The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 08, 2026
Filed:
Nov. 13, 2024
Altria Client Services Llc, Richmond, VA (US);
Jarrod W. Chalkley, Mechanicsville, VA (US);
Sean Sundberg, Richmond, VA (US);
Robert Powell, Midlothian, VA (US);
Isaac J. Mcgill, Richmond, VA (US);
Charles Dendy, Ruther Glen, VA (US);
Altria Client Services LLC, Richmond, VA (US);
Abstract
A packaging machine includes a rotatable apparatus and an ejection system. The rotatable apparatus rotates a plurality of funnels around a first central rotation axis at a first rate of rotation while a plurality of containers move continuously along an arcuate path while remaining axially aligned with separate, respective bottom openings of the plurality of funnels. The ejection system ejects separate pluralities of material articles from a fixed ejection position at a fixed time interval, and the rotatable apparatus receives the separate pluralities of material articles at a fixed material receiving position. The rotatable apparatus directs a same quantity of material articles into each continuously moving container based on rotating around the first central rotation axis such that each separate funnel moves continuously through the material receiving position concurrently with the rotatable apparatus receiving at least one plurality of material articles at the fixed material receiving position.