Application US20190320709

COMPACTION APPARATUS AND RELATED METHODS
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US20190320709

1. A compaction apparatus for compacting a smokeable product in production of smoking articles, comprising: (5) (2)

a) a frame for removably receiving a cone pallet, the cone pallet including a plurality of cavities, each cavity holding a respective cone filled with a volume of the smokeable product, each cone having an open upper end;

b) a compaction mechanism supported by the frame, the compaction mechanism including: i. at least one pin extending along a pin axis and alignable above the open upper end of a respective cone, and when aligned, the pin movable vertically relative to the cone pallet from a retracted position, in which the pin is spaced apart from the smokeable product in the respective cone, toward an advanced position for inserting a lower portion of the pin into the volume of the smokeable product in the respective cone; and

ii. a vibratory drive coupled to the pin, the vibratory drive operable to vibrate the pin when the lower portion of the pin is within the volume of the smokeable product of the respective cone for inducing settlement of the smokeable product.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the compaction mechanism includes (iii) a collar positionable in the open upper end of the cone atop the smokeable product for generally covering the open upper end when the pin is in the advanced position. (2) (0)

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the collar has an interior aperture for slidably receiving the pin therethrough, and when the collar is positioned atop the smokeable product, the pin translates relative to the collar during movement toward the advanced position. (0)

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the collar includes a front face for bearing against an upper surface of the smokeable product in the respective cone for exerting a compressive force on the smokeable product. (1) (0)

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each cavity has a cavity height between an upper end of the cavity and a lower end of the cavity, and wherein the pin advances through at least 20% of the cavity height when moving toward the advanced position. (1) (0)

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vibratory drive is tunable to adjust at least one of a vibration frequency and a vibration amplitude for vibrating the pin. (1) (0)

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pin has a pin outer diameter greater than 1.1 mm. (0)

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vibratory drive is operable to initiate vibration of the pin prior to insertion of the pin into the volume of the smokeable product. (0)

13. A method of compacting a smokeable product in a cone for production of smoking articles, the method comprising: (8) (3)

a) positioning a respective cone of a cone pallet in alignment with a pin, the cone containing a volume of the smokeable product and having an open upper end;

b) advancing the pin into the volume of the smokeable product through the open upper end of the cone; and

c) when the pin is in the volume of the smokeable product, vibrating the pin to induce settlement of the smokeable product in the cone.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising (d) positioning a collar in the open upper end of the cone atop the smokeable product to generally cover the open upper end when the pin is in the volume of the smokeable product. (3) (0)

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising (e) urging the collar downwardly to exert a compressive force on the smokeable product. (3) (0)

19. The method of claim 14, wherein step (b) includes advancing the pin through the collar while the collar is atop the smokeable product. (0)

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising withdrawing the pin from the smokeable product while the collar is atop the smokeable product. (0)

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising vibrating the pin while the pin is being advanced through the smokeable product. (0)

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising vibrating the pin while the pin is being withdrawn from the smokeable product. (0)

23. The method of claim 13, wherein step (c) includes vibrating the pin for at least 8 seconds. (0)

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising tuning at least one of a vibration frequency and a vibration amplitude for vibrating the pin. (0)

25. The method of claim 13, further comprising initiating vibration of the pin prior to advancement of the pin into the volume of the smokeable product. (0)

26. The method of claim 13, further comprising, after step (b), reciprocating the pin along a vertical axis in the volume of the smokeable product. (1) (0)

31. The method of claim 13, further comprising, after step (c), withdrawing the pin from the volume of the smokeable product and urging a tamping face downwardly against an upper surface of the smokeable product to exert a compressive force thereon. (1) (0)

33. A compaction apparatus for compacting a smokeable product in production of smoking articles, comprising: (2) (2)

a) a frame defining at least one station for removably receiving a cone pallet, the cone pallet including a plurality of cavities, each cavity configured to hold a respective cone filled with a volume of smokeable product;

b) a compaction mechanism positionable above the cone pallet when the cone pallet is received in the station, the compaction mechanism including: i. at least one pin extending along a pin axis and alignable with a respective cavity, and when aligned, the pin movable vertically relative to the cone pallet from a pin retracted position distal the cone pallet toward a pin advanced position proximate the cone pallet for inserting a lower portion of the pin into the volume of smokeable product in the cone in the respective cavity; and

ii. a vibratory drive coupled to the pin, the vibratory drive operable to vibrate the pin at least when the pin is in the pin advanced position.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the compaction mechanism further includes at least one tamping collar having an annular front face directed toward the cone pallet and an interior aperture open to the front face and receiving a respective pin, the collar axially movable relative to the pin between a collar rearward position and a collar forward position. (1) (0)

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein when the collar is in the collar rearward position, the lower portion of the pin projects downwardly from the front face of the collar to facilitate movement of the pin toward the pin advanced position, and when the collar is in the collar forward position, the annular front face of the collar and a tip of the pin form a tamping face, the tamping face moveable from a tamping retracted position distal the cone pallet to a tamping advanced position proximate the cone pallet for urging the tamping face downwardly against an upper surface of the volume of smokeable product to exert a compressive force thereon. (2) (0)

39. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the compaction mechanism includes at least one tamping rod spaced apart from the pin and having a tamping face alignable with a respective cavity. (5) (0)

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the tamping face is moveable relative to the cone pallet from a tamping retracted position distal the cone pallet to a tamping advanced position proximate the cone pallet for urging the tamping face downwardly against an upper surface of the volume of smokeable product to exert a compressive force thereon. (0)

41. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the pin tip has a pint tip diameter, and the tamping face has a tamping face diameter greater than the pin tip diameter. (0)

42. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the frame has a first station below the at least one pin and a second station below the at least one tamping rod and spaced horizontally apart from the first station, and the cone pallet is moveable relative to the frame from the first station to the second station. (1) (0)

44. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the compaction mechanism includes a rotatable carriage mounted to the frame, the carriage including a first side from which the at least one pin projects and a second side spaced rotationally apart from the first side and from which the at least one tamping rod projects. (1) (0)

46. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the compaction mechanism includes a carriage movably supported by the frame, wherein one of the at least one pin and the at least one tamping rod is mounted to the carriage. (3) (0)

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the carriage is movable between a carriage retracted position and a carriage advanced position, wherein when the carriage is in the carriage retracted position, the one of the at least one pin and the at least one tamping rod is horizontally clear of the cone pallet, and when the carriage is in the carriage advanced position, the one of the at least one pin and the at least one tamping rod is alignable with the respective cavity of the cone pallet. (0)

48. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the other one of the at least one pin and the at least one tamping rod is supported by the frame above the cone pallet and in alignment with the respective cavity. (1) (0)

50. The apparatus of claim 46, further comprising a pallet actuator for vertically translating the cone pallet away from and towards a pallet lowered position, the pallet lowered position corresponding to the pin retracted position and the tamping retracted position. (0)

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Application US20190320709

COMPACTION APPARATUS AND RELATED METHODS

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