Rolling drum for a tobacco industry product manufacturing apparatus and method of assembling tobacco industry products

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a rolling drum (59 for use in a tobacco industry product manufacturing apparatus. The rolling drum has a peripheral surface (6) configured to carry a collation of rod-shaped articles. The rolling drum comprises a plurality of ridges (7) on the peripheral surface, each ridge comprising a trailing face (8) and a leading face (9). The rolling drum comprises a plurality of suction holes for retaining the collation of rod-shaped articles. The plurality of suction holes are disposed at the trailing face and the leading face of each of the ridges. Also disclosed is a rolling apparatus comprising such a rolling drum, and a machine for assembling tobacco industry products comprising such an apparatus. Also disclosed is a method of assembling tobacco industry products using such a rolling apparatus or machine.

1 . A rolling drum for use in a tobacco industry product manufacturing apparatus, the rolling drum having a peripheral surface configured to carry a collation of rod-shaped articles, the rolling drum comprising a plurality of ridges on the peripheral surface, each ridge comprising a trailing face and a leading face, the rolling drum comprising a plurality of suction holes for retaining the collation of rod-shaped articles, wherein the plurality of suction holes are disposed at the trailing face and the leading face of each of the ridges. 
     
     
         2 . A rolling drum according to  claim 1 , wherein the ridges are integral with the rolling drum. 
     
     
         3 . A rolling drum according to  claim 1 , wherein the ridges are regularly distributed on the peripheral surface of the rolling drum. 
     
     
         4 . A rolling drum according to  claim 1 , wherein the ridges extend along an axis parallel to a rotation axis of the rolling drum. 
     
     
         5 . A rolling drum according to  claim 1 , wherein the rolling drum comprises a friction-enhancing surface on the peripheral surface between each of the ridges. 
     
     
         6 . A rolling drum according to  claim 5  wherein the friction-enhancing surface comprises a plurality of striae on the peripheral surface. 
     
     
         7 . A rolling drum according to  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of striae extend along an axis parallel to a rotation axis of the rolling drum. 
     
     
         8 . A rolling drum according to  claim 5  wherein the friction-enhancing surface comprises a coating on the peripheral surface. 
     
     
         9 . A rolling drum according to  claim 5  wherein the friction-enhancing surface comprises a hard particulate matter on the peripheral surface. 
     
     
         10 . A rolling drum according to  claim 5  wherein the friction-enhancing surface comprises a sprayed coating on the peripheral surface. 
     
     
         11 . A rolling drum according to  claim 1  wherein an elongate depression is formed in the peripheral surface where the peripheral surface meets each of the trailing face and the leading face of each of the ridges. 
     
     
         12 . A rolling drum according to  claim 11  wherein the suctions holes are disposed in each of the elongate depressions. 
     
     
         13 . A rolling drum according to  claim 1  wherein a length of the peripheral surface between the ridges in a rotational direction of the rolling drum is greater than a width of the ridges in a rotational direction of the rolling drum. 
     
     
         14 . A rolling apparatus for rolling a tipping paper around a collation of rod-shaped articles, the rolling apparatus comprising a rolling drum according to  claim 1  and a roll hand configured to roll the collation of rod-shaped articles between the peripheral surface of the rolling drum and the roll hand such that a tipping paper is wrapped around the rod-shaped articles to form tobacco industry products. 
     
     
         15 . A rolling apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the trailing faces are configured to receive a collation of rod-shaped articles upstream of the roll hand, and the leading faces are configured to receive a collation of wrapped rod-shaped articles downstream of the roll hand. 
     
     
         16 . A rolling apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the peripheral surface of the rolling drum comprises tipping paper suction holes adapted to retain the tipping paper on the peripheral surface upstream of the roll hand. 
     
     
         17 . A rolling apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the roll hand comprises a rolling surface over which the collation of rod-shaped articles may be rolled. 
     
     
         18 . A rolling apparatus according to  claim 17  wherein a length of the rolling surface in a rotational direction of the rolling drum is a whole number of multiples of a length of the peripheral surface between the ridges. 
     
     
         19 . A rolling apparatus according to  claim 18  wherein the length of the rolling surface in a rotational direction of the rolling drum is the same as the length of the surface between the ridges. 
     
     
         20 . A machine for assembling tobacco industry products comprising the rolling apparatus of  claim 14 . 
     
     
         21 . A method of assembling tobacco industry products using the machine of  claim 20 , the method comprising receiving a collation of rod-shaped articles and tipping paper on the peripheral surface of the rolling drum against a trailing face of a ridge of the rolling drum and retaining the collation of rod-shaped articles by suction through the suction holes at the trailing face, rotating the rolling drum until the roll hand contacts and pushes the collation of rod-shaped articles out of contact with the trailing edge, rolling the collation of rod-shaped articles between the peripheral surface and the roll hand such that the tipping paper is wrapped around the rod-shaped articles, and receiving the wrapped rod-shaped articles against the leading face of an adjacent ridge and retaining the wrapped rod-shaped articles by suction through the suction holes at the leading face. 
     
     
         22 . A method according to  claim 21 , wherein suction is applied to retain the tipping paper on the peripheral surface of the rolling drum for a time after the collation of rod-shaped articles starts to be rolled between the peripheral surface of the rolling drum and the roll hand. 
     
     
         23 . A tobacco industry product assembled using the machine of  claim 20 . 
     
     
         24 .- 26 . (canceled)