(57) Devices for filling a cigarette tube with tobacco are disclosed. In one aspect, the
devices contain separate metering, compression, and injection mechanisms (30, 80,
150), which may be manual, partially automatic, or fully automatic. The metering mechanisms
(30) move a proper amount of tobacco to a compression chamber (90), where the tobacco
is thereafter compressed for eventual injection. In some embodiments, means are provided
for assessing whether a sufficient quantity of tobacco has been metered into the compression
chamber (90), and if not, further metering is accomplished prior to injection. In
another aspect, the metering and compression mechanisms are combined into a single
mechanism to the same effect.
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