US1865831A - Cigar handling machinery - Google Patents

Description

July 5, 1932. E. u. CAVE CIGAR HANDLING MACHINERY Filed Oct. 9, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet l Mm w N hm nwntoz Edzz/ardllaz/e INM attua/we,

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Edwara'ECa ve July 5,v 1932. E. u. CAVE CIGAR HANDLNG MACHINERY Filed Oct* 9, 1950 July 5,' 1932. E. u. CAVE l CIGAR HANDLING MACHINERY' Filed Oct. 9, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet lzll Il-.

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CIGAR HANDLING' MACHINERY u Filed ont. 9, 195o 4 sheets-sheet 4 1-nml 4 2mammiemmmmmM-ammammmmammmnl V Il' gwn/ict Edu/0rd D.' (7a ve mit Patented July 5, 1932 unirse srArEs PATENT OFFICE x EDWARD U. CAVE, OF LANCASTER, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF SEVENTY-FIVE PER CENT TO .TAVIES E. IVICKINNON, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO CIGAR HANDLING MACHINERY Application filed October 9, 1930. Serial No. 487,468.

This invention relates generally to cigar handling machinery, and is directed more particularly to a method and means of packing and holding a number of cigars from the time they are freshly rolled and inspected until acted on by foiling or banding machinery or finally packed into shipping containers. l

The present method o-f handling cigars between the above said stagesy is to, first, pack the freshly rolled cigars into boxes of shipping size, second, temporarily placing the boxes containing the cigars under pressure or weight so that the lids thereof may be clamped shut, third, again placing the boxes in a press wherein they are held under a slight pressure for a time period of approximately ten to twelve hours, and, fourth, removing the boxes from the press and emptying the contents thereofV into hoppers for delivery to wrapping or banding machinery or to a point of boxing operation where they are made ready for the market.

It is the primary Object of the present invention to eliminate a number of handling operations mentioned above, and to this end use is made of a specially formed holder consisting of a plurality of vertically arranged trays in which freshly rolled and 1nspected cigars are placed and held under pressure by clamping means carried by the holder. In this holder the cigars are main-V tained under pressure for the time limit required and the holder with its cigars is transferred to al machine and used as a hopper therefor, mechanism is also provided for ejecting the cigars from the holder in successive layers for delivery to the machine or other point of operation. The holder with the trays therein, which in this instance is disengaged automatically from the machine by certain mechanisms, is then returned to be filled again with cigars from the sorting or inspection table. Thus, the cigars are only handled once which is when placed in the holder from the time they are sorted or inspected until fed to a machine for certain erformed operations thereon, resulting in a marked saving of time and labor over the present method.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a holder capable of receiving a plurality of cigar-containing trays, and wherein the holder may be made of such size and capacity as to hold a greater number of cigars than is possible with present methods which only permit of the employment of boxes or packing shells having the size and capacity of the standard type in which the cigars are marketed and sold. i

A further object of the invention resides in a holder for cigars comprising a frame structure open at its front and rear sides and having vertically arranged tray members positioned therein likewise open and disposed in registration with the open sides of said frame structure and wherein, due to this construction of the holder, the cigars may be ejected in the form of layers from the holder without disturbing the position of the tray members.

A still further object is to provide automatic means for effecting the automatic ejection of the cigars from the holder when the latter serves as a hopper in connection with an automatic machine or machinery, and to also provide similar means whereby the holder or hopper is dropped in a step-by-step fashion through an opening provided in an associated feeding table so that the layers of cigars may be ejected from the holder at a height in registration with the top of the table or upon the feeding means of an associated machine.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds,the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts hereinafter to be more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In th-e accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a machine embodying the present invention, Y

Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof,

VFigure 3 is a detail vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a similar view taken on the line t-t of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5 5 4of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a detail plan view of the feeding table of the machine partly broken away to show underlying structure,

Figure 7 is a front elevation of the structure disclosed in Figure 6,

Figure 8 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken on the line 8 8 of Figure 6,

Figure 9 is a front elevation of the holder for the cigars comprising part of the present invention,

Figure 10 is an end elevation thereof,

Figure 11 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through the holder and associated feeding table,

Figure 12 is a detail vertical sectional view taken on the line 19.-12 of Figure 11 and showing more in detail the means for locking the various cigar containing trays in position,

