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:
Dec. 14, 2010
Filed:
May. 24, 2007
Barry S. Smith, Hopewell, VA (US);
Martin T. Garthaffner, Chesterfield, VA (US);
Ahmet Ercelebi, Mechanicsville, VA (US);
Steven Spiers, Richmond, VA (US);
Jeremy Straight, Midlothian, VA (US);
Barry S. Smith, Hopewell, VA (US);
Martin T. Garthaffner, Chesterfield, VA (US);
Ahmet Ercelebi, Mechanicsville, VA (US);
Steven Spiers, Richmond, VA (US);
Jeremy Straight, Midlothian, VA (US);
Philip Morris USA Inc., Richmond, VA (US);
Abstract
A machine and process function to fill cavities with metered amounts of particulate material. An applicator wheel includes a series of equally spaced apart peripheral pockets each having a perforated bottom wall, and a vacuum manifold inside the wheel includes a vacuum chamber for supplying vacuum to the perforated bottom walls of the pockets as the wheel rotates. Particulate material from a filling chamber of such material outside the wheel is withdrawn into the pockets by the vacuum chamber. A downstream vacuum relief on the vacuum manifold functions to discharge particulate material from the pockets into the cavities at a predetermined discharge location on the wheel. Adjustment structure is connected to rotatably adjust the position of the vacuum manifold within the applicator wheel to thereby advance or retard the discharge location depending upon the speed of the machine.