Improvements in Cigar Bunching Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cigar Bunching Machines.
1, RICHARD INGER DEXTER of Havana House, The Park, Nottingham, Cigar
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention 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 improvements in cigar bunching machines and is
particularly applicable to the one described in my Specification No. 11647
A.D. 1890 and has for its object, the measuring & placing with more accuracy the
fillers (tobacco) required to fill the bunches or inside portion of cigars and also to
place the bunches in the mould without the operative having to toutch them in
any way.
Instead of having a fixed feeder containing the fillers, as is the usual custom I
have one which slides backwards & forwards on the top of a table, the feeder being
suitably guided and the whole of the bottom of it removed so that the fillers are
carried to and fro over an opening in the table. Below this opening there is a
carrier which holds sufficient of the fillers for the inside of one cigar. The carrier
then descends carrying the fillers to the apron and bunch wrapper; the lower part
of the carrier pressing the apron into a hollow in the rolling table. The carrier is
then opened and the fillers pushed through on to the wrapper by means of a presser
which is shaped and actuated to roughly compress the filler into the shape of the
cigar required. The presser then rises and moves clear of the carrier. after which
the carrier rises and the bunch is rolled in the usual manner.
At the end of the rolling table instead of being delivered into a receiver of the
usual kind the bunch is deposited into one of a special form fastned to a sliding
bar which carries the bunch over a mould into which it is pushed by a presser.
After the bunch receiver has been moved back for the next bunch, the mould block
is autimatically moved forward for the reception of the next bunch.
When all the moulds in the block are filled with bunches, there is a wedge comes
in contact with a truck and through suitable connections stops the machine, thus
allowing the operative to put in another mould block. In order to prevent any of
the fillers being thrown out of the apron during the commencement of its rolling I
have attatched the back end of the apron to a slide and actuate it by a suitable
cam which loosens the apron during the early part of its movement and then
tightens it after it has got over the hollow in the table. This arrangement enables
me to cover the fillers with the first roll of the wrapper, this being of great
importance in the production of good cigars. The bunch-receiver is formed in two
parts one of which is fastned to the bar carrying the receiver and the other part
fitted to slide to and fro from the fixed part. When the receiver is over the
bunch-mould the sliding part is acted upon by a cam and lever which presses the
two parts together before the bunch is pushed into the mould.
In order that my invention may be better understood I have annexed four
sheets of drawings, and the same letters refer to similar parts throughout the
several views.
Fig. 1. is a part elevation looking from the left end of the machine.
Fig. 2. is a front elevation of the entire machine with the exception of the feet
of the standards.
Fig. 3. is a section of the machine on the line X X of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4. is a plan of the arrangement for tightening the apron.
Fig. 5 is a section of the same.
Fig. 6 is a section of the filler-carrier when ready to receive the fillers.
Fig. 7 is a section of the filler-carrier when in position for the presser to pass

page_text: Fig. 8 is a back elevation of the filler-carrier.
Fig. 9 is a plan of the filler-carrier.
Fig. 10 is a plan of the opening on the top of the table.
Fig. 11 is a section of the opening on the top of the table C.
The standards A, A', are connected by the tables C & D and by stays E & E¹.
The cain-shaft F is supported by bearings on each of the standards also from the
'bracket G. The feeder H into which the fillers are placed is connected to the
cam H' by the levers and links h, h³, h², & h³ and is caused to move backwards and
forwards along the table C.
Inside the feeder there are rods R¹ & R³ carrying arms, and outside the feeder
the rods are fitted with small pinions which are geared together and also to a fixed
rack on the table C, so that as the feeder moves to and fro on the table the rods
are turned in opposite directions and through the arms on them agitate the fillers
and assist in filling the carrier J. The filler-carrier J is supported in slotted
ends of the levers & and is moved up and down by the cam J¹ to which it is
connected by the link and lever, & j*, the carrier being guided by the slots j³ & j
which are attatched to the table C. When the carrier J is in its top position the
back of it is held as shown in Fig. 6 by the balance weight J' and by the spring
which is fastned under the table C. As the carrier descends to the table D the
balance weight J holds the back in the same position until it is opened by coming
into contact with a stop J³ the parts being then in the position shewn in Fig. 7.
When smaller cigars are required, a piece of suitable thickness is fastned in the
carrier J as shewn by the dotted line at J' in Fig. 6. The back of the carrier
may be opened by a rocking lever actuated by a cam after the carrier J has
reached the table D. The presser P is carried by a slide P3 which is guided in a
lever P and is moved vertically by a lever p³ link pe lever p' and cam P*. The
lever P¹ is mounted upon a shaft p and is rocked to move the presser to and from
the carrier by links and levers p¹, p², p³, p', and cam P³. The presser is first
moved partly round the pin p to bring it over the recess in the table D, then it has
a downward movement passing it through the carrier J and pressing the fillers
into the bunch-wrapper after which it rises and again moves round the pin p to its
former position, thus allowing the carrier to rise past it and up to the table C.
