IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR CUTTING AND FORMING CORKS FOR MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS AND CIGARETTES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN SAID MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS AND CIGARETTES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Gardner, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman,
and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR CUTTING AND
FORMING CORKS FOR MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS AND CIGARETTES, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN SAID MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS AND CIGARETTES."
A communication from Ira Sanborn Elkins and Cyrus Gregory Clark, of
New York City, and Ethel Curtiss Hine, of Brooklyn, in the United States
of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Gardner at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th October 1881.
"
HENRY GARDNER, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of
IMPROVEMENTS IN
166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents.
MACHINES FOR CUTTING AND FORMING CORKS FOR MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS
AND CIGARETTES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN SAID MOUTHPIECES FOR
CIGARS AND CIGARETTES." (A communication from Ira Sanborn Elkins and
Cyrus Gregory Clark, of New York City, and Ethel Curtiss Hine, of Brooklyn, in
the United States of America.)
This Invention relates in part to a machine for cutting tubular cylinders of
cork, and in part to a mouthpiece for a cigar or cigarette made from a solid cork
tube.
The machine is constructed to cut the tubular cork cylinder from a sheet or
piece of cork, to free said cylinder from the sheet, and then to expel the
cylinder and the core from the cutters, all acting automatically and with great
rapidity.
A hollow mandrel or arbor is mounted in bearings and arranged to be rapidly
revolved and at the same time to receive a limited reciprocating movement. To
one end of this arbor a tubular exterior cutter is fixed for cutting out the cork

page_text: cylinder, and to an inner tubular arbor fixed to the other one is secured a tubular
interior cutter for cutting out the core. This is preferably arranged concentric
with the exterior cutter. The rotating arbor bearing the cutters is reciprocated
longitudinally by means of a crank and connecting rod, whereby rotary is
converted into reciprocating motion. The piece of cork from which the cylinders
are being cut is fed along by means of a roughened feed-wheel, upon which it
rests, and said feed-wheel is rotated intermittently by means of a paul and ratchet
or clutch device, which is actuated by a rod which reciprocates with the cutter-
bearing arbor and is actuated thereby.
On the shaft that bears the crank which reciprocates the cutter-bearing arbor
are fixed cams which actuate plungers arranged to expel from the cutters the cork
cylinder and its core. The plunger which removes the core of the cylinder plays
through the axis of the cutter-bearing arbor and through the inner or core-cutter,
and its projecting extremity at the rear of the machine is attached to a sliding rod,
which bears an arm against which one of the plunger-cams impinges as the cam
shaft rotates, thus driving the plunger forward and freeing the cutter of the core
as the cutter draws back out of the piece of cork. The plunger is or may be
retracted by a spring, and the cam which actuates it is so set that the core may
be expelled into the cavity left in the piece of cork by the removal of the
cylinder.
The plunger which expels the tubular cylinder is also tubular, and plays in the
annular space between the exterior and interior cutters. It is connected through
a slot in the cutter-bearing arbor with a sleeve which slides on said arbor, and
said sleeve is provided with a circumferential groove in which rests a fork or arm
connected fixedly to a longitudinal sliding-rod. When this rod is moved end wise
the sleeve and the plunger are moved with it while the latter being left free to rotate
with the cutter-bearing arbor. This sliding rod is actuated by means of a cam
on the shaft in the same manner as that last described, but in this case it is
preferred to arrange the cam to drive forward the plunger and expel the cylinder
of cork after it has been removed entirely from its cavity or mould.
The cutters, as before stated, are tubular and may be made from thin steel tubes
brought to a sharp edge at their one ends and arranged to be screwed into their
respective arbors at their other ends. Suitable means for regulating the position
of the cutter-bearing arbor, so as to shift it forward to the cutting point as the
cutters wear away, is provided by making the arbor adjustable in the sleeve, where
it is coupled to the crank which reciprocates it.
The corks cut by this machine may be applied to any purpose, but particularly
to form mouthpieces for cigarettes. The mouthpiece is cut from the solid cork,
having a diameter equal to that of the cigarette, a smoke passage formed in it by
cutting out a slender core, and a length sufficient to enable the smoker to grasp it
between his lips or teeth without necessarily wetting the paper wrapper of the
cigarette in which the end of the mouthpiece is inserted and fixed with paste or
gum. This mouthpiece prevents the saliva from wetting and disintegrating the
paper, whereby the tobacco of the cigarette at that end would be wasted. Thus
an economy is effected, as the tobacco saved will more than make up for the cost of
the mouthpiece, which is trifling.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Gardner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th April
1882.
HENRY GARDNER, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of
166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINES FOR CUTTING AND FORMING CORKS FOR MOUTHPIECES OF CIGARS
AND CIGARETTES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN SAID MOUTHPIECES FOR
CIGARS AND CIGARETTES." A communication from Ira Sanborn Elkins and
Cyrus Gregory Clark, of New York, and Ethel Curtiss Hine, of Brooklyn, in
the United States of America.