Figure 13 is a detail transverse sectional view taken through a portion of the table and disclosing a tripping or escapement mechanism for permitting the lowering of the hopper through the table,

Figure 14 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 11i-14 of Figure 13,

Figure 15 is a perspective view of one of the trays used in the hopper,

Figure 16 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a slightly modified form of holder, and

Figure 17 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 17 -17 of Figure 16.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the holder or container for the cio'ars in its entirety and vto which the invention is particularly directed. The holder includes a plurality of superimposed cigar receiving trays 2 held in true vertical alignment with one another within a frame structure 3. This frame structure may be of any suitable construction but in this instance for illustrating purposes is shown to comprise a base e of rectangular' sha-pe having end walls 5 and ahorizontally slotted front wall 6, the holder being open at its rear and closed at its top by means of a removable lid 7 which acts in connection with the side walls 5 to hold the trays in their vertical aligned order. The tray members 2 are each formed to include a thin panel member 8 made of wood or other suitable material and which is shaped similar in outline to that of the base 4 although somewhat smaller in size to fit within the frame structure 3. Attached at each end of the panel 8 are spacing bars 9 which are of a height slightly less than the thickness of the freshly rolled cigars adapted to be placed within the trays or holders. An additional spacing bar 10 is provided on the panel in approximately the center thereof to keep the panels parallel with each other and to prevent sagging thereof when pressure is applied to the cigars. TWhile Iplacing the cigars in the trays the latter are of course removed from the frame 3 and as they are filled are positioned therein one above the other.

Placed on top of the cigars and disposed between the trays 2 are thin lids or panels 11 which serve to hold the cigars in place upon the trays while being positioned within the retaining frame and to present smooth faces for the cigars to engage with which is highly desirable during the ejection of the cigars from the trays. The lids 11 may, if desired, be dispensed with and the panel 8 of each tray serve as lids for the adjacent underlying tray. However, it has been found that due to the handling of the trays upon the packing table or benches that the under surface of the panels 8 become scratched and roughened and when positioned in engagement with the cigars due to this unevenness have a tendency to stick thereto resulting in damaged cigars and interference with the ejection thereof. Therefore, better results and smoother operation are obtained with the use of the lids 11.

To hold the trays in their vertically aligned order within the frame structure J and to prevent lateral or rearward shifting movement thereof, the rear edges of the end walls 5 are provided with metal strips 12 which are made slightly wider than the thickness of the walls so as to overlap the ends of the trays. The holder with the trays may thus be handled without the danger of the trays falling out and becoming lost after the holder is emptied and while transported from one place to another. After the trays iilled with cigars have been placed in position wit-hin the frame, the detachable top or lid 7 is then positioned in place and pressure applied thereto in any well known manner until the lids or panels 11 engage with the upper surfaces of the spacing bars 9 and 10, thus compressing the cigars and giving them the desired shape. ln order to hold the cigars in this compact order the lid 7 is provided with spring pressed latch bolts 13 which have their outer ends bevelled and received within notches i-l provided in the inner surfaces of the walls 5. A knob 15 is provided on each of the bolts 13 whereby the bolts may be retracted from en gagement with the notches upon the removal of the lids 7 from the holder.

is stated before in the specification, the holder l in which the cigars are placed and held. under pressure for the required time period may also be utilized as a hopper for the cigars fed to an automatic machine and, for the purpose illustration, a cigar banding machine has been shown. The banding machine may be of any standard construction and includes a horizontally disposed feeding table 16 in which is mounted an endless feeding belt 17 adapted to move the cigars longitudinally `thereof toward the feeding position for the banding operation. Formed at one end of the table and located adjacent the belt 17 is an opening 18 which is rectangular in shape and adapted to receive the Aas 36 over which a holder 1. The cigars in the holder are ejected therefrom by a plunger' mechanism which is controlled by the operation of the banding machine and which plunger mechanism, hereinafter described, deposits said cigars in layers or rowsl successively upon the belt 17 which mo-ves the cigars toward the feeding device 19 by which the cigars are injected under the banding head 20 of the banding machine.

