AU2008100097A4 - Cigarette making device - Google Patents

Description

01/02/2008 14:53 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 03/24 00 SCIGARETTE MAKING DEVICE SField of the Invention The present application relates to a device for making cigarettes and in 0 particular, to a device for making cigarettes in accordance with smoker's preferences that requires minimal manual effort from the user of the device.

SBackground of the Invention o A large variety of cigarettes are commercially available to accommodate a 0 variety of smoking preferences. Cigarettes may vary depending on the type or blend of Stobacco contained therein. A tobacco blend may contain a number of different o 10 ingredients in combination with shredded tobacco leaf, which may be used to flavour the tobacco. Commercially mass produced cigarettes may also include additional ingredients or enhancers in the blend, to maximise the usage of tobacco by-products.

With increasing taxes and the like being applied to the sale of cigarettes, the price of commercially produced cigarettes has substantially increased over time. This, combined with ongoing awareness programs associated with the dangers of smoking and in particular, the danger of smoking commercially manufactured cigarettes having a variety of chemical additives, has resulted in a movement towards individuals seeking to make their own cigarettes at home.

Whilst self made cigarettes have existed for some time, the process of making/assembling the cigarette has typically been a laborious task requiring much skill and dexterity to ensure that the cigarette is made to a quality typical of mass produced cigarettes. In this regard, a variety of devices have been developed to assist the user in injecting compressed tobacco into a pre-rolled tube of cigarette paper, with various degrees of success. Many devices require the user to manually pack the tobacco into the device, securely position the tube of paper to the device, and manually actuate a lever to cause a plunger to insert the tobacco into the tube. As can be appreciated, whilst such devices enable users to create custom cigarettes to suit their specific preferences, the steps required to prepare a single cigarette are many. As such, the task of assembling a cigarette requires considerable time and dexterity, particularly in order to guarantee a cigarette of consistent quality.

Most existing devices also comprise a number of moving parts and external fittings that are to be gripped and actuated by the user. As a result, such devices are typically not very compact or contained and can present sharp projections that can injure a person and make it difficult to store the devices in a convenient manner.

\\serverdocs\specis\1 6421 OOinn.doc I COMS ID No: ARCS-177659 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:57 Date 2008-02-01 01/02/2008 14:53 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 04/24 00 0 0 SFurther, existing devices provided to assist an individual to make their own 4 cigarettes are directed predominantly to assisting the user to insert the tobacco into the o paper tube. There is typically no means for pre-processing or cutting the tobacco into a more manageable form prior to inserting into the tube, which is important in ensuring consistent quality between cigarettes. This is particularly important if the tobacco is sourced in a relatively raw/unprocessed form.

As such, there is a need to provide a cigarette making device that provides a user o with a convenient manner in which to make cigarettes to their own preferred 00 10 requirements without unnecessary and continual manual input.

O Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which 0C' has been included in the present specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.

Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a cigarette making device comprising: a first storage member for receiving and storing a quantity of smoking product; a second storage member for receiving and storing a plurality of cigarette tubes; a cutting unit configured to receive said smoking product from the first storage member and to cut said smoking product into cut smoking product; a cigarette tube positioning unit configured to receive a cigarette tube from the second storage member and to retain said tube in a position for filling; and a filling unit configured to receive the cut smoking product from the cutting unit and to insert the cut smoking product into the positioned tube thereby filling the tube with the cut smoking product.

In one embodiment, the cutting unit comprises a rotating cutting blade positioned adjacent the first storage member such that the smoking product is delivered to said rotating cutting blade under gravity from said first storage member. The cut smoking product may then pass from the rotating cutting blade to a cut tobacco chamber located below said rotating cutting blade.

The rotating cutting blade may comprise a plurality of disc elements mounted at spaced intervals on a central shaft. Each disc element may comprise a plurality of \\server\docs\specis\16 4 2 100inn-doc 2 COMS ID No: ARCS-177659 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:57 Date 2008-02-01 01/02/200e 14:53 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 05/24 00 0 0 radial cutting edges formed thereon at regular intervals about the periphery of each disc .D element. In one form, the radial cutting edges may extend at an angle to said central shaft axis. In another form, the radial cutting edges may extend parallel to the central shaft axis.

