U.S. patent application number 15/525236 was filed with the patent office on 2017-12-07 for smoking article assembly machine and method of making a smoking article.
This patent application is currently assigned to British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited. The applicant listed for this patent is British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited, Tabaco Research and Development Institute (Proprietary) Limited. Invention is credited to Andrew BRAY, Gary FALLON, Gerhard LE ROUX.
Application Number | 20170347700 15/525236 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52118141 |
Filed Date | 2017-12-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170347700 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
FALLON; Gary ; et
al. |
December 7, 2017 |
Smoking article assembly machine and method of making a smoking
article
Abstract
The present application relates to a smoking article assembly
machine. The smoking article assembly machine has a web of tipping
paper conveying path. The smoking article assembly machine also has
a mechanical cutter (70) configured to perform a cutting action to
form a pattern (5) including a line (6) having a dimension of at
least 5 mm on a web (11) of tipping paper (4) passing along the web
of tipping paper conveying path, and a web severing device (60)
configured to sever the web (11) of tipping paper (4) into segments
for wrapping smoking articles. The present application also relates
to a method of making a smoking article.
Inventors: |
FALLON; Gary; (London,
GB) ; BRAY; Andrew; (London, GB) ; LE ROUX;
Gerhard; (Stellenbosch, ZA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
Tabaco Research and Development Institute (Proprietary)
Limited |
London
Stellenbosch |
|
GB
ZA |
|
|
Assignee: |
British American Tobacco
(Investments) Limited
London
GB
Tabacco Research and Development Institute (Proprietary)
Limited
Stellenbosch
ZA
|
Family ID: |
52118141 |
Appl. No.: |
15/525236 |
Filed: |
November 5, 2015 |
PCT Filed: |
November 5, 2015 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/GB2015/053357 |
371 Date: |
May 8, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A24C 5/14 20130101; A24C
5/478 20130101; A24C 5/471 20130101; A24D 3/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A24C 5/47 20060101
A24C005/47; A24D 3/02 20060101 A24D003/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 7, 2014 |
GB |
1419838.6 |
Claims
1. A smoking article assembly machine having a web of tipping paper
conveying path, the smoking article assembly machine comprising a
mechanical cutter configured to perform a cutting action to form a
pattern including a line having a dimension of at least 5 mm on a
web of tipping paper passing along the web of tipping paper
conveying path, and a web severing device configured to sever the
web of tipping paper into segments for wrapping smoking
articles.
2. The smoking article assembly machine according to claim 1,
wherein the line is a line of separation.
3. The smoking article assembly machine according to claim 1 or
claim 2, wherein the cutting action of the mechanical cutter is
configured to define at least two sections of the web of tipping
paper.
4. The smoking article assembly machine according to any of claims
1 to 3, wherein the mechanical cutter is configured to perform a
cutting action to form the pattern including a line in a direction
along the direction of the web of tipping paper conveying path.
5. The smoking article assembly machine according to any one of the
preceding claims, further comprising a curling station configured
to act on the web of tipping paper, and wherein the mechanical
cutter is configured to perform the cutting action downstream of
the curling station along the web of tipping paper conveying
path.
6. The smoking article assembly machine according to any one of the
preceding claims, wherein the mechanical cutter is configured to
perform the cutting action upstream of the web severing device
along the web of tipping paper conveying path.
7. The smoking article assembly machine according to any one of the
preceding claims, wherein the mechanical cutter is a crush cutting
device.
8. The smoking article assembly machine according to claim 7,
wherein the crush cutting device comprises a profiled roller and an
anvil roller between which the web of tipping paper conveying path
is defined.
9. The smoking article assembly machine according to claim 7,
wherein the spacing between the profile roller and anvil roller is
in the range of 3 to 5 .mu.m.
10. The smoking article assembly machine according to any one of
the preceding claims, further comprising a pre-cutter, wherein the
pre-cutter is configured to perform a first cutting action on said
web of tipping paper and the cutting action performed by the
mechanical cutter is a second cutting action on said web of tipping
paper.