The feeding device 19 which is arranged to move transversely of the vfeeding table 16 or the guideway 21 for the cigars, is attached to one end of a swinging arm 22 pivoted intermediate of its ends, as at 23, to the table 16 or the frame of the banding machine. The other end of the. arm 22 is connected for swinging movement with the mechanism 24 for withdrawing the banded cigars from under the banding head 20, and thus it will be seen that as the mechanism 24 moves away from the banding head to remove the cigars therefrom the device 19 will likewise move into engagement with the end cigar of the advancing row to position or feed the cigars under the head 20. A stop or end member 25 is provided at the end of the guideway 21 and adjacent the plunger or feeding device 19 and with which the end cigar of the row enga-ges and serves as a guide for the cigars 1during the feeding thereof to the banding ead.

The belt 17 which is continuously in motion whil-e the banding machine is in operation, is trained over a roller 25a driven by means of a sprocket and chain connection 26 from a short shaft section 27. Provided upon the` shaft 27 is a worm gear 28 which meshes with a worm 29 carried by a sleeve 30 mounted for rotation upon a shaft 31. Attached to the sleeve 30 is a pulley 32'over which is trained an endless belt 33 leading from a second pulley 34 carried by the end of the shaft 35. This shaft -may be driven by the mechanism of the banding machine or by a separate motor.

To effect the operation of the plunger mechanism for ej-ecting the cigars from the holder 1, there is mounted upon the shaft 31 and adjacent the pulley 32 a similar pulley belt 37 is trained leading from the pulley 33 also mounted upon the shaft 35. Formed with the pulley 36 is a slip clutch 39 which forms a driving connection between said pulley and the shaft 31. Attached to one end of the shaft 31 is a worm 40 which meshes with a worm gear 41 mounted upon a vertically arranged shaft section ,42 journaled for rotation within the bearing structure 43 attached in connection with the under side of the table 16. Keyed or otherwise secured to the upper end of the shaft 42, is a crank arm 44 which has pivotally connected thereto at one end a connecting rod 45 pivotally connected at its opposite ends as at 46 to a lever 47 mounted for horizontal swinging movement under the table 16. Connected to the outer free end of the lever 47, by means of a link connection 48, is the ejecting plunger 49 which is mounted to reciprocate within guides 50 attached to the upper surface of the table 16. The plunger 49 is adapted to eject the layers of cigars positioned upon the trays 2 and is of a width equal to the distance between the bars 9 provided at the ends of the cigar-receiving trays 2. The plunger is also provided centrally with an open ended slot 51 which is adapted to receive the spacing bars 10 of the cigar trays as the plunger is moved into engagement therewith.

It will be seen from the foregoing that as the crank arm 44 revolves motion thereof will be transmitted by means of the connecting rod 45 and the lever 47 to reciprocate the plunger 49 and thus eject the layers of cigars from the trays in registration with the plunger 49. The cigars thus ejected will be deposited upon the belt 17 and moved longitudinally thereof towards the feeding position for the banding machine. It will be understood that before the ejecting operation of the cigars takes place the pressure upon said cigars is relieved by withdrawing the latch bolts 13 from engagement with the side walls 5 of the holder 1, and the lid raised or removed from the holder.

In order to lower the holder 1 so that the various trays may align with the plunger 49 the end walls 5 are provided with staggeredly arranged pins or stids 52 with which cooperates an escapement member 53, nivotally ita mounted for rocking movement and carried by the under side of the table 16. The member 53 is formed with a laterally offset flange 54 with which the pins 52 alternatively engage and disengage as the member 53 swings kfrom one side to the other between the rows of pins 52. rThe member 53 is connected for movement with the plunger 49 by means of a rod 55 pivotally connected at one end as at 56 to the member 53 and the other end is slidably received within a bearing 57 attached to the under side of the feeding table 16. t5

This latter end of the rod 55 is formed with a lateral offsecinger 53 which is adapted to engage with the pin 59 carried by the plunger 49 and operating within a slot 60 provided in the table 16 and arranged parallel with the rod 55. Also attached to the member 53 is a coil spring 61 which serves to hold the member 53 in one direction in engagement with one of the rows'of the pins 52.