'The cut tobacco chamber may comprise a guide member positioned therein to guide the cut tobacco through an opening for delivery to the filling unit. The size of the opening may be variable to control the amount of cut tobacco delivered to the filling 0 unit.

O In another embodiment, the filling unit comprises a C-shaped chamber located 00 10 directly beneath the opening of the cut tobacco chamber, such that the cut tobacco is o received within the C-shaped chamber. A pushing spoon may be positioned within the C C-shaped chamber to receive the cut tobacco thereon. The pushing spoon may have a hollow C-shaped portion for receiving the cut tobacco, and a solid portion to aid in pushing the cut tobacco into the positioned tube. The diameter of the hollow C-shaped portion of the pushing spoon may be marginally smaller than the diameter of the tube.

The pushing spoon may be configured to slide longitudinally along a track such that the C-shaped portion of the spoon extends into the positioned tube to fill the tube with cut tobacco. One or more position sensors may be provided to detect the position of the pushing spoon.

In another embodiment, the cigarette tube positioning unit comprises a tube fetching wheel that collects a cigarette tube from the second storage member. The tube fetching wheel may have a C-shaped groove formed therein that receives the cigarette tube.

Rotation of the tube fetching wheel may cause the cigarette tube positioned within the C-shaped groove to be transferred to a loading position. The loading position may be a position laterally displaced from a filling nozzle of the filling unit. A cam driven rod may act upon the cigarette tube to push the cigarette tube into engagement with the filling nozzle so as to receive the cut smoking product from the filling unit.

In another embodiment, the cigarette making device further comprises a control unit for controlling and coordinating the operation of the cutting unit, the cigarette tube positioning unit and the filling unit. The control unit may comprise one or more sensors for determining the state of one or more of the cutting unit, the cigarette tube positioning unit and the filling unit to control the operation thereof. The control unit may also comprise a user interface for receiving one or more instructions from a user to control the operation of the device.

\\server\docs\specis\16421o0inn.doc COMS ID No: ARCS-177659 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:57 Date 2008-02-01 00 CAccording to a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of tmaking a cigarette comprising: Ssupplying a smoking product to a device; Nsupplying at least one cigarette tube to the device;

(N

cutting the smoking product into cut smoking product within said device; delivering the smoking product to a filling unit of the device; positioning one of the cigarette tubes for filling within the device; Sactivating the filling unit to fill the positioned cigarette tube to form the cigarette; and 00 10 collecting the cigarette from the device.

Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as comprises or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

Brief Description of the Drawings By way of example only, the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings: FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of a cigarette making device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the cigarette making device of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 shows a sectional side view of an embodiment of a processing unit of the cigarette making device of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 shows a top view of an embodiment of a processing unit of the cigarette making device of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a cutting unit of the cigarette making device of FIG. 1; FIG. 6 shows a plan view of a fixed cutting blade for use with the cutting unit of FIG. FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a tube locating unit of the cigarette making device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of filling unit of the cigarette making device of FIG. 1.

\\server\docs\specis\1 6421 00inn.doc 01/02/2008 14:53 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 07/24 00 0 .T Detailed Description of an Exemplary Embodiment of the Invention Referring to FIG. 1, a cigarette making device 1.00 according to one 0 embodiment of the present invention is shown. The cigarette making device 100 is in the form of a stand alone unit and is configured to be positioned on a bench top, table top or the like. In this regard, the device 100 has a size typical of a standard kitchen o appliance such as a coffee-making machine or a bread-making machine, to enable the o device 100 to be conveniently used in a home-type environment. The device 100 is Sfoully contained and has no external moving parts, hence it is contact and easily stored o 10 and minimises the risk of injury to children or other people through contact wit sharp o moving parts.

