A plant material loader has a hopper, a hopper tray, a transfer tamper assembly, a transfer tray, a product retainer tray, product tubes and a loader tamper assembly. The hopper is configured to receive plant material. The hopper tray receives the plant material from the hopper. The hopper tray has hopper tray openings. The hopper tray has a hopper tray motion from a hopper position where the hopper tray is below the hopper to a transfer position where the hopper tray is away from the hopper and at a transfer tamper assembly. The transfer tamper assembly has transfer tamper rods and a transfer tray. The transfer tamper rods push the plant material from the hopper tray to the transfer tray.

An apparatus for preparing organic material and loading the organic material into a cone comprises a cylindrical body, a grinder assembly, a cone holder, and a funnel. The cylindrical body includes top and bottom openings. The grinder assembly is removably attached to the top opening of the cylindrical body and is configured to grind the organic material. The grinder assembly includes a hole for the ground organic material to pass through. The cone holder extends into the bottom opening of the main cylindrical body and is releasably secured thereto. The cone holder includes an aperture for receiving the cone. The funnel comprises a wide portion for receiving the ground material that passes through the hole of the grinder assembly and a narrow portion that extends into an end opening of the cone when the cone is held by the cone holder in the cylindrical body.

An intermediate hopper (30) in a tobacco industry apparatus (1) for vertical conveying of a mass-flow of rod-like articles (R) comprising sidewalls (31, 32) and multiple partitions (34) partitioning the intermediate hopper (30) into vertical channels (35, 36) which are adapted to receive the rod-like articles (R) from above, whereas the intermediate hopper (30) is provided with a movable transferring element (37) being slidable relative to the partitions (34) of the intermediate hopper (30), in addition, the transferring element (37) is built of supporting plates (35A, 36A) which support the mass-flow of the rod-like articles (R) in the vertical channels (35, 36) of the intermediate hopper (30) above the supporting plates (35A, 36A), whereas the supporting plates (35A, 36A) are adapted to move downwards (A) within the vertical channels (35, 36) and to move upwards (C) outside the vertical channels (35, 36), in addition, the supporting plates (35A, 36A) are adapted to be inserted (D) into the channels (35, 36) in the area of the channel inlets (35C, 36C) and to be pulled out (B) of the vertical channels (35, 36) in the area of the channel outlets (35E, 36E), characterised in that at least the outermost supporting plate (35A) of the transferring element (37) is adapted to make a movement in the transverse direction to the direction of movement of the other supporting plates (36A). The object of the application is also a feeding apparatus for the feeding with the rod-like articles of the tobacco industry, and an apparatus for emptying of a tray filled with the tobacco industry articles.

A plant material loader has a hopper, a hopper tray, a transfer tamper assembly, a transfer tray, a product retainer tray, product tubes and a loader tamper assembly. The hopper is configured to receive plant material. The hopper tray receives the plant material from the hopper. The hopper tray has hopper tray openings. The hopper tray has a hopper tray motion from a hopper position where the hopper tray is below the hopper to a transfer position where the hopper tray is away from the hopper and at a transfer tamper assembly. The transfer tamper assembly has transfer tamper rods and a transfer tray. The transfer tamper rods push the plant material from the hopper tray to the transfer tray.

In an example embodiment, a doser assembly includes a hopper assembly configured to receive plant material, a bracket assembly connected to the hopper assembly, and a roller in a hopper opening defined by the hopper assembly extending through the hopper assembly. An interior surface of the hopper assembly may define the hopper opening. The bracket assembly may include a shaft extending across a portion of the hopper opening. The roller may be in the portion of the hopper opening of the hopper assembly and may extend between a first part and a second part of the interior surface of the hopper assembly. The roller may be connected to the shaft and may be configured to rotate with rotation of the shaft.