Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
10396~3
The present invention relates to a machine to be used by
people to make their own cigarettes using tobacco and pre-formed
hollow cigarette paper tubes.
Many individuals, for purposes principally of economy,
and taste, wish to make their own cigarettes and by possessing a
small hand-operated cigarette machine, one can by purchasing
tobacco and a supply of hollow cigarette paper tubes which are
readily available on the market make a supply of cigarettes at a
cost less than the cost of an equivalent number of tailor-made
cigarettes.
The present machine injects a compacted elongated cylin-
drical wad of tobacco into a hollow cigarette paper tube which is
held on a nipple provided on the machine, and while there are a
number of machines of this general type presently available on
the market, all known machines of this type have a substantial
; number of interfitting and moving parts and are fairly costly in
manufacture and sale and require fairly constant maintenance.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages pos-
sessed by known machines by providing a machine which is simple
and economical in construction and which has a minimum of moving
parts and which produces cigarettes of high and constant quality
with minimum upkeep.
~- Known machines usually have a single operating lever
which acts both to compact a wad of tobacco against a spoon
. member with further rotation of the single handle causing the
spoon and wad of tobacco to be injected into a cigarette paper
tube held on a nipple of the machine. Although a single lever
may result in simpler operation, it does require a greater number
of interworking and interfitting parts and malfunction of any
of the component parts can result in the machine being inoper-
ative. Additionally, such single lever machines are reasonably
expensive in manufacture and production costs must, of course,
be passed on to the user at the time of sale.
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~103~6~3
The present invention provides a machine having a two
lever operation, the first lever causing compaction of a wad of
tobacco into an elongate cylindrical form, with movement of the
second lever causing injection of the wad into a cigarette paper
tube. The actions of the two levers are extremely simple and as
indicated a minimum of working parts is required so that the
machine is highly durable and requires a minimum of upkeep and
maintenance.
Also machines presently available on the market cause
compaction of the tobacco by movement of a tobacco compacting
member which is moved by a toggle arm which works through a pair
of parallel links and with known constructions this parallel
linkage is necessary in order to maintain the tobacco compacting
member in precise alignment in the tobacco compacting chamber so
: that the wad of tobacco is correctly and exactly positioned in
injection alignment with the positioned tube.
It has now been found that it is possible to move the
tobacco compacting member by utilizing only one single link in a
manner which herebefore was not considered possible if a
satisfactory cigarette was to be obtained.
One embodiment of the invention contemplates molding
- the combined tobacco compacting member from a NYLON (Registered
trade mark for a synthetic polyamide composition) material which
smoothly moves in a compartment which may be formed of acryonitrite-
butadiene - styrene (ABS) or similar plastics material. Alter-
natively, precise alignment may be accomplished according to a
further embodiment by providing spaced and parallel grooves in
the compacting member and guide projections on the casing which
extend into the grooves whereby the compacting member is
maintained in precise alignment during both its movement into and
out of tobacco compacting position.
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lU39603
It will be appreciated, however, that the guide projec-
tions could be provided on the compacting member and the spaced
and parallel grooves in the casing without departing from the
scope of the concept.
Of course, when the grooves and guides are employed,
any material such as metal can be used.
In the present arrangement, the main operating handle
which is of bell-crank configuration is pivotally secured to the
casing, and one end of the single link member is pivotally secured
to the inner end of the main operating handle, with the other end
of the link being pivotally secured to the compacting member.
When the three pivots are in alignment maximum tobacco compaction
; is achieved, and it has now been found that injection of a wad of
compact~d tobacco is facilitated and a superior cigarette product
obtained if the compaction member is withdrawn slightly from its
maximum compaction position. The present invention provides this
advantage by having the main operating handle move past the
position of alignment of the three pivots and so after maximum
, compaction there is some release of the compaction pressure which
facilitates injection of the wad of tobacco. ;~
`- Specifically the present invention relates to a machine
for injecting a compacted elongate cylindrical wad of tobacco
into a hollow cigarette paper tube, comprising a casing and an
operating handle pivotally (A) carried thereby, the operating
handle being of bell-crank shape and having one end of a single
link pivotally lB) secured to its inner arm, the other end of the
link being pivotally (C) secured to a tobacco compacting member, ~;
and an elongate injection spoon slidably movable within the casing ~
.~
from a tobacco receiving position to an extending position to
3~ inject a cylindrical wad of tobacco into a tube positioned on an
aligned nipple exteriorly of the casing, and a spoon handle extend-
ing exteriorly of the casing enabling manual sliding movement of
- the spoon, and a pivotally mounted tube retaining lever to hold
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10396~3
the tube in position on the nipple during insertion of the
tobacco wad, a spring holding the tube retaining lever in :
contact with the nipple when the operating handle is in :
tobacco compacting position, and a stud on the tube retaining
lever, the said single link contacting the said stud and
: pivoting the tube retaining lever out of contact with the said
- nipple when the operating handle is in tobacco receiving
~ position.