As is shown in FIG. 1, the device 100 generally comprises a body or shell 1 that houses the various components of the device 100. The body 1 is arranged to fit on a table or bench top such that the device 100 can function as an automated means for making cigarettes. The body 1 contains a first inlet 2, in the form of a hopper, for receiving the tobacco product, and a second inlet 4, also in the form of a hopper, for receiving the paper tubes. The tobacco product may take a variety of forms from raw tobacco to pre-processed tobacco, and may include other smoking material. The paper tubes are commercially available and may include filtered tubes or non-filtered tubes, depending upon the user's preferences.

A user interface 64, in the form of a touch-screen microcomputer, is provided on a front surface of the body 1 to enable a user to control the device to ensure that the cigarettes are made to the user's specific requirements. The device 100 has an outlet in the forn of a slide, from which the finished cigarettes are delivered for collection by the user. It will be appreciated that the device 100 provides the user with an ability to fill the device 100 with the necessary raw materials and leave the device unattended to make the cigarettes, with minimum manual input required from the user.

The various parts that make up the device 100 are shown in FIG. 2. The shell or body 1 is supported on a base 9 to ensure that the various components of the device 100 are contained therein. In this regard, the body I and the base 9 may be secured together by way of an interference fit therebetween, and/or a plurality of screws may be provided to ensure that the base 9 and the body 1 are secured together.

A pair of recesses are formed in a top surface of the body 1, to provide direct access to the tobacco hopper 2 and the tube hopper 4. A cover 3 is hingedly mounted to the body 1 and is pivotal between an open position to provide access to the tobacco hopper 2 to facilitate filling of the tobacco hopper 2 prior to using the device 100, and a \\server\docs\specis\16421 OOinn.doc COMS ID No: ARCS-177659 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:57 Date 2008-02-01 01/02/2008 14:53 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 08/24 00 0 0 closed position. Similarly, a cover 5 is hingedly mounted to the body 1 and is pivotal between an open position to provide access to the tube hopper 4 to facilitate filling of the tube hopper 4 with paper tubes prior to using the device 100, and a closed position.

0 A sensor 41 is provided on tie surface of the body 1 adjacent the recess to detect the position of the tobacco hopper cover 3 during use. The sensor 41 may be in a variety of Siforms, such as a pressure sensor or optical sensor, and functions to detect whether the Scover 3 is in an open or closed position. A lip 3a is provided on the cover 3 proximal to o the sensor 41 such that when the cover 3 is in the closed position the lip 3a is located over the sensor 41 and/or applies pressure to the sensor 41, as shown in FIG. 1. If the sensor 41 detects that the cover 3 is in an open position, a signal is provided to the o controller 64 to prevent operation of the device 100, A warning signal may then be C- displayed on the user interface 64 requesting that the cover 3 be closed.

A pair or recesses are also provided in a rear surface of the body 1 to provide a user access to the internal region of the body 1. In this regard, the user may wish to access the internal region of the body to access the transformer chamber of the device 100 as well as to adjust the mechanisms of the device, for instance, to adjust the quantity of tobacco fed from the cutting mechanism during use. Such access also enables ready servicing of the device 100 when required. A pair of covers 6, 7 are removably mounted over the recesses such that during use the body 1 is fully closed.

The user interface 64 is located within a recess formed on a front surface of the body 1. As discussed above, the user interface 64 is in the form of a microcomputer and is in electrical communication with a variety of sensors and components of the device 100. The manner in which the user interface 64 controls the device 100 will be described in more detail below.

The tobacco hopper 2 and the tube hopper 4 are located within the body I such that their inlets 2a, 4a are aligned with the pair of recesses formed in a top surface of the body 1. The hoppers 2, 4 are shaped having a wide and open inlet 2a, 4a that tapers substantially to a narrow outlet 2b, 4b. In this regard, the tobacco received within the hopper 2 and the tubes received within the hopper 4 can be delivered out the outlets 2b, 4b in a controlled manner as will be described in more detail below.

