Improvements in and relating to Tobacco Stemming Apparatus.
Year: 1899

page_text: Communicated from abroad by WILLIAM GRAY, of Richmond, Virgin,
States of America, Gentleman].
Improvements in and relating to Tobacco Stemming Apparatus.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
5, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
ature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for removing the stems
or mid-ribs from tobacco leaves and for separating the larger and smaller parts
of the leaves from one another and from the stripped stems or mid-ribs.
According to this invention the tobacco leaves are fed by a travelling band
through initial feed rolls to stripping rolls and drawing rolls, and thence to
supplementary stripping rolls. A special stopping device is provided for regulat-
ing the feed of the leaves and the stripping rolls rotate inwardly and alternately
in opposite directions for a purpose hereinafter described.. The larger and smaller
parts of the leaves are discharged into a suitable shoot or shoots and the stems
are discharged preferably by another pair of rolls. The broken stems fall upon a
shaking screen where they are subjected to an air blast which separates from them
any particles of leaf.
The
The stopping device, for regulating the passage of the leaves and for guiding
them to the stripping rolls, comprises a bar which is preferably triangular or
approximately triangular in cross section and is carried by pivoted arms.
base of this triangular stopping bar prevents the leaves being fed to the stripping
rolls except at stated times. The stopping bar or the arms carrying it, rest by
gravity on the lower of a pair of initial feed rolls. The initial feed rolls are
journailed in cradles pivoted to the machine frame, and the lower roll of
the pair is journalled in slots or otherwise mounted so as to be capable of
approaching and receding from the upper roll of the pair. The initial feed
5 rolls and their cradles are operated, through the intervention of suitable levers and
cranks, by a cam, in such manner that when it is required to feed the leaves to
the stripping rolls, the lower initial feed roll is moved towards the stripping rolls
thereby permitting the stopping bar to fall and the leaves to pass on towards the
stripping rolls the initial feed rolls at the same time approaching one another
30 and assisting in feeding the leaves. When the leaves are seized by the drawing
rolls the cam causes the initial feed rolls to resume their former position and
move the stopping bar so as to temporarily cut off the supply of leaves. During
h times as the leaves are not being fed to the stripping rolls the upper initia

page_text: feed roll serves as a cleaning roll to the upper stripping roll, and prevents the
leaf from adhering to the latter.
To effect a proper feeding of the leaf butts between the initial feed rolls when
the latter are moved together, the cradles carrying said rolls are provided with
a guide having a forwardly projecting part and a rearwardly projecting part.
The rearwardly projecting part extends so as to protect the stripping rolls from
trash or other material.
When the stopping bar moves so as to permit the leaves to be fed to the
apparatus, the stripping rolls act temporarily, (by rotating in the direction in
which the leaves are fed), to feed the butt ends of the leaves to the drawing
rolls. When the leaves are seized by the drawing rolls the direction of rotation
of the stripping rolls is reversed.
The stripping rolls are grooved and provided with suitable teeth and are driven
alternately in opposite directions by a shifting clutch from a driving shaft.
This clutch comprises two concentric toothed gears mounted loosely on a tubular
extension of the driving shaft and forming a chamber in which is situated a
friction wheel. This friction wheel is adapted to rotate with the driving shaft
and is also capable of sliding longitudinally on said shaft in either direction.
One of the loosely mounted gears has teeth on its external periphery and the other
of said gears is provided with an extension of greater diameter which extension
has teeth on its inner periphery. A pinion mounted on the spindle of one of the
stripping rolls (which are geared together) meshes with the teeth of both
these loosely mounted gears. The tubular extension of the driving shaft is
adapted to receive within it, a shifting rod. The friction wheel, the tubular
extension and the inner end of the shifting rod are connected by a pin and slot
connection, the slots in the tubular extension being of sufficient length to permit
a limited longitudinal sliding movement of the friction wheel and sliding rod.
The outer end of the sliding rod projects beyond the tubular extension and is
frictionally secured, preferably by a cushioning spring, to a sleeve mounted
loosely on the tubular extension and so as to rotate therewith. This sleeve is
caused to reciprocate on the tubular extension by a cam groove and pin or their
equivalent, thus causing the friction wheel to slide longitudinally on its axis and
alternately engage the loosely mounted gears, thereby rotating the stripping rolls
alternately in either direction. By means of this clutch a positive action of
the stripping rolls is obtained in both directions without damaging the gear
teeth. The cushioning spring prevents shock during the shifting of the shifting
rod and may, moreover, be adjusted to take up wear of the friction wheel. The
drawing rolls draw the leaves through the stripping rolls.
