Convertible compact cigarette making machine

A compact cigarette making machine for compacting and inserting a quantity of tobacco into a preformed cigarette tube, said machine comprising a base of upwardly open channel shape having forward and rearward ends and an elongate tobacco injection spoon having a free end and having a concave cross-section secured at a predetermined elevated position within the base and stationary therewith,

• and a tobacco receiving member slidably retained within the base and movable to a position extending longitudinally outwardly from the rearward end of the base, the tobacco receiving member having at its forward end a wall carrying a hollow circular nipple to receive the open end of a preformed cigarette tube, the free end of the injection spoon passing through the hollow nipple during rearward movement of the tobacco receiving member with respect to the base, an abutment means associated with said rearward end of said base to arrest the travel of said tobacco receiving member,
• and an elongate slot provided in and extending through the tobacco receiving member to receive a quantity of tobacco,
• and a cover pivotally secured to the tobacco receiving member and slidable therewith with respect to the base, the cover being pivotally movable from an open position to a closed position overlying the tobacco receiving member,
• and a tobacco compacting projection having a lower surface which is concave in transverse cross-section carried by the cover and which closes a top portion of the said elongate slot when the cover is in closed position to compact tobacco inserted in said slot and onto said tobacco receiving member,
• a cigarette tube retainer having a circular concave surface on the cover forwardly of the tobacco compacting projection, the concave surface of the retainer bearing against a cigarette tube positioned on the nipple to hold the tube in position during tobacco injection,
• retaining means in a lower portion of said base for slidingly engaging said tobacco receiving member, said cover having a pair of opposed inner tongues engagable under a respective elongated projection inside said open channel shape base from opposed side walls thereof when said tobacco receiving member is retracted rearwardly over said base, and
• arresting means disposed over an inner surface of a bottom wall and spaced from said rearward end thereof for contact with an arresting projection of said tobacco receiving member to shorten the rearward displacement of said tobacco receiving member whereby cigarette tubes of a shorter predetermined length can be used with the same cigarette making machine.