A processing unit 65 is mounted to the base 9 by way of fastening base plate 62 to the base 9 with fasteners 63. The processing unit 65 is positioned immediately below the hoppers 2, 4 to receive the tobacco and tubes therefrom such that they can be further processed into cigarettes. As will be discussed in more detail below, the processing unit 65 comprises: a cutting system for processing the tobacco received from the tobacco hopper 2 into a more manageable form; a tube positioning system for \\server\doos\specs\l642100inn.doc 6 COMS ID No: ARCS-177659 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:57 Date 2008-02-01 01/02/2008 14:53 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 09/24 00 0 0 positioning empty cigarette tubes for filling with the tobacco processed by the cutting system; and a filler system for filling the tubes from the tube hopper 4 with the processed tobacco. The finished cigarettes are then dispensed from the device 100 via 0 outlet 10, which is secured within a recess in the base 9, for collection by the user and later use. It will be appreciated that the device 100 will continue to make cigarettes whilst there is sufficient tobacco and tubes within the hoppers 2, 4 and as such, a O collection tray may be used to collect the finished cigarettes as the exit the outlet o The manner in which the processing unit 65 functions will be described in more detail below.

00 o 10 As discussed previously, the user interface 64 comprises a number of buttons to oenable a user to control various aspects of the device 100 during use. An example of one embodiment of the user interface is shown in FIG. 1. The user interface 64 as shown comprises five user depressible buttons 64a. The buttons 64a provide the user with the ability to control: power to the device (on/off); power to the cutting blades; power to the rollers; and speed of the device (speed increase/decrease). The display screen 64b provides the user with an indication, of the production rate of the device 100, in terms of cigarettes/minute or the like. A number of LED lights 64c are provided to give the user a visual indication of the filling speed of the device 100, and a round display 64d provides a visual indication of the rotating speed of the cutters. In this regard, a user can use the buttons 64a to control the various visually displayed characteristics of the manufacturing process. Further, a variety of LED's are provided to issue warnings to the user of errors or malfunctions within the device 100.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, one embodiment of the processing unit 65 is shown.

As discussed above, the processing unit 65 comprises three separate units: a cutting unit 11; a tube locating unit 12; and a filling unit 13- The cutting unit 11 is shown in detail in FIGS. 3 5. The tobacco hopper 2, once loaded with product, feeds the product directly onto a rotating cutting blade 16 mounted at the entrance to a cut tobacco chamber 8. In this regard, the tobacco present within the hopper 2 is fed from the outlet 2b directly onto the rotating cutting blade 16 where it is finely cut into strands of a desired length.

The rotating cutting blade 16 is driven by motor 23. As shown, motor 23 drives gear 21 that causes rotation of roller gear 20, thus causing the rotating cutting blade 16 to rotate about its central axis. As seen in FIG. 3, the rotating cutting blade 16 comprises a plurality of disc elements 16b mounted at spaced intervals on a central shaft. Each disc element 16b has a plurality of angularly orientated radial cutting edges 16a formed thereon at regular intervals about the periphery of the disc element 16b. It \\server\fdocs\specis\1642100Oinn.doc 7 COMS ID No: ARCS-177659 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:57 Date 2008-02-01 01/02/2008 14:53 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 10/24 00 0 0 will be appreciated that the cutting edges 16a may be straight or assume a variety of r^ configurations and still fall within the spirit of the present invention. As is shown, each disc element 16b is separated by gaps spaced therebetween. It will be appreciated that o the cutting unit 11 could employ a knife arrangement or any other different types of cutting configurations and also fall within the spirit of the present invention.