This Invention relates in part to a machine for cutting a cylinder from a piece
of cork, and in part to the application of the cylinders so cut out to form mouth-
pieces for cigars and cigarettes; the cylinders of cork cut out by the machine may
however be employed for other purposes. The machine will first be described with
reference to Figures 1 to 8 inclusive of the Drawings.
The machine operates automatically, rotating, advancing, and retracting the
tubular cutters, and expelling therefrom the tubular cylinder and the core which
has been cut therefrom. The piece or sheet of cork from which the cylinders are
cut is fed along automatically and intermittently as the work progresses. Referring
to the Drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of the machine; Figure 2 is a vertical section
of the same taken in the longitudinal axis of the cutter-arbor; Figure 3 is an
enlarged longitudinal section of the cutters and their tubes; Figures 4 and 5 are
cross sections taken respectively on lines 4-4 and 5-5 in Figure 3; Figure 6 is
an enlarged detached view of the crank mechanism for reciprocating the cutters;
Figure 7 is an enlarged detached view of the cain mechanism for expelling the
cork cylinder and its core; Figure 8 is an enlarged detached view of the feeding
mechanism.
A is a suitable bed-plate, upon which is mounted a portion of the operative
mechanism, and B is a provision or support thereon, in which the cutter bearing
arbor is rotatively mounted. C is a tubular arbor which has bearings at a, a, in
which it rotates, and D is a tube secured rigidly to the inside of the arbor C. E is
the exterior or larger tubular cutter, which is screwed or otherwise securely attached
to tube D, and F is the interior or lesser tubular cutter, which is screwed or
otherwise secured to the end of an inner tube D¹ arranged within the tube D; the
smaller cutter is arranged in the axis of the larger. Mounted on the arbor C is a
pulley b, through which the arbor is free to slide for a limited distance, but the
arbor is caused to rotate with the pulley by means of a screw or pin c, which passes
through the pulley rim and engages a groove or slot in the arbor. The rear end of
the arbor C is screw threaded and bears two nuts d, d, which clamp between them
a sleeve which fits on the arbor C. This sleeve e forms a journal for a bearing-
sleeve f, within which the sleeve e and the arbor rotate. The arbor C may be
rotated by means of a belt on the pulley b, and may be simultaneously reciprocated
longitudinally through the non rotative bearing sleeve f.
The reciprocating mechanism for the arbor C will now be described. A shaft G
is mounted rotatively in a suitable bearing on the bed plate A, and on its end next
the arbor C is fixed a crank g, best seen in Figure 6. One end of a connecting
rod h is coupled to a wrist on the bearing sleeve f, and the other is coupled to the
two links i, j, the former of which is coupled at its other end to the crank, and the

page_text: latter at its other end to a fixed part k. This arrangement is such that when
the crank rotates in the direction of the arrow in Figure 6, the arbor C is moved
forward the length of its stroke during three-fourths of the revolution of the crank,
and back through the length of its stroke during the remaining fourth of the
revolution, whereby, as will be seen, the back or return stroke is accomplished in
one third of the time occupied in making the forward stroke. By this construction
the cutters are fed forward slowly while cutting, and retracted rapidly when their
work is done.
H is the feed wheel by which the sheet or piece of cork is advanced or fed
forward after each operation of the cutter. This wheel is roughened or serrated, as
best shown in Figure 8, and is rotatively mounted in a piece fixed on a tail piece l
fixed adjustably in a bearing post m on the bed plate A. I is the pressure roll
mounted in sliding bearings in the piece 7 directly over the feed wheel, and arranged
to rest upon the cork while being fed. J is a cutting block mounted also on the
piece, and arranged to be rotated so as to present a fresh spot for the cutters to
strike against when one spot is worn away. The feed wheel is rotated by the
following described mechanism :-One face of the feed wheel has a circular recess,
and in the face of this recess are formed internal ratchet-teeth n, which are engaged
by a spring pawl or dog o mounted on the end of an operating lever mounted or
fulcrumed on the stud on which the feed wheel rotates. Under the free end of
this lever is arranged a spring q, which is adapted to press the free end of the lever
up normally and to depress the end bearing the pawl o. K is a sliding rod
mounted in bearings on the bed plate parallel with the arbor C and coupled to the
bearing sleeve f; consequently the rod is caused to reciprocate in unison with the
arbor C, and move longitudinally through the same distance. On the rod K is
fixed at the proper point a cam or wiper r, which depresses the lever p as the rod
is drawn back with the cutters, and thus moves the feed wheel forward through
the medium of the pawl and ratchet. The wiper is so set on the rod that it does
not act on the lever p until the cutter has been withdrawn from the cork, and when
the cutter has advanced to or into the cork the wiper passes beyond and off the
lever, and permits the spring q to lift it up, thus retracting the pawl o and per-
mitting it to take into the ratchet at a different point. To prevent any rebound
or backward movement of the feed wheel, a set screw & or some other breaking
device may be employed to check its too free movement.
The arbor C may be rotated from the same motor shaft as the shaft G, but this
is not necessary.
