into Cigars.
Year: 1888

page_text: into Cigars.
We, JAMES EDWARD SMITH, of 143 and 145 Avenue D, machinist, ADOLPH
MOONELIS, of 122 East 80th Street, manufacturer, and BENJAMIN LICHTENSTEIN,
of 12 West 72nd Street, manufacturer, all in the City of New York and State of
New York, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:
In the manufacture of long filler cigars by hand, the bunch is built up in the hand
by first taking the longest pieces of filler that constitute the longitudinal centre of the
cigar and then arranging around the same different lengths of tobacco, so as to form,
at the desired place, the swell or "belly" of the bunch and thus secure the desired
longitudinal contour.
The operator determines by feeling with the hand whether the belly of the bunch
is properly made, and if the ends of the short pieces of filling leave crevices or small
spaces, which can be quickly detected by an experienced bunch-maker, the binder is
unwrapped and the shorter pieces re-adjusted, or more filler added, to remove the
objection, after which the binder is again rolled.
It is the object of our invention to obviate the use of, and to dispense with these
short filling pieces, to give the cigars, cheroots or cigarettes the swell or "belly," and
to prepare the leaves of tobacco prior to rolling them into bunches, in a peculiar
manner so that all of the tobacco that forms the filler extends continuously from
end to end of the bunch, and at the same time the desired longitudinal contour is
secured.
With these ends in view, we first take one of a series of blanks and produce upon
its edges a series of incisions, thus forming a series of projections of a shape conforming
to the shape of the cigar to be produced, and then roll the blank or blanks so formed
upon itself to produce the bunch.
By thus preparing the filler, we are enabled to produce a bunch which is of greater
diameter at the places where the blanks that make the filler are widest, and the bunch

page_text: tapers toward each end due to the removal of a portion of each end of the blank,
which thus secures a continuous filler and the external longitudinal contour of the
bunch conforms to the shape sought to be secured.
In order that our invention may be the better understood, we now proceed to describe
the same in relation to the drawing hereunto annexed reference being had to the letters
and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1. is a plan view of a tobacco-leaf, showing in full lines the condition of the
leaf after one blank has been cut therefrom, and, in dotted lines, the method of
cutting a second series of blanks.
Figure 2. is a plan view of the blank removed from the leaf of tobacco, and
Figure 3. is a longitudinal sectional view through a bunch, showing the filler
extending continuously from end to end thereof.
In carrying our invention into practice, a number or series of leaves of tobacco A
are placed one upon the other after they have been properly stripped and booked, and
a blank C is cut from one end of each of the leaves as indicated in Figure 1. This
blank which forms part of a cigar, cheroot or cigarette filler corresponds in
length to the completed cigar, cheroot or cigarette, so as to extend continuously
therethrough.
Along each edge of the blank C, we produce or cut a series of incisions d, which
form a series of projections bc, said projections conforming substantially to the shape
of the bunch to be produced.
After the first blank C has been stamped from one end of each of the leaves A,
the end of each leaf from which the blank has been cut, is provided with a series
of longitudinal open-ended slots, as indicated at d', in Figure 1, which slots are
formed by removing the projections c, at one end of the blank Ċ first cut there-
from.
As is well understood, the tuck end of the cigar is ordinarily made of greater
diameter than the head, except in making some special shapes of cigars, in which both
ends are of uniform thickness; and in order to make the tuck end a little larger than
the head when the cigar-filler is prepared in accordance with our invention, the
projections c at one end of the series of blanks are made slightly wider than the
projections 6 at the opposite end of the blank.
In the practical operation of cutting the blanks with a die or cutter, we cut the
second blank from the leaf in reverse order from the first blank to avoid waste; and
to accomplish this end, we prefer to reverse the cutter or die and to adjust it so that
the cutters or knives at one end thereof exactly coincide with the longitudinal slots d¹
in the cut end of the leaf A.
It will be understood, however, that when the filler is prepared to make a bunch
having the projections b, c, of equal width, it is not necessary that the die be reversed,
as one end of the die for preparing fillers of this character will properly fit in the slots
made in one end of the leaf by the opposite end of the die.
To roll or make a bunch of a cigar, cheroot or cigarette with the blank prepared in
the manner described, it is only necessary to roll together one or more blanks, sufficient
to form a bunch of the required thickness, and then wrap the binder around the same,
the blanks having been properly disposed or arranged so that the ends are substantially
flush or even.
By removing a portion of the blank at each end and leaving the middle solid or of
the full width, the ends of the bunch when the blanks that form the filler are properly
rolled together, are smaller in diameter than the "belly" of the bunch, which thus
tapers properly toward each end. By thus preparing the fillers before it is rolled into
a bunch, we are enabled to produce a bunch having the filler extending continuously
throughout the length thereof and which is free from short pieces and at the same time,
the bunch is given the desired longitudinal shape.
A cigar bunch made of a filler prepared in accordance with our method is equal or
superior to the best hand made cigars, and it can be more quickly made and with the
exercise of less skill than is required in making a good quality of hand-made cigars,
cheroots or cigarettes, as the bunch-maker is not resuired to determine by feeling with

page_text: the hand whether the shorter lengths of filler are properly arranged to give the "belly"
to the bunch. Furthermore, the bunch is uniform and spongy throughout its length,
which is highly desirable.
The length of the projections, b, c, of the blank as well as the width thereof is
immaterial and can be varied at pleasure, to make the bunches of various different
shapes.
As before stated, our method of preparing the filler can be carried into effect by
hand, which however necessitate the cutting of the blank into suitable length and
afterwards trimming or cutting the edges thereof to reduce the ends; but besides the
tedious labor and time required in practicing the method by hand, considerable waste
of tobacco is involved. We do not, therefore, wish to confine ourselves to the use of
dies or cutters.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is ;—
°
1. The method of making a cigar filler or bunch, which consists in cutting from a
leaf of tobacco a blank and forming in its edges a series of incisions, thus providing a
series of projections of a shape conforming to the shape of the cigar to be produced,
and then rolling the blank so formed upon itself to produce the bunch, substantially as
described.
2. A blank for a cigar filler, made of leaf tobacco, having on both of its edges a
series of incisions forming a series of projections of a shape conforming to the shape
of the cigar to be produced, substantially as described.
Dadh: 07th
N 1000
FELL & WILDING,
Agents for the Applicants.