An Improved Machine for Moulding the Fillers of Cigars.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL DIEVITICATION.
An Improved Machine for Moulding the Fillers of Cigars.
We, ANTOINE GROUVELLE and EMILE BELOT, of 16, Rue Drouot, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The work of moulding the fillers of cigars, such as is described in the Specifica-
tion accompanying our Patent of August 1st 1896, No. 17083, requires the
following operations:-
:-
1. The arrangement for taking the mould;
2. The opening of the mould;
3. The filling of the mould;
4. The closing of the mould;
5. The ranging of the moulds under pressure.
The reverse operations are necessary for withdrawing the completed filler from
the mould.
This invention has for its object various improvements which we have
introduced in the machine forming the object of the patent herein before specified,
with the object of moulding the said cigar fillers of leaf or cut tobacco or dry or
moist tobacco without the operative having to touch any mould, either for the
moulding or for the removing of the filler and without her having to intervene
to impart pressure to the fillers which are in the mould.
The machine comprises a frame formed of four legs and two longitudinal tables
supporting a table where the work girl places the leaves serving for the wrappers
and the tobacco serving for forming the interior of the fillers of the cigars.
The machine is arranged for working at will on one of the three following
methods:
1. With an engagement by means of a treadle and an automatic disengagement
after one revolution of the cam shaft (non-continuous working).
2. By continuous working by bearing on the treadle and dispensing with the
roller for the automatic disengaging.
In these two arrangements the filler is rolled by hand by the work girl who
presents it to the machine.
3. In connection with any suitable machine which rolls the filler automatically.
The driving shaft carries a loose pulley which is hollow and in which engages
a friction cone adapted to be thrown into and out of engagement therewith by
means of an elbow lever moved by a link and treadle. The elbow lever carries
a toothed wheel which gears with a toothed wheel keyed on a cross shaft.
roller fixed on the side of this latter wheel acts at each revolution on a catch or
finger in such a way as to produce the automatic disengaging. The cross shaft
drives a longitudinal shaft by means of bevel gearing.
A
The moulds, as before, are made of wood or any other suitable material and
formed of two small half semi-alveolas, the hollow profile of which is that of the
cigar which is to be made.

page_text: The case containing the moulds previously filled with fillers by the machine
ready for the moulding is placed on the machine, in such a way that a rammer
of the same length as the case and of a height a little inferior to that of a mould
can force a whole series of moulds on to an endless belt. The rammer which is
connected by two rods to another rammer is actuated by a lever pivotted on a
spindle. On this lever is pivotted a pawl lever provided with a recoil spring,
the tooth of which can penetrate into a notch in a lever oscillating and loosely
mounted on said spindle. This notched lever is operated by a link from a crank
on the longitudinal shaft. The other end of the pawl lever engages under the
shoulder of an elbow lever which lifts or rises every 25 revolutions, as will be
hereinafter seen.
The endless belt intended to convey the full moulds discharged from the case
is actuated by a drum and passes over a return drum.
The belt driving drum has on its spindle a ratchet actuated by a pawl carried
on a pivotted lever and moved by a roller bearing on a cam.
The moulds thus pushed forward strike against the upright part of a hinge,
a door falls down on said hinge against the upper face of the mould and hooks
close with a spring pressure on the vertical faces of the upper half mould. The
door is actuated by levers and a roller pressed on a cam by a spiral spring. One
of these levers is guided in its movement by a pivotted rod. The mechanism for
closing the door is identical with that described later on for another door. At
the same time a finger fixed on the said lever liberates the shoulder of a pivoted
lever actuated by a spiral spring. Rods hinged on the latter lever raise curved
pivoted needles. These needles penetrate to a short distance into the extremities
of the filler which is ready to be discharged from the mould. At this moment
the door moves backward carrying the upper half mould gripped between the
hooks. The hooks engage with their shoulders over fixed catches and the half
mould returned by the door is then completely free.
The needles having kept the filler in the lower half mould, a grip descends
in order to grip the filler. The one part of the grip is fixed on a lever. The
other part is pivoted on this lever and tends to approach the part under the
action of a flat spring. The lever is actuated by another lever which carries a
roller bearing on a cam. On the back of the grip-carrying lever a lever is
pivoted, the one end of which may be pressed by a finger to raise the movable
part of the grip by means of the other end.
This finger is fixed on a part sliding horizontally under the action of a pivoted
lever operated by a rod pivoted on the lever, the movement of which was
herein before described.
When the grip descends on the filler, it is open. It closes by the mechanism
herein before described, gripping the filler which rises with the grip. An instant
afterwards, a fresh opening movement of the grip produced by the projection of
a cam allows a filler to escape and drop out of the grip.
The two empty half moulds, after the discharge of the filler are in front of the
ends of identical rammers which move the half moulds by a horizontal rectilinear
movement. The rammers are fixed on a piece which is operated by a rod and
elbow lever pivoting on a spindle and a slide rod moved by a crank keyed on the
longitudinal shaft. A spiral spring returns the rammers into their rear position.
The work-girl has then in front of her two open half moulds. She rolls roughly
a cigar filler which she places in the half mould holding it by its two ends, then
she operates the treadle. If it be desired to employ a machine for rolling the
fillers, the receiver or rammer of these machines is arranged above the half
mould destined to receive the filler.
In this case the moulding machine is mechanically connected with the machine
for rolling the fillers.
Immediately the filler is placed in the half mould, a door pivoting on a hinge
raises the half mould which it presses down on the other half mould, thus
enclosing the filler. The door is actuated by a rod pivoted on a lever.

page_text: A pivoted fork having two heads then pushes the closed and filled mould
between two jaws. The fork pivoting is actuated by a lever bearing a roller
resting on a cam.
The upper jaw then descends on the mould by the action of a spring acting
on a pivoted elbow lever. One of the arms of the lever carries a roller bearing
on a cam. A projection of the lever during this movement rests on another elbow
lever in such a way as to raise a movable striker which encloses laterally the
lower half mould.
The bottoms of the two arms of the jaw are movable on springs in this jaw in
order that the process may be progressive and elastic when the mould is enclosed
between the two jaws.
The lower jaw is at the end of a lever pivoting on a spindle and actuated by a
roller bearing on a cam by means of a spiral spring. The cam has a certain
number of undulations which displace the lower half mould relative to the upper
half mould several millimetres to the right and left of their mean position. These
movements of the mould combined with the progressive vertical pressure given
by the jaw have for effect to cause the portions of tobacco leaf which form a
lateral ridge in the plane of separation of the two moulds to re-enter the mould
and make the tobacco contained in the filler regular.
Two pairs of scissors or shears then cut off the ends of the filler which project
beyond the mould. The one pair of blades are fixed on the arms or branches of
the jaw, the other pair of blades on levers actuated by a lever moved by
a roller bearing on a cam. A rod fixed on the rammer piece actuated as herein-
before described then pushes the mould under the pressure of the jaws to the end
in a slide. During this time the rammers which share the same movement
bring two fresh half moulds. At this moment the grip releases the filler which
it held and allows it to fall on the upper face of the rammer, which thus returns
this filler in front of the end of a part which advancing forces the filler into a box.
The mould brought into the slide is there maintained under pressure by
heavy regulators or strips guided vertically by rods. An elbow fever pushes
successively all the moulds on to the table under the same strips. The said lever
is actuated by a rod drawn by a crank keyed on the shaft.
When the row of moulds arranged side by side under pressure on the table
is of sufficient length, the last mould encounters a movable stud or shoulder
placed at the end of the elbow lever pivoting on a spindle. A shoulder or flange
then rising pushes away the roller fixed on lever keyed on the spindle operating
a rack escapement. One tooth of the rack is then released. This rack travels
vertically in slides and carries at its upper end a case which thus descends to
the extent of one mould.
A rammer of the length of 25 moulds and the height of one of them then
advances between the table and the regulators forcing 25 moulds into the case.
This rammer is operated by the same mechanism as the rammer hereinbefore
described.
The stud returned by a spring returns to its primitive position when the
rammer has returned to its rear position.
When
During the ranging of the 25 moulds performed by the rammer, the latter
lightly raises the heavy rod connected with the strip by rods. Thus the moulds
do not cease to be under pressure when they are ranged in the case.
this case is filled it is removed and carried if necessary into the drying apparatus.
When the fillers have remained a sufficient time in the mould and they are
ready to be removed therefrom, the case is placed on the machine as hereinbefore
described.
.. 1007

page_text: An improved Machine fo
We, ANTOINE GROUVELLE and EMILE BELOT, of 16, Rue Drouot, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Engineers, 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:-
The work of moulding the fillers of cigars, such as is described in the Specifica-
tion accompanying our Patent of August 1st 1896, No. 17083, requires the
following operations:
1. The arrangement for taking the mould;
2. The opening of the mould;
3. The filling of the mould;
4. The closing of the mould;
5. The ranging of the moulds under pressure.
The reverse operations are necessary for withdrawing the completed filler from
the mould.
This invention has for its object various improvements which
we have
introduced in the machine forming the object of the patent hereinbefore specified,
with the object of moulding the said cigar fillers of leaf or cut tobacco or dry or
moist tobacco without the operative having to touch any mould either for the
moulding or for the removing of the filler and without her having to intervene
to impart pressure to the fillers which are in the mould.
In order to allow of the invention being better understood, reference will be
had to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine;
Figure 2 a front elevation;
Figure 21 an elevation partly in section of Figure 2 on a larger scale;
Figure 2 a plan view of the upper part of Figure 2¹;
Figure 3 a transverse section on the line Bj of Figure 4, showing a rear view
of the machine;
Figure 4 a general plan view of the machine;
Figure 5 a partial elevation of Figure 1 on a larger scale;
Figure 5¹ detail view of same;
Figures 6 and 7 detail views showing the two extreme positions of the jaws
holding the mould in place;
Figures 8, 9 and 10 detail views representing on a larger scale the arrangement
for operating the closing and opening of the mould and the arrangement for
gripping the same.
The machine comprises a frame formed of four legs X and two longitudinal
tables X¹ X² supporting a table Z¹ Z² where the work-girl places the leaves serving
for the wrappers and the tobacco serving for forming the interior of the fillers
of the cigars.
The machine is arranged for working at will on one of the three following
methods:
1. With an engagement by means of a treadle X³ and an automatic disengage-
ment after one revolution of the cam shafts 6B (non-continuous working).
2. By continuous working by bearing on the treadle X³ and dispensing with
the roller 62 for the automatic disengaging.
In these two arrangements the filler is rolled by hand by the work-girl who
presents it to the machine.
3. In connection with any suitable machine which rolls the filler automatically.

page_text: The driving shaft a (Figures 1 and 2) carries a loose pulley a¹ which is hollow
and in which engages a friction cone a² adapted to be thrown into and out of
engagement therewith by means of an elbow lever a³ moved by a link a¹ and
treadle X³. The elbow fever a³ carries a toothed wheel as which gears with a
toothed wheel a keyed on a cross shaft b. A roller 62 fixed on the side of this
latter wheel acts at each revolution on a catch or finger 61 in such a way as to
produce the automatic disengaging. The cross shaft 6 drives a longitudinal shaft B
by means of bevel gearing 63 64 (Figure 4).
The moulds a, as before, are made of wood or any other suitable material
and formed of two small half semi-alveolas, the hollow profile of which is that
of the cigar which is to be made.
The case containing the moulds previously filled with fillers by the machine
ready for the moulding is placed on the machine at A (Figures 3 and 4) in such
a way that a rammer A' of the same length as the case and of a height a little
inferior to that of a mould can force a whole series of moulds on to an endless
belt B¹. The rammer A¹ which is connected by two rods A2 to another
rammer N is actuated by a lever A³ pivoted on a spindle A. On this lever A³
is pivoted at A5 a pawl lever A provided with a recoil spring A¹³, the tooth of
which pawl lever can penetrate into a notch A' in a lever A8 oscillating and
loosely mounted on said spindle A. This notched lever A8 is operated by a link
A from a crank A10 on the longitudinal shaft B. The other end A" of the pawl
lever A6 engages under the shoulder of an elbow lever M¹ which lifts or rises
every 25 revolutions, as will be hereinafter seen.
The endless belt B₁ intended to convey the full moulds discharged from the
case A is actuated by a drum B2 and passes over a return drum B³.
The belt driving drum B2 has on its spindle a ratchet B (Figure 5¹) actuated
by a pawl B5 carried on a lever Be pivotted at B7 and moved by a roller B8 bearing
on a cam B⁹.
