Patent GB-190007917-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Cigar-making Machinery.
Inventor: NEWTON PHILIP ARTHUR
Filed: 1900-04-28
Granted: 1900-10-27
Abstract: 7917. Newton, P. A., [American Cigar Machinery Co.]. April 28. Cigars and cheroots.- Relates to improvements in machines for the manufacture of cigars and cheroots. Fig. 1 shows in plan view the righthand end of one form of machine constructed in accordance with the invention. The machine is provided with a receptacle 165, in which the cigar bunch to be wrapped is placed. The cigar-bunch rests on the prongs of a fork, and when this is withdrawn the bunch is received by a carrier which transfers it to the wrapping- mechanism, returning therefrom with the cigar just completed. The carrier is supported on a shaft 172 journalled in bearings on an arm 176 adapted to swing about its supporting-stud 177. The carrier is shown in Fig. 15 in position for discharging a bunch into the jaws of the wrapping-mechanism. It consists of two pairs of oppositely-situated retainers 203, 210 and 202, 209, which are carried by concentric spring-controlled sleeves on the shaft 172, so that they are normally closed, but can be opened by the insertion of a wedge-piece, such as 229, between pairs of arms 216 carried by the sleeves. The cigar-bunch having been received by the carrier, the sector 180 causes the arm 176 to swing through three quarters of a revolution, bringing the carrier above the jaws 136 of the wrapping-device. The retainers are opened by the cam-actuated wedge 229, and the finished cigar resting in the open jaws 136 is lifted by ejecting-fingers 141 and placed within the grip of the lower pair of retainers. The wedge 229 is now temporarily withdrawn, and the shaft 172 is turned through half a revolution by the action of a vertically-moving rack on the pinion 237. This brings the bunch immediately above the jaws 136, by which it is received when the retainers are again opened. The finished cigar is carried back to the initial position, where the carrier is again inverted and the retainers opened to discharge the cigar to a chute. The tobacco leaf from which the wrapper is to be cut is stretched upon a cutting-bed consisting of a perforated plate 4, Figs. 1 and 12, which forms the cover of a chamber 5, and a surrounding plate 9, which forms the cover of a chamber 11 and is perforated along its inner edge as shown in Fig. 1. The cutting edge of a knife 3 projects slightly above the level of the cutting-bed. The chambers 5 and 9 communicate with a vacuum chamber through a trunk 8 closable by a valve 75. The leaf having been stretched on the cutting-bed, the operator releases a locking-catch 79, Fig. 12, so as to allow the spring 76 to open the valve 75 and so retain the stretched leaf on the cutting-bed by suction. The main shaft 35 of the machine is now set in motion by means of a treadle actuating a single-revolution clutch, and a reciprocating roller 15, journalled in a forked arm 16, moves over the cutting-bed, cutting the wrapper out by its pressure on the fixed knife-blade. A clean cut is ensured by causing the roller 15 to incline slightly inwards during its forward stroke and outwards on its return, so that the cut is a continuous one round the outline of the wrapper. The wrapper having been cut the chamber 5 is raised into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 12 by the action of the cam 64, roller 61, and lever 60, 59. The cam 64 bears a block 70 which effects the closing of the valve 75 at the moment the wrapper is transferred from the perforated plate 4 to the wrapper-carrier. The wrapper-carrier 83, Fig. 1, consists of a suction-chamber closed beneath by a perforated plate and adapted to pick up the wrapper from the cutting-bed and transfer it to the wrapping-mechanism. The suction in the wrapper-carrier is continuous, the wrapper being thus held in the stretched state until it has been wholly drawn off the carrier in the process of wrapping. The carrier is given a compound movement during the wrapping operation, which causes it to assume the successive positions shown in Fig. 20 so that the wrapper is always properly presented to the non-cylindrical surface of the bunch. The wrapper-carrier is capable of axial movement in its supporting frame 88, which is itself pivoted at 113 to the oscillating lever 94. The suction pipe 93 which communicates with the wrapper-carrier is telescopic. The compound movement of the wrapper-carrier is controlled by means of the fixed cam slots 120, 126, as the lever 94 swings it forward. At the moment that the wrapping operation is commenced, it is necessary that the end of the tobacco leaf be presented to the wrapping-mechanism. This is effected by dividing off a small portion of the wrapper-carrier so as to form a chamber to which the suction does not extend. A small elbow-pipe 132 communicates with this chamber, and is fitted with a spring end, which engages with an air-blast pipe 134, as shown in Fig. 1, when the wrapping operation is about to commence. The blast, acting