Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02717309 2010-10-12
B&P File No. 4466-37
BERESKIN & PARR LLP/S.E.N.C.R.L., s.r.I. CANADA
Title: CIGARETTE-MAKING MACHINE
Inventor(s): Mei Lin
CA 02717309 2010-10-12
CIGARETTE-MAKING MACHINE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[00011 This invention pertains generally to an injector-type cigarette-making
machine,
and, more particularly, to an improved injector-type cigarette-making machine
and method
of using the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[00021 Injector-type cigarette-making machines are well known. U.S. Patent No.
2,731,971, to Kastner for "Cigarette Making Machine," issued January 24, 1956,
discloses a
cigarette-making machine for domestic use which compresses a portion of loose
tobacco
equivalent to one cigarette and then injects the compressed tobacco into a pre-
formed cigarette
tube by means of a plunger. 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
portion of tobacco.
Once the compressed tobacco is fully injected into the pre-formed cigarette
tube, it is released
from the cigarette-making machine to be smoked or stored for later smoking
thereof.
[00031 U.S. Patent Nos. 3,127,900 to Kastner for "Cigarette Machine," issued
April 7,
1964, U.S. Patent No. 4,411,278 to Kastner for "Cigarette Making Machine,"
issued October
25, 1983, and U.S. Patent No. 6,557,560 to Kastner for "Cigarette Making
Machine," issued
May 6, 2003 provide various improvements to the cigarette-making machine
described in U.S.
Patent No. 2,731,971. For instance, U.S. Patent No. 3,127,900 discloses
modifications to the
above-described cigarette-making machine to adapt it for making cigarettes
with pre-formed
cigarette tubes having a filter. U.S. Patent No. 4,411,278 discloses a
cigarette-making machine
of the same general type as discussed above, but providing a new manufacturing
method for
substantially reducing the cost of production of the prior devices. All of the
foregoing patents
are expired. While the aforementioned patents provide various useful
improvements for
injector-type machines, which have achieved substantial commercial success,
such machines
still have problems that have remained unsolved until now.
[00041 One problem with the aforementioned machines is that none provides
improved
safety of operation and ergonomics for the user. As is well known, use of
cigarette-making
machines of the foregoing type sometimes occasionally results in injury to a
user of the
machine, particularly inexperienced users that are unfamiliar with operation
of the machine
1
CA 02717309 2010-10-12
and have failed to read operating instructions and heed warnings provided
therein. Referring
now to FIG. 1, which illustrates use of a machine as illustrated in FIG. 8 of
U.S. Patent No.
3,127,900, the cigarette-making machine 10 presents two potential hazards
during use. After
filling a compacting chamber 12, in which a compacting member 14 moves, with a
quantity of
tobacco, a user grasps the ejector handle 16, which is oriented at the
starting position, with a
first hand. The user then places his or her other hand on the machine 10 to
exert a downward
force thereon for preventing the machine 10 from sliding on a surface during
clockwise
rotation of the ejector handle 16. As shown, the user often positions his or
her hand on a
corner of the machine 10 proximate the compacting chamber 12 and a hollow
nipple 18,
through which an injector spoon (e.g., 230, FIG. 7) projects. In the
illustrated hand position,
the user may be subject to a pinching injury from the compacting member 14
and/or a
laceration-type injury from the injector spoon. To this end, cigarette-making
machines of the
injector type are sold or otherwise provided with warnings such as stickers or
decals placed on
the machine and operating instructions for educating and alerting
inexperienced users as to
proper machine operation.
[0005] While warnings have been generally effective in substantially reducing
user
injuries, the warnings have caused many users to operate the machines
improperly, resulting in
broken or otherwise malfunctioning machines. In particular, many users
noticing the warnings
tend to overcautiously operate the machine - solely with a hand on the ejector
handle 16.
These overcautious users typically rotate the handle 16 clockwise while
exerting a downward
force on the handle 16 to prevent the machine 10 from sliding on a surface
during clockwise
rotation of the ejector handle 16. While exerting the downward force on the
handle 16 does
prevent the machine 10 from sliding, the downward force undesirably causes
additional wear
and tear on the machine components (e.g., rotating shaft, shaft bushing,
linkage assembly, etc.)
that couple the handle 16 with the compacting member 14. Many manufacturers of
cigarette-
making machines offer a warranty for repairing/replacing damaged machines at
no cost to the
user, which results in lost revenue. To this end, it would be desirable to
provide a machine
with improved ergonomics for maximizing user safety and minimizing improper
machine
operation.
