APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ROTATIONAL DRIVE MODULES FOR USE WITH CIGARETTE TOBACCO FILLING DEVICES

Abstract

A cigarette tobacco filler device includes a cigarette tobacco loader for loading tobacco leaves into a tobacco receiving cavity, wherein the cigarette tobacco loader includes a loader body and a loader arrangement. The loader body has a loading cavity and a loading opening aligned with the tobacco receiving cavity. The loader arrangement includes a loading pusher movably supported by the loader body to move between first and second positions, and a loader handle pivotally coupled at the loader body with a rotational drive module to move the loading pusher between said first and second positions. At the first position, a loading gap is formed between the pusher end of the loading pusher and the loading opening for receiving the tobacco leaves within the loading gap. At the second position, the pusher end of the loading pusher is driven for pushing the tobacco leaves within the loading gap into the tobacco receiving cavity.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to and is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. Non-provisional application Ser. No. 13/374,219 filed Dec. 15, 2011, titled “CIGARETTE TOBACCO FILLER DEVICE” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. This application is also related to the subject matter disclosed in U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/209,953 filed Mar. 9, 2009, titled “CIGARETTE TUBE INJECTOR”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/584,110 filed Aug. 31, 2009, titled “CRANK TYPE AUTOMATIC CIGARETTE TUBE INJECTOR”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/507,774 filed Jul. 26, 2012, titled “CRANK TYPE AUTOMATIC CIGARETTE TUBE INJECTOR” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/224,036 filed Mar. 24, 2014, titled “CIGARETTE TOBACCO FILLER DEVICE” which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is related to drive modules for use with a cigarette tobacco filling devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cigarette making machine, and more particular to a cigarette tobacco filler device, which is easy to operate by pivotally moving down an operation handle to actuate the plunger for filling the tobacco into the cigarette tube.

The cigarettes consumed by people are normally manufactured by factories and are sold in market. A cigarette is a paper wrapped tube stuffed with finely cut tobacco leaves. Generally, the tobacco leaves are cured and processed with additives. There are many tastes and brands of cigarettes people can select because of the different types of tobacco leaves, different cure processes and additives. However, some people still wish to fill and smoke their own tobacco cigarettes.

For those people wishing to fill and smoke their own tobacco cigarettes, they have to prepare their cigarettes by rolling the paper to wrap their cut tobacco leaves inside. Doing this by hand requires a lot of time and it is also difficult to stuff tobacco leaves with a uniform and proper compactness. If the tobacco leaves are wrapped too compressed, the cigarettes can be difficult to smoke; if the tobacco leaves are wrapped too loose, it can be easy to drop the tobacco leaves and thereby extinguish the lit cigarette.

Currently there are machines can help people to make cigarettes with their own tobacco, but there are some problems that plague these machines.

For example, a manual crank type machine can be operated manually by filling the tobacco leaves into the crank nozzle such that when the crank nozzle is inserted into the cigarette paper tube, the tobacco leaves loaded therein. The advantage of the manual crank-type machine is that the tobacco leaves will not be shred when the tobacco leaves are loaded in the cigarette paper tube. However, one of the drawbacks of the manual crank-type machine is that the injection is not automatic. The user has to use both hands to provide force. Another drawback is that the tobacco leaves cannot be evenly loaded within the cigarette paper tube such that compactness of the resulting cigarette is not uniform.

Some machines are driven by electric power. The tobacco leaves are injected automatically. But the problem is the size of this kind of machine is large. Particularly, the length of this kind of machine has to be more two times the length of a standard cigarette. For example, such an automatic machine generally has a chamber to contain tobacco, which can be injected into the cigarette paper tube. In order to fulfill the cigarette paper tube, the volume of the chamber is the same or little larger than the cigarette paper tube, and the length of the chamber is the same or a little longer than the length of the cigarette paper tube. At one end of the chamber is a nozzle which is inserted into one open end of the cigarette paper tube. At the other end of the chamber is a piston to inject the tobacco inside the chamber into the paper tube through the nozzle. The piston is driven by a driving shaft, for example, a worm shaft. Because the piston will slide through the chamber from one end to another to push the tobacco leaves into the cigarette paper tube, the driving shaft at least has to be the same length as the length of the chamber. When the tobacco leaves are loaded into the chamber, the driving shaft has to stay outside the chamber and align with the chamber longitudinally. Considering the driving mechanism, the total length of this machine must be longer than the length of the driving shaft plus the length of the chamber which is at least two times of the length of a standard cigarette.

Another type of automatic machine incorporates with a spiral nozzle for delivering the tobacco leaves into a cigarette paper tube. However, when the spiral nozzle is rotated for delivering the tobacco leaves, the tobacco leaves can be shredded into small pieces within the cigarette paper tube. Therefore, when the cigarette is lit, the cigarette ash cannot be held properly while smoking and will fall unexpectedly, causing a messy and potentially dangerous situation.

A conventional cigarette machine generally comprises an injection device received in a casing and a manually actuation device for actuating the injection device. The injection device comprises a plunger being actuated by the actuation device for filling a predetermined amount of tobacco into an empty cigarette tube.

There is therefore a need for methods, devices and systems that allows users to easily, simply and effectively insert tobacco into a cigarette paper tube with an automatic drive mechanism.

