Universal automatic cigarette making machine

An automatic cigarette-making machine comprising a housing including a material bin for receiving and selectively dispensing a loose combustible substance suitable to be received and packed within a hollow tube to form a cigarette;

• a tube bin for receiving and selectively dispensing hollow tubes;
• a filling station;
• a tube transporting carriage for receiving a tube from said tube bin and selectively transporting a tube between positions at said tube bin and said filling station;
• filling means for selectively moving the combustible substance from said material bin into a tube at said filling station;
• a user interface including input means for a user to select a number of cigarettes to be automatically produced in a given production session;
• a tube release sensor at a release point of said tube bin for sensing the number of tubes that have been released and deposited onto said tube transporting carriage;
• control means for selectively actuating said filling means when a tube is positioned within said filling station to feed combustible substance into the tube and repeating the filling operation a number of times corresponding to the number of cigarettes selected by the user.

A method of automatically producing one or more cigarettes, comprising the steps of depositing a loose combustible substance suitable for being received and packed within a hollow tube to form a cigarette within a material bin;

• selectively dispensing the loose combustible substance from said material bin;
• depositing hollow tubes within a tube bin;
• selectively dispensing hollow tubes from said tube bin;
• selectively transporting a tube between positions at said tube bin and a filling station;
• selectively moving the combustible substance from said material bin into a tube at said filling station;
• selecting by a user a number of cigarettes to be automatically produced in a given production session;
• sensing the number of tubes that have been released and deposited onto said tube transporting carriage;
• selectively actuating said filling means when a tube is positioned within said filling station to feed combustible substance into the tube;
• and repeating the filling operation cycle a number of times corresponding to the number of cigarettes selected by the user.