This invention pertains generally to injector-type cigarette-making machines, and, more particularly, to compact tabletop automatic injector-type cigarette-making machines and methods of using such cigarette-making machines.
Manual injector-type cigarette-making machines are well known. Such cigarette-making machines are typically operated by rotating a crank to first compress a selected portion of loose tobacco equivalent to one cigarette within a compaction chamber and then to inject the compressed tobacco into a pre-formed cigarette tube by means of a plunger that carries the tobacco into the tube. The pre-formed empty cigarette tube is held at one end of a hollow nipple of the cigarette-making machine during the injection of the compressed tobacco. Once the compressed tobacco is in place in the pre-formed cigarette tube, the tube is released from the cigarette-making machine to be smoked or stored for later use.
Many of the prior manual injector-type cigarette-making machines are often considered slow and cumbersome to use, particularly when it is desired to make a substantial number of cigarettes. Current automatic machines, on the other hand, are typically large, complex, expensive and difficult to use, making them impractical for individuals making cigarettes for their own use. Also, many of these complex and expensive automatic cigarette-making machines require careful calibration and produce many less than optimal cigarettes. Furthermore, complex prior art automatic cigarette-making machines are vulnerable to breakdown and expensive repairs.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a compact automatic cigarette-making machine which consistently and efficiently produces cigarettes using a mechanism that is neither complex nor requires adjustment or expensive repairs.
The invention is a cigarette-making machine having a housing with an aperture in communication with a compacting chamber designed to receive loose tobacco. A compacting member reciprocates in an up and down motion from an initial position adjacent the top of the compacting chamber toward the bottom of the compacting chamber to compact the loose tobacco in the chamber into a rod-like shape. Preferably the leading edge of the compacting member is concave to help form the top of the compacted tobacco rod-like shape.
A nipple is provided for receiving a hollow cigarette tube adjacent a delivery side of the compacting chamber. In a preferred embodiment, a tube holding mechanism is present in which a pressure applying member with an elastomeric tip captures a portion of the tube over the nipple during the cigarette filling process. In further preferred embodiments, this member will release the tube once the filling process is complete so that the fully filled cigarette may be removed.
The cigarette-making machine also includes an injection spoon mounted for reciprocal lateral movement from a rest position within the compacting chamber across the compacting chamber. The spoon transports the rod-like compacted tobacco shape past the delivery side of the compacting chamber, through the nipple and into a hollow cigarette tube.
The device is operated by an electrically powered motor. A dual purpose control disk is adapted to be rotated about its axis by the motor. This may be done by placing a drive gear on the axle on the shaft of the motor and gear teeth along the circumference of the control disk. In other embodiments the control disk may be driven by conventional friction means such as engaging rubber wheels or drive belts.
The compacting member is coupled to a first member associated with a face of the control disk that moves the compacting member up and down in the compacting chamber as the control disk is rotated by the motor. This may be accomplished with a heart-shaped drive slot and a pin that moves within the drive slot as the control disk is rotated. The injection spoon is coupled to a second member associated with the control disk axle which moves the injection spoon across the compacting chamber as the control disk is rotated by the motor.
The cigarette-making machine may include a funnel portion having an inclined surface for directing loose tobacco into the compacting chamber.
The embodiments of the invention described in detail below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise structure and operation disclosed. Rather, the described embodiments have been chosen and described to explain principles of the invention and their application, operation and use in order to best enable others skilled in the art to follow its teachings.
Referring now to the Figures, tabletop automatic cigarette-making machine embodiments are provided. In
Top surface 14 has a funnel portion 20 for receiving loose tobacco. The funnel portion has an inclined surface 22 which is pitched downwardly from its top edge 24 to its bottom edge 26. This inclined surface is spaced from top surface 14 and encircled on three sides by top wall 30 and side walls 32 and 34 to provide a pitched generally flat depression for directing loose tobacco toward bottom edge 26 of the funnel portion. In the illustrated embodiment, side wall 34 is angled inwardly to also move the tobacco inwardly as it is advanced toward bottom edge 26.
At the bottom edge 26 of inclined surface 22, the surface leads into a compacting chamber access opening 40, with side walls 32 and 34 abutting the opposite ends 42 and 44 of the access opening. A tobacco compacting chamber 41 (
Turning now to
Base platform 50 includes an encircling outer edge 54 dimensioned to abut the bottom edge 36 of cover 12 when the cover is assembled to the base platform. The base platform also includes inwardly spaced stub walls 56 (
Drive mechanism 60 of the cigarette-making machine is shown in
Drive mechanism 60 thus includes, in addition to injection spoon 62, a reciprocating compacting member 68 which is designed to move up and down from an initial position adjacent the top of the compacting chamber toward the bottom of the compacting chamber in direction “A”. Reciprocating compacting member 68 includes a top surface 70, a bottom surface 72 and a leading compacting edge 74. Compacting edge 74 is concave (
A circular pin 84 is provided having a top smaller diameter portion 86 which is press-fit to bore 82 and a bottom larger diameter portion 88, with a ledge encircling the pin at the transition between the top and bottom portions to help position the pin. Pin 84 engages a dual purpose control gear 92 at its larger diameter portion during the operation of the machine as explained below. Control gear 92 may be a disk without outer gear teeth, driven by conventional friction means and so may be referred to broadly as a dual purpose control “disk”.
Dual purpose control gear 92 thus includes a fixed central axle 94 which is perpendicular to and protrudes upwardly from the outer first face 96 of the control gear. The opposed outer second face of the control gear is designated 95. Outer gear teeth 97 encircle the control gear. A heart-shaped drive slot 98 is formed in the face of the gear.
Control gear 92 is mounted on a support plate 118 having a top surface 120, a bottom surface 122, and a bore 124 extending between the two surfaces. Control gear 92 has a downwardly directed keyed shaft 114 having a flat 116 to provide the keying function. Control gear 92 is mounted to the support plate with the keyed axle extending through bore 124 and beyond bottom surface 122 of the support plate. A washer 126 is interposed between the gear and the top surface of the support plate to minimize friction between the gear and the support plate. Support plate 118 also includes a series of holes designed for receiving conventional attachment means for attaching the support plate to top support platform 66.
A drive gear 130 is also mounted to support plate 118. Drive gear 130 includes gear teeth 132 along its outer circular edge. These teeth are designed and positioned to engage outer gear teeth 97 of control gear 92. Drive gear 130 includes a central keyed bore 134 and a downwardly directed central circular collar 136 which rests in a slot 138 in support plate 118.
An electric motor 140 is affixed to bottom surface 122 of the support plate. It is wired to an externally accessible pushbutton (or other type) on/off switch 15 associated with the electronic circuitry on PCB board 52 (
Drive mechanism 60 further includes an injection spoon drive arm 144 driven by dual purpose control gear 92 as explained below. The injection spoon drive arm has a foot section 146 and a head section 148. Head section includes a further first bore 150 and a lip 152. The foot section includes a longitudinal slot 154 and a second bore 156.
A first link arm 158 is provided to link the injection spoon drive arm to the control gear. Link arm 158 has a keyed bore 160 which receives keyed downwardly directed axle 114. A drive pin 162 is located at the opposite end of link arm 158 and dimensioned as well as positioned to engage longitudinal slot 154 in the injection spoon drive arm. Pin 162 thus moves back and forth along the slot as drive arm 158 rotates causing the arm to swing about a pivot point where it is rotatably fixed at bore 156. In a preferred embodiment, pin 162 will be a bearing-mounted rotatable pin to minimize friction as the pin moves in the slot.
Finally, an injection spoon assembly 168 is provided. The assembly includes a carriage portion 170 to which a spoon base 172 is attached. The spoon base is tubular in shape and plugged at its top 174. An approximately half round open tubular spoon 62 projects from the spoon base. The radius of curvature of this open tubular spoon is approximately the same as that of the front compacting edge 74 of reciprocating compacting member 68.
Carriage portion 170 of the injection spoon assembly includes tracking means 171 projecting from the bottom of the carriage portion to engage a tracking support 173 (
The operation of reciprocating compacting member 68 may be best understood by examining how heart-shaped drive slot 98 of dual purpose control gear 92 causes pin 84 to move away and toward the center of rotation 93 of control gear 92. This may be done by turning to the diagrammatic representation of the control gear and its heart-shaped slot 98 in
As the gear continues to rotate, pin 84 will ride along a maintenance segment of the slot 193 running between a first transition point 194 and a second transition point 198. Since the pin is maintained at a generally uniform distance from center of rotation 93 of control gear 92, there is no significant movement in the reciprocating compacting member as the gear rotates. When, however, the pin passes second transition point 198, the slot curves inwardly toward center of rotation 93 of the gear to form a reopening portion of the slot 200. As the pin follows this reopening portion of the slot, it is moved toward center of rotation 93 which causes the reciprocating compacting member to move out of the tobacco compacting chamber.
