Tobacco-manipulating apparatus

Claim 1

TOBACCO MANIPULATING APPARATUS COMPRISING AN AIR PERVIOUS CONVEYOR, SIDE GUIDES FORMING A TROUGH THROUGH WHICH THE CONVEYOR MOVES, WALL MEANS DEFINING A PASSAGE LEADING TO ONE SIDE OF THE CONVEYOR, A SUCTION CHAMBER AT THE SIDE OF THE CONVEYOR OPPOSITE TO THE PASSAGE TO DRAW AIR THROUGH THE CONVEYOR AND THE PASSAGE TO IMPEL TOBACCO INTRODUCED INTO THE PASSAGE TO FLOW THROUGH THE PASSAGE TO THE CONVEYOR TO BUILD UP A CONTINUOUS TOBACCO FILLER THEREON AND HOLD IT TO THE CONVEYOR WHICH CONVEYS IT BETWEEN THE SIDE GUIDES, SAID WALL MEANS COMPRISING SIDE WALLS SPACED APART LATERALLY OF THE CONVEYOR AND EAXTENDING THERETO AND A DOWNSTREAM END WALL AND AN UPSTREAM END WALL SPACED APART IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE CONVEYOR, THE DOWNSTREAM END WALL BEING SPACED FROM THE CONVEYOR FOR THE CONVEYOR TO CARRY THE TOBACCO FILLER PAST IT OUT OF THE PASSAGE AND LEAVE A GAP BETWEEN THE FILLER AND THE DOWNSTREAM END WALL, AND CLOSURE MEANS LOCATED ADJACENT SAID DOWNSTREAM END WALL AND THE CONVEYOR SUBSTANTIALLY TO CLOSE SAID GAP, THE SIDE GUIDE BEING RECESSED TO PROVIDE AN ENLARGED PORTION OF THE TROUGH ADJACENT THE FILLER AND THE CLOSURE MEANS BEING SHAPED TO EXTEND INTO THE ENLARGED PORTION OF THE TROUGH, SAID CLOSURE MEANS HAVING AN APERTURE PART MOVABLE WITH REPECT TO THE CONVEYOR AND LIGHTLY IN CONTACT WITH THE SURFACE OF THE TOBACCO FILLER AT LEAST WHEN AIR IS FLOWING THROUGH THE PASSAGE AND THE CONVEYOR, TO ACCOMMODATE ITSELF TO VARIATIONS IN THE DEPTH OF THE TOBACCO FILLER.