rlhe operation of the escapement member p 53 is as follows: As the plunger 49 is moved to its retracted rosition, the pin 59 will engage with the lateral offset finger 58 of the rod and thus rock the member 53 against the action of the spring 61 from out of engagement with one row of pins 52 permitting the holder 1 to drop until the pin of the other row engages with the iange 54. The member 53 will remain in this position until the plunger 49 moves forward on its ejecting stroke at which time the spring 61 will again move the member 53 into engagement with the first set of pins 52. Then the holder 1 is so positioned as to align one of the trays with the ejecting plunger 49. By the mechanism described and its manner of operation, the holder 1 may thus be lowered step by step tnrough the opening in the table 16 and registered with its cigar receiving trays in alignment with the ejecting mechanism by which the cigars are positioned unon the belt 17 If desired, a plurality of hoppers or holders may be positioned one above the other and automatically dropped into position by means of the provision of the escapement mechanism located at the ends thereof. The holders after being emptied and having passed through the opening in the table 16 may then be transferred back to the packing or sorting table for refilling.

In order to 4regulate the ejection of the cigars from the holder 1 in accordance with the required time for passing a certain number of cigars through the machine, there is provided upon the frame of the banding machine a notched disk 62 journaled for rotation upon a stud or shaft 63. This disk is provided upon its periphery with notches 64 the number of which corresponds with the number of cigars in one of the trays 2. To effect the rotation of this disk, there is connected with the cigar withdrawing mechanism 24 a reciprocating member 65 which has its outer end equipped with a roller 66 adapted for rolling engagement with the edge 67 of the banding machine frame. Engaging the end of the member is the upper end of a ratchet lever 68 which is journalled at its lower end around the pivot for the disk 62. Carried by the lever 68 is a spring pressed dog 69 which engages the notches 64 of the disk and serves, upon the oscillation of the lever 68, to move the disk in one direction one notch at a time. The rotation of the disk 62 is prevented by a second spring pressed dog 7 0 stationarily mounted on the banding machine frame and which also engages the notches 64 of the disk. Attached near the periphery of the disk 62 is a pin 71 which is adapted, upon each revolution of the disk, to engage with the upper end of an arm 72 to rock the same on its pivot 73 carried in connection with the banding machine frame. Pivotally connected to a point intermediate the ends of the arm 72 is one end of a bar 74 which has its other end pivotally connected to the lower end of a bell crank lever 7 5 which in turn is pivoted as at 76 adjacent the worm wheel 41. The upper arm 77 of said crank lever extends over the worm wheel and is adapted to be moved towards the upper face of said wheel by means of the spring 78. The eX- tremity of the arm 77 carries an abutment 79 which normally lies in the path of a stud 8O projecting from the upper face of the worm wheel 4l. It will be seen that due to the engagement of the abutment 79 with the stud 80 the shaft 31 and its associated element for the rotation and operation of the plunger' 49 is prevented from operating and that the clutch 39 will have a slipping engage` ment with the shaft 31. However7 when the pin 7l engages with the upper end of the arm or lever 72 the bell crank 75 will be rocked and free the abutment 79 from the stud 8O and permit the rotation of the shaft 31, the worm wheel 41 and consequently permit the operation of the plunger 49 for the ejection of the cigars upon the belt 17.

The construction of the slip clutch 39 and the general arrangement of the bell crank 75 and the means for effecting the reciprocatory action of the plunger 49 is more or less old and therefore no claim is made to this particular mechanism per se, other than in connection with the automatic control regulated by the banding machine. The automatic control of the cigar ejecting plunger by the banding machine is thought important in that it eliminates the use of an operator to perform this function. The automatic mechanism involving the notched disk 62 is so timed that when the last cigar of a row ejected from the holder 1` is on the belt 17 and past the said holder, a pin 71 will engage with the arm 72 to permit the operation of the plunger for the'ejection of another row upon the belt.

To prevent the row of cigars ejected from the holder 1 from moving sideways due to the constant movement of the belt 17 and to keep the cigars in parallel order until fully ejected from the holder, there is provided a swinging panel mounted above and transversely of the belt 17. This panel, which is designated by the numeral 81, is mounted to hang perpendicularly from a shaft 82 which has its ends formed with cone shaped points 83 mounted in bearing brackets 84 attached to the upper surfaceof the table 16 and on each l' 'l side of the belt 17. One of the brackets 84 may be provided with an adjustable screw 85 by which the cone shaped points may be adjusted to take up any slack therein that Y,