As is shown in FIG. 6, a fixed blade 19 is mounted to one or more edges of the cutting chamber. The fixed blade 19 has a shape that is complimentary to the shape of 0 the rotating cutting blade 16 such that the sharp cutting projections 19a extend into the gaps spaced between the disc elements 16b of the rotating cutting blade 16. Therefore, 0 0 10 as the rotating cutting blade 16 rotates, the radial cutting edges intermesh with the O cutting projections 19a of the fixed blade 19 to finely cut the tobacco into desired C lengths. As the rotating cutting blade 16 has a series of slots 14 arranged therealong in a screw-thread manner, the finely cut pieces of tobacco fall into the slots 14 and are delivered into the cut tobacco chamber 8 below as the cutting blade 16 rotates. The cut tobacco then passes through slots 14 provided in the rotating cutting blade 16 and enters the cut tobacco chamber 8 having a relatively uniform consistency. As is shown in FIG. 5, a guide 15 is located within the cut tobacco chamber 8 to guide the cut tobacco, under gravity, to an opening 66 through which the cut tobacco can pass for filling into the tubes.

The opening 66, and hence the amount of cut tobacco being fed into the tubes, can be controlled by movement of the filling adjustment block 59. As is shown in FIG.

4, the filling adjustment block 59 can be slidingly moved by a user gripping knob 61 and sliding the block 59 to a desired position by way of control rod 60. Such an arrangement ensures that only a predetermined amount of cut tobacco is presented to the filling unit 13 for filling the tubes, providing the user with a means for controlling the packing of the finished cigarette.

The tube locating unit 12 is shown in detail in FIGS. 3, 4, 7 9. The tube hopper 4 comprises a number of empty cigarette tubes 67 that are directed to individually feed from the outlet 4b to a tube fetching wheel arrangement 26. A tube feeding solenoid sensor 39 is positioned adjacent the outlet 4b of the hopper 4 to detect when the supply of tubes 67 within the hopper 4 has been exhausted. When the sensor 39 detects that all the tubes 67 have been used, it sends a signal to the controller to cease operation. of the device 100.

The tube fetching wheel arrangement 26 comprises a plurality of discs 26a evenly spaced along a central shaft 26b, as shown more clearly in FIG. 3. Each disc 26a has a C-shaped groove 26c formed therein such that when the discs 26a are aligned \\server\docs\specis\1 6421 OOiinn.doc 8 COMS ID No: ARCS-177659 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:57 Date 2008-02-01 00

O

Nthe C-shaped grooves 26c form an elongate groove along the fetching wheel tarrangement 26 to receive a tube 67 therein from the hopper 4. It will be appreciated that the wheel arrangements 26, 28 could alternatively be in the form of an elongate cylinder having a groove formed therein, as is shown in FIG. 8.

The fetching wheel arrangement 26 is rotated under action of the electric motor 23 by way of long transmission shaft 24. In this regard, the tube locating unit 12 is operational only when the cutting unit 11 is in operation. The long transmission shaft 24 causes the fetching wheel arrangement 26 to rotate through engagement with small gear 22. As shown in FIG. 7, such rotation of the fetching wheel arrangement 26 00 10 causes the tube 67 captured within the C-shaped grooves 26c to be transferred to a position D where the tube 67 is in contact with tube discharging wheel arrangement 28 and a tube positioning panel 38.

Referring to FIG. 8, when the tube 67 is in position D, it is suitably positioned to be fitted over the nozzle 43 of the filling unit 13 so as to receive the cut tobacco from the filling unit 13. This is achieved by activation of the cam 29 to cause the tube feeding rod 31 to contact the end of the tube 67 and push the tube 67 towards the nozzle 43 in the manner as shown. As the cam 29 rotates, the tube discharging wheel arrangement 28 also rotates, thereby causing the tube 67 to rotate as it is pushed over the nozzle. This combined pushing and rotating movement of the tube 67 provides improved fitting of the end of the tube 67 over the nozzle 43.

