Apparatus for Pressing or Moulding Cigars.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th June, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 7th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 11th Apr., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Pressing or Moulding Cigars.
I, MAX VAN GÜLPEN, Manufacturer, of Mülheim on the Rhine, in the
German Empire, do hereby declare the nature of said invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for pressing or moulding cigars, and it
consists of an arrangement in which the cigars are pressed into shape one by one
in a drum, barrel or cylinder, provided with the requisite press moulds; the cigar
being cut at both ends at the same time, and the end to place in the mouth being
flattened or marked in some distinctive way if desired and the finished cigar being
then expelled or discharged from the machine; and the said barrel or cylinder
being moved by a rotary motion step by step through the medium of a suitable
motor and shaft and intermediate gearing; all of which operations are performed
in a perfectly automatic manner from the rotary movement imparted by the
motor.
This apparatus can be advantageously employed at the discharge end of a cigar
rolling machine, so that the cigars as they are delivered from such machine drop
successively into the successive press moulds of the drum barrel or cylinder to be
therein pressed and cut or trimmed at the ends, the drum barrel or cylinder
moving or turning a step further as each cigar is delivered into a mould so that at
each movement a cigar is received, another is pressed into proper shape, and
otherwise operated upon as required, and another is discharged and so on
continuously.
The apparatus may be arranged in the following manner although I do not limit
myself to the precise details which I shall describe. Two eccentrics (secured to
the motor shaft) by means of their rods operate a cross bar to which there is
attached a stamp or die. The said stamp cross bar is adapted to reciprocate in
guides in a frame or frames carried by the motor shaft and as it is raised it carries
up with it a cross beam to which cutters are secured. This rising movement
continues until the cutter cross beam is arrested by spring controlled pawls which
are shifted laterally out of the way as the beam rises and compresses spiral springs
mounted upon vertical guide rods. The cutter beam may however, if preferred,
be so arranged as to be raised independently of the stamp bar by means of a cam
or the like, mounted upon the main shaft and operating a rod or bar connected
with the said beam.
To the eccentric rods, other shorter rods are pivotally attached and connected
with other cross bars which I will call the second and third cross bars and which
may also be provided with press dies and adapted to slide in guides in the frames.
A pusher is operated from the second cross bar, through rods or links, whilst the
third cross bar operates an upwardly extending rod for disconnecting the catch
which retains the cutter beam and a downwardly projecting feeding pawl which
engages with a ratchet wheel mounted upon a shaft or spindle carried in the
framing also carrying a toothed wheel with which, at the requisite times, a stop
engages. It will, however, be understood that the pusher as well as the cross
beam carrying the knives may, if preferred, be operated independently of the press
dies. Upon the said shaft or spindle carrying the ratchet and toothed wheels
there is carried a drum barrel or cylinder provided with press moulds. This drum
barrel or cylinder has to be arrested, and kept perfectly motionless, during the
pressing cutting and discharge of the cigars, and for this purpose the shaft or

page_text: spindle, whereon the said drum barrel or cylinder is mounted has its motion
checked. This is effected by means of a rod operated by a cam on the driving
shaft. The said rod is arranged to slide in guides secured to the frame, and to be
pushed into engagement with the toothed wheel on the shaft or spindle carrying
the drum barrel or cylinder and escapement wheel when the said cam is directed
downwardly; the engagement being effected by means of a nose or tappet carried
by the said rod and pressed down by a spring.
At the bottom of each of the moulds of the drum barrel or cylinder there is
provided a slide capable of being radially displaced or adjusted by means of pins
or pegs, engaging in corresponding apertures provided in the periphery of the
drum barrel or cylinder, while, within such drum barrel or cylinder, they are
connected to a plate between which and the inner wall of the drum barrel or
cylinder coiled springs are placed upon the said pins, such springs tending to keep
the slides down upon the bottoms of the moulds.
From the second cross bar, a rod extends downwards and is linked to a horizontal
rod, the opposite end of which is rigidly secured to a short spindle or pivot situated
within a bush in the frame. Upon the said pivot there is mounted an arm
extending downwards, its end engaging in a recess provided for the purpose in a
carriage or slide, which is arranged to travel along a bracket and carries an
adjustable pusher.