Thus, turning to
Dual control gear 92 not only governs the motion of the reciprocating compacting member, it also simultaneously governs the motion of injection spoon 62 and achieves a unique serial coordination between the closure of the reciprocating compacting member and the movement of the injection spoon into and out of the tobacco-receiving hollow tubes mounted on nipple 64.
Thus, turning to
As control gear 92 begins to rotate in a counterclockwise direction in this view, drive pin 162 of link arm 153 moves upwardly along slot 154 of the drive arm. This movement of the drive pin causes injection spoon drive arm 144 to move upwardly toward the position depicted in
The continued counterclockwise movement of gear 92 causes drive pin 62 to reach a topmost position in longitudinal slot 154 whereupon the drive pin begins moving downwardly in the slot while continuing to drive the injection spoon assembly in the same direction, to transport the compacted tobacco from the compaction chamber to the hollow cigarette tube (not shown) at the end of nipple 64. (It should be noted that the entire device including drive mechanism 60 and support platform 66 have been rotated to a generally vertical position for illustration purposes but that in operation the device and of course these components would typically be in a generally horizontal position.)
Finally, as shown in
The compaction and injection cycle of the cigarette making machine is initiated by on-off switch 15 which causes motor 140 to rotate, driving gears 130 and 92. A sensor 202 is positioned as shown, for example, in
Turning now to
In the embodiment of
Finally, and most importantly, dual control gear wheel 230 includes “D” shaped slot 234 which is offset from the center of rotation 242 of the gear. In this slot, point 236 which is the closest location along the slot to the center of rotation serves as the slot rest point. When pin 238 of the reciprocating member is at this location, before operation of the machine, the injection spoon assembly is in its fully retracted or rest position and the reciprocating compacting member sits adjacent the top of the compacting chamber and away from the injection spoon. As the motor is operated, control gear 230 rotates in a counter-clockwise direction moving first leg 240 of the slot along the pin causing the pin to move away from the center of rotation 242 of the gear, thereby causing the reciprocating compacting member to move toward the bottom of the compacting chamber.
When the slot is rotated to the position where pin 238 is at transition point 244, the reciprocating compacting member is maintained in its fully engaged compacting position within the compacting chamber. As the control gear continues to rotate pin 238 is maintained within a straight segment 246 of the slot extending between transition point 244 and rest point 236. As the gear rotates and hence the slot continues to move along the pin, the injection spoon assembly will be advanced under the operation of the injection spoon drive arm which is attached to the bottom surface of the gear control with a structure that operates as injection spoon drive arm 144 above. Once the injection spoon is in the fully advanced position (so that the tobacco) has been injected into the external preformed tube) pin 238 will be at rest point 236. Further rotation of the gear beyond this point will simultaneously retract the injection spoon assembly and withdraw the reciprocating compacting member from the compacting chamber to complete a cycle of operation of the machine.
Reciprocating compacting members 68 and 212 include a tube holding mechanism which may be used in the embodiment of
In another aspect, a method of using the improved injector-type cigarette-making machine is provided. First, a paper cigarette tube is disposed on nipple 64. Initially, the machine is ready to accept a portion of loose tobacco by directing an appropriate quantity of the loose tobacco down funnel portion 20 and into tobacco compacting chamber 41 Once the tube and tobacco are properly in place, the user presses switch 15 which initiates the operation of motor 140 causing dual purpose control gear 92 to rotate as described above. The rotation of the control gear first moves reciprocating compacting member 68 into tobacco compacting chamber 41 to compact the tobacco therein between the front compacting edge 74 of the compacting member and the half round surface of injection spoon 62.
As the reciprocating compacting member reaches this fully closed position, control gear 92 continues to rotate about its axle moving injection spoon 62 through the compaction chamber to carry the compacted tobacco through nipple 64 and into a hollow cigarette tube positioned on the nipple. The reciprocating compacting member is maintained at or near its fully closed position during this movement of the injection spoon.
Once the compacted tobacco has been transported into the cigarette tube, the still rotating control gear withdraws the reciprocating compacting member from the compaction chamber while withdrawing the injection spoon from the cigarette tube. The withdrawal of the reciprocating compacting member also releases a clamping mechanism holding the cigarette tube on the nipple so that the now tobacco filled tube may be removed from the machine.
Once the control gear has completed this cycle, power to the motor is cut by a limit-type switch so that the cigarette making machine comes to rest and is ready to prepare another filled cigarette tube.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. It should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention.
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