The supplementary stripping rolls which rotate at a higher rate than the
drawing rolls, are of greater diameter than the drawing rolls and are provided
with card teeth or fine projecting wires. These card teeth strip off the fine
remaining particles of leaf from the mid-ribs.
The mid-ribs or stems then pass to the discharging rolls which are preferably
of rubber or have a yielding face.
The larger portions of leaf which are separated by the first stripping rolls, fall
down one shoot, and the smaller particles of leaf separated by the supplementary
stripping rolls fall down another shoot. A hinged shutter is provided whereby
these two shoots may be united to permit the larger and smaller portions of leaf
to be collected together, if required.
The air blast from a fan is conducted to a convenient point in the shoot for
the smaller particles. At this point also is hinged a shaking screen which
may be caused to vibrate through a suitable connection from a cam on the fan
shaft. The small or broken stems or mid-ribs fall upon the shaking screen
where they meet the air blast which blows any fine leaf particles from them into
the shoot. The stems are delivered from the shaking screen to the rear of the
apparatus.

page_text: Lake & горт
The drawing rolls, the supplementary stripping rolls, and the tan are
suitable gear from a driving shaft. The discharging rolls are also preferably
driven.
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant,
Improvements in and relating to 100.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
5, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
ature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
articularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to that class of tobacco stemming machines, wherein the
eparation and removal of the leaf from the stem is effected by subjecting the
eaf as a whole to a drawing action, the body or leaf portion being retarded and
separated from the stem, and discharged at one point, while the stem is discharged
at another point.
The objects of the invention are, to improve the construction and operation
of the machine, to simplify the mechanism and render it durable and free from
liability to derangement, to improve the means employed for controlling the
feeding of leaves to the stripping mechanism, to prevent leaves from becoming
tangled in the stripping mechanism or from wrapping about the stripping or
feeding rolls, to separate fine fragments of tobacco from broken pieces of stem
and the like in a simple manner, and to provide simple mechanism for driving
and reversing the stripping rolls.
In order that this invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
practical effect I will proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to
the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved tobacco stemming
machine.
Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof, parts being in section, and the enclosing
cover or cap member being removed.
Figure 3 is a rear view, the reversing mechanism for operating the stripping
5 rolls being shown in section.
Figure 4 is a detail side view, illustrating the main or cam wheel and the
driving gear connected therewith, the cradle devices being in position to hold the
stop device elevated above the leaf feed way.
Figure 5 is a vertical section, illustrating the position of the stop device and
40 initial feed rolls during the operation of stripping the stem.
Figure 6 is a detail view of the combined driving and cam wheel hereinafter
referred to.
Figure 7 is a detail section, illustrating the position of the stop device, the initia
feed rolls, the stripping and drawing rolls during the operation of feeding th
45 leaf to the stripping rolls.
the stripping ar
Figure 8 is a detail view of the main driving gear.
1 is the main supporting frame, 2 the feed table, and
senarating chamber; the general arrangement of which is best shown in Figure

page_text: 4, 4, are the main stripping rolls, which are grooved, and have an intermittent
reverse action, so that they may serve both as feeding and as stripping rolls.
5 indicates the drawing rolls.
6 indicates the supplemental stripping rolls which are of a larger diameter than
the drawing rolls 5, and are provided with card teeth 6ª 6ª. "The rolls 6 are
arranged to rotate at a greater speed than the rolls 5, to provide for a positive
stripping from the stem of the leaf particles not removed by the main stripping
rolls, and also to discharge the cleaned stem at the rear of the machine.
By driving the rolls 6, at a greater speed than the drawing rolls 5, the passage
of the stem through the said rolls 6 will be retarded so long as the stem is held
by the drawing rolls 5, and the stem will be held thereby practically fixed in its
relation to the rolls 6, and receive a complete stripping or wiping action, as the
yielding card teeth will spread and pass along each side of the stem and remove
the small leaf particles; it being understood, however, that as soon as the tip
of the stem passes beyond the drawing rolls, the swift rotation of the rolls
will carry the said stem rearwardly.
To provide for a positive discharge of the stem to the rear of the rolls 6, and
to avoid the possibility of such stem curling up and winding about and between
the card covered rolls, a pair of grooved rolls 7, 7, are located to the rear of and
adjacent to the rolls 6, in such a manner that the stem as it leaves the rolls 6
will enter between and pass through the rolls 7. These rolls 7 are preferably
of rubber or have a yielding peripheral face, and while they may be arranged
to act also as pulling rolls, they need not necessarily be so, as the stem after
entering between them, is forced through them by the impetus given it from the
rolls 6. To facilitate the passage of the stem, the rolls 7 are geared to rotate in
the direction of the movement of the stem, and one of the said rolls, preferably
the upper, is allowed a slight vertical movement in its bearings, so as to rise
slightly in case any obstruction, such as an irregularity in the thickness of the
stem, is encountered. These rolls also serve to prevent the fine particles of leaf
removed from the stem being thrown out of the machine, and to confine the air
blast hereinafter referred to, within the separating and stripping chamber, as
will presently be more fully explained.
The combined leaf stop, leaf rest, and leaf bridge mechanism, in this invention,
comprises a single member consisting of the side arms 8, pivotally hung on the
front edge of the main frame, and a transverse bar 8b, of triangular shape,
the straight face 8° of which faces the front of the discharge end of the feed
table, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 7. In practice, the member 8-8 is
so hung to the main frame as to drop to its lower position by gravity, and the
angle of the upper edge of the bar 8b is such that when the said har 8b is at
its lowermost position the upper edge of such bar is substantially horizontal
and forms a bridge piece between the discharge end of the feed table and the
front or initial feed rolls 10 and 11. The upper of these rolls is mounted in a
cradle 12, while the lower one is mounted on swinging arms 13, fulcrumed on a
transverse shaft 14, and provided with pendant members 13", pivotally con-
nected at 13b to cranks 15 mounted on a transverse bar or shaft 16. One of
the cranks 15 has fixedly connected therewith a crank or arm 17. The free end
of the arm 17 has a stud 17ª which works in a cam groove in a master gear
wheel 18, intermeshing with a pinion 19 on the main drive shaft 20, which carries
the driving pulley 21, as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4.
The cam groove of gear wheel 18 consists of a main portion 22, arranged con-
centric with the axis of the wheel 18, and an eccentric portion 22ª.
In practice, the relation of the arm 17 and the cam groove 22-22ª is such.
that the stud 17* travels in the concentric portion 22 of the groove, during the
stripping rotation of the rolls 4, whereby the shifter 17 is held inert during
such operation and the cradle 12 and initial feed rolls 10 and 11 are in the
position shown most clearly in Figures 4 and 5. During such action of the
member 17, the device 8 rests with its front edge above the feed table bed or

page_text: Ա
and form a combined leaf stop and lear
pon one of the feeding belts of the table 2, and prever
being fed forward during the stemming of the preceding leaf, and also
a rest for such leaves as may have been previously fed forward but have not
rly engaged the stripping rolls.
intervals the direction of motion of the stripping rolls 4, which normally
posite to that of a leaf through the machine, is reversed, so that the said
ping rolls may act temporarily as feeding rolls. At the time when this
sal of direction of rotation of the rolls 4 occurs, the cam groove of the
wheel 18 moves the arms 13 and the feed rolls 11 and 10 into the position
wn in Figure 7, so permitting the stop Sb to fall. Leaves upon the feed
le 2 are then carried forward by the feed belts of said table over the stop 8b,
ch then forms a bridge, and are caught by the rolls 10 and 11, are carried
ward thereby, and are caught by the stripping rolls 4, 4, which are then
ing as feed rolls. The rolls 4, 4, carry the leaves on until their stems are
mly grasped by the drawing rolls 5. The direction of motion of the rolls 4, 4
then reversed by mechanism hereinafter described, the cam groove 22-22ª at
e same time moving the lever 17 so as to throw the roll 11 back and the roll 10
p into their normal positions, thereby raising the stop 8. The ends of any
aves which may not have been engaged by the stripping rolls are raised by the
top 8b, as it rises, as shown in Figure 5, so that said leaves may not be fed
orward farther until the stop descends again. This prevents the machine from
becoming clogged by imperfectly fed leaves, and prevents the leaves from becoming
tangled in the rolls or from being torn or imperfectly stripped.
not engaged by the stripping rolls 4 when the stop 8 first falls, will usually enter
properly between the said rolls the next time the stop falls. If for any reason
a leaf does not enter properly between the rolls 4 after several attempts, the
attendant may insert it by hand when the stop next falls, or may remove it
altogether. The stop 8 prevents leaves from passing to the stripping rolls 4
except when the rolls 10 and 11 are in position for guiding the leaves, and holds
away from said rolls leaves which have passed the stop but have not been engaged
by them. A frequent source of trouble with former machines is thus removed.
A leaf which is
The stop 8-8 drops by gravity when the roll 11 moves up to the position
shown in Figure 7, and is raised by the arm 13 and roll 11 when the said arm and
5 roll move back into their normal positions as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
To effect a proper feed of the leaf butts between the initial feed rolls 10 and 11
when they are moved together as shown in Figure 7, the cradle 12 carries a trans-
verse guide piece connected with a bar 23, which in turn is mounted on the
cradle as best shown in Figure 4, said guide piece having a forwardly projecting
40 portion 23, and a rearwardly projecting member 23. This rear portion 23
extends up into the separating chamber above the stripping rolls, to prevent trash
or other articles dropping in front of the machine over the said stripper rolls. To
protect the stripping and drawing rolls, a cap piece 24, is hinged to the rea
of the machine.
45
25 indicates a blast fan located within a blast chamber 26 the front or nose en
of which extends up to the shaft 16, at which point the casing has its ai
outlet 26, over which is located a shaking screen 27. The upper or forwar
end of this shaking screen is connected by a hinge to the top of the blast chambe
its rear end being freely movable vertically. To properly vibrate the screen 2
50 its frame at one side has a pendant projecting member 28, having a shoe 2
which engages a cam 29ª on the fan shaft 29 provided with a pinion 30, driv
through the medium of a chain of gear wheels 31, by a toothed wheel. 32 on
shaft of the lower guide roll 7, as indicated in dotted lines in Figures 3 and 8
32ª is a guide which extends from the rear of the guide rolls 7 down to a po
55 just above the blast discharge 26ª, and guides thereto fine leaf removed from
stems by the rolls 6.
22 is a partition disposed under and to the rear of the nose or front en

page_text: the blast chamber 26, and 34 is a similar partition situated in front of the
partition 33. The partition 34 does not extend so high as the partition 33.
35 is a combined guide and partition shield which has a vertical upper end,
held in close engagement with the lower stripper roll; its lower end being
situated at a point approximately over the partition 34.
36 is a-movable partition, which is hinged or pivoted at 36" to the main frame,
and is of such height, that when swung forward to the position shown in full
lines in Figure 1, it forms a continuation of the partition,34 and opens up a
passage for the discharge of the short staple removed by the supplemental
stripping rolls into a compartment separate from the long or body portions of the
leaf which pass down in front of the partition 84.
When it is desired to collect the long and short staple in one compartment,
the partition 36 is swung over to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1:
it being manifest that when in this position the short and long leaf portions will
be discharged in front of partition 34.
By providing a blast fan mechanism and arranging it in the manner above
described, the small or broken stems will drop down on the screen 27 and pass
out at the rear end of the machine as the fine leaf particles are blown forward and
discharge at the front end, thereby effecting a thorough separation of the
separated particles of the leaf and stem.
The rolls 7 prevent the fine leaf particles removed by the rolls 6 from being
thrown from the machine with the stems or from being blown away by the
blast. Such leaf particles as do pass the rolls 7, will fall upon the guide 32ª.
To facilitate the operation of the partition 36, it has a suitable crank handle 36.
To impart to the stripping rolls rotation first in one direction and then in
another, I employ a friction clutch mechanism, the arrangement of which is best
shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, by reference to which it will be seen that the
shaft 14 has a tubular extension 14", having a bearing in a bracket 37 secured
to one end of the main frame.
38 indicates a clutch gear loosely journalled on the shaft portion 14, having
external gear teeth 38. 39 indicates a clutch gear of a larger diameter having
internal gear teeth 39; such gear being loosely mounted on the shaft portion 14".
40 indicates a friction clutch wheel which is arranged to slide upon the shaft 14",
its hub portion 40ª carrying a pin 41, which passes transversely through elongated
slots 14 of the shaft 14ª, and is made fast to the shifting rod 42, movable within
the tubular shaft 14".
43 indicates a cam sleeve mounted upon the shaft 14ª, and arranged to rotate
therewith and to slide endwise thereon, its outer end having a supplemental or
pocket portion 43". The sleeve 43 has an annular groove having a short abrupt
cam portion 43b, its remaining portion being straight as at 43°.
44 indicates a stud held on the bracket 37 which engages the cam
groove 43 43º.
The rod 42 has an extension 42ª which passes through an aperture in the end
of the sleeve 43 and enters the pocket 43ª, its outer end having a nut 42b, between
which and the end of the sleeve 43b, is disposed a stout cushion spring 45.
46 indicates a similar cushion disposed between the end of the sleeve and the
shoulder 42° of the rod.
By referring to Figure 3 it will be observed that the sleeve 43 has practically a
fixed connection with the shifting rod 42, so that when it (the sleeve) is slid
backward and forward by the cam action, it reciprocates the rod 42 with it and in
consequence, through the medium of the transverse pin at its inner end, it shifts
the clutch wheel to alternately engage the clutch gears 38 and 39 and bring them
in gear with the driving shaft.
By referring now to Figures 3 and 8, it will be seen that the stripping rolls are
geared with each other and the shaft of the lower roll extended as at 46ª and
provided with a gear 46° which meshes with the gears 38 and 39. Thus, should
the gear 38 be in a clutched connection with the shaft 143, the stripping rolls

page_text: be rotated in one direction, while the gear y
when the said gear 39 is clutched with the shaft 14ª, the said rolls wi
ed in a reverse direction, the gear 38 at this time revolving loose on its
14ª
s the rolls 4 have their minimum rotation when acting as feed rolls, the
38 is only thrown into an operative position when the groove portion 43
ages the stud 44; the gear 39 being in an operative condition during the
agement of the stud with the straight groove portion 43º.
By providing clutch devices for imparting the reverse motion of the rolls 4,
ositive action is obtained without danger of mutilating or breaking the gear
th of the operating members.
jarring
By providing the cushion springs and arranged them as shown, a
tion or shock during the shifting of the rod 42 is avoided. Furthermore, such
rings will serve to always adjust the rod 42 to take up the wear on the clutch
heel and thereby at all times provide for a positive and uniform action of such
utch wheel.
Referring now more particularly to Figure 5, it will be noticed that the
iameter of the supplemental stripping rolls is much greater than that of the
raw rolls, and that the card teeth are of such length as to produce a stem en-
aging portion of much resiliency, so that such teeth will effect a complete wiping
ction and thereby remove all of the leaf particles adhering to the stem before
he stem is passed onward by the draw action of the said supplemental strippers.
During the time in which the draw rolls engage the leaf stem, the draw rolls
rotate at a much slower speed than the rolls 6, so that the stem will be held
practically retarded in its passage through the said rolls 6; this action permits
to act as wipers or strippers only during the engagement of the stem
the rolls
with the rolls 5-5, an operation which could only be but partially obtained if
the rolls 5-5 and 6-6 were rotated at a substantially uniform speed.
The operation of my machine is as follows:
At intervals the
cam portion 43 of the groove of the cam 43 encounters the stud 44, thereby
reversing the direction of rotation of the main stripping rolls 4, 4, causing them
to rotate in the same direction as the corresponding drawing rolls 5; and at the
same instant, the cam groove 22-22" causes the rolls 10 and 11 to move together
into the position shown in Figure 7, permitting the stop 8b to fall and thus
permitting the leaves on the feed table 2 to move forward between the rolls 10
and 11. The leaves enter certain of the grooves of these initial feed rolls, and
10 are fed onward by said rolls until they are engaged by the stripping rolls 4, 4,
then rotating in the same direction as the initial feed rolls 10 and 11. The
stripping rolls 4, 4, feed the leaves onward still farther until the butts are caught
by the drawing rolls 5, 5. By the time the leaves are well caught by the drawing
rolls, the cam 43 has reversed the direction of rotation of the stripping rolls, and
45 the cam 22-22ª had moved the initial feed rolls back to their normal positions
thereby raising the stop 8b and preventing the further feeding of the leaves
The stripping rolls, by their reverse rotation, strip the leaves from the stem
in the manner illustrated in Figure 5, the leaves falling between the strippin
rolls and the roll 11, while the stems are carried onward between the suppl
50 mentary stripping rolls 6, 6, which remove therefrom the last particles of leave
and between the rolls 7 and thence out of the machine. By the operation
the fan 25 and the vibrating screen 27, the fine tobacco is separated from the loc
bits of stem and the like.
Tobacco leaves are placed butt-foremost upon the feed table 2, in the several
channels provided for receiving the leaves, and are carried forward by the feed
belts of said table until their motion is arrested by the stop 8b.
From the foregoing taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,
5 will be noticed that the leaves are separated from the stems and dropped do
at the front end of the machine, the short staple or stem adhering portions
dropped at an intermediate point, or with the body of the leaf as desired, and

page_text: stem pieces are fed into a separate receiver with the unbroken stems, the several
portions of the leaf and the stem being automatically separated, and the handling
of the product rendered more simple and economical.
While I prefer to arrange the several parts constituting the entire machine in
the manner shown and described it is manifest that in the practical application
of the invention, the detail arrangement of parts may be modified or changed
without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim in a leaf stemming
machine of the kind referred to is:-
1. The combination with stripping mechanism which intermittently receives
leaves and then strips the same, and means for feeding leaves thereto, of means
for moving away from such stripping mechanism, at times when stripping is
going on, leaves which have been presented to such stripping mechanism but
have not been engaged thereby.
2. A movable member located in front of the stripping mechanism, and means
for moving said member across the plane of movement of said leaves for the
purposes specified.
3. A movable stop arranged transversely of the direction of motion of the
leaves passing to the stripping mechanism, and means for moving said stop across
the plane of movement of the said leaves, for the purposes specified.
4. The combination with the stripping mechanism and horizontally arranged
mechanism for feeding leaves to said stripping mechanism, of a substantially
vertically movable stop and means for moving said stop from beneath the path
of the leaves upward, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
5. A member movably held at a point between the delivery end of the feeding
means and the stripping mechanism, and devices for intermittently moving said
movable member, to alternately move it in a plane with the feeding means to
form a bridge piece and to a point over the path of the movement of the leaf,
for the purposes specified.
6. A member intermittently movable in a plane above the co-acting surfaces
of the feeding and stripping rolls, said member acting as a support to hold the
ends of the improperly fed leaves from engaging with the co-acting surfaces of
the stripping rolls, for the purpose specified.
7. A leaf stop held between the delivery end of the feed devices and the strip.
ping mechanism, movably supported and adapted to move below the discharge end
of the feeding devices, and means for raising said stop across the plane of move-
ment of the leaves while leaves are being stripped, for the purpose specified.
8. A combined bridge piece and leaf stop member for retarding a leaf during the
stripping of a preceding leaf and forming a continuation of the feed table as
the leaf is fed forward, said member being by gravity operated to its lower or
bridge position and elevated by a support operated by the supplemental feed
device, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
9. The supplemental feed mechanism comprising the upper and lower vibrating
rolls, and a guide carried by the support for said rolls and movable with said
rolls for leading the leaf between them, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
10. A separating device, which receives the leaf particles stripped from the
stems by the supplemental stripping mechanism together with such pieces of stem
as accompany such particles, and separates such leaf particles from the pieces of
stem, for the purpose specified.
11. An air blast separating mechanism which receives the particles stripped
from the stems by the supplemental stripping mechanism together with such
pieces of stem as accompany such leaf particles, and separates the leaf particles
from the pieces of stem, for the purpose specified.

page_text: Lake's Improve
12. The combination of mechanism for separating the leat par
particles of stem, and a guide extending from the point of discharge of the stems
to the said separating mechanism and arranged to direct leaf particles and
particles of stem accompanying them to such separating mechanism, substantially
as and for the purpose specified.
13. The main driving shaft carrying oppositely rotatable clutch gears geared
to the stripping rolls and adapted to be engaged by a double friction wheel which
rotates with and is capable of being moved longitudinally upon said shaft by a
rod adapted to slide in a tubular extension on the driving shaft and to be operated
by a cam sleeve which rotates with the shaft and is connected to the said rod
through the intervention of cushioning springs, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
•
14. Apparatus having its parts constructed, arranged and combined to operate
substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings for the
ified
ober 1900.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.