:~: These and other objects of the present invention will
become apparent from the following description in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 illustrates in perspective view the outward
. appearance of a cigarette making machine according to the
present inventive concept;
"
Figure 2 illustrates the machine illustrated in Figure
~' 1, in bottom plan view with the main operating lever in position
whereby a supply of tobacco may be positioned within the machine
. for subsequent compaction and injection into a cigar~tte tube;
.
. Figure 3 illustrates a bottom view of the machine
;~ 20 showing the main lever being pivoted to a lateral position
~ whereby tobacco placed in the machine is compacted into rod-
:: shaped cylindrical configuration and ready for injection into a
. . .
. cigarette paper tube; :
Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of
; Figure 2;
- Figure 5 is a perspective view of a new injection spoon
. and handle arrangement, and
Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of
Figure 3.
Reference will now be specifically had to the
accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to
like parts.
~)396~3
The machine consists of a body or casing unit 2 of
stylized configuration which has on its upper surface adjacent
the front edge 4 of the machine an elongate aperture 6 for
receiving a supply of tobacco as will be described in more detail
below. The opening 6 opens into a chamber 8 defined by a bottom
10 (see particularly Figure 4), the leading concave edge 12 of
a tobacco compacting member 14 and the concave surface portion 16
of a spoon member 18. (See also Figure 5). The spoon member 18
is secured to a spoon handle 20and the spoon handle 20 and spoon
member 18 are movable from their positions as shown in Figures 1
and 2, to a tobacco injecting position as shown in Figure 3 to
inject a wad of tobacco into a cigarette tube (which is shown at
22 in broken lines in Figure 3) and which is positioned on nipple
24 which is rigidly secured to the casing 2. The nipple 24 may be
positioned within a corner cut-out portion 26 of the casing as
shown in Figure 1.
The bottom 10 providing chamber 8 is secured to the
casing 2 and as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, a tobacco compacting
member 14 having a concave leading edge 12 is positioned for
reciprocal movement in accordance with the arrows 30 and 32 in
Figures 2 and 3, respectively, with this reciprocal movement
being dependent upon the actual positioning and movement of the
main operating lever 34.
The operating lever 34 is pivotally carried by the
casing 2 by means of screw or stud 36. The lever 34 is of bell- :-
crank lever configuration and the inner angled arm 38 of the
lever 34 is pivotally secured to a link member 40 by means of
pivot 42. The other end of the link 40 is pivotally secured to
the tobacco compacting member 14 by means of pivot 44, and it
will be appreciated that movement of lever 34 from the position :
shown in Figure 2 to the lateral position shown in Figure 3 will
cause movement of the tobacco compacting member from the "open"
.
1(~3~6~3
: position shown in Figure 2 to the "closed" position shown in
Figure 3 whereby tobacco positioned in the chamber 8 through
opening 4 will be compacted against the concave spoon 16 to
; form a cylindrical rod of tobacco (not shown) ready for injection
into a tube 22 positioned on nipple 24.
