Improvements in Tobacco Stripping or Stemming Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct., 1894-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Communicated from abroad by SAMUEL REID, of No. 277, Bergen Avenue,
Jersey City, in the State of New Jersey, United States of America,
Tobacco Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Tobacco Stripping or Stemming Machines.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
leclare 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
tatement:-
My improvement is particularly applicable to machines for stripping or stemming
tobacco.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a plan view of a tobacco stripping, or stemming machine embodying
my improvement, certain parts being broken away to show underlying parts, while
certain other portions are wholly omitted.
Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line x-x of Figure 1, showing also an
elevation of certain portions omitted in Figure 1.
:
Figure 3 is a front elevation of a pair of guides and their appurtenances
comprised in the machine.
Figure 4 is a section on the line y-y of Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a perspective view on a reduced scale of a part comprised in the
machine and shown in elevation in Figure 2.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
Referring by letter to the drawings, A designates a bed piece, or support of
suitable design, which carries the various parts of the machine. It is here shown
as being made in the form of a flat plate.
B designates a driving shaft supported in suitable bearings A', A', A³, secured
to the bed piece A. A pulley B₁ secured to the shaft offers a convenient means
for the rotation of the same.
An auxiliary shaft C is driven by worm b' secured to the shaft B through the
medium of the worm wheel 6. The shaft C is supported in suitable bearings A*, A',
secured to the bed piece A, and carries the pulley C¹.
D designates a cutter or knife for cutting or stripping the tobacco stem from
the remaining portion of the leaf. As here shown it comprises two parts D!, D.
In form, parts D', D' resemble short hollow cylinders or tubes terminated at one
end by frustums of cones. The part D is fitted to revolve within the part D',
the inner surface of the outer extremity of the latter corresponding to the
inclination of the terminating conic frustum of the part D. The inner part D'
may be prevented from slipping outward by abutting against the inclined inner
surface of the part D¹. When in this abutting position the outer terminating
edges d', d of the parts D', D' correspond with each other and are preferably
serrated. As shown, the co-acting edges of the serrations may be sharpened to
facilitate cutting. If the parts are now revolved relatively to each other, a cutting
action between the serrated portions will ensue.
For the requisite relative motion between the parts D', D', the latter may be
lengthened and secured to a hollow drum E. E' is a spur wheel for rotating drum E.
It may be made integral with the drum, its teeth being formed upon an outwardly
extending flange of the latter or may be made from an independent piece and

page_text: secured to the drum in any suitable manner. F designates a standard secured at
its lower portion to the bed piece A, and provided with a laterally extending
tubular hub-like portion, or hollow drum F1. The drum E is journalled to this
tubular hub like portion F¹ and is provided at its inner extremity with a flange e
which fits into a corresponding recess in the standard F immediately surrounding
the hub like portion F. Annular segmental pieces G, G' attached to standard F
extend inwardly toward the drum E and beyond the outer circumference of the
flange e, thus preventing longitudinal movement of the said drum E.
The radial face of the drum E is recessed at e, in which recess the part H¹
is fitted to revolve. The part H' is shown as consisting of an annular disc
and as being secured to a spur wheel H by screws. It may, however, be made
integral with such spur wheel, consisting then of a flange extending from the same.
The spur wheel H is revolvably mounted upon a hollow hub e extending from
the radial face of the drum E. I represents an annular disc secured to the drum E
and extending inwardly toward the spur wheel H and beyond the outer circum-
ference of the annular disc H'. The part D' may be secured to a tubular hub h
extending outwardly from the front face of the spur wheel H.
The drum E is driven from the shaft B by spur wheel B' secured to the latter
and the intermediate spur wheel B³ journalled in a suitable support A³. The gear
teeth of the drum E mesh with the teeth of spur wheel B³. Spur wheel H is driven
by the spur wheel B' secured to shaft B and intermediate spur wheels B', B
suitably journalled in bearings A', A. It is thus seen that the drum E and
spur wheel H rotate in opposite directions, and consequently the two parts D¹, D'
of the cutter D move likewise in opposite directions.
