Doser assemblies, apparatuses including a doser assembly, and/or methods of making the same
AssigneeAltria Client Services LLC
InventorsJarrod Wayne Chalkley, Loren Theodore Duvekot
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In an example embodiment, a doser assembly includes a hopper assembly configured to receive plant material, a bracket assembly connected to the hopper assembly, and a roller in a hopper opening defined by the hopper assembly extending through the hopper assembly. An interior surface of the hopper assembly may define the hopper opening. The bracket assembly may include a shaft extending across a portion of the hopper opening. The roller may be in the portion of the hopper opening of the hopper assembly and may extend between a first part and a second part of the interior surface of the hopper assembly. The roller may be connected to the shaft and may be configured to rotate with rotation of the shaft.
Claims22
A doser assembly comprising:
- a hopper assembly configured to receive plant material,
- an interior surface of the hopper assembly defining a hopper opening that extends through the hopper assembly;
- a bracket assembly connected to the hopper assembly, the bracket assembly including a shaft that extends across a portion of the hopper opening;
- a roller in a portion of the hopper opening of the hopper assembly, the roller extending in a direction between a first part of the interior surface of the hopper assembly and a second part of the interior surface of the hopper assembly, the roller connected to the shaft of the bracket assembly, and the roller being configured to rotate with a rotation of the shaft of the bracket assembly;
- and
- a vertical adjuster connected to the bracket assembly, the vertical adjuster being configured to adjust a position of the roller, wherein
- an upper surface of the hopper assembly defines a first hopper groove and a second hopper groove that are spaced apart from each other and descend from the upper surface of the hopper assembly,
- the shaft is connected to the roller and extends through the first hopper groove, the roller, and the second hopper groove, and
- the vertical adjuster is configured to adjust the position of the roller based on adjusting the position of the shaft.
A doser assembly comprising:
- a hopper assembly configured to receive plant material,
- an interior surface of the hopper assembly defining a hopper opening that extends through the hopper assembly;
- a bracket assembly connected to the hopper assembly, the bracket assembly including a shaft that extends across a portion of the hopper opening;
- a roller in a portion of the hopper opening of the hopper assembly, the roller extending in a direction between a first part of the interior surface of the hopper assembly and a second part of the interior surface of the hopper assembly, the roller connected to the shaft of the bracket assembly, and the roller being configured to rotate with a rotation of the shaft of the bracket assembly, wherein
- the roller has a prism-like shape;
- the roller includes a first roller base and a second roller base connected to each other with a plurality of lateral faces therebetween;
- and
- a shape of the first roller base is the same as a shape of the second roller base.
A method of manufacturing a doser assembly, the method comprising:
- positioning a roller in a hopper assembly configured to receive plant material,
- an interior surface of the hopper assembly defining a hopper opening that extends through the hopper assembly,
- the roller including a roller opening that extends through a length of the roller,
- the hopper assembly defining a first hopper groove and a second hopper groove that descend from an upper surface of the hopper assembly and are spaced apart from each other across a portion of the hopper opening,
- the positioning the roller in the hopper assembly including arranging the roller in the portion of the hopper opening so the roller extends in a direction between a first part of the interior surface of the hopper assembly and a second part of the interior surface of the hopper assembly;
- and
- connecting a bracket assembly to the hopper assembly,
- the bracket assembly including a shaft,
- the connecting the bracket assembly to the hopper assembly including inserting the shaft through the first hopper groove, the roller opening, and the second hopper groove, and
- the connecting the bracket assembly to the hopper assembly including connecting the shaft to the roller such that the roller is configured to rotate with a rotation of the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.