IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING CIGARETTES
Year: 1879

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 MAKING CIGARETTES." A communica-
tion from abroad by Leon Joseph Bejottes, of the City and State of New
York. United States of America, Merchant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th November 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING
CIGARETTES." A communication from abroad by Leon Joseph Bejottes, of the
City and State of New York, United States of America, Merchant.
This Invention relates to machinery or apparatus for making cigarettes. The
tobacco being fed by hand or otherwise in the required quantity to form one or
more cigarettes at a time, the said apparatus takes the wrapper, applies the paste,
and performs the operation of rolling the cigarette automatically as hereinafter
described.
The said Invention consists chiefly in the combination of the pasting mechanism
with the rolling devices whereby the wrappers being cut to the proper size, placed in
a receptacle, and lifted therefrom by the mechanism; paste is applied on one edge,
and the wrapper is then deposited upon the rolling apron, when it is caught in the
rolling operation and rolled around the tobacco, and fastened by the paste as herein-
after described.
In the accompanying Drawing,
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the machine showing the cams and driving
shaft below the table.
Figure 2 is also a sectional view showing the pasting devices in position for
applying the paste.
:
Figure 3 is a similar view, but with the parts in position for beginning the rolling
operation.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.

page_text: A is the frame for supporting the working parts; B is the shaft, to which the
power may be applied by belt, or treadle, or otherwise; C is the rolling apron,
made of any flexible material, such as india rubber or leather, and it is attached at
each end to a sliding carriage, the front end being secured to a transverse bar D,
on the slides E, working in grooves in the frame F; the proper motion is given to
these slides and the bar D and thereby to that end of the apron C by a grooved
cam-wheel G and a right angle lever H and connecting rod K attached to the ends
of the slides E. The other end of the apron C is attached to the front end of a
carriage L, which also slides in grooves in the frame on a plane below the first
named carriage, so that one can slide underneath, the other leaving a space between
the two equal to the diameter of the cigarette, or nearly so. This carriage serves
as a table to support the apron during the rolling operation, and is pressed forward
by a spring 7, which is supported in working position by a rod M, one end of which
is attached to the underside of the carriage L, and when the several parts are in
proper position to receive the charge of tobacco this carriage occupies the position
shewn in Figure 1, its front end being underneath the paste-box N, the apron C
resting on the said carriage or table, and its other end curved up as shewn at O to
receive the charge behind a check plate P, which is shewn as resting on the inclined
lifters R, which are attached to the slides E, and travel with the bar D, which
carries that end of the apron. This check-plate slides in grooves in upright sup-
ports upon the frame S, and it is provided with friction-rolls to work upon the
upper edges of the lifters R to reduce the friction. As the lifters R are withdrawn
by the motion of the slides E the check-plate descends and rests upon the outside
of the apron, and in front of the roll of tobacco, and as the apron is drawn forward
the tobacco is rolled over and over in the fold of the apron, as shewn at T.
As the roll of tobacco in the apron is prevented by the check plate in front of
it from rolling forward the table or carriage L is moved back or is drawn back
by the apron until the roll drops off at the front end of the table L, the parts
being in the position shewn in Figure 2.
The wrappers are cut of the proper size to surround the roll of tobacco, and may
be in such lengths as to comprise two or more ordinary cigarettes; the wrappers
may be cut into the proper lengths after they are filled.
A pile of the wrappers is placed in a box or receiver U, which is mounted in
grooved guides U₁ that permit the box to slide to and fro underneath the paste
box N. The latter is hopper-shaped with a slot in its bottom extending the length
of the wrapper to permit the paste to flow down to the front edge of the wrapper,
and said box is attached to a cross-head N¹, which is moved up and down by
vertical rods as at N2, their lower ends having friction rolls N³, which rest upon
cam-wheels N, upon the main shaft, whereby the box is raised and lowered
vertically from the wrapper-box to the apron.
When the paste-box is raised by its cams above the wrapper box the uprights V
or the slides E come in contact with springs V1 on rods, which are attached to the
bottom of the wrapper box U, and thus slide the box U forward until it is directly
under the paste box as represented in Figure 2, where it is stopped by projections
on its guides coming in contact with the bottom of the box. The cams on the
shaft are so shaped as to permit the paste box while in this position to descend
upon the pile of wrappers, and the paste coming in contact with the upper wrapper
attaches it to the bottom of the paste-box, so that when the box is again lifted by
its cams the wrapper will be lifted with it, and thereby removed from the others
in the box U.
While the paste box is in the wrapper box the uprights or arms V on the slides E
will have reversed their movement and come in contact with another set of
springs V2 on the same rods that carry the spring V₁, and will have compressed
them, so that when the paste-box is lifted the wrapper-box will instantly slide
back from underneath the paste box, and thereby permit it to descend with the
wrapper upon the apron to the position shown in Figure 1. But it is evident that
the wrapper must be stripped from the pasted edge or bottom of the paste box, or
1

page_text: To accom-
it will be again lifted with it when it rises again for another wrapper.
plish this object a stripping plate W is supported by rods W', sliding in brackets W
upon the cross head N¹, and said rods have stops W³ on their upper ends to lift the
stripping plate from the wrapper after it has done its work, and it then travels
with the paste-box. But before the stripping plate is lifted the paste-box is caught
by the hooks as at H', which are attached to the cross-head or the depending arms
thereof that support the box, and the box is then lifted up first and held until the
wrapper box is moved forward when the hooks are disengaged or tripped by two
uprights as at Y, attached to the ends of the wrapper-box, and thus the paste-box
is permitted to drop again upon the wrappers to the position shown in Figure 2.
Another advantage of this stripping plate is that when it descends with the paste-
box to the pile of wrappers, its surface presses them down flat, and holds them in a
smooth position to prevent their tilting under the sharp edge of the paste-box.
When the hooks H¹ are lifting the paste-box the parts are in the position shewn
in Figure 3, just as the wrapper box is beginning to be moved forward underneath
the paste-box and its stripping plate.
The hook H is represented as detached from the paste-box in Figure 2, and held
up by the upright Y.
A curved finger or guide Z, Figure 1, may be used attached to the slides E or to
the link that extends between them in such a manner that when the apron is
reversed it will serve to press the apron back underneath the paste-box, and hold it
flat to receive the wrapper.
If more than one length of wrapper is used the proper lengths may be cut
afterwards by hand or otherwise.
I have given to the above described apparatus the name of "Bejotte's cigarette
machine."
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,-
First. The combination of the rolling apron and check-plate with a wrapper-box
and pasting device, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.
Second. The combination of the paste-box and stripping plate with the apron
and reciprocating table as above described and for the purposes set forth.
Third. The combination of the paste-box, the stripping plate, and the wrapper-
box, as and for the purposes set forth.
Fourth. The combination of the paste-box, stripping plate, and hooks H¹ with
the cross-head and cams on the main shaft, as and for the purposes set forth.
Fifth. The combination with the slides E of the folding finger or fingers Z, as
and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
117M PORT TADE
1
17M
ROBT LAKE, (L.a.)