For manufacturing rod for cigarette use, rod filler and paper wrapper web are fed continuously to a rod-forming machine in which wrapper web is wrapped about said filler to provide rod and the wrapper is longitudinally lap seamed by bringing heated sealing means into contact with the outer of overlapping web portions intended to provide the seam, one at least of said portions comprising at least 50% by weight of thermoplastic fibers or filaments. The rod filler and paper wrapping web, comprising...

There is provided a method of and apparatus for packing rod-shaped articles, especially cigarettes. A rotatable turret is used, into which blanks are introduced into pockets of the turret, with partial folding of the blanks, whereafter groups of articles are axially introduced into the blanks in pockets, the article groups being introduced alternately from opposite sides of the turret. There is also provided an apparatus whereby article groups can be ejected alternately on both sides of a magazi...

A cigarette testing device comprises a conveyor drum which is arranged to carry cigarettes sideways through a testing station, and which includes a pair of axially spaced sets of sprocket teeth, the cigarettes being carried in the recesses between the teeth; a suction or pressure chamber which is mounted adjacent to the conveyor drum and is arranged to communicate with spaces formed between the two sets of sprocket teeth, so that at least part of each cigarette is surrounded by predetermined suc...

A cigarette testing device comprises means to apply positive or negative pressure to one end of each cigarette; means defining a chamber around at least part of the cigarette, with seals around the cigarette to restrict communication between the interior of the chamber and atmosphere; and means to detect the pressure in the chamber during testing; and including means defining a predetermined deliberate leakage path between the chamber and atmosphere.

This invention provides a twisted chute for feeding downwards a stack of cigarettes and simultaneously altering their orientation. The chute has side walls each comprising two convex-faced strips arranged to engage respectively near the ends of the cigarettes; opposite strips may be adjustable towards and away from each other.

A conveyor system for conveying cigarettes or similar rod-like articles includes means for delivering cigarettes into a junction, and a reservoir including a reversible conveyor for delivering cigarettes to or from the junction to accommodate differences between the rates of supply and demand at the junction, characterized in that the reservoir is formed by a plurality of conveyors defining a zig-zag path extending substantially in a constant plane normal to the axis of the cigarettes and compri...

Cigarettes are manufactured using modified automated cigarette making apparatus. Those cigarettes possess smokable rods having paper wrapping materials having additive materials applied thereto as patterns. The additive materials, which can have the forms of liquid or paste formulations, can be applied to the paper web using application apparatus possessing rollers. One of those rollers can have a series of pockets in its roll face to receive additive formulation from a reservoir and to define t...

Cigarettes manufactured using modified automated cigarette making apparatus can possess smokable rods having paper wrapping materials having additive materials applied as patterns. The additive materials, which can have the forms of liquid or paste formulations, are applied to a continuous paper web. The formulation can be applied to the paper web using application apparatus possessing rollers. One of those rollers can have a series of pockets in its roll face to receive additive formulation fro...

A machine for packing groups of cigarettes, wherein a step-operated first conveying device, having a pocket conveyor belt, a transmission pulley rotating about an axis of rotation, and a number of first conveying pockets, receives a given number of groups of cigarettes during a stop period, and feeds the groups, during a transfer period, to a continuous second conveying device having second conveying pockets and, for the second conveying pockets, a conveyor drum rotating about the axis of rotati...

Finished packets of cigarettes are wrapped in a parallelepiped carton of substantially squat appearance, disposed one alongside and in contact with another in such a way as to make up at least one row extending along a longitudinal reference line parallel with the predominating dimension of the carton; the erected carton has four longitudinal sides including two larger longitudinal side faces, two smaller longitudinal side faces and two transverse sides constituting respective end faces, and pre...