As is shown, the rod 31 moves within a sleeve 30 and a spring 32 is connected to the end of the rod 31. As the rod 31 extends to push the tube 67 towards the nozzle the spring 32 compresses, storing a release force therein. Following filling and reversing of the direction of rotation of the cam 29, the stored force within the spring 32 causes the rod 31 to return to its return position. It will be appreciated that the rod 31 applies a longitudinal sliding force to the tube 67 to position the tube 67 over the nozzle 43 to receive cut tobacco from the filling unit 13. As shown in FIG. 3, a rod moving sensor 33 is provided to detect the position of the rod 31, and hence whether the tube 67 is in a position ready for receiving the tobacco. Upon detection that the tube 67 is in such a position, the sensor 33 sends a signal to the control unit of the device 100 causes the cutting unit 11 and the tube locating unit to cease operation. The filling unit 13 can then be initiated.

The filling unit 13 is shown in more detail in FIG. 8. The filling unit 13 comprises a C-shaped chamber 47 that is located directly beneath the opening 66 of the cut tobacco chamber 8, such that the cut tobacco is loaded into the chamber 47 during the cutting process. A pushing spoon 44 is positioned within the chamber 47 and has a \\server\docs\specis\1642100inn.doc 9 00

O

hollow C-shaped portion for receiving the cut tobacco, and a solid portion to aid in pushing the cut tobacco into the cigarette. The diameter of the hollow C-shaped portion of the spoon 44 is marginally smaller than the diameter of the tube 67 and has a saw-tooth profile. The pushing spoon 44 is configured to slide longitudinally along a track 45 such that the C-shaped portion of the spoon 44 extends out the end of the nozzle 43 and into the loaded tube 67. As a result, the cut tobacco located within the C-shaped portion of the spoon 44 is loaded into the tube 67 thereby filling the tube 67 with the cut tobacco.

The longitudinal sliding movement of the spoon 44 is a result of activation of 00 10 the filler motor 53. Activation of the filler motor 53 causes movement of the 0 transmission rod 54 which in turn causes the pushing spoon lever rod 56 to be pulled in a direction away from contact with the bottom position sensor 58, towards and into contact with the top position sensor 57. As the pushing spoon lever rod 56 is in fixed contact with the pushing spoon 44, when the pushing spoon lever rod 56 is in contact with the top position sensor 57 this is indicative of the pushing spoon 44 being fully extended into the tube 67.

Hence, the filling process is ended when the top position sensor is triggered. In this position the filled tube/cigarette 67 is pushed off the nozzle 43 and is captured within the C-shaped groove(s) of the tube discharging wheel arrangement 28 (FIG. 7).

The filler motor 53 is then reactivated and is caused to rotate in the opposite direction until the pushing spoon lever rod 56 triggers the bottom position sensor 58 and the filling system is back in a starting position as shown in FIG. 8. Triggering of the bottom position sensor 58 reactivates the motor for cutting 23, thereby initiating another cycle of the device 100 and causing the tube discharging wheel arrangement 28 to rotate and discharging the filled cigarette from the tube discharging wheel arrangement 28 and into the slide outlet It will be appreciated that the cigarette making device 100 of the present invention provides a means for making a cigarette that is performed wholly within the device and requires minimal input from the user, other than loading the device 100 with the initial raw products. The device 100 processes the tobacco product by cutting the product into manageable lengths, after which, the cut tobacco is inserted into a prepositioned tube to form the cigarette. Such a device allows a user to fill the device and leave the device unattended, such that the device can make the cigarettes for later collection by the user with requiring the user to be present and constantly feed the device raw product.

\\server\docs\specis\1642100inn.doc 01/02/200e 14:53 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 13/24 It will also be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

\\server\docs\specis\16421 OOinn.doc COMS ID No: ARCS-177659 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:57 Date 2008-02-01

Claims (18)

1. A cigarette making device comprising: O a first storage member for receiving and storing a quantity of smoking product; a second storage member for receiving and storing a plurality of cigarette tubes; a cutting unit configured to receive said smoking product from the first storage o member and to cut said smoking product into cut smoking product; o a cigarette tube positioning unit configured to receive a cigarette tube from the second storage member and to retain said tube in a position for filling; 00 o 10 a filling unit configured to receive the cut smoking product from the cutting unit o and to insert the cut smoking product into the positioned tube thereby filling the tube with the cut smoking product; and a body for housing the first storage member, second storage member, cutting unit, cigarette tube positioning unit and the filling unit.

