US2050713A

US2050713A - Wrapping and banding machine

Info

Publication number: US2050713A
Application number: US590571A
Authority: US
Inventors: Francis X Malocsay
Original assignee: CONSOLIDATED INTERNATIONAL CORP
Current assignee: CONSOLIDATED INTERNATIONAL CORP
Priority date: 1932-02-03
Filing date: 1932-02-03
Publication date: 1936-08-11
Anticipated expiration: 1953-08-11

Description

Aug. 11, 1936. F. x. MALOCSAY WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE 8 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 3, 1932 INVENTOR ATTORNEY S 1936- F. x. MALOCSAY 2,050,713

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 MM" lllll" mum Z4 ATTORNEYS Aug. 11, 1936. F. X. MALOCSAY 2,050,713

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEY s mun i I I l 0 3 35 a. 3 mm \i P: 2N NM eNN 0.2. M n \3 7 Q2 U =8 \L I\ .I 7 "F 7 1 -EQWIFES m "mm T .0 mi. mm 38 u 3 E M n llllll l h 1 mm 5 8 r T Aug. 11, 1936. X MALOCSAY 2,050,713

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1952 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 us sass 4 INVE TOR 446 ATTORNEYS Aug-"J11, 1935- F. x. MALOCSAY ,7

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1952 8 sheets-sheet 5 5 has 125 9g;

4* INVENTOR 7 BY 2 Z ATTORNEYS Aug. 11, 1936; F. x. MALOCSAY 2,050,713

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 l Hum" H6 9 I T? I v wil V 8'1 879.7 I -{jaw l m5 137 J ATTORNEYS Aug. 11, 1936. F. X. MALOCSAY 2,050,713

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 52 us 88 nine es Maia ATTORNEYS 1936- F. x. MALOCSAY 2,050,713

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 w m g 99E (QICZDIQIGEJ 2. I lNV NTOR g BY a ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 11, 1936 WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE of New York Application February 3, 1932, Serial No. 590,571

9 Claims.

This invention relates generally to article wrapping and banding machines, and while broadly applicable, is particularly concerned with the wrapping of cigars in cellophane paper and the banding of said cigars.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a wrapping and banding machine which will entirely wrap an article and secure a band around the wrapper, said wrapper being held about the article by means of an interlocked seam, thereby entirely eliminating the use of heat or an adhesive.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism which will automatically deliver said article to the wrapping and banding position, and which will automatically discharge said article after it has been wrapped and banded.

Another object of the invention is to produce a mechanism which wraps or envelops cellophane or other enveloping material around a cigar and which neatly interlocks the seam edges of the wrapper and folds the ends of such wrapper automatically at high speed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for applying a wrapper around a cigar, said wrapper being held in position about the cigar solely by means of an interlocking seam formed by the edges of said wrapper.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for applying a wrapper around a cigar, said wrapper being held in position about the cigar solely by means of an interlocking seam formed by the edges of said wrapper, said interlocking seam formed parallel to the axis of the cigar, said folded wrapper having its ends extending beyond the extremity of the cigar creased and folded to maintain the wrapper in position about the cigar and to complete the wrapping or sealing thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination wrapping and banding machine which can be easily and quickly adjusted to entirely wrap an article and discharge it without securing a band around said article and wrapper, or, be so adjusted to discharge a banded but unwrapped article.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cigar handling mechanism which will place a wrapper and a band around a cigar in synchronous operation with a wrapper and band feed mechanisms.

A further object of this invention is to provide a combination cigar wrapping and banding mechanism which will accommodate cigars of various shapes and sizes and which will be particularly adapted for synchronous cooperation with any of the conventional cigar feeding devices, commonly known as hoppers.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cigar wrapping and banding mechanism which will receive a wrapper and band placed one upon the other, and which will fold said wrapper around the cigar and fold its edges in an interlocked seam, and then band it without moving said cigar to perform both folding operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wholly coordinated and combined assembly by which the foregoing objects are carried out in a novel, simple and improved manner and thereby increase the production and reduce the cost of 15 wrapping and banding cigars.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wrapping and. handing machine in which the entire operation is automatic and does not require human handling of the articles and which thus greatly reduces the amount of manual labor or supervision required.

A further object of my invention is to provide and construct in a single unit a combined wrapping and banding mechanism; that is, a machine which will at a certain definite and predetermined position perform the dual function of applying a wrapper and a band around a cigar, said wrapper being sealed by an interlocking fold without the employment of heat or an adhesive. In the present practice two independent mechanisms are utilized; one for the purpose of applying the band, like that illustrated in my Patent No. 1,261,832, dated April 9, 1918, from which the cigars are conveyed to a wrapping mechanism where the wrapper is applied, like that disclosed in my copending application filed November 29, 1930, Serial No. 498,992. A cigar being a very brittle and fragile article, it can be easily crushed and its tobacco wrapper injured and destroyed, and in practice it has been found that where two mechanisms are utilized there is a great breakage of cigars because of the transportation from the banding mechanism to the wrapping mechanism. There is also a great wastage of bands and wrappers. These various objections have been overcome by my combined wrapping and banding mechanism.