11. The smoking article assembly machine according to claim 9,
wherein the pre-cutter performs a mechanical cutting action.
12. The smoking article assembly machine according to claim 10 or
claim 11, wherein the pre-cutter is disposed upstream of the
curling station along the web of tipping paper conveying path.
13. The smoking article assembly machine according to any one of
the preceding claims, wherein the line has a minimum length to
width ration of 60:1.
14. A method of making a smoking article, comprising conveying a
web of tipping paper along a conveying path, mechanically cutting
the web of tipping paper to form a pattern including a line having
a dimension of at least 5 mm on the web of tipping paper, severing
the web of tipping paper into segments, and assembling smoking
article with the segments of tipping paper.
15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising curling
the web of tipping paper using a curling station, wherein the web
of tipping paper is mechanically cut to form a pattern including a
line having a dimension of at least 5 mm after the web of cutting
paper is curled by the curling station.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This present invention relates to a smoking article assembly
machine. The present invention also relates to a method of making a
smoking article.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Smoking articles, such as filter cigarettes, are generally
formed of a tobacco rod and a filter wrapped in a material, such as
paper. A band of paper, such as tipping paper, may be used to join
together a wrapped tobacco rod and a wrapped filter. Cigarettes
with different construction and configuration are possible but do
generally comprise rod shaped components, such as tobacco rods and
filters that are wrapped in materials in various arrangements.
[0003] Machinery for preparing and wrapping a web of material
around a tobacco rod, a filter or an assembly of a tobacco rod and
a filter may include a web handling system that handles thin strips
of material, such as tipping paper, arranges and aligns the strips
of material with the relevant components and feeds the strips into
a wrapping process to wrap the strips of material around the
components of the smoking article.
[0004] It is known to assemble smoking articles with a web of a
sheet material, such as tipping paper, with predefined slits or
apertures formed in it.
SUMMARY
[0005] According to aspects of the invention, there is provided a
smoking article assembly machine having a web of tipping paper
conveying path, the smoking article assembly machine comprising a
mechanical cutter configured to perform a cutting action to form a
pattern including a line having a dimension of at least 5 mm on a
web of tipping paper passing along the web of tipping paper
conveying path, and a web severing device configured to sever the
web of tipping paper into segments for wrapping smoking
articles.
[0006] The line may be a line of separation.
[0007] The cutting action of the mechanical cutter may be
configured to define at least two sections of the web of tipping
paper.
[0008] The mechanical cutter may be configured to perform a cutting
action to form the pattern including a line in a direction along
the direction of the web of tipping paper conveying path.
[0009] The smoking article assembly machine may further comprise a
curling station configured to act on the web of tipping paper. The
mechanical cutter may be configured to perform the cutting action
downstream of the curling station along the web of tipping paper
conveying path.
[0010] The mechanical cutter may be configured to perform the
cutting action upstream of the web severing device along the web of
tipping paper conveying path.
[0011] The mechanical cutter may be a crush cutting device.
Alternatively, it may be another type of mechanical cutter such as
a shear action cutter, e.g. a rotary scissor type cutter, or a
contact cutter.
[0012] The crush cutting device may comprise a profiled roller and
an anvil roller between which the web of tipping paper conveying
path is defined.
[0013] The spacing between the profile roller and anvil roller may
be in a range of between 3 to 5 .mu.m.
[0014] The smoking article assembly machine may further comprise a
pre-cutter. The pre-cutter may be configured to perform a first
cutting action on said web of tipping paper and the cutting action
performed by the mechanical cutter may be a second cutting action
on said web of tipping paper.
[0015] The pre-cutter may perform a mechanical cutting action.
[0016] The pre-cutter may be disposed downstream of the curling
station and upstream of the mechanical cutter along the web of
tipping paper conveying path. More specifically, the pre-cutter is
preferably disposed after the curling station but before the
mechanical cutter in the direction of movement of the web of
tipping paper along the conveying path.
[0017] The pre-cutter may be disposed upstream of the curling
station along the web of tipping paper conveying path.
[0018] The pre-cutter may be a punch for forming perforations.
