IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CIGAR FILLERS
Year: 1889

page_text: I, RICHARD A. BRIGHT, of Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, United
States of America, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CIGAR FILLERS," and in what manner the
same is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
-
The object of my invention is to provide a mass of cigar fillers so prepared, that
in the formation of bunches therefrom for the manufacture of cigars, said bunches
can be made to contain the required amount of tobacco at the several sections of the
bunch with the exercise of much less skill on the part of the maker, and in much less
time than heretofore, and my invention consists in prepared fillers for cigars in which
the filler leaves have been prepared by cutting out or removing a portion of the
tobacco at the end of the same, so that, as the result, there will be a less quantity of
tobacco at those portions of the fillers which are to form the tapering ends of the
cigar, than at those portions which are to form the body of the cigar, and by properly
varying and proportioning the amount of tobacco cut out or removed to that which
is retained, the fillers may be so prepared as to be adapted to form cigars of desired
shape or contour.
And it also consists in the method of preparing such fillers for cigars.
any
Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1, represents a loose quantity of filler leaves suitable
for making long filler cigars.
Fig. 2, is a top view of an arranged mass of cigar fillers, showing the primary
parallel arrangement of the filler leaves, and the line of the cut to be made

page_text: for removing the surplus tobacco from the ends of the fillers at the edge of
the mass.
Fig. 3, represents a top view of an arranged mass of prepared fillers, the
surplus tobacco having heen removed from the ends of the fillers at the edge of
the mass.
In the accompanying drawings, A, Fig. 2, represents a top view of an arranged
mass of cigar fillers c, shown loose in Fig. 1, the said fillers being arranged
approximately parallel with each other in any convenient depth or quantity. To
prepare the fillers so arranged for the formation of the tapering point of the cigars
to be made therefrom, a cut as shown by the zig-zag line a, is made at or near the
edge of the muss A, the purpose of such cut being to remove a proportionate quantity
of the tobacco at that portion of the cigar fillers which are to form the point end of
the cigar. This cut is preferably made of tapering or zig-zag form as shown, so
that a greater quantity of tobacco will be removed at the extreme ends of the finished
fillers, than farther in toward the center of the mass, so that, as the result of the
cut, there will be the least tobacco left at the extreme end of the fillers, the amount of
tobacco left gradually increasing toward the center of the mass, whereby the fillers
will be better adapted for forming the tapering point of the cigars, as will be readily
understood from the drawings, and it will be seen that by properly regulating the
amount and depth of the cut made, the fillers may be prepared so as to provide
for the formation therefrom of cigars of any desired form or amount of taper at the
point.
If it be desired to prepare the fillers for cigars which are to have tapering tucks,
as well as 'tapering points, a similar cut as shown by the zig-zag line b may be made,
to remove the required amount of tobacco at the opposite end of the fillers. The mass
of fillers after both cuts have been made and the surplus tobacco removed, is shown
in Fig. 3 which represents a mass of fillers B prepared for the formation of cigars
with both tapering points and tapering tucks, the fillers as represented being substantially
the length of a cigar.
To make cigars by hand from these prepared fillers the workman has only to take
from the mass a quantity of fillers sufficient to form the bunch of the proper size at
the body section, or place of greatest diameter, and to properly gauge the size of the
bunch at the body section, by reason of the fact that the proper proportions of tobacco
have been previously removed at the end of the fillers, and a cigar of the proper form
and taper can be immediately made from such fillers without the necessity of building
up the middle or of gauging the form or diameter of the point and tuck ends of the
cigar. It is evident that by the use of such prepared fillers much less skill will be
required to properly form a cigar therefrom, and consequently a cheaper grade of help
can be employed to advantage.
The primary arrangement of the fillers in parallel position being a very simple
matter, and as by the employment of a properly formed cutter, the required
cuts can be speedily made. the cost. of manufacturing long filler cigars by hand
can be very much reduced and at the same time much greater uniformity can be
secured.
Fillers prepared as above described are also especially adapted to be fed automatically
to a cigar bunch machine, and inasmuch as the fillers can be so prepared at a small
fraction of the cost of arranging fillers to be fed into a machine by the methods here-
tofore employed, the use of such tapered fillers makes possible the profitable manufacture
of long filler cigars by machinery.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A prepared mass of cigar fillers having a portion of the tobacco cut out or
removed at the edge of the mass so that a quantity taken from any portion of said
mass will contain the proper proportion of tobacco in its different parts to form a
t

page_text: 2. The method of preparing a mass of cigar fillers which consists in first arranging
a quantity of fillers in a substantially parallel position and then cutting out or removing
a portion of the tobacco so that the prepared mass will have the tobacco cut out or
removed at its edge and thus contain the proper proportion of tobacco in its different
parts to form cigars of the required shape or taper.
ber A.D. 1888.
RICHARD A. BRIGHT.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London.
Agents for the Applicant.