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.

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.