Another object, concurrent with the last named, is to provide a mechanism whereby all the different operations required for the wrapping, sealing and banding of the cigar are performed in one spot with the cigar held stationary. This has not only the advantage of sparing the cigar from possible damage by transportation, but with a recalcitrant and somewhat resilient wrapping material, such as Cellophane, an interlocking seam can be executed successfully only when the supplementary means of sealing the wrapper, i. e. the twisting and doublingdown of the wrapper end extensions, as well as the additional belting by the surrounding band, are applied immediately after forming the doubled seam without further delay by transportation or change of gripping elements, so that the seam cannot unlock again. For this reason the so-called turret machines which wrap cigars or packages progressively in diiferent stations, although they can handle tin foil wrappers or common paper successfully, even with an interlocking joint, would not be satisfactory in the present case. In the present state of the art, where they handle Cellophane" wrappers, they usually employ simple lap joints or seal the seams by heat or paste.

Other more specific objects and advantages of the apparatus will appear as the nature of the improvements are better understood, the invention consisting substantially in the novel arrangement and corelation of instrumentalities herein fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters .are used to describe corresponding parts throughout the several views and then finally pointed out and specifically defined and indicated in the appended claims.

The disclosure made the basis of exemplifying the present inventive concept suggests a practical embodiment thereof, but the invention is not to be restricted to the exact details of this disclosure, and the latter, therefore is tube understood from an illustrative, rather than a restrictive standpoint. It will be understood that the various features of the invention may be separately applicable despite their cooperation herein shown.

In this specification no detailed description of the operation of the wrapper and band feed mechanisms will be made as those mechanisms do not form a specifically claimed part of the present patent application, and no detailed de scription of the operation of the cigar feed or hopper mechanism will be made, as this type of mechanism is fully described and illustrated in my Patent No. 1,653,641, dated December 27th, 1927, and in my applications, Serial Number 492,437, filed October 31, 1930, on Cigar banding machines; Serial Number 519,347, filed March 2, 1931, on Cigar handling machines; and Serial Number 526,788, filed April 1, 1931, on Cigar machines.

In the embodiment of'the invention as herein disclosed there is provided a table, upon the top of which the cigars are fed from a hopper which is not shown in the drawings, but which would be located at the left hand side of Fig. 1 and operated in a synchronous manner with the wrapping, interlocking seam folding and banding operation. The cigars move with an intermittent movement. The rest periods between the forward movements of the cigars being equal to one complete cycle of the wrapping, folding and banding mechanism. The cigars are guided upward between adjustable guides by a plunger. This upward movement causes the wrapper and band to be wrapped around three sides of the cigar with the aid of certain automatically adjusted side plates. The cigar is held in this position while the wrapper and band are folded around the fourth side of the cigar. At the completion of this operation, the ends of the folded to that type of wrapper for a cigar upon which wrapper which extend beyond the ends of the cigars are folded together and bent downward which completes the wrapping and handing of the cigar. All of the parts which comprise this wrapping, interlocking fold and banding mech- 5 anism are driven directly or indirectly from a common drive mechanism which is not shown in the drawings, as it forms no part of this invention, and this drive mechanism also serves to drive the cigar, wrapper and band feed mechanism with which it will cooperate.

The combination wrapping, interlocking fold and banding mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings will function in the same manner as described hereinafter whether it is 15 to be utilized purely as a cigar wrapping mechanism or a banding mechanism. The wrapper and band feed mechanisms, although not shown, will be located directly behind the wrapping, interlocking fold and banding mechanism; and in 20 such order that the band will be placed upon the wrapper. These mechanisms, as stated above, are driven from a common source, and it is at this point that a simple and effective clutch or transmission is located to transmit the power 26 to these mechanisms. By manipulation of this clutch or transmission the wrapper feed mechanism can be quickly thrown out of operation and a banded and unwrapped cigar will be ejected, and likewise, by throwing the band feed mechanism out of operation, a wrapped but unbanded cigar will be ejected. With these adjustments in mind, it is readily seen that should it be so desired, cigars could first be banded and then fed through the mechanism a second time to be wrapped. This method of operation places the band directly around the cigar instead of around the wrapper. I also wish to state at this time that this mechanism is also applicable 40 a facsimile of a band has been printed, said type of wrapper being fully described in my copending application filed March 31st, 1931, Serial No. 526,632.

In connection with the features hereinafter specifically pointed out, and in addition to the many unique and improved structural combinations, the invention is also concerned with the specific mechanical means by which the various advantageous functions are achieved; said mechanical means being combined to provide an automatic, simple, inexpensive, rugged and durable apparatus.

