US1097924A - Apparatus for filling and heading hogsheads of tobacco. - Google Patents

Description

E. M. HUNTER. APPARATUS FOR FILLING AND HEADING HOGSHEADS 0F TOBACCO.

APPLICATION FILED MAY '1, 1913.

1 97,924, Patented May 26, 1914.

AIQM,

arms UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST M HUNTER, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE CARDWELL MACHINE (10., OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, A, CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

AZPIARATUS FOR FILLING AND I-IEADING HOGSHEADS OF TOBACCO.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST M. HUNTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Filling and Heading I-Iogsheadsv of To bacco; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to apparatus designed for facilitating the filling of hogsheads with tobacco or similar elastic material, and more especially to the means for holding the heads during the time the workmen are engaged in lining the hogshead out or permanently securing the head in place.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, more or less diagrammatic in character, of a hydraulic press in which there is embodied the present invention. Fig. 2 is a detail of one of the supports and bearings for the head holder or auxiliary plunger.

Like letters of reference in the two figures indicate the same parts.

Thepress illustrated is in its'general characteristics similar to presses now in common use, and embodies a press frame formed by top and bottom timbers A and A connected by tension rods B, usually four in number, and arranged in the form of a rectangle. Extending below the bottom timbers A is a hydraulic press cylinder C within which works a piston c carrying at its upper end a movable platen D. The platen D is adapted to drop down to a point in proximity to the level of the floor whereby it will not obstruct the movements of a truck I pression members H of sufiicient strength to withstand the compressive force exerted bythe platen in compressing the tobacco in the hogshead.

A sufficient space 1s left below the plun- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1914;.

* Application fil ed May 7, 1913. Serial No. 766,166.

ger head G and the top of the hogshead when the latter is in its lowered position for the insertion of a removable curb indicated 1n the drawings by the dotted lines I. In operation the hogshead and curb are both filled with tobacco and when elevated by the platen D the tobacco is forced through the bottom of the curb down into the hogshead.

In accordance with present practice the tobacco is pressed for a considerable distance down into the hogshead, say approxinately one-third of the way, the hogshead is lowered, removed from the press and the head inserted, but it frequently happens that before the heading operation is completed the tobacco heaves or swells and repressing is necessary before the hogshead can be closed. To overcome this difficulty I now propose to head the hogshead while in the press and in order to avoid the necessity of elevating the hogshead, after the removal of the curb, to a point where the head and the tobacco confined thereby will be within the upper end of the hogshead, I provide a supplemental or auxiliary plunger which is adapted to be swung into position below the main plunger Gr leaving a sufficient space below the auxiliary plunger for the pernianent head K of the hogshead. The auxiliary plunger which is interposed between the head K and the plunger G is preferably of skeleton form having top and bottom heads L connected by intermediate posts L, the bottom head L being preferably considerably smaller than the permanent head K of the hogshead, whereby a space will be left all around the same for the manipulation of the tools in eflecting the permanent attachment of the head K to the side wall of the hogshead.

The auxiliary skeleton-like plunger L, L, is supported on swinging arms M carried by split bearings m surrounding one of the vertical tension rods B and the bearings m are limited in their downward movement by adjustable split collars N secured to the rod B by means of clamping screws or otherwise, whereby the supplemental plunger is free to be swung to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 over the hogshead, or to one side of the press as shown by the dotted lines in said figure, so as to be entirely out of the way and permit of the operation of the press in the ordinary manner. By

mounting the supplemental plunger 0n supports which are free to move upwardly, strain on the supporting members when the heading operation is proceeding is substantially eliminated and at the same time the supplemental plunger will be held at the proper level to swing in close under the: plunger G so as to substantially fill the space between said plunger G and the top of thei hogshead when the latter is in lowered posi-- tion.

With this appliance it is a comparatively simple operation to first press the tobaccodown into the hogshead, then lower the hogshead, remove the curb and swing the supplemental or auxiliary plunger into position, having first, if so desired, placed the perma nent head K of the hogsheadon the latter. A very slight upward movement of t-he* hogshead is then all that is necessary to? bring the permanent head down to its final: seat and while so held the operation of fasf tening the same permanently in place is per-F formed in the usual manner.

Having thus described my invention what; I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat-Z ent of the United States is,-

1. The combination with a vertically -ar-j ranged tobacco press embodying an upwardly movable platen adapted to form the pressing support for a hogshead or other; receptacle, a main plunger supported in opposition to said platen, and a laterally mov able auxiliary plunger of less diameter than the permanent head of the hogshead adapted to be interposed between the platen andmain plunger for retaining the permanent head of the hogshead while being-secured in place.

2. The combination with a tobacco press embodying a vertically movable plateni adapted vto form a hogshead support and a, fixed plunger mounted in opposition to:

said platen for forcing the tobacco down into the hogshead, and a laterally swmging auxiliary plunger movable into and out of 'alinement with the platen and plunger and plunger mounted in opposition to said platen, vertlcally arranged tension rods interposed between the platen and plunger carrying members, of an auxiliary plunger pivotally supported on one of said tension rods to swing laterally into and out or" alinement between the platen and plunger, and

means whereby said auxiliary plunger will be supported against downward movementbut is free to move upwardly into contact with the fixed plunger.

4. The combination with a tobacco press embodying top and bottom timbers, tension rods connecting said timbers, a vertically movable platen supported by the 'bottom timbers, a downwardly projecting plunger supported by the top timbers in opposition to the platen, of an auxiliary plunger,

swinging arms on which said auxiliary plunger is mounted ha ving bearings .surrounding one of said tension rods, and .adjustable collars mounted on said rods and forming the supports for theswinging'arms of the auxiliary plunger.

ERNEST M. HUNTER.

Witnesses SAML. STEINER, SIMON STEINER.

Copies of this patent may :be obtained ifor -five cents each, byr'addressing tke"*Commi'ss1oner :0! Patents. Washington, 1). G.

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