Improvements relating to Machinery for Preparing Tobacco and Forming it into a Continuous Filler for the Manufacture of Cigarettes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1894'
Complete. Specification. Left, 16th May, 1895-Accepted, 22nd June, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Machinery for Preparing Tobacco and
Forming it into a Continuous Filler for the Manufacture of
Cigarettes.
We, ROBERT ALEXANDER SLOAN and JOHN EDWARD LLOYD BARNES,
both of 26. Castle, Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Consulting
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our present invention relates to machinery for preparing tobacco and forming
it into a continuous filler for the manufacture. of. cigarettes. In such machinery,
the tobacco is usually delivered by some form of dressing and distributing
mechanism on to a collecting belt, on which it forms a stream of loose open
texture; the said stream has then to be gathered together and consolidated or
compressed to suitable dimensions to make it ready for enclosure within the paper
wrapper so as to form the cigarettes.
Our present invention is intended to perform this function of gathering together
and compressing the loose open stream of tobacco preparatory to the wrapping
process, and it may be applied generally to the class of machinery described, but it
is especially applicable to the machinery of this class set forth in the Specification
of our prior application for Letters Patent dated 1st September, 1893, and
numbered 16448, and may be used to supersede the parts therein set forth for
performing the same function.
The main feature of our present invention can be best conceived by imagining a
solid sphere partially enveloped by a close fitting portion of a hollow sphere, the
latter being somewhat less than a hemisphere, and each being rigidly.mounted on
it's own overhung shaft; the axis of each shaft passes through the common centre
of the two spheres but the said axes are slightly out of line. The edge of the
hollow sphere is provided with a shallow flange or rim the plane of which is
perpendicular to its axis of rotation and a similar flange or rim is fitted symmetrically
on the solid sphere. Under these circumstances it is clear that if both shafts be
rotated, the spheres will remain accurately in contact.and the flanges.together.with
the part of the solid 'sphere between them will form. a. grooved wheel then sides of
which converge continuously for one half of the circumference and diverge.for the
remaining half of the circumference. In practice only, a comparatively, short
section of each sphere is used, as the width of the groove is a comparatively small
fraction of the diameter. The shafts may be driven independently by, positive
gearing at the same rate, or one only. may be so driven, and the other driven
thereffom by any convenient means. The stream of tobacco. is delivered, into the
groove at its widest part and is delivered therefrom at or beyond the narrowest
part of the groove by means of a fixed deflector or a tape running in the bottom of
the groove, or by any other suitable. means. The tobacco may be confined within
the groove during compression by a fixed fence fitting over. it, but as the tobacco
might drag under these circumstances, we prefer to carry the collecting belt itself
round the outside of the tobacco during compression, as a double advantage is
gained thereby in the first place, the stream of tobacco does not require.to be
transferred from the collecting belt till after the compression is effected, and in
the second place, the tobacco is gripped and propelied on all sides during
compression.
j

page_text: We generally prefer to invert the collecting belt and. the stream of tobacco.
thereon before the compression process, so that the tobacco may enter at about the
top of the groove and leave at the bottom thereof. This inversion may be effected
in a manner exactly analogous to that used in connection with the main feed belt
and main stream of tobacco, as set forth in our prior Specification aforesaid—that
is to say by leading the collecting belt over a fixed pulley and using in conjunction
with it a covering belt running over two fixed and one straining pulley, side cheeks
being fitted to prevent any accidental lateral escape of tobacco. A suitable device
is provided to maintain a firm tension in the collecting belt, and as it embraces
rather more than a semi-circle of the compressing wheels, the latter serve to drive
the said belt.
Dated this 15th day of August 1894.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26, Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicants.
VUV גשםגע
Improvements relating to Machinery for Preparing Tobacco and
Forming it into a Continuous Filler for the Manufacture of
Cigarettes.
We, ROBERT ALEXANDER SLOAN and JOHN EDWARD LLOYD BARNES,
both of 26 Castle Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Consulting
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described, and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
Our
present invention relates to machinery for preparing tobacco aud forming it
into a continuous filler for the manufacture of cigarettes. In such machinery, the
tobacco is usually delivered by some form of dressing and distributing mechanism
on to a collecting belt, on which it forms a stream of loose open texture; the said
stream has then to be gathered together and consolidated or compressed to suitable
dimensions to make it ready for enclosure within the paper wrapper so as to form
the cigarettes.
