IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Gibson, of Musselburgh, in the County
of Mid Lothian, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
Sealed the 23rd March 1869, and dated the 26th September 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Gibson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th September 1868.
I, HENRY GIBSON, of Musselburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO, AND IN THE MACHINERY OF
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention which has for its object certain improvements in
apparatus used in the spinning of tobacco consists as follows:-The
tobacco leaves in a prepared state are placed on a travelling band or
felt which carries them forward to the spinner who arranges the leaves.
in a proper manner, and after the leaves have been twisted or spun by
the action of a revolving bobbin placed at the other end of the machine,

page_text: the "twist" is carried between levelling rollers which roll down the
inequalities in the work; after passing through the levelling rollers the
"twist" is oiled previous to being coiled upon the bobbin. In order to
produce a uniform coil, motion is given to the bobbin endwise alternately
backwards and forwards by means of a cam acting upon a lever. The
machine is actuated from a shaft which runs the whole length of the
machine, and may be revolved by means of treadles actuated by the
spinner or by motive power. The bobbin is fitted with a friction strap
to regulate the rate of coiling the twisted tobacco. For some kinds of
"twist" the levelling rollers herein-before referred to may be dispensed
with. After the bobbin is filled with tobacco, it is removed from the
twisting machine and placed on a spindle from which it is unwound,
and formed into rolls between two discs placed on a hand coiling appa-
ratus, after which they are ready for the press.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Gibson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 25th March 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
GIBSON, of Musselburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Gibson, Her
special license that I, the said Henry Gibson, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Gibson,
my executors, administrators, or 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,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Im-.
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OP TOBACCO, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Henry Gibson, by an instrument in writing under my hand

page_text: and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Gibson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention which has for its object certain improvements in
apparatus used in the spinning of tobacco consists as follows:-The
tobacco leaves in a prepared state are placed on a travelling band or
felt which carries them forward to the spinner, who arranges the leaves
in a proper manner, and after the leaves have been twisted or spun by
the action of a revolving frame and bobbin placed at the other end of
the machine, the twist is carried between levelling rollers which roll
down the inequalities in the work; after passing through the levelling
rollers the "twist" is oiled previous to being coiled upon the bobbin.
In order to produce a uniform coil, motion is given to the bobbin
endwise alternately backwards and forwards by means of a cam acting
upon a lever. The machine is actuated from a shaft which is situated
underneath it, and may be revolved by means of treadles coupled to
cranks actuated by the spinner or by other motive power. The bobbin
is fitted with a friction strap to regulate the rate of coiling the twisted
tobacco.
For some kinds of "twist" the levelling rollers herein-before referred
to may be dispensed with. After the bobbin is filled with tobacco it is
removed from the twisting machine and placed on a spindle from which
it is unwound, and formed into rolls between two discs placed on a
hand coiling apparatus, after which they are ready for being pressed.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings represents a side elevation of one

page_text: form of my improved apparatus used for spinning tobacco; Figure 2
is a plan; and Figure 3 shows a corresponding end elevation of the
same.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3, A is the main framing of the machine; B is
the main or driving shaft which actuates the various mechanisms. It
is supported in bearings C, C¹, upon the framing of the machine, and
D is the bobbin shaft resting in the bearings E, E¹, secured to the upper
transverse bars a, a', of the frame.A. The required force for the move-
ment of the apparatus is applied in the present instance by the spinner
actuating the treadles G, G¹, with his feet. The treadles G, G¹, are
connected by straps H, H¹, passing through the eyes of the hooks I, I'.
The hooks I, I, are passed over the cranks J, J, of the main shaft B,
so that when the treadles G, G¹, are set in motion the shaft Bis made
to revolve. Upon the shaft B is fastened a bevel wheel K working into
a pinion L; this pinion L is fixed upon a vertical shaft M, having at
its upper end a tangent screw N, as shown more distinctly in Figure 2,
geared into the wheel O upon the spindle P¹ of the roller Q', thus
communicating the travelling motion to the band or felt F, upon which
are laid the prepared tobacco leaves, and these are carried forward to the
spinner so that they may be arranged by him in the order for being
spun or twisted. This endless band or felt F travels upon the
rollers Q, Q%; these rollers Q, Q¹, are set in sockets R, R', and
fastened to the small brackets S, S, attached to the table T. The
distance between the rollers Q, Q, is adjusted to suit the length of the
band F by means of the screws and nuts U on the brackets S, S. The
bobbin shaft D is driven by a belt V, passing over the driving wheel W
and the pulley X. The journal of this shaft next to the travelling band
is made hollow, as shown by the dotted lines b, through which the
twist" is passed, and issuing thence by means of an opening formed
in the shaft for that purpose is carried over the small rollers c, c', of the
fly d towards the bobbin e provided for receiving it. The bobbin e is
left loose upon its spindle D, so that the tobacco is coiled upon it by
the revolution of the shaft D and the fly d, but to prevent the bobbin e
from yielding too readily to the tension of the "twist" caused by the
revolving fly d, a friction band f, more particularly shown at Figure 3, is
passed over the grooved flanch g of the bobbin e, and attached to a
lever which is acted upon by a weight K so as to regulate the
resistance to motion of the bobbin when pulled round by the twist or
coil of the tobacco to be coiled upon it.

page_text: In order to render the coil uniform a slow horizontal motion is
imparted to the bobbin e by the following arrangement:-8 is a lever
fastened loosely to the ear t, having the other end introduced into the
groove g in the bobbin e. The lever 8 is set in motion by the heart or
cam acting alternately against the rollers 20, 20¹; these rollers are
fastened to the connecting rod x, and as the heart revolves the strap a
draws backwards and forwards the lever 8, which being inserted into the
groove in the flange g carries the bobbin e backwards and forwards
upon the shaft D, thus admitting of the tobacco being laid evenly upon
the bobbin e. This motion is communicated by a tangent screw m upon
the main shaft B working into a correspondingly formed toothed
wheel n. Upon the spindle of the spur wheel n is fixed a pinion p
geared into a spur wheel r. The spur wheel r and the heart v are
attached together by a hollow nave or centre through which a stud y
passes; the stud is carried in a bracket provided for it upon the vertical
standard z, more particularly shown at Figure 2. After the twist
leaves the travelling band, and before passing into the hollow journal 6,
oil is dropped upon it from the can a³.
This tobacco spinning machine may be provided with two levelling
rollers, between which the spun tobacco may pass, and whose movement
will roll down its irregularities. As these rollers are only required for
certain kinds of work the machine may either be made with or without
them, according to the particular kind of twist intended to be spun.
The machine may be driven by the spinner in a sitting posture, or by
one foot in a standing position, or by steam power as may be preferred.
When the bobbin is filled with tobacco it is removed from the twisting
machine, and placed upon a spindle from which it is unwound, and
formed into rolls between two discs placed upon a hand-worked
apparatus herein-after described.
Figure 4 represents a sectional elevation of a hand coiling apparatus;
Figure 5 is a corresponding side elevation of the same.
In these Figures J is the sole plate of the apparatus, and it is fastened
down by means of the bolts L, L. Upon the sole plate J two brackets
are placed for the purpose of carrying the spindle G. The spindle G
revolves in two bushes H, H', inserted into the brackets F, F. At one
end the spindle G is prolonged beyond the bracket F¹ so as to receive
the two portable discs or flanges I, I¹. After the tobacco has passed
over the roller A it is coiled upon the spindle g between the discs I, I'.

page_text: The roller A revolves upon a spindle B which is suspended upon two
brackets c, c, attached to the wooden frame by the bolts E, E. Upon
the extreme end of the spindle G is suspended a balance or fly wheel K
keyed on to the spindle G. M is a handle placed upon the shaft G so
as to enable the machine to be actuated by manual power. After the
twist has been formed into rolls between the discs I, I¹, the rolls are
ready to be pressed.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The general arrangement and construction of machinery for
twisting, spinning, and coiling or rolling tobacco as herein-before
described and shown on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
Second. The employment of a travelling band for feeding in the
tobacco to the spinning or twisting mechanism, as herein-before
described, or any mere modification thereof.
Third. The employment of a horizontally reciprocating bobbin or reel
in machinery for spinning or twisting tobacco, on which the spun or
twisted tobacco is wound, as herein-before described and shown at
Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Gibson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of March One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.