Improvements in Apparatus for Compressing and Serving or Binding Tobacco.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Sept., 1890-Accepted, 15th Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Compressing and Serving or
Binding Tobacco.
I, ARCHIBALD KENNEDY IRVINE, M.D., of 3 Newton Terrace, Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows, that is to say :-
My said invention has for its object to improve and modify apparatus for the same
purposes and to some extent of the same kind as what is described in my Patent
Specification No. 6618 of 1889. One practical advantage of my present improvements
consists in my being able to dispense with a cloth wrapper formerly used for securing
the stick of tobacco to a spindle by means of which it was drawn through the
apparatus whilst being made to rotate so as to wind the binding cord upon itself.
In carrying out my present invention according to one modification I employ a
rotating tube or barrel internally square at the entering end into which the stick of
tobacco is introduced but having the further or exit end contracted to a round form.
Inside the barrel there are four feeding plates fitted so as to be capable of recipro-
cating longitudinally and of moving inwards and outwards to a small extent. . As the
barrel rotates suitable projections on the backs of the feeding plates move in contact
with a stationary cam ring encircling the barrel, the action of this cam ring being
such as at one time to cause two diametrically opposite feed plates to move forwards
whilst gripping the tobacco stick, the other two feed plates being then moved back-
wards whilst not gripping. As the rotation continues the feed plates which were
moving backwards next grip and move forwards and the others cease gripping and
return backwards; and the action continues, the pairs of feed plates alternately
moving the tobacco stick forwards. The cord is wound upon the tobacco stick as this
stick issues from the forward end of the barrel.
In other modifications instead of placing the tobacco stick in a rotating barrel I
place it between rollers which make it rotate and at the same time compress it if
required. In one arrangement there are four parallel rollers, one of which is carried
by a lever frame so that it can be moved aside to admit or remove the tobacco stick.
In this case the tobacco stick does not move longitudinally and the cord is wound on
it whilst it is between the rollers. The cord is laid by a leader moved along.c
⚫on a
guide rod by the growing coil of the cord itself, the leader being adjustable so as to
lay the coils more or less closely as may be desired.
In another arrangement the rollers, of which three may be sufficient, are inclined so
as to impart a screwing motion to the tobacco stick whilst making it rotate; and if
necessary the gripping action of the rollers may be increased by finely fluting or
otherwise roughening them. In this arrangement the tobacco stick moves longi-
tudinally and winds on the cord whilst rotating, the cord being led on to it whilst
passing between the rollers, or as it emerges from them, or between a first and a
second set of rollers.
Dated this Twants third day of December 1880

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Compressing and Serving or
Binding Tobacco.
I, ARCHIBALD KENNEDY IRVINE, M.D., of 3 Newton Terrace, Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, 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, that is to say :-
My said invention has for its object to improve and modify apparatus for the same
purposes and to some extent of the same kind as what is described in my Patent
Specification No. 6618 of 1889.
One practical advantage of my present improvements consists in my being able to
dispense with a cloth wrapper formerly used for securing the stick of tobacco to a
spindle, by means of which it was drawn through the apparatus whilst being made to
rotate so as to wind the binding cord upon itself.
Three examples of my improved modifications are delineated on three accompanying
sheets of explanatory drawings which are hereunto appended; and my improvements
are hereinafter particularly described with reference to these drawings.
Figures, 1, 2, and 3, on Sheet 1, of the drawings are a plan, a side elevation and
an end elevation of one machine,
Figures, 4, and 5, being separate views of parts not fully seen in the other
figures.
Figures, 6, and 7, on Sheet 2, are transverse vertical sections of a second machine,
which is shown in plan and in side elevation in Figures, 8, and 9.
Figures, 10, and 11, on Sheet 3, are a plan and a side elevation of a third
machine; and
Figures 12, and 13, are a transverse vertical section and an end elevation.
In these drawings the same reference letters and numerals are used to mark the
same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
at
In the machine shown on Sheet 1, of the drawings there is at the entering end (the
right-hand end in Figures, 1, and 2) a rotating tube or barrel, A, internally square
the outer entering end into which the stick of tobacco is introduced, but having the
inner or exit end contracted to a round form. Inside the barrel, A, there are four
feeding plates, B, fitted into the corners of the barrel so as to be capable of recipro-
cating longitudinally and of moving inwards and outwards to a small extent. As the
barrel, A, rotates suitable projections, B1, at the inner ends of the feeding plates, B,
move in contact with a stationary cam ring, C, at the inner end of the barrel, A, the
action of this cam ring being such as at one time to cause two diametrically opposite
feed plates, B, to move forwards whilst gripping the tobacco stick, the other two feed
plates being then moved backwards whilst not gripping. The cam ring, C, is shown
in face view in Figure, 4, whilst Figure, 5, is a longitudinal section as taken through
the cam ring, C, the feed plates, B, the barrel, A, with the spurwheel, A 1, formed in
one piece with it and by means of which it is driven and the part of the framing, D,
in which the barrel, A, is carried and rotates.
The cam ring, O, is inade with two acting surfaces at right angles to each other,
one cam surface acting on the outer ends of the projections, B 1, to push them in at
one part and allow them to move out at another part, and the other can surface acting
on the inner sides of the projections, B 1, to push them forwards at one part and allow
them to return backwards at another part. At the outer ends the feed plates, B, are
jointed to links, B2, which are jointed to the outer parts of the wheel, A 1; and the
links, B 2, are pressed outwards (that is backwards relatively to the progressive move-
ment of the tobacco stick) by blade springs, A 2. The stick of tobacco to be bound
or served is entered between the feed plates, and then when the barrel, A, rotates in
the direction of the arrows in Figures, 3, and 4, each diametrical pair of feed plates in
turn grips the stick and moves it a short distance forwards, and then returns without
gripping, the stick being gradually moved forwards by the alternate action of the two

page_text: pairs of feed plates. The cord, E, is wound upon the tobacco stick, T, on its issuing
from the inner end of the barrel, the appliances for effecting the winding operation
which are shown in the drawings being the same as those described in my earlier
Specification hereinbefore referred to, and therefore requiring no description herein.
The former parts for drawing the tobacco stick forward are of course not required.
The cam ring, C, is made with a flange, (1, contracting the opening and serving to
guide and support the tobacco stick, T. And to enable the entering end of the
tobacco stick to get between the holders, 34, of the barrel, 12, a conical nose piece
(not shown) is by means of a spike or screw, temporarily attached to the end of
the stick.
In other modifications instead of passing the tobacco stick through a rotating barrel
I place it between rollers, which make it rotate, and at the same time compress it if
required. In one arrangement shown on Sheet 2, of the drawings, there are four
parallel rollers, G, H, one of which, H, is carried by a lever frame consisting of two
arms, J1, J2, upon a shaft, J, on which a hand lever, J3, is fixed. The three
rollers, G, and the shaft, J, are held in bearings in frame standards, K 1, K 2, formed
on a base plate, K, and the three rollers are driven by means of pinions, I, on their
ends outside of the frame standard, K 1, and in gear with a pinion, L1, on a short
shaft having on it fast and loose pulleys, L 2, for a driving belt, and held in the frame
standard, K1, and in an outer frame standard, K 3. The fourth roller, H, is by means
of the hand lever, J'3, moved aside to admit or remove the tobacco stick, T, which in
this case does not move longitudinally but has the cord, E, wound on it whilst it is
between the rollers, G, H. Provision may be made for driving the removable
roller, H, as in the case of the machine shown on Sheet, 3, and hereinafter described.
The cord, E, is laid by a leader, M, moved along on a guide rod, M 1, by the growing
coil of the cord itself, the leader, M, having attached to it a feeler plate, M2, the
inner edge of which partly encircles the fourth roller, H, and which is fitted so that
it can turn to a small extent about a horizontal axis and thereby adapt itself to the
slightly inclined direction of the cord, E. The cord, E, passes over a guide pulley, N,
on the leader, M, and a suitable tension is applied to it by a pair of nipping
pieces, N 1, between which it passes, and which are pressed together by a rubber
ring, N 2.
The modification shown on Sheet 3, of the drawings is to a large extent similar to
that shown on Sheet, 2, but is made with three rollers, G, H, instead of four, two, G,
being held in stationary bearings whilst the third, H, is arranged to be lifted up for
admitting or removing the tobacco stick; and the rollers, G, H, are not parallel in
shape, but are of a curved form with their middles of smaller diameter, to suit a
tobacco stick of a shape like an elongated barrel which shape is usual with some
varieties of tobacco sticks. The fast and loose pulleys, L2, are on the shaft of one
of the rollers, G, and the other roller is driven therefrom by means of pinions, L,
and an intermediate pinion, L3, on
a stud.
Another intermediate pinion, L4,
drives the pinion, L5, of the removable roller, H. This roller, H, is carried by
a plate or frame, P, which is hinged on a shaft, Q, upon which the intermediate
pinion, 4, rotates; and when the plate, P, is lifted with the roller, H, the
pinion. L5, of that roller remains still in gear with the intermediate pinion, L 4.
The plate or frame, P, has fitted to it a spindle, R, which has fast on it at each end
a pawl, R1, and each pawl engages with a curved rack, R2, fixed to the framing.
When lifting the plate or frame, P, with the roller, H, the pawls, R 1, have to be
turned away from the racks, R2; but they are turned inwards to engage with
the racks when a fresh tobacco stick has been inserted, and then they hold down
the plate or frame into whatever position it may be depressed. Weights can be
placed upon the plate, P, to give any required pressure.
When the tobacco stick is to be of a barrel-like form the winding of the cord
is, by preference, begun at the thickest part at the middle, the cord being doubled,
and the fold fixed into the tobacco with a peg, and the two parts of the cord
being wound from the middle towards the opposite ends. In order that the cord
may be wound in a proper manner on all parts of the tobacco stick there are

page_text: placed at the side of the machine from which the cord is led in two rollers, S1, S2,
which run loosely on a fixed spindle. S, and which together present a barrel-like
form corresponding to the intended form of the tobacco stick. The two ends, E,
of the cord are guided by leaders, V, which are jointed to and extend up from
the ends of horizontal levers, V 1, centered at the other side of the machine in a
manner to cause the leaders, V, to move approximately in the curve of the
rollers, S1, S2. The two rollers, S1, S2, are separated by a washer which may
be fixed to the spindle, and which projects so as to serve as a stop for the leaders, V.
The leaders, V, are made with upper forked parts the inner edges of which are
shaped to partly encircle the rollers, S1, S2, and are kept against those rollers
by the action of the cords. The cords, E, are led over tension springs, V 2, fixed
to the leaders, V, and proceed between the sides of the forks and are wound two
or more turns round the rollers, S1, S2, on their way to the tobacco stick. With
this arrangement the pull on the cords due to the winding action acts on the
coils on the rollers, S1, S2, with a leverage which varies as it ought to do, with
the diminishing size of the tobacco stick as the winding proceeds towards the ends;
and the traversing movements of the cords as they pass from the rollers, S 1, S2, keep
the passing parts always opposite the convolutions being wound on the tobacco stick,
thereby preventing one convolution from overlying another.
In all the modifications of the machine 1 prefer to have the rollers (G, H) which
act on the tobacco sticks, made with fine flutings as indicated in section in Figure, 12;
but such flutings have not been shown in other figures, to avoid multiplicity and
confusion of lines.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :·
1. In apparatus for compressing and serving or binding tobacco in which the
tobacco stick is moved longitudinally, the improved feeding mechanism consisting of
pairs of feeding plates in a rotating barrel, such feeding plates being alternately moved
forwards and backwards, and being made to grip the tobacco when moving forwards,
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Sheet 1, of the accompanying
drawings.
2. In apparatus for compressing and serving or binding tobacco, applying rollers
to make the stick of tobacco to rotate without moving longitudinally one of such
rollers being movable for admitting and removing the tobacco, combined with one or
more leaders to guide the binding cord or cords on to the tobacco, the parts being
arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to
Sheets, 2 and 3, of the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination of parts forming the machine shown on Sheet, 1, of the accom-
panying drawings and herein before described.
4. The combination of parts forming the machine shown on Sheet 2, of the
accompanying drawings and herein before described.
5. The combination of parts forming the machine shown on Sheet, 3, of the
accompanying drawings and herein before described.
Dated this Twenty-second day of September 1890.
ADMIND ILIINT
EDM
DMUND HUNT
Applicant's Agent.