Crank type automatic cigarette tube injector

Abstract

A crank type cigarette tube injector, for injecting tobacco leaves into a hollow cigarette paper tube, includes a housing having a tobacco cavity for the tobacco leaves disposing thereat, and a feeding opening for the cigarette paper tube alignedly supporting thereat, an electric motor, having an output shaft, received in the housing, and a cigarette filling arrangement, which is driven by the electric motor via the output shaft for feeding the tobacco leaves to the cigarette paper tube through the feeding opening of the housing. The crank type cigarette tube injector not only can make a tight and evenly injection to have a better quality of cigarettes, but also has a length lesser than two cigarette lengths of the cigarette paper tube such that it has a reduce dimension and improved portability.

1 . An automatic cigarette tube injector for injecting tobacco leaves into a hollow cigarette paper tube, comprising:
 a housing having a tobacco cavity for said tobacco leaves disposing thereat, and a feeding opening for said cigarette paper tube alignedly supporting thereat;   an electric motor, having an output shaft, received in said housing; and   a cigarette filling arrangement, which comprises:   a tobacco feeder driven by said output shaft at a longitudinal direction which is an injection direction; and   a reciprocating unit for transmitting a rotational power of said output shaft to a sliding movement of said tobacco feeder, wherein said tobacco feeder is linearly moved at said longitudinal direction out of said feeding opening for feeding said tobacco leaves into said cigarette paper tube and is longitudinally received in said housing to minimize said longitudinal length of said housing.   
     
     
         2 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said tobacco feeder, which is a feeding crank, longitudinally supported in said housing in a movable manner. 
     
     
         3 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said longitudinal length of said housing is lesser than two cigarette lengths of said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         4 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said cigarette filling arrangement further comprises a feeding member slidably supported in said housing along a transverse direction perpendicularly to said injection direction, wherein said feeding member is transversely moved toward said tobacco cavity for pushing said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity before said tobacco feeder is longitudinally moved for feeding said tobacco leaves from said tobacco cavity into said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         5 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 3 , wherein said cigarette filling arrangement further comprises a feeding member slidably supported in said housing along a transverse direction perpendicularly to said injection direction, wherein said feeding member is transversely moved toward said tobacco cavity for pushing said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity before said tobacco feeder is longitudinally moved for feeding said tobacco leaves from said tobacco cavity into said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         6 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 4 , wherein said feeding member has a feeding wall which has a semi circular shape, such that when said feeding member is transversely moved toward said tobacco cavity, said feeding wall of said feeding member is arranged for pushing said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity. 
     
     
         7 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 5 , wherein said feeding member has a feeding wall which has a semi circular shape, such that when said feeding member is transversely moved toward said tobacco cavity, said feeding wall of said feeding member is arranged for pushing said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity. 
     
     
         8 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 6 , wherein said cigarette filling arrangement further comprises a retention member having an arc-shaped inner wall for retaining said tobacco leaves from said tobacco cavity, wherein when said feeding member is transversely moved toward said tobacco cavity, said feeding wall of said feeding member is coupled with said inner wall of said retention member to form a tubular chamber for holding said tobacco leaves therein, such that said tobacco feeder is longitudinally moved for feeding said tobacco leaves from said tubular chamber into said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         9 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 7 , wherein said cigarette filling arrangement further comprises a retention member having an arc-shaped inner wall for retaining said tobacco leaves from said tobacco cavity, wherein when said feeding member is transversely moved toward said tobacco cavity, said feeding wall of said feeding member is coupled with said inner wall of said retention member to form a tubular chamber for holding said tobacco leaves therein, such that said tobacco feeder is longitudinally moved for feeding said tobacco leaves from said tubular chamber into said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         10 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 8 , wherein said tubular chamber has a circumferential size corresponding to said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         11 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 9 , wherein said tubular chamber has a circumferential size corresponding to said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         12 . A method of injecting tobacco leaves into a hollow cigarette paper tube, comprising the steps of:
 (a) disposing said tobacco leaves at a tobacco cavity of a housing, wherein said housing has a feeding opening for said cigarette paper tube alignedly supporting thereat;   (b) generating a rotational power by an electric motor which has an output shaft;   (c) transmitting said rotational power of said output shaft to a sliding movement of a tobacco feeder, wherein said tobacco feeder is movably received in said housing at a longitudinal direction which is an injection direction; and   (d) linearly driving said tobacco feeder at a longitudinal direction out of said feeding opening for feeding said tobacco leaves into said cigarette paper tube.   
     
     
         13 . The method, as recited in  claim 12 , wherein said tobacco feeder, which is a feeding crank, longitudinally supported in said housing in a movable manner. 
     