The inventive idea involved is capable of .re ceiving a variety of mechanical expressions, one of which for the purpose of illustration is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of my improved wrapping and banding mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line- 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 illustrating the position of the wrapping, interlocking fold and banding elements at the start of the wrapping and banding operation;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view illustrating 70 the position of the wrapping, interlocking fold and handing elements during the first step of the wrapping and banding operation;

Fig. 6 is a similar view illustrating the completion of the first wrapping and banding step. 75

Fig. 7 is a sectional side view taken on the line 'l-'l of Fig. 6; which illustrates the position of the end folders with respect to the wrapper when it is in the position shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view illustrating the beginning of the second step of the wrapping operation which shows how the sides of the wrapper are folded around the bottom of the cigar by the seam folders and illustrates the first step of the seam interlocking operation;

Fig. 9 is a similar view which illustrates the second step of the seam interlocking operation;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 illustrating the third step of the seam interlocking operation;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail view which illustrates-more clearly the relative positions of the seam folders and the sides of the wrapper during the first step of the seam interlocking operation as illustrated in Fig. 8;

Fig. 12 is a similar view illustrating the relative positions of the seam folders and the sides of the wrapper during the second step of the seam interlocking operation as illustrated in Fig. 9;

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Figs. 11 and 12 which illustrates the third step' of the seam interlocking operation as illustrated in Fig. 10;

Fig. 14 is a plan view partly broken away illustrating part of the interlocking seam folders;

Fig. 15 is a sectional side view taken on the line l5-I5 of Fig. 10 which illustrates the posi tion of the lower end folders after the wrapper has been folded under the cigar and the seam interlocked as shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 16 is a detail sectional view illustrating the completed interlocked seam fold and the first part of the step of folding the ends of the band under the cigar;

Fig. 17 is a. similar view illustrating the completion of this banding step;

Fig. 18 is a sectional side view taken on the line Iii-I8 of Fig. 1'7 illustrating the end folding of the wrapper;

Fig. 19 is a detail sectional view illustrating the position of the parts prior to the ejecting of the wrapped and banded cigar, and a second cigar with its wrapper and band in position;

Fig. 20 is a side view illustrating the completely wrapped and banded cigar; and

Fig. 21 is a bottom view of Fig. 20.

With particular reference toFigs. l, 2, and 3, numeral i represents a table upon which my wrapping, interlocking seam folding and banding mechanism is mounted, and upon which the cigars 2 are moved toward said mechanism from a cooperating hopper not shown, but which is also mounted upon the table. The cigars move forward with an intermittent movement from the hopper upon a conveyor; the surface speed of which is slightly greater than is necessary to feed the cigars up to the wrapping and banding position as shown in Fig. 1, and it is because of this slightly greater surface speed that any space between the individual cigars is gradually eliminated, and the cigars kept in close contact with one another as they approach the wrapping, interlocking seam folding and banding mechanism. A slight slippage between the cigars and the conveyor insures their close contact and prevents jamming. The first cigar is brought into contact with a centering plate 3 which protrudes upward through the table and in the path of the cigars as shown in Fig. 1. This centering plate 3 is linked to the centering plate 4 at its lower extremities (not shown) in such a manher as to insure equal spread of these plates when the plunger 5 pushes the cigar upward between them as illustrated in Fig. 4. The centering plate 6 has the downwardly extending legs 6 to which the plate 4 is linked, and which are far enough apart to allow the cigars to pass between them. The outwardly extending flange I is integral with the plate 4 and acts as a guide.

Lying across the top edges of the centering

plates

3 and 4 is the cigar wrapper 8 and the band 9. The outer ends of the wrapper and band are supported by the supports Ill and II. Directly above the wrapper and band, and centrally located between the two centering plates is a plunger I2 having the presser feet, It and l2 extending outward from its center which is cut away to span the rod I3, which is clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 and the end of the ejector finger I04 as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, 1'7, and 19. The plunger i2 is slidably mounted in a guide comprised of the upwardly extending bracket l4 and the retaining plates l5 which are held in position by the screws I6. Extending outward from sides of the plunger plate I! and located at its uppermost extremity are the spring supporting pins l'l. (See Figs. 1, 2, and 3). Around the ends of these pins and in suitable grooves are hooked the light coil springs l8, the lower ends of which are secured in suitable grooves in the ends of the anchor pins I9 which are carried in the casting It. The purpose of these springs is to push the plunger downward with just enough force to prevent the wrapper and band from slipping when a cigar is pushed upward into the position as illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6.

Located at the left hand side of the plunger 52 (Fig. 1) is the plate 20 which is mounted upon the rod 2i slidably mounted in the

