Abstract:
A cigarette-making machine comprises a casing, a tobacco slot in the casing, and a nipple for retaining a cigarette tube outside the casing. A handle/handle drive is accessible from an exterior of the casing to be manually handled. An internal mechanism has a compactor to compact tobacco inserted into the machine through the tobacco slot, and a spoon to eject the compacted tobacco into the cigarette tube through the nipple. The internal mechanism is operatively connected to the handle/handle drive so as to be actuated by manual handling of the handle/handle drive to compact and eject tobacco into the cigarette tube. A cigarette receiver supports a filled cigarette released from the nipple. A method to operate the machine is also provided

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to cigarette-making machines and, more particularly, to cigarette-making machines of the type being operated manually to fill empty cigarette tubes. 
         [0003]    2. Background Art 
         [0004]    One manual type of cigarette machine used by individuals to prepare cigarettes one by one involves hand-feeding tobacco which is compacted into substantially cylindrical form into a tobacco receptacle associated with a compactor. The cylinder of tobacco is then ejected into an empty cigarette tube. Such machines have internal mechanisms operated by a single manually operated handle or lever which moves in a circular path. Initially, the handle is at the start of the circular path, the tobacco is dropped into the receiving and compacting means, and the handle is turned actuating compacting means until the tobacco has been compacted into a substantially cylindrical form. When the tobacco compacting means has ceased compacting, further motion of the handle along the arc actuates a plunger or piston arrangement which ejects the compacted tobacco into a cigarette tube 
         [0005]    Often means to hold the cigarette tube in position are supplied and actuated at the beginning of the circular path, and the tube holder can be operated by the action of the compactor means, the plunger means, or independently. 
         [0006]    Traditionally the handle rotates about a fixed axis controlling the tobacco compacting means and the plunger means independently. The tube holder is usually controlled by either of the compactor means or the plunger means. It has been desirable to reduce the number of moving parts to simplify manufacture, to reduce manufacturing costs and to reduce wear of components. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,506, issued to Kastner on Feb. 18, 1992, describes a portable manually operable cigarette making machine. The machine has a handle/handle drive manually operated to induce an internal mechanism in filling an empty cigarette tube supported by a nipple. Tobacco is fed through the nipple into the cigarette tube by a spoon, by a forward rotation of the handle/handle drive. A reverse rotation of the handle/handle drive causes the withdrawal of the spoon from the cigarette, and the release of the filled cigarette from the nipple. The cigarette then falls onto the adjacent surface. 
         [0008]    One of the issues associated with the Kastner machine is that a non-negligible amount of force is required to fill the cigarette using the handle drive. Accordingly, the user positions a first hand on top of the machine to apply weight thereon, while a second hand actuates the handle drive. The design of the machine is such that the user&#39;s first hand fingers can get caught between the handle drive and the casing of the Kastner machine. Otherwise, the fingers of the first hand may inadvertently come into contact with the empty cigarette tube supported by the nipple. The empty cigarette tube is fragile, whereby contact often results in the empty cigarette tube being ripped. 
         [0009]    Also, as both hands are used in the actuation of the machine, the filled cigarette falls to the ground upon being released from the machine. The machine must therefore be used on surfaces large enough to support the machine and provide a receiving surface for the filled cigarette being released from the machine, otherwise the cigarette might fall to the floor. This must be avoided for hygienic reasons and in consideration of the fragility of cigarettes. Additionally, tobacco strands have a tendency of falling out of the cigarette or of the nipple, which tobacco is wasted. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0010]    It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a cigarette-making machine and method that addresses issues associated with the prior art. 
         [0011]    Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cigarette-making machine comprising: a casing; a tobacco slot in the casing; a nipple for retaining a cigarette tube outside the casing; a handle/handle drive accessible from an exterior of the casing to be manually handled; an internal mechanism having a compactor to compact tobacco inserted into the machine through the tobacco slot, and a spoon to eject the compacted tobacco into the cigarette tube through the nipple, the internal mechanism being operatively connected to the handle/handle drive so as to be actuated by manual handling of the handle/handle drive to compact and eject tobacco into the cigarette tube; and a cigarette receiver to support a filled cigarette released from the nipple. 
