Patent ID: 7975382

Claim:
A method for filling a muffler with a fibrous material, the muffler including a muffler shell, a first partition which forms a first chamber and a second chamber within the muffler shell, and a first muffler pipe having an outlet end, the outlet end being operatively connected to the first chamber and the second chamber, the method comprising the steps of: (a) positioning a second muffler pipe in the first muffler chamber, the second muffler pipe having a first end and a second end, the second muffler pipe having a filling aperture near the second end, the second muffler pipe having a filling sleeve positioned therein, the filling sleeve having a filling discharge opening that is aligned with the filling aperture of the second muffler pipe, thereby forming a flow path for the fibrous material to flow through the second muffler pipe and into the first muffler chamber; (b) filling the first muffler chamber by applying a vacuum source to the first muffler chamber by way of the outlet end of the first muffler pipe, thereby drawing the fibrous material through the filling aperture; (c) positioning the second muffler pipe into the second muffler chamber; (d) filling the second muffler chamber by applying a vacuum source to the second muffler chamber by way of the outlet end of the first muffler pipe, thereby drawing the fibrous material through the filling aperture; and (e) removing the filling sleeve from the second muffler pipe.