Improvements in Machines for Automatically Making Cigarettes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Automatically Making Cigarettes.
A communication by LA SOCIÉTÉ BRAUNSTEIN FRERES and LOUIS CHAMBON, both of
16, Rue Drouot, Paris, in the Republic of France, Engineers.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a machine for the manufacture of cigarettes of
various sizes and lengths in a manner entirely mechanical and automatic.
This machine is characterised by the combination with the parts necessary for
making a tube of cigarette paper by means of a continuous strip of paper pre-
viously printed or paraffined as desired, of a mechanical arrangement for rolling
the tobacco in the form of a sliver round a spiral or screw arrangement and for
introducing it, without packing by means of this same screw device, into the tube
which has been previously made by the machine and been lodged in a wheel which
conveys it opposite the rolling apparatus, said tube being at this moment pushed
into a hopper and held there by grips. The tube once filled, the screw receives a
backward or recoil movement combined with a rotary movement, the speed of which
depends on the thread of the screw, in such a way as to allow it to be withdrawn
without dividing the tobacco. During the rotation of the wheel which carries the
tubes, the cigarette which has just been made passes between circular knives
which cut off the excess of tobacco at each end. The said cigarette is then pushed
between two jaws which give it an oval form and allow it to fall into a receiving
box.
The machine includes a reel carrier or spool carrier for a roll of continuous paper
and a series of printing or bronzing apparatuses serving both for drawing forward
and printing the paper, at the head of which may be placed a tipping apparatus,
it being understood that these printing, bronzing and tipping apparatuses do not
form an essential part of the machine, which may be employed independently of
them.
The tipping apparatus is formed by two cheeks attached to the frame of the
machine and between which three cylinders are mounted, one of these cylinders
being covered with blotting paper serving to absorb the excess of liquid employed
for producing the amber or wax tip. Two segments are mounted on the top
cylinder and serve to deposit on the paper a given breadth of paraffin and the
position of which corresponds to a given length of tube. The melted paraffin is
contained in a receptacle and is distributed by rollers. A scraper allows of the
distribution being regulated. Movement is transmitted to this apparatus by

page_text: helicoidal gearings and consequently to all the cylinders and rollers by a train of
wheels.
After the amber tipping apparatus, the printing devices are placed, which latter
are already well known and are arranged in a similar manner, and then an
apparatus serving for making and cutting the tube.
The tube thus prepared and cut to a suitable length is pushed into a distributing
wheel having a suitable number of sockets easily dismountable for the various
sizes of cigarettes; this wheel which has an intermittent rotary motion brings the
cut tube in front of the apparatus for rolling the tobacco. The tube is then pushed
into a hopper by a pusher operated by a roller lever and cam making one revolu-
tion per cigarette. The tube is held in the funnel or hopper by spring jaws or
grips, the separation of which is effected by a little cam and a roller lever operated
by another cam.
The tube being thus in position, the following are the parts which serve for the
distribution and the filling of the tobacco.
The distributing apparatus is composed of two endless aprons or cloths. The
upper cloth mounted on rods pivoted on radius rods enables the thickness of the
layer of tobacco to be regulated. The latter is spread out on the lower cloth and
between guides which regulate the width. It is equalised in passing between the
two cloths, the latter having an intermittent advancing movement by means of
a Maltese cross, which receives its movement from a roller disc, operated by a train
of gearing engaging this disc. A catch or pawl device allows the distributing
movement of the tobacco to be arrested for the starting of the machine or when
there is a want of tubes. The tobacco is cut by a knife actuated by a balancer, a
roller lever and cam. The knife continuing its movement causes the tobacco to
pass between two rollers which have a rapid rotary motion in the same direction,
which has for a consequence to roll the tobacco round a spiral or screw. There is
formed in this way a filler of tobacco which is inserted or introduced into the tube
by the spiral itself, which is actuated by a rod and crank discs. At the moment
when the recoil of the screw commences, nuts operated by a roller lever and cam
tighten the screwed part of the rod carrying the screw and impart to the latter an
unscrewing motion corresponding to the thread of the spiral, the consequence of
which is to enable the withdrawal of the latter to be effected without any part of
the tobacco being extracted.
The forms, dimensions, proportions, and auxiliary parts may be varied and any
suitable materials may be employed for their construction without affecting in any
way the principle of the invention.
Dated this 18th day of Felvmory 1807
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Automatically Making Cigarettes.
A communication by LA SOCIÉTÉ BRAUNSTEIN FRERES and LOUIS CHAMBON, both of
16, Rue Drouot, Paris, in the Republic of France, Engineers.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention has for its object a machine for the manufacture of cigarettes of
various sizes and lengths in a manner entirely mechanical and automatic.
This machine is characterised by the combination with the parts necessary for
making a tube of cigarette paper by means of a continuous strip of paper previously
printed or paraffined as desired, of a mechanical arrangement for rolling the tobacco
in the form of a sliver round a spiral or screw arrangement and for introducing it,
without packing, by means of this same screw device into the tube which has been
previously made by the machine and been lodged in a wheel which conveys it
opposite the rolling apparatus, said tube being at this moment pushed into a hopper
and held there by grips. The tube once filled, the screw receives a backward or
recoil movement combined with a rotary movement, the speed of which depends on
the thread of the screw, in such a way as to allow it to be withdrawn without divid-
ing the tobacco. During the rotation of the wheel which carries the tubes the
cigarette which has just been made passes between circular knives which cut off
the excess of tobacco at each end. The said cigarette is then pushed between two
jaws which give it an oval form and allow it to fall into a receiving box.
In order to allow of the invention being better understood reference will now be
made to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the whole machine arranged in accord-
ance with this invention;
Figure 2 a diagrammatic elevation of the same;
Figure 3 a diagrammatic sectional elevation showing the arrangement for push-
ing the tobacco;
Figure 4 a side view in elevation of the apparatus for distributing the tobacco
and the cutting and rolling apparatus.
Figure 5 a sectional elevation of the tobacco distributing apparatus and the
cutting and rolling apparatus, on the line R S of Figure 6.
Figure 6 a view in transverse section of the tobacco distributing apparatus made
on the lines T U V of Figure 5.
Figure 7 a transverse section of the tobacco distributing apparatus made on the
line y of Figure 4.
Figure 8 an elevation of the apparatus for cutting and rolling the tobacco, push-
ing the tube into the hopper and of the circular knives for cutting the cigarette
ends.
Figure 9 a plan view of the apparatus for rolling and cutting the tobacco, of the
circular knives cutting the ends of the cigarettes, of the wheel conveying the
cigarettes and of the apparatus for imparting to them an oval shape.
Figure 10 a side view of the wheel conveying the cigarettes, showing the circular
knives and the apparatus for giving an oval form to the cigarettes.
Figure 11 a sectional elevation of the amber or other tipping apparatus on the
line NO of Figure 12.
Figure 12 a transverse section of the apparatus on the line P Q of Figure 11.
Figure 13 a plan view of the tipping apparatus.
The machine shown in the drawings includes a reel carrier or spool carrier (which
is not shown) for a roll of continuous paper and a series of printing or bronzing
apparatuses serving both for drawing forward and printing the paper, at the head
of which may be placed as shown in Figures 1 and 2 a tipping apparatus, shown
in detail in Figures 11, 12 and 13, it being understood that these printing, bronz-
ing and tipping apparatuses do not form an essential part of the machine, which
may be employed independently of them.
The tipping apparatus, Figures 1 and 2 and 11, 12 and 13 is formed by two
checks attached to the frame of the machine and between which three cylinders
B B B are mounted, one B¹ of these cylinders being covered with blotting paper.
serving to absorb the excess of liquid employed for producing the amber or wax

page_text: tip. Two segments B2 B3 are mounted on the top cylinder B and serve to deposit
on the paper a given breadth of paraffin and the position of which corresponds to
a given length of tube. The melted paraffin is contained in a receptacle B5 and is
distributed by rollers B B7 B8. A scraper B allows of the distribution being
regulated. "Movement is transmitted to this apparatus by helicoidal gearings
B B and consequently to all the cylinders and rollers by a train of wheels 1, 2,
3, 4, 5.
After the amber tipping apparatus the printing devices are placed, which latter
are already well known and are arranged in the ordinary manner, and then an
apparatus serving for making and cutting the tube.
The tube thus prepared and cut to a suitable length is pushed into a distributing
wheel C, Figures 1, 9 and 10, having a suitable number of sockets easily dis-
mountable for the various sizes of cigarettes; this wheel which has an intermittent
rotary motion brings the cut tube in front of the apparatus for rolling the tobacco,
Figures 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9. The tube is then pushed into a hopper by a pusher E
operated by a roller lever E, and cam E making one revolution per cigarette,
Figure 8. The tube is held in the funnel or hopper 1 by spring jaws or grips F,
the separation of which is effected by a little cam F¹ and a roller lever F2 operated
by another cam F3, Figure 4.
The tube being thus in position the following are the parts which serve for the
distribution and the filling of the tobacco.
The distributing apparatus is composed of two endless aprons or cloths G and G¹.
The upper cloth G mounted on rods G2 pivoted on radius rods Genables the thick-
ness of the layer of tobacco to be regulated. The latter is spread out on the lower
cloth G and between guides G which regulate the width. It is equalised in pass-
ing between the two cloths G G¹ the latter having an intermittent advancing move-
ment by means of a Maltese cross G, Figure 5, which receives its movement from
a roller disc G operated by a train of gearing G7 engaging this disc. A catch or
pawl device H, Figure 4, allows the distributing movement of the tobacco to be
arrested for the starting of the machine or when there is a want of tubes. The
tobacco is cut by a knife I actuated by a balancer I¹, a roller lever I and cam I³,
Figures 5, 8, 9. The knife continuing its movement causes the tobacco to pass
between milled rollers J which have a rapid rotary motion in the same direction,
which has for a consequence to roll the tobacco round a spiral or helix A¹ formed
of steel wire wound spirally. There is formed in this way a filler of tobacco which
is inserted or introduced into the tube by the spiral itself, which is actuated by a
rod K and crank discs L L', Figures 1 and 3. At the moment when the recoil of
the spiral commences, nuts M operated by a roller lever M' and cam M² tighten
on or grip the screwed part of the rod M³ carrying the spiral and impart to the
latter an unscrewing motion corresponding to the thread of the spiral, the con-
sequence of which is to enable the withdrawal of the latter to be effected without
any part of the tobacco being extracted.
The forms, dimensions, proportions, and auxiliary parts may be varied and any
suitable materials may be employed for their construction without affecting in any
way the principle of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is:-
A machine for the automatic manufacture of cigarettes, characterised essentially
by the combination with the various mechanisms usually employed for carrying out
this kind of manufacture, of a series of rollers serving to roll the tobacco into the
form of a filler around a helical arrangement formed of a steel wire wound spirally,
and of a mechanical arrangement adapted on the one hand by means of the said
spiral to force the filler thus formed into a previously prepared and suitably held
tube, and on the other hand to cause said spiral to revolve on its return stroke to an

page_text: extent equal to its pitch so as to withdraw it from the tube without withdrawing
the tobacco; the whole substantially as hereinbefore described and shown as an
example in the accompanying drawings.
11 11: 1011 .
Jan 1907
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.