Self-cleaning cigarette tobacco compacting mechanism

A cigarette-making machine comprising:

• a housing including a compacting chamber for receiving loose tobacco positioned between top and bottom plates, a compacting member mounted for reciprocal up and down motion between the plates and a self-cleaning slot including an intermediate support member, the slot extending across the bottom plate positioned to engage the bottom face of the compacting member during its reciprocal motion between the plates;
• an injection spoon for transporting compacted tobacco from the compacting chamber to a cigarette tube;
• a compacting drive mechanism for operating the reciprocating compacting member;
• and
• an injection drive mechanism for operating the injection spoon,
• whereby the movement of the compacting in engagement with the bottom face of the compacting member scrapes the bottom face of the compacting member.

A method of controlling the build-up of tobacco fines and gummy tobacco materials during the operation of cigarette-making machines using compacting apparatuses comprising:

• providing a cigarette-making machine having a compacting chamber for receiving loose tobacco, the compacting chamber being positioned between top and bottom plates,
• a compacting member mounted for reciprocal up and down motion between the plates to compact the tobacco during which tobacco fines and gummy tobacco materials are released, the compacting member having a bottom face that moves opposite the bottom plate, and
• a self-cleaning slot having an intermediate support member, the slot extending across the bottom plate positioned to engage the bottom face of the compacting member during its reciprocal up and down motion between the plates, the compacting member having a bottom face that moves opposite the bottom plate;
• placing tobacco in the compacting chamber and first advancing the compacting member down into the chamber to compact the tobacco and then retracting the compacting member;
• and
• scraping tobacco fines and gummy tobacco from the bottom face of the compacting member by moving it across the slot during its up and down motion.