         [0012]    Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for filling an empty cigarette tube with tobacco with a manually operable machine, comprising the steps of: positioning the empty cigarette tube on a tobacco outlet of the machine; filling a tobacco slot of the machine with a tobacco portion; grasping the machine by inserting fingers of a first hand in a grasping volume of the machine and resting a palm of the first hand on a support surface above the grasping volume; rotating a drive of the machine in a forward direction with a second hand such that the machine outlets said tobacco portion into the cigarette tube; and rotating the drive in the reverse direction to release the filled cigarette from the tobacco outlet. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof and in which: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cigarette-making machine in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a bottom plan view of the cigarette-making machine, with a base plate removed and an internal mechanism in a starting position; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of the cigarette-making machine of  FIG. 1 , with the base plate removed and the internal mechanism in a compacting position; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a bottom plan view of the cigarette-making machine of  FIG. 1 , with the base plate removed and the internal mechanism in an ejection position; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the cigarette-making machine of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view taken along section lines  6 - 6  of  FIG. 2  of the cigarette-making machine; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a top plan view of a wheel of the internal mechanism of the cigarette-making machine of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a compactor of the internal mechanism of the cigarette-making machine of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a cigarette tube retainer of the internal mechanism of the cigarette-making machine of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a block of the internal mechanism of the cigarette-making machine of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0024]    Referring now to the drawings, a cigarette-making machine is generally indicated by the numeral  10  in  FIG. 1 . From an exterior viewpoint, the cigarette-making machine  10  has a base plate  12 , a casing  14 , a cigarette tube nipple  16 , a cigarette/tobacco receptacle  17 , a tobacco trough/slot  18 , a handle  20 , a handle drive  22 , and a grasping surface  23 . 
         [0025]    The base plate  12  is the interface between a support surface and the cigarette-making machine  10 . The base plate  12  supports a remainder of the cigarette-making machine  10 . The base plate  12  typically has cushions (not shown) on a bottom surface, which cushions are of a resilient anti-slip material. This ensures that the machine  10  stays in place on a support surface, and that the base plate  12  of the machine  10  does not damage the support surface. 
         [0026]    The casing  14  forms the outer shell of the cigarette-making machine  10 , and accommodates an internal mechanism of the machine  10 . 
         [0027]    The cigarette tube nipple  16 , as best shown in  FIGS. 2 and 5 , supports a free end of a cigarette tube being filled with tobacco by the cigarette-making machine  10 . 
         [0028]    The cigarette/tobacco receptacle  17  has a cigarette slot  17 A to support a filled cigarette at the discharge from the cigarette tube nipple  16 . Moreover, the receptacle  17  facilitates the alignment and engagement of an empty cigarette tube with the cigarette tube nipple  16 . The cigarette/tobacco receptacle  17  has tobacco-collecting surfaces  17 B extending on both sides of the cigarette slot  17 A, so as to collect any tobacco falling from a cigarette or from the cigarette tube nipple  16 . 
         [0029]    The tobacco slot  18  is the inlet for tobacco for the cigarette-making machine  10 . Accordingly, the mechanism of the cigarette-making machine  10  is fed tobacco through the tobacco slot  18 , so as to be subsequently filled in an empty cigarette tube via the cigarette tube nipple  16 . The surrounding of the slot  18  is funnel-shaped, as shown in  FIG. 1 , to cause the tobacco to move toward the slot  18  by the effect of gravity. 
         [0030]    The handle  20  and the handle drive  22  cooperate to actuate the mechanism within the cigarette-making machine  10 . The handle  20  is configured so as to be handled manually. 
         [0031]    Grasping volume  23  is provided to facilitate the grasping of the machine  10  by a user person when the handle  20  and the handle drive  22  are being driven to make a cigarette. 
         [0032]    A bottom view of the machine is shown in  FIG. 2 , with handle drive  22  in the starting position. The drive handle  22  is operatively secured to a wheel  24 . The wheel  24  is mounted on shaft  26  ( FIG. 6 ), which is rotatable with respect to base plate  12 . The wheel  24  has a cam  28  ( FIG. 5 ), operatively accommodated in cavity  30  ( FIG. 5 ) of the compactor  32 . 
         [0033]    The compactor  32  slides back and forth along direction A between guides  36  and  38  of a block  39 , as a result of the camming action between the cam  24  and the periphery of the cavity  30 . The compactor  32  is also shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         [0034]    When the compactor  32  is in the starting position of the internal mechanism ( FIG. 2 ), the compactor  32  is away from the tobacco slot  18  such that tobacco may enter into the tobacco slot  18  and fill the space between the compactor  32  and a spoon  60 , as seen in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0035]    Rotating handle drive  22  in an anticlockwise direction, as viewed from below from the starting position of  FIG. 2  to the compacting position of  FIG. 3 , urges the compactor  32  forward to its furthest forward compacting the tobacco, as the cam  28  contacts the periphery of the cavity  30 . At the same time, the forward motion of compactor  32  allows cigarette tube retainer  40  to be urged forward to contact cigarette tube nipple  16  by the biasing action of spring  42  acting against fixed stop  44 . When the compactor  32  is in the starting position ( FIG. 2 ), the cigarette tube retainer  40  is held back by projection  46  engaging recess  48  of the compactor  32 . The cigarette tube retainer  40  is also illustrated in  FIG. 9 . The spring  42  biasing the retainer  40  is selected so as to produce a biasing force that will not damage the cigarette tube, while securely holding the tube during the filling procedure. 
