supply channels feeding streams of beads, comprising steps of: transferring the beads along supply channels; placing the beads from individual vertical supply channels into first holding pockets (14) situated at the outlets of the vertical supply channels (4) and limited from below by a disc (15); feeding the beads from the holding pockets (14) to receiving pockets (18) of the bead transferring unit (13) by a movable means (8); taking the beads from the receiving pockets (18) by at least one guiding disc (5, 6) and transferring the beads to removing pockets (21) through guiding channels (19); and cleaning the holding pockets (14) situated at the outlets of the vertical supply channels (4) and limited from below by the disc (15) after transferring the beads from the holding pockets (14) to the receiving pockets (18) by at least one cleaning element (25), wherein the cleaning of the holding pockets (14) is done by inserting the cleaning element (25) into such pockets.",
    "10. The method as in claim 9, wherein after inserting the cleaning element (25) into the holding pockets (14), compressed air is supplied in order to blow out the dirt from the holding pockets (14).",
    "11. The method as in claim 9, wherein after inserting the cleaning element (25) into the holding pockets (14), a vacuum is supplied in order to suck the dirt from the holding pockets (14).",
    "12. A method of feeding beads in a feeding unit in a tobacco industry machine comprising steps wherein: transferring the beads along individual vertical supply channels from a bead store to holding pockets (14) of a bead feeding unit (3); placing the beads from individual channels into first holding pockets (14) situated at the outlets of the vertical supply channels (4) and limited from below by a disc (15); feeding the beads from the holding pockets (14) to receiving pockets (18) of a bead transferring unit (13) by a movable means (8); taking the beads from the receiving pockets (18) by at least one guiding disc (5, 6) and transferring the beads to removing pockets (21) through guiding channels (19); and cleaning the holding pockets (14) situated at the outlets of the supply channels (4) and limited from below by the disc (15) before placing the beads in the holding pockets (14) by at least one cleaning element (25), wherein the cleaning of the holding pockets (14) is done by inserting the cleaning element (25) into such pockets."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The object of the application is a bead feeding method and a bead feeding unit used in the filters of the tobacco industry products, in particular cigarettes.\n\nThis invention concerns feeding of spherical or oval objects which are subsequently placed into filter material. For the sake of simplification, such objects will be hereinafter referred to as beads. A known product on the market are cigarettes the filters of which are provided with beads containing aromatic or odorous substances. The substances contained in the beads are released during smoking or yet before lighting up a cigarette by squeezing of the filter which results in crushing the bead.\n\nIn the production process, a problem which is difficult to solve and at the same time very significant is the feeding of individual beads to a machine forming filters at great speeds in a way which guarantees that the beads remain undamaged, the flow in the pockets holding the beads remains undisturbed and a high feeding efficiency is maintained, i.e. each manufactured filter actually contains a bead.\n\nIn known bead feeders, tubes for feeding the beads to the area from which they are transferred to a bead delivery wheel are used, whereas the function of the said wheel is to place the delivered beads into the filter material.\n\nIn the U.S. Pat. No.",
  "cpc": [
    "A24D 3/0216",
    "A24D 3/0204",
    "A24D 3/048",
    "A24D 3/061",
    "B65G 11/023",
    "B65G 45/10",
    "B65G 45/12",
    "B65G 45/24"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "A24D 3/02",
    "A24D 3/04",
    "A24D 3/06",
    "B65G 11/02",
    "B65G 45/12",
    "B65G 45/24"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "International Tobacco Machinery Poland Sp zoo"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Radoslaw Figarski",
    "Bartosz Cieslikowski",
    "Robert SKIERCZYNSKI"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2019-11-26",
  "publication_date": "2022-01-11",
  "grant_date": "2022-01-11",
  "priority_date": "2018-12-17",
  "application_number": "US-201915929171-A",
  "family_id": "65279372",
  "cited_by_count": 2,
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}