Supposing now that, for the time being, the apparatus is in the position in which
a cigar has been pressed into shape, both its ends have been cut, and the finished
cigar has just been expelled from the machine a fresh cigar, therefore, is just entering
the empty mould (say, from a cigar-rolling machine) the driving shaft continues to
turn, and the cross beam carrying the stamp or die is just about reaching its
lowermost position. Then, the pawl which till then had arrested the cutter
carrying beam is released, by reason of the rod actuated by the third cross bar as
aforesaid acting on the pawl so that the cutter beam is released and assisted by the
springs which have been compressed, descends, whereby the cutters or knives cut
or trim both ends of the cigar confined in the mould. As the die has thus
descended, a completed cigar has at the same time been expelled from the
apparatus.
In order to keep the cigars, whilst in the moulds and up to the time of their
arrival at the discharge mechanism, under the same pressure as that which has
been exercised upon them during the pressing operation, and so preserve their
shape, a small plate is placed upon each cigar that enters a mould, and kept down
under the requisite pressure by a presser, the said small plates being subsequently
expelled together with the cigars and preventing each cigar, after it has been
released from the action of the presser from swelling or expanding again.
The dies may at one end be provided with a raised portion and each of the
moulds at corresponding points, have an enlargement whereby the end of the cigar
to be placed in the mouth is flattened down, so that, in practice, there should be no
danger of its being lighted at the wrong end. The end of the cigar to be placed
in the mouth may, however, be marked or indicated in any other suitable manner,
either the moulds, the dies, or the small removable plates, above referred to, being
made serviceable for the purpose.
The cigars, may be of square section and with flat mouthpiece ends, or they may
be made of other shape for example cylindrical and provided with a flat mouth-
piece, or rectangular, with a cylindrical mouthpiece, the configuration of the dies
and moulds being varied accordingly. If required, arrangements may be made for
providing each cigar, at the pressing operation also with inscriptions giving for
example, the name of the manufacturer, the price, or other marking.
The apparatus with its supporting surfaces may be supported upon a stand or
table, which may also support a cigar rolling machine with its accessories.
Dated the 10th da
1005

page_text: Apparatus for Pressing or Moulding Cigars.
I, MAX VAN GÜLPEN, Manufacturer, of Mülheim on the Rhine, in the
German Empire, 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 apparatus for pressing or moulding cigars, and it consists
of an arrangement of mechanism comprising a drum or cylinder having recesses
or moulds in its periphery in which moulds the cigars are pressed into shape one
by one by a die or presser, the two ends of each cigar being simultaneously trimined
or cut and if desired one end of each cigar flattened or otherwise shaped to
indicate which end of the cigar is to be placed in the mouth. The moulds and
also the die may if desired be provided with means for impressing or marking the
cigars with a name trade mark or any other design or mark.
The finished cigars are expelled from the moulds one at a time while a cigar is
being pressed into shape.
The said drum or cylinder receives an intermittent partial rotary or step by
step motion through the medium of a motor and suitable gearing; the die and
expelling device being operated at the necessary intervals by means of cams or
eccentrics on the motor shaft and suitable connecting rods.
This pressing or shaping apparatus can be advantageously combined with a cigar
rolling machine, so that the cigars as they are delivered from such machine drop
successively into the successive moulds of the drum or cylinder, the said drum or
cylinder moving or turning a step further, after each cigar delivered from the
rolling machine into a mould has been pressed so that at each intermittent movement
of the drum or cylinder a cigar is received into one mould whilst another cigar is
being pressed into proper shape, and otherwise operated upon as required in another
mould and a finished cigar is being discharged from another of the moulds, and so
on continuously.
In order that my invention may be readily understood, and carried into practice,
I will further describe the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of
drawings in which :-
Figure is a side elevation partly in section, Figure 2 a vertical section on
line - Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a front elevation of an apparatus constructed
according to my invention, but I do not limit myself to the precise details of
construction illustrated and described.
Figure 4 shews in vertical section and in plan (drawn to a larger scale) one of
the moulds with the die therein and
Figures 5, 6 and 7 show some forms of cigars with modified forms of the end to
be placed in the mouth.
a is the driving or motor shaft from which motion is given to all the moving
parts of the apparatus the said shaft being mounted in bearings on the main frame
of a cigar rolling machine.