     
         14 . The method, as recited in  claim 13 , the step (a) further comprises a step (a.1) of transversely moving a feeding member toward said tobacco cavity for pushing said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity, wherein said feeding member slidably supported in said housing along a transverse direction perpendicularly to said injection direction. 
     
     
         15 . The method, as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said feeding member is transversely moved manually. 
     
     
         16 . The method, as recited in  claim 14 , the step (a) further comprises a step (a.2) of forming a tubular chamber when said feeding member is transversely moved for holding said tobacco leaves therein, such that said tobacco feeder is longitudinally moved for feeding said tobacco leaves from said tubular chamber into said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         17 . The method, as recited in  claim 16 , wherein, in the step (a.2), said tubular chamber is formed by moving a semi circular shaped feeding wall of said feeding member toward an arc-shaped inner wall of a retention member. 
     
     
         18 . The method, as recited in  claim 12 , further comprising a step of linearly driving said tobacco feeder at a longitudinal direction back to its original position. 
     
     
         19 . An automatic cigarette tube injector for injecting tobacco leaves into a hollow cigarette paper tube, comprising:
 a housing having a tobacco cavity for said tobacco leaves disposing thereat, and a feeding opening for said cigarette paper tube alignedly supporting thereat;   an output shaft received in said housing for generating a rotational power;   a cigarette filling arrangement which comprises a tobacco feeder longitudinally received in said housing in a longitudinally movable manner, wherein said tobacco feeder is driven by said output shaft at a longitudinal direction which is an injection direction for feeding said tobacco leaves into said cigarette paper tube through said feeding opening.   
     
     
         20 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 19 , wherein said tobacco feeder, which is a feeding crank, longitudinally supported in said housing in a movable manner. 
     
     
         21 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 20 , wherein said longitudinal length of said housing is lesser than two cigarette lengths of said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         22 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 19 , wherein said cigarette filling arrangement further comprises a reciprocating unit for transmitting said rotational power of said output shaft to a sliding movement of said tobacco feeder, wherein said reciprocating unit comprises a transmission wheel, having an eccentric shaft, coaxially coupling with said output shaft, a connecting arm rotatably coupling with said driving member, and a transmission arm, having a transmitting slot slidably coupling with said eccentric shaft, rotatably coupling with said connecting arm, such that when said rotational power is generated at said output shaft, said connecting arm and said transmission arm are driven to move reciprocatingly through said transmission wheel so as to reciprocatingly drive said tobacco feeder to slide for feeding said tobacco leaves into said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         23 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 21 , wherein said cigarette filling arrangement further comprises a reciprocating unit for transmitting said rotational power of said output shaft to a sliding movement of said tobacco feeder, wherein said reciprocating unit comprises a transmission wheel, having an eccentric shaft, coaxially coupling with said output shaft, a connecting arm rotatably coupling with said driving member, and a transmission arm, having a transmitting slot slidably coupling with said eccentric shaft, rotatably coupling with said connecting arm, such that when said rotational power is generated at said output shaft, said connecting arm and said transmission arm are driven to move reciprocatingly through said transmission wheel so as to reciprocatingly drive said tobacco feeder to slide for feeding said tobacco leaves into said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         24 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 19 , wherein said cigarette filling arrangement further comprises a feeding member slidably supported in said housing along a transverse direction perpendicularly to said injection direction, wherein said feeding member is transversely moved toward said tobacco cavity for pushing said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity before said tobacco feeder is longitudinally moved for feeding said tobacco leaves from said tobacco cavity into said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         25 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 23 , wherein said cigarette filling arrangement further comprises a feeding member slidably supported in said housing along a transverse direction perpendicularly to said injection direction, wherein said feeding member is transversely moved toward said tobacco cavity for pushing said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity before said tobacco feeder is longitudinally moved for feeding said tobacco leaves from said tobacco cavity into said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         26 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 24 , wherein said cigarette filling arrangement further comprises a manual actuator for actuating said feeding member being shifted within said tobacco cavity, wherein said manual actuator comprises a handle member pivotally coupled with said housing and a pusher unit which is coupled between said handle member and said feeding member and is arranged in such a manner that when said handle member is manually actuated, said feeding member is driven to slide towards toward said tobacco cavity. 
     
     
         27 . The automatic cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 25 , wherein said cigarette filling arrangement further comprises a manual actuator for actuating said feeding member being shifted within said tobacco cavity, wherein said manual actuator comprises a handle member pivotally coupled with said housing and a pusher unit which is coupled between said handle member and said feeding member and is arranged in such a manner that when said handle member is manually actuated, said feeding member is driven to slide towards toward said tobacco cavity.