It will be noted from Figure 3 that the lateral move-
ment of the lever 34 causes pivot 42 to move past dead centre
between pivots 36 and 44. This is an important feature. During
:: movement of the lever 34 from the position in Figure 2 to the
.. 10 position in Figure 3 the tobacco compacting member will compact
the tobacco to a maximum degree when all three pivots 36, 42 and
44 (pivots A, B and C) are in direct alignment, but it has been
found that by withdrawing the tobacco compacting member a small
amount after maximum compaction of the tobacco a more superior :
operation of the machine results, and enables the user to inject
the wad of tobacco into a cigarette tube with less effort and
with superior results. Thus, in operation, when the lever is
moved in its tobacco compacting direction the tobacco compacting
. member first squeezes the supply of tobacco and when the pivots
20 36, 42 and 44 are in alignment, exerts a maximum compression on
the tobacco in the chamber, and then continued rotation results
; in some relaxation of the compaction to facilitate insertion of
the wad of tobacco into the tube by movement of the handle 20 :
and spoon 16 from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position
shown in broken lines in Figure 3.
Some cigarette making machines employ a tobacco
compacting member which compacts a wad of tobacco into generally
cylindrical rod configuration but all of these known machines
utilize parallel links and an interconnecting toggle arm to
ensure that the tobacco compacting member is maintained in precise
alignment during its movement into the tobacco compacting position
9603
but it has now been found that the more complicated parallel
link and toggle arrangement is not absolutely necessary and
that a sinlge link pivotally mounted between the operating lever
and the tobacco compacting member results in a highly satisfactory
product with a minimum of moving parts. This arrangement removes
the necessity of parallel linkages, toggle arms and camming
surfaces of prior art constructions.
The inventive concept also contemplates in a further
embodiment providing parallel slots 48 (see Figure 6) in the
cutter 14 and by providing guides in the form of downwardly
projecting studs 50 on the lower surface of the casing 2, and
it will be appreciated that the slots move along the guides
during movement of the lever to maintain the tobacco compacting
member 14 in precise alignment with the concave spoon member 16
and between which the wad of tobacco is compacted. ~;
In operation the user pivots the operating lever 34 to
~, the position shown in Figure 2 which withdraws the tobacco
. .;~ .
`~; compacting member 14 to the "open" position shown in this view.
The handle 20 and spoon 16 will also be moved to the position
shown in Figures 1 and 3 so that the chamber is ready for the
reception of a supply of tobacco. After the tobacco is positioned
in the chamber, the lever 34 is then pivoted to the position
-~ shown in Figure 2, whereby the tobacco (not shown) is compacted -
-~ in cylindrical rod form between the concave leading edge 12
of the compacting member 14 and the concave spoon 16. Handle 20
is then moved to the position shown in Figure 3 whereby the
compacted wad of tobacco is injected into a tube 22 previously
positioned on the nipple 24.
To retain the tube 22 on the nipple during injection a
tube retaining lever 52 is provided. The lever 52 is also of bell-
crank configuration and is secured for pivotal movement to the
bottom surface of the bottom 10 by means of pivot 54. A spring
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` 10396(~3
56 e~tends between the side 58 of the casing and the lever 52
and the action of the spring is to normally hold the tip 60 on
. the outermost end of the lever 52 against the nipple 24. The
innermost end of the lever 52 is provided with a stud 62 which
is positioned to be contacted by the link 40. When the handle
; 34 is in the position shown in Figure 2, the stud 62 is
- contacted by the link 40 and the lever 52 is pivoted against
the action of spring 56 to the position shown in Figure 2
wherein the tip 60 is removed from the nipple 24. It is in
~ 10 this position that a tube 22 will be positioned on the nipple
24. When the handle 34 is moved to the tobacco compacting
position as shown in Figure 3, however, spring 56 is then able
to move the lever 52 to the tube retaining position shown in
. Figure 3.
It has been found that coating the leading edge 12 of
; the tobacco compacting member with TEFLON may be advantageous
if the tobacco compacting member is made of metal. However,
such a coating is not required if the tobacco compacting member
is made of NYLON. TEFLON is a registered trade mark of E.I.
,. 20 DuPont de Nemours designating polytetrafluroethylene.
,; A novel spoon 16 and handle 20 arrangement used with
the present machine is shown in Figure 5. The injection spoon
16 which is of metal and of concave configuration throughout
its injection length is provided with a hollow integral
. sleeve 68 which receives a plastic stud or insert 70 which is
molded integrally with the handle 20 and spaced therefrom by
arm 72. The arm 72 rides in a double wall arrangement in the
casing (see Figure 4) so that the movement of the spoon is .
precise and correct.
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