Patent ID: 7762265

Claim:
An apparatus for controlling distribution of tobacco strip to a plurality of tobacco packing presses, each tobacco packing press having a charger, the charger being configured to receive tobacco strip, the apparatus comprising: a housing configured to supply an air flow to the charger; a plurality of ducts extending from the housing to each charger, each duct being configured to direct a portion of the air flow to spaced locations around a perimeter of the charger, from the housing to each charger, at least two of the ducts being configured to direct the portion of the air, flow in different directions; a plurality of flow controllers in the plurality of ducts, wherein each flow controller is selectively openable and closable to control the portion of the air flow around the perimeter of each charger to distribute the tobacco strip in the charger; and a controller configured to open and close the plurality of flow controllers in the plurality of ducts in a predetermined pattern.