Apparatus for manufacturing a smokeless tobacco product incorporating an object, and associated method

Abstract

An apparatus and associated method are provided for manufacturing a smokeless tobacco product including tobacco material and at least one object. A forming unit is configured to form a continuous supply of a pouch material into a continuous tubular member defining a longitudinal axis. A tobacco insertion unit is configured to introduce tobacco material into a pouch member portion of the tubular member. An object insertion unit is configured to introduce objects into the tubular member, with at least one of the objects being introduced into the pouch member portion. A closing and dividing unit is configured to close and divide the tubular member at intervals along the longitudinal axis thereof, to form the tubular member into a plurality of discrete pouch member portions such that each discrete pouch member portion includes the tobacco material and the at least one of the objects.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . An apparatus for manufacturing a smokeless product, the apparatus comprising:
 a forming unit arranged to form a continuous supply of a pouch material into a continuous tubular member defining a longitudinal axis;   a charge formation unit comprising a body member and an object channel connecting an object inlet to the body member, the object inlet being arranged to receive an object and to direct the object through the object channel into a pouch member portion of the continuous tubular member along the longitudinal axis thereof, and   a closing and dividing unit arranged to close a first portion of the tubular member to form the closed leading edge of the pouch member portion and a closed trailing edge of a previous pouch member portion, and to close a second portion of the tubular member to form a closed trailing edge of the pouch member portion and a closed leading edge of a subsequent pouch member portion, the closing and dividing unit being further arranged to divide the tubular member, between the closed trailing edge and the closed leading edge of the respective pouch members along the longitudinal axis of the tubular member, into a plurality of discrete pouch member portions such that each discrete pouch member portion includes an object therein,   wherein the body member further defines a supplemental channel extending to a distribution channel opposite to the object inlet such that a translating member is disposed therebetween, the supplemental channel being aligned with the object inlet, when either of first and second ports is aligned with the object inlet, and being adapted to direct an airflow therethrough into the object channel.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein each of the objects comprises an outer shell and an inner payload. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein each of the objects does not incorporate any tobacco within the outer shell or within the inner payload. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the body member further defines first and second object delivery ports extending to the distribution channel, wherein, in a first position, the first object delivery port is aligned with the first port defined by the translating member and disposed in a non-dispensing position, and wherein, in a second position, the second object delivery port is aligned with the second port defined by the translating member and disposed in a non-dispensing position, each of the first and second ports in the non-dispensing position being configured to receive at least one of the objects from the respective object delivery port, the at least one of the objects being directed from the respective ports into the object channel by the airflow directed by the supplemental channel, when either of the first and second ports is aligned with the object inlet. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the charge formation unit further comprises a switching device in communication with a translating member, the switching device being configured to oscillate the translating member between first and second positions. 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the charge formation unit is configured to introduce objects selected from a group consisting of capsules, pellets, microcapsules, beads, rods, strands, flavoring agent members, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 26 , further comprising an object hopper assembly configured to feed the objects to each of the first and second object delivery ports of the charge formation unit via at least one tubular transport member extending thereto, the object hopper assembly comprising an object hopper configured to receive the objects, and an agitation device configured to interact with the object hopper so as to agitate the objects therein to facilitate delivery of the objects into the at least one tubular transport member. 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 27 , wherein the object hopper and the at least one tubular transport member are coaxially disposed along a substantially vertical axis, and the agitation device is configured to oscillate one of the object hopper and the at least one tubular transport member with respect to the other along the substantially vertical axis such that at least one tubular transport member is oscillated to a minima below a fill level of the objects within the object hopper. 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , further comprising a detection system arranged to detect and measure a microwave density of the object directed through the object channel, wherein the detection system comprises a sensor device in communication with a computer detection device. 
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein the sensor device is arranged to detect a presence or an absence of the object in the object channel and generate a corresponding signal that is receivable by the computer detection device.