IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MATURING OR TREATMENT OF CIGARS AND APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1885

page_text: I, ALFRED THOMAS BOOTH, of N° 163 Saint John's Road, Hoxton, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MATURING OR TREATMENT OF CIGARS AND APPARATUS
THEREFOR," to be as follows:-
To mature cigars according to this invention they are subjected to the action of
air that is dried by means of a suitable dessicant such as anhydrous calcium chloride.
The cigars are arranged with their smaller ends uppermost in perforated shelves
or trays within a chamber or chambers in communication with another chamber or
chambers wherein the dessicant is placed on suitable trays or shelves. By means
of a fan or its equivalent air is caused to flow through the chamber or chambers
containing the dessicant whereby moisture is taken up from the air which then
flows through the chamber or chambers containing the cigars to be matured, after-
wards returning to and flowing through the chamber or chambers containing the
dessicant and so on in a continuous manner. In order that calcium chloride when
used as described may not become charged with moisture to excess, the trays
containing it are periodically withdrawn from the chamber or chambers through
which the air circulates as described and are placed for a time in a hot closet or
closets after which the trays with the same calcium chloride upon them may be
again used for abstracting moisture from air used to treat cigars as set forth above.
In order that the cigars may be caused to assume a convenient form for packing,
after they have been partially matured they are removed from the trays or shelves
above mentioned, and are either formed into bundles (by placing in frames without
bands) and placed vertically within the drying chamber and there treated with air
until fully matured, or the cigars are laid one upon another in layers in small boxes
or trays made with ends but no sides, and having removable metallic linings.
These are placed one upon another next to a tray or shelf of the drying chamber
which is for this purpose temporarily placed on its edge. The small boxes or trays
are secured to the larger tray or shelf, which is then placed in the drying chamber
and so on with each large tray or shelf so that the cigars are held in the drying
chamber with their smaller ends uppermost.
The maturing process is now continued, and when it is completed the cigars are
placed in boxes.
3

page_text: I, ALFRED THOMAS BOOTH, of N° 163 Saint John's Road, Hoxton, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MATURING OR TREATMENT OF CIGARS AND APPARATUS
THEREFOR" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
To mature cigars according to this invention they are subjected to the action of
air that is dried by means of a suitable dessicant such as anhydrous calcium
chloride.
The cigars are arranged with their smaller ends uppermost in perforated shelves
or trays within a chamber or chambers in communication with another chamber or
chambers wherein the dessicant is placed on suitable trays or shelves. By means
of a fan or its equivalent air is caused to flow through the chamber or chambers
containing the dessicant whereby moisture is taken up from the air which then
flows through the chamber or chambers containing the cigars to be matured after-
wards returning to and flowing through the chamber or chambers containing the
dessicant and so on in a continuous manner. In order that calcium chloride when
used as described may not become charged with moisture to exces: the trays
containing it are periodically withdrawn from the chamber or chambers through
which the air circulates as described and placed for a time in a hot closet or closets
after which the trays with the same calcium chloride upon them may be again
used for abstracting moisture from air used to treat cigars as set forth above.
In order that. the cigars may be caused to assume a convenient form for packing
after they have been partially matured they are removed from the trays or shelves
above mentioned and are either formed into bundles (by placing in frames without
bands) and placed vertically within the drying chamber and then treated with air
until fully matured, or the cigars are laid one upon another in layers in small boxes
or trays made with ends but no sides and having moveable metallic linings. These
are placed one upon another next to a tray or shelf of the drying chamber which
is for this purpose temporarily placed on its edge. The small boxes or trays are
secured to the larger tray, or shelf, which is then placed in the drying chamber and
so on with each large tray or shelf so that the cigars are held vertically, in the
drying chamber.
The maturing process is now continued, and when it is completed the cigars are
placed in boxes.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings Fig. 1'is an elevation partly
in vertical section, of apparatus for maturing or treating cigars according to my
invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the same in the line x, x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3
is a vertical-section of apparatus for drying the dessicant employed and Fig. 4 is a
horizontal section of the same in the line y, y of Fig. 3.
a, a¹ are chambers of suitable material such as wood, each capable of receiving
and supporting a series of perforated or reticulated trays or shelves b, b for holding

