IMPROVEMENTS IN CIGARETTES AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME."
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Evans, of Denbigh Street, Pimlico, in the County of
Middlesex, Joiner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CIGARETTES AND
IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Evans at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th January 1877.
JOHN EVANS, of Denbigh Street, Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex, Joiner.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CIGARETTES AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS FOR MANU-
FACTURING THE SAME.
"
This Invention relates to an improved manufacture of cigarette, and also to a
peculiar combination or arrangement of portable apparatus for making the same,
and consists, as regards the cigarette, in introducing into the inner end of the mouth-
piece thereof, either at the time of its manufacture or subsequently, a circular wad
of cardboard or other suitable material either perforated with one or more holes or
made with notches round the periphery, its object being to prevent the tobacco
from being drawn into the mouth when smoking whilst at the same time it leaves
the draught unimpeded. These wads are cut and perforated at one operation by a
pair of punching nippers, one of the jaws of which cuts the edge of the wad whether
circular or notched by being made with a corresponding cutting edge whilst it also
serves (when required) to punch the perforation in the wad by having a central
punching spindle fitted in the said jaw, this jaw being made tubular to receive
each wad as it is punched and cut. A spring surrounding the edge of the lower
jaw serves to lift the material after each cut and thus free the wad.
The peculiar apparatus which I propose to employ for making the herein-before
described improved cigarettes, and which is also applicable for making ordinary
cigarettes with or without mouth-pieces, consists of, say, six or other convenient
number of fluted or roughened rollers of metal, hard wood, or other suitable material,
four of such rollers being made to turn in fixed bearings at each end in a fixed
frame or holder, whilst the other two rollers turn in bearings in a hinged frame or
support which may or may not form the lid or cover of the case containing the rest
of the apparatus. The said rollers are disposed perfectly parallel to each other and
are so grouped as to form, when the two upper ones are closed down, a central

page_text: chamber with revolving sides. On one end of each of the several rollers there is
fitted a toothed pinion or friction wheel, all of which gear into or work in contact
with a central driving pinion or friction wheel which should by preference contain
about three more teeth than the pinions of the rollers. On the axis of this central
driving pinion or wheel there is mounted so as to turn freely thereon a short
cylindrical mandril of a diameter corresponding to the internal diameter of the
paper tube of the finished cigarette, the said mandril being situate in the central
chainber formed by the surrounding rollers. A small winch handle or other well
known contrivance is fitted to the outer end of the axis of the driving wheel or
pinion for the purpose of turning the same by hand. At the opposite end of the
said central chamber there is provided another revolving mandril on which the
mouth-piece is formed of the same diameter as the first mandril, and turning freely
in a notch or bearing in the fixed framing of the apparatus, the said mandril being
provided with a projecting knob or handle outside for the facility of removing and
replacing the same when required. Both the mandrils derive their rotary motion
solely by their frictional contact with the surrounding rollers.
On the inner end of the last-mentioned or removeable mandril there is formed a
central projecting stud for receiving the perforated wad before referred to when
making a cigarette with mouth-piece. A guide is provided in front of this mandril
for suitably guiding thereto the strip of paper which forms the mouth-piece by
being wound thereon. A long slit in a smooth surface feeding plate or table allows
a piece of sponge or other suitable absorbent material or a portion of a roller of
such material to project slightly, the said sponge or roller being contained within a
chamber beneath for the reception of liquid gum or other suitable adhesive cement
for the purpose of gumming the edge of the cigarette paper as it is laid upon the
table ready for being rolled round the tobacco.
In making a cigarette with a mouth-piece a wad is first fitted on to the end of
the mouth-piece mandril and the requisite quantity of tobacco introduced into the
central chamber, the top rollers are then closed down and the handle is turned so
as to drive all the rollers in the same direction. This has the effect of rolling the
tobacco into the requisite cylindrical form. The paper for the mouth-piece, pre-
viously gummed, is then guided to its mandril and wound thereon, after which the
thin paper for enclosing the tobacco is placed upon the table with one edge upon
On closing
the saturated sponge and the other projecting over the roll of. tobacco.
down the top rollers and rotating the handle the said paper is coiled round the
tobacco and the cigarette is completed. The top rollers are then raised, the remove-
able mandril with the cigarette lifted out, the mandril withdrawn from the mouth-
piece (leaving the wad behind) and replaced in the central chamber with a fresh
wad upon it ready for the next cigarette.
When making a cigarette without a mouth-piece, a shorter removeable mandril
may be employed, and in order to admit of cigarettes of different lengths being
made the removeable mandril may be mounted on a spindle made to slide in or out
of the projecting knob or handle, according to the length of cigarette required.
A drawer is provided beneath the rollers for the reception of any loose tobacco
that may fall between them. The whole may be enclosed in an outer casing of any
desired form or design.
I may observe in conclusion that I am aware that it has been proposed to employ
rollers grouped so as to form a central chamber for rolling cigars and cigarettes and
therefore I do not claim this separately as my Invention

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Evans in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 10th July 1877.
JOHN EVANS, of Denbigh Street, Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex, Joiner.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CIGARETTES AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS FOR MANU-
FACTURING THE SAME."
My said Invention relates to an improved manufacture of cigarettes, and also to
a peculiar combination or arrangement of portable apparatus for making the same,
applicable also for the making of ordinary cigarettes by manual labour or otherwise.
Figure 1 of the explanatory Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed represents a
partial longitudinal section of a cigarette made according to my Invention. I
introduce into the mouth-piece a a perforated or notched disc b (see Figure 2) by
coiling or forming the mouth-piece a over the said disc which is left inside the
mouth-piece on the withdrawal of the mandril as herein-after explained. The
object of the said disc is to dispense with the separate operation of plugging the
mouth-piece with cotton, wool, or other material as heretofore practised for pre-
venting the tobacco from being drawn into the mouth of the smoker, at the same
time leaving the draught unimpeded. These dises may be cut and perforated at
one operation by a pair of punching nippers, one of the jaws of which cuts out the
edge of the disc (whether circular or notched), it being made with a corresponding.
shaped cutting edge, whilst it also serves (when required) to perforate the disc by
having a central punching spindle fitted in the said jaw; this jaw being made
tubular to receive each disc as it is punched and cut. A spring surrounding the edge
of the lower jaw (which is provided with a solid projection fitting accurately inside
the hollow punch or cutter) serves to lift the material after each cut and thus free
the cut disc therefrom, the said discs accumulating inside the hollow cutter and
being removed from time to time. I do not confine myself to this particular.
arrangement of cutter or punching tool, neither do I claim the same as forming a
part of my Invention, as many forms of cutters may obviously be adapted for the
purpose required.
The peculiar arrangement of portable apparatus or cigarette making machine
which I propose to employ for making the herein-before described improved cigarettes,
and which is also applicable for making ordinary cigarettes with or without mouth-
piece, is illustrated (full size) by Figures 3 to 10 inclusive of my Drawings, which I
shall now proceed more particularly to refer to.
Figure 3 represents a transverse vertical section of my peculiar portable cigarette
machine taken along the line 1-2 in Figure 4. Figure 4 represents a longitudinal
vertical section of the machine taken along the line 3-4, in Figure 3. Figure 5 is
an end elevation and vertical section taken along the line 5-6 in Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a plan corresponding to Figure 3, showing one-half of the machine with
its hinged top open or thrown back; and Figure 7 is a similar view of the opposite
half, showing the driving end of the machine corresponding to Figure 5. In
Figures 3, 4, and 5, the hinged part of the machine and parts connected therewith
is shown open or turned back (in dotted lines in Figures 3 and 5) into the position
required when charging the machine with tobacco. Figures 8, 9, and 10 are
separate details of the parts which will be described and referred to. in due course.
This machine is adapted for being worked by a small winch handle or its
equivalent, and consists of a portable frame or holder which may be in the form of
a box or frame a of wood, metal, or other suitable material, more or less ornamented
to taste. This box or frame is provided with a hinged top or frame b, and contains
a convenient number (by preference six) of fluted or roughened rollers c, c, of metal,
hard wood, or other suitable material, four of such rollers (when six are employed)
being made to turn in fixed bearings at the two opposite ends of the box or frame a,
whilst the other two roliers turn in like bearings in the corresponding ends of the
hinged top or frame b, which may or may not form the lid or cover of the box or
frame containing the rest of the apparatus. The said rollers c, c, are disposed

page_text: perfectly parallel to each other, and are so grouped as to form, when the two upper
ones are closed down, a central chamber with revolving sides. On one end of each
of the several rollers there is fitted a toothed pinion or friction wheel d, d, all of
which independently gear into or work in contact with a central driving pinion or
friction wheel e, which should, by preference, contain about three more teeth than
the pinions of the rollers. On the axis of this central driving pinion or wheel there
is mounted, so as to turn freely thereon, a short cylindrical mandril ƒ (shown in
detail at Figure 8), of a diameter corresponding to the internal diameter of the thin
paper covering or envelope of the finished cigarette. This mandril is situate at one
end of the central chamber formed by the surrounding rollers c, c. A small winch
handle g, or other well known contrivance, is fitted to the outer end of the axis of
the central driving wheel or pinion e, for the purpose of turning the same by hand.
At the opposite end of the said central chamber there is provided another revolving
mandril (shown in detail at Figure 9), on which the mouth-piece is formed; it
turns freely in a notch or bearing in the end of the box or framing of the.
apparatus, and is provided with a projecting knob or handle at its outer end, for
the facility of removing and replacing the same when required. Both the mandrils
revolve loosely, and derive their rotary motion by friction from the surrounding
rollers.
On the inner end of the last mentioned or removeable mandril there is formed a
small central projecting stud i for receiving the perforated disc (Figure 2) herein-
before referred to, when making a cigarette with a mouth-piece. k is a guide or
directing slit provided in the lid or other convenient part of the box or frame, and
situate in front of the mandril h, for the purpose of accurately guiding thereto the
strip of paper, which is intended to form the mouth-piece or tube of the cigarette
by being wound round the said mandril. A long slit m made in the smooth surface
of the feeding plate or table n allows a piece of sponge, cloth, or other suitable
absorbent material, or a portion of a roller of such material, to project slightly above
such feeding plate, the said sponge or roller being contained within a chamber or
reservoir o beneath, for the reception of water or of liquid gum, or other suitable
adhesive cement, for the purpose of damping or gumming the edge of the thin
cigarette paper as it is laid upon the table ready for being rolled round the
tobacco.
In making my improved cigarette by this machine a disc b (Figure 2) is first
fitted on to the end of the mouth-piece mandril h, which is then placed in position,
as shown in Figure 4, and the requisite quantity of tobacco is to be introduced into
the central chamber, between the surrounding rollers c, c; the two top rollers are
then brought over the four bottom rollers and their pinions caused to engage with
the teeth in the central driving wheel by closing down the lid or hinged frame b
(see Figures 3 and 5); the end of the strip of paper for forming the mouth-piece is
then inserted into the guide or slit k, and the handle g turned so as to drive the
central wheel e in the direction of the arrow, and cause all the rollers c, c, to revolve
one way. This has the effect of forming the mouth-piece and of rolling the tobacco
at the same time into the requisite cylindrical form, whilst slightly compressing the
same in readiness to receive the thin paper envelope. The lid b is again opened,
and the thin paper for enclosing the tobacco is placed in position upon the table n,
with one edge upon the saturated sponge projecting through the slot m, and the
other edge lying over the roll of tobacco in the central chamber, as shown by the
dotted lines in Figures 6 and 7. On closing down the top rollers again and rotating
the handle the said paper is coiled round the tobacco and mouth-piece, and the
cigarette is completed, the edge of the paper being secured by the gum or cement
already applied; the top rollers are then raised, the removable mandril h with the
finished cigarette upon it is lifted out of the box or case and withdrawn from the
mouth-piece (leaving the disc inside), after which the mandril is replaced in the
central chamber, with a fresh dise upon it, ready for the next cigarette. If desired
the cigarette may be made without the perforated disc.
I
When making a cigarette without a mouth-piece a shorter removeable mandril h

page_text: (Figure 10) may be employed; and in order to admit of cigarettes of different
lengths being made this mandril may be mounted on a spindle p made to slide
along, and be secured by a pinching screw, or otherwise, in any position in the
projecting knob or handle q, according to the length of cigarette required. This
knob q is grooved annularly, to form a journal to fit the slot or bearing in the end
of the box or casing.
A drawer may be provided beneath the rollers c, c, for the reception of any
loose tobacco that may fall between them, and the whole apparatus may be enclosed
in an outer casing of any desired form or design.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I
would observe, in conclusion, that I am aware that it has been proposed to employ
rollers grouped together and driven from a central wheel, such rollers forming
central chamber for rolling cigars and cigarettes, and therefore I do not claim such
an arrangement or application of rollers as constituting separately any part of my
said Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim
as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,-
First. A cigarette having a perforated or notched disc 6 of cardboard, or other
suitable material, rolled inside the mouth-piece thereof, substantially as herein-before
described.
Secondly. In a portable cigarette-making machine I claim the combination of the
box or frame a, the hinged part b, the rollers c, c, the guide or slit k, and the gum
or water reservoir and pad o, as and for the purpose herein-before described.
Thirdly. The peculiar combination and arrangement of the rollers c, c, and
removeable mandril h, as and for the purpose herein-before described.
Fourthly. The peculiar combination of the rollers c, c, and loose mandril f, as and
for the purpose herein-before described.
Fifthly. The peculiar combination and arrangement of the rollers c, c, the
removeable or mouth-piece mandril h, and the loose mandril f, as and for the
purpose herein-before described.
Sixthly. The peculiar combination and arrangement of the box or frame a, the
hinged part b, the rollers c, c, the guide or slit k, the gum or water reservoir and
pad o, the removeable mandril h, and the loose mandril f, when arranged to operate
together, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated
by my Drawings.
Seventhly. The adjustable removeable mandril h¹ in combination with the loose
mandril fand rollers c, c, as and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Evans, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
EDWIN P. ALEXANDER,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
14, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane,
W.C.
JOHN EVANS. (L.S.)