Patent ID: 8037887

Claim:
A cigarette-making machine comprising: a housing including a top surface having an aperture; a compacting chamber within the housing for receiving the loose tobacco, the compacting chamber in communication with the aperture; a tamper disposed in the compacting chamber and including a side having at least one of a projection or a shoulder, the tamper reciprocating between a forward position in which loose tobacco in the compacting chamber is compressed and a fully-retracted position in which an entire volume of the compacting chamber is available for filling with loose tobacco; a crank arm coupled with the tamper, rotation of the crank arm between an initial position and an intermediate position causing movement of the tamper between the fully-retracted position and the forward position; a hollow nipple configured on the housing, the hollow nipple in communication with the compacting chamber; and a tamper-holding mechanism within the housing including a tamper releasable interference coupling comprising one of the projection or the shoulder of the tamper and a tamper engaging member having a bias member to releasably maintain the tamper engaging member against the tamper projection or shoulder when the tamper is in the fully-retracted position to keep the tamper in the fully-retracted position until a sufficient force is applied to the tamper to move it past the tamper engaging member.