Back to results
US 2026/0026545 A1Published application
Cigarette filling machine with casing feed mechanism
OwnerFan Baoinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cigarette filling machine includes several novel features, including a first mechanism for delivering empty casings to a tobacco outlet, a second mechanism that drives tobacco cutting, spoon insertion, and a casing clamp using a single motor, a novel sprocket array for processing tobacco, and related components. The machine can be used to perform new methods for filling empty cigarette casings with tobacco.
Claims24
An apparatus for filling cigarette casings, comprising:
- a casing hopper for holding empty cigarette casings;
- a dispensing chute coupled to the casing hopper and movable between a dispensing position and a non-dispensing position;
- a first sensor positioned to sense a position of the dispensing chute;
- a tobacco hopper coupled to the casing hopper, configured for directing loose tobacco to a tubular channel coupled to the tobacco hopper, wherein the tubular channel has receiving end configured for receiving tobacco coupled via a tube to an outlet outside the tobacco hopper oriented towards the dispensing chute;
- a casing trolley positioned under the dispensing chute, moveable between a pickup position for receiving a casing from the dispensing chute and a drop-off position for placing an open end of the casing over an outlet of the dispensing tube;
- and
- a circuit configured to activate motion of the casing trolley based on a signal from the first sensor.
4 more elements
An apparatus for filling cigarette casings, comprising:
- a tobacco hopper configured for directing loose tobacco to a tubular channel coupled to the tobacco hopper, wherein the tubular channel has a receiving end configured for receiving shredded tobacco coupled via a tube to an outlet outside the tobacco hopper;
- a sprocket array mounted in a pass-through between the hopper and a compaction chamber below the tobacco hopper, wherein the sprocket array comprises a plurality of sprockets spaced apart along a shaft, wherein each of the sprockets is characterized by teeth each having an arcuate concave forward profile and a rearward profile beveled towards its distal tip;
- a motor coupled to the sprocket array, wherein the activation of the motor causes the sprocket array to rotate;
- and
- a controller for controlling operation of the motor.
2 more elements
A method for operating an apparatus for filling cigarette casings, the method comprising:
- detecting, by at least one processor of the apparatus and at least one first sensor, whether a dispensing chute for empty casings is in a dispensing position;
- if the dispensing chute is in the dispensing position, activating, by the at least one processor, a dispensing mechanism for an empty casing, wherein the dispensing mechanism is configured to position the empty casing over an outlet of a tobacco dispensing mechanism;
- and
- if the dispensing chute is not in the dispensing position, preventing by the at least one processor operation of the dispensing mechanism while waiting for user input.
1 more element
An apparatus for filling cigarette casings, comprising:
- a tobacco hopper configured for directing loose tobacco to a tubular channel coupled to the tobacco hopper, wherein the tubular channel has a receiving end configured for receiving shredded tobacco coupled via a tube to an outlet;
- coupled to the tubular channel, a mechanism configured for cutting the shredded tobacco by a sliding cutter after the tobacco is received in the tubular channel, inserting a tobacco carrying spoon through the tube and into a cigarette casing coupled to the outlet, and retracting the tobacco carrying spoon;
- and
- a motor coupled to the mechanism, wherein activation of the motor causes the cutting, inserting, and retracting by the mechanism until the motor is deactivated.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.