Alternatively, the pre-cutter could be a shear action cutter, such
as a rotary scissor type cutter, a contact cutter or a laser
cutter.
[0019] The line may have a minimum length to width ration of
60:1.
[0020] According to other aspects of the invention, there is
provided a method of making a smoking article, comprising conveying
a web of tipping paper along a conveying path, mechanically cutting
the web of tipping paper to form a pattern including a line having
a dimension of at least 5 mm on the web of tipping paper, severing
the web of tipping paper into segments, and assembling smoking
article with the segments of tipping paper.
[0021] The method may further comprise curling the web of tipping
paper using a curling station, wherein the web of tipping paper may
be mechanically cut to form a pattern including a line having a
dimension of at least 5 mm after the web of cutting paper is curled
by the curling station.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way
of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0023] FIG. 1 is a partial exploded view of a cigarette;
[0024] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a segment of tipping paper for
forming a cigarette;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevational view of a cigarette
making machine;
[0026] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a crush cutting device of
the cigarette making machine;
[0027] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of process steps
performed by the cigarette making machine shown in FIG. 3; and
[0028] FIG. 6 is a schematic side elevational view of another
cigarette making machine.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] As used herein, the term "smoking article" includes
smokeable products such as cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos
whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco,
reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes and also heat-not-burn
products and other nicotine delivery product such as aerosol
generation devices including e-cigarettes. The smoking article may
be provided with a filter for the gaseous flow drawn by the smoker.
Examples of smoking articles as described herein may comprise a
cigarette with a filter in a fixed location on a rod of smokeable
material such as tobacco whereas others may be telescopic in
configuration.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 1, a smoking article in the form of a
cigarette 1 comprises a tobacco rod 2, which in a conventional
manner comprises smokable material, such as tobacco or tobacco
containing material, wrapped in a paper wrapper. It will be
understood that the term cigarette may be replaced by the term
smoking article throughout. A generally cylindrical filter segment
3 that comprises filter material, for example cellulose acetate
wrapped in a paper plug wrap is disposed adjacent to the tobacco
rod 2. The filter segment 3 is attached to the tobacco rod 2 by
means of a covering layer of sheet material 4, preferably tipping
paper. Alternatively, the tobacco rod 2 may comprise a smokable
material and a second filter section (not shown) which are
longitudinally aligned.
[0031] The tipping paper 4 in FIG. 2 is shown as a segment to of a
web of tipping paper 11 which is of a width suitable for wrapping
two cigarettes 1 back-to-back in a cigarette making machine as will
be explained hereinafter. Each length L of the web 11 is utilised
to form an individual back-to-back cigarette pair and in use, the
web 11 is cut along severing lines 12, 13 forming leading and
trailing edges of each segment 10. Upon wrapping of the tipping
paper 4 to form the smoking articles 1, the segment to of the web
of tipping paper 11 is divided along separation line 14.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, the tipping paper 4 is formed with a
pattern 5. The pattern 5 is formed by an array of lines 6. The
lines 6 are formed by cutting into the sheet material that forms
the tipping paper 4. The segment to of the web 11 of tipping paper
4 shown in FIG. 2 forms a blank. In the present embodiment, the
lines 6 are formed by a mechanical cutting action. The depth of at
least some of the lines 6 extends through the thickness of the
sheet material. That is, the line 6 forms a line of separation.
However, some of the lines 6 may extend only partially through the
thickness of the sheet material. The or each line 4 forming a line
of separation defines at least two sections of the tipping paper 4.
For example, line 4a defines two sections 8a, 8b of the tipping
paper 4 in FIG. 2.
[0033] Although an array of lines 6 are shown forming the pattern
5, it should be understood that the pattern 5 could be made by one
line 6. Each line 6 is elongate. At least one line 6 has a length
equal to or greater than 5 mm. Preferably, at least one line 6 has
a length equal to or greater than 10 mm. When assembled at least
one line 6 extends at least 50% around the circumference of the
cigarette 1. Preferably, when assembled at least one line 6 extends
at least 80% around the circumference of the cigarette 1.
