Patent ID: 11891204
Assignee: ALTRIA CLIENT SERVICES LLC
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 9:
10. A cleaner assembly for an apparatus for making pouch products, the cleaner assembly comprising:
a cleaner roller configured to counter rotate with a rotatable drum of the apparatus at a greater tangential speed than at least one of an outer circumferential surface of the rotatable drum or an upper surface of a first elastic layer on the outer circumferential surface of the rotatable drum, such that an outer surface of the cleaner roller is in contact with the upper surface of the first elastic layer on the outer circumferential surface of the rotatable drum, and
a poker roller including a plurality of projections that are each configured to extend into one or more divots of a plurality of divots of the rotatable drum, the poker roller configured to counter rotate with the rotatable drum at a same tangential speed as the at least one of the outer circumferential surface of the rotatable drum or the upper surface of the first elastic layer, such that the projections extend into and out of separate, respective divots of the plurality of divots based on the counter rotation of the poker roller and the rotatable drum,
wherein the cleaner roller is configured to move filler material on the upper surface of the first elastic layer into the one or more divots of the plurality of divots of the rotatable drum prior to the poker roller compressing the filler material in the one or more divots of the plurality of divots.