Improvements in Tobacco Stripping or Stemming Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 23rd Oct., 1897
[Communicated from abroad by ROBERT SCOTT WALKER, of 120 Liberty Street,
New York, United States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Tobacco Stripping or Stemming Machines.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
I will describe a machine embodying my improvement, and afterwards point
out the novel features in a claim.
In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine
embodying my improvement. Figure 2 is a side view of the same. Figure 3 is
a vertical section taken at the plane of the line x-x, Fig. 1. Figure 4 is a
vertical section taken at the plane of the dotted line y-y, Fig. 3. Figure 5 is.
a sectional top view taken at the plane of the dotted line 2-2, Fig. 3.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
The frame work A of the machine may be of any suitable construction and
material. The machine comprises tubular cutters B B³, having sharpened and
serrated outer ends and fitted together concentrically so that one closely surrounds
the other. The inner cutter B¹ has affixed to it a gear wheel b¹, which meshes
with a gear wheel 68 on a shaft 63 mounted in the frame work of the machine.
The gear wheel 2 engages with a gear wheel 6* affixed to a shaft 65 mounted in
the frame work of the machine. On the shaft b³ is affixed a gear wheel 66, which
meshes with a gear wheel 7 that is affixed to the outer cutter B. Thus the two
cutters will be driven in reverse directions.
The shaft 5 has affixed to it a gear wheel 68 which meshes with a gear wheel b
affixed to a shaft C constituting the driving shaft of the machine and provided
with a belt pulley c.
Tobacco leaves to be stemmed are subjected to the cutters by introducing the
ends of their stems, one at a time, into the inner cutter B¹, and then causing
the leaves to move lengthwise of the cutters. This movement is produced by the
hand of the attendant until the end of a stem reaches feed rollers D¹ D2, which
preferably are serrated so that they may take a firm hold upon the stems.
The feed rollers D1 D2 are mounted upon shafts d¹². As shown, the shaft d¹
is journaled in stationary bearings in the frame work of the machine, but the
shaft is journaled in movable bearings d. The bearing which supports
that end of the shaft which is furthest from the feed roller D2 is connected by
trunions to the frame work of the machine; hence it can have a swinging
movement. The bearing is capable of a sliding movement to adjust the feed
olier De relatively to the feed roller D', for the purpose of causing the feed
soliers to grip with any desired force the stem of the tobacco leaf which they are
to feed. The bearing is actuated by means of a lever do which is fulcrumed
at d to the frame work of the machine, and connected beyond the fulcrum with a
spring. With the spring is combined an adjustable screw connected
with the frame work of the machine, so as to be capable of varying the tension

page_text: of the spring and hence the force with which the feed roller 12 will be impelled
towards the feed roller D¹.
On the shafts d¹ d² of the feed rollers ) D are fixed gear wheels 10. Hence
the two feed rollers will rotate in unison and in opposite directions. On the
shaft d¹ is fixed a large beveled gear that engages with a smaller beveled
gear d¹³, affixed to the driving shaft C.
In front of the cutters BI B2 are rollers E¹ E2 which are affixed to vertical
shafts ee. Preferably these rollers are grooved peripherally, so that when they
are in close proximity to each other, there will be a circular or approximately
circular space between them. The shafts e¹ e2 are journaled in bearings made in
the form of brackets eet, which are loosely hung upon shafts F1 F2, these shafts
being supported in a bracket F that is fastened to the frame work A of the machine
and extends forwardly therefrom. Therefore the shafts e¹ es can swing towards
and from each other upon the shafts F1 F3. Affixed on the shafts e¹ e are beveled
gear wheels ec. These engage with beveled gear wheels f¹ f affixed to the
shafts F1 F2. The shafts F1 I have affixed to them intermeshing gear-wheels f3 ft.
Hence these shafts rotate in unison. On the shaft F1 is affixed a gear wheel f³
that engages with a gear wheel fe affixed to the driving shaft C.
The shafts F1 F2 at the forward ends abut against screws f7f8, which engage
with tapped holes in the outer extremities of the bracket and are combined
with jam nuts f³ flo.. By turning these screws, the shafts may, be adjusted
forwards and backwards to a slight extent, to secure exactly the proper relation
of the rollers E E2 and cutters B¹ B². To prevent the rollers EE from being
moved into too close relation to each other, I provide the brackets ee with set
screws ees, and arrange upon the forward part of the frame work A a bracket a,
the latter being of such length as to project between the set screws.
Attached to the brackets e³ e are guides G₁ G³, of semi-conical shape, provided
with shanks g¹ g² by means of which the connection is made with the said
brackets e e¹.
that are
The rollers E E and the guides G G2 are moved towards and from each other
for each leaf that is to be stemmed.
The brackets are pivotally connected between their ends with rods H¹ H³,
which are also pivotally connected with arms T¹ I2 affixed to shafts
journaled in the frame work A of the machine. These shafts have also affixed
to them arms J1 J2, and hence said shafts with their arms I¹ 12 and J J2 consti-
tute levers. The arms J¹ J2 are connected by means of rods j¹ with levers K¹ K²
which are fulcrumed on pins or studs supported by the frame work A of the
machine. The inner ends of these levers K' K² are connected together by means
of a pink, which passes transversely through holes with which they are provided;
one of the holes being large enough to prevent the pin from interfering with the
swing of the levers. The pin k is provided with an anti-friction roller that fits
the groove of a cam L.
With the levers K1 K2 are combined springs k³ which may hold the inner
ends of the levers K' K² in contact with the inner wall of the cam groove, in the
event of any lost motion between the two walls of the groove and the roller. The
stops 13 I are combined with the arms I' I², to limit their downward motion,
and therefore to limit the movement of said arms I¹ I². The stops I3 I, as shown,
consist of screws which are adjustable in brackets, extending from the frame work A
of the machine.
The cam L is affixed to a shaft L¹ which is journaled in the frame work A of
the machine and is provided with a belt pulley L³, by which motion may be
imparted to it. It is intended that this belt pulley shall be constantly driven,
but that the shaft L' shall only be driven, intermittingly. Hence the pulley L
is mounted loosely upon the shaft L' and connected to it by a friction clutch L³
which may be of any suitable construction.
The shaft supporting the feed roller D2 extends downwardly and contacts
with an arm M affixed to a rotary shaft M, which has affixed to it a sprocket

page_text: wheel m that engages with a chain m¹ also passing around a sprocket wheel m³
affixed to the shaft L'. Preferably, there will be an adjustment between the
arm M and the sprocket wheel m, so that they may be combined in exactly
the desired relation. To this end, the sprocket wheel is loosely mounted upon
the shaft M¹ and is provided with a segment m³. Affixed to the shaft adjacent to the
sprocket wheel is a collar m¹ having two lugs m³ m³ extending adjacent to the
ends of the segment m³ of the sprocket wheel. These lugs m5 m of the collar m
are provided with set screws m² me which may be adjusted to impinge against the
ends of the said segment. Obviously, by manipulations of these set screws, the
relation of the sprocket wheel to the shaft M³, and hence its relation to the arm M
may be varied.
As soon
as the stem of a tobacco leaf has been introduced between the
guides GG, it will be grasped by the rollers E¹ E and moved through the
cutters B B to the feed rollers D¹ D³. Its passage between the latter will cause
the feed roller D2 to be moved away from its fellow; thus the shaft will be
moved beyond the arm M. Thereupon the pulley L will impart through
the friction clutch L³ rotary motion to the shaft L', and the latter will transmit
this motion to the shaft M₁ so as to revolve the arm M. The cam L will also be
turned at this time. Hence the guides G1 G2 and the rollers E E2 will be moved
apart so as not to interfere with the tobacco leaf. The revolution of the arm M
will afford time for the stripping or stemming of a leaf. After the passage of the
stem of the leaf beyond the rollers D D³, the shaft will be in position to stop
the arm M with the guides G1 G2 and rollers E¹ Es in proper relation to introduce
another leaf.
Suitable receptacles may be provided for the leaves and the stems, after stripping
or stemming.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a tobacco stripping or stemming machine, the combination of tubular
concentric cutters, guides for directing a leaf to the same, and feeding means
controlled by the stem of the leaf for automatically moving said guides towards
and from each other, substantially as specified.
2. In a tobacco stripping or stemming machine, the combination of tubular
concentric cutters, guides for directing a leaf to the same, a pair of feed rollers
controlled by the stem of the leaf, and connections between the guides and feed
rellers for moving said guides towards and from each other, substantially as
specified.
3. In a tobacco stripping or stemming machine, the combination of tubular
concentric cutters, guides for directing a leaf to the same, a roller bodily movable
by the stem of the leaf, a surface co-acting with the roller and between which and
the roller the stem is fed, and connections between said guides and roller for
moving the guides toward and from each other, substantially as specified.
4. In a tobacco stripping or stemming machine, the combination of tubular
concentric cutters, guides for directing a leaf to the same, means for moving said
guides towards and from each other, comprising a constantly driven shaft, a cam
frictionally clutched to said shaft, a stop connected to said cam and determining
its time of motion, a roller moved by the stem of a leaf to release said stop, and a
surface co-acting with said roller and between which and the roller the stem is
fed, substantially as specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.