Improvements in and Apparatus for Parcelling Tobacco to Serve the Purpose of a Packet and Pouch.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 26th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 26th Jan., 1889
Improvements in and Apparatus for Parcelling Tobacco to Serve
the Purpose of a Packet and Pouch.
I GEORGE WILCOX of 141 Rochdale Road, Harpurhey near Manchester, Tobacco
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is so to parcel or put up tobacco in a sheet of paper
or other suitable material that it not only serves the purpose of a rectangular or
cylindrical packet for enclosing the same but when once opened can be used as a
convenient pouch to contain the tobacco and as a substitute for the india rubber and
other pouches which have hitherto been specially employed for the purpose.
In performing my invention I first form a continuous length of paper (or other
suitable material employed for the purpose) into a flat tubular form and paste or gum
the overlapping edges together. I then cut off the requisite length of this tube to
form my improved packet and at the same time I slit such tube partially down each
side, the cut terminating at such an angle that the sheet is capable of being turned
inside out.
This effected it will be found that the one side of the end of the paper tube overlaps
the other and will hereafter form the overlapping flaps or cover to the mouth of the
pouch. I then roll this inverted sheet round the usual funnel or other apparatus to
form the packet, and fill with tobacco in the usual way. The ends of the packet
are then turned in and fastened by a label or secured in any other convenient
manner.
The opening of the packet so made as aforesaid, is effected by turning back the over-
lapping flaps when the contents are exposed to view and may be removed gradually
and so the packet be used as a pouch.
Instead of forming a tube as aforesaid, I sometimes employ a sheet of paper or other
material suitably stamped or cut to the required shape so that one edge forms the flap
on the one side and the other the flap on the other side of the mouth of the packet or
pouch. This paper (after being gummed where required) is then introduced into the
filling machine the first action of which is to lower a sheet metal block of suitable

page_text: length and shape by preference semi-cylindrical or square which doubles up the paper
to the desired width to form the packet. The next action of the machine is to turn
in and fold over the ends of the packet which is effected by a pair of side folders
and a bottom folder each actuated by cams on a central shaft and "timed" to retire
one after the other in proper succession. The ends so folded in are gummed together
either by the machine itself permitting a drop of gum or other suitable adhesive
matter to escape through an orifice immediately before the bottom folder performs its
functions or the folded ends may be secured by a gummed label. The packet is thus
formed and ready for the tobacco to be introduced through the now opened mouth.
This accomplished a presser similar in shape to the block descends under the action of
a lever into the packet and presses the tobacco and holds the same whilst the sheet
metal block rises out of contact with the packet and then such presser also rises and
permits the packet to be removed either before or after folding over the double flaps
hereinbefore described.
JOHN G. WILSON,
Patent Office,
55, Market Street, Manchester,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: the Purpose of a Packet and Pouen.
I GEORGE WILCOX of 141 Rochdale Road, Harpurhey near Manchester Tobacco
Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The object of this invention is so to parcel or put up tobacco in a sheet of paper or
other suitable material that it not only serves the purpose of a rectangular or
cylindrical packet for inclosing the same but when once opened can be used' as a
convenient pouch to contain the tobacco and as a substitute for the india rubber and
other pouches which have hitherto been specially employed for the purpose.
In performing my invention I first form a continuous length of paper (or other
suitable material employed for the purpose) into a flat tubular form and paste or gum
the overlapping edges together. I then cut off the requisite length of this tube
to form my improved packet and at the same time I slit such tube partially down
each side the cut terminating at such an angle that the sheet is capable of being turned
inside out.
This effected it will be found that the one side of the end of the paper tube over-
laps the other and will hereafter form the overlapping flaps or cover to the mouth of
the pouch, I then roll this inverted sheet round the usual funnel or other apparatus to
form the packet and fill with tobacco in the usual way. The ends of the packet are
then turned in and fastened by a label or secured in any other convenient manner.
The opening of the packet so made as aforesaid is effected by turning back the
overlapping flaps when the contents are exposed to view and may be removed gradually
and so the packet be used as a pouch.
Instead of forming a tube as aforesaid I sometimes employ a sheet of paper or other
material suitably stamped or cut to the required shape that one edge forms the flap on
the one side and the other the flap on the other side of the mouth of the packet or
pouch. This paper (after being gummed where required) is then introduced into the
filling machine the first action of which is to lower a sheet metal block of suitable
length and shape by preference either semi-cylindrical or square which doubles up the
paper to the desired width to form the packet. The next action of the machine is to
turn in and fold over the ends of the packet against the outside ends of the block
which is effected by a pair of side folders and a bottom folder each actuated by cams
on a central shaft and timed " to retire one after another in proper succession.
The ends so folded in are gummed together either by the machine itself permitting a
drop of gum or other suitably adhesive matter to escape through an orifice immediately
before the bottom folder performs its function or the folded ends may be secured by a
gummed label, or the ends secured after leaving the machine. The packet is thus
formed and ready for the Tobacco to be introduced through the now open mouth.
This accomplished a presser similar in shape to the block descends under the action of
a lever into the packets and presses the tobacco and holds the same whilst the sheet

page_text: metal block rises out of contact with the packet and then such presser also rises and
permits the packet to be removed either before or after folding over the double flaps
hereinbefore described.
On the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of a piece of
the tubing of paper or other suitable material from which my improved packets are
made with the overlapping edges-pasted or gummed together as hereinbefore
described. This view represents the requisite length of this tubing cut off from a
continuous piece to form one of my improved packets and with the two sides as
indicated by the dotted lines slit up and with the cuts continued at an angle and
terminating at the points 6 to facilitate the tube being turned inside out as
illustrated in Fig. 3. It will now be observed that the one side of the end of the
paper tube marked 5 in this view overlaps the other marked 6 and these over-
lapping parts will hereafter form the flaps or cover to the mouth of the packet.
This inverted sheet or tube is now ready to be rolled round the usual funnel or other
apparatus to form the packet and is filled with tobacco and the ends turned in in
the usual way and fastened by a wafer 8 label or may be gummed or pasted or
otherwise fastened up in any convenient manner. Fig. 4 represents a perspective
view of my improved packet as so completed. The opening of the packet so made
as aforesaid is effected by turning back the overlapping flaps when the contents are
exposed to view and may be removed gradually and so the packet be used as a pouch.
In some cases I attach an additional length of the paper or other material employed
to the outside or overlapping flaps and thus I increase the covering capacity of such
flaps.
And in order that this my said invention may be the more readily understood and
carried into practical effect I have also hereunto annexed a drawing of a filling
machine embracing my improvements. Fig. 5 is a side sectional view of my improved
machine. Fig. 6 is a front sectional view of Fig. 5 on the line and Figs. 7 and 8
are also side sectional views of the same machine shewing the parts in different
positions. Fig. 9 represents a plan view of the stamped paper or material from
which the packets are made in accordance with this part of my invention.
This machine consists essentially of a frame work a in which is mounted a central
shaft which carries the necessary cams for operating the several parts upon the top
or table of this framework is a curved block e upon the ends of which are mounted
a pair of segmental folders d and d (the ends of which are provided with curved
projections e e which are weighted so as to open self-actingly and so lie flat as seen in
Fig. 5 to allow the stamped or cut sheet of paper see Fig. 9 from which the
packet is to be made to be laid across them, the operator being governed in doing
so by a pair of guide pins ff which correspond with the angles marked f¹f in
Fig. 9 and g are a pair of right and left hand side folders mounted upon the
axles g.
52
These folders have a segmental motion imparted to them by being connected
to frames g2 swinging upon a cross bar g³ which connects the corresponding folders
on each side of the machine together and. these frames are operated in turn by
having orifices in their centres through which pass the operating cams which
are formed as illustrated and "timed to advance and retire the folders gg one
after another in proper succession. The two bottom folders ii which are hinged
in position are operated simultaneously by a cam pressing down both the longer
arms of a pair of bell crank levers jj and so causing their shorter arms to press
upon the backs of and to turn up such bottom folders ii against the ends of the
block hereinafter described and so to fold in the bottom overhanging parts of the
doubled paper.