page_text: the cigars to be matured or treated. c, c are air inlet openings to the chambers a, a¹
and c, c are air exit openings therefrom. d, d are perforated covers to the
openings c c to prevent cigars that may accidentally fall from the trays or
shelves 6 passing through such openings. e is a chamber subdivided by partitions f
into a series of compartments in which are arranged trays g containing the
dessicant (for example anhydrous calcium chloride). f* are openings in the
partitions f. These openings and the trays are so arranged with reference to
each other that air circulating through the chamber e, takes a zig-zag course over
the said trays as indicated by the arrows. h is a vertical air passage connecting
the lower portion of the chamber e with the air passage i at the top of the
chambers a, a¹. In the drawing the passage h is shown arranged between the
chambers a and e but it may be situate behind the chamber e if desired. j is the
return air passage. is a fan the central portion of which is in communication
with the air passage j. is the air delivery pipe. m is a water jacket to the
pipe that may be advantageously employed to maintain the current of air at a
low temperature. a³, a³ and e¹ are doors for securely closing the chambers a a²
and e respectively. The process of maturing or treating cigars is as follows:-
When the fan is rotated air is caused to continuously pass through the apparatus
in the direction indicated by the arrows. Into the trays 6 in the chamber a the
cigars are loosely placed with their small ends upward. Here they are allowed to
remain for a time (say twenty four hours) during which time they are partially
matured by the current of air that is continuously passing downward through the
chamber and around them.
In order that the cigars may be caused to assume a convenient form for packing
after they have been partially matured as above described, they are removed from
the trays or shelves in the chamber a and are, after selection according to colour,
then treated in one of the following ways:
(1) They are formed into bundles and placed in frames b³ (the movable sides b*
of which are at this time away) so as to rather more than fill such frames. The
bundles of cigars are then compressed within the frames by replacing and forcing
ench movable side b² to the edges of its frame and then securing it by clamps b³.
The frames are then placed in trays b which are then placed in the chamber a¹,
the cigars being placed vertically. The cigars are then further treated with air
until fully matured or (2) the cigars are laid one upon another in layers in small
boxes or trays n made with ends but no sides and having moveable metallic
linings o. These are placed one upon another in a tray or shelf b which is for this
purpose temporarily placed on its edge. The small boxes or trays n are secured to
the larger tray or shelf b which is then placed in the drying chamber a³, and so on
with each large tray or shelf, so that the cigars are held in the drying chamber in a
vertical position. The maturing process is now continued and when the cigars are
matured they are removed from the chamber a' and the trays b and placed directly
into boxes, those that have been placed within the metallic linings o being put into
their boxes together with their linings which are afterwards removed.
Thus after leaving the chamber a¹ the cigars are not separately handled for
packing.
The air as it flows over the trays g in the chamber e has the moisture which it
contains continuously removed by the dessicant contained in the said trays. These
trays g are periodically removed from the chamber e and placed in the heating
apparatus shown in Figs. 3 and 4 for the purpose of driving off the moisture which
the dessicant has absorbed so as to again render it anhydrous for further use.
This heating apparatus comprises a chamber p in which is arranged a frame or
support g for the trays g. .r is a system of coiled steam pipes surrounding and
heating each tray. 8 is the inlet for steam and 8¹ the outlet for steam and water of
condensation. t t is an outlet pipe for the moisture driven off from the dessicant.
In lieu of heating by steam pipes as shown the chamber p may be heated externally
by any other convenient means.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. Maturing or treating cigars substantially in the manner hereinabove described
by subjecting them in a suitable chamber or chambers to the action of air previously
dried by contact with a suitable dessicant in another chamber or chambers the
air being caused to circulate continuously through alternately the chamber or
chambers containing dessicant and the chamber or chambers containing cigars as
set forth.
2. The combination of apparatus comprising the chambers a, a¹ for holding
cigars to be matured, chamber e with trays for dessicant, air passages h, i, j, pipe l
and means for causing a continuous circulation of air all arranged and operating
substantially as described.
Dated this 30th day of July A.D. 1885.
A. T. BOOTH.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Applicant's Agent.