through the pipes 134, 132 blows the end of the wrapper down upon the bunch held in the jaws of the wrapping-mechanism. Paste is applied to the opposite end of the wrapper from a roller running m the paste fountain 244. The wrapping- mechanism may be of any suitable type, but a preferable form is described consisting of end frames which support swinging guides which turn on pivots co-axial with the bunch to be wrapped. Longitudinal rods 279 connect the guides, and constitute pivots for the jaws 136. The guides are slotted, and rods 138 passing through the slots are driven by crank arms so as to oscillate the guides and alternately open or close the jaws 136. The machine is arranged to stop with one pair of jaws in the open position, the other pair being also opened by the pressure of a cam-actuated striker-arm against the toggle-joint 291. The machine shown is intended for making cheroots, and two cam-actuated trimming-knives 143 are provided, one for each end of the bunch. Eight modified forms of the machine are described, operating on the same general principles as that described above. In the first modification, the wrapper is cut on a suction-bed which afterwards moves rearwardly so as to bring the wrapper beneath one of six pneumatic wrapper-carriers mounted on a rotary support. The wrapper-carrier transfers the wrapper to wrapping-mechanism of the kind described above, a compound movement of the required character being given to the wrapper-carriers by means of (1) cam-actuated radial slides which support them, (2) devices for swinging them axially, and (3) devices for varying the angular speed of the rotary support. The small chamber at the leading end of the wrapper-carrier is in communication with the suction chamber until a valve is operated which puts it into communication with the blast pipe. A metal plate covered with rubber or felt may be located in the path of the wrapper-carriers immediately behind the wrapping-mechanism, so that, as the forward end of the carrier delivers its wrapper, it will run on to the plate and have its perforations closed thereby. The cutting-bed and wrapp'ng-mechanism are situated 90‹ apart, and during the remaining three quarters of a revolution suction is cut off from the wrapper-carrier by an automatic valve. In the second modification, a rotary support is also employed, but the wrappers are cut upon the wrapper-carriers. The perforated plate which receives the leaf is surrounded by a cutting-edge, and the carrier is adapted to rotate so that the perforated plate is uppermost when the tobacco leaf is placed upon it. The carrier passes beneath a pair of rollers which cut the leaf, and it is inverted before reaching the wrapping- mechanism. In the third modification, the wrapper-carrier is mounted on a swinging support, as in the case of the machine first described. The carrier has, however, only a simple axial movement with respect to the support, the equivalent of the radial or telescopic movement being obtained by causing the jaws of the wrapping-mechanism to traverse their supporting and actuating rods longitudinally. The presentation of the leading end of the wrapper to the wrapping-mechanism is not effected by an air blast, but a portion of the perforated bottom-plate is hinged as shown at 554, Fig. 43, so that it is depressed when the arm 555 comes in contact with a fixed stop 590. In the fourth modification, two wrapper-carriers are supported by a pair of co-axial tubular shafts operated by notched discs and cam-actuated pawls which engage therewith. The perforated plates which receive the tobacco leaf are cylindrically curved, and have a simple rotary movement so that the wrapper is stripped from them as from a roller. The requisite compound movement is effected (1) by causing the wrapping-jaws to traverse their supporting and actuating rods longitudinally, and (2) by swinging the bed-plate of the wrapping-mechanism about a vertical axis. The wrapper carriers are surrounded by cutting-edges, and while one is applying the wrapper to a bunch the other is at rest at the highest position to receive a fresh leaf. The carrier passes beneath a pair of rollers on its way to the wrapping-mechanism. The fifth modification is similar to the second one, but the wrapper-carrier has no independent angular movement to vary the direction in which the wrapper is presented, the equivalent movement being effected by swinging the bed-plate of the wrapping- mechanism. In the sixth modification, a suction cutting-bed is employed, and the wrapper-carrier is supported rigidly on a single radial arm. The wrapping-mechanism swings about a vertical axis, and the proportions of the parts are such that no telescopic or angular movement of the wrapper-carrier is necessary. In the seventh modification, several wrapper-carriers are arranged radially, but without independent telescopic or angular movement. The wrapping-mechanism swings on a vertical axis. Devices comprising tumbler-blocks and locking-latches cause the wrapper-carriers to alternately assume the necessary positions