Improvements in Mechanism for Cutting Cigarettes to the Desired Length in Cigarette-making Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 4th Feb., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 4th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 9th Dec., 1899
Improvements in Mechanism for Cutting Cigarettes to the Desired
Length in Cigarette-making Machines.
We, THE COMPAGNIE CONTINENTALE POUR L'EXPLOITATION DES MACHINES À
FABRIQUER LES CIGARETTES, of 47B, rue Heyvaert, Brussels, Belgium, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to cigarette-making machines that produce a con-
tinuous cigarette which is cut into sections of the desired length before it leaves
the machine, and according thereto mechanism is provided which causes the
knife to follow the continuous movement of the cigarette whilst it is cutting
the latter into sections so as to prevent the tearing of the paper, and means
are also provided for preventing the breakage of the knife or of any other part
of the machine if a hard body, such as a nail for example, be enclosed in the
cigarette where it is to be cut to the proper length by the knife.
In order to enable the invention to be well understood, we shall describe it
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of mechanism for operating the knife and means
for preventing the breakage of the latter, according to this invention;
Fig. 2 is a section corresponding to the lines A B C D of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a plan of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; and
Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a vertical section and a plan of the protecting
means, drawn to a larger scale than Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
a is a support or framing fixed to the machine and provided with two guide
grooves of vee shape which are parallel to the axis of the cigarette and in which
there moves a carriage & the lower part of which fits exactly therein, whilst its
upper part is provided with two other guide. grooves of vee shape whose axis
is perpendicular to that of the guides h and to that of the cigarette. In the guide
grooves there moves a carriage e whose lower part fits exactly in these grooves.
This carriage is provided with a sleeve which is horizontal and parallel to
the axis of the cigarette and in which turns the axle that carries the circular
knife and to which a rotary movement is imparted by a pulley 9. The
inclined walls of one of the guide grooves h and one of the guide grooves k
are formed by wedges m and n, which can be adjusted by means of screws and
which enable corrections to he made for the wear of the walls of the guide
grooves hand and of the carriages d and e without taking the machine to
pieces.

page_text: The support or framing a is cast so as to form a sleeve or socket in which
rotates, in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, a crank-shaft b whose
crank-pin c transmits its motion to the two carriages d and e. This movement
is transmitted to the carriage d through the medium of a roller i that is movable
in a groovej cut in this carriage, to which it imparts a to-and-fro movement
parallel to the axis of the cigarette and equal to the total travel of the crank-
pin c. The carriage e, fitting in the guide grooves k, formed in the carriage
and perpendicular to the guides h in the latter, will consequently follow the
movement of the carriage d. But the carriage e, being likewise traversed by
the crank-pin c, receives from the latter a to-and-fro movement in its guide
grooves independent of the movement of the carriage d and perpendicular both
to the latter movement and to the axis of the cigarette. The combination of
the two perpendicular to-and-fro movements of the carriage e produces a regular
eccentric movement thereof equal to the axis of motion of the crank-pin c,
as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 3.
k
The carriage d is provided with an arm which carries the apparatus of through
which the continuous cigarette passes freely in order to be cut into sections by
the knife before passing out of the machine.
This apparatus f thus follows the to-and-fro movement of the carriage
parallel to the axis of the cigarette. The circular knife g whose axle is carried
by the carriage e thus follows the movement of the latter, whilst turning on
its own axis as the result of the movement which is imparted to its axle by
the pulley g
In the drawing, the mechanism is shown with the parts in the position that
they occupy at the moment, when the knife is about to come into contact with
the cigarette for the purpose of cutting it. At that moment the axis of the
crank-pin c occupies the point marked 1 in Fig. 3. When the pin c continues
its revolution towards the point 2, the carriage e moves nearer to the apparatus f
and the knife g enters the space between the two tubular sections of the said
apparatus and comes against the cheek r with which it forms shears to cut the
cigarette during its continuous travel in the apparatus f without exerting any
momentary stopping effect upon it which would damage it.
The cutting of the cigarette is terminated when the crank-pin e reaches the
point 2, and as it continues its revolution towards the point 3 the knife moves
out of the tube of the apparatus f, whilst continuing to move forward therewith.
From the point 3 the carriages and e are moved back in their guides by the
continuation of the revolution of the pin c, the apparatus f returning with the
carriage d, and the cigarette continuing its continuous movement in the tube
of the said apparatus; the knife is thus brought back to the point shown in
the drawings, and when it again enters the apparatus f, the cigarette has advanced
exactly to the length required to insure that the section which it will cut off
will be equal to the sections that have been previously cut, each of which con-
stitutes a cigarette ready to be distributed outside the apparatus.
As will be seen better from Fig. 4, the arm of the carriage & carries a stud o
upon which is simply placed the apparatus f, of which an extension of socket
shape fits exactly upon the part o, which forms a pivot. A screw u, extending
through the wall of the socket t, enters an annular groove in the pivot o and
prevents the apparatus ƒ from shifting vertically, whilst leaving it free to turn
on the pivot o.
The socket of the apparatus f is connected to the carriage d. by means
of a coiled spring p which is attached at one end to the arm of the carriage d
and at the other end to a screw fixed in the socket t. The tension of this
spring is such that the friction of the knife against the check during the
cutting will not have any effect upon it, but if, in cutting the cigarette, the
knife meet a nail or other hard body in the tobacco, as is frequently the case,
then if it bear upon the same, and cannot cut it, it will push it back and the
effort exerted will have the result of tensioning the spring p and causing the

page_text: apparatus f to turn on the pivot o, whereby the knife will be allowed to con-
tinue its course without cutting the cigarette and without breaking, and when
the knife will have become disengaged from the apparatus f, the spring will,
whilst becoming untensioned, return the apparatus into its normal position. A
stop h', which is fixed to the pivot o (Fig. 4) and against which the screw g¹
strikes, stops the rotation of the apparatus f at the desired point.
The apparatus f comprises two sockets w and connected together by a part y
and bored co-axially. The socket embraces a funnel which is intended to
facilitate the introduction of the cigarette and to which the cheek is fixed.
The socket is formed with tightening lugs which enable the position of the
cheek to be adjusted relatively to the knife g.
The socket w surrounds a tube q which is capable of moving longitudinally
therein. Upon the tube 7 there is screwed a collar q', and the socket w 18
formed with a corresponding collar w. Between these two collars a spring q
is placed around the socket and the tube q. By screwing the collar q¹ more or
less on the tube g, the force of the spring may be adjusted in such a manner
that the tube will offer the desired slight resistance to the introduction of the
knife between the end of the tube 2 and the cheek when it will enter the
apparatus f to cut the cigarette.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. In a machine for making cigarettes in which a continuous cigarette is
produced, a mechanism for causing the knife to advance in the same direction
and at the same speed as the said cigarette whilst it is cutting the latter into
sections of the desired length, characterized by a support for the axle of the said
knife, consisting of a carriage which slides in grooves in the framing parallelly
to the axis of the cigarette and one arm of which carries the apparatus through
which the cigarette passes to be cut into sections by the knife, and a carriage
which slides in grooves in the first mentioned carriage perpendicularly to the
axis of the cigarette and carries the axle of the knife, the crank-pin of a crank-
shaft which turns in the framing, extending through the two carriages and
transmitting to them a to-and-fro movement in their respective grooves, sub-
stantially as herein before described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a machine for making cigarettes, in which a continuous cigarette is
produced, an apparatus through which the cigarette passes to be cut into sections
by the knife and which is mounted on a pivot carried by a carriage having a
to-and-fro movement in the framing and is connected to the said carriage by a
spring in such a manner that if the knife, in cutting the cigarette, meet with
an unaccustomed resistance, it will cause the apparatus to turn on its pivot and
to tension the spring, which will then return the apparatus into the normal
position when the knife will move back after its cutting movement, substantially
as hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
3. In a machine for making cigarettes in which a continuous cigarette is
produced, a knife holder and an apparatus in which the cigarette passes to be
cut into sections by the knife, constructed, arranged, and operating substantially
as hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawings for the
purpose set forth.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.