Secured to the motor shaft a are two eccentrics bbwhich by means of their
rods. 6operate a horizontal bar c to which there is attached a stamp or die d.
The said bar c with the stamp or die is adapted to reciprocate in guides el in a
frame or frames e carried by the moter shaft a and as the said bar is raised it
carries up with it a beam g to which cutters g' gl are secured.
This rising
movement continues until the beam y is arrested by spring controlled detents g² 9³.
which engage the beam when raised to the desired height spiral springs g³ mounted
upon vertical guide rods carried by the beam g being at the same time compressed.

page_text: The beam g may, if preferred, be so arranged as to be raised independently of the
barby means of a cam or the like, mounted upon the main shaft a and operating
a rod or bar connected with the said beam g.
To the eccentric rods b', 6', other shorter rods 63, 63 are pivotally attached and
connected with other horizontal bars c², which I will call the second and third
bars and which may also be provided with press dies and adapted to slide in
guides e, in the frames e. A pusher his operated from the second horizontal
bar through rods or links h³, 12, 1, whilst the third horizontal bar c³ operates an
upwardly extending rod i for disconnecting the detents g² from the beam g and also
a downwardly projecting pawl j which engages with a ratchet wheel k, mounted
upon a shaft or spindle carried in the frame e. The shaft or spindle also carries
a toothed wheel with which engages at the requisite times, a stop or detent n*,
to prevent the rotation of the said shaft.
It will, however, be understood that the pusher h as well as the beam g carrying
the knives g g' may, if preferred, be operated independently of the beams carrying
the dies. Upon the shaft or spindle is keyed the drum or cylinder m provided
in its periphery with recesses or moulds m. This drum or cylinder is required to
be arrested, and kept perfectly motionless during the pressing and cutting operations
and the discharging of the cigars from the moulds, and for this purpose the shaft
or spindle, whereon the said drum or cylinder is mounted has its motion arrested.
by means of the detent n which is fixed on a rod n¹ operated by a camn on the
driving shaft a, the rod n' being arranged to slide in guides n² secured to the
franie e, and the detent n' caused by springs n³ to engage with the toothed
wheel on the shaft or spindle 7, when the nose of the cam n is directed
downwardly ;-
At the bottom of each of the moulds m³ in the drum or cylinder m there is
provided a plate m² capable of being radially displaced or adjusted by means of
pins or pegs m³, engaging in corresponding apertures provided in the periphery of
the drum barrel or cylinder m, each of the said plates being connected to a
plate within such drum or cylinder. Between each plate m and the inner
wall of the drum or cylinder is a coiled spring m³, which springs tend to keep the
plates m² down upon the bottoms of the moulds m¹.
From the second horizontal bar c² the rod extends downwards and is linked to
one end of a horizontal rod 2, the opposite end of which rod is rigidly secured to a
rock shaft or spindle carried in a bush h³ on the frame e. Upon the said rock
shaft or spindle 4 there is also mounted an arm 7 extending downwards, its lower
end engaging in a recess provided for the purpose in a carriage or slide, which is
arranged to travel along a bracket o on the frame e, the said slide carrying an
adjustable pusher h, by which the finished cigars are expelled from the moulds.
Supposing now that the parts of the apparatus are in the position in which a
cigar has been pressed into shape, both its ends has been cut, and a finished cigar
has just been expelled from the machine, a fresh cigar, therefore, is just entering
the empty mould say, from a cigar-rolling machine w. The shaft a continuing to
turn, the cross beam e carrying the stamp or die d is just about reaching its lower-
most position, and the pawls g2 g² which till then had arrested the beam g carrying
the cutters g', are caused, by the rod i, actuated by the third horizontal bar
acting on the said pawls g2 92, to release the said beam g which then assisted by the
springs g³, which had been compressed, by the rising of the said beam, caused to
descend and the cutters g', g', cut or trim both ends of the cigar confined in the
mould m¹. At the same time that the die has completed its descent a finished cigar
is expelled from the apparatus by the pusher h.