I do not wish to limit myself to this particular form of cutter, or to the method
of driving them or to actual rotation of both of the parts D', D² of the cutter in
opposite directions, as one of such parts may not so rotate or indeed may not rotate
at all, and yet the device may permit of the same relative movement between the
parts as is obtained by the construction described. I do not wish to confine myself
to the particular form of tubular shaped cutter described, but wish to include
cutters of different constructions, of which the specific form described is a type in
respect to its being a hollow cutter, or cutter acting upon a leaf introduced through
a central aperture: For instance, such hollow cutters may be built up around a
central aperture or opening by suitably disposing band saws, or discs with sharpened
edges or analogous sharp edged pieces, to that end. Such cutters, whether of the
form described or of built up construction, I shall designate by the name of hollow
cutters.
A device for drawing the tobacco stems through the parts D¹, D' of the cutter
is shown protruding into the tubular hub like portion F.
L indicates a shaft deriving motion from the driving shaft B through bevel
wheels and supported in suitable bearings A, A' attached to bed piece A.
M, M' are arms fulcrumed to the shaft L. These arms constitute the supports for
the journals of the lower drawing roll N¹ and intermediate driving train of spur
wheels N', N³, N. Motion is communicated to the train by the spur wheel N',
here shown as comprising spur teeth cut upon the shaft L.
To hold the arm M in position upon the shaft L upon which it is fulcrumed in a
manner to permit it to be depressed at its outer extremity, it is shown as being
provided with a depending arm m to which a spring tongue.m' is secured. The
free end of the spring tongue m' abuts against the upper portion of the standard F,
while the depending arm m is provided with an adjustable stop m², here shown as
consisting of a screw. This stop serves to limit the upward movement of the
arms M and M' and to regulate the stress upon the spring tongue m². The pivoted
arm M with its depending arm m and stop m³ and spring tongue m³, is best shown
in Figure 5.
The arm M is provided with an offset projecting upward from the side of the
arm in the form of a lug m³. This lug serves for the pivotal support of an arm P.

page_text: ortions of the arm P are suitably designed to carry an adjustable stop p which
ay coact with the standard F, and also to carry a spring tongue p¹. A bent
iece p' serves as an abutting piece for the free end of the spring tongue p.
Similarly the arm M' is provided with an offset projecting upward from the side
f the arm in the form of a lug mt, serving for the pivotal support of an arm P¹.
The shaft of the upper drawing roll R is journalled in the arms P and P' near
heir outer extremities, and is driven through the intermediate train of spur
wheels R1, R2 by spur wheel R³, which meshes with spur wheel N, supported
n the lower set of arms. The axis of spur wheel R³ coincides with the pivotal
xis of the arms P, P¹.
It will be seen from the manner of supporting the two sets of arms, and the
arrangement of the two opposing sets of adjustable stops and spring tongues, that
the two drawing rolls N, R, at the extremities of the arms may be adjusted toward
and away from each other, without interfering with the action of their driving gear,
and yet when so adjusted, they are yieldingly held together. By means of the
adjustable stops m² and p, the drawing rolls N and R may be adjusted toward or
away from each other to take up any wear that may reduce the diameter of the
rolls, or to adjust the squeezing action in the tobacco stems to a degree necessary
to draw them through the cutter. Any inequality which may occur in the thickness
of the stems as they pass through the drawing rolls is readily allowed for by the
spring tongues m' and p¹ which force the drawing rolls toward each other, but
the introduction of any abnormally
allow the same to readily separate on
large stem.
S is a cross piece or spreader uniting and securing the arms P and P¹ of the
upper set, while S' is a similar piece for securing the arms M and M' of the
lower set.
T is an upper guide plate and T¹ a lower guide plate forming a passage between
and
them through which the tobacco stems are carried by the action of the drawing
upper
rolls. Transverse side pieces t and are secured to the edges of the
These transverse side pieces
lower guide plates to close the sides of the passage.
preferably overlap each other at their adjacent edges for more effectually closing
the sides of the passage, as shown in Figure 2, while their opposite edges may be
recessed for the passage of the shafts of the driving trains of spur wheels of the
upper and lower rolls. T', T³ are screws passing through the cross pieces or
spreaders, and engaging with lugs on the top and bottom guide plates to firmly
secure the latter in place. The transverse side pieces t and ti may protrude in
front of the drawing rolls N', R₁ and be suitably bent to guide the stems to
the rolls.
Referring now particularly to Figures 2 and 3, there is shown a separable guide
() for more effectually directing the entering end or butts of the stems to the cutter.
