Patent ID: 8171939
Filing Date: 2012-05-08
Classification: A24C

Abstract:
1. A cigarette injector for injecting tobacco leaves into a hollow cigarette paper tube, comprising: a housing having a tobacco cavity for said tobacco leaves disposing thereat; an electric motor, having an output shaft, received in said housing; and a cigarette filling arrangement, which comprises: an elongated injection tube having a supplying end extended from said housing to communicate with said tobacco cavity and an opposed dispensing end for said cigarette paper tube encircling therewith to retain said cigarette paper tube at a position that said cigarette paper tube is coaxially aligned with said injection tube; an elongated tobacco feeder which comprises an elongated wire, which is twisted in a helicoid form and is formed with a uniform diameter, having a driving end being driven to rotate via said output shaft of said electric motor and a feeding end extended within said injection tube through said tobacco cavity, wherein said elongated wire has a circular cross section to provide an obtuse outer surface for preventing said tobacco leaves being shredded when said tobacco feeder is rotated, wherein said tobacco feeder is driven to rotate for loading said tobacco leaves within said tobacco cavity into said cigarette paper tube through said injection tube; and a meter device for gauging compactness of said tobacco leaves into said cigarette paper tube, wherein meter device comprises a retention arm, which is pivotally supported at said housing, having a levering end and a retention end extended to contact with said dispensing end of said injection tube for applying a clipping force thereat so as to hold said cigarette paper tube at said dispensing end of said injection tube, and a metering control supported in said housing for selectively adjusting said clipping force at said retention end of said retention arm; wherein said metering control comprises a first magnetic element coupled at said levering end of said retention arm, a second magnetic element supported within said housing to spacedly align with said first magnetic element for mutually producing a magnetically repelling force between said first and second magnetic elements, and an adjuster selectively adjusting a position of said second magnetic element to adjust a distance between said first and second magnetic elements so as to adjust said magnetically repelling force therebetween.