In order to keep the cigars, whilst in the moulds and up to the time of their
arrival at the discharge mechanism, under the same pressure as that which has been
exercised upon them during the pressing operation, so as to preserve their shape,
a small plate may be placed upon each cigar that enters the moulds, and kept down
under the requisite pressure by a suitable presser, the said small plates being
subsequently expelled together with the cigars thereby preventing each cigar, after

page_text: it has been released from the action of the presser from swelling or expanding
again.
The dies d may be provided at one end with a raised portion d2 and the corre-
sponding end of each of the moulds m' may be provided with an enlargement.
whereby the end of the cigar which is to be placed in the mouth is flattened down
so that, in practice, there should be no danger of the cigars being lighted at the
wrong end. The end of the cigar to be placed in the mouth may, however, be
marked or indicated in any other suitable manner, either the moulds, the dies, or
the small removable plates, hereinbefore referred to, being made serviceable for
the purpose.
The cigars, may be of square section with flat mouthpiece ends, as shown in
Figure 5, or they may be made of other shape for example cylindrical and provided
with a flat mouthpiece as shewn in Figure 6, or they may be rectangular, with a
cylindrical mouthpiece, as shewn in Figure 7, the configuration of the dies d and
moulds m being varied accordingly. If required, arrangements such as is shewn
at d may also be provided whereby each cigar may receive by the pressing
operation an inscription trade mark or other design, for example, the name of the
manufacturer, the price, or other marking.
The apparatus may be mounted upon a stand or table, which may also support a
cigar rolling machine with its accessories.
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:-
1st. In apparatus for pressing or moulding cigars the combination of an inter-
mittently rotating drum or cylinder provided with moulds of the desired shape into
which moulds the cigars are placed or fed; a die or stamp caused to enter each
mould in succession to press the cigars placed therein; cutters arranged so as to
trim or cut the ends of the cigars while in the moulds; a pusher by which the
finished cigars are expelled from the moulds, and means for imparting motion to.
the several parts substantially as herein before described.
2nd. In apparatus for pressing or moulding cigars the combination of a drum or
cylinder having in its periphery recesses or moulds in which the cigars receive
pressure from a stamp or die operated by means of eccentrics on the driving shaft,
the said eccentric also giving intermittent partial rotary motion through suitable
connections to the said drum or cylinder and also reciprocating motions to a device
for expelling the finished cigars from the moulds, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
3rd. In apparatus for pressing or moulding cigars, the combination of an inter-
mittently rotatable drum or cylinder having recesses or moulds in which the cigars
are pressed, a beam carrying knives or cutters for trimming the ends of the cigars
while in the moulds means for imparting reciprocating motion to the said beam and
cutters; a detent or hook for arresting the movement of the bean and cutters,.
while the drum or cylinder is moving; and a device for releasing the said beam
to admit of its descent at the required periods substantially as hereinbefore.
described.
4th. In apparatus for pressing or moulding cigars the combination with the drum
or cylinder m having recesses, or moulds in which the cigars are pressed, of a
borizontal bar (c³) connected by links (63) to the rods (6') of eccentrics on the-
driving shaft (a) a pawl () pivotted to the bar e and engaging the teeth of a
ratchet wheel on the shaft or spindle which carries the drum or cylinder m, the
said pawl and ratchet wheel imparting to the said drum or cylinder a motion of
partial rotation each time the bar (3) is raised; and a notched or toothed wheel (¹).
on the drum shaft or spindle with which wheel a detent (n) is caused to engage to
retain the drum or cylinder stationary while the pressing operation is taking place,.
substantially as hereinbefore described.
5th. In apparatus for pressing or moulding cigars a drum or cylinder having.

page_text: recesses. or moulds in which the cigars are pressed by a die or plunger, the said
moulds and die or plunger being shaped so as to form one end of each cigar to a
different shape to the main part of the cigar for the purpose of indicating which
end of the cigar is to be placed in the mouth in combination or not with means for
simultaneously stamping each cigar with a descriptive or distinguishing symbol,
such as a name, trade mark, price or the like, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
6th. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting an apparatus for
pressing or moulding cigars substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 7th day of March 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, Londou, W.C., Agents.