         [0036]    As the handle drive  22  reaches the compacting position shown in  FIG. 3 , the compactor  32  has reached its forward point, where it effectively remains for the rest of the motion of the handle drive  22 . Continuation of the movement of the handle drive  22  allows stud  50  of the wheel  24  to engage lever  52 , urging it anticlockwise against the pressure of retaining spring  54  attached to the casing  14 . The lever  52 , pivoted about the shaft  26 , brings connecting link  58  with it pivoting between pivots  57  and  59 , moving tobacco plunger and spoon  60  ( FIG. 5 ) towards and through the cigarette tube nipple  16 . Accordingly, tobacco (not shown) is ejected into the cigarette tube (not shown), and the ejection position is shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0037]    On releasing the handle drive  22  from the ejection position, the spring  54  contracts rotating the wheel  24  in a clockwise direction, returning the machine to the position shown in  FIG. 3 . Thereafter, the handle drive  22  is returned to the position of  FIG. 2 , such that the cigarette tube retainer  40  releases the filled cigarette (not shown) from the nipple  16 . The stud  51  engages the lever  52  at the end of the return travel, preventing further motion. It is pointed out that the choice of spring to be used as spring  54  involves the consideration of the effort required to make a cigarette. It is considered to use springs opposing less tension against the movement of the handle drive  22  when a cigarette is being made. 
         [0038]    As the cigarette tube retainer  40  releases it, the filled cigarette (not shown) is received in the cigarette/tobacco receptacle  17 . More specifically, the cigarette slot  17 A is aligned with the nipple  16  such that the filled cigarette is accommodated within the slot  17 A. In the illustrated embodiment, the slot  17 A is generally at the same height as the nipple  16 , such that the cigarette tube (not shown) is supported against gravity through the steps of being filled. Moreover, this vertical alignment of the nipple  16  with the cigarette slot  17 A facilitates the positioning of an empty cigarette tube on the nipple  16 . More specifically, an empty tube is simply positioned in the slot  17 A, and is slid toward engagement with the nipple  16 , the tube being guided into engagement by the slot  17 A. Therefore, the risks of a cigarette tube being ripped are reduced, whether when engaging a tube on the nipple  16 , during filling of the tube, or once the filled cigarette is discharged. 
         [0039]    The receptacle  17  is in a concavity of the casing  14 , and is therefore distanced away from the upper surface of the casing  14 . Therefore, the potential for inadvertent contact between the hands of the user actuating the machine  10  and the cigarette are reduced by this configuration. 
         [0040]    Moreover, the cigarette slot  17 A and tobacco-collecting surfaces  17 B collect any residual tobacco falling out of the cigarette as the cigarette falls from the nipple  16  or as the cigarette is picked up. Tobacco falling out of the nipple  16  also gathers in the slot  17 A or on the surfaces  17 B, whereby the machine  10  can be tilted and the tobacco can be manually collected to be used for another cigarette. 
         [0041]    During use of the machine  10  to fill an empty cigarette tube with tobacco, it is preferred that the fingers of the left hand of the user be accommodated in the grasping volume  23 , while the palm of the left hand ergonomically rests on the upper surface of the casing  14  above the grasping volume  23 . The right hand of the user actuates the handle  20 /handle drive  22 . It is pointed out that in this ergonomic position, the left hand is away from the path of movement of the handle drive  22 , thereby avoiding incidents between the fingers of the left hand the handle drive  22 . 
         [0042]    The machine  10  is simplified over the machines of the prior art in the number of pieces it has. Referring to  FIG. 10 , the block  39  of the internal mechanism is preferably a single piece that will guide the translational motion of the compactor  32  along direction A ( FIG. 2 ), through guides  36  and  38 . The block  39  also incorporates a slot  62  in which the spoon  60  ( FIG. 5 ) will be accommodated and will form a compacting chamber with the compactor  32  ( FIG. 3 ). The fixed stop  44  is also part of the block  39 . The block  39  is typically cast in a rigid metallic material.