2. A cigarette making device of claim 1, wherein the catting unit comprises a rotating cutting blade positioned adjacent the first storage member such that the smoking product is delivered to said rotating cutting blade under gravity from said first storage member.

3. A cigarette making device according to claim 2, wherein the cut smoking product passes from said rotating cutting blade to a cut tobacco chamber located below said rotating cutting blade.

4. A cigarette making device according to claim 3, wherein the rotating cutting blade comprises a plurality of disc elements mounted at spaced intervals on a central shaft. A cigarette making device according to claim 4, wherein each disc element has a plurality of radial cutting edges formed thereon at regular intervals about the periphery of each disc element.

6. A cigarette making device according to claim 5, wherein the radial cutting edges extend at an angle to said central shaft axis. \\server\docs\specis\1 6421 OOinndoo 12 COMS ID No: ARCS-177659 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:57 Date 2008-02-01 01/02/2008 14:53 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 15/24 00 O 0 S7. A cigarette making device according to claim 5, wherein the radial cutting edges rextend parallel to the central shaft axis. O

8. A cigarette making device according to claim 3, wherein the cut tobacco chamber comprises a guide member positioned therein to guide the cut tobacco through an opening for delivery to the filling unit. 0 S9. A cigarette making device according to claim 8, wherein the size of the opening is variable to control the amount of cut tobacco delivered to the filling unit 00 010 O 10. A cigarette making device according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the filling unit comprises a C-shaped chamber located directly beneath the opening of the cut tobacco chamber, such that the cut tobacco is received within the C-shaped chamber.

11. A cigarette making device according to claim 10, wherein a pushing spoon is positioned within the C-shaped chamber to receive the cut tobacco thereon.

12. A cigarette making device according to claim 11, wherein the pushing spoon has a hollow C-slaped portion for receiving the cut tobacco, and a solid portion to aid in pushing the cut tobacco into the positioned tube.

13. A cigarette making device according to claim 12, wherein the diameter of the hollow C-shaped portion of the pushing spoon is marginally smaller than the diameter of the tube.

14. A cigarette making device according to claim 13, wherein the pushing spoon is configured to slide longitudinally along a track such that the C-shaped portion of the spoon extends into the positioned tube to fill the tube with cut tobacco.

15. A cigarette making device according to claim 14, wherein one or more position sensors are provided to detect the position of the pushing spoon.

16. A cigarette making device according to claim 1, wherein the cigarette tube positioning unit comprises a tube fetching wheel that collects a cigarette tube from the second storage member. \\server\docs\specisk 6421 OOinn.doc 13 COMS ID No: ARCS-177659 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:57 Date 2008-02-01 01/02/2008 14:53 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 16/24

17. A cigarette making device according to claim 16, wherein the tube fetching wheel has a C-shaped groove formed therein that receives the cigarette tube therein.

18. A cigarette making device according to claim 16, wherein rotation of the tube fetching wheel causes the cigarette tube positioned within the C-shaped grooves to be transferred to a loading position.

19. A cigarette making device according to claim 18, wherein the loading position is a position laterally displaced from a filling nozzle of the filling unit. A cigarette making device according to claim 19, wherein a cam driven rod acts upon the cigarette tube to push the cigarette tube into engagement with the filling nozzle.

21. A cigarette making device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit for controlling and coordinating the operation of the cutting unit, the cigarette tube positioning unit and the filling unit.

22. A cigarette making device according to claim 21, wherein the control unit comprises one or more sensors for determining the state of one or more of the cutting unit, the cigarette tube positioning unit and the filling unit to control the operation thereof.

23. A cigarette making device according to claim 21 or claim 22. wherein the control unit comprises a user interface for receiving one or more instructions from a user to control the operation of the device. \\serveAdocs\specis\16421 O0inn.doc COMS ID No: ARCS-177659 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:57 Date 2008-02-01