bearings

22 and 23 which are a part of the bracket i4, and the top surface of said plate is in sliding contact with the machined bottom surface 2 of the bracket it which prevents the plate from turning about the axis of its supporting rod 2i. Integral with the rear surface of the plate 20 and located near its ends are the lugs 25 to which are hinged the connecting links 26 by means of the shouldered screws 27 (see Figs. 1 and 3). The opposite ends of these links 26 are hinged to one side of the toggle levers 28 by the shouldered screws 29. The toggle levers are pinned securely upon the shaft (iii mounted in the bearing 3!, integral with a portion of the bracket id. The shaft 39 extends beyond the rear toggle lever as illustrated in Fig. 3, and upon this extension is secured the lever 32. Fastened to the end of this lever is the push rod 33 which is moved up and down by a cam which is part of the band feed mechanism not shown in the drawings. Fastened to the extensions 34 of the toggle levers 28 are the connecting rods 35; the upper ends of which are connected to the lever 36 secured upon the shaft 3?. The shaft 31 is carried in the bearing 3d integral with the top of bracket M (Fig. 1) and has secured to its outer ends, the arms 39. Hinged to these arms by means of the screws iii are the connecting arms M of the bell crank 62. Integral with the center cf the bell crank Q2 are the lugs 63, between which is connected the link id by means of the pivot screw pin ii). The lower end of link M is connected to the lever 416 by the pivot screw M. The lever 36 is mechanically connected to a cam, not shown, which is part of the main drive mechanism. The bell crank 42 is'secured to top of the plate 48 by means of the shaft 48 and the bearing blocks 50. Hinged to the plate 48 are the connecting links 53. These links pass through suitable apertures 55 cut in the plate and are connected to the hinge blocks 5| by the screw pins 52. The other ends of the connecting links 58 are connected to the toggle levers 28 by the screw pins 54. The combination of

links

26 and 53, the toggles 28. links 35, arms 36, levers Y38 and bell crank 42 impart a parallel movement to the

plates

28 and 48 when the push rod 88 is actuated.

The rocker arm 56 is supported on the pin 51 mounted in the boss 58 of the bracket I4 (see Fig. l). Secured upon a rearwardly extending portion of the shaft 51 is the lever 58 to which is connected the push rod 68 which extends downward and is mechanically connected to a cam, not shown, but which is part of the main drive mechanism. The upper end 6| of the rocker arm 56 has secured to it the flat spring 62; the purpose of which is to exert a pressure upon the plunger retaining pin 68, slidably mounted in the boss 64 of bracket I4 when the lower end of said rocker arm is swung in a clockwise direction as illustrated in those steps of the wrapping and handing operation shown in Figs. 6, 8, and 9. This pressure against said pin 63 causes it to bear against the plunger I2 which holds it in position against the pull of the coil springs I8 when the plunger 5 moves downward and away from the bottom of the cigar.

Hinged to the lower end of the rocker arm 56, by means of the pin 65 and the lugs 66, is the band folding finger 61. This finger is held in its normal position as shown in the various views by the fiat spring 68 pressing against the tongue 68 integral with said finger; said fiat spring being secured to the rocker arm 56. Suspended between two projections which form the front end of the finger 61 is the roller 10. and suspended upon the pin 65 and located between the lugs 66 is the roller 1|, the purpose of these rollers and the finger being fully described hereinafter.

Driven into the upper end 6| of the rocker arm 56 is the anchor pin 12 to which is hooked the light coil spring 18 (see Fig. 1). To the lower end of this coil spring is hooked the fabric tape 14 which passes around the roller 1| and between the side flanges of the finger 61 to the under side of the plunger foot I2 where it is anchored by pushing its rolled and sewed end into the slotted hole for that purpose, which is clearly illustrated in Fig. 4. Also anchored in this same slotted hole 15 is the rolled and sewed end of the fabric tape 14 which passes under the plunger foot and around a roller 16 carried in a cut-out portion in the bottom of the pressure plate 48. The upper end of this tape I4 ishooked to the coil spring 13 which issimilar to coil spring 13, the upper end of which is anchored to the hook 11 which is fastened in the bell crank 42.

Secured to the plunger'plate I2 (see Fig. 1) is the bracket 18 having the pin 18 engaging in the slot 88 of the pusher link 8| which is connected to the lever 82 by means of the pin 83. The lever 82 is pivotally connected to the bracket 84 which is fastened to the extension of bracket I4. Also connected to the lever 82 is the push rod 85 which is mechanically connected to a cam, not shown, which is a part of the main drive mechanism. The purpose of this push rod, lever link and aoaoms bracket is to move the plunger I2 upward to allow the completely wrapped and banded cigar to be easily removed as illustrated in Fig. 19. The lever 46 with its link 44 are provided to raise the plate 48 for the same purpose, which is also illustrated in Fig. 19.

Slidably mounted in side frames 86 is the seam folder plate 81, which is apertured at 88 (see Figs. 3, 4, and 14) to allow for proper positioning of the finger 61 and to allow for free movement between the rocker arm 56 and said plate when said plate is moved forward as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. A further object of said aperture 88 will be more fully described hereinafter. Toward the rear of the seam folder plate 81 and centrally located (see Fig. 3) is secured the gear rack 88 which engages with the gear sector 88 arranged above the rack and pinned upon the shaft 8| mounted in the bearings 82 which are integral with the side frames 86. Upon the rear end of the shaft 8| is secured the arm 83 to which is connected the push rod 84. This rod is mechanically connected to a cam which is not shown, but which is a part of the main drive mechanism of the machine. The collar 85 on shaft 8| prevents the shaft from sliding and thereby preventing the rack and gear sector i'rom disengaging. An up and down movement applied to the push rod 84 by its operating cam (not shown) causes the seam folder plate 81' to move forward and backward in proper synchronization with the rest of the mechanism. The forward or leading edge 81 of the seam folder plate 81 is beveled downward and rounded at the point; the purpose of this beveled edge being more fully described hereinafter. Slidably mounted upon the top surface of the seam folder plate 81 is the preliminary seam folder plate I H, the front edge of which extends beyond the beveled edge 81a of the plate 81. This preliminary seam folder plate 1 is made of thin spring steel and apertured as at 88* to correspond to the aperture 88 of the plate 81 (see Figs. 3, 4, and 14). The plate 1 is retained in proper alignment by the two stop screws I I 8 and the combination anchor and guide screws II9, the shanks of which pass through the guide'slots I28 cut in said plate I" (see Figs. 3 and 14) and are screwed into the plate 81. The rear ends of the guide slots I28 are held against the stop screws II 8 by the coil springs 2| which are-hooked at one end in suitable grooves machined in the necks of the anchor screws II8; their other ends being hooked in grooves machined near the tops of the pins I22 riveted to the preliminary folder plate II1. Also riveted to the preliminary folder plate 1 at its center line and located near its rear edge is the pin I28, which is in line with the head of the stop screw I28 secured in the boss 22 integral with the under side of the bearing 22; said stop screw being held in its adjusted position by the check-nut I60. The purpose of the coil springs I2I, the pin I28 and the stop screw I28 will be more fully described hereinafter.

Located opposite the seam folder plate 81 is the seam folder plate 86, which is slidably mounted in a suitable guide to allow it to be freely moved forward and backward by a rack and gear sector (not shown) but which is similar to that described in connection with seam folder plate 81, but in this instance the rack and gear sector is located underneath the folder plate to allow the completely wrapped and banded cigars to be elected along its top surface as illustrated in Fig. 1. The top surface is slightly below the bottom surface of the preliminary folder plate H I for purposes more fully described hereinafter. The front of said seam folder plate 96 is slotted as at 91, (see Figs. 2 and 3) and this slot is located directly opposite the

openings

88 and 88a in the seam folder plate 81 and the preliminary folder plate H1. The width of the front of said

openings

88 and 88a, and the width of slot 91 is such, to allow the ends of the greatest width of bands to be used to pass through. The rear of said slot 97 is beveled downward toward the back of the plate and its edge rounded off as at H6. This edge folds the gummed end of the band 9 under the cigar which is most clearly illustrated in Figs. 16 and 1'7. The front or leading edge of the plate 96 is beveled in the opposite direction to that of the edge I I6, and on both sides of the slot 91. Secured to the bot tom of the plate 96 at its leading edge and on both sides of the slot 91 are the hinged interlocking folders I23 and 123a. (Figs. 3, 4, and 14.) These hinged interlocking folders are held in position by the screws I26. The free or folding blades of the hinged folders are pressed downward against the stops I25 (Figs. 2, 4, l and 14) which hold them in their normal positions by means-of the small coil springs I28 and iZta; said springs being located between the hinge knuckles and retained in position by the pintle pins I21 and I211: -which pass through the center of their coils which is most clearly illustrated in Fig. 14. It will also be seen in this figure that the power of the coil springs is applied to the hinged folding blades by means of one end of said springs being anchored under that portion of said hinged blades which are secured to the plate 96 and their other ends being brought to bear upon the top of the folder blades which is common practice. The operation and purpose of these hinged interlocking folders will be more fully described hereinafter in the description of the operation of my machine.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 and more in particular to the latter two, it will be seen that there are two pairs of wrapper end folders. The top folders are designated by the numerals 98 and 98a, and the lower folders by the

numerals

99 and 99a. The top folders 98 and 98a. are supported on the rods I08, and the

folders

99 and 99a are supported on the rods mi; all of said rods pass downward through the table I, below which, each pair is actuated by its independent cam not shown in the drawings, but which will actuate them in a synchronous manner with the rest of the mechanism as said cams are a part of the main drive mechanism. The end folders are free to move up and down in slots "32' cut in the plate 68 and the slots 33 cut in the plate 20 (see Figs. 2 and 3) The lower edges of the top folders are beveled and grooved to correspond to a. bevel and bead on the top edges of the lower folders (see Fig. 15) the purpose of which will be more fully described hereinafter.

When the cigars are completely wrapped and banded, they are ejected from the wrapping and handing position by the ejector finger Hill and the rearward movement of the seam folder plate 98. The ejector finger receives its movement by a means of a combination of levers which are actuated by a cam forming part of the main drive which isnot shown in their drawings. .As the wrapped and banded cigars are ejected they are brought into position between the guides I05 which are secured to the channels I06 (see Figs. 1 and 2). At the termination of the ejecting movement of the finger I04 and the :jo'lder plate 96, the cigars are intermittently moved away from the wrapping and banding mechanism by the reciprocating members I08 (Figs. 1 and 3) which have integral with them the downwardly extending prongs I09. These reciprocating members are connected to the links I ill by pivot screws i I l, and said links are connected to the carrying member H2, which is slidably mounted on the shaft 13, by the pivot screws H3. The reciprocating members I08 also receive their motion fromthe main drive mechanism, and their operation will be more fully described herein.

Having thus described my invention in detail, I will now describe its operation.

Referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the first cigar has been moved up into contact with the centering plate 3, and upon the plunger 5 by a cooperating feed mechanism and the wrapper and band have been fed into position by cooperating wrapper and band feed mechanisms which are not shown. As the cycle of operation starts, the plunger 5 moves the cigar upward, and as the upper left hand edge of it touches the rounded corner formed by the centering plate 4 and its flange I, this centering plate t is pushed toward the left. This movement causes the centering plate 3 to move toward the right an equal distance due to their being connected with a parallel movement mechanism. As the plate 3 moves away, the cigar slides toward it due to the pressure exerted against the plate 4, and this action continues until the distance between the two plates is equal to the width of the cigar. This action absolutely centers the cigars and automatically takes care of any variation. As the plunger 5 continues to move upward it pushes the top surface of the cigar into contact with the wrapper 8, the band 9 and the presser plunger feet I21; and i 21) as illustrated in Fig. 1. The continued movement of the plunger 5 causes the cigar to force the presser plunger i2 upward against the tension of the coil springs i8 as illustrated in Fig. 5. This action causes the wrapper to be firmly gripped between the presser plunger feet and the top of the cigar, and the band to be firmly gripped by the rough surface of the fabric tapes it and Ma secured in the bottom of presser plunger foot l2a, to prevent its slipping on the smooth surface of the wrapper. Thus the wrapper and band will be held in perfect alignment on the cigar as the continued upward movement of the plunger 5 pushes them into the wrapping and banding position illustrated in Fig. 6. During this movement the wrapper and band have been wrapped around three surfaces of the cigar as shown, the

side plates

28 and 88 having forced them downward tightly against the sides 'of the cigar, with the edges of the wrapper and the ends of the band resting against the beveled tops of the centering

plates

3 and 4, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. It will also be noted that the fabric tapes M and Ma have also been forced upward with the cigar, wrapper and band, thus insuring against any possibility of the band slipping, and the extra amount of each tape required for this part of the operation was drawn around the rollers 70, H, and 76, against the tension of their coil springs l3 and 13a which are provided partly for this purpose and to keep the tapes taut during all stages of the operation. Referring again to Fig. 6 it will be seen that the band folding finger, shown in dot and dash lines, has been moved slightly toward the left and this means that the rocker arm 58 has been swung slightly in a clockwise direction and due to this movement, the

. spring 62 secured to its upper end 64, has pressed against the plunger retaining pin 63 (Fig, 1)

which in turn is forced against the plate of the plunger l2 to hold the plunger in position against 5 the pull of its coil springs [8 when the plunger 6 starts to move downward prior to the action of the seam interlocking

folder plates

81 and 96 as illustrated in Fig. 8. I

This holding of the presser plunger in position does not entirely prevent the cigar with its wrapper and band from being dislodged, but merely helps by eliminating the pull of the springs l8; the actual gripping of the cigar, wrapper and its band being performed by the

side plates

20 and 48. They are moved toward one another, thereby creating a slight squeezing action against the sides of the cigar to overcome the pull of the coil springs 19 and 13a on the tapes I4 and 14a respectively. This squeezing action is applied by a slight counterclockwise turning of their toggle levers 28. It might be well to mention at this time that the space between the

side plates

20 and 48 in their squeezing position is automatically adjusted to take care of various widths of cigars; and this adjustment is made by a cooperating band feed mechanism, which is not shown, when it is adjusted to accommodate the length of band to be used. This adjustment is transferred to the toggle levers 28 by a mechanical connection from the band feed to the toggle push rods 33, see Fig. 3. If a long band is to be used, the push rods 33 will be pulled downward which will spread the

plates

20 and 48 farther apart, and if a short band is to be used, the push rods will be moved upward, which would bring the plates closer together. In addition to this adJustment at the band feed, there is also a cam action which will always force the push rods upward to create the squeeze action between the plates at the proper time during the cycle of operation.

Referring now to Fig. 8 it will be seen that the interlocking seam folding plates 81 and H1, and 96 have moved toward one another. These plates move toward one another at the same time as the plunger 5 moves downward. The forward movement of the folding plate lll folds its side of the wrapper up close to the bottom of the cigar while the folding plate 96 allows its side of the wrapper to extend. downward at an angle due to its beveled leading edge and the clearance between its top surface and the bottom of the cigar. While the folding plates are moving toward one another both sides of the wrapper extend downward at an angle, the side being pushed forward by the plate 96 laying over the edges of the hinged interlocking blades I23 and l23a and the side of the wrapper being pushed forward by the plate I" extending downward over the edge of the plate and against the incoming edge of the hinged blades. As the two folding members continue to move toward each other, the side of the wrapper overhanging the end of the plate H'I shortens more quickly than the side overhanging the hinged blades due to its being pushed flush against the bottom of the cigar, and as the folder plate In reaches the position illustrated, its short overhanging edge passes over the edge of the hinged blades I23 and i230. and forces the side of the wrapper carried forward by the plate 96, downward into the trough formed by the beveled edge and the hinged blades by means of its natural springiness; the sides of the wrapper taking -the positions illustrated in the figure referred to, and which is more clearly illustrated 75 in Fig. 11, and the ends of the band taking their aosoms position in the