[0034] The tipping paper 4 is also formed with an array of
perforations 7. The perforations 7 may be formed by laser cutting,
embossing such as pin embossing or any other suitable method. The
perforations 7 provide for ventilation through the tipping paper 4.
It will be understood that each perforation 7 typically has a
diameter of up to 0.5 mm. It has been found that perforation holes
having a greater diameter than 0.5 mm may cause the production of
CO.sub.2.
[0035] A cigarette making machine suitable for producing cigarettes
1 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The
machine can be considered as a modification of a machine by Hauni
Maschinenbau AG, which has been adapted to utilise a roll 22a of
the web 11 of tipping paper 4 in the manufacture of cigarettes.
Reference is also made to FIG. 5, which illustrates schematically
the process steps performed by various parts of the machine
illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0036] Tobacco rods 20 of a length suitable for forming two
cigarettes back-to-back are supplied to a tobacco rod in-feed 33
shown in FIG. 3. Also, filter rods 21 are supplied from a hopper 35
into the machine. The filter rods 21 are of a length suitable for
forming two cigarettes back-to-back.
[0037] The tobacco rods 20 are supplied onto a take over drum 36
and passed to a tobacco rod cutting drum 37 with an associated
knife wheel 38 that cuts the tobacco rods 20 into two parts 20a,
20b which are then axially separated by means of a separating drum
39 and passed to a filter feed drum 40 where an individual filter
rod 21 is placed between them as shown in FIG. 5.
[0038] The filter rods 21 are fed from hopper 35 by means of supply
rollers 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d to the filter feed drum 40 and as shown
in FIG. 3, the filter feed drum 40 acts to abut the tobacco rods
20a, 20b against opposite ends of the filter rods 21 on a common
longitudinally axis.
[0039] The abutting arrangement of rods 20a, 21, 20b is then
transferred to a swash-plate drum 41 where they are joined together
by means of a tipping paper segment 10 that comprises a cut portion
of the web 11 of tipping paper 4 shown in FIG. 2, e.g. between
severing lines 12 and 13. As will be explained later, the tipping
paper segment to is cut from the web 11 and is coated with glue so
that when the arrangement is transferred to rolling drum 43, the
tipping paper segment to is wrapped around the filter rod 21 and is
dimensioned to overlap the ends of the tobacco rods 20a, 20b so
that they become joined together as illustrated by the arrangement
in FIG. 5.
[0040] The joined rods 20a, 21, 20b then pass on to a transfer drum
45 so as to be fed to a cutting drum 46 with an associated rotary
knife 47 which cuts the joined rods 20a, 21, 20b into two separate
cigarettes 1, 1' which are then fed via a transfer drum 48 to a
turning drum 49 where the cigarettes 1, 1' of each pair are
arranged to face in the same direction ready for packaging.
[0041] The web 11 of tipping paper 4 is fed sequentially from a
feed arrangement comprising two rolls 22a, 22b so that a continuous
supply of the web 11 of tipping paper 4 can be provided to a
cigarette making machine. Thus, when one of the supply rolls 22a
becomes exhausted, supply can continue from the other roll 22b and
the empty roll can be replaced.
[0042] Prior to placement of the supply rolls 22a, 22b on the
cigarette making machine, plain web rolls are acted on by a
perforation station (not shown) to form the perforations 7 in the
web 11 of tipping paper 4. The perforation station (not shown) is
typically remote from the cigarette making machine, or may be
included in the cigarette making machine. Also the web 11 may be
perforated at a perforation station adjacent the cigarette making
machine and supplied from the adjacent station into the cigarette
making machine.
[0043] Referring again to FIG. 3, the web 11 of tipping paper 4 is
fed from one of the rolls 22a, 22b to a curling station 50. The
curling station 50 operates on the web 11 of tipping paper 4 in
order to weaken its structural integrity on one side to enable it
to curl into a cylinder readily when wrapped around the rods 20a,
20b, 21 on the drums 41, 43 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. In the
curling station 50, the tipping paper 4 is passed over a fixed
curling edge, also known as a curling bar, to weaken the structural
integrity of the tipping paper slightly on one face. In
conventional cigarette making machines the web 11 with perforations
is able to withstand the curling treatment. However, it has been
found that the presence of a pattern 5 including a line 6 having a
dimension of at least 5 mm on the web 11 of tipping paper 4 passing
through the curling station 50 may cause the web to be at least
partially damaged.