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tween brackets 89 mounted on the under side of the table 16. Arranged to engage with the lower end of the member 88 is the cam member 90 formed on one end of a horizontally swinging arm 91 which is pivoted as at 92 to a stud 93 depending from the under side of the table 16. The shorter extension 94 of the arm 91 lies in the path of the crank arm 44 and which crank arm, upon its rotation is a. clock-wise direction, engages the extension 94 and thus rocks the arm 91 on its pivot. This movement of the arm 91 will cause the inner face of the cam 90 to engage the lower end of the lever 88, rocking the same on its pivot and freeing the shoulder 87 of the disk member 86. It will be noted that due to the position of the extension 94 with respectto the crank arm 44 that the latter has rotatedl to a ,point moving the ejecting plunger to a complete ejecting position. This will give the cigars time to momentarily engage the panel 81 and due to the movement of the belt 17 will align themselves `properly on the belt before the panel is released. The panel 81 which is held in an elevated position by the cigars passing thereunder will,

of course, drop back into a vertical position and become locked by the engagement of the lever 88 with the shoulder 87, when the last cigar of the row has passed thereunder, and thus becomes ready for the next ejecting operation.

In the modified form of holder` disclosed in Figures 16 and 17, the `trays 2a are held in their vertical aligned order by fastening rods or bolts 95 passing through openings formed in the ends of the tray members, and which bolts are threadedly received within bars 96 attached to the upper surface of the base plate 97. The plate 97 with the bars 96 serves, in this instance. as the-'bottom tray of the holder, and, together with the lid or top member 98 and the bolts 95, formsA a frame structure in which the trays are rigidly held when pressure is applied to the cigars positioned therein by thentightening of the bolts. Before ejecting the cigars from the holder, the pressure thereonis relieved by unscrewing the bolt a few turns which 4will separate the tray members to a slight extent but stillmaintain the same in their assembled relationship. 'A

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the 'accompanying drawings, it will be seen that novel means have been provided in the form of a holder comprising aplurality of shallow trays in which freshly rolled cigars may be conveniently placed in layer form and which holder is 'so constructed that the trays maybe stacked upon V'one another and held together in clamped pactness desired in a product of this kind.

- The holder may also, due to its mechanical construction take the place of a hopper or magazine for an automatic machine or apparatus, or automatic means controlled by said machine or apparatus, for ejecting cigars from said holder and delivering them for banding or other performed operations thereon to said machine in the same compact order as they were originally placed in the holder. Thus, by the use of a holder as above described the cigars need only be handled once, which is at the time when first placed in the holder, until delivered to a mac iine for the final or finishing operation. The single handling of the cigars is a marked improvement over other methods wherein the cigars are handled a number of times while being packed in boXes, placed under pressure and removed from the boxes to the position within the hoppers of the various machines, thus insuring quite a considerablel l saving in time and labor, as well as low production costs which is necessary to meet present-day requirements. y

Although I have described the holder adapted for use in connection with cigars and cigar machinery, it will be understood that its use is not limited to this particular field, but that the inventionis capable of a variety of uses for other articles. Thus, for example, the device can be utilized for holding candy bars in connection with machinery for wrapping the same, or in connection with other machinery wherein a plurality of similar shaped articles are fed in layer form and discharged therefrom.

It will also be understoodthat I do not care to limit the scope of the invention to Vthe particular form of mechanism shown for holding the various trays in their assembled order, the same being merely illustrative, and that the term holder designates a plurality of trays held together in any suit-able Vmanner in superimposed order as a unit.

lVhat is claimed is z 1. In cigar handling machinery, the combination with the feeding means of an autov matic machine including a movable belt, of a cigar containing holder arranged adjacent to and to one side-of said belt, said holder comprising a plurality of cigar receiving trays disposed in superimposed order one above the other, each of the trays being opened at its front and rear,

'means controlled by the operation of the automatic machine for ejecting the cigars in layers upon said belt, and means controlled by the operation of said ejecting means for effecting the lowering of said holder so that each tray thereof may be placed in registration with said ejecting means.

2. In cigar handling machinery, the combination with the feeding table of an automatic machine having an opening formed therein, a cigar containing holder adapted to be received within said opening, a plural- -ity of separable trays in which cigars are received in layer form, said trays being opened at two of its opposite sides and arranged one above the other in superimposed order, a member in connection with said table for ejecting the cigars from said trays and conbe received within said opening, said holder comprising a plurality of separable trays in which cigars are received in layer form, said trays being open at their front and rear sides and arranged in vertical order one above the other, a member for ejecting the cigars from said trays controlled by the operation of said automatic machine, and means formed in connection with the holder and table and actuated by said ejecting member for effecting vertical step by step movement of said holder through said table opening for the positioning of the trays in registration with said ejecting member.