It comprises a pair of vibrating levers V, V, each extending above and below a
shaft W, to which they are journalled intermediate of their extremities. Their
lower extremities are provided with semi-circular grooved pieces v, v', forming
preferably when placed in conjunction, a guiding tube v, v¹ having a bell shaped
5 entrance. Collars, w, w' secured to shaft W prevent lengthwise movement of the
arms along the shaft.
The upper ends of the vibrating levers are connected by links, V³, V' and
suspension rod V', to one end of a double armed lever V, fulcrumed to a
convenient stud V' projecting from the standard F.
50 Z is a cam wheel whose radial face is provided with a suitable cam groove z for
acting upon a stud projecting from the side face of the lever V. The action of
the cam is such that the vibrating arms V', V2 having approached and guided the
leaf to the hollow cutter through the separate guiding tube v, v', they are then
caused to swing outward before the leaves are drawn through the cutter by
55 rolls R, N. Z¹ is a pulley rigid with the cam wheel z and driven by a belt from
Lllon Cl

page_text: The operation of the machine may be described as follows: The main shaft B.
having been set in motion, the two parts D', D' of the cutter D are rotated by the
gears B and B through the intermediate gearing in the manner already described.
The tobacco leaf is now introduced into the cutter. To facilitate this introduction,
the separable guide and its appurtenances are so constructed and timed that the
former is in a closed position.
The bell shaped mouth of the guide effectually guides the leaf to and into the
cutter and beyond to the drawing rolls N' and R. These rolls now grasp the leaf
and pull it through the cutter. When the rolls have grasped the leaf to draw the
latter within the cutter, and just before the feather portion of the leaf is presented
to the cutter, the guide separates sufficiently far to be entirely out of the way of
the feather portion, thereby preventing any injury to the leaf by the guide. When
the guide closes together again, another leaf may be introduced.
The drawing rolls now pass the leaf through the cutter by which the feather
portion is separated from the rib portion of the leaf. The feather portions drop
down in front of the cutter and may be received in a suitable receptacle while the
rib portions are carried out to the rear of the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a tobacco stripping or stemming machine, the combination of a hollow
knife or cutter for cutting or stripping the leaves from the stem, and a device for
passing the leaves through the cutter, substantially as specified.
2. In a tobacco stripping or stemming machine, the combination of a hollow
knife or cutter for cutting or stripping the leaves from the stem, rolls for drawing
the stems through the cutter, and an enclosed passage for leading the stems from
said rolls, substantially as specified.
3. In a tobacco stripping or stemming machine, the combination of a hollow
knife or cutter for cutting or stripping the leaves from the stem, adjustable rolls
for drawing the stems through the cutter, and an enclosed passage for leading the
stems from said rolls, substantially as specified.
4. In a tobacco stripping or stemming machine, the combination of a knife or
cutter for cutting or stripping the leaves from the stem, adjustable rolls for drawing
the stems through the cutter, said rolls being so supported that they are held
yieldingly toward each other so that the distance between the rolls will accommodate
itself to stems of varying thickness, substantially as specified.
5. In a cutter for a tobacco stripping or stemming machine, the combination of
two tubes, one mounted within the other, one of said tubes having its extremity
serrated, while the other tube is formed to coact with such serrations, and means
for rotating such tubes relatively to each other, substantially as specified.
6. In a tobacco stripping or stemming machine, the combination with a standard,
of a hollow stationary drum secured to said standard, a movable drum rotatably
mounted upon said stationary drum and having gear teeth upon its periphery, a
cutter secured to said movable drum, a spur wheel rotatably mounted upon said
movable drum, a cutter secured to said spur wheel and coacting with said cutter.
secured to movable drum, and means for rotating said drum and said spur wheel
relatively to each other, substantially as specified.
7. In a tobacco stripping or stemning machine, the combination with a standard
of a hollow stationary drum secured to said standard, a movable drum provided
with spur teeth rotatably mounted upon said stationary drum, cutters carried by
said movable drum, and drawing mechanism for drawing the stems through the
cutter, substantially as specified.
8. In a tobacco stripping or stemming machine, the combination with a hollow
knife or cutter, of a guide for directing the leaves to said knife or cutter,
substantially as specified.
i

page_text: 9. In a tobacco stripping or stemming machine, the combination with a hollow
knife or cutter, of a guide for directing the leaves to said knife or cutter and means
for adjusting the guide into and out of position, substantially as specified.
ond dow of October 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.