The roller R Figs. 3, 4 & 5 for rolling the wrapper round the fillers is connected
to a slide m which is actuated similarly to the roller in other machines by the
levers, and links 3 & 4 from the cam R'.
The apron A³ is attatched to an adjusting roller M carried by a plate m which
is held upon the table D by screws, and moved to and fro by a cam M' through
the lever m³ and link m², the plate in being slotted at m' to allow of its movement.
The mould-block W is mounted upon a slide S which is moved to being a fresh
mould into position as required, by a ratchet paul S¹ cam S³ and levers and
links S³, S & S There is also a lever S for throwing the paul out of action
when it is required to move the slide S by hand. The side of the slide S is
provided with a wedge O which acts upon a lever O' when the moulds are full,
and through the levers and links 0, 0, O & O' throwing the driving belt on the
loose pulley and thus stops the machine. The full mould-block is then replaced
by an empty one and the belt thrown off the fast pulley by the lever 06, this
being made with a handle so that the machine can be stopped and started by hand.
The receiver L is attatched to a bar K fitted to slide in brackets k, k¹ and moved
to and fro by the cams K K and levers and links k³ k* k³ & k³.
The bunch-receiver is in two parts, the part being fastned to the sliding bar K
while the part is capable of sliding on pins carried by the fixed part. The
two pieces and of the receiver are held apart to receive the bunch by springs
on the pin but when the receiver is over the bunch-block on the slide S the
sliding part of the receiver is pressed towards the fixed part by a truck V which is
mounted on a lever V and actuated by a cam V' through the link and lever v & v².
The presser T for forcing the bunch through the receiver into the mould is in
plan the same shape as the cigar to be made, but is made a little longer in order

page_text: that the ends of the bunch may be well pressed into the mould and so form a
proper end and finish to the bunch. The presser is actuated from the cam T¹
by the links and levers t¹ 2 & 3 and is guided by the bracket t through which
it slides.
Where not otherwise described the return motions of the before mentioned levers
and other parts are caused by springs placed in suitable positions and are not
shewn in order to save complication in the drawings.
When making bunches by this machine the feeder H is charged with tobacco
(or fillers) and is first drawn over the opening in the table C and is then
moved to and fro across it. This movement of the feeder assisted by the
rods R R¹ causes the fillers to pass into the carrier J which at this time is
close to the underside of the table C. When the feeder H has made two or
three movements over the opening in the table C it is brought to its original
position towards the front of the machine, the bottom edge of the feeder clearing
any fillers partially in the feeder H and carrier J. During this time the atten-
dant has laid upon the apron A³ the tobacco leaf for the bunch-wrapper ready for
the carrier J to descend upon and discharge its contents into the same.
It will be
noticed there is a hollow in the table D and that the lower ends of the carrier J
are shaped similarly to this hollow for the purpose of depressing the apron A³
into the same.
When the carrier J has descended it is opened and the presser P swings over it
and then descends forcing the tobacco on the wrapper after which the presser P
ascends and swings clear of the carrier J which is then raised.
The roller R then comes forward and also the back support M of the apron A³,
this latter only moving sufficiently to prevent the fillers being thrown out of the
wrapper, and after the roller R has got over the hollow in the table, the back
support M of the apron A is moved back again.
The apron A then delivers the rolled bunch into the receiver L which
carries it over the moulds W on the slide S, and while in this position the
bunch is nipped by the receiver L and is then forced into the mould by the
presser T. The bunch is nipped while over the mould in order to further shape
it, and also to ensure its readily entering the moulds.
This cycle of operation is repeated until all the moulds in the block are filled
with bunches after which the machine is stopped automatically, the full block
replaced by an empty one and the machine restarted.
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. The construction of a feeder H for carrying the fillers and having a to and
fro motion, substantially as and for the purposes specified in the accompanying
drawings and Specifications.
2. The carrier J made with an adjustable capacity and fitted with a moveable
side substantially as shewn and described.
3. The general arrangement of the presser P for discharging the fillers from
the carrier, and the motion of the same.
4. The method of attatching the back of the apron A³ to a moveable slide and
the motion of the same for the particular purpose specified.
5. The general arrangement of a sliding receiver and its combination with the
mechanism for pressing the bunch and delivering the same.
6. The general arrangement of a cigar bunching machine constructed and
arranged substantially as shewn and described in the accompanying drawings and
Specifications.
Dated this 30th dex of Tan1900
W. H. POTTER,
Parliament Chambers, Nottingham, Agent for the Applicant.