US 4,185,644 AGranted

Distributor for cigarette makers or the like

AssigneeHauni-Werke Korber & Co. KG

InventorsUwe Heitmann, Wolfgang Steiniger, Joachim Pfannmuller, Heinz-Christen Lorenzen, Franz-Peter Koch, Norbert Lange

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

A distributor for use in a cigarette maker has a relatively long and relatively narrow upright duct whose upper end receives particles of tobacco from one or more magazines by way of an endless belt. The resulting column of tobacco descends through the lower end of the duct and into the range of orbiting needles at the periphery of a horizontal drum. An oscillating barrier is interposed between the lower end of the rear wall of the duct and the path of needles close to the apex of the drum. The barrier has a profiled rib which extends into the lower end of the duct to homogenize the lower end of the descending column of tobacco as well as to promote uniform filling of gaps between the neighboring needles with particles of tobacco along the full axial length of the drum. The particles are expelled from the gaps by a picker roller and are converted into a wide carpet, thereupon into a narrow stream and finally into a rod-like filler.

Claims10

Dependent claims

In the distributor of a cigarette maker or the like wherein particles of fibrous material are converted into a continuous rod-like filler, the combination of a duct having open first and second ends;

means for admitting into said duct particles of fibrous material by way of said first end so that the particles form a column, successive increments of which advance toward, and which column has a leader at, said second end, said duct comprising a wall at one side of said column;
a conveyor having spaced-apart particle-removing elements arranged to travel along a predetermined path a portion of which is adjacent to said second end and is spaced apart from said wall whereby said elements remove fibrous material from the leader of the column in said duct;
and a homogenizing device disposed between said portion of said path and said wall and including means for substantially uniformly distributing fibrous material between the elements advancing beyond said portion of said path;
and means for imparting to said device oscillatory movements in a direction substantially transversely of said path.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.