Our present invention is intended to perform this function of gathering together
and compressing the loose open stream of tobacco preparatory to the wrapping
process and it may be applied generally to the class of machinery described, but it
is especially applicable to the machinery of this class set forth in the Specification
of our prior application for Letters Patent dated 1st of September, 1893, and
numbered 16448, and may be used to supersede the parts therein set forth for
performing the same function.
The main feature of our present invention can be best conceived by imagining
a solid sphere partially enveloped by a close fitting portion of a hollow sphere, the
latter being somewhat less than a hemisphere, and each being rigidly mounted on
its own overhung shaft; the axis of each shaft passes through the common centre
of the two spheres but the said axes are slightly out of line. The edge of the
hollow sphere is provided with a shallow Hange or rim the plane of which is
perpendicular to its axis of rotation and a similar Hange or rim is fitted symmetrically
on the solid sphere. Under these circumstances it is clear that if both shafts be
rotated, the spheres will remain accurately in contact and the flanges together with
the part of the solid sphere between them will form a grooved wheel the sides of
which converge continuously for one half of the circumference and diverge for the
remaining half of the circumference. In practice only a comparatively short
section of each sphere is used, as the width of the groove is a comparatively small
fraction of the diameter. The shafts may be driven independently by positive

page_text: gearing at the same rate, or one only may be so driven, and the other driven
therefrom by any convenient means. The stream of tobacco is delivered into the
groove at its widest part and is delivered therefrom at or beyond the narrowest
part of the groove by means of a fixed deflector or a tape running in the bottom of
the groove, or by any other suitable means. The tobacco may be confined within
the groove during compression by a fixed fence fitting over it, but as the tobacco
might drag under these circumstances, we prefer to carry the collecting belt itself
round the outside of the tobacco during the compression, as a double advantage is
gained thereby; in the first place, the stream of tobacco does not require to be
transferred from the collecting belt till after the compression is effected, and in
the second place, the tobacco is gripped and propelled on all sides during
compression.
We generally prefer to invert the collecting belt and the stream of tobacco
thereon before the compression process, so that the tobacco may enter at about the
top of the groove and leave at the bottom thereof. This inversion may be effected
in a manner exactly analogous to that used in connection with the main feed belt
and main stream of tobacco, as set forth in our prior Specification aforesaid-that
is to say by leading the collecting belt over a fixed pulley and using in conjunction
with it a covering belt running over two fixed and one straining pulley, side cheeks
A suitable device
being fitted to prevent any accidental lateral escape of tobacco.
is provided to maintain a firm tension in the collecting belt, and as it embraces
rather more than a semi-circle of the compressing wheels, the latter serve to drive
the said belt.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate our invention, Figs. I and II
are elevations, Figs. III and IV are end elevations, and Fig. V is a plan. In
Figs. I and III the views are in section on the lines A. A. and B. B. respectively,
but in Fig. I a portion of the framing is removed, and in Fig. III a portion in
front of the plane of section is shown, to more clearly indicate the mechanisms.
1 is the collecting belt which, in the arrangement shown, is inverted by being
passed round the fixed inverting roller 2; from the roller 2 the belt passes round
the spherical consolidators 3 and 4, thence round the return roller 5, and back to a
straining pulley not shown in the drawings. The tobacco is kept in place on the
collecting belt, as the latter passes round the inverting roller, by means of a cover
belt 6 carried by the two fixed rollers 7 and 8 (the former acting as a driving
roller) and the movable straining roller 9. The escape of the tobacco laterally is
prevented by the side cheeks 10 which are carried round the inverting roller 2 up
to the spherical consolidators; the leading-in ends of these cheeks are flared so as
to form an open mouth into which the tobacco enters. The tobacco is further
guided into the consolidating groove by the guide 11, carried from the cheeks 10,
which bridges over the gap between the cover belt and the consolidating groove,
and which is adapted to scrape the tobacco off the cover belt.