SUMMARY

Provided herein are embodiments of cigarette tobacco filler devices, that are easy to operate by pivotally moving down an operation handle in an ergonomically actuating manner to actuate the plunger for filling tobacco into a cigarette tube.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette tobacco filler devices, wherein the pivotally downward movement of the operation handle will ensure the device is stable on a loading surface to prevent any unwanted movement of the device during operation.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette tobacco filler devices, wherein the pivotally downward movement of an operation handle will transmit a rotatable force to drive a power shaft and rotational drive shaft module to effectively actuate the enclosing window and the plunger. In other words, the enclosing window and the plunger are actuated by the power shaft to effectively transmit the rotatable force to the enclosing window and the plunger.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette tobacco filler devices, wherein an operation handle provides triple-action actuation of an enclosing window, a plunger, and release of a cigarette tube in one single downward movement.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette tobacco filler devices, wherein a power shaft is made of rigid material and is strong enough to transmit the rotatable force to actuate an enclosing window and a plunger.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette tobacco filler devices, wherein an operation handle can be unlocked to freely rotate with respect to a power shaft such that a plunger and an enclosing window will not be actuated by the operation handle when the devices are not intentionally used.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette tobacco filler devices, wherein a tobacco receiving cavity can be closed by an enclosing window when the devices are not in use so as to prevent dust or other particles being accumulated in a tobacco receiving cavity.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette tobacco filler devices, wherein an enclosing window is stably moved between an opened position and a closed position by an even transverse force, which is transmitted from the rotatable force of a power shaft.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette tobacco filler devices, which do not involve complicated mechanical structures or expensive components so as to minimize manufacturing costs.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette tobacco filler devices, wherein no expensive or complicated structure is required to employ in the present invention in order to achieve the above mentioned objects. Therefore, embodiments described herein are successful in providing an economic and efficient solution for providing a stable configuration and easy operation of cigarette tobacco filler devices.

Other systems, devices, methods, features, objectives and advantages of the subject matter described herein will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional devices, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the subject matter described herein, and be protected by the accompanying claims. In no way should the features of the example embodiments be construed as limiting the appended claims, absent express recitation of those features in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

The details of the subject matter set forth herein, both as to its structure and operation, may be apparent by study of the accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the subject matter. Moreover, all illustrations are intended to convey concepts, where relative sizes, shapes and other detailed attributes may be illustrated schematically rather than literally or precisely.

Illustrated in the accompanying drawing(s) is at least one of the best mode embodiments of the present invention. In such drawing(s):

FIG. 1 is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a conventional cigarette making machine, illustrating a rotatable handle being rotated above the top side of a casing, thereby extending a plunger.

FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate an example embodiment of an operation of the conventional cigarette making machine from a cutaway top view.

FIG. 3A is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a cigarette tobacco filler device, illustrating the operation handle at an initial position for being pivotally and downwardly moved for actuation.

FIG. 3B is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a cigarette tobacco filler device, illustrating the operation handle at a second position for being pivotally and downwardly moved for actuation of the enclosing window.

FIG. 3C is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a cigarette tobacco filler device, illustrating the operation handle at a third position for being pivotally and downwardly moved for completing the tobacco insertion actuation.

FIG. 4 is an example embodiment of an exploded perspective view of a cigarette tobacco filler device.

FIG. 5 is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a cigarette tobacco filler device, illustrating a normal first position of the device.

FIG. 6 is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a cigarette tobacco filler device, illustrating a second position of the device to close a tobacco receiving cavity.

FIG. 7 is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a cigarette tobacco filler device, illustrating a third position of the device to actuate a plunger.

FIG. 8 is an example embodiment of a rotational drive module in a distal facing exploded view.

FIG. 9 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module in a first state from a distal facing perspective view.

FIG. 10 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module in a first state from a side view.

FIG. 11 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module in a second state from a distal facing perspective view.

FIG. 12 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module in a second state from a side view.

FIG. 13 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module in a first state from a proximal facing side view.

FIG. 14 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module in a second state from a slightly distal facing perspective view.

FIG. 15 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module in a second state from a proximal facing side view.

FIG. 16 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module in a first state from a slightly distal facing perspective view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present subject matter is described in detail, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments described, as such may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting, since the scope of the present disclosure will be limited only by the appended claims.

A conventional cigarette machine generally comprises an injection device received in a casing and a manually actuation device for actuating the injection device. The injection device comprises a plunger being actuated by the actuation device for filling a predetermined amount of tobacco into an empty cigarette tube.

FIG. 1 is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a conventional cigarette making machine 100, illustrating a rotatable handle 12A being rotated above the top side of a casing 10A, thereby extending a plunger 11A.

FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate an example embodiment of an operation of the conventional cigarette making machine 100, from a cutaway top view. As shown in the example embodiment, cigarette making machine 100 includes an opening of a tobacco receiving chamber or cavity 11B for receiving a sufficient amount of tobacco to fill a cigarette casing provided on a top side of casing 10A. Casing 10A can enclose internal components of an injection device, wherein when a plunger 11A is actuated, it pushes tobacco contained in tobacco receiving chamber 11B into an open end of a cigarette tube. In particular, window 18A can be provided at the top side of casing 10A and can be actuated, for instance by cranking handle 12A, whereby the actuation device closes the tobacco receiving chamber 11B. Window 18A can have a sharp cutting edge arranged in such a manner that when window 18A is moved to close tobacco receiving chamber 11B, the cutting edge of window 18A is moved and can cut any excessive amount of tobacco out of or otherwise away from tobacco receiving chamber 11B so as to retain a sufficient amount of tobacco therein, to fill a single cigarette tube.

The actuation device can include a number of mechanically coupled components, including rotatable handle 12A, which can be rotatably coupled on a top side of the casing 10A. The actuation device can also include an actuation link between rotatable handle 12A and plunger 11A, as shown in FIG. 2A. Rotatable handle 12A is rotated above the top side of casing 10A about a central point in a single plane in two directions, in order to provide dual action operation, as shown in FIG. 1. In other Words, rotatable handle 12A is rotated to actuate window 18A for closing tobacco receiving chamber 11B first and then serves to actuate plunger 11A to pushing the tobacco into the cigarette tube. The actuation device can also include a cam 13A driven by the rotatable handle 12A, a window link connected between cam 13A and window 18A, and a plunger link connected between cam 13A and plunger 11A. The window link can include a transverse link 14A and a plurality of longitudinal links 15A. The plunger link can include a plunger actuation arm 16A connected to plunger 11A.

Rotatable handle 12A can be manually rotated by a user, resulting in a corresponding rotary movement in an axle and integrally attached cam 13A, wherein the rotary movement of cam 13A urges transverse link 14A to move. The longitudinal links 15A can be rotatably pivoted at one end to the transverse link 14A to actuate window 18A for closing the tobacco receiving chamber, as shown in FIG. 2B.

Once window 18A is actuated to close tobacco receiving chamber 11B, the rotatable handle 12A can be further rotated in order to actuate the plunger actuation arm 16A. The rotatable movement of the plunger actuation arm 16A can be transmitted to move plunger 11A in a linear movement. A compression spring 17A can be coupled to plunger actuation arm 16A to pull plunger actuation arm 16A back to its original position, so as to move plunger 11A back in a linear movement.

Referring to FIGS. 3A-3C and FIGS. 4-7, a cigarette tobacco filler device according to an example embodiment is illustrated, wherein the cigarette tobacco filler device, which is arranged for filling a predetermined amount of tobacco into an empty cigarette tube, include a casing 10, an injection unit 20 and a plunger actuation unit 30.

Casing 10 can have a tobacco receiving cavity 11 provided at a top side of casing 10 for receiving tobacco, and an outlet 12 provided at a front side of casing 10 for holding a cigarette tube in position, wherein outlet 12 is in communication with the tobacco receiving cavity 11. Outlet 12 can have a tubular structure having a circumferential size slightly smaller than the circumferential size such that the outlet 12 is adapted for inserting into the opening end of the cigarette tube to hold the cigarette tube in position. Casing 10 can further have a sloping platform 13 provided at the top side of casing 10 to align with the top opening of tobacco receiving cavity 11, wherein sloping platform 13 is downwardly extended to tobacco receiving cavity 11 such that a user is able to brush tobacco at sloping platform 13 into tobacco receiving cavity 11. Casing 10 further includes a handle bar 14 spacedly extended above the top side of casing 10 and extended between the front and rear sides of casing 10 for carrying purpose.

Casing 10 can further have or enclose an interior cavity for receiving injection unit 20 and plunger actuation unit 30, such that a bottom panel 15 can be coupled at the bottom side of casing 10 to enclose the interior cavity.

Injection unit 20 can comprise a plunger 21 movably supported in casing 10 at a position that a front pushing end 211 of plunger 21 is moved forward through tobacco receiving cavity 11 to outlet 12 for delivering or otherwise pushing the tobacco into the cigarette tube. Accordingly, plunger 21 can have an elongated structure and be slid or otherwise moved in casing 10 in a longitudinal direction within casing 10. In particular, plunger 21 can be coaxially aligned with outlet 12, such that when the plunger 21 is moved forward in a linear manner, front pushing end 211 of plunger 21 will push the tobacco contained within tobacco receiving cavity 11 into the cigarette tube through outlet 12.

Injection unit 20 can further include a linear guiding channel 22 longitudinally formed within casing 10 to guide the longitudinal movement of plunger 21. Accordingly, injection unit 20 can include two elongated plunger guiding arms 23 defining the sides of guiding channel 22 therebetween, wherein plunger 21 is slidably coupled between plunger guiding arms 23 along guiding channel 22 to ensure plunger 21 is being moved longitudinally, without angular deviation.

Plunger actuation unit 30 can include a power shaft 31 rotatably supported in casing 10 to couple with plunger 21 and an operation handle 32 pivotally extended above the top side of the casing 10, wherein when operation handle 32 can be pivotally moved down toward the top side of casing 10, such that power shaft 31 is driven to rotate. Accordingly, power shaft 31 can provide a rotatable power to actuate plunger 21 for inserting tobacco contained within tobacco receiving cavity 11 into the cigarette tube through outlet 12. When operation handle 32 is pivotally moved up and away from the top side of casing 10, power shaft 31 can be driven to rotate in an opposite direction, wherein plunger 21 can move backward in a linear manner so as to move back to its original position.

Power shaft 31 can be the main power transmitting element for transmitting the rotatable power from the operation handle 32. One end of the power shaft 31 can be coupled with the bottom end of operation handle 32 such that when the upper end of operation handle 32 is pivotally moved down toward the top side of casing 10, power shaft 31 can be driven to rotate for generating the rotatable power. Accordingly, plunger 21 and power shaft 31 are spacedly supported within casing 10 and are extended parallel to each other.

In various embodiments, a user is able to apply a downward force at operation handle 32 to drive operation handle 32, thereby pivotally moving it down toward the top side of casing 10. The pivotally downward movement of operation handle 32 allows the user to easily operate operation handle 32 in an ergonomically actuating manner for completing the filling of tobacco into the cigarette tube. In other words, the pivotally downward movement of operation handle 32 is designed to optimize how the force applied by the user and to enhance the overall device performance.

By applying the downward force, casing 10 will be stably rested on a surface, such as a table surface, so as to prevent any unwanted movement of casing 10 during the operation of the cigarette tobacco filler device. In some embodiments, operation handle 32 is coupled at a rear side of casing 10 to maximize the distance between operation handle 32 and outlet 12 for easy operation.

According to some embodiments, the plunger actuation unit 30 further comprises a gear unit 33 driven by the power shaft 31 and an actuation arm 34 for actuating the plunger 21. The actuation arm 34 has a pivot end operatively coupled with the gear unit 33 and a driving end operatively coupled with the plunger 21 in such a manner that when the power shaft 31 is driven to rotate, the actuation arm 34 is pivotally moved to longitudinally move the plunger 21 forward for pushing the tobacco to the outlet 12.

As shown in FIGS. 4-7, the actuation arm 34 comprises a first arm member 341 pivotally coupled with the gear unit 33 and a second arm member 342 pivotally coupled at the rear end of the plunger 21, wherein the first and second arm members 341, 342 are pivotally coupled with each other in an end-to-end manner. Accordingly, the pivot end of the actuation arm 34 is defined at the first arm member 341 to pivotally couple with the gear unit 33 while the driving end of the actuation arm 34 is defined at the second arm member 342 to couple at the rear end of the plunger 21.

Therefore, when the first arm member 341 is pivotally moved to the front side of the casing 10, the second arm member 342 is driven to longitudinally move the plunger 21 forward. When the first arm member 341 is pivotally moved back to the rear side of the casing 10, the second arm member 342 is driven to longitudinally move the plunger 21 backward.

The gear unit 33 is arranged to transmit the rotatable power from the power shaft 31 to a pivotal movement of the actuation arm 34. In particular, the gear unit 33 comprises a first gear 331 coaxially coupled at the power shaft 31 and a second gear 332 which is coupled at the pivot end of the actuation arm 34 and is operatively engaged with the first gear 331. In particular, the second gear 332 will also transmit the direction of the rotatable power from the first gear 331 to the actuation arm 34.

The first gear 331 has a teething edge portion and a non-teething edge portion provided at the circumferential edge of the first gear 331. The second gear 332 has a teeth edge portion to selectively engage with the teething edge portion and the non-teething edge portion of the first gear 331 when the first gear 331 is rotated.

Accordingly, when the first gear 331 is rotated at a position that the non-teething edge portion of the first gear 331 is engaged with the second gear 332, the second gear 332 is idle such that the actuation arm 34 is remained at a motionless manner. When the first gear 331 is rotated at a position that the teething edge portion of the first gear 331 is engaged with the second gear 332, the second gear 332 is driven to rotate to pivotally move the actuation arm 34 so as to longitudinally move the plunger 21 forward.

It is worth mentioning that the non-teething edge portion of the first gear 331 is initially engaged with the second gear 332. When the operation handle 32 is pivotally moved downward, the teething edge portion of the first gear 331 will then be engaged with the second gear 332. Therefore, the second gear 332 will be in an idle position at the first pivotal moving path of the operation handle 32. In addition, the curvature length of the teething edge portion of the first gear 331 is long enough to driven the plunger 21 to longitudinally move by the actuation arm 34 for inserting the tobacco into the cigarette tube.

As shown in FIGS. 3-7, the plunger actuation unit 30 further comprises a resilient element 35 coupled at the actuation arm 34 for applying an urging force thereagainst so as to longitudinally move the plunger 21 backward. Accordingly, the resilient element 35 comprises a coil spring for urging the actuation arm 34. In particular, the coil spring of the resilient element 35 has a coil portion coaxially coupled at the pivot end of the actuation arm 34 and two spring arms spacedly extended from the coil portion to bias against an inner wall of the casing 10 and the actuation arm 34 respectively. Accordingly, the respective spring arm of the resilient element 35 is coupled at the actuation arm 34 between the pivot end and the driving end. In particular, the respective spring arm of the resilient element 35 is coupled at the first arm member 341. It is worth mentioning that the coil spring has a spring property to move the actuation arm 34 is a pivotally movable manner. Therefore, the fatigue life of the coil spring incorporating with the actuation arm will be substantially prolonged to extend the service life span of the resilient element 35.

According to the preferred embodiment, the cigarette tobacco filler device further comprises an enclosing window 40 movably coupled at the casing 10 to enclose the tobacco receiving cavity 11 thereof. Accordingly, the enclosing window 40 has a planar structure and is transversely moved to close the tobacco receiving cavity 11. In particular, the enclosing window 40 is movably coupled at the interior of the top side of the casing 10 such that when the top opening of the tobacco receiving cavity 11 is closed by the enclosing window 40, the tobacco receiving cavity 11 will house a predetermined amount of the tobacco in order to insert the tobacco into the cigarette tube. It is worth mentioning that the tobacco receiving cavity 11 is normally closed by the enclosing window 40 to prevent the dust and particles entering into the tobacco receiving cavity 11 when the cigarette tobacco filler device is not in use, as shown in FIG. 5.

The cigarette tobacco filler device further comprises a window actuation unit 50 operatively coupled between the enclosing window 40 and the power shaft 31, wherein when the power shaft 31 is rotated, the enclosing window 40 is moved by the window actuation unit 50 to enclose the tobacco receiving cavity 11 before the plunger 21 is moved.

In particular, the window actuation unit 50 is actuated by the power shaft 31 when the non-teething edge portion of the first gear 331 is initially engaged with the second gear 332. Therefore, the enclosing window 40 is actuated to close the tobacco receiving cavity 11 before the actuation of the plunger 21, as shown in FIG. 6. In other words, the operation handle 32 provides dual actions to actuate both the enclosing window 40 and the plunger 21 subsequently in one single pivotally moving down movement. In other words, at the first pivotal moving path of the operation handle 32, i.e. the non-teething edge portion of the first gear 331 is initially engaged with the second gear 332, the enclosing window 40 is actuated to close the tobacco receiving cavity 11. At the second pivotal moving path of the operation handle 32, i.e. the teething edge portion of the first gear 331 is then engaged with the second gear 332, the plunger 21 is actuated to insert the tobacco into the cigarette tube. It is worth mentioning that the first and second pivotal moving paths of the operation handle 32 are continuous movement of the operation handle 32 to pivotally and downwardly move the operation handle 32 toward the top side of the casing 10.

