Device for producing a continuous tobacco rod

Claim 1

IN A TOBACCO ROD MAKING MACHINE, IN COMBINATION, A CONVEYOR INCLUDING BOTTOM AND SIDE WALLS FORMING A TOBACCO RECEIVING GROOVE HAVING AN OPEN SIDE INTO WHICH TOBACCO IS ADAPTED TO BE FED SO AS TO FORM THEREIN A FILLER STREAM CONTAINING AN EXCESS OF TOBACCO OVER THAT REQUIRED FOR THE TOBACCO ROD, SAID CONVEYOR BEING ARRANGED TO MOVE IN AN ELONGATED PATH TO ADVANCE SAID FILLER STREAM; STATIONARY LATERAL GUIDE WALLS LOCATED ALONG A FIRST PORTION OF SAID ELONGATED PATH AND CONSTITUTING EXTENSIONS OF SAID SIDE WALLS SO THAT THE FILLER STREAM IS CONFINED BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS AND SAID GUIDE WALLS WHILE ADVANCING ALONG SAID FIRST PORTION OF THE ELONGATED PATH; TOBACCO COMPRESSING MEANS LOCATED ADJACENT TO SAID FIRST PORTION OF THE ELONGATED PATH AND BEING ARRANGED TO MOVE BETWEEN SAID GUIDE WALLS IN A PATH HAVING A COMPONENT WHICH IS TRANSVERSELY DIRECTED WITH RESPECT TO SAID ELONGATED PATH SO AS TO COMPRESS SPACED PORTIONS OF THE FILLER STREAM AGAINST THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID CONVEYOR PROVIDING COMPACTED SPACED ZONES THEREIN WHILE SAID FILLER STREAM IS CONFINED WITHIN SAID GUIDE WALLS AND SAID SIDE WALLS; AND TRIMMING MEANS LOCATED IN A SECOND PORTION OF SAID ELONGATED PATH DOWNSTREAM OF SAID GUIDE WALLS AND SAID COMPRESSING MEANS AND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE OPEN SIDE OF SAID GROOVE, SAID TRIMMING MEANS BEING LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSER TO SAID GROOVE THAN THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID GUIDE WALLS SO AS TO REMOVE SAID EXCESS OF TOBACCO FROM THE FILLER STREAM THEREBY FORMING A FILLER STREAM HAVING A UNIFORM CROSS SECTION AND HAVING COMPACTED ZONES ALTERNATING WITH ZONES OF LESSER DENSITY.