[0006] Another well known challenge with injector-type cigarette-making
machines is
adjustability for making cigarettes of different sizes. Prefabricated paper
tubes are available in
myriad sizes and styles. For example, "I00mm" size, "king" size and "regular"
size paper
tubes are available in filter tip and "straight" (i.e., unfiltered) styles,
each tube differing slightly
2
CA 02717309 2010-10-12
in length and/or diameter from another tube. As can be appreciated, if the
injector-type
cigarette-making machine is unable to adapt to paper tubes of various sizes, a
user is faced
with the problems of either injecting too much or too little tobacco into a
tube, resulting in an
unsuitable cigarette. In an attempt to adapt injector-type cigarette-making
machines for filling
paper tubes of two or more sizes, such machines have been provided with an
adjustment lever
20, as shown in FIG. 1. When the adjustment lever 20 is moved by the user, the
distance that
the injector spoon (e.g., 230, FIG. 7) projects from the hollow nipple 18 is
changed. Although
the adjustment lever 20 of machine 10 should work at least theoretically,
users of machines
having an adjustment lever 20 have found that the adjustment lever 20 does not
facilitate filling
paper tubes of two or more different sizes because the adjustment lever 20
does not adjust the
volume of the compacting chamber 12. Thus, to adapt the machine 10 to fill
various sized
paper tubes, a user needs to vary the amount of tobacco that he or she metes
out into the
compacting chamber 12. Furthermore, a user may need to position, arrange or
otherwise
configure the tobacco in the compacting chamber 12. For example, a user may
dispose the
tobacco in the central and left (i.e., proximate the hollow nipple 18)
portions of the chamber 12
for suitable compaction and insertion into a short paper tube. Since such
machines require
considerable user intervention, it would be desirable to provide a machine
with improved
adjustability for adapting to various sized paper tubes.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[00071 In one aspect, a cigarette-making machine that overcomes the foregoing
problems is provided. In one embodiment, a cigarette-making machine of the
tobacco-
injecting type includes an improvement being a handgrip that provides improved
ergonomics to a user of the machine. The handgrip is configured to project
upward from a
top surface of the housing of the machine to position the user's hand distal
from the
compacting chamber and the hollow nipple. Furthermore, the handgrip is
configured on the
top surface to provide the user with a convenient location to apply a downward
force to the
machine to prevent the machine from sliding on a surface without damaging
components of
the machine. In another embodiment, a cigarette-making machine of the tobacco-
injecting
type includes an improvement being an adjustable volume compacting chamber.
The
cigarette-making machine may include a volume-adjusting member that is
configured to
axially partition the compacting chamber into a tobacco-receiving portion and
a vacant
portion. To cooperate with the volume-adjusting member for axially
partitioning the
compacting chamber, the compacting member may include at least one slot that
is
3
CA 02717309 2010-10-12
substantially parallel to a direction along which the compacting member moves.
In another
aspect, a method of using an improved cigarette-making machine is provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 shows a prior art injector-type cigarette-making machine;
[0009] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an improved injector-type cigarette-
making
machine according to one embodiment;
[0010] FIG. 3 shows a close-up view of the compacting chamber of the
embodiment of
FIG. 2;
[0011] FIG. 4 shows a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 2;
[0012] FIG. 5 shows a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 2;
[0013] FIGS. 6A-C respectively show a top plan view, a side elevation view and
a front
elevation view of the volume-adjusting member shown in FIG. 2; and
[0014] FIG. 7 shows a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 2, partially
illustrating
internal components.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0015] Referring now to the Figures, an improved cigarette-making machine is
provided. As shown in FIG. 2, one embodiment of an improved cigarette-making
machine
100 is of the injector-type where a supply of tobacco for a single cigarette
is compacted
within a compacting chamber and is then injected into a preformed paper
cigarette tube by
means of an injector. The machine 100 includes a generally rectangular-shaped
housing
that includes an upper portion 110 and a lower portion 130. The upper and
lower portions
110, 130 may be made of any suitable material such as metal, plastic, etc. The
upper
portion 110 includes a generally planar top surface 112 and front, rear, right
and left sides
114, 116, 118, 120, respectively, depending downward and generally
perpendicular to the
top surface 112. The lower portion 130, as shown, also include front, rear,
right and left
sides 132, 134, 136, 138 depending downward and obliquely outward from the
front, rear,
right and left sides 114, 116, 118, 120, respectively. As such, the top
surface 112 and sides
4
CA 02717309 2010-10-12
114-120 of the upper portion 110 and sides 132-138 of the lower portion 130
define an
internal cavity for housing moving component parts (e.g., linkage assembly,
cam, operating
arm, injector, etc.) of the machine 100. Component parts of the machine 100
are well
known (see, for example, the patents discussed hereinabove) and, therefore,
are not
discussed here in detail for brevity. As shown, the lower portion 130 may
include a base
102 that may be removably attached to a bottom of the lower portion 130 for
the purpose of
providing access to the moving component parts to facilitate cleaning,
maintenance, repair,
etc. The base 102 may be made of any suitable material, but it is preferred
that the base 102
be a non-skid material such as rubber or the like to minimize movement (e.g.,
sliding) of the
machine 100 on a surface during use.
[0016] As further shown in FIG. 2, the top surface 112 includes an aperture
142
defining an opening to a compacting chamber (FIG. 3, 140) in which a
compacting member
144 translates to compress a quantity of tobacco that is disposed in the
chamber 140. The
machine 100 includes on the left side 120 of the upper portion 110 proximate
the front side
114 a hollow nipple 146 in communication with the compacting chamber 140.
Furthermore, a clamp member 148 is configured proximate the nipple 146. As is
known, a
compressed, generally cylindrical tobacco portion is moved from the compacting
chamber
140 by an injector (FIG. 7, 230) through the hollow nipple 146 and into a
prefabricated
paper cigarette tube that is disposed on the nipple 146. The clamp member 148
cooperates
with the nipple 146 to retain the prefabricated paper cigarette tube on the
nipple 146 during
tobacco insertion. The machine 100, as shown, also includes on the top surface
112 an
actuator 150 and a handgrip 160. The actuator 150 rotates through an angle of
approximately 180 degrees in a plane above the top surface 112 to drive the
internal
component parts that couple the actuator 150 with the compacting member 144.
[0017] As shown, the actuator 150 is moved in an arcuate path from its
starting
orientation (i.e., projecting generally rearward and rightward), which is
indicated in FIG. 2
by a dashed-line representation labeled "S", to its compacting orientation
(i.e., projecting
generally rightward and slightly forward), which is indicated by a solid-line
representation
labeled "C", and then to its ejecting orientation (i.e., projecting generally
forward and
slightly leftward), which is indicated by a dashed-line representation labeled
"I". When the
actuator 150 is in the starting orientation S, the compacting member 144 is
fully retracted
(i.e., translated rearward) to permit loading of the compacting chamber 140
with tobacco.
As the actuator 150 is rotated from the starting orientation S to the
compacting orientation
CA 02717309 2010-10-12
C, the compacting member 144 moves forward (i.e., toward the front side 114)
to compress
the tobacco in the compacting chamber 140. Next, as the actuator 150 is
further rotated
from the compacting orientation C to the injecting orientation I, the
compacting member
144 remains generally stationary and an injector (not shown) translates
leftward through the
compacting chamber 140 and hollow nipple 146 to move the compressed tobacco
into the
paper cigarette tube disposed on the nipple 146. By moving the actuator 150
from the
injecting position I in an opposite (i.e., counterclockwise) direction, the
injector is retracted
into the internal cavity so that the completed cigarette may be removed from
the nipple 146,
and the compacting member 144 is translated rearward to ready the machine 100
for making
another cigarette.
[0018] One can appreciate that, despite the presence of the optional slip-
minimizing
(e.g., rubber) base 102, the machine 100 may still undesirably move on a
surface during
rotation of the actuator 150. To this end, the handgrip 160 is provided so
that a user can
apply a downward force to the machine 100 to obviate movement of the machine
100
during cigarette-making without causing damage to the machine 100 (e.g., the
shaft bushing
152, the internal component parts, etc.), which generally occurs when a
downward force is
applied to the actuator 150. Furthermore, the handgrip 160 is configured on
the top surface
112 to provide improved ergonomics to a user of the machine 100. Moreover, the
handgrip
provides a convenient means to carry and transport the machine 100.
[0019] As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the handgrip 160 is configured in
the left,
rear corner of the top surface 112, projecting upward therefrom. The handgrip
160 is
configured to the left of the actuator 150, being generally parallel with the
front and rear
sides 114, 116, such that the user is induced to place his or her other hand
(i.e., the user's
hand not rotating the actuator 150) distal from the compacting member 144,
distal from the
hollow nipple 146, and distal from the arcuate path of the actuator 150.
