IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COMPRESSED TOBACCO AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COMPRESSED TOBACCO AND IN
MACHINERY THEREFOR." A communication from abroad by Isaac Lindsley,
of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th December 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
COMPRESSED TOBACCO AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR." A communication from
abroad by Isaac Lindsley, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States of America.
Heretofore in the manufacture of compressed tobacco it has been customary to
fill a closed mould or die with the proper amount of tobacco required to produce
the finished product at a single compression. But this Invention is based upon
the discovery that bars of coherent compressed tobacco, either solid or hollow, may
be formed by forcing the tobacco in consecutively compressed adjoining charges
through a die made open at both the receiving and discharging ends, the impression
made by the face of the plunger upon the outer surface of each separate charge, as
it is fed to the die, tending to produce in the resulting product separable joints,
whereby the bar may be divided transversely into sections corresponding to the
original charges. Furthermore, the compressed sections so formed may be broken
up and the particles of tobacco may be re-arranged by means of a contraction in
the bore of the die, so that the resulting bar of tobacco may have the several
sections of which it is formed so thoroughly connected by the attenuation and
incavation produced by the constricting action of the die as to become incapable of
separation at the joints, as heretofore. My Invention consists in an improved
process for manufacturing such bars of compressed tobacco, also in certain special
devices or machinery for carrying out such process, and also in the resulting
improved article of manufactured tobacco, all as hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying Drawing,
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of an open hollow die and an elevation

page_text: .
of the lower end of a cylindrical plunger, and also represents a bar of compressed
tobacco formed in sections and divided longitudinally on a line passing through its
axis to show the joints between the several sections and the distinctive hollowed
grain of the tobacco in such sections.
Figure 2 is a similar view of the die and plunger, but represents the sectionally 5
constructed bar of compressed tobacco in elevation, and also illustrates a freshly
inserted charge of loose tobacco.
Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 1, representing the conical or hollowed joints
and the grain of the tobacco in the several sections as produced by means of a
plunger provided with a conical face or end.
Figure 4 is also a similar view to Figure 1, and represents the formation of a
perforated bar of compressed tobacco in jointed sections, the forming mandrel being
attached to the face of the plunger.
Figures 5 and 6 represent in longitudinal section a die provided with a large
and a small chamber serving to constrict and incavate the original plunger impressed.
sections.
Figure 7 is a view of the lower end of the die shown in Figure 1.
Figure 8 represents a view of the lower end of the die and mandrel shown in
Figure 4.
Figure 9 represents a longitudinal section of a die, a plunger, and a stationary
mandrel, arranged for making the improved perforated bars of compressed tobacco,
hereinafter referred to.
Figure 10 represents a longitudinal section of a die, and shews in elevation a
stationary mandrel provided at its lower end with rib-forming grooves.
Figure 11 is a transverse section of the die and grooved mandrel on the line x, x,
Figure 10.
Figure 12 represents a transverse section of a perforated bar of compressed
tobacco as formed by means of the die and mandrel shewn in Figures 10 and 11.
Figure 13 is a longitudinal section of the die and plunger with the mandrel in
elevation, and illustrates the method or process of forming an improved perforated
bar of compressed tobacco provided with three longitudinal ribs extending interiorly
from the outer portion to the axis of the bar.
Figure 14 represents a transverse section of the die and the lower end of the
mandrel on the line x, x¹, Figure 13.
Figure 15 is a transverse section of the perforated tobacco bar as formed by
means of the die and mandrel shewn in Figures 13 and 14.
Figure 16 represents a transverse section of the lower end of a mandrel
provided with rib forming grooves which do not extend to the axis of the same.
Figure 17 is a perspective view of a tobacco bar for smoking purposes provided
with four longitudinal perforations.
Figure 18 represents a sectional view of the perforated tobacco bar placed within
a holder for smoking.
Referring to Figure 1, A represents the lower end of a plunger arranged to
reciprocate in the upper end of the die B, which is provided with a bore of uniform
or nearly uniform diameter, and made of sufficient length to contain several of the
consecutively compressed sections c¹, c², c³, of the tobacco bar C; these sections are
connected to each other by the separable joints d, d, produced by the direct action
of the face of the plunger A upon the outer surface of each charge of loose tobacco.
A smooth hardened face is thus formed, against which the succeeding charge of
tobacco will be compressed, so that the surface fibres or granules of the adjoining
sections will not become strongly interlocked, but will adhere sufficiently to admit
of light handling without danger of separation.
