Patent ID: 11858673
Assignee: ALTRIA CLIENT SERVICES LLC
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G | IPC B  G

Claim 0:
1. A doser mechanism, comprising:
a cylindrical shell including a hollow cylinder and an end plate, the hollow cylinder extending between opposite first and second ends, the hollow cylinder having an outer cylinder surface and an inner cylinder surface that is opposite to the outer cylinder surface, the inner cylinder surface at least partially defining an internal enclosure having a central longitudinal axis that extends between the first and second ends of the hollow cylinder, the hollow cylinder at least partially defining a first opening into the internal enclosure at the first end of the hollow cylinder such that the central longitudinal axis intersects the first opening, the hollow cylinder further at least partially defining a second opening into the internal enclosure through a thickness of the hollow cylinder between the inner cylinder surface and the outer cylinder surface, the second opening having a central axis that is different from the central longitudinal axis, the end plate covering the second end of the hollow cylinder;
an auger conveyor including an auger at least partially extending through the internal enclosure between the first end and the second end and configured to rotate around a longitudinal axis of the auger; and
a check valve coupled to the cylindrical shell and having a valve member configured to selectively cover the second opening, the check valve configured to
cause the valve member to cover the second opening from an exterior of the doser mechanism in response to the valve member being in a rest position, and
cause the valve member to move from the rest position to an open position to expose the second opening to the exterior of the doser mechanism in response to an applied force being applied to the valve member from the internal enclosure through the second opening, the applied force exerted by material inside the internal enclosure based on the material being moved by the auger conveyor, such that the check valve causes the material to be dispensed from the internal enclosure to the exterior of the doser mechanism based on the auger conveyer being in an operating state, and
cause the valve member to move from the open position to the rest position to isolate the second opening from the exterior of the doser mechanism in response to the auger conveyor being stopped to cease movement of the material inside the internal enclosure such that the material ceases applying force to the valve member, such that check valve inhibits material dispensation from the internal enclosure to the exterior of the doser mechanism based on the auger conveyer being in a stopped state,

wherein the doser mechanism is configured to cause a particular amount of material to be dispensed by the doser mechanism based on operating the auger conveyor for a particular amount of time to move the material within the internal enclosure and to cause the valve member of the check valve to move to the open position for the particular amount of time and stopping the auger conveyor to cause the valve member of the check valve to move to the rest position to inhibit material dispensation after the particular amount of time.