Although the
handgrip 160 is illustrated as being configured generally parallel with the
front and rear
sides 114, 116, the handgrip 160 may be configured otherwise, for example,
obliquely or
generally parallel with the right and left sides 118, 120. As can be
appreciated from FIGS.
2, 4 and 5, in the illustrated embodiment of the improved cigarette-making
machine 100, the
handgrip 160 is a handle, but the handgrip 160 may be a knob, or other rigid
or semi-rigid
member that is known in the art for applying a force, holding or carrying an
object. As
shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the illustrated handgrip 160 is a generally
elongated U-, C- or D-
shaped handle that is configured to be held and gripped with the fingers of
the hand, but the
6
CA 02717309 2010-10-12
handgrip 160 may be shaped otherwise. For example, the handgrip 160 may
additionally
include an ergonomic treatment known in the art (e.g., finger grooves,
padding, etc.) for
improving gripping of the handgrip 160 and alleviating fatigue of the hand,
wrist and arm.
The handgrip 160 may be integrally formed or unitary with the housing (e.g.,
the upper
portion 110) or may be affixed thereto, for example with fasteners such as
screws, bolts,
pins and the like. In some embodiments, the handgrip 160 may be removable.
[0020] Referring now to FIGS. 2-6, the cigarette-making machine 100 may
include a
further improvement being a compacting chamber 140 with a user-adjustable
volume. As
shown in FIG. 2, the cigarette-making machine may include a volume-adjusting
member
170 that is movable on the machine 100 to vary the volume of the compacting
chamber 140.
As shown in FIG. 2, the volume-adjusting member 170 may additionally be
removable from
the machine 100. The machine 100 includes a securing mechanism 180 that is
configured
to couple the volume-adjusting member 170 to the machine 100. Furthermore, the
securing
mechanism 180, the compacting member 144 and the volume-adjusting member 170
may,
as described hereafter, cooperate to facilitate moving the volume-adjusting
member 170
axially (i.e., horizontal direction generally parallel to the front and rear
sides 114, 116) in
the compacting chamber 140 to provide a desired volume for accepting a
predetermined
quantity of tobacco.
[00211 As best shown in FIG. 3, the compacting member 144 includes a left slot
144a
and a right slot 144b, the slots 144a, 144b being spaced apart a predetermined
axial,
horizontal distance and extending rearward and generally perpendicular from
the
compacting member's curved (e.g., hemispherical) compacting surface 145.
Although the
compacting member 144 is illustrated as including two slots 144a, 144b, the
compacting
member 144 may include fewer or additional slots to provide additional or less
volume
adjustability. In an example, the compacting member 144 may include only one
slot so that
the machine 100 is configured to fill two different sizes of paper cigarette
tubes - a first size
when the volume-adjusting member is received in the single slot and a second
size when the
volume-adjusting member is removed from the single slot. As further shown in
FIG. 3,
posts 113a, 113b are configured in the slots 144a, 144b, respectively to
extend vertically
from the top surface 112 to a floor of the compacting chamber 140 to prevent
the
compacting member 144 from moving axially and binding in the chamber 140
(e.g., during
compacting of a portion of tobacco). Although the posts 113 a, 113b are
illustrated to be
substantially cylindrically-shaped, the posts 113a, 113b may be shaped
otherwise, for
7
CA 02717309 2010-10-12
example, as rectangular or square bars or tubes. As can be appreciated from
FIGS. 2-4, the
slots 144a, 144b are configured to receive a portion of the volume-adjusting
member 170
when the volume-adjusting member 170 is coupled to the machine 100 via the
securing
mechanism 180. That is, a portion of the volume-adjusting member 170 is
configured for
insertion into the compacting chamber 140 such that the volume-adjusting
member 170
cooperates with at least one of the slots 144a, 144b to axially partition the
chamber 140.