In Figure 2 c represents a freshly inserted charge of loose granulated tobacco,
which may be fed to the die upon the proper elevation-of the plunger A.
The friction of the several enclosed sections c², c², c³, against the sides of the die
will be such that the loose charge c will be first compressed, as shewn in Figure 1,
before the bar C commences to move downward through the die, and the continued

page_text: movement of the plunger toward its lower position, which position is indicated by
the line m, will force the bar C through the die B a distance equal to the thickness
of the compressed charge c, the friction of the tobacco against the sides of the die
causing the adjoining section c¹ to become slightly hollowed toward the face of the
plunger, as indicated by the curving of the lines d, d, which serve to represent the
joints between the sections; this effect is liable to be increased by the adherence
and gradual accumulation of tobacco upon the flat face of the plunger, thus
impressing a hollowed form or incavation directly upon the charges of tobacco,
which incavation will become thereafter slightly increased by the frictional action
of the sides of the die.
It is a well known fact that when a mass of loose tobacco or similar material is
placed under heavy pressure in a die the resulting compact cake or bar will have
its component particles arranged in a certain grain of comparatively easy division
running in a line or plane at about right angles to the direction of the applied
pressure. Thus, the grain of the compressed charge of tobacco c, in Figure 1, will
run about parallel with the face of the plunger A, as indicated by the shade lines
running transversely of the bar, but as the plunger continues downward to its
lower position (indicated by the line m) the grain of the previous charge of tobacco
or the section c¹ will become hollowed by the frictional resistance of the sides of
the die to correspond with the incavation of the joints d, d, between the sections.
In first filling the die with tobacco to commence the above operation the lower
end may be temporarily closed and a suitable quantity of tobacco placed within
the die and pressed sufficiently to ensure its being held in position, when upon
starting the press which holds the die and plunger the tobacco will be brought to
the required degree of condensation by the action of the plunger upon the
subsequently fed charges.
When a plunger having a conical or protuberant face, as shewn in Figure 3, is
employed, the sections c¹, c, c³, will be primarily compressed by the plunger into
a mutually interlocking form, whereby the sectionally constructed tobacco bar may
be made to resist a greater transverse strain than where a plain plunger is
employed, as shewn in Figure 1, and the face of the plunger when made in the
above named conical or protuberant form tends to remain free from adhering
tobacco, which at ordinary temperatures is inclined to form a gradually accumu-
lating mass upon a flat surface at the face of a plunger.
By attaching a mandrel a to the end of the plunger A, as shewn in Figure 4, so
as to move therewith, sectionally formed perforated bars of compressed tobacco may
be made from consecutively fed charges. The face of the plunger at the end of the
mandrel is made conical in order to produce an axially oblique or conically hollowed
grain, as indicated by the shading lines, which run about parallel with the face of
the plunger. In the arrangement shewn in the foregoing illustrations (Figures 1
and 4) the desired degree of compression in the tobacco may be secured by increasing
or diminishing the length of the die B.
When a die B having both a large and a small chamber, as shewn in Figures 5
and 6, is employed, a more thorough union of the several sections c1, c2, c³, may be
secured by reason of the consequent breaking up and re-arrangement of the original
plunger impressed joints, and this re-arrangement may be carried to such an extent
as to destroy the original separability of the sections.
The effect produced by means of a plunger having a flat face and made to
reciprocate in the large chamber of the die is shewn in Figure 5, the resulting
hollowed form of the sections and the joints being indicated by the lines d', ', and
the grain of the tobacco in the sections by the axially oblique shading lines between
the lines d', d¹; and the similar effect produced by means of a plunger having a
conical or protuberant face operating in the larger chamber of the die is illustrated
in Figure 6, which shews the increased incavation of the sections and the corre-
sponding oblique or conically hollowed arrangement of the grain.
The joints d', d, formed by means of the conical plunger, shewn in Figure 6, are
stronger than those formed by the plunger with a flat face, shewn in Figure 5, for

page_text: 'the reason that in the latter case the tobacco in a forward charge being constricted
in advance of the adjoining charge in the rear tends to move or slip away from the
rear charge at the outer portion of the contact surface of the joint in its contraction
from the large to the smaller chamber, thus producing imperfect junction between
the two charges at the outer portion of the joint near the surface of the tobacco bar,
whereas in the apparatus shewn in Figure 6 this tendency is overcome by the proper
conical form of the charges, which does not admit of the above-mentioned movement
when under the constricting action of the die.