Referring now to the construction of the consolidating mechanism proper, it will
be seen that it comprises two rotating pieces 3 and 4 whose peripheries are portions
of concentric spheres, and that the former partly envelops the latter; these two
pieces will, for the sake of brevity, be termed respectively, the outer sphere and
the inner sphere. The inner sphere has a flange (see Fig. III) formed on its
periphery, and the inclination of the axes of rotation of the spheres is such that
the groove formed by this flange and the edge of the outer sphere has its maximum
width near the top, where the tobacco enters, and its minimum width near the
bottom where the tobacco leaves. The shaft 12 of the inner sphere is carried by
the two bearings shown and is driven from the main shaft 13 of the machine by
the bevel and spur gearing shown. The shaft 14 of the outer sphere has but one
bearing proper, as the outer sphere finds a bearing on the inner sphere.
The shaft 12 is permanently fixed axially, but the shaft 14 is provided with
means, clearly shown in the drawings, for axial adjustment whereby the width of
the groove between the spheres may be regulated.

page_text: The inner sphere is driven by its shaft and is provided with teeth formed in its
edge and adapted to engage with corresponding teeth formed in the outer sphere,
and as the axes of the shafts of the two spheres intersect at the common centre of
the spheres, these teeth can be accurately formed and du equable motion of the two
spheres is consequently ensured.
We provide a taking-off belt 15 which passes round the inner sphere and guide
rollers 16 and 17; this belt as it runs on to the inner sphere passes under the
tobacco, being housed in a groove if necessary, and as it runs off the sphere, it
brings the tobacco away and guides it down on to the belt 1.
The roller 7 is driven by chain gear from the shaft 12; and 'the various!
brackets etc., are carried, as shown, on a suitable frame work, and the apparatus is
usually located between the mechanism for teasing and dressing the tobacco and
the mechanism employed for wrapping the paper round the filler.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The tobacco is gathered on the collecting belt in a stream whose width is, if
possible, somewhat less than the maximum width of the groove formed by 'the
spheres; in case however the width should exceed this amount the 'flared ends of
the cheeks 10 gather the tobacco in laterally, after which it is gripped between the
cover belt 6 and the collecting belt 1 and delivered into the consolidator groove
where the width is a maximum. The belt 1 passes round the spheres being
supported on and driven by the flange of the inner sphere and the periphery of the
outer sphere, which are accordingly turned to the same diameter. It will be seen
that the tobacco is gripped and propelled on all sides and that, as the sides of the
groove converge, the groove is narrowed and the tobacco consequently consolidated
to the required cross-section after which it is delivered on to the belt 1 by means
of the taking-off belt 15. Scrapers may be provided instead of, or to supplement
the belt 15.
It will be seen that our invention consists broadly in forming a rotating groove
of varying width bounded at the bottom by a rotating drum and on each side by
annular surfaces rotating on axes inclined to each other, the groove being
completed if desired by a belt strained over and running on the top thereof.
The portion 3 may be obviously dispensed with and its equivalent obtained by
fitting a loose ring on 4 constrained to rotate in the same plane as the edge of 3,
and a similar loose ring may be fitted on 4 in place of the flange shown integral
therewith.
Having now particularly' described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is, in machinery for preparing tobacco and forming it into a continuous
filler for the manufacture of cigarettes ;-
1. The apparatus for consolidating the filler, which consists of a rotating groove
of varying width bounded at the bottom by a rotating drum and on each side by
annular surfaces rotating on axes inclined to each other; and means for intro-
ducing the tobacco into the wide portion of the groove and withdrawing it from
the narrow portion thereof; substantially as described and illustrated.
2. The apparatus for consolidating the filler which consists of two concentric
overlapping spherical surfaces whose axes of rotation are inclined to each other
and between which a groove of varying width is formed; and means for intro-
ducing the tobacco into the wide portion of the said groove and withdrawing it
from the narrow portion thereof; substantially as described and illustrated.
3. In combination, the inner and outer spheres such as 3 and 4, a collecting belt
such as 1 and a taking-off belt such as 15; operating substantially as described and
illustrated.
4. In combination, the inner and outer spheres such as 3 and 4, the inverted
collecting belt, the cover belt, the side cheeks, and the guide 11; substantially as
described and illustrated.

page_text: 5. The combination and arrangement of parts constructed and operated
substantially as described and illustrated in the drawings.
Dated this 15th day of May 1895.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26, Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicants.