Improvements in the Manufacture of Cigars and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 25th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 27th July, 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Cigars and Apparatus
therefor.
I OTTO WARTMANN of 434 and 406 Euston Road, in tho Parish of St. Marylebone,
in the. County of Middlesex Tobacconist and Manufacturer do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CIGARS AND
APPARATUS THEREFOR to be as follows:-
"
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the apparatus for, and method of
producing Cigars by which a considerable saving is effected in the time of the
operator as compared with hand or mould work, also by enabling less highly skilled,
and consequently cheaper labour to be employed, as well as saving in the cost of the
raw material.
The apparatus consists of a cylinder or drum which may conveniently be of about
nine inches diameter and seven inches in length mounted on a horizontal axle.-In
the surface of the drum is a groove or hollow say about one to two inches wide, and
of the entire length of the cylinder and of such depth as to conveniently receive as
hereinafter described the filling for one Cigar. The bottom of the groove or hollow
is rounded with a steeper curve at the back than in front.
Above the cylinder is a roller which may conveniently be about half an inch in
diameter and of about the same length as the cylinder mounted on an axis parallel
to that of the cylinder. The surface of the roller is nearly but not quite close
to that of the cylinder and an adjustment may be provided for regulating this
distance.
I also provide another and similar roller which may conveniently be arranged near
the lower part of the cylinder and on the side opposite to that on which the operator
sits, and which serves to regulate the amount of slack in the hereafter described belt
or apron. This roller is mounted on an adjustable frame by which its distance from
the cylinder can be regulated.
An endless apron the width of which is a little greater than the length of the cigar
or bunch to be made is carried round the Cylinder and over the two rollers and is of

page_text: such length as to allow an amount of slack sufficient to enable it to be pressed into
the before mentioned groove or hollow in the cylinder.
In making cigars according to my invention the operator places the cylinder before
him with the groove upwards and presses the apron into it, and fills the pocket thus
formed with a quantity of filling tobacco sufficient for one cigar, and then rotating
the cylinder away from him the groove with the slack of the apron and the tobacco it
contains passes under the upper roller, and as the cylinder turns further the fold or
pocket of tobacco so formed passes out of the groove and lies on the surface of the
cylinder on which, but within the fold of the apron, the tobacco is rolled by the
onward motion of the apron as the cylinder turns. About half a turn of the cylinder
suffices to roll the filling sufficiently, and then one end of a strip of leaf is introduced
between the folds of the apron between the cylinder and the small roller above, near
one edge of the apron, and being held obliquely and the cylinder further rotated the
leaf is drawn in and wound round the filling, making a complete cigar of cheroot
form. Should a point to the cigar be required some pressure by the hand is given,
while the pocket of tobacco is rotating so that the end of the pocket to be pointed is
so sufficiently tapered to enable the operator to finish the point by hand easily.
When the cylinder has completed one revolution the cigar drops into the groove and
may be removed.
By this means cigars may be made in cheroot form, either with or without tapered
ends by using only one wrapper for forming and covering the cigar instead of two
or more as is usual by present system of hand or mould work and thus a great saving
effected on the more expensive leaf tobacco.
Besides making the complete cigar in this machine it may also be used for making
what is termed bunches by which is understood fillings wrapped up in a loose way
with one leaf, ready to be put in the moulds used to shape the cigars by pressure or
ready to be covered and finished by hand.
Dated this 24th day of Santamban 1007
NEWNHAM BROWNE,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I OTTO WARTMANN of 434 and 406 Euston Road in the Parish of St. Marylebone
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
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:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the apparatus for, and method
of producing Cigars and the like by which a considerable saving is effected in the
time of the operator as compared with hand or mould work also by enabling less highly
skilled, and consequently cheaper labour to be employed as well as saving in the cost
of the raw material.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings forming part of this my specification
Fig. 1 is an end elevation of my said apparatus Fig. 2 is a plan of the same with
the apron removed Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section Fig. 4 is a longitudinal
vertical section and Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the device for regulating the amount
of slack in the apron.
The apparatus consists of a cylinder or drum A, which may conveniently be of the
same length as the cigars it is intended to manufacture, say about five inches in
length and oight inches in diameter, mounted on a horizontal axle B. In the surface
of the drum is a groove or hollow C, say about one and a half inches wide, and of
the entire length of the cylinder and of such depth as to conveniently receive as
bereinafter described the filling for one cigar.
I have here described the drum as made with a single groove but it is obvious that
a machine constructed according to my invention might be provided with two or
more grooves.
The bottom of the groove or hollow C is rounded with a steeper curve at the back
than in front as shown in figs. 1 and 3.
Above the Cylinder is a roller D, which may conveniently be about half an inch in
diameter and of about the same length as the cylinder, or preferably as shewn
in the drawings, rather longer, turning on an axis parallel to that of the cylinder A.
The surface of the roller D is near, but not quite close to, that of the cylinder A, they
may be about of an inch apart.
I also provide another and nearly similar roller E, which may conveniently be
arranged near the lower part of the cylinder and on the side opposite to that on
which the (operator sits and which serves to regulate the amount of slack in the
hereafter described belt or apron. This roller E is so mounted that its distance from
the cylinder can be regulated.
The adjusting mechanism consists of the centres e, e on which the roller E, turns

