Improvements in Machinery for Preparing Tobacco and Forming it into a Continuous Filler for the Manufacture of Cigarettes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 2nd July, 1894-Accepted, 1st Oct., 1804
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Preparing Tobacco and Forming it
into a Continuous Filler for the Manufacture of Cigarettes.
We, ROBERT ALEXANDER SLOAN and JOHN EDWARD LLOYD BARNES, both
of Castle Chambers, Castle Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
Consulting Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our present invention has reference to machinery for the preparation of tobacco
for the manufacture of cigarettes and the object is to tease out the already cut
tobacco so as to bring it into proper condition, and to form it into a continuous
filler of practically uniform cross section and density, ready for the operation of a
second machine which completes the cigarettes by enclosing the filler in the paper
wrapper and cutting off into suitable lengths.
In machinery of this class as hitherto constructed, it is usual to feed the tobacco
into the machine in the form of a continuous stream, spread by an attendant as
uniformly as possible upon a travelling feed apron, and the machine operates
directly upon the front of such stream, somewhat after the manner of cotton
carding machinery, with the result that if at any transverse section of the stream
the quantity of tobacco should be more or less than normal, that length of the
filler which is formed from this portion of the feed stream will contain a corre-
spondingly greater or less quantity of tobacco than normal, which is very detrimental
to the finished product, some of the cigarettes being too tight and some too slack.
A further difficulty arises from the tendency of the teasing apparatus to "snatch"
or draw away tufts from the stream of tobacco.
We
Our invention is based upon the fact that while local variations in the feed
stream of tobacco are unavoidable and may be very considerable, the total quantity
of tobacco in a considerable length of the feed stream may, with reasonable care
on the part of the operator, be kept practically constant, especially if weighed
quantities of tobacco be spread over measured lengths of the feed belt.
accordingly collect the tobacco, not from the front of the feed stream, but laterally
from a considerable length of it,-several feet by preference,-the stream, as it
passes through the machine, being gradually thinned down to nothing by drawing
away from it laterally, at numerous points in its length, a large number of small
streams, all of which are subsequently superposed upon a travelling collecting belt
to form the filler. In this way, the effect of local variations in the feed stream
is practically eliminated, as the only effect will be to make some of the said small
streams greater or less than normal and, when superposed, the variations will tend
to correct each other.
A machine constructed according to our present invention comprises broadly,—
a feed belt to receive the tobacco in the first instance, a series of collecting drums
for drawing away the small streams of tobacco from the main stream, a collecting
belt, a device for removing the tobacco from the collecting drums and throwing it
down on the collecting belt, mechanism for consolidating the filler and reducing
it to the desired section and, of course, appropriate gearing for operating the
various parts, all more particularly described hereinafter.
The feed belt is made of flexible material, is endless and comparatively long and
narrow and is strained horizontally or approximately so on a pair of pulleys;

page_text: means are provided for keeping the belt tight, either by adjusting one of the
pulleys or by leading the belt over one or more tightening pulleys. The tobacco
is spread by the attendant on the upper part of the belt and removed continuously
by the collecting drums from the lower part of the belt, and to facilitate the
spreading of the tobacco, we provide a table with a trough, along the bottom of
which, the top portion of the belt passes. The width and depth of this trough
determine the cross section of the feed stream of tobacco and facilitate its uniform
distribution on the belt. As the tobacco would otherwise fall off the feed belt
in descending over the belt pulley, we provide at this end a covering belt which
embraces the tobacco stream on the outside until it reaches the first collecting
drum underneath. The covering belt is mounted on three or more small rollers,
one of which is arranged to act as a tension roller, and we provide suitable
gearing to drive the feed and covering belts at the proper speeds from the main
shaft of the machine.
The collecting drums, of which there are a considerable number, are mounted in
a row underneath the lower portion of the feed belt, a small distance apart, and
all rotate slowly in the same direction on spindles journalled on a suitable frame.
These drums, which are equal in width to the tobacco stream, are studded with
small sharp pins, all pointing forward in the direction of rotation at a considerable
inclination to the radius. The first of these collecting rollers stands below the
bottom of the feed belt a distance slightly less than the thickness of the feed
stream of tobacco and the remaining drums of the series are successively closer to
the belt, the last almost touching it; the feed belt is backed, above the collecting
drums, by a suitable guide bar in order to prevent it from springing away from
them, and may have side slips to prevent it from drooping.
The space between the bottom of the feed belt and the top of the collecting
drums is closed laterally by strips which are made preferably of stout glass in
order that the action may be visible. The action of this part of the machine is as
follows;-
"
When the tobacco stream, propelled forward by the feed and covering belts,
arrives at the first collecting drum, as the depth of the space above the latter is
somewhat less than the depth of the stream, a thin layer at the bottom of the latter
becomes meshed in the pins of the collecting drum, the top of which rotates in the
same direction as the motion of the stream; this layer is consequently drawn down
away from the main stream by the forwardly raked pins of the drum. As the
tobacco is always more or less matted, there will be a tendency for the drum to
"snatch the tobacco and bring it away in tufts. This is however completely
obviated by the fact that the descending side of the first drum passes close to the
ascending side of the next and any surplus tobacco on the first drum is necessarily
removed by the next and carried up and redelivered into the main stream.
clearance between the drums which is susceptible of accurate adjustment thus
determines positively the greatest stream that can possibly be carried away by
the preceding drum of any pair and this constitutes an important feature of our
invention.
The
The action of the succeeding drums is similar to that described with reference
to the first, the tobacco, propelled forward by the joint action of the belt and
drums, being pressed by the belt with equal force against the top of each
successive drum by reason of the gradual approach of the belt thereto. At the
last drum there is nothing to clear off surplus tobacco should snatching occur there
but this is improbable as the main stream will be attenuated when it reaches this
drum so as not to contain more tobacco than is sufficient to properly charge this
drum. The feed belt is here completely cleared and it then ascends over its pulley
and enters the feed trough in the table above ready to receive a fresh charge. To
guard however against any difficulty at the last drum we provide a travelling belt
which may be arranged to intercept and carry away the tobacco from this drum
and prevent it from falling on to the collecting belt.
Any suitable gearing may be used to operate the collecting drums but we find

page_text: that a cheap and efficient method is to drive them all from the same shaft by a
single pitch chain gearing on to a chain wheel on each drum spindle, the chain
being prevented from springing out of gear by a fixed guide bar behind it.
The device for removing the tobacco from the collecting drums and throwing
it down on the collecting belt is as follows;-We provide, below the collecting
drums, a light frame, which we term the doffing frame, carrying cross bars each of
which is fitted with pins, which we term doffing pins, whose points are directed
towards the drums. The whole doffing frame is given a rapid motion, every
point in it describing the same curve, an elongated oval; of course the points
of the doffing pins have the same motion and they are arranged to almost graze at
one part of their stroke the surfaces of the drums between their pins. The motion
of the doffing pins, when close to the collecting drums, is in the same direction as
the motion of the latter and approximately in the direction in which the drum pins
point, as we find the tobacco is very easily cleared from the drums by motion
in this direction. With the objects of guiding the doffing pins laterally, of
clearing the tobacco off them, and of preventing them from acting on the drums
in their return movement, we arrange them to move between fixed plates or slats
between which they retreat in their return movement.
The pins as they begin to project through the slats engage with the tobacco
meshed in the pins of the collecting drums, draw it off said pins and as the doffing
pins retreat below their slats, they withdraw from the tobacco which then falls
over the open ends of the slats in thin streams on to the collecting belt below.
We find that a convenient way to operate the doffing frame is to drive it at
each side of one end, by there pivoting it to a short connecting rod, the one end
of which embraces a revolving crank pin while the other end is slung by an anchor
link swinging on a fixed pivot, the point of attachment of the doffing frame to the
connecting rod being between the ends of the latter. In order that the whole
frame may have the same movement, we may arrange to operate it in the same
way at two or more points in its length, but we find it preferable to link it at
various points in its length to a series of bell cranks carried on fixed adjustable
pivots and caused to vibrate synchronously and equally by being all linked
together by pairs of links in tension.
The collecting belt runs some little distance below the collecting drums so as to
receive and superpose the streams of tobacco delivered by each, a deep plate,
(preferably of glass) being fitted at each side between the doffing frame and the
belt to prevent any tobacco from falling off the latter.
The speed of the collecting belt is equal or approximately so to the speed at
which the filler is to be delivered to the wrapping machine.
