GB503746A - Improvements in and relating to tobacco feeding mechanism for continuous rod cigarette making machines - Google Patents

Abstract

503,746. Cigarette-making machines. AMERICAN MACHINE & FOUNDRY CO. Oct. 13, 1937, No. 36884/38. Convention date, May 28, 1937. Divided out of. 503,685. [Class 130] A tobacco-feeding mechanism for a continuous-rod machine comprises means for advancing a layer of tobacco to a member 41 forming a tobacco supporting surface or channel, a movable device F coacting with the member 41 to compact and advance the tobacco and comprising a series of tobacco engaging members 52, 53 extending across the width of the channel, and a device acting on the leading edge of the tobacco layer advanced by the compacting and feeding device to separate tobacco from the layer for delivery into the feed shoot 65. The tobacco may be advanced to the member 41 by the feeding arrangements described in Specification 503,685 and comprising a vibrating conveyer member 23, the lower end of which is shown in Fig, 1. The member 23 is mounted upon resilient supports 24 and given a short and rapid vibratory movement by an electromagnetic or other vibrating device. The tobacco layer is confined by side plates 42 on the member 41 and by resilient strips 43 secured to the side walls of the member 23. In one form, Figs. 1 and 2, the device F for forwarding and compacting the tobacco comprises outer and inner members 44, 45 provided at their ends with bushings 47 by which they are mounted on eccentrics 48, 49 on a driven shaft 50. Sets of fingers 52, 53 mounted alternately on the members 44, 45 are provided with serrated or roughened lower faces for engagement with the tobacco layer and are actuated by the eccentrics 48, 49 so that each set of fingers descends in turn on the tobacco layer and moves forwards to advance the layer over the member 41. The members 44, 45 are supported by means of integral arms 54, 56 connected with links 55, 57 pivoted on a shaft 58 carried by adjustable brackets 69. The tobacco layer is advanced over the edge of the member and portions are separated, for delivery into the feed shoot 65, by a separating device comprising a roller 61 provided with one or more longitudinal blades, or with picker pins 73 arranged helically so as to engage along the entire front edge of the member 41 at least once in each rotation. The feed shoot 65 is provided with a movable front wall 67, mounted on pivotally supported members 68, and with end plates 70, and delivers the tobacco on to a cigarette paper web P to form a laminated filler. In a modification, Fig. 4, the upper surface of the member 41 is concave and the forwarding and compacting device comprises discs 77 mounted on the shaft 50 and provided with radial fingers 77<1>. The discs 77 are secured to the shaft 50 by an inclined key, so that the fingers 77<1> are angularly offset, and 'annular grooves 78 between adjacent discs allow the passage of the pins 82 of a picker roll 83 for delivering the tobacco into the shoot 65.