US 11,691,309 B2
Material compression and portioning
Dwight David Williams, Powhatan, VA (US); James David Evans, Chesterfield, VA (US); Patrick Sean McElhinney, Chesterfield, VA (US); Jarrod Wayne Chalkley, Mechanicsville, VA (US); Christopher R. Newcomb, Richmond, VA (US); and Robert V. Powell, Richmond, VA (US)
Assigned to Altria Client Services LLC, Richmond, VA (US)
Filed by Altria Client Services LLC, Richmond, VA (US)
Filed on Dec. 6, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/542,849.
Application 17/542,849 is a division of application No. 16/275,927, filed on Feb. 14, 2019, granted, now 11,213,967.
Application 16/275,927 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/975,087, filed on May 9, 2018, granted, now 11,192,668.
Prior Publication US 2022/0088816 A1, Mar. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. B26D 7/08 (2006.01); B26D 7/18 (2006.01); B26D 5/00 (2006.01)
CPC B26D 7/08 (2013.01) [B26D 7/1854 (2013.01); B26D 5/00 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus configured to provide a portioned instance of a compressible material, the apparatus comprising:
a rotatable section configured to rotate around a central longitudinal axis, the rotatable section including a plurality of channel assemblies, the plurality of channel assemblies are spaced apart around a circumference of the rotatable section, each channel assembly of the plurality of channel assemblies including an upper assembly and a lower assembly, the upper assembly including an upper inner surface defining an upper channel, the lower assembly including a lower inner surface defining a lower channel, the upper inner surface and the lower inner surface collectively at least partially defining a continuous channel including the upper and lower channels, the upper assembly defining a top opening of the continuous channel, the lower assembly defining a bottom opening of the continuous channel, the channel assembly configured to hold a bulk instance of the compressible material extending continuously through both the upper channel and the lower channel; and
a cutting assembly configured to be fixed in place in relation to the rotatable section, the cutting assembly configured to extend transversely through a gap space between the upper assembly and the lower assembly of at least one channel assembly of the plurality of channel assemblies based on rotation of the rotatable section to at least partially align the at least one channel assembly with a cutting edge of the cutting assembly,
such that a lower portion of the bulk instance of the compressible material in the at least one channel assembly is severed from an upper portion of the bulk instance of the compressible material in the at least one channel assembly to produce the portioned instance, and
the cutting assembly isolates the lower channel of the at least one channel assembly from the upper channel of the at least one channel assembly, wherein
the cutting edge of the cutting assembly is configured to extend around the circumference of the rotatable section and includes at least a first portion extending in an arc from a first radial distance from the central longitudinal axis at a first angular position to a second radial distance from the central longitudinal axis at a second angular position, the first and second radial distances being beyond proximate and distal radial distances of the at least one channel assembly from the central longitudinal axis, such that the cutting edge moves transversely in a radial direction through the gap space of the at least one channel assembly based on the rotatable section rotating the at least one channel assembly around the central longitudinal axis between the first and second angular positions.