Accordingly, the window actuation unit 50 comprises two swinging members 51 spacedly coupled with the power shaft 31 and a guiding panel 52 being driven to transversely shift by the swinging members 51.

The swinging members 51 are identical and are securely coupled at the power shaft 31, wherein the swinging members 51 are rotatably swung when the power shaft 31 is rotated. The guiding panel 52 has a first edge movably coupled between the swinging members 51 and an opposed second edge pivotally coupled with the enclosing window 40 in such a manner that when the power shaft 31 is rotated, the swinging members 51 are rotated to transversely shift the guiding panel 52 so as to transversely move the enclosing window 40 for closing the tobacco receiving cavity 11.

In particular, each of the swinging members 51 has an arc-shaped guiding slot 511 that the first edge of the guiding panel 52 is engaged between the guiding slots 511 of the swinging members 51, such that when the swinging members 51 are driven to swing, the first edge of the guiding panel 52 is guided to slide therealong. In other words, when the swinging members 51 are driven to rotate by the power shaft 31, the first edge of the guiding panel 52 is guided to slide along the guiding slots 511 to transversely shift the guiding panel 52. As shown in FIG. 4, the first edge of the guiding panel 52 is engaged with the guiding slots 511 of the swinging members 51 via an elongated swing shaft. In addition, the guiding panel 52 is transversely shifted that when the first edge of the guiding panel 52 is moved downwardly along the guiding slots 511, the second edge of the guiding panel 52 is transversely moved toward the closing direction of the enclosing window 40. When the first edge of the guiding panel 52 is moved upwardly along the guiding slots 511, the second edge of the guiding panel 52 is transversely moved toward the opening direction of the enclosing window 40.

In various embodiments, one or more components of actuation unit 50, such as guiding slots 511 and swinging members 51 can be complemented, supplemented or replaced with other functional drive modules. In many embodiments these drive modules can be rotational drive modules, such as the rotational drive modules shown in the various example embodiments depicted in FIGS. 8-16 and described herein.

The enclosing window 40 has a pivot edge pivotally coupled with the second edge of the guiding panel 52 via a hinge structure such that when the guiding panel 52 is transversely shifted, the enclosing window 40 is pushed to close the tobacco receiving cavity 11. The enclosing window 40 further has an opposed sharp cutting edge arranged in such a manner that when the enclosing window 40 is transversely moved to close the tobacco receiving cavity 11, the cutting edge is stably moved for cutting excessive amount of the tobacco out of the tobacco receiving cavity 11, so as to retain a predetermined amount of the tobacco in the tobacco receiving cavity 11. It is worth mentioning that the swinging members 51 are concurrently swung about the power shaft 31 to generate an even pushing force toward the guiding panel 52. Therefore, the pushing force from the guiding panel 52 is evenly applied at the pivot edge of the enclosing window 40, such that the enclosing window 40 can be smoothly moved in a well balancing manner.

The cigarette tobacco filler device further comprises a cigarette tube hold-and-release unit 60 for holding the cigarette tube at the outlet 12 and for releasing the cigarette tube from the outlet 12 after the tobacco is filled in the cigarette tube. Accordingly, the cigarette tube hold-and-release unit 60 comprises a tube holding member 61 movably biasing against the outlet 12 for holding the cigarette tube thereat, wherein the tube holding member 61, which is a spring-loaded member, has a holding face for applying a spring holding force at the outer surface of the outlet 12 so as to hold the cigarette tube in position. In particular, the tube holding member 61 is coupled with the enclosing window 40, wherein when the enclosing window 40 is at the opened position, the tube holding member 61 is moved away from the outlet 12 to define a gap between the holding face of the tube holding member 61 and the outer surface of the outlet 12 for the cigarette tube coupling with the outlet 12. When the enclosing window 40 is moved to its closed position, the tube holding member 61 is moved towards until the holding face of the tube holding member 61 is biased against the outer surface of the outlet 12 so as to hold the cigarette tube in position. In other words, the operation handle 32 not only actuates the enclosing window 40 but also actuates the tube holding member 61 at the same time.

The cigarette tube hold-and-release unit 60 further comprises a tube releasing arm 62 which is pivotally supported in the casing 10 and is actuated by the actuation arm 34. The tube releasing arm 62 has a releasing end engaging with the tube holding member 61 and an opposed control end arranged in such a manner that after the actuation arm 34 is moved to actuate the plunger 21 for inserting the tobacco into the cigarette tube, the control end of the tube releasing arm 62 is actuated by the actuation arm 34. Therefore, the releasing end of the tube releasing arm 62 is pivotally moved to move the tube holding member 61 away from the outlet 12 for releasing the cigarette tube from the outlet 12. It is worth mentioning that when the front pushing end 211 of the plunger 21 is moved out of the outlet 12 for inserting the tobacco into the cigarette tube, the tube holding member 61 is moved away from the outlet 12 at the same time. Therefore, the plunger 21 will also push the cigarette tube to detach from the outlet 12 after the tobacco is filled in the cigarette tube.

It is worth mentioning that the operation handle 32 further provides triple actions to actuate all the enclosing window 40, the plunger 21, and the cigarette tube hold-and-release unit 60 subsequently in one single pivotally moving down movement. As it is mentioned above, the first pivotal moving path of the operation handle 32 is to actuate the enclosing window 40 is actuated to close the tobacco receiving cavity 11. The second pivotal moving path of the operation handle 32 is to actuate the plunger 21 is actuated to insert the tobacco into the cigarette tube. The operation handle 32 further provides a third pivotal moving path to actuate the cigarette tube hold-and-release unit 60 to release the cigarette tube from the outlet 12. It is worth mentioning that the first, second, and third pivotal moving paths of the operation handle 32 are continuous movement of the operation handle 32 to pivotally and downwardly move the operation handle 32 toward the top side of the casing 10.

According to the preferred embodiment, the plunger actuation unit 30 further comprises a releasable joint 36 for releasing an engagement between the operation handle 32 and the power shaft 31. Accordingly, all the actuations are powered by the rotation of the power shaft 31. Once the power shaft 31 is in an idle state, all the components cannot be moved correspondingly. The releasable joint 36 is configured as safety device to ensure all the components are at the idle state when the cigarette tobacco filler device is not intentionally used.

The releasable joint 36 comprises a lock sleeve 361 coupled between the operation handle 32 and the power shaft 31 and a releasable lock 362 releasably engaged with the lock sleeve 361 to lock up the operation handle 32 with the power shaft 31. Therefore, when the releasable lock 362 is engaged with the lock sleeve 361, the operation handle 32 can be moved to drive the power shaft 31 to rotate. Likewise, when the releasable lock 362 is disengaged with the lock sleeve 361, the operation handle 32 is freely moved to idle the power shaft 31. It is worth mentioning that when releasable lock 362 is disengaged with the lock sleeve 361, the operation handle 32 will not be totally detached from the power shaft 31. In particular, the operation handle 32 will only be freely rotated without driving the power shaft 31 to rotate. Therefore, when the device is not in use, the tobacco receiving cavity 11 can be enclosed by moving the operation handle 32 to close the tobacco receiving cavity 11 by the enclosing window 40 and by locking the operation handle 32 at the position to retain the enclosing window 40 at the closed position so as to prevent dust or other particles being accumulated in the tobacco receiving cavity 11.

It is worth mentioning that the releasable joint 36 can incorporate with a magnetic alignment unit to align the actuation position of the operation handle 32 with respect to the power shaft 31. In other words, when the releasable lock 362 is re-engaged with the lock sleeve 361, an angular position of the operation handle 32 can be automatically aligned with the power shaft 31 via the magnetic alignment unit before the operation handle 32 is secured to the power shaft 31.

In order to operate the cigarette tobacco filler device of the present invention, the user is able to pivotally move the operation handle 32 upward from the top side of the casing 10 in order to move the enclosing window 40 for opening up the tobacco receiving cavity 11, as shown in FIG. 3A. At the same time, the tube holding member 61 is moved away from the outlet 12 for the cigarette tube coupling with the outlet 12. Then, the user is able to fill the tobacco into the tobacco receiving cavity 11. When the user ergonomically applies the downward force at the operation handle 32 to pivotally move the operation handle down toward the top side of the casing 10, as shown in FIG. 3B, the enclosing window 40 will be initially actuated to close the tobacco receiving cavity 11 while the tube holding member 61 is moved to the outlet 12 for holding the cigarette tube in position. It is worth mentioning that excessive amount of tobacco will be cut by the cutting edge of the enclosing window 40 to prevent excessive amount of tobacco being inserted into the cigarette tube. Accordingly, the user is able to hold at the handle bar 14 to keep the casing 10 in stable for easily applying the downward force at the operation handle 32. When user keeps applying the downward force at the operation handle 32 to pivotally move the operation handle down to the top side of the casing 10, as shown in FIG. 3C, the plunger 21 is actuated to insert the tobacco into the cigarette tube. It is worth mentioning that during the tobacco inserting operation, the enclosing window 40 is remained at the closed position. Once the operation handle 32 cannot be further moved downwardly, i.e. the tobacco inserting operation is completed, the cigarette tube hold-and-release unit 60 is actuated to release the cigarette tube from the outlet 12. Accordingly, the user only requires a single downward action to pivotally drop down the operation handle 32 in order to hold the cigarette tube in position, to close the tobacco receiving cavity 11, to fill the tobacco into the cigarette tube, and to release the filled cigarette tube from the outlet 12.

Alternative embodiments of the invention can include rotational drive modules which provide different benefits, such as simplified construction, fewer moving parts and cost savings. Example embodiments are shown and described herein with respect to FIGS. 8-16 and their orientation, couplings and replacement options with respect to various components in cigarette tobacco filler devices, such as those shown in FIGS. 3A-3C and FIGS. 4-7, are described.

FIG. 8 is an example embodiment of a rotational drive module 802 in a distal facing exploded view 800. In the example embodiment shown major components of drive module 802 can include: a drive shaft 810 having one or more shaft pins 870, a switch disk 860, one or more detents 830, a drive disk 850, a cylinder 840 and a secondary shaft 820. This listing is ordered as they will be described throughout the application and as they are coupled from a distal end to a proximal end of drive module 802. Generally speaking, switch disk 860, drive disk 850 and cylinder 840 are each cylindrically shaped and each have an exterior, circumferential surface and a proximal and distal surface. Orientation of the components of drive module 802 with respect to each other will now be described with respect to the exploded view 800.

In the example embodiment, drive shaft 810 can be coupled to an actuation handle of the device (e.g. See 32 of FIGS. 3A-3C and FIGS. 4-7) at a distal end. In some embodiments, intermediate shafts can be coupled between drive shaft 810 and actuation handles. Drive shaft 810 can include a proximal section having smaller dimensions circumferentially, such that a ridge 812 is formed with a proximal face that is substantially perpendicular with the circumferential surfaces of drive shaft 810. A proximal end of drive shaft 810 rotationally couples with a distal end of a secondary shaft 820. In various embodiments, this coupling can occur with a male portion of either component extending into a complementary female portion of the other component. When coupled, they can lock into place with respect to each other in some orientations such that rotational movement of components of drive module 802 is possible but most proximal or distal movements are prevented.