slots

81 and 4 which are provided for this purpose, the slot-H4 being provided mostlyfor the purpose of preventing the gummed end of the band being dragged over the top of the centering plate 9. -At the completion 6 of this part of the forward movement of the two folder plates, they both remain idle. The plate 96 being held in this position by its operating mechanism which is not shown in the drawings but which has already been briefly de- ,10 scribed herein, and the plate H1 is held in its position by means of the pin I28, which is riveted to it, having come into contact with the head of the stop screw I29 which is provided for that purpose. The folder plate 81 continues to move 15 forward and as it does, its beveled leading edge 81a contacts with the underside of the hinged folding blades I23 and I 23a, turning them in a clockwise direction against the action of their coil spring I26 and I281: toward the beveled edge of 20 r the folder plate 96 as illustrated in Fig. 9. This turning action of the hinged blades folds the edge of the wrapper laying upon them upward and tightly against the edge extending downward over the end of the folder plate III; which 25 is more clearly illustrated in Fig. 12. This action completes the second step of the forming of the interlocked seam. When the folder plate 91 reaches the position illustrated in Fig. 9, it immediately starts to go backward and the folder 30 plate 96 moves forward at the same rate of speed until they reach the position illustrated in Fig. 10. This forward movement of the plate 96 forces the folded edges of the wrapper upward over the top of its beveled edge and against 35 the underside of the plate 1, which presses down and creases the folded edges. Due to the triple thickness of the wrapper being forced between the two plates, the plate I" which is made from very thin spring steel is forced to bend slightly upward which is illustrated most clearly in Fig. 13, and it is this action that creases down the fold. The plate H1 is held in the position illustrated in Figs. 10 and 13 by the action of its coil springs |2I which are provided for this purpose. This action completes the third step of the forming of the interlocked seam and during the operation illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10, the

bottom end folders

99 and 99a have moved up to the position illustrated in Fig. 15 in preparation to fold and crease the ends of the wrapperwhich extend beyond the ends of the cigar. This view also clearly illustrates the position of the gummed end of the band in the slot H4.

At this point in the cycle of operation, with the seam folders in the position as shown in Fig. 10, the rocker arm 56 is moved in a counter-clockwise direetion until it has reached the position illustrated in Fig. 16. This movement of the rocker arm releases the pressed plunger, but the downward pull of its springs i9 cannot dislodge the partly wrapped and handed cigar because the

side plates

20 and 48 are still squeezing against it, and they in turn are aided in retaining the cigar in position by the seam folder 96 which 05 still remains partly underneath it. The movement of the rocker arm has moved the band folder finger 6'! forward. This movement causes the roller 10 to press the fabric tape 14 against the end of the band, forcing it upward tightly against 7 the already folded wrapper, said upward pressure of the roller being obtained from the spring 68 which presses against the tongue 69. During this forward movement of the band folder finger the seam folder plate II! has been moved backward and drawn from between the folded seam by means of the stop screws H8 hitting the back of the slots l 20 in said plate I I1. When the finger has reached the limit of its movement as illustrated in Fig. 11, it immediately starts to recede with the seam folder plate 96 following it until the parts take the position shown in Fig. 1'7, the folder plates 81 and II! having moved backward beyond their normal positions to accommodate the folder 96. During the forward movement of the seam folded plate96, the beveled edge H6 which forms the rear of the slot 91, came into contact with the band and forced it tightly upward against its other end which was placed in position by the finger 61. This last folded end of the band is the gummed end which was moistened before the band was fed into position and the pressure of the seam folder plate 96 securely seals the two ends of the band together. While this banding operation was taking place, the plunger 5 moved down to its normal position (Fig. 17) and the ejector finger I04 has been moved forward and down upon the top of'the wrapped and banded cigar. During this operation, the

end folders

98, 98a, and 99 and 99a have been brought together as illustrated in Fig. 18. These folders press simultaneously against the top and bottom surfaces of the ends of the folded and interlocked wrapper, and as they continue to move toward one another, bringing these surfaces with them, the side surfaces collapse inwardly because the side plates 26 and as prevent them from going outward. This makes what is known as a bellows fold which is tightly squeezed together by the beveled edges of these end folders, the beads and grooves of which pinch and score the wrapper. This pinching and scoring causes the folded ends to spring inward toward the cigar as illustrated in Fig. 20, when the folders release them.

Referring to Fig. 19 it will be seen that the presser plunger l 2 and the side plate 53 have been raised, a new wrapper and band have been brought into position, and another cigar has been moved into position over the plunger 5. The presser plunger and side plate have been raised to allow the ejector finger ltd and the seam folder plate 98 to remove the wrapped and banded cigar when they return to their normal positions illustrated in Fig. 1, carrying the cigar with them. The presser plunger is raised by the slotted link 3i engaging the pin is of the bracket it, said link being actuated by the lever 82 and the push rod 33. The side plate 38 has been raised by the movement of the lever 36.

When the completely wrapped and banded cigars move into the ejecter position illustrated in Fig. 1, the reciprocating members are in a raised position. They are then lowered and pulled toward the right, the prongs we gripping behind the cigars move them along until the last ejected cigar reaches the position of the previously ejected cigar.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described my invention, but I desire it understood that it is not confined to the particular form shown and described, the

same being merely illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention, and therefore, I claim broadly the right to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the'appended claims, and by means of which, objects of my invention are attained and new results accomplished; as it is obvious that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of many that can be employed to attain these objects and accomplish these results.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a cigar wrapping machine, means to apply a wrapper to the upper side of a cigar, means to elevate said cigar with the wrapper into a stationary wrapping position, clamping means to hold the cigar with the longitudinal edges of the wrapper depending from the sides of the cigar, in this position, means to complete the wrapping by folding a wrapper overlappingly around the underside of said cigar, means to interlock the overlap of the wrapper, means to fold and means to crease the free ends of said wrappenwhile the cigar is continuously held stationary during these various operations.

2. In a cigar wrapping machine, means to carry a cigar simultaneously with an adjacent wrapper into a wrapping position, said wrapper, having a greater width than the circumference of the cigar, means to hold said cigar stationary in this position, means cooperating with said holding means to automatically fold the wrapper around the underside of the cigar and means to interlockingly fold the surplus width of said wrapper over the cigar in a longitudinal direction while the cigar does not change its position throughout these consecutive folding operations.

3. In a wrapping machine, means to superimpose a wrapper of greater width and length than the circumference and the length of the object to be ,wrapped over said object, means to carry said object with the superimposed and laterally depending wrapper into a stationary wrapping position, clamping means to hold it in said position, automatic means to fold the wrapper around the underside of the object and automatic means to seal the surplus area of the wrapper over the surface of the object by interlocking folds, all of said means adapted to act cooperatively on said wrapper on the object while the latter remains continuously in the same position throughout these folding operations.

4. In a cigar wrapping and banding machine, means for elevating a cigar and simultaneously therewith folding a wrapper and a band against its sides and auxiliary means, mechanically and operably combined to interlock the seam edges of the wrapper and seal the band across the edges while the cigar is in raised position and held stationary during the operations of said auxiliary means.

5. In a machine for wrapping an object while the same is held stationary in one place while the wrapping operations are completed, means to convey the object together with the adjacent wrapper into said place, means comprising a. pliable spring-actuated band, forming a permanent portion of the operating mechanism, fixedly held at a point, directly adjacent to the object, and adapted to be folded around the wrapper as a guiding girdle, to fold a wrapper around said object and means to seal the overlapping edges of the wrapper.

6. In a cigar wrapping and banding machine, adapted to apply a wrapper of regenerated cellu lose and a superimposed band to a cigar, while the latter is held stationary, substantially during the entire wrapping and banding operation, means, comprising apliable ribbon, resiliently fastened at the ends, but fixedly in the middle where it adjoins the side of the article, and adapted to be folded around the wrapper and band as a guiding girdle, to fold said wrapper and band around the cigar, and means to close said wrapper and superimposed band.

7. In a cigar wrapping machine, automatic means to convey a rectangular wrapper to a cigar and deposit it on its upper side, means to elevate said cigar with the longitudinal wrapper edges depending from the sides of the cigar into a stationary wrapping. position, self-centering means, cooperating with the elevating means, to sideshift the cigar with the wrapper during the rise into a central wrapping position, self-ad justing clamping means to hold the partly wrapped cigar in a stationary position, means to fold the wrapper across the underside of the cigar in this position and means to interlockingly fold the free edges of the wrapper together while the cigar' is held continuously in the same position throughout these diflerent folding operations.

8. In a cigar machine of the character described means to elevate a cigar with a superimposed wrapper into a stationary position while simultaneously folding the longitudinal wrapper .edges downwardly over the sides of the cigar,

clamping means to hold the cigar stationariiy during-the following operations, and cooperative folding mechanisms for completing the wrapping a of the cigar, with auxiliary cooperative means for interlocking the seam edges of the wrapper, said operations being performed at the same place by the, same combined mechanisms in various successive motions.

9. In a cigar machine of the character described means to elevate a cigar with a superimposed wrapper and a band into a stationary position while simultaneously folding the longitudinal wrapper edges and band ends downwardly over the sides of the cigar, clamping means to hold the cigar stationarily during the following operations and. cooperative folding mechanisms for completing the wrapping and banding of the cigar, with auxiliary cooperative means for interlocking the seam edges of the wrapper, coordinated andmechanically combined means for overlapping the band ends across the wrapper seam, said wrapping and handing operations being performedat the same place by the same combined mechanisms in various successive motions.

FRANCIS X. MALOCSAY.