Improvements in or connected with Tobacco Distributing Devices for Cigarette-making Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 11th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 11th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Tobacco Distributing Devices for
Cigarette-making Machines.
We, ANTOINE GROUVELLE and EMILE BELOT, both of 18, Rue Mogador, Paris,
in the Republic of France, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In every cigarette machine the tobacco is placed by hand on an endless band
conveying it into the machine. The difficulty of the distribution consists in the
equalization of the layer of tobacco to be placed on the band, more particularly
when the layer of tobacco is of little thickness and the tobacco contains agglome-
rated pieces.
The new mechanical arrangement which forms the object of our invention and
which is shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed drawing is applicable to
the distribution of tobacco in any existing cigarette machine and produces "this
distribution by means of a simultaneous drawing and combing of the tobacco
fibres.
Figure 1 is a plan view, and
Figure 2 a sectional view on the line A B of Figure 1 of an apparatus arranged
especially for cigarette machines in which the cigarette is made in a non-con-
tinuous manner by filling or rolling, the dimensions of the various parts of the.
apparatus having to be changed for any other kind of cigarette machine.
a is the endless distributing band on which the tobacco is placed by hand in
a thick layer and without disintegrating the agglomerated parts.
band are rollers for drawing and returning the band a; b is keyed on a
shaft 1 which communicates its movement by equal gearings C C to a shaft 2
on which a roller d is keyed.
A shaft 3 which is fixed,
Two grooved pulleys D E are keyed on the shaft 1.
A shaft 4
receives two grooved pulleys F G firmly connected one with another.
rectives its movement from the cigarette machine by a driving pulley H and
transmits it by a pulley h and suitable belts or chains to the shafts 3, 1 and 2.
On the other hand the pulley E transmits the movement to a pulley I keyed
on a shaft 5 on which a roller J carrying an endless band K is fixed.

page_text: The second band K is similarly to the former one (a), enframed by metal
cheeks L L' serving as support for all the shafts of the machine. The propor-
tions of the various pulleys are such that the second belt K has a linear advance
in the direction of the arrows of 2:3, or n times greater than the distributing
belt a.
The driving shaft 4 is formed with a crank M. The piece N operated by
this crank carries a plate P and a spindle O the latter being pivoted at its ends
to levers P1 P2 pivotting on lower fixed points Q.
The plate P carries a comb R formed of teeth the end of which (comb) describes
an oval curve S, shown in dotted lines, by the action of the mechanism just
described.
The belt K revolves a roller fixed on a shaft 6 which by means of gearing m m¹
operates a small roller 7.
A flat piece T prolonged by a flat spring U is fixed under the piece N.
The working of the apparatus is as follows:-
The tobacco charged in a thick layer on to the distributing band a is drawn
between it and the roller d. On emerging from the roller d it is engaged by
the teeth of the comb travelling through the lower part of the curve S. The
proportions of the various parts of the apparatus are such that when the belt a
advances one centimetre the comb effects at least three times the drawing and
combing of the tobacco fibres.
The band K receives the drawn and disintegrated tobacco which is immediately
engaged by the roller 7 which draws it at once under the pieces U and T acting
as beaters on the thin layer of tobacco received by the belt K.
The roller 7 has also the function of disengaging the teeth of the comb from
the tobacco which tends to rise up with it..
The final result is to obtain on the band K a thin layer of tobacco well unravelled
and very equal as regards thickness.
The suitable proportions of speed between the various shafts of the machine
may be attained by means of gearing instead of belts or chains.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A system of distributing tobacco by simultaneous drawing and combing,
characterised by the combination with a comb (R) for drawing and unravelling
the fibres of the tobacco, of a characteristic operating device (M P P¹) adapted
to cause said comb to describe an oval curve (such as S) and to consequently
work with rapidly succeeding intermissions; substantially as hereinbefore
described in the present specification and shown as an example in the accompany-
ing drawing.
2. The application in any cigarette machine for effecting the distribution of
the tobacco, of two endless bands (such as (a) and K) advancing at different
linear speeds; substantially as herein before described in the present specification
and represented as an example in the accompanying drawing.
3. In a tobacco distributing device the combination with a comb such as R
of pieces such as U and T forming a beater substantially as described.
Dated this 10th day of November 1898.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.