Switch disk 860 can include a central hole 864 that is sized complementary to drive shaft 810 to allow for rotation of switch disk 860 around a central axis of drive shaft 810 after being slidably coupled together. Hole 864 also includes one or more notches for coupling with coupling with one or more shaft pins 870 of drive shaft 810. Ridge 812 of drive shaft 810 abuts a distal surface of switch disk 860 when coupled, thus preventing further distal movement of switch disk 860. One or more tracks 862 are provided on a proximal surface of switch disk 860 such that they allow for slidable or rollable movement of the one or more detents 830. As shown, tracks 862 can have a semi-circular profile, while detents 830 can be spherically shaped. Tracks 862 can trace a semi-circular arc along the proximal surface of switch disk 860, with a constant radius from a central axis of switch disk 860.

Drive disk 850 can include a central hole 854 that is sized complementary to drive shaft 810 to allow for rotation of drive disk 850 around a central axis of drive shaft 810 after being slidably coupled together. A distal surface of drive disk 850 abuts and has a similarly sized shape and profile to the proximal surface of switch disk 860 when coupled. Drive disk 850 also includes one or more cylindrically shaped holes 852. In general, holes 852 have uniform circumferences and extend between the distal and proximal surfaces of drive disk 850. Holes 852 have diameters similar to those of detents 830, such that detents 830 can be housed within holes 852 upon assembly of drive module 802.

Cylinder 840 can include a central hole 844 that is sized complementary to drive shaft 810 to allow for rotation of cylinder 840 around a central axis of drive shaft 810 after being slidably coupled together. A distal surface of cylinder 840 abuts and has a similarly sized shape and profile to the proximal surface of drive disk 850 when coupled. Dimples 842 in the distal surface of cylinder 840 can be shaped in a semi-sphere such that they can engage detents 830 in some orientations of an assembled drive module 802. A proximal surface of cylinder 840 can engage a ridge 822 of secondary shaft 820 that is perpendicular with a circumferential surface of secondary shaft 820. Secondary shaft 820 can be coupled with a guiding panel (e.g. see 52 of FIG. 4)

Operation of an assembled drive module will now be described with respect to FIGS. 9-16. With respect to the example embodiments shown in FIGS. 9-16, some general rules with respect to the components during operation are as follows: switch disk can be held stationary to the main housing and allows drive shaft to rotate freely through it. Switch disks cannot rotate. Drive disks can be permanently attached or otherwise coupled to drive shafts by shaft pins of the drive shaft and can always rotate along with drive shafts. Cylinders can be removably coupled to secondary shafts. Cylinders can only rotate based on internal states of drive modules based on orientation of detents.

FIG. 9 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module 802 in a first state from a distal facing perspective view 900. In the first state, detents 830 are located in the holes of drive disk 850 and are not oriented adjacent to tracks 862 of switch disk 860. When a user causes rotation of drive shaft 810, which is permanently coupled with drive disk 850 by shaft pins 870, they rotate around the central axis of drive module 802, as indicated by the movement arrow. Since detents 830 are housed within the stationary holes 852 of drive disk 850, the rotation of drive disk 850 causes detents to rotate with respect to the proximal surface of switch disk 860, which can force detents 830 to engage dimples 842 of cylinder 840 in the first state. Cylinder 840, permanently coupled to secondary shaft 820 can then rotate based on this engagement with drive shaft 810 and drive disk 850 at the same rate of rotation.

FIG. 10 is an example embodiment of an assembled drive module 802 in a first state from a side view 1000. Side view 1000 shows detents 830 having orientation with and engagement of dimples 842 during the first state.

FIG. 11 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module 802 in a second state from a distal facing perspective view 1100. In the second state, detents 830 are located in the holes of drive disk 850 and are oriented adjacent to tracks 862 of switch disk 860. When a user causes rotation of drive shaft 810 and drive disk 850 in this orientation, tracks 862 of switch disk 860 provide relief for detents 830 to disengage dimples 842 of cylinder 840 and move into tracks 862. Since cylinder 840 is no longer engaged with the rotational movement of drive shaft 810 and switch disk 860 in the second state, they cease rotation.

FIG. 12 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module 802 in a second state from a side view 1200.

FIG. 13 is an example embodiment of an assembled drive module 802 in a first state from a proximal facing side view 1300.

FIG. 14 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module 802 in a second state from a slightly distal facing perspective view 1400.

FIG. 15 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module 802 in a second state from a proximal facing side view 1500.

FIG. 16 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational drive module 802 in a first state from a slightly distal facing perspective view 1600.

As would be understood in the art, in various embodiments, components of rotational drive modules can be arranged and oriented differently than those depicted in FIGS. 8-16, while providing similar functionality and effectiveness. In some example embodiments, cylinder 840, drive disk 850 and switch disk 860 could be mirrored about detents 830, as an inflection of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 8-16, while maintaining their radii perpendicular to the central axis of drive shaft 810.

Also, in various embodiments, different elements of rotational drive modules can be fixed or otherwise held in a static position with respect to the overall machine, device or apparatus while others can be movable. In some such embodiments, drive disk 850 and detents 830 can be held in a fixed or otherwise stationary position, while switch disk 860 can be permanently fixed or otherwise coupled to drive shaft 810.

