Some smoking articles have filters which include multiple components. For example, a filter may be provided with components that can rotate relative to each other to adjust ventilation or other characteristics. Such components may have an asymmetrical shape and need to be provided with a particular orientation prior to being fed into assembly apparatus where they are combined with other components of a smoking article, such as a tobacco rod and wrapper.
A vibratory bowl feeder can be used to feed such components into an assembly line. Vibratory bowl feeders have a vibrating bowl and track along which components travel as the track vibrates. Components having an incorrect orientation are ejected back into the bowl as they travel along the track, providing a stream of components with uniform orientation.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds