| US 7,537,013 B2 | ||
| Apparatus for manufacturing cigarettes | ||
| John Larkin Nelson, Lewisville, N.C. (US); and Vernon Brent Barnes, Advance, N.C. (US) | ||
| Assigned to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Winston-Salem, N.C. (US) | ||
| Filed on Jun. 01, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/143,930. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0272656 A1, Dec. 07, 2006 | ||
| Int. Cl. A24C 5/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 131—74 [131/70] | 13 Claims |
| 1. A device for loading a cartridge with pre-formed hollow tubular wrapping portions for cigarette manufacture, the device
comprising:
an upper reservoir configured for receiving and containing a plurality of tubular wrapping portions;
a hopper including a plurality of parallel downwardly extending passageways configured for passage of the tubular wrapper
portions from the upper reservoir to a grooved tray below the hopper, the tray configured for supporting individual tubular
wrapping portions each disposed in one of a first number plurality of parallel grooves;
an unattached wrapper-transport cartridge having a second number plurality of parallel grooves that is a whole number multiple
of the first plural number;
a structure configured for supporting the unattached wrapper-transport cartridge in a position longitudinally aligning the
tray grooves with cartridge grooves such that at least a portion of the cartridge grooves can be loaded with tubular wrapping
portions; and
a hand-actuated mechanism for longitudinally moving the tubular wrapping portions from the tray grooves to the cartridge grooves.
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