A material handling machine dispenses uniformly metered charges of smoking material from a bulk supply, by means of a metered material feeder that has a first hopper with an opening disposed over a first horizontal chute. The first chute is mounted on slanted springs and has a dispensing end above a second chute also mounted upon slanted springs. The second chute discharges onto a tippable weighing tray above a set of nested hoppers in which one is fixed and the other is vertically movable. A weight sensor may be attached to the tippable tray or the fixed hopper, or both. The move-able hopper may comprise a forming belt indenter to form a trough in a cigarette rolling apparatus. The first hopper may include an agitator that has at least one vertical rod for stirring the bulk material. The dispensing end of the first chute may also include a rotating rake.

A device for automated loading and forming smoking articles has a pre-rolled cone holder holding a plurality of pre-rolled cones. A loading mechanism loads individual pre-rolled cones in the pre-rolled cone holder with a predefined amount of material. A filling mechanism deposits the predefined amount of material in the loading mechanism, the filling mechanism monitoring an amount of material loaded in the filling mechanism and sending a signal to stop loading the filling mechanism with the material when a predefined amount has been loaded. A dispensing mechanism sends the material to the filling mechanism. A hopper is in communication with the dispensing mechanism storing the material. A shaker is coupled to the hopper shaking the material in the hopper preventing the material from sticking together.

A device for automated loading and forming smoking articles has a pre-rolled cone holder holding a plurality of pre-rolled cones. A loading mechanism loads individual pre-rolled cones in the pre-rolled cone holder with a predefined amount of material. A filling mechanism deposits the predefined amount of material in the loading mechanism, the filling mechanism monitoring an amount of material loaded in the filling mechanism and sending a signal to stop loading the filling mechanism with the material when a predefined amount has been loaded. A dispensing mechanism sends the material to the filling mechanism. A hopper is in communication with the dispensing mechanism storing the material. A shaker is coupled to the hopper shaking the material in the hopper preventing the material from sticking together.

A cigarette rolling machine deposits uniformly metered charges of smoking material into a trough formed in a belt as dispensed from a bulk supply. A length of smoking paper sufficient for the combined length of two cigarettes is deposited nearby on the belt on a movable platen. As the platen moves, the belt glides over a fixed arbor and at least one other movable arbor, and the belt forms into a bight, rolling the material into a cylindrical volume. Filters are delivered and abutted to the ends of the volume and the smoking paper is entrained into the bight to encircle the smoking material and filters. A pre-moistened adhesive along a leading edge of the paper adheres to its trailing edge as a circular ouroboros and forming a tube. The twinned pair of cigarettes is then drawn across a cutting plane knife and parted into two individual cigarettes.

A device for automated loading and forming smoking articles has a pre-rolled cone holder holding a plurality of pre-rolled cones. A loading mechanism loads individual pre-rolled cones in the pre-rolled cone holder with a predefined amount of material. A filling mechanism deposits the predefined amount of material in the loading mechanism. The filling mechanism monitors an amount of material loaded in the filling mechanism and sends a signal to stop loading the filling mechanism with the material when a predefined amount has been loaded. A dispensing mechanism sends the material to the filling mechanism. The dispensing mechanism stops sending of material when the filling mechanism sends the signal to stop loading the filling mechanism with the material when a predefined amount has been loaded. A hopper is in communication with the dispensing mechanism and stores the material. A shaker is coupled to the hopper shaking the material in the hopper preventing the material from sticking together.

A device for automated loading and forming smoking articles has a pre-rolled cone holder holding a plurality of pre-rolled cones. A loading mechanism loads individual pre-rolled cones in the pre-rolled cone holder with a predefined amount of material. A filling mechanism deposits the predefined amount of material in the loading mechanism. The filling mechanism monitors an amount of material loaded in the filling mechanism and sends a signal to stop loading the filling mechanism with the material when a predefined amount has been loaded. A dispensing mechanism sends the material to the filling mechanism. The dispensing mechanism stops sending of material when the filling mechanism sends the signal to stop loading the filling mechanism with the material when a predefined amount has been loaded. A hopper is in communication with the dispensing mechanism and stores the material. A shaker is coupled to the hopper shaking the material in the hopper preventing the material from sticking together.

A cigarette rolling machine deposits uniformly metered charges of smoking material into a trough formed in a belt as dispensed from a bulk supply. A length of smoking paper sufficient for the combined length of two cigarettes is deposited nearby on the belt on a movable platen. As the platen moves, the belt glides over a fixed arbor and at least one other movable arbor, and the belt forms into a bight, rolling the material into a cylindrical volume. Filters are delivered and abutted to the ends of the volume and the smoking paper is entrained into the bight to encircle the smoking material and filters. A pre-moistened adhesive along a leading edge of the paper adheres to its trailing edge as a circular ouroboros and forming a tube. The twinned pair of cigarettes is then drawn across a cutting plane knife and parted into two individual cigarettes.

A material handling machine dispenses uniformly metered charges of smoking material from a bulk supply, by means of a metered material feeder that has a first hopper with an opening disposed over a first horizontal chute. The first chute is mounted on slanted springs and has a dispensing end above a second chute also mounted upon slanted springs. The second chute discharges onto a tippable weighing tray above a set of nested hoppers in which one is fixed and the other is vertically movable. A weight sensor may be attached to the tippable tray or the fixed hopper, or both. The move-able hopper may comprise a forming belt indenter to form a trough in a cigarette rolling apparatus. The first hopper may include an agitator that has at least one vertical rod for stirring the bulk material. The dispensing end of the first chute may also include a rotating rake.

A cigarette rolling machine includes paper pick and place subassembly wherein bulk paper strip is provided by a roll resting upon spool hooks. The frame plates are held spaced apart by a plurality of struts. A paper drive motor drives a roller which may preferably be made of polyurethane or another material that paper may adhere to effectively. A fluid reservoir contains adhesive fluid which is delivered into a wick held in a wick retainer A pick arm mounted on vertical displacement struts raises and lowers a hollow pick manifold connected to a vacuum line so that it may pick up a cigarette paper and retain it on its underside surface for placement onto a section cigarette forming belt. A transfer pad swings from a pair of swing arms which each have a stud slidable within a serpentine groove of a guide plate affixed to the pick manifold.

A cigarette rolling machine includes paper pick and place subassembly wherein bulk paper strip is provided by a roll resting upon spool hooks. The frame plates are held spaced apart by a plurality of struts. A paper drive motor drives a roller which may preferably be made of polyurethane or another material that paper may adhere to effectively. A fluid reservoir contains adhesive fluid which is delivered into a wick held in a wick retainer A pick arm mounted on vertical displacement struts raises and lowers a hollow pick manifold connected to a vacuum line so that it may pick up a cigarette paper and retain it on its underside surface for placement onto a section cigarette forming belt. A transfer pad swings from a pair of swing arms which each have a stud slidable within a serpentine groove of a guide plate affixed to the pick manifold.