4. In cigar handling machinery, the combination with the feeding mechanism of an automatic machine including a feeding table and a movable belt, an open sided cigar containing holder adapted to be positioned in an opening provided therefor in said table, the cigars in said holder being arranged in layers spaced from one another by a thin partition wall, an ejecting plunger carried by said table and operated by the mechanism of said automatic machine for eiecting layers of cigars positioned between said partition and depositing the same upon said belt, means also operated by said automatic machine for aligning each layer successively in registration with said plunger, and means controlled by the feeding means of said automatic machine for effecting the starting and stopping of said ejecting plunger for maintaining a fixed feeding ratio between the holder and said automatic machine.

5. In cigar handling machinery, the combination with the feeding mechanism of an automatic machine including a feeding table and a movable belt, a cigar containing` holder adapted to be positioned in an opening provided therefor in said table, the cigars in said holder being arranged in layers spaced from one another by a thin panel member, an ejecting plunger carried by said table and operated by the mechanism of said automatic machine for ejecting the layers of cigars positioned between said panels and depositing the .i same upon said belt, and means controlled by said automatic machine for effecting the starting and stopping of said ejecting plunger for maintaining a fixed feeding ratio between the holder and said automatic machine.

6. In cigar handling machinery, the com bination with a table having an opening" formed therein, of a holder adapted to be received within said opening and containing a plurality of cigars arranged in layers, said holder being open at its front and rear sides,V

means for lowering said holder through said comprising a plurality of shallow cigar re--\ ceiving trays arranged in superimposed order one above the other, each of said trays including a thin panel member of rectangular foiin, and a bar provided at each end of said panels to maintain the panels in spaced relation from one another when arranged in vertical order, said bars being of a thickness slightly less than that of the cigars adapted to be placed on said trays, whereby when pressure is applied to said trays the cigars will be held therebetween in compressed order.

9. In cigar handling mechanisms, a holder comprising a frame structure, a plurality of cigar-receiving trays arranged one above the other in said frame structure, means formed with the ends of each tray for maintaining the latter in spaced order, the space between each tray being less than the thickness of the cigars adapted to be placed on said trays, and means carried by said frame structure and acting upon the trays for holding the cigars compressed therebetween.

10. In a cigar handling mechanism, a holder comprising a frame structure, a plurality of cigar receiving trays arranged one above the other in said frame structure, means formed with the ends of each tray for maintaining the same in spaced order, the spacing means between each tray being of a height less than the thickness of the cigars adapted to be placed within said trays, and means for locking the trays in clamped relationship within said frame structure.

11. In cigar handling machinery, a holder comprising a plurality of cigar-receivingA trays arranged in vertically aligned order, each tray being formed to comprise a thin panel member of substantially rectangular shape and of a width approximately equal to the length of the cigars adapted to be )placed therein, spacing members provided at the ends of each tray for holding the trays from each other a distance slightly less than the diameter of said cigars, and means formed in connection with said trays for drawing the trays into clamped engagement with one another and to thereby eXert pressure on the cigars within said trays.

12. In apparatus of the class described, comprising a holder consisting of a plurality of article-receiving trays arranged one above the other in superimposed order, each of said trays being open on two of its sides and the articles therein arranged in a row, means for maintaining the trays in assembled relationship, and means for ejecting said rows of articles from the trays in sequence beginning with the lowermost row.

13. In apparatus of the class described, a support having an opening formed therein, an article-receiving holder adapted for reception within said opening and arranged for vertical movement therethrough, the articles Within said holder being disposed in superimposed layers, means for lowering the holder through said opening step-by-step, and means for ejecting said layers of articles in a common plane above said support.

14. In apparatus of the class described, a holder comprising a plurality of separable article-receiving trays arranged in superimposed order, each of said trays being open at its front and rear sides and the articles arranged therein in a row with the ends of the articles at said open sides, means for spacing said trays from one another, and means for ejecting said rows in sequence.

In testimony whereof I aX my signature.

EDWARD U. CAVE.

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