The mechanism for consolidating the filler and reducing it to the desired section,
consists of two or more pairs of horizontal fluted rollers, which graze the top of
the collecting belt or another belt to which it delivers, and between which the
filler is compressed. To prevent the tobacco from crowding up over the tops of
these rollers, we confine it by a top belt which grazes the upper sides of the
compressing rollers.
As a further means of ensuring uniformity in the filler, we may arrange, if it is
found necessary, to crowd up the filler or the feed stream of tobacco longitudinally
to a small degree. This is accomplished at any desired point in its path by
slightly reducing its speed there so as to cause locally a continuous longitudinal
compression; it is clear that any parts of the filler or stream which are less dense
than normal will yield under this compression more than those parts which are
more dense and the tendency will therefore be to make the tiller or stream more
uniform in section. This action is of course best effected prior to consolidation in
the compressing rollers.
After leaving the compressing rollers, the filler is ready for the operation of the
wrapping machine, and it is delivered thereto by a travelling belt.
The machine described is susceptible of modification without departing from our
invention; the collecting drums may, for instance, be duplicated so as to act

page_text: simultaneously on two sides of the main stream, and other means than we have
described may be used for removing the tobacco from the collecting drums.
Dated this 31st day of August 1893.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26, Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Preparing Tobacco and Forming it
into a Continuous Filler for the Manufacture of Cigarettes.
We, ROBERT ALEXANDER SLOAN and JOHN EDWARD LLOYD BARNES, both
of Castle Chambers, Castle Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
Consulting Engineers, 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:--
Our present invention has reference to machinery for the preparation of tobacco
for the manufacture of cigarettes and the object is to tease out the already cut
tobacco so as to bring it into proper condition, and to form it into a continuous
filler of practically uniform cross-section and density, ready for the operation of a
second machine which completes the cigarettes by enclosing the filler in the paper
wrapper and cutting off into suitable lengths.
In machinery of this class as hitherto constructed it is usual to feed the tobacco
into the machine in the form of a continuous stream, spread by an attendant as
uniformly as possible upon a travelling feed apron, and the machine operates
directly upon the front of such stream, either by shearing off portions therefrom,
or somewhat after the manner of cotton carding machinery, with the result that if
at any transverse section of the stream the quantity of tobacco should be more or
less than normal, that length of the filler which is formed from this portion of the
feed stream will contain a correspondingly greater or less quantity of tobacco than
normal, which is very detrimental to the finished product, some of the cigarettes
being too tight and some too slack. A further difficulty arises from the tendency
of the teasing apparatus to "snatch' or draw away tufts from the stream of
tobacco.
"
We
Our invention is based upon the fact that while local variations in the feed stream
of tobacco are unavoidable and may be very considerable, the total quantity of
tobacco in a considerable length of the feed stream may, with reasonable care on
the part of the operator, be kept practically constant,-especially if weighed
quantities of tobacco be spread over measured lengths of the feed belt.
accordingly collect the tobacco, not from the front of the feed stream, but laterally
from a considerable length of it,-several feet by preference, the stream, as it
passes through the machine, being gradually thinned down to nothing by drawing
away from it laterally, at numerous points in its length, a large number of small
streams, all of which are subsequently superposed upon a travelling collecting belt
to form the filler. In this way, the effect of local variations in the feed stream is
practically eliminated, as the only effect will be to make some of the said small
streams greater or less than normal and, when superposed, the variations will tend
to correct each other.
A machine constructed according to our present invention comprises broadly,—a
feed belt to receive the tobacco in the first instance, a series of collecting drums
for drawing away the small streams of tobacco from the main stream, a collecting
belt, a device for removing the tobacco from the collecting drums and throwing it
down on the collecting belt, mechanism for consolidating the filler and reducing it
to the desired section and, of course, appropriate gearing for operating the various
parts, all more particularly described hereinafter.

page_text: Fig. I is a plan of the machine,
Fig. II is a sectional elevation on the line A. A. of Figs. I, III, IV and V,
Fig. III is an end elevation looking from the left of Fig. II,
Fig. IV is a sectional elevation on the line B. B. of Fig. II,
Figs. V and VI are sectional elevations on the line C. C. of Fig. I, looking to
the left and to the right respectively,
Fig. VII is a fragmentary elevation to show the method of securing the bearings
of the collecting drums, and
Fig. VIII is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. IV. .
The covering belt 17 and the table 15 are supposed to be removed in Fig. I for
the sake of clearness, but the outline of the table is indicated by dotted lines; in
Fig. VIII the lower part of the collecting drum 29 is broken away to show more
clearly the slats 47 and doffing pins 46. Only four rows of pins are shown on the
drum 29 in this figure as the remaining pins are exactly similar.
Throughout the drawings, similar parts are indicated by the same reference
figures, and in the case of sections, the direction in which they are viewed is
indicated by the small arrows placed adjacent to the letters denoting the plane of
section.
1 is the main frame of the machine; it is of rectangular outline in plan, the
sides are of Z section, and it is supported by the four legs 2. 3 is the endless
feed belt of flexible material, (preferably stout leather), which receives the
tobacco in the first instance; it is strained over the pulleys 4 and 5 and it also
passes over the fixed guide pulley 6 and under the swinging tension pulley 7 which
is urged downwardly by a weight (not shown) so as to maintain the tension of the
belt. The pulleys 4 and 5 are journalled between the respective pairs of brackets 8
and 9 which are carried respectively from the cross frames 10 and 11.
The rigid
guide bar 12 which backs the lower part of the belt, and the similar guide bar 13
which backs a portion of the upper part of the belt, are both rigidly secured to
the said cross frames so as to form therewith a rigid girder; it will be seen that,
to accommodate the wheels 6 and 7, the right hand portion of the bar 13 which
forms the upper member of the girder is bifurcated, and the battens which form
the bifurcated portion are carried along the whole length of the upper part of
the feed belt, and extend upwards to form the trough 14 (see Figs. II and IV),
whose top edges are flush with the table 15, also carried from the cross frames by
the battens 16.
The feed belt is driven by gear, to be afterwards described, so that its upper part
traverses slowly to the left, as shown by the arrows in Fig. II, and the attendant
spreads the tobacco as uniformly as possible upon the part of the belt within the
trough, which serves as a gauge to regulate the quantity. In order to prevent the
tobacco from falling off as it descends over the pulley 5, we provide the endless
covering belt 17 which is led round the pulleys 18 and 19 and the swinging tension
pulley 20 which is urged to the left by the lever 21 and a weight not shown; the
pulleys 18 and 20 are carried from the brackets 9, so that the feed belt, the trough,
the table and the covering belt all form parts of a self contained structure whose
height can be adjusted accurately at each end by means of the packing pieces 22
inserted between the top of the main frame and the feet of the cross frames which
are bolted thereto. The feed belt is driven by the pulley 4 which is driven from
the inain shaft 23 by the worm gearing 24, chain gearing 25, shaft 26, and spur
gearing 27. The feed belt drives the pulley 5 and this operates the pulley 18, and
therefore the covering belt, by the spur gearing 28.
29 are the collecting drums whose function is to attenuate the feed stream of
tobacco as it passes through the machine, by drawing away from its under side a
number of small streams, so as to gradually thin it down to nothing.
These drums are studded with small sharp pins all pointing forward in the
direction of rotation at a considerable inclination to the radius. These collecting
drums, as well as the pulley 19 of the covering belt, are journalled on pointed

page_text: screws carried in the bridge frames 30 secured to the lower side of the main frame,
the method of attachment being shown in Figs. VII and VIII; the ends of the
bridge frames are squared and they are gripped at each side against the main frame
by a common bar or cap 31 bolted to the main frame. This arrangement permits
of the accurate individual adjustment of the distances between the centres of the
collecting drums and the pulley 19, whilst their lateral adjustment by means of the
pointed screws is preserved by the small projecting nibs on the top of the bridge
frames, fitting between the sides of the main frame."
The height of the feed belt is adjusted so that, at the left hand end, the space
between it and the first collecting drum is slightly less than the thickness of the
feed stream of tobacco, while at the right hand end, the belt almost grazes the last
collecting drum. In order to prevent the belt from drooping and fouling the
collecting pins, we support its lower side by the side clips 32 secured to 12, (Figs. IV
and VIII); the feed belt being thus necessarily a little wider than the feed stream
of tobacco, it is impossible to confine the latter in the vicinity of the covering belt
by flanges on the pulley 5, and we accordingly do so by the fixed side cheeks 33,
which are attached above to the trough sides, below to the guide bar 12, and
steadied by the stay bar 34. It is for this reason also that the upper part of the
feed belt is shown partially housed below the trough sides.
