AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING TOBACCO FOR CHEWING AND SMOKING
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
MACHINE FOR CUTTING TOBACCO FOR CHEWING AND SMOKING."-A com-
munication from abroad by George Washington Hoglen and Stephen
Decator Graffin, both of Dayton, Ohio, United States of America.
Sealed the 8th June 1866, and dated the 12th April 1866.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Haseltine at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 12th April 1866, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "Inational Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,. Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
MACHINE CUTTING TOBACCO FOR CHEWING AND SMOKING," and have petitioned
Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration
that the said Invention has been communicated to me from abroad by George

page_text: Washington Hoglen and Stephen Decator Graffin, both of Dayton, Ohio,
United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed in and by the following statement :-
The nature of my Invention consists in constructing a machine (for the
manufacture of "fine-cut tobacco,") in such a manner that the tobacco shall
be fed by and between a pair of chain belts so arranged as to form a gradually
contracting throat for feeding and compressing the tobacco so as to be more
readily and finer cut by the cutter operating at the outlet of the throat;
also in the construction of the endless chain belts; also in the mode of
altering the gearing so as to feed the tobacco with different velocities
according to the required fineness of the cutting; and in the general and
particular arrangement of the several devices, all of which is herein-after fully
set forth.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the machine; Figure 2 represents
a plan view; Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through line x, x, in
Figure 2; Figure 4 is a side elevation opposite to the side elevation in
Figure 1; Figure 5 represents one of the cog shafts; Figure 6 represents a
section of the endless chain belt.
In the Drawings G indicates the rectangular framework of cast iron;
V and W are metallic platforms built within the frame G, and reaching nearly
across its whole length; these platforms are so arranged as to form between
themselves a throat, the widest portion of which is at the end farthest from
the cutter; thence they converge to their centre; thence they are parallel,
thus forming a gradually contracting throat (see Figure 8). Near the outer
ends of these platforms, and a little beyond them are rollers q and T, and near
their inner ends are "cog shafts" P and P. One of the endless chain belts S
passes over the platform V, and roller q, and cog shaft P; the other belt R
in like manner encloses platform W, roller T, and cog shaft Ps. When the
machine is in operation the cog shafts feed the two belts forward in the same
direction with equal speed. It will be seen that the belts pass over and hug
the faces of the platforms, so that by this device I have formed a throat
which constantly compresses and swallows that tobacco which is fed into the
mouth, and discharges it at the outlet as it is shaved off by the revolving
cutters. C is the revolving hub upon the main shaft of the machine; this
hub is provided with two wings C³, (which have cutters ", ",) extending beyond
the hub sufficiently to pass the outlet of the throat so that when the hub

page_text: revolves its cutters may strike and graze past the outlet, and thus shear
or shave off the tobacco as it is forced out by the chains R and S. F is
the main shaft having its bearings at t, t, in the frame G, and extending
beyond the frame so as to receive the hub C; upon this shaft is the main
driving pulley M and its loose pulley N. Parallel with these pulleys and
quite near them is a rock shaft B', having its bearings in two studs extending
out from the frame G; this shaft is provided with a sliding sleeve D³. A
screw or stud passes through the sleeve into a groove in the rock shaft so as
to allow the sleeve to slide laterally but without turning upon the rock shaft.
The sleeve is provided with a fork a³ for slipping the belt from the fixed to
the loose pulley, and vice versa. Upon the end of the shaft B' is a friction
brake d which operates upon the rim of the driving pulley M. a is a hand
lever affixed to the sleeve D' by which the sleeve is moved laterally so as to
ship or unship the belt or to press the brake down upon the pulley, so as to
speedily stop the motion of the machine. E is a cross shaft through which
motion is conveyed to the belts R and S; this shaft is provided with a
large gear wheel A3, which is driven by one of the worms y or Z on shaft F;
these worms slide upon their shaft so that they can be readily put in or
out of gear, and be held as desired by the screws Q, Q. Worm Z is
constructed with three distinct threads, so that when in gear it will advance
wheel A three cogs at each revolution, worm y has but one thread, and
when it is in gear one of its revolutions advances the wheel A3 only one cog.
Upon the opposite extremity of shaft E2 (see Figures 1 and 2) is a gear
wheel u, secured by a washer and thumbscrew, so that it may be removed
and a larger or smaller one be substituted, according to the desired velocity.
Wheel u gears into wheel D. Upon the axle I of wheel D is fixed a smaller
wheel L; these wheels D and L move together, and are provided with
movable bearings, as will be set forth. Upon one side of the frame are fixed
ways or strips f so as to form a groove or dovetailed slot k of a curve
described by a radius whose centre is at d; e are similar ways nearer the
centre d, having a similar and concentric slot e²; g is a piece of metal having
three radiating arnis somewhat in shape like a letter Y; it swings on shaft d
as a pivot, and is provided with a stud I at the junction of the three arms;
its upper extremities are provided with suitable slides and bolts m and c,
working in the slots k and e. B is a Y-shaped bar pivoted and partially
oscillating upon axle d, and secured at the ends of its forks to the centre,
and one extremity of plate g by means of bolts c and m; it will thus bo
seen that bar B and plate 9 together constitute a swinging frame pivoted
at d, so that when it is elevated it will carry with it the wheel D, so as to