The moulds thus pushed forward strike against the upright part of a hinge C
(Figures 21 and 4) a door or lid C₁ falls down on said hinge C against the upper
face of the mould and hooks C2 close with a spring pressure on the vertical
faces of the upper half mould. The door or lid C is actuated by levers C³ C4 C5
pivoted at C and having a roller C6 pressed on a cam C by a spiral spring 07
(Figure 5). One C4 of these levers is guided in its movement by a rod Cl
pivoted at C2 (Figure 5). The mechanism for closing the door or lid C¹ is
identical with that described later on for another door H¹ and clearly shown in
Figure 5. At the same time a finger C fixed on the said lever C (Figure 2¹)
liberates the shoulder I) of a lever D¹ pivoted at D2 and actuated by a spiral
spring D³. Rods D hinged on the lever D¹ raise curved needles D³ pivoted
at D. These needles penetrate to a short distance into the extremities of the
filler which is ready to be discharged from the mould. At this moment the door
or lid C¹ moves backward carrying the upper half mould gripped between the
hooks C. The hooks (2 engage with their shoulders 1 over fixed catches 2
and the half mould returned by the door or lid C¹ is then completely free.
Figures 8, 9 and 10 show these same parts on a larger scale. In Figure 8 the
right hand half projected laterally in Figure 10 represents the two halves of
the mould a pressed one upon the other at the moment when the door or lid C¹
pivoting on its hinge C is folded down on the upper half mould. In this folding
down the hook C2 drawn by a spiral spring 3 presses on the vertical face of
the upper half mould.
The left hand half of Figure 8, projected laterally in Figure 9, represents the
two halves a of the mould open, the door or lid C¹ having carried back the upper
half mould gripped between the two hooks C2. At the same time the shoulders 1
of these hooks C² striking against fixed pieces 2 cause the half mould laid back
to be released by the hooks which move apart. When the moulds a have been
expelled by the longitudinal rammer L in the succeeding revolution, the door

page_text: or lid C¹ rises, being carried up by the hooks C2 which being no longer pressed
by the parts 2 are pressed down with a spring action on the vertical face of
the door C¹ which thus limits their movement. These hooks again grip the upper
half mould of a fresh set by sliding onto this half mould by means of the inclined
faces which terminate the hooks C².
5
The needles having kept the filler in the lower half mould, a grip E E¹ descends
in order to grip the filler. The one part E of the grip is fixed on a lever E².
The other part El is pivoted on a lever E3 and tends to approach the part E under
the action of a flat spring E. The lever E2 which is pivoted at 5 is actuated
On the 1
by another lever E which carries a roller E7 bearing on a cam E³.
back of the grip-carrying lever E2 a lever F1 F2 is pivoted at F, the one end F¹
of which lever may be pressed by a finger F3 to raise the movable part E¹ of the
grip by means of the other end 12.
This finger F3 is fixed on a part F sliding horizontally under the action of a
lever 15 pivoted at F and operated by a rod F7 pivoted at F8 on the lever B°, 1
the movement of which was hereinbefore described.
When the grip E E' descends on the filler, it is open. It closes by the
mechanism herein before described, gripping the filler which rises with the grip
in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2. An instant afterwards, a fresh
opening movement of the grip produced by the projection F⁹ of a cam B9 allows
a filler to escape and drop out of the grip.
The two empty half moulds, after the discharge of the filler, are in front of
the ends of identical rammers G which expel the half moulds at H H by a
horizontal rectilinear movement. The rammers G are fixed on a piece G¹ which
is operated by a rod G2 and elbow lever G³ pivoting on a spindle G and a slide
rod G5 moved by a crank G6 keyed on the longitudinal shaft B. A spiral
spring G7 returns the rammers G into their rear position. The work-girl has
then in front of her at H H¹ two open half moulds. She rolls roughly a cigar
filler which she places in the half mould H₁ holding it by its two ends, then
she operates the treadle X³. If it be desired to employ a machine for rolling the
fillers, the receiver or rammer of these machines is arranged above the half
mould H8 destined to receive the filler.
In this case the moulding machine is mechanically connected with the machine
for rolling the fillers.
Immediately the filler is placed in the half mould H³ a door or lid H¹ pivoting
on a hinge h raises the half mould H which it presses down on the other half
mould H thus enclosing the filler. The door or lid H¹ is actuated by a rod H³
pivoted on a lever C.
A pivoted fork H³ having two heads h¹ h² then pushes the closed and filled
mould between two jaws I I³. The fork H³ pivoting at H is actuated by a
lever H bearing a roller H6 resting on a cam H.