[00221 As best illustrated in FIGS. 6A-C, the volume-adjusting member 170 may
be
formed or machined of a suitable rigid material such as metal, plastic or the
like. For
example, the volume-adjusting member 170 may be formed as a one-piece member
from a
steel plate or sheet. As shown, the volume-adjusting member 170 includes a
generally
planar top surface 172 (FIG. 6A), a side surface 174 (FIG. 6B) that depends
downward from
a left edge of the top surface 172, and a front surface 176 (FIG. 6C) that
depends downward
from a front edge of the top surface 172. As best illustrated in FIG. 4, the
top surface 172 is
configured to cover a top (right-hand) portion of the aperture 142 when the
side surface 174
is disposed in the compacting chamber 140. As further illustrated in FIG. 4,
the side surface
174, when disposed in the compacting chamber 140, is operative to provide a
partition
portion that axially partitions the compacting chamber 140 into a tobacco-
receiving (left-
hand) portion and a vacant (right-hand) portion that is covered by the top
surface 172. The
side surface 174 is configured to have a width substantially similar to a
width of the
aperture 142 and a height that substantially extends from a floor of the
compacting chamber
140 to the top surface 112. As shown in FIG. 6C, the front surface 176 of the
volume-
adjusting member 170 includes two spaced-apart vertical notches - a left notch
176a and a
right notch 176b, and a forward-projecting portion 177 that facilitates
grasping, handling or
otherwise moving the volume-adjusting member 170, particularly when it is
coupled to the
machine 100. Although the front surface 176 includes two spaced apart vertical
notches
176a, 176b, the front surface 176 may include fewer or additional notches to
substantially
correspond with the number of slots in the compacting member 144. For example,
in the
previous example in which the compacting member 144 includes only one slot so
that the
machine 100 is configured to fill two different sizes of paper cigarette
tubes, the volume-
adjusting member 170 includes only one notch. As best illustrated in FIG. 5,
the notches
176a, 176b are configured to couple with the securing mechanism 180, such that
the side
surface 174 is aligned in the slots 144a, 144b and the volume-adjusting member
170 is
prevented from moving in the axial direction.
8
CA 02717309 2010-10-12
[0023] FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the volume-adjusting member 170 coupled to the
machine 100 with the right notch 176b being disposed on the securing mechanism
180 such
that the volume-adjusting member 170 is configured in a leftmost orientation.
When the
volume-adjusting member 170 is configured in the leftmost orientation, as
shown, the side
surface 174 is received in left slot 144a to minimize the volume of the
tobacco-receiving
portion of the compacting chamber 140. The leftmost orientation of the volume-
adjusting
member 170 may correspond with a user filling a paper cigarette tube of the
"regular" size.
Similarly, when the volume-adjusting member 170 is coupled to the machine 100
with the
left notch 176a being disposed on the securing mechanism 180, the volume-
adjusting
member 170 is configured in a rightmost orientation such that the side surface
174 is
received in right slot 144b to slightly increase the volume of the tobacco-
receiving portion
of the compacting chamber 140 relative to the leftmost orientation. The
rightmost
orientation of the volume-adjusting member 170 may correspond with a user
filling a paper
cigarette tube of the "king" size. Furthermore, when the volume-adjusting
member 170 is
removed from the machine 100, the full volume of the compacting chamber 140 is
available
for filling with tobacco such that a user may fill a "100mm" size paper
cigarette tube.
Although the compacting member 140 is configured with two slots 144a, 144b
that
correspond with respective notches 176b, 176a of the volume-adjusting member
170 so that
three sizes of paper cigarette tubes may be filled, alternatively the
compacting member 140
may be configured with one slot and the volume-adjusting member 170 may be
configured
with one notch so that two sizes of paper cigarette tubes may be filled (i.e.,
a smaller sized
paper tube may be filled using the volume-adjusting member 170 and a larger
sized paper
tube may be filled by removing the volume-adjusting member 170 from the
machine 100).
100241 As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the securing mechanism 180 projects
forward
from the front side 114, intermediate the right and left sides 118, 120. One
embodiment of
the securing mechanism 180, as shown, includes a fastener 182 extending
through the front
side 114 and having a threaded portion 184 with a head 186 (FIG. 7) at a first
end (i.e.,
within the internal cavity). A first nut 188, which is illustrated as an acorn
cap nut, is
disposed on a second end of the fastener 182 outside the housing and distal
the head 186,
and a second nut 190, which is illustrated as a knurled nut, is disposed on
the threaded
portion 184 and movable between the first nut 188 and the front side 114. As
can be
appreciated, although the first nut 188 is provided to prevent the second nut
190 from being
removed from the fastener 182, alternatively the first nut 188 may be omitted.