page_text: When the
allow a larger or smaller wheel to be substituted for wheel u.
substitution has been made, the bolts c and m are tightened, and the bearing
I becomes sufficiently steady. The small wheel L now takes into the large
wheel A, upon whose axle is secured the small wheel 63, which gears into
the wheel n upon the end of cog shaft Ps, and wheel n in turn gears
into the wheel o upon the end of cog shaft P. There is a collar 0% to the
gear wheel A, and it is secured to the shaft E by a set screw working in a
circumferential groove so as to preclude longitutudinal sliding upon the
shaft, and to admit of its loosely turning thereon when not held by the
clutch. One end of this collar is of the usual form of a "clutch." Q is a
clutch coinciding with the serrated end of collar 0%, and sliding upon shaft E³,
by means of a screw and slot it is allowed to slide upon but is prevented from
turning around the shaft. His the usual clutch fork for engaging or dis-
engaging the clutch; the clutch is disengaged to stop the feeding operation.
The endless chain belts R and S are each composed of several (four or more)
chains arranged side by side until a belt of sufficient width is formed. It will
be seen that there are cavities (4, 4, in Figure 3) at the articulations between
the contiguous links forming the chains. Now the several chains composing
the belt are arranged side by side in such a manner as to break joints, and thus
avoid continuous cavities across the face of the belts (see Figures 2 and 6).
Were these cavities or depressions continuous, the tobacco which is under
great pressure would lodge in them, and portions of it be arrested in its onward
motion to the cutters, and would also seriously tend to clog the action of the
machine. The construction of the links is such as to admit of the action of
the cog shafts upon the link knuckles in the most favorable manner (see
Figure 3). The cog shafts P and P2 are composed of four cog wheels upon
a shaft so constructed (see Figure 5) as to break joints like the belts, in order
that the belts may be fed forward without disarrangement.
The belts are tightened as follows:-The rollers q and T, over which the
belts pass, are provided with sliding journal boxes f', which slide in suitable
grooves in frame G and fillet U. When I wish to tighten the belts I have
only to drive the wedges 8, 8, which work between the lugs on the inner ends
of the sliding bearings and the shoulders s, s2, and the bearings are forced
outward, thus moving the rollers q and T farther from the cog shafts, and dis-
tending the belts. Power being applied by belt to pulley M, the cutters are
made to revolve with great rapidity, while at the same time, by reason of the
descending system of gearing, the feeding and compressing belts are moved
forward very slowly.
The course of power is as follows:-From pulley M on shaft F, through

page_text: worm y (or Z) to large wheel A' on shaft E³, thence through small wheel u
to large wheel D, thence through small wheel L on shaft of D to large
wheel A, thence through small wheel on shaft of A to small wheel n
upon the cog shaft P, thence to the wheel o of like size upon the other cog
shaft p.
Having thus described said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters
Patent is,
First, the combination of the belts R and S and platforms V and W, com-
posing a gradually contracting throat for compressing and feeding the tobacco,
constructed and operating substantially as herein described.
Second, the belts R and S, when constructed as described, and in com-
bination with a cutting device for cutting tobacco.
Third, the swinging frame B, g, composed of bar B and plate g, constructed
and operating substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.
Fourth, the rock shaft B³, in combination with brake d³, sleeve D³, and
lever a, for the purposes specified.
Fifth, the sliding journals f', wedges s, s, and shoulders ², s, in com-
bination with rollers 9 and T, constructed and operating substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh