IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING CIGARS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING
CIGARS." A communication from abroad by Ohester Montraville
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lako
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 31st December 1875.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
Manufacturing CIGARS," a communication, to be as follows: 11
I construct a machine with a foundation or board of sufficient width
and length to support the mechanism herein-after described. To this
foundation I attach guide pieces at such distances apart as to receive

page_text: between them an ordinary cigar mould widthwise, and they are
sufficiently high to receive the said mould, knives, and binder devices.
A spring is fastened to the bottom and provided with a stud projecting up
to fit in any one of the holes in a drawer plate, so that the mould on the
plate may have a proper position under the devices above it. This
drawer plate is grooved into the said guides and has between them a
free reciprocating movement; its function is to support the mould and to
attain this end thumb screws are tapped through nuts fastened to the
top of the drawer plate, there being a small space between the nuts and
the ends of the mould, whereby an adjustment of the mould longi-
tudinally may be made on the drawer plate.
The mould is provided with filler receptacles preferably twenty-one in
number, only seven of which are filled at a time. A metal plate
extends the length (or more) of the mould and filling between guides and
is provided with seven transverse slots and a handle, and it is arranged to
have a reciprocating movement over said mould. To the marginal
spaces between these slots are attached seven knives. The said plate is
provided with two holes at a distance apart corresponding with the
distance apart of the filler spaces in the mould, so that a spring catch
may be used to hold the plate in any required position to fill the moulds,
and it is provided with two slots running on stationary studs fastened to
the guide to govern its extreme movements near both edges of the said
plate, and longitudinally with it are formed grooves on its top side to
receive tongues or projections on another plate, so that the latter may
have a proper reciprocating movement. This last-named plate is pro-
vided with transverse slots corresponding in number with the slots in
the first plate and the knives on the marginal spaces between the slots,
and it is provided with a handle for giving it a reciprocating movement,
and is formed with slots corresponding in position to the two slots in the
'first plate, so that the studs or pins controlling the extent of the longi-
tudinal movement of said plate may also control the movement of the
second plate by passing through it.
I provide the machine with a thimble board which has outwardly
projecting thimbles corresponding in number with the slots in the said
plates. The functions of the thimbles are, first, to pass through these
plates down to the mould, and hold the edges of the binders; and,
secondly, to guide the filling material into the mould, and for con-
venience of operating the board it is hinged to the foundation. A leaf

page_text: hinged to the foundation is provided with seven forms for compressing
the binders into the moulds, the external contour of the said forms
corresponding with the bottoms of the said moulds. I use a tucking plate
provided with tuckers seven in number, having each a concavo face and
an extended edge on one side only of the concave to tuck the binders in
at the sides of the fillers, and between them and the cigar forms in the
mould; and to facilitate the movement of this plate it is hinged to the
foundation and is provided with a handle. This tucking plate is slotted
to receive the screw bolts which hold the tuckers in place. The slots
also serve the purpose of adjustment of the tuckers.
A filler board is used which is provided with seven slots corresponding
in form with the moulds. The under side of this board is provided with
a sliding plate for holding the filling material in the forms, unless it is
to be discharged into the mould at which time the plate is to be drawn
endwise. To attain this movement of the plate slots are formed in it
for studs on the filler board to project through. I also provide a hooker
board which contains eight prongs of such width as will correspond with
the width of the spaces between the slots in the aforesaid plates.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th June 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,

page_text: between them a free reciprocating movement, its function is to support
the mould K, and to attain this end thumb screws I are tapped through
nuts fastened to the top of the drawer plate, there being some little
space between the nuts and the ends of the mould K, whereby an
adjustment of the niould longitudinally may be made on the drawer
plate.
The mould Figure 2 is provided with twenty-one filler receptacles,
though a greater or lesser number may be used, only seven of these
receptacles are filled at a time; T, Figure 2, represents a metal plate
extending through or beyond the length of the mould K, and fitting in
between guides J, J', and provided with seven transverse slots and a
handle L, and it is arranged to have a reciprocating movement over said
mould. The purpose of these slots is herein-after described. To the
marginal spaces between the slots are attached seven knives S. This
plate T is provided with two holes at a distance apart corresponding to
the distance apart of the filler spaces in the mould, so that a spring catch
may be used to hold the plate T in any required position to fill the
moulds, and it is provided with two slots running on stationary studs
fastened to guide J to govern its extreme movement. I prefer to locate
the same at J", Figure 1. Near to both edges of the plate T and longi-
tudinal therewith are formed grooves on its top side to receive tongues
or projections on plate U, so that the latter may have a proper recipro-
cating movement. This plate U is provided with transverse slots
corresponding in number with the slots in plate T, and the knives S" are
in the marginal spaces between the slots, it is provided with a handle M
for giving it a reciprocating movement, and with slots corresponding
in position to the two slots in the aforesaid plate T, so that the studs or
pins controlling the extent of the longitudinal movement of plate T may
.also control the movement of plate U by passing through it. ·
W represents what I term a thimble board which is provided with
outwardly projecting thimbles e, e, corresponding in number to the slots
⚫in plates T, U. The functions of the thimbles are, first, to pass through
plates T, U, and down to mould K, and hold the edges of the binders,
and secondly, to guide the filling material into the mould K. And for

page_text: the convenience of operating the board W it is hinged to the foundation
A at p, p, Figure 1; A' represents a leaf hinged to the foundation A
and provided with seven forms 2 for compressing the binders into the
moulds, the external contour of the forms 2 corresponding to the
bottoms of the moulds; B represents a tucking plate which is provided
with tuckers b (seven in number), shown in enlarged elevation in
Figure 3, having each a concave face, and an extended edge on one
side only of the concavity to tuck the binders in at the sides of the fillers,
and between them and the cigar forms in the mould K; and to facilitate
the movement of this plate it is hinged to the foundation A at D, and it
is provided with a handle F for leverage power. The plate B is slotted
at c to receive the screw bolts a which hold the tuckers in place. The
slots also serve for the adjustment of the tuckers.
Figure 4 represents a filler board which in practice is about an inch
thick, and provided with seven slots 3 corresponding in shape with the
forms of mould K. The under side of this board is provided with a
sliding plate 4, as shown in Figure 5, for the purpose of holding the
filling material in the forms until it is to be discharged into the
mould K, at which time the plate is to be drawn endwise, as shown by
dotted lines. To cause this movement of the plate 4, slots 6 are formed
in it for studs 5 on the filler board to project through and govern its
movement; B³, Figure 6, represents a booker board which contains
eight prongs of such width as will correspond with the width of the
spaces between the slots in plates T, U, for a purpose herein-after set
forth.
The leaf A¹, and thimble board W, Figure 2, are to be removed, and
seven of the forms in mould K can then be filled as follows:-The
binders 14, Figure 6, are placed on the prongs of the booker board so
that one binder will extend from 7 to 8, and the second leaf will extend
from 9 to 10 and so forth, till the binders are laid for seven cigar forms.
The booker board is then placed over the moulds so that the leaves of
tobacco or binders will come directly over the forms in the mould K,
the head of the booker board resting on any suitable table or form, and
the prongs projecting under the plate B and between the hinges D, D.
the thimble board W and leaf A¹ are then brought down on the moulds,
and then the board Figure 6 is drawn out from under the board W and

page_text: plate A¹. The filler board, Figure 4, with its plate 4 under it has its
forms filled, and is then placed over the moulds K, so that when the
board B¹ is drawn lengthwise the short filling material used will fall into
them. After which the tucker plate B is brought down so that the
tuckers will compress or pack the fillers into the binders, the thimble
board is then removed from the mould and the plate T drawn to the
frame of the machine, the catch described as connected with this plate
allowing of this movement. The plate U is then pushed in, so that the
edges of the knives passing each other will cut the surplus binder off,
and they may be removed by hand. In this position of the knives the
plate T requires to be pushed back to its first position, that is to say, a
half of the width of a cigar form further in the machine, the backs of
the upper knives in this position holding the edges of the binders at one
side of cach cigar form. The tucker plate B is then brought down to
tuck the binders round the sides of the fillers closely. The drawer plate
H by operating spring catch g is to be drawn out the width of one cigar
form in mould K. Then seven more forms in mould K are filled at one
time, till the twenty-one forms are filled in like manner. The mould
is then removed and the drawer plate H and another mould substituted
•

page_text: Fifth. The hinged tucker plate carrying tuckers in combination with
the mould and plates, as above described and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.
"
Witness,
JA. EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)