So far as described the operation is as follows:-The arbor is set into rotary
motion and a piece of cork L placed between the feed wheel and pressure roll.
The shaft G is then set in motion, and this causes the rotating arbor bearing the
cutters E, F, to advance and first force said cutters through the piece L, and then
retract them. As soon as they are free from the piece L the latter is fed forward
by the mechanism described. The cork cylinder must now be expelled from the
annular space between the cutters, and the core be expelled from the interior
cutter. The mechanism employed for this purpose will now be described.
Extending through the axis of the arbor C is a plunger t, the forward end of
which plays through the core cutter F. To the rear end of this plunger is rigidly
coupled a rod M, mounted to play longitudinally in bearings on the bed plate A.
On this rod is fixed a rigid upright u (see Figure 7), which has a long bearing
slot u', through which the shaft G passes. This upright u bears a friction-roller or
a shoulder v, against which impinges a cam w, fixed on the shaft G. This cam is
so set, by preference, that when the cutters begin to draw back out of the cork,
said cam will begin to press forward the plunger t, through the medium of the
mechanism just described, and expel the core cut out by the interior cutter into the
cavity in the piece L. When the core has been expelled the cam w will have
passed beyond the shoulder v, and the plunger will be quickly retracted by a
spring on the rod M. The plunger y, which expels the tubular cylinder of cork

page_text: from between the cutters E and F, is a tube arranged to slide in an annular space
between the tubes D and D', its forward end fitting snugly into the space between
the cutters. This plunger is connected through slots (see Figure 3) in the tube D
with a sleeve N, which slides on the tube D. This sleeve has a circumferential
groove in its periphery, which is engaged by a forked arm z (see Figure 1) secured
rigidly to a rod O mounted and arranged to slide longitudinally in bearings on the
bed-plate. The rod O is actuated by a cam w¹, on the shaft G, arranged and
provided with operative mechanism precisely like that just described in connection
with cam w and rod M, and shown in Figure 7. The rod O is retracted by a
suitable spring x¹. This cam w' is arranged to expel the tubular cork cylinder
after the cutter has been entirely withdrawn from the piece L, by preference.
In order to lubricate the inner side or face of the cutter E, and the outer side of
the cutter F, a bit of felt a' is saturated in oil and placed inside the plunger y (as
shown in Figure 3) and small slits or apertures are made in the plunger over said
felt to permit the oil to escape through to the inside face of the cutter E. R is a
driving pulley mounted loosely on the shaft G, and provided with a clutch to
engage a corresponding clutch on the shaft. This latter clutch is actuated through
the rod S in a manner well understood, whereby the shaft may be thrown out of
gear with the pulley, and its rotation stopped at will.
In Figures 9 and 10 are shown the tubular cork cylinder cut by this machine as
applied to form a mouthpiece for a cigarette. The former is a cross section or
sectional elevation, and the latter is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same.
P is the mouthpiece fitted into the end of the ordinary paper wrapper Q, and Q¹ is
the tobacco forming the filling of the cigarette. The central bore b¹ forms the
smoke passage. The mouthpiece P is secured in the wrapper by means of paste or
other adhesive substance, and it forms a mouthpiece that is light, cheap, non-
absorbent, elastic, yielding, and strong. The size of the smoke passage may be
regulated by a light pressure on it with the teeth. The mouthpiece may be
attached by means of a reinforce or strip of paper pasted both to the wrapper
and cork.
The Invention is not limited to the precise construction and arrangement of
parts herein shown, as they may be varied somewhat without departing from the
principles involved; as, for example, the cutting-block need not be rotative, and
other devices for feeding the cork may be substituted for that shown.
Having thus described and fully ascertained the nature of the said Invention, I
declare that I claim,―
First. The employment in a machine for cutting out cork cylinders of a tubular
cutter arranged to rotate, advance, and withdraw automatically, substantially as
set forth.
Second. The employment in a machine for cutting out tubular cylinders of
cork of an external cutter, and an internal or core cutter arranged to rotate and
reciprocate automatically, substantially as set forth.
Third. The employment in a machine for cutting out tubular cylinders of cork
of the tubular cutters provided with plungers for expelling the cork, and all arranged
to operate substantially as herein set forth.
Fourth. A machine for cutting out tubular corks, provided with an automatic
feed mechanism for the piece of cork while it is being cut, substantially as shown.
Fifth. The employment in a machine for cutting out cork-cylinders of a
mechanism constructed to reciprocate the cutters slowly in their forward movement
and rapidly in their backward movement, substantially as shown in Figure 6 and
as described.
Sixth. The employment in connection with a tubular cutter for a cork-cutting
machine of the means for lubricating the cutters, substantially as illustrated in
Figure 3 and as described.
Seventh. A mouthpiece for a cigar or cigarette, consisting of a tubular cylinder
cut from the solid cork, substantially as illustrated in Figures 9 and 10 and as set

page_text: Eighth. A cigarette having a mouthpiece composed of a tubular cylinder cut
from solid cork and attached to the wrapper of the cigarette, substantially as
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Gardner, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord 1882.