In Figure 9 a stationary cylindrical mandrel D extends into the die B and
through the hollow plunger A, which is bored out at its upper end to receive the
enlarged head D' of the said mandrel. The plunger A is provided on one side with
a slot e, and the head D¹ of the mandrel is provided on one side with a notch f.
The stud E, which is to be securely attached to a convenient portion of the frame
of the operating press, extends through the said slot e in the plunger, and enters
the notch in the side of the head D₁, thus holding the mandrel stationary, while
the plunger is free to move up and down with the sliding head of the press (not
represented in the Drawing), being secured thereto by means of the shank a'. The
bore of the plunger A at its lower end is made to loosely fit the cylindrical
mandrel D, and the face of the plunger is made conical to within a slight distance
from its extreme edge, and truncated at its point. In Figures 9, 10, and 13 the
plunger is represented at its extreme elevation above the die, its lowest position
being represented by the dotted lines within the chamber of the die in Figures 9
and 10.
The die B, for the sake of convenience of manufacture and renewal, may be made
in two parts, the outer portion b being cylindrical with a short contracted bore at
its lower end, forming an interior shoulder g; the inner portion b¹ of the die is
made to loosely fit the bore of the outer portion b, and rests for support upon the
shoulder g, the upper end of the portion b¹ being conically hollowed, thus forming
the throath of the die.
The bore of the inner portion b' may be made to slightly expand at its lower
end in order to give clearance to the tobacco, and the lower end of the mandrel may
be very slightly tapered for the same purpose.
The die B is to be fitted to a proper die holder F, and with the plunger A so
adjusted in a very powerful press, such as is commonly employed for punching
metals, that the lower end of the stationary mandrel D may extend for some
distance below the throat h.
The mandrel D, shewn in Figure 9, is adapted to the manufacture of plain,
cylindrical, hollow bars of tobacco, but in Figures 10 and 11 the mandrel is
represented as divided at its lower end into four prongs, 7, separated from each
other by cross slits or grooves 8, 8, which at their upper ends gradually diminish in
depth from the axis to the point at the cylindrical surface of the mandrel,
which point should be slightly below the extreme lower position of the reciprocating
movement of the plunger, shewn by the dotted line.
The plunger and mandrel represented in Figures 10 and 11 are adapted to the
manufacture of a hollow bar of compressed tobacco, provided interiorly with four
longitudinal ribs, extending from the internal wall of the outer portion of the bar
to the axis, thus forming four distinct apertures, as shewn in Figures 12 and 17.
The devices for the manufacture of a hollow bar of compressed tobacco provided
with three interior ribs, forming three distinct apertures, as shewn in Figure 15,
are illustrated in Figure 13, in which the plunger A is represented at its extreme
highest position, allowing the tobacco H in a granulated condition, and very slightly
moistened, to be fed by suitable mechanism (not represented in the Drawing),
under the plunger and into the receiving chamber G of the die. The downward
movement of the plunger will then compress the tobacco in the chamber and
force the previously compacted tobacco through the throat h of the die and into
the grooves 8, 8, 8, of the mandrel, and at its lower position the loose tobacco will
have become compressed against the outer surface of the previous charge so as to

page_text: occupy the space between the lines m and d, and will have, as the result of com-
pression, an oblique axial grain, corresponding to the conical or protuberant face of
the plunger, as indicated by the oblique lines on both sides of the mandrel between
the lines m and d, and at the succeeding stroke of the plunger, fresh charges of
loose tobacco being constantly inserted into the chamber G, the tobacco included
between the lines m and d will be forced downward to the throat h of the die, and
the impressed grain. of the section will then at the succeeding stroke of the plunger
be broken up and re-arranged by the constricting action of the die, somewhat as
represented by the lines drawn obliquely from the adjacent surfaces of the mandrel
and die below the throat h, thus producing a bar of tobacco C₁, provided with
three interior ribs n, m, n, and three perforations p, p, p, and having a transverse
grain, V'shaped in its axial section or hollowed in a uniform longitudinal direction.
The special construction of the mandrel shewn in Figure 13 is illustrated in
Figure 14, but the grooves 8 of the mandrel may be made as shewn in Figure 16,
so as not to be connected laterally with each other, thus serving to form a perforated
tobacco bar in which the several interior ribs are not connected at the axis.
The die, plunger, and mandrel should be made of steel and properly hardened or
tempered, in order to successfully resist the great pressure required for the purpose
of forming the bars.
The operation of forming the above described improved tobacco bars is to be
continuous, the tobacco being fed under the plunger by suitably arranged means,
while the proper merchantable lengths are at the same time cut off from the
finished bar C below the die.
When the tobacco is fed to the die in a dry condition, or but slightly moistened,
a hardened surface and a desirable polish will be imparted to the finished product
by the resulting frictional contact with the sides of the die, and this improved
surface adds greatly to the value of the manufacture. Heating the die.causes the
tobacco to pass with greater ease through the throat h, and an excess of moisture
produces a rough and broken surface, owing to the adhesion of moist tobacco to
the surface of the die.
The receiving chamber of the die may be made of sufficient size to contain the
tobacco required to form several merchantable bars, and in this case single bars of
merchantable length may be made without the joints above described, but still
having the distinctive hollowed grain, which may be shewn by transverse fracture
and cleavage at all portions of the bar.
The tobacco.fed to the chamber of the die may be in a granulated or other
suitable condition, according to the special quality of the desired product or the
comparative size of the receiving chamber, and the tobacco so fed to the die does
not require the addition of any foreign material whatever; but I do not in carrying
out my Invention confine myself to pure leaf tobacco. The moisture developed in
smoking the perforated tobacco bars tends to gradually close the perforations at
their rear ends, and therefore the proper sectional area of the perforations and the
surrounding tobacco should be preserved in connection with a certain maximum
length of the bar, in order to prevent injurious closure and stoppage of the
draught.
Perforated bars of compressed tobacco formed with three apertures, as shown in
Figures 13 and 15, have been found to smoke properly when made about four
inches in length, with an outside diameter of about nine thirty seconds of an incb,
the shell being made three sixty-fourths of an inch in thickness, and the ribs one-
thirty-second of an inch, the shell being thus made slightly thicker than the ribs,
which practice has shewn to be the most favorable condition for perfect manu-
facture, diminishing the tendency to curvature after leaving the die, and avoiding
imperfections upon the outer surface of the tobacco bar.
When the bars of compressed tobacco are made for chewing purposes, it is
desirable to feed the die with pieces of tobacco of considerable size, in order that a
chew of tobacco taken from the bar may have the proper consistency after becoming

page_text: swelled in the mouth; but for smoking purposes, very finely divided tobacco may
be employed to advantage.
The hollowed grain increases the strength of the tobacco bars, promotes com-
bustion, and causes the ashes to retain their form and cling to the unconsumed
tobacco. The improved bars of tobacco may be divided into any suitable lengths,
and for smoking purposes may be used with a holder or mouth piece, as shewn in
Figure 18, or otherwise; the end intended for the mouth of the smoker may be
either baked by heat, or coated with a waterproof composition to prevent the
swelling of the tobacco by saliva.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,―
First. The herein described process of manufacture, consisting in compressing
one charge of tobacco upon a previously compressed charge in an open-ended die,
by means of a plunger, and forcing the same through the said die, substantially as
above set forth.
Second. The herein described process of manufacture, consisting in compressing
one charge of tobacco upon a previously compressed charge in the larger chamber of
a die by means of a plunger, and forcing the said charges of tobacco as they advance
into and through a smaller chamber, whereby the said charges are more effectually
joined to each other, substantially as above described.
Third. In a machine for manufacturing bars of compressed tobacco, by forcing
the tobacco through a hollow die by means of a plunger, the combination of the
die, having a large and a small chamber, with a plunger fitted to work in the large
chamber, and provided with a conical or protuberant face, whereby the successively
compressed sections of the bar are more thoroughly joined to each other in passing
from the large to the small chamber, substantially as above described.
Fourth. In a machine for manufacturing bars of compressed tobacco by forcing
the tobacco through a hollow die by means of a plunger, the combination of the
die and plunger with the grooved mandrel, whereby the bar of tobacco is formed
with interior ribs, as above set forth.
Fifth. A bar of compressed tobacco, having a transverse grain made V shaped or
hollowed in its axial section, and continued uniformly in one direction throughout
the bar, substantially as above described.
Sixth. A bar of compressed tobacco, having a uniform transverse grain V shaped
or hollowed in its axial section, and a friction hardened or polished longitudinal
surface, substantially as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty second day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
11785
יטז ב ב
TATZ In
W ROBLAKE
ROBT LAKE.
(L.S.)