As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The publications discussed herein are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the present disclosure is not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior disclosure. Further, the dates of publication provided may be different from the actual publication dates which may need to be independently confirmed. Additionally, all publications discussed herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

It should be noted that all features, elements, components, functions, and steps described with respect to any embodiment provided herein are intended to be freely combinable and substitutable with those from any other embodiment. If a certain feature, element, component, function, or step is described with respect to only one embodiment, then it should be understood that that feature, element, component, function, or step can be used with every other embodiment described herein unless explicitly stated otherwise. This paragraph therefore serves as antecedent basis and written support for the introduction of claims, at any time, that combine features, elements, components, functions, and steps from different embodiments, or that substitute features, elements, components, functions, and steps from one embodiment with those of another, even if the following description does not explicitly state, in a particular instance, that such combinations or substitutions are possible. It is explicitly acknowledged that express recitation of every possible combination and substitution is overly burdensome, especially given that the permissibility of each and every such combination and substitution will be readily recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art.

In many instances entities are described herein as being coupled to other entities. It should be understood that the terms “coupled” and “connected” (or any of their forms) are used interchangeably herein and, in both cases, are generic to the direct coupling of two entities (without any non-negligible (e.g., parasitic) intervening entities) and the indirect coupling of two entities (with one or more non-negligible intervening entities). Where entities are shown as being directly coupled together, or described as coupled together without description of any intervening entity, it should be understood that those entities can be indirectly coupled together as well unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

While the embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that these embodiments are not to be limited to the particular form disclosed, but to the contrary, these embodiments are to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit of the disclosure. Furthermore, any features, functions, steps, or elements of the embodiments may be recited in or added to the claims, as well as negative limitations that define the inventive scope of the claims by features, functions, steps, or elements that are not within that scope.

Claims

1. A cigarette tobacco loader for a cigarette tobacco filler device having a tobacco receiving cavity, comprising:

a loader body having a loading cavity for receiving a predetermined amount of tobacco leaves and a loader opening arranged for alignment of the tobacco receiving cavity with a filling opening of the cigarette tobacco filler device;

a loader arrangement, comprising: a loading pusher movably supported by the loader body to move between a first position where a pusher end of the loading pusher is positioned above the loader opening and a second position where the pusher end of the loading pusher is moved to pass through the loader opening; and a loader handle pivotally coupled with the loader body to move the loading pusher between the first and second positions, such that when the loading pusher is at the first position, a loading gap is formed between the pusher end of the loading pusher and the loader opening of the loader body for receiving the tobacco leaves within the loading gap, and when the loading pusher is at the second position, the pusher end of the loading pusher is driven for pushing the tobacco leaves within the loading gap into the tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device using a rotational drive module.

2. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 1, wherein the loader handle is operatively coupled to a drive shaft of the rotational drive module and the rotational drive module further comprises:

a slide disk;

a drive disk;

a cylinder; and

a secondary shaft operatively coupled to the loading pusher.

3. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 2, wherein the switch disk is coupled to the loader body such that it remains stationary with respect to the loader body during operation of the loader drive module.

4. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 2, wherein the drive disk and the cylinder are removably coupled during operation of the loader drive module.

5. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 4, wherein the drive disk and cylinder are removably coupled using one or more detents.

6. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 5, wherein the one or more detents are at least partially housed within one or more holes through the drive disk.

7. The cigarette tobacco loader as described in claim 5, wherein the drive disk and cylinder are coupled in a first orientation and decoupled in a second orientation.

8. The cigarette tobacco loader as described in claim 6, wherein the one or more detents engage one or more depressions of the cylinder in the first orientation and disengage the one or more depressions of the cylinder in the second orientation.

9. The cigarette tobacco loader as described in claim 8, wherein the one or more detents slide through one or more channels of the slide disk in the second orientation.

10. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 5, wherein at least one of the one or more detents are spherically shaped.

11. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 5, wherein at least one of the one or more detents are pins.

12. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 2, wherein the drive disk is permanently coupled with the drive shaft.

13. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 12, wherein the drive disk is permanently coupled with the drive shaft using one or more shaft pins.

14. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 2, wherein the cylinder is permanently coupled with the secondary shaft.

15. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 2, wherein the drive shaft and the secondary shaft are rotationally coupled.

16. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 2, wherein the shift disk, drive disk and cylinder are each substantially the same circumference.

17. A method of loading tobacco leaves into a tobacco receiving cavity of a cigarette tobacco filler device by a cigarette tobacco loader which comprises a loader body and a loader arrangement, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

(a) disposing the tobacco leaves in a loading cavity of said loader body, wherein a loading opening of said loader body is aligned with the tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device;

(b) remaining a loading pusher of said loader arrangement at a first position that a pusher end of said loading pusher is positioned above said loading opening, such that a loading gap is formed between said pusher end of said loading pusher and said loading opening of said loader body for receiving said tobacco leaves within said loading gap;

(c) moving said loading pusher from said first position to a second position that said pusher end of said loading pusher is moved to pass through said loading opening for pushing said tobacco leaves within said loading gap into the tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device by operating a rotational loading drive module;

(d) moving said loading pusher back to said first position from said second position, such that said tobacco leaves within said loading cavity are dropped to said loading gap; and

(e) repeating the steps (c) and (d) until the tobacco leaves are filled in the tobacco receiving cavity.

18. The method recited in claim 17, wherein moving the loading pusher between the first and second positions further comprises:

operating the rotational drive module by performing a pivotal movement of a loader handle that is operatively coupled to the rotational loading drive module of the loader arrangement.

19. The method recited in claim 17, wherein operating the rotational loading drive module further comprises:

engagement between at least two components of the loading drive module in a first loading drive module orientation; and

disengagement between the at least two components of the loading drive module in a second loading drive module orientation.

20. The method recited in claim 19, wherein engagement and disengagement occur due to movement of one or more detents.