The collecting drum to the extreme right is operated from the shaft 26 by the
gear wheel 35, the intermediate wheel 36 and the gear wheel 37 keyed to the drum
spindle. This spindle carries a chain wheel 38 (Fig. IV) which drives all the
other collecting drums, by means of a pitch chain 39 gearing with similar chain
wheels on their spindles, the chain being prevented from springing out of gear by
the fixed guide bar 40 (Figs. I, IV and VIII).
The space between the bottom of the feed belt and the top of the collecting drums
is closed laterally by strips 41 which are made preferably of stout glass in order
that the action may be visible. The action of this part of the machine is as
follows;-
When the tobacco stream, propelled forward by the feed and covering belts,
arrives at the first collecting drum, as the depth of the space above the latter is
somewhat less than the depth of the stream, a thin layer at the bottom of the latter
becomes meshed in the pins of the collecting drum, the top of which rotates in the
same direction as the motion of the stream; this layer is consequently drawn down
away from the main stream by the forwardly raked pins of the drum. As the
tobacco is always more or less matted, there will be a tendency for the drum to
"snatch" the tobacco and bring it away in tufts. This is however completely
obviated by the fact that the descending side of the first drum passes close to the
ascending side of the next and any surplus tobacco on the first drum is necessarily
removed by the next and carried up and redelivered into the main stream.
clearance between the drums which is, as already described, susceptible of accurate
adjustment thus determines positively the greatest stream that can possibly be
carried away by the preceding drum of any pair, and this constitutes an important
feature of our invention.
The
The action of the succeeding drums is similar to that described with reference to
the first, the tobacco, propelled forward by the joint action of the belt and drums, being
pressed by the belt with equal force against the top of each successive drum by
reason of the gradual approach of the belt thereto. At the last drum there is
nothing to clear off the surplus tobacco should snatching occur there but this is
improbable as the main stream will be attenuated when it reaches this drum so as
not to contain more tobacco than is sufficient to properly charge this drum. The
feed belt is here completely cleared and it then ascends over its pulley 4 and enters
the feed trough ready to receive a fresh charge. To guard however against any
difficulty at the last drum we provide a travelling cross belt 42 driven by a band
from the pulley 43 on the main shaft, which intercepts and carries away the
tobacco from this drum and delivers in over the shoot shown in Fig. III and so
prevents it from falling on to the collecting belt.

page_text: The device for removing the tobacco from the collecting drums and throwing it
down on the collecting belt, is as follows;-
;-
44 is a light frame, which we term the doffing frame, consisting of two side bars,
preferably of wood, carrying cross bars 45 each of which is fitted with a row of
pins 46, which we term doffing pins, whose points are directed towards the drums,
between the pins of the latter.
The whole doffing frame is given a rapid motion, every point in it describing the
same curve, an elongated oval; of course, the points of the doffing pins have the
same motion, and they are arranged to almost graze, at one part of their stroke,
the surfaces of the drums between their pins. The motion of the doffing pins, when
close to the collecting drums, is in the same direction as the motion of the latter and
approximately in the direction in which the drum pins point, as we find that the
tobacco is very easily cleared from the drums by motion in this direction. With
the object of guiding the doffing pins laterally, of clearing the tobacco off them, and
of preventing them from acting on the drums in their return movement, we arrange
them to move between the fixed plates or slats 47 secured to the bridge frames 30,
between which they retreat in their return movement.
The doffing pins as they begin to project through the slats, engage with the
tobacco meshed in the pins of the collecting drums, draw it off said pins and, as the
doffing pins retreat below their slats, they withdraw from the tobacco, which then
falls over the open ends of the slats in thin streams on to the collecting belt 48
below. The doffing frame is operated from the cranked shaft 49 which is driven by
the pulleys 50 and 51 from the main shaft 23. 52 are a pair of connecting rods
whose upper ends embrace the crank pins and whose lower ends are slung by the
pair of pivoted anchor links 53, the sides 44 of the doffing frame being pivoted to
the intermediate points 54 of the connecting rods. This mechanism gives the
appropriate motion to the right hand end of the doffing frame, and to ensure that
the whole frame shall have the same movement, we link it at various parts of its
length to the bell crank levers 55, carried on fixed but adjustable pivots mounted
on the stout battens 56, and caused to vibrate synchronously and equally by the
tension links 57. It will be seen that this arrangement ensures that the doffing
frame shall always be horizontal and that therefore every part of it shall always
have the same vertical movement, and its longitudinal stiffness ensures that every
part of it shall always have the same horizontal movement.
