Cigarette Tube Injector

Abstract

A cigarette tube injector includes a pocket casing and a cigarette filling arrangement. The pocket casing has a tobacco cavity defining a top opening for disposing tobacco leaves at the tobacco cavity, and a feeding opening for a cigarette paper tube alignedly supporting thereat. The cigarette filling arrangement includes a feeding pusher slidably supported at the pocket casing to move along a transverse direction thereof for pushing the tobacco leaves at the tobacco cavity, and a slide spoon slidably coupled at the pocket casing at an injection direction to align with the feeding opening, wherein the feeding pusher is moved toward the slide spoon for pushing the tobacco leaves to the slide spoon, such that the slide spoon is slid for feeding the tobacco leaves at the tobacco cavity into the cigarette paper tube through the feeding opening.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cigarette tube injector for injecting tobacco leaves into a hollow cigarette paper tube, comprising:
 a pocket casing having a tobacco cavity which defines a top opening on a top side of said pocket casing for disposing said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity, and a feeding opening for said cigarette paper tube alignedly supporting thereat, wherein said feeding opening is formed at a longitudinal direction of said pocket casing as an injection direction;   a cigarette filling arrangement, which comprises:   a feeding pusher slidably supported at said pocket casing to move along a transverse direction thereof which is perpendicular to said injection direction for pushing said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity; and   a slide spoon slidably coupled at said pocket casing at said injection direction to align with said feeding opening, wherein said feeding pusher is moved toward said slide spoon for pushing said tobacco leaves to said slide spoon, such that said slide spoon is slid for feeding said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity into said cigarette paper tube through said feeding opening.   
     
     
         2 . The cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said cigarette filling arrangement further comprises an actuation handle pivotally coupled at said top side of said pocket casing to drive a sliding movement of said feeding pusher, wherein when said actuation handle is pivotally and upwardly moved from said top side of said pocket casing, said feeding pusher is driven to slide away from said slide spoon, and when said actuation handle is pivotally and downwardly moved to cover on said top side of said pocket casing, said feeding pusher is driven to slide toward said slide spoon for pushing said tobacco leaves. 
     
     
         3 . The cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said actuation handle is operatively linked to said feeding pusher via a transmission member that two opposed edges of said transmission member are pivotally coupled with said actuation handle and said feeding pusher respectively, wherein when said actuation handle is pivotally and upwardly moved from said top side of said pocket casing, said transmission member is supported in a first inclined orientation, wherein when said actuation handle is pivotally and downwardly moved before covering on said top side of said pocket casing, said transmission member is shifted from said inclined orientation to a horizontal orientation so as to push said feeding pusher toward said slide spoon, wherein when said actuation handle is pivotally and downwardly moved to cover on said top side of said pocket casing, said transmission member is shifted from said horizontal orientation to a second inclined orientation so as to slightly move said feeding pusher away from said slide spoon. 
     
     
         4 . The cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said slide spoon has a curved spooning sidewall extended longitudinally to align with said feeding opening and said feeding pusher has a curved cutting wall that defines said tobacco cavity between said curved spooning sidewall and said curved cutting wall, such that when said feeding pusher is slid toward said curved spooning sidewall of said slide spoon, said curved cutting wall of said feeding pusher is aligned with said curved spooning sidewall to minimize a size of said tobacco cavity and to form a compressing chamber for retaining said tobacco leaves thereat. 
     
     
         5 . The cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 4 , wherein said top opening has first and second longitudinal edges, wherein when said feeding pusher is slid away from said curved spooning sidewall, said curved cutting wall of said feeding pusher is moved behind said first longitudinal edge of said top opening for fully exposing said top opening, and when said curved cutting wall of said feeding pusher is moved to engage with said curved spooning sidewall, said curved cutting wall of said feeding pusher is moved across said second longitudinal edge of said top opening to hide said curved cutting wall of said feeding pusher and to enclose said top opening. 
     
     
         6 . The cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 5 , wherein said curved cutting wall of said feeding pusher has two sharp edges for trimming said tobacco leaves within said compressing chamber when said curved cutting wall of said feeding pusher is coupled with said curved spooning sidewall edge-to-edge. 
     
     
         7 . The cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 4 , wherein said slide spoon further comprises a loading pusher supported at said curved spooning sidewall within said compressing chamber and a pusher handle outwardly extended from said curved spooning sidewall and arranged in such a manner that after said curved cutting wall of said feeding pusher is coupled with said curved spooning sidewall for compressing said tobacco leaves within said compressing chamber, said curved spooning sidewall is slidably pushed out of said feeding opening by said pusher handle to drive said loading pusher toward said feeding opening for feeding said tobacco leaves from said compressing chamber into said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         8 . The cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said pocket casing further comprises a tubular holder coaxially extended from said feeding opening for being inserted into an opening of said cigarette paper tube, and a tube retainer transversely extended to bias against said tubular holder by means of spring force for retaining said cigarette paper tube at said tubular holder when said tobacco leaves are fed into said cigarette paper tube. 
     
     
         9 . The cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 8 , wherein said tube retainer comprises a spring-loaded pusher arm coupled at said feeding pusher and arranged in such a manner that when said feeding pusher is moved for pushing said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity, said pusher arm is driven to slide toward said tubular holder at a position that a pushing end of said pusher arm is biased against said tubular holder. 
     
     
         10 . The cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 9 , wherein said pusher arm comprises a compression spring coupled with said feeding pusher for applying said spring force at said pushing end of said pusher arm to bias against said tubular holder, wherein said feeding pusher is free of spring force when said feeding pusher is moved apart from said slide spoon. 
     
     
         11 . The cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said tube retainer comprises a spring-loaded pusher arm and a releasable unit for releasing an engagement between a pushing end of said pusher arm and said tubular holder, wherein said releasable unit comprises a pivot arm having a driving portion engaged with said pusher arm and an actuating portion located between said driving portion of said pivot arm and a pivot end thereof, wherein after said slide spoon is slid for feeding said tobacco leaves into said cigarette paper tube, said actuating portion of said pivot arm is pushed by said slide spoon, such that said driving portion of said pivot arm is moved to drive said pusher arm to move away from said tubular holder for releasing said cigarette paper tube at said tubular holder. 
     
     
         12 . The cigarette tube injector, as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said pocket casing further has a longitudinal spoon guiding slot for slidably guiding said slide spoon, wherein said actuating portion of said pivot arm is located at an end portion of said spoon guiding slot close to said feeding opening, such that after said slide spoon is slid to contact with said actuating portion of said pivot arm to move said pusher arm away from said tubular holder, said slid spoon is slid further to an end of said spoon guiding slot for pushing said cigarette paper tube out of said tubular holder. 
     
     
         13 . A method of injecting tobacco leaves into a hollow cigarette paper tube by a cigarette tube injector which comprises a pocket casing, a feeding pusher and a slide spoon, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
 (a) disposing said tobacco leaves at a tobacco cavity of said pocket casing through a top opening thereof, wherein said top opening is formed on a top side of said pocket casing;   (b) moving said feeding pusher along a transverse direction of said pocket casing for pushing said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity toward said slide spoon;   (c) moving said slide spoon at an injection direction, which is perpendicular to said transverse direction, for feeding said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity into said cigarette paper tube through a feeding opening of said pocket casing.   
     
     
         14 . The method as recited in  claim 13  wherein, in the step (b), said feeding pusher is driven to slide by an actuation handle which is pivotally coupled at said top side of said pocket casing by the steps of:
 pivotally and upwardly moving said actuation handle from said top side of said pocket casing to drive said feeding pusher sliding away from said slide spoon; and 
 pivotally and downwardly moving said actuation handle to cover on said top side of said pocket casing to drive said feeding pusher sliding toward slide spoon for pushing said tobacco leaves to said slide spoon. 
 
     
     
         15 . The method, as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said actuation handle is operatively linked to said feeding pusher via a transmission member that two opposed edges of said transmission member are pivotally coupled with said actuation handle and said feeding pusher respectively, wherein when said actuation handle is pivotally and upwardly moved from said top side of said pocket casing, said transmission member is supported in a first inclined orientation, wherein when said actuation handle is pivotally and downwardly moved before covering on said top side of said pocket casing, said transmission member is shifted from said inclined orientation to a horizontal orientation so as to push said feeding pusher toward said slide spoon, wherein when said actuation handle is pivotally and downwardly moved to cover on said top side of said pocket casing, said transmission member is shifted from said horizontal orientation to a second inclined orientation so as to slightly move said feeding pusher away from said slide spoon. 
     
     
         16 . The method, as recited in  claim 13 , wherein said slide spoon has a curved spooning sidewall extended longitudinally to align with said feeding opening and said feeding pusher has a curved cutting wall that defines said tobacco cavity between said curved spooning sidewall and said curved cutting wall, wherein, in the step (b), when said feeding pusher is slid toward said curved spooning sidewall of said slide spoon, said curved cutting wall of said feeding pusher is aligned with said curved spooning sidewall to minimize a size of said tobacco cavity and to form a compressing chamber for retaining said tobacco leaves thereat. 
     
     
         17 . The method, as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the step (b) further comprises a step of hiding said curved cutting wall of said feeding pusher and enclosing said top opening at the same time when said curved cutting wall of said feeding pusher is aligned with said curved spooning sidewall. 
     
     
         18 . The method, as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the step (b) further comprises a step of trimming and compressing said tobacco leaves within said compressing chamber when said curved cutting wall of said feeding pusher is aligned with said curved spooning sidewall. 
     
     
         19 . The method, as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the step (b) further comprises a step of retaining said cigarette paper tube at a tubular holder extended from said feeding opening by means of spring force when said feeding pusher is moved for pushing said tobacco leaves at said tobacco cavity toward said slide spoon. 
     
     
         20 . The method, as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the step (c) further comprises the steps of:
 (c.1) releasing said spring force at said tubular holder for releasing said cigarette paper tube right after said tobacco leaves are fed into said cigarette paper tube, and   (c.2) pushing said cigarette paper tube with said tobacco leaves therein out of said tubular holder.