By moving
the knurled nut 190 rearward and forward on the threaded portion 184, a user
may
9
CA 02717309 2010-10-12
respectively secure (i.e., clamp) and release the volume-adjusting member 170
against the front side
114. Although one embodiment of the securing mechanism 180 is configured as
described, other
mechanical devices known in the art may be suitably employed for removably
and/or adjustably
moving the volume-adjusting member 170 axially in the compacting chamber 140.
For example, the
securing mechanism 180 may be a latch, a catch, or the like.
[00251 Referring now to FIG. 7, a plan view of the internal cavity of the
machine 100 is
provided, partially illustrating the internal component parts. As shown, an
arm 210 is connected at
its first end to a shaft 200, for pivotal movement therewith, which connects
to the actuator 150 above
the top surface 112. A link 220 is pivotally connected at one end to a second
end of the arm 210
distal from the shaft 200. A second end of the link 220 is pivotally connected
to the injector 230. As
the actuator 150 is rotated from the compacting orientation (FIG. 2, indicated
by C) to the injecting
orientation (FIG. 2, indicated by I), the arm 210 and link 220 articulate and
translate the injector
spoon 230 through the compacting chamber 140 and hollow nipple 146 to fill a
paper cigarette tube,
which is disposed on the nipple 146, with compacted tobacco. As is known in
various conventional
injector-type cigarette-making machines (e.g., the machine illustrated in FIG.
1), a tube-retaining
lever 240 is spring-biased and coupled with the clamp member 148 for the
purpose of holding a
paper cigarette tube on the hollow nipple 146 during injection of tobacco into
the tube. Furthermore,
in such conventional machines, the tube-retaining lever 240 (or a member
coupled therewith)
provides a stop to prevent over-rotation of the actuator 150 (i.e., moving the
actuator 150 past the
injecting orientation I) that could cause the link 220 from over-extending the
injector 230 into the
paper tube since such over-rotation may, for example, cause damage to a filter
end of the tube. In
one embodiment of the machine 100, to prevent over-rotation of the actuator
150 (i.e., moving the
actuator 150 past the injecting orientation I), the fastener 182 is configured
on the front side 114
intermediate the left and right sides 120, 118 such that the head 186 of the
fastener 182 provides a
positive stop for the actuator 150 instead of the tube-retaining lever 240
providing the stop. That is,
referring to the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 7, the head 186 projects
inward to catch the second
end of the link 220 as shown. In this way, the head 186 catches the second end
of the link 220 to
prevent the arm 210 from contacting the tube-retaining lever 240, since
contact between the arm 210,
link 220 and tube-retaining lever 240 could potentially cause the paper
cigarette tube from being
released from the nipple 146 prematurely or cause the arm 210, link 220 and
the lever
CA 02717309 2010-10-12
240 to bind together resulting in improper operation and/or damage to the
internal
component parts.
[0026] In another aspect, a method of using the improved injector-type
cigarette-making
machine is provided. Initially, the machine should be prepared or readied by
the user to
accept a portion of tobacco, for example, by rotating the actuator to be at
the starting
orientation. A paper cigarette tube is disposed on the hollow nipple and a
portion of
tobacco is disposed in the compacting chamber. A user places a first hand
(e.g., the user's
right hand) on the actuator and places a second hand (e.g., the user's left
hand) on the
handgrip. The user may apply a downward force on the handgrip and rotate (e.g.
in a
horizontal plane in a clockwise direction) the actuator with the user's other
hand. During
rotation of the actuator, the user may intermittently or substantially
continuously apply the
downward force on the handgrip to prevent slipping of the machine until the
paper cigarette
tube is filled with tobacco, making a completed cigarette.
[0027] In some instances, the user may desire to make cigarettes of various
sizes. In
these instances, the user first determines a size of the paper cigarette tube
that is disposed on
the hollow nipple. Next, the user selects or otherwise adjusts, according to
the determined
size of the paper cigarette tube, a volume for the compacting chamber, and
fills the selected
or otherwise adjusted volume with tobacco. The user then may follow the above-
described
process of: placing his or her hands on the actuator and the handgrip;
applying a downward
force to the handgrip; and rotating the actuator. To select a volume for the
compacting
chamber, the user may dispose or otherwise configure a volume-adjusting member
in the
compacting chamber to axially partition the chamber, thereby creating a
tobacco-receiving
volume and a vacant volume. In some embodiments of the machine, to maximize
the
tobacco-receiving volume, the user may remove the volume-adjusting member from
the
compacting chamber.
[0028] Various embodiments of the invention are described herein. It should be
understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only, and should not
be taken as
limiting the scope of the invention.
11