The upper jaw I then descends on the mould by the action of a spring I
acting on an elbow lever I³ pivoted at I. One of the arms of the lever I³ carries
a roller Is bearing on a cam 16. A projection I of the lever I³ during this
movement rests on another elbow lever 18 pivotting at I in such a way as to
raise a movable striker I10 which encloses laterally the lower half mould.
The bottoms I and I12 of the two arms of the jaw I' are movable on springs
in this jaw in order that the process may be progressive and elastic when the
mould is enclosed between the two jaws I¹ I².
The lower jaw 12 is at the end of a lever J pivoting on a spindle J' and actuated
by a roller J bearing on a cam J3 by means of a spiral spring J. The cam J³
has a certain number of undulations which displace the lower half mould relative
to the upper half mould several millimetres to the right and left of their mean
position. These movements of the mould are shown in Figures 6 and 7 and
combined with the progressive vertical pressure given by the jaw I have for
effect to cause the portions of tobacco leaf which form a lateral ridge in the

page_text: plane of separation of the two moulds to re-enter the mould and make the tobacco
contained in the filler regular.
Two pairs of scissors or shears K K¹ K² K³, Figure 5, then cut off the ends of
the filler which project beyond the mould. The one pair of blades K K' are
fixed on the arms or branches of the jaw I¹ the other pair of blades K² K³ on
levers K K pivoted at 14 and actuated by a lever K7 moved by a roller K8
bearing on a cam Kº. A rod L fixed on the rammer piece G¹, Figure 4, actuated
as hereinbefore described then pushes the mould under the pressure of the jaws
to the end in a slide L'. During this time the rammers G which share the same
movement bring two fresh half moulds at HH8. At this moment the grip E E¹
releases the filler which it held and allows it to fall on the upper face of the
rammer G, which thus returns this filler in front of the end of a part F which
advancing forces the filler into a box F10.
The mould brought into the slide L₁ is there maintained under pressure by
heavy regulators or strips L² L³ guided vertically by rods 1. An elbow lever L
pushes successively all the moulds on to the table ✗₁ under the same strips.
The said lever L pivotting on L5 is actuated by a rod L drawn by a crank L'
keyed on the shaft b.
When the row of moulds arranged side by side under pressure on the table X1
is of sufficient length, the last mould encounters a movable stud or shoulder M,
Figure 1, placed at the end of the elbow lever M₁ pivoting on a spindle M.
A shoulder or flange M³ then rising pushes away the roller M fixed on a lever M5
keyed on the spindle M operating a rack escapement M7 M³. One tooth of the
rack M is then released. This rack travels vertically in slides m¹ m² and carries
at its upper end a case N which thus descends to the extent of one mould.
A rammer N¹ of the length of 25 moulds and the height of one of them then
advances between the table X' and the regulators L³ L³ forcing 25 moulds into
the case N. This rammer N₁ is operated by the same mechanism as the
rammer A hereinbefore described.
The stud M returned by a spring N2 returns to its primitive position when the
rammer N has returned to its rear position.
During the ranging of the 25 moulds performed by the rammer N', the latter
lightly raises the heavy roller N³ connected with the strip L³ by rods N N³.
Thus the moulds do not cease to be under pressure when they are ranged in the
case N. When this case N is filled it is removed and carried if necessary into
the drying apparatus.
When the fillers have remained a sufficient time in the mould and they are
ready to be removed therefrom, the case is placed at A on the machine as
hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
An improved machine for moulding the fillers of cigars, characterised by the
combination with the parts constituting the machine described and claimed in
our Patent No. 17083 of August 1st 1896 (use being made of fillers prepared
in any suitable manner either by hand or mechanically) of an arrangement of
rammers A¹ N¹ connected together and actuated by a pivoted lever A³, said
rammers serving respectively to force a series of empty moulds out of the case A
onto an endless belt B¹ which conveys them to the work-girl, and a whole set
of full moulds coming from a slide L¹ into a case N which receives them and
where they are constantly maintained under pressure by a counterweight N³;
and of mechanical parts for the opening of the moulds containing the fillers
when made, the extraction or removal to the outside of said fillers, the returning
of the empty moulds in front of the work-girl, the closing of the moulds filled
with fresh fillers and the conveying of same after moulding into the slide L'
serving to receive the moulds thus filled and maintaining them compressed under

page_text: the action of heavy regulators or strips L² L³ substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of December 1897.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.