AN IMPROVED CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE
Year: 1885

page_text: I, FREDERICK BARKER HILL of 29 Billington Street New Cross Gate London, S.E.
engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVED CIGARETTE
MAKING MACHINE to be as follows:
My improvements consist in the construction of a machine by which cigarettes
can be manufactured of any desired shape and uniform density The machine
consists of the following parts-A hopper in which is placed the tobacco preferably
with its fibres running lengthwise, so that they would still run lengthwise in
the cigarette to enable it to be made denser and therefore more durable. This
hopper is so constructed that the required quantity of tobacco necessary for a given
size and number of cigarettes is carried forward and compressed at one time in the
form of a rope or band; and delivered by an endless band through rollers into a
moulder which when the cigarette is to be circular in shape, by preference revolves
to facilitate the delivery of the tobacco. The tobacco thus moulded is forced
forward by means of rollers into a receptacle where it is enwrapped with the
paper. This receptacle, is so made and arranged that it draws the paper from a roll
and twists it round the tobacco rope or band: The adhesive material is applied by
means of a band or pen which slightly raises the outer edge of the paper and leaves
a small quantity of the adhesive materiál. The edge is then pressed down by
ineans of a roller preferably of India rubber. The completed rope or band may
then be cut into cigarettes of the required lengths with the certainty of their being
uniform the entire length. The cutter is made by preference to travel at the same
speed as the rope or band so that the required length may be cut without in
any way compressing or upsetting the so formed completed rope or band. The
cigarettes when made round can afterwards be altered by means of rollers to any
required shape.

page_text: I, FREDERICK BARKER HILL of 29 Billington Street, New Cross, engineer, 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:
My invention relates to apparatus for the manufacture of cigarettes and is
illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1. represents a side elevation.
2
"
"
3
"
"
a sectional end view.
a plan.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
The construction and action of the machine are as follows:
a is a horizontal frame on which are placed four driving shafts numbered 1. 2. 3
and 4 b is a hopper in the form of a vertical shoot into which the tobacco which is
to be made into cigarettes is placed, and down which it is pressed by means of a
weight or carried by means of a continuous travelling band to the bottom of the said
hopper b where it is cut into slices by a knife or cutter 6' The slices of tobacco
are then forced from beneath the knife by a rammer 6° The knife and rammer
are relatively actuated at the required time by means of eccentrics 6s on the
shaft No 2. Previous to the action of the rammer 6* in forcing the slices of tobacco
from beneath the knife b' a hammer c is raised by the spindles c³ which spindles
are actuated by the cams c¹ on shaft No 2. When the hammer o is at its highest
point the slice of tobacco is forced from beneath the knife b' by the rammer 6¹ and
against the stop plate d. On the cams c¹ continuing their motion the spindles c*
are released and the hammer c falls and forces the tobacco on to the continuous
travelling band a. The strip of tobacco which has now assumed a rectangular
section is carried by the continuous band e, (which is actuated by the train of
gearing fon shaft No 2), through the "former" g where by passing under two loose
grooved wheels g¹ and g' the strip of tobacco is rolled into a circular section.
While this is taking place a fresh slice of tobacco is being cut off from the supply
in the hopper b and pressed into a rectangular form and this motion is so timed
that the front end of the second strip, and the rear end of the preceding one are
lapped and pressed into a continuous rope or band by the action of the hammer c.
The strip of tobacco after leaving the "former" g is carried forward by the con-
tinuous bande which passes over the rollers h and by this means passes the tobacco
onto a continuous strip of paper i which is supplied from the roll ¹. The paper
with the tobacco on it is then drawn by means of the cutting off gear n, (as shown
in drawing) _ or by means of rollers through the "former" k. which by reason of its
curved shape wraps the paper around the tobacco keeping the outside edge of the
paper raised clear for the purpose of bringing it into contact with the gummer l.
This gummer consists of a continuous tape A driven by the shaft No. 3, and
passing over a roller in the gum receptacle 1. This raised edge of the paper is
brought into contact with the travelling tape ♬ and thereby receives from it a thin
film of adhesive matter. m is a revolving cylinder containing one or more brushes

page_text: and actuated by the wheel m¹ on shaft No and the pinion No Zon the revolving
cylinder m. The action is to tighten the paper around the tobacco and at the same
time press the gummed edge of the paper causing it to form a continuous tube
around the tobacco. n is an arrangement for giving a forward motion to the con-
tinuous rope of tobacco envelloped in paper and also cutting it into the lengths
required for cigarettes. This arrangement consists of an endless band or chain n'
carring a number of clamps n which clamps press one against the other, and are
kept shut by a fixed closing guide n°. Each clamp contains a knife n³ which knife
is forced through the rope of tobacco envelloped in paper by passing the roller n
These clamps are driven by racks attached to their tops and gearing with the
pinions n which are driven by the mitre wheels n' on shaft number 3. After the
clamps have passed the roller n' they open by means of a spring or other contrivance
attached to each clamp and so release the cigarette.
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
my claim is
An apparatus for the rapid and continuous making of cigarettes by forming the
tobacco into an endless rope and envelloping it in a continuous strip of paper and
by cutting the said rope into the required lengths by means of travelling cutters
substantially as described and as shown in the drawings.