The sheet metal block khereinafter called the hopper block corresponds in
length and width with the packet to be made and is designed at the ends to
correspond with a section of the bottom half of the packet desired. In the drawing
I illustrate this packet of a cylindrical form but it will be obvious that it may be
formed of a rectangular octagonal or other desired shape by modifying the forming
parts of the mechanism accordingly-this hopper block k is mounted at the extremity

page_text: of an arm branching from a vertical slide & guided up and down in grooves and
which slide is operated by being connected through a connecting rod with an
arm m upon a lower shaft n to lower the hopper block k on to the paper and to the
position indicated in Fig. 7. The operator turns down the lever handle o (affixed
upon the front extremity of the same lower shaft n) to the lowest position.
Mounted in a similar set of guide grooves p' behind the hopper slide is a similar
slide p which is also provided with a projecting arm p³ and carries at its front extremity
a plunger similarly shaped on its under side to the curve of the packet. This plunger
is designed to be lowered at the proper instant (and which may be effected by a lever
treadle or equivalent mechanism applied to its slide p) into the inside of the hopper
block after the tobacco is introduced and thus presses the tobacco into the desired
complete circular form and holds the same whilst the hopper block rises a short
distance out of contact with the packet when the two slides by having projections s
and t upon their opposite faces (which at this instant come in contact) proceed to rise
together to their highest or starting points indicated in Figs. 5 and 6.
The action of my improved mechanism and method of parcelling tobacco therein
may be thus described.
Å sheet of the stamped or cut paper u being placed upon the block c the hopper
block is lowered into contact therewith and in descending has by coming against
the projections e e upon the segmental folders d & d' so caused the same to turn
partially upon their axes as illustrated in Fig. 8 and thus has doubled up the exposed
front and back extremities of the paper u closely against the outside of the front and
back of the hopper block k, as illustrated in Fig. 7.
The tobacco in desired quantity or weight is now introduced into the hopper / the
winch handle upon the central shaft is then turned in the direction of the arrow in
Fig. 6 so setting in motion the side and bottom folders which turn in and fold over
the ends of the packet against the outside ends of the block the right hand folder g as
seen in Fig. 8 first performs its function and then retires whilst the left hand folder
comes forward and upon retiring being immediately followed by the bottom
folders i i.
This accomplished the next action is the withdrawal first of the hopper k and second
of the plunger which is effected by raising the operating arm o of the lower shaft
to its highest position as hereinbefore described.
The operator is now free to close in the packet which is done by his first turning
in with his fingers the end flaps after which he presses forward the front segmental
folder and thus folds the front flap of the packet inwards and to the same
cylindrical curve as the block he then draws over the back segmental folder d' and
so folds over the back flap-this operation completing the circular or cylindrical form.
of the packet. Fig. 10 shews a perspective view of the complete packet.
The front segmental folder d is capable of sliding upon the top of the table and is
now drawn back to allow of the fastening of the flap which may be effected by
gumming, by an india rubber band, or in any other convenient manner.
If the ends have not been previously pasted by gum or other adhesive matter
being applied during the folding operation the packet may be taken out of
the machine and the said ends be secured by gumming sealing or by any other
convenient means.
The essential feature of my invention is thus the parcelling of tobacco in paper
or other suitable materials stamped or cut into the required shape to form over-
lapping flaps to the packet and whereby the mouth of the packet is protected and
the packet after being opened is capable of being conveniently closed up again and
used repeatedly as a pouch or receptacle to contain the tobacco whilst being used.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. The improved method of parcelling tobacco in wrappers or covers of paper
or other suitable material so formed with flaps that the packet when opened is

page_text: capable of being used as a tobacco pouch or receptacle substantially as hereinbefore
described.
2nd. The improved combination and arrangement of mechanism for parcelling
tobacco substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated on the accompanying
drawings.
3rd. In a machine for parcelling tobacco the employment of segmental folders and
side and end folders all operating substantially as and for the purposes herein before
described and illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
4th. In the parcelling of tobacco the employment of paper or other suitable
materials so stamped or cut as to form flaps to a packet substantially as hereinbefore
described.
1