[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, the web 11 of tipping paper 4 is acted
on by a mechanical cutter 70, downstream of the curling station 50.
The mechanical cutter 70 acts on the web 11 of tipping paper 4 to
form at least one line 6 of the pattern 5. The mechanical cutter 70
performs a cutting action on the web 11 of tipping paper 4 as it
passes through the mechanical cutter 70, along the web 11 of
tipping paper 4 conveying path. The mechanical cutter 70 makes cuts
in the web 11 of tipping paper 4 that are predominantly in the
machine direction, i.e. in the direction in which the tipping paper
4 is being conveyed, rather than in the cross-wise direction
perpendicular to the direction of travel of the tipping paper
4.
[0045] A web tensioner 65 is provided upstream of the curling
station 50 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. The web tensioner 65
or web reservoir provides for accurate control of the tension of
the web 11 of tipping paper 4 at the mechanical cutter 70. In an
alternative embodiment, the web tensioner 65 is disposed between
the curling station 50 and the mechanical cutter 70. A paper guide
(not shown) aligns the web 11 of tipping paper 4 in a direction
transverse to the direction of the web 11 of tipping paper
conveying path 4. The paper guide ensures that the web 11 of
tipping paper 4 is accurately aligned prior to being received by
the mechanical cutter 70.
[0046] Referring to FIG. 4, the mechanical cutter 70 in the present
embodiment is a crush cutting device. The crush cutting device acts
on the web 11 of tipping paper 4 to perform a crush cut, also known
as a burst cut, on the web 11 to form the or each line 6 of the
pattern 5. The crush cutting device acting as the mechanical cutter
70 comprises a profiled roller 71 and an anvil roller 72. The
profiled roller 71 and anvil roller 72 are spaced apart from each
other to define a gap 73. The gap 73 defines part of the web 11 of
tipping paper 4 conveying path. That is, the web 11 passes between
the profiled roller 71 and the anvil roller 72.
[0047] The profiled roller 71 has a cylindrical outer surface 74.
Raised protrusions (not shown) extend from the profiled roller 71.
The raised protrusions define the or each line 6 of the pattern 5.
The raised protrusions define a rotary die. The anvil roller 72 has
a cylindrical outer surface 75. The cylindrical outer surface 75 of
the anvil roller 72 is smooth. That is, the cylindrical outer
surface 75 of the anvil roller 72 does not have any raised
protrusions.
[0048] The spacing between the free edge of the raised protrusions
(not shown) on the profiled roller 71 and cylindrical outer surface
75 of the anvil roller 72 is between 3 and 5 .mu.m in the present
embodiment. The thickness of the web 11 of tipping paper 4 is
typically 0.025-0.055 mm. However, it will be understood that the
dimensions may vary. Rotation of the profiled roller 71 and anvil
roller 72 is synchronised. The rotational speed of the profiled
roller 71 and anvil roller 72 corresponds to the throughput speed
of the web 11 of tipping paper 4. As the web 11 passes between the
profiled roller 71 and anvil roller 72, the rollers 71, 72 act on
either side of the web 11. The part of the web 11 received between
the raised protrusions on the profiled roller 71 and the
cylindrical outer surface 75 of the anvil roller 72 is compressed.
That is, the material is crushed therebetween. The material on
which the cutting action is performed is crushed by at least 80% of
the thickness of the web 11 of tipping paper 4. The crushing action
causes the material to burst along the line of material acted on by
the profiled roller 71, and so forms a line of separation. With
this action, it is possible to perform a separation action that
does not require piercing of the web 11 of tipping paper 4. In the
present embodiment, the or each line 6 has a minimum length to
width ration of 60:1.
