Patent GB-250811-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in tobacco handling and stemming machines and methods
IPC: A24B5/06
Filed: 1925-08-19
Abstract: 250,811. Gooch, C. W., and Ewers, A. L. Aug. 19, 1925. Tobacco.-In a machine for stripping tobacco leaves, the leaves are fed tip-first into the machine and gripped along a transverse line at about one-quarter or one-third from the butt end, the portions to the near of this line being then stripped from the stem, which is afterwards severed at the gripping line. A pair of end. less feed-belts 3, 4, Fig. 1, arranged one above the other, are provided at intervals with sets of slats 10 and gripping members 11, so that the tips of a batch of leaves fed bv a belt 60 are caught between a pair of slatted portions of the belts 3, 4 as they approach each other over the sprockets 6, and the leaves are gripped between the members 11 and carried between stripping-rollers 20, 21, which are moved together so as to engage the leaves at the rear of the gripping- members 11, the stripped butt-end of the stem being afterwards severed by cutters 35, 36. The rollers 20, 21 are carried by levers 22, 23 geared together at 24 and actuated by a cam 28, and the cutters are similarly carried by levers 37, 38 actuated by a cam 44. The belt 60 is reciprocated to and fro, first towards the right in Fig. 1 so as to aline the buttends of the leaves against a stop-rail 63, and then to the left to feed the leaves into the machine, the speed of the belt 60 being faster than that of the belts 3, 4, so that leaves of different, lengths are gripped by the members 11 at about the same proportionate distance from the buttend. Fig. 8 shows mechanism for reciprocating the belt 60, comprising a shaft 73 driven from a shaft 70, Fig. 1, by worm gear 71, 72 and carrying loosely mounted thereon a spur wheel 80 and a sprocket wheel 82, these wheels gearing respectively with spur and sprocket wheels 81, 84 on a parallel shaft 75 coupled by a chain 78 to the belt pulley 61. The wheels 80, 82 are provided with ratchets 86, 87 respectively, engaged by pawls 95, 100 carried by arms 88, 89 keyed to the shaft 73, the pawls co-operating with stationary cams 90, 91 so arranged that, during a part of a revolution of the shaft 73, the pawl 100 acts through its ratchet 87 and sprocket gear 82, 84 to move the belt pulley 61 clockwise, after which the other pawl 95 and ratchet 86 co-operate to drive the belt in the opposite direction through the spur wheels 80, 81. Figs. 6 and 9 show mechanism for feeding leaves on to the belt 60 by means of another belt 200 moving at right angles thereto. The belt 200 passes over ratchet pulleys 205, 216 which prevent backward movement of the upper run of the belt forward movement of this upper run being obtained by reciprocation of the front pulley 215 over the belt 60 as indicated in broken and full lines in Fig. 6, the slack in a bight 230, 231 of the belt being alternately taken up and let out again, the pulley 21 being for this purpose carried by a pivoted arm 222. The.pulley 215 is mounted on a carriage 210 which is driven to and fro by a crank 240 and connecting-rod 250. The crank is driven by bevel gear 243, 244, the hub of the latter gear being loosely mounted on a shaft 245 and driven therefrom by ratchet gear, Fig. 9, and the shaft 245 being driven, for example, from the shaft 73. The ratchet gear comprises a pawl 244<e> mounted on a disc 244<d> keyed to the shaft 245, the pawl engaging notches 244<c> in the hub of the gear 244 and having a tail 244<g> co-operating with a pin 244h on the framework, the arrangement being such that the'upper run of the belt 200 is advanced to deliver one group of leaves on to the belt 60 when the latter is stationary, and the belt 200 is then stationary as the belt 60 makes one operation backwards and forwards.