Patent GB-971736-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in machines for manipulating cut tobacco
IPC: A24C5/18
Filed: 1962-07-18
Abstract: 971,736. Separating tobacco. MOLINS MACHINE CO. Ltd., and D. W. MOLINS. July 12, 1963 [July 18, 1962], No. 27576/62. Heading A2C. An apparatus for separating unusable material from cut tobacco comprises a picker roller 3 (Fig. 1) which strips the tobacco carpet, fed from a hopper, from curding drum 1, the tobacco being projected by picker pins 4 along a partly concave plate 5 between which and serrations 6 of a variable-speed rotating winnower roller 7 the tobacco particles are directed, and conveyed up passage 10 by an airstream to form a filler on a perforated conveyer the airstream being caused by suction exerted through the perforated conveyer. The suction causes air to pass through holes 9 in plate 8 and much of the usable tobacco is deflected into a curved path leading to passage 10, the change in direction being assisted by suction applied to rotating cylinder 11. Large pieces of stem and also some usable tobacco falls into compartment 12 formed between plates 13 and 14, at the bottom of which two contacting rollers, metal roller 15 and rubber coated roller 16 rotate to feed tobacco downwards into passage 17 and form an airlock to compartment 12. A rising airstream passes through passages 17 and 18 through perforations 20A and 28A in walls 20 and 28 respectively to join the main airstream at junction 19. Wall 20 of passage 17 is fixed to a bracket 21 and is adjustable to vary the cross-sectional area of passage 17. Extension piece 24 which regulates the air velocity in passage 18 may be swung into different positions by means of quadrant bracket 25. Passage 17 is closed by roller 29 formed with peripheral recesses or pockets 30 which retain the small usable tobacco particles while the long stem material remain on the periphery and are brushed off by rotary brush 31 into compartment 32 whose base is formed by rotary valve 33 which functions as an airlock. Unusable material is carried away through suction pipe 40. Usable material in the recesses of roller 29 falls on shroud 41 and carried by the airstream entering passage 42 through apertures 43 and is delivered to the main airstream near junction 19. In a further embodiment the recessed roller and brush are at the base of compartment 12 (Fig. 2 not shown) and usable material amongst the discarded material (i.e. material treated by the recessed roller) delivered to passage 17 will be stripped by the rising airstream in 17. In a still further embodiment the recessed roller 129 (Fig. 7) is made up of moulded plastic toothed discs 51 (Fig. 6) separated by thin discs 52. Air passing up passage 42 enters through opening 142. The airlock at the base of compartment 12 is provided by a serrated metal roller 115, and a thin adjustable flexible scraper 53 which contacts the crests of the serrations. Air drawn through holes 9 in plates 8 enters from duct 56 to provide airstreams as indicated by the arrows. The driving arrangement for intermittently rotating recessed roller 129 is described. The recessed surface may be a series of plates carried by a conveyer. Several forms of recessed surface for the roller are described. Specification 895,733 is referred to.