page_text: and which form part of a frame f, f, f, which frame works on the rod g, g, held in
position by the nuts g'. h is a Standard rising from the base plate of the frame G,
and H is a screw working through a part of the frame f, and butting against the
fixed standard h, so that when the screw H is turned the frame fis forced backwards
away from the Standard h, or allowed to approach it more closely, thereby carrying
the roller E farther from, or nearer to the cylinder, and thus tightening or loosening
the apron.
An endless apron J, the width of which should be equal to the length of the
cylinder A, is carried round the cylinder and over the two rollers D, and E,
and is of such length as to allow an amount of slack sufficient to enable
it to be pressed into the hollow C, in the cylinder A, in which position it is shown in
Fig. 1. the course of the apron being represented both in this figure and in Fig. 3 by
the thick line and indicated by the letters J, J, J.
In Fig. 3. the apparatus is shown with a cigar a. in process of being made. The
apron lies close on the surface of the cylinder in front, and under the roller D, and
under the cigara, here it leaves the cylinder and passes about two thirds round the
cigar to the under surface of the roller D, and over it to the back of the
cylinder and to the roller E, and thence again to the surface of the cylinder thus
completing its circuit.
It will be readily understood that when the cylinder is made, by the manipulation
of the operator, to revolve in the direction of the arrow,
the apron travelling with it
causes the partly formed cigar about which it passes to rotate rapidly, and thus rolls
it into shape.
On the cylinder is a weight, or weights K, which cause the cylinder when it is not
otherwise controlled to assume the position shown in Fig. 1, that is with hollow C.
upwards and just in front of the roller D, so as to be convenient for filling with the
cigar material.
The Screws forming the centres on which the cylinder and rollers revolve are fitted
with lock nuts n. n.
In making cigars, according to my invention, the operator places the apparatus
before him with the groove Cupwards, and presses the apron into it as is shown in
Fig. 1, and fills the pocket thus formed with a quantity of filling tobacco, sufficient
for one cigar either with or without a piece of leaf as a bunch wrapper, and then by
manipulating the cylinder rotates it away from him until the groove with the slack of
the apron and the tobacco it contains in the pocket thus formed passes under the
roller D, and as the cylinder turns further, the fold or pocket of tobacco, so formed,
passes out of the groove and lies behind the roller D on the surface of the cylinder A,
on which, but within the fold of the apron, the tobacco is rolled by the onward motion
of the apron as the cylinder turns. About half a turn of the Cylinder suffices to
compress and shape the filling sufficiently and wrap it in the bunch wrapper, if any,
and then one end of a strip of leaf is introduced between the folds of the apron
between the cylinder A and the small roller D, near one edge of the apron, and being
held obliquely, and the cylinder further rotated, the leaf is drawn in and wound
round the filling, making a complete cigar of conchas or straight form. To form the
point of the cigar the end to be pointed is, as it rotates, manipulated by the finger of
the operator in such manner as to tighten the wrapper as it approaches the end of the
cigar on which it is being rolled and then as the end is reached, tightening the
pressure and holding the loose end of the leaf, which is now beyond the end of
the cigar, tightly between the thumb and finger, so as to cause it to gather or fold the
inner turns of the wrapper under the outer ones, and thus form a complete point which
may afterwards be trimmed or finished by hand if required.
When the cylinder has completed one revolution the cigar drops into the groove,
and may be removed.
By this means cigars may be made in conchas or straight form either with or without
tapered ends by using only one wrapper for forming and covering the cigar instead of
two or more as is usual by the present system of hand or mould work and thus a great
saving effected on the more expensive leaf tobacco.

page_text: Besides making the complete cigar in this machine it may also be used for making
what is termed bunches, by which is understood fillings wrapped up in a loose way
with one leaf, ready to be put in the moulds used to shape the cigars by pressure or
ready to be covered and finished by hand.
A Machine of the same construction but of a smaller size may be used for making
cigarettes.
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. Constructing machines for manufacturing Cigars substantially as and for the
purpose described and set forth.
2. A machine for making cigars in which the materials of which the cigar is being
made are rolled in the fold of an endless apron upon the surface of a cylinder
substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. In a machine for making cigars the combination of the cylinder A, the
rollers D and E with the endless apron J substantially as described and set forth.
4. The manufacture of cigars by the means and in the manner hereinbefore described
and set forth.
D
1000
NEWNHAM BROWNE,
Agent for the Applicant.