Patent GB-447717-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to tobacco feeding mechanism for cigar making machines
IPC: A24C1/02
Filed: 1935-09-04
Abstract: 447,717. Cigar-making machines. INTERNATIONAL CIGAR MACHINERY CO., 5520, 2nd Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. Sept. 4, 1935, No. 24644. Convention date, June 5. [Class 130] A tobacco - feeding mechanism for cigar - making machines comprises a tobacco hopper 5 having an outlet at which an immovable feed pocket 8 is arranged to receive and to discharge predetermined quantities of tobacco. The feed pocket is provided with a movable wall or gate 9 which after the pocket has been filled is moved towards the hopper outlet to return excess tobacco into the hopper, the hopper outlet then being closed to leave a predetermined quantity of tobacco in the feed pocket. The tobacco is discharged from the feed pocket to a measuring chamber provided with a tobacco compressing device, which controls the means for varying the capacity of the feed pocket. As shown, the hopper 5 is supported by pedestals 6, 6<1> and the feed pocket is formed by parallel side plates 7 and an arcuate end plate 8, and is normally closed by the pivoted wall or gate 9. The hopper outlet is opened and closed by a sliding shutter 10 guided by rollers 11 and actuated from a cam through a rod 19, lever 18, and arms 16, 14 on a shaft 15, the lever 18 being loosely mounted on the shaft 15 and engaging a pin 22 on the arm 16 by means of an adjustable screw 21. The gate 9 is carried by a shaft 24 supported in bearings in the pedestals 6, and a gear 26 loosely mounted on the shaft 24 meshes with a gear 27 driven by a rack 29 guided by a flanged roller 30 and actuated by a cam. A ratchet segment 32 engaged by a pawl 40 is loosely mounted between the gear 26 and an arm 33 on the shaft 24, and a spring 34 connected to the gear 26 and the arm 33 holds a pin 37 on the arm 33 in engagement with a pin 38 on the gear 26. The segment 32 is connected by a link 42 to an arm 43 on a shaft 44 having a rubber-tipped arm 46 normally resting on the frame 47, and an arm 48 actuated from a plunger 52 reciprocating in a tobacco measuring and compressing chamber 60. The chamber 60 receives tobacco from the feed pocket 7, 8 through shoots 70, 71 and a funnel 72. The rod 51 of the plunger 52 extends through a block 66 and a plate 64 adjustable to vary the compression of a spring 63. The plunger 52 is reciprocated by means of a lever 55 connected at 69 to the block 66 and pivoted on an arm 57 loosely mounted on a shaft 54 ; the lever 55 is connected to a guide arm 58 pivoted at 59 on the frame 47, and is connected by a link 56 to a bell-crank 53, pivoted on the shaft 54 and oscillated by a cam. The arm 57 may be replaced by a stationary pin engaging a slot in the lever 55, the arm 58 and its pivot being arranged so that the upper end of the lever 55 will travel in a straight-line path. On the forward stroke of the plunger 52, the tobacco is compressed in the chamber 60 and a pocket 62 and the charge in the pocket is cut off by a knife K, and the pocket is then lowered and turned to deliver the charge to a rolling apron. During this operation, the upper side of the chamber 60 is closed by a gate 61, which is afterwards lirted to form the front wall of the funnel 72 for guiding the tobacco to the chamber 60. The gate 61 is secured to an arm 74 pivoted at 75 and connected by a link 76 to a bell-crank 77 held by a spring 79 in engagement with a bell-crank 82 actuated through a rod 83 by a cam. In operation, with the gate 9 and slide 10 in the position shown, downward movement of the rack 29 turns the gear 26 counterclockwise until the pin 37 engages the segment 32, moving the gate 9 upwards to return part of the tobacco in the pocket into the hopper. The shutter 10 is moved into the closed position to separate the hopper from the feed pocket, and upward movement of the rack 29 turns the gear 26 and arm 33 to move the gate 9 to the open position 9<1>, discharging the tobacco from the pocket into the measuring chamber 60, the gate 61 of which is raised. During this movement, the pawl 40 is disengaged by a lifter block 41 on the gear 26, and the gravity action of the link 42 and arms 43, 46 returns the segment 32 to its initial position. Further downward movement of the rack 29 moves the gate 9 to the position 9<11> to clear the walls of the pocket of adhering tobacco, and further upward movement of the rack returns the gate 9 to the initial position shown in full lines. The position of the ratchet segment 32 is determined at each stroke of the plunger 52 following the delivery of tobacco to the measuring chamber 60, and determines the quantity of tobacco to be delivered by the feed pocket 7, 8 on the next operation of the gate 9. The segment 32 may have a single tooth, the mechanism being so arranged that the gate 9 will either remain in its full line position, providing maximum pocket capacity, or will be moved upwards to a position providing minimum capacity, according to the amount of tobacco in the chamber 60. The arm 43 has a number of holes for the connection of the link 42, to enable the maximum capacity of the pocket to be varied. To ensure proper filling of the pocket, agitating mechanism in the hopper may be driven from a sprocket 87 intermittently driven during the down strokes of the rod 83 by a pawl 85 on an arm 84 on the shaft 78. To facilitate separation . of the tobacco in the feed pocket from that in the hopper, a resilient blade 73 on the end of the shutter 10 may be arranged to sweep out scraps or lumps of tobacco from between the edge of the shutter and the wall of the hopper outlet. The measuring chamber 60 and pocket 62 may be shaped to form tapered bunch charges.