[0049] It has been found that, by performing a cutting action on
the web 11 of tipping paper 4 downstream of the curling station 50,
it is possible to form patterns 5 on the web 11 of tipping paper 4
that have not previously been possible without damage occurring to
the tipping paper 4 in the cigarette making machine 4. For example,
in the present embodiment the mechanical cutter 70 is configured to
perform a cutting action to form the pattern 5 including lines in a
direction along the direction of the web 11 of tipping paper
conveying path 4. Furthermore, it is possible to form such a
pattern 5 including lines 6 having a dimension of at least 5 mm
online the cigarette making machine. It will also be understood
that the mechanical cutter 70 can be retrofitted to a cigarette
making machine.
[0050] Referring to FIG. 3, the web 11 of tipping paper 4 passes
from the mechanical cutter 70 to a gluing station 55. This includes
a gluing roller 56 that applies to predetermined pattern of glue on
to one side of the web 11, transferred by a transfer roller 57 from
a tray 58. The web 11 with glue applied then passes over a feed
roller 59 to a web severing device 60. The web severing device 60
has a rotary patch cutter that includes a plurality of radially
extending blades that cut the web 11 into tipping paper segments to
to be applied to successive tobacco and filter rod arrangements as
illustrated in FIG. 5. Referring to FIG. 2, the web severing device
600 cuts the web 1 along severing lines 12, 13 to form the
individual tipping paper segments 10.
[0051] In the above described embodiments, a cutting action is
performed at the mechanical cutter 70 to form one or more lines 6
having a dimension of at least 5 mm on the web 11 of tipping paper
4 and, optionally, prior to rolls 22a, 22b of the web 11 of tipping
paper 4 being received by the cigarette making machine to form
perforations 7. However, it will be understood that in another
embodiment the cigarette making machine has a pre-cutter to perform
a cutting action on the web 11 of tipping paper 4 to form
perforations 7. One such embodiment is shown in FIG. 6. The
embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is generally the same as the embodiments
described above and so a detailed description will be omitted.
However, in this embodiment the cigarette making machine has a
pre-cutter 80 disposed along the web 11 of tipping paper 4
conveying path.
[0052] In this embodiment, the pre-cutter 80 is disposed upstream
of the curling station 50 along the web 11 of tipping paper 4
conveying path. The pre-cutter 80 is configured to form
perforations, or other cutting actions in which the cuts have a
dimension less than 5 mm. The pre-cutter 80 may have different
forms, including a laser cutting device, a pin embossing device or
a shear action cutter.
[0053] The pre-cutter 80 is configured to perform a first cutting
action on the web 11 of tipping paper 4. The cutting action
performed by the mechanical cutter 70 is a second cutting action on
said web 11 of tipping paper 4. By providing the pre-cutter 80
upstream of the curling station 50 it is possible to separate a
first cutting action from a second cutting action. Such an
arrangement allows a robust web 11 having an online cutting action
performed on it to pass through the curling station 50, whilst
providing for a further cutting action to be performed on the web
11 prior to being combined with the rods 20a, 20b, 21.
[0054] In a further embodiment, it will be understood that the
pre-cutter is disposed downstream of the curling station 50 and
upstream of the mechanical cutter 70 along the web 11 of tipping
paper 4 conveying path. With such arrangements, it is possible to
form the perforations or other cutting action that is not performed
by the mechanical cutter 70 online the cigarette making
machine.
[0055] In order to address various issues and advance the art, the
entirety of this disclosure shows by way of illustration various
embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be practiced and
provide for superior smoking article assembly machine and/or method
of making a smoking article. The advantages and features of the
disclosure are of a representative sample of embodiments only, and
are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. They are presented only to
assist in understanding and teach the claimed features. It is to be
understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions,
features, structures, and/or other aspects of the disclosure are
not to be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined by
the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that
other embodiments may be utilised and modifications may be made
without departing from the scope and/or spirit of the disclosure.
Various embodiments may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist
essentially of, various combinations of the disclosed elements,
components, features, parts, steps, means, etc. In addition, the
disclosure includes other inventions not presently claimed, but
which may be claimed in future.
* * * * *