The collecting belt 48 runs below the collecting drums so as to receive and
superpose the streams of tobacco delivered by each, a deep plate 59, preferably
of glass, being fitted at each side to prevent any tobacco from falling off the belt.
The collecting belt is strained over the fixed roller 60 and the swinging pulley 61
which is urged to the left by a weight (not shown) attached to the lever arm 62,
so as to maintain the tension of the belt.
The
The mechanism for consolidating the filler and reducing it to the desired
section, consists of the three pairs of horizontal fluted rollers 63 which graze
the top of the collecting belt and between which the filler is compressed.
diameters of these rollers and the spaces between the pairs are successively
smaller, so that the filler may be gradually gathered together and compressed
to the proper section. The rollers are carried in the bearings 64 mounted on
the frames 65, and they are all driven from the main shaft 23 by the bevel
gearing 66, pulley 67 operated thereby, and the single band 68 which is wrapped
round all the pulleys 69 keyed to the roller spindles, the band passing also round
the adjustable straining pulley 70.
To prevent the tobacco from crowding up over the tops of the fluted rollers, we
confine it by the top belt 71 which is mounted similarly to the collecting belt,
both of the said belts being driven by a band and guide pulleys (not shown)
from the pulley 72 on the main shaft, their speed being equal, or approximately
so, to the speed at which the filler is to be delivered to the wrapping machine.
The filler, after leaving the compressing rollers, is in proper condition for the

page_text: operation of the wrapping machine, to which it is delivered by the last pair of
rollers.
As a further means of ensuring uniformity in the filler, we may arrange to
crowd it up longitudinally to a small degree at some point in its path. This
is accomplished by arranging that the means which convey the filler, (belt or
compression rollers as the case may be), from the point in question onward,
are driven at a slightly lower speed. At the point where the reduction in
velocity occurs, the filler will suffer a continuous compression, and as it is clear
that the parts which are less dense than normal will yield under this compression
more than those parts which are more dense, the tendency will therefore be to
make the filler more uniform in section.
The machine described is susceptible of modification without departing from
our invention;―The collecting drums may, for instance, be duplicated so as to act
simultaneously on two sides of the feed stream, and other means that we have
described may be used for clearing the tobacco from the collecting drums.
We are aware that fluted consolidating rollers have been used prior to our
invention, to consolidate the filler, and to the use of such we make no claim.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is, in machinery for preparing tobacco and forming it into a continuous filler
for the manufacture of cigarettes ;-
1. A series of collecting drums adapted to draw away from a main feed stream
of tobacco, laterally at numerous points of its length, a series of small streams
which are subsequently superposed to form the filler; substantially as described.
2. In a series of collecting drums as in Claim 1, the arrangement of the drums
adjacently so that each succeeding drum is adapted to clear the surplus tobacco
from each preceding drum and re-deliver it to the main feed stream; substantially
as described.
3. In combination; a travelling feed belt; a series of collecting drums; a series
of vibrating doffing pins adapted to clear the collecting drums; and a collecting
belt on which the streams of tobacco from the doffing pins are superposed;
substantially as described.
4. In combination with the collecting drums and the doffing pins; a travelling
feed belt, adapted to travel in a groove whose top edges are flush with the table
and which serves to regulate the supply of tobacco, and a covering belt adapted to
keep the tobacco in position on the travelling belt; substantially as described and
illustrated.
5. In combination, the feed belt, the collecting drums, the vibrating doffing
pins adapted to clear the said drums of tobacco, and the slats carried by the
bridge frames adapted to guide the said pins and, as the latter retreat between
them, to clear the pins of tobacco; substantially as described and illustrated.
6. The mechanism for giving the series of doffing pins the required motion
consisting of the crank, the connecting rod, the anchor link and the light frame
carrying the pins and linked to the articulated bell-crank levers; substantially as
described and illustrated.
7. The combination of the parts claimed in the foregoing claims and the
necessary mechanisms for co-operating them; substantially as described with
reference to the machine illustrated in the drawings.
Dated this 29th day of June 1894.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26, Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicants.