Smoking article machine

Abstract

A rotational transfer assembly is provided to transfer at least one smoking article from a combustible material rolling assembly to a filter assembly. The rotational transfer assembly includes a transfer wheel configured to rotate in a rotational direction at a rotational speed and a plurality of transfer elements attached and positioned radially to the transfer wheel. Each of the plurality of transfer elements is configured to receive a smoking article traveling in a first direction at a linear speed from the combustible material rolling assembly. Next, each transfer element comprising a member of an air component set holds and retains the smoking article on the transfer element during rotation. In some embodiments, each transfer element of the plurality of transfer elements includes a semispherical shaped engagement surface configured to engage the plant material smoking article. In operation, the rotational speed and the linear speed is synchronized by the smoking article machine and a control assembly.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.