Improvements in Machines for Softening Tobacco.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 3rd July, 1897
Improvements in Machines for Softening Tobacco.
I, BENJAMIN WILLCOX, of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of London,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the invention (which has been
communicated to me from abroad by The Philadelphia Textile Machinery
Company, a Corporation organised under the laws of the State of Pennsylvania,
one of the United States of America, and domiciled at 2720 Hancock Street, in the
City and County of Philadelphia in said State of Pennsylvania) and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to construct an efficient machine for softening
tobacco; which object is attained in the following manner, reference being had to
the accompanying drawing in which :--
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a tobacco softening machine, made in
accordance with this invention.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the feed end of the machine;
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3, Figure 1; and
Figure 4 is a section of the atomizer.
The machine constructed in accordance with this invention is especially adapted
for treating tobacco which is shipped in bulk in the compressed form, the tobacco
being removed from the package in lumps, in which a number of the leaves adhere
and these leaves must be softened and separated so as to be in proper condition
to be subjected to the manufacturing operations requisite to produce the finished
article.
The tobacco enters the said machine in the crude condition and is discharged
therefrom with the leaves softened and in proper condition to be further manipulated.
The tobacco when inserted in the machine is fragile and without being softened
would crumble to pieces in the manipulation.
Referring now to the drawing, A is a moistening chamber divided into two
sections A A² by a vertical partition a and passing entirely through the moistening
chamber is an endless perforated or reticulated belt B passing over drums B1 B2, one
drum being at the feed end of the machine and the other drum being at the
delivery end of the machine. The said belt B is supported at intervals by
rollers b.
The belt may be conveniently made of wire gauze of about one-quarter inch mesh
so as to allow the moist air to circulate through the belt and the tobacco carried
thereby.
In the section A¹ is a fan D mounted on a driven shaft E, this fan being so driven
as to circulate the air in the manner indicated by the arrows in Figures 1 and 3 that
is to say, to force or draw the air through the tobacco from the top and in the
compartment A2 is a fan D¹ mounted on a driven shaft E¹ but this fan is so driven
that the direction of the current of air is reversed, that is the air is forced, or drawn,
up through the tobacco so that the tobacco as it passes through the moistening
chamber is first acted upon by a current of air from above and then by a current of

page_text: air from below so as to thoroughly effect the moistening and softening of all the
tobacco carried by the belt.
Directly in front of the chamber A at the feed end of the machine is an atomizer C
having water nozzles c, and steam nozzles c¹ which are so set in respect to the
water nozzles that the water will be forced by the steam into the mass of tobacco
carried on the belt so that the water will penetrate the layer of tobacco and give it
its initial moistening, and at the feed end of the machine is a pan F which is
mounted directly under the carrying run of the belt so that when the tobacco is
placed upon the belt the small particles will pass through the mesh of the wire and
will be collected by the pan.
In order that the air which circulates in each of the compartments A¹ A2 of the
chamber A will be kept in a moist condition steam is sprayed into the compartments
through a pipe g; each of these pipes g being connected to the steam supply
pipe G.
The
At the rear end of the machine is a box I through which the belt passes and this
box communicates with an exhaust fan I¹, driven in any suitable manner.
purpose of this box I is to prevent the escape of steam and moisture into the room
in which the machine is placed. The steam will collect in the box and will be
removed therefrom by the exhaust fan, which also takes a certain quantity of air
from the outside through the space left for the passage of the belt and the tobacco
so that the room is kept perfectly free from moisture.
The side walls and the partitions are provided with flexible extensions a¹ so as to
prevent the inrush of air to the several compartments.
In the partition between the two compartments of the chamber is placed a valve
which can be so regulated as to allow the excess of moist air in the first chamber to
pass into the second chamber, which will prevent the exhaust of air from the first
chamber out into the room through the feed end of the chamber. The fan box at
the discharge end of the machine, will take up the excess of air in the second
chamber.
In some instances air may be used instead of steam in the atomizer, and the
steam valves may be so regulated that steam will escape only from the pipe g in the
first compartment, and water may be sprayed into the compartments to moisten
the air, this depending entirely upon the character of the tobacco acted upon.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-
The tobacco,in the condition stated above, is placed on the endless belt B at the feed
end of the machine, the small particles of tobacco passing through the helt into the
pan F. The tobacco as it passes into the chamber A receives the initial moistening
by the atomizer; then as the tobacco continues its passage through the first
compartment A¹ it is subjected to a current of moist air in one direction, which
continually circulates in the compartment, and then as it passes through the second
compartment A2 it is subjected to a current of moist air travelling in the opposite
direction, so that the whole of the tobacco is thoroughly moistened and softened.
The tobacco then passes through the steam collecting box I and out through the
end of the machine where it is collected by any suitable means. The tobacco which
passes from the machine is completely softened and in such a condition that the
leaves can be readily separated without crumbling.
It will be evident that the chamber A may have one, two or more than two
compartments as desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination in a tobacco softening machine of an endless belt, a chamber
divided into two, or more, compartments, fans in the compartments so driven that the
currents of air will pass through the tobacco both from above and from below and
steam or water pipes adapted to spray steam or water into the currents of air produced
by the fans, substantially as herein before described.

page_text: 2. The combination in a tobacco softening machine, of a perforated or reticulated
endless belt, a chamber through which the belt passes and in which the tobacco is
subjected to moisture, with an atomizer adapted to moisten the tobacco before it
enters the chamber, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The combination in a machine for softening tobacco, of an endless belt on
which the tobacco is placed, a moistening chamber through which the belt passes,
with a fan or fans in the moistening chamber and steam, or water, pipes adapted to
spray the tobacco as it enters the chamber, so that the tobacco as it travels through
the chamber will be subjected to a current of moist air, substantially as herein before
described.
4. In a machine for softening tobacco the combination of an endless perforated
or reticulated belt, a moistening chamber through which the belt passes, with a
collecting pan underneath the carrying run of the belt at the feed end of the
machine by which the small particles that pass through the belt are collected,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. In a machine for softening tobacco the combination of an endless perforated or
reticulated belt, a moistening chamber through which the belt passes, a steam pipe
for spraying steam into the chamber, a collecting box at the rear end of the machine
and through which the belt passes, with an exhaust fan in connection with the
collecting box so as to prevent steam from the chamber entering the room in which
the machine is placed, substantially as hereinbefore described.
6. The combination in a tobacco softening machine, of two compartments with
fans in each compartment, a tobacco carrying belt adapted to pass through the
compartments, and a valved passage between the two compartments, so as to allow
the excess of moist air in the first compartment to pass into the second compartment,
substantially as herein before described.
7. The combination in a tobacco softening machine, of a moistening chamber, an
endless belt, and an atomizer adapted to spray water onto the tobacco, as it enters the
chamber, substantially as herein before described.
8. In a tobacco softening machine, the combination of an endless perforated or
reticulated belt, a moistening chamber having two compartments therein, fans in
each compartment adapted to be driven in opposite directions, so as to create in
one chamber a down current, and in the other chamber an up current, through the
tobacco, a steam pipe in one or in both chambers, so that the circulating air will be
moistened, an atomizer at the feed end of the machine adapted to moisten the tobacco
as it enters the chamber, a valved passage between the two compartments, a box at
the rear of the machine, and an exhaust fan communicating with the box, the
whole being arranged and combined substantially as and for the purpose herein before
described.
9. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the machine for
softening tobacco hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.