US2208896A

US2208896A - Device for disintegrating and separating tobacco mass

Info

Publication number: US2208896A
Application number: US229790A
Authority: US
Inventors: Dahlstrom Ernst Ruben; Rothelius Carl Georg Bertil
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Formator AB
Priority date: 1937-07-17
Filing date: 1938-09-13
Publication date: 1940-07-23
Anticipated expiration: 1957-07-23

Description

July 23, 1940. E. R. DAHLSTROM ET! AL 2,208,895

DEVICE FOR DISINTEGRATING- AND SEPARATING TOBACCO MASS Filed Sept. 13, 1938 2 Sheets-$heet 1 u n u n n n m July 23, 1940- R. DAHLSTROM ET AL 2,208,896

DEVICE FOR DISINTEGRATING AND SEPARATING TOBACCO MASS Filed Sept. 13, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 Patented. July 23, 1940.

PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR DISINTEGRATING AND SEPA- RATING TOBACCO-DIASS Ernst Ruben Dahlstriim, Alsten, and Carl Georg Bertil Rothelius, Stockholm, Sweden, assignors to Aktiebolaget Formator, Stockholm, Sweden, a joint-stock company of Sweden Application September 13, 1938, Serial No. 229,790

In Germany July 1'7, 1937 5 Claims. (Cl. 131146) This invention relates to a device for disintegrating and separating tobacco mass, and it is an object of the invention to provide simple,

inexpensive and efficient means for separating dust and other small impurities from the air utilized for the separating process and without appreciable loss of aroma of the tobacco mass.

Still another object of our invention is to provide simple, inexpensive and efiicient means for all preventing dust and other impurities from escaping from the disintegrating means out into the work-room and causing unsanitary contamination of the air therein.

These and further objects will more fully appear in the following specification.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Fig. l is an elevational sectional view of a device embodying the invention, taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a sectional line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the device.

plan View taken on the Referring to the drawings, a layer of tobacco leaves to be disintegrated is continually fed by a conveyor belt 1 below an upwardly yielding pressing roller 2 and introduced into a disintegrating chamber 3 in which is arranged a revolving breaker drum 4 which has rows of teeth 33 coacting in-transit with a stationary row of teeth 3|, so as to crush the tobacco leaves and disintegrate same into stem parts and parts of lamina. The mass thus disintegrated drops through a lattice 5 onto :an inclined jigger 6 which forms the bottomof a chamber 33 and is reciprocated by means of an eccentric 32. Thereby the tobacco mass is conveyed towards and through an inlet opening I into an upwardly extending air-channel 8 for separating the tobacco mass, so as to remove stem parts therefrom by gravity. Air is supplied to the channel 8 by a fan 3 and stem parts separate from the ascending tobacco mass and drop through an adjustable opening" l into a receptacle 34. Some tobacco mass still not freed from stem parts will return through an adjustable opening 35 and a channel I: and drop onto the jigger 6. The parts of lamina freed from stem parts will together with dust and air saturatedwith aroma leave the air-channel 8 through its upper outlet 36 and enter a chamber I3 and escape through a bottom outlet opening i2 of said chamber. A receptacle I4 is arranged below the outlet opening [2 to receive lamina descending through the chamber I3. I

The lower part of the chamber I3 is embraced by a suction chamber 15 which has a horizontal U-shaped slot l6 forming a suction opening which embraces the outlet opening 12 of the chamber 13. The suction chamber I5 is connected to two opposite suction openings 2| of the fan 9 by the intermediary of two lateral openings l9 and two relatively large dust collecting chambers 20. 10 At each opening 2| a shutter 40 is provided adapted to adjust the flow of air through said openings. Both the shutters 40 are secured to a rotatably journalled shaft 4|, extending through the housing of the device. At one side of the 16 device, a hand wheel 42 is secured to the shaft.

The shutters 40 have a slot 43, through which the shaft 44 of the fan 9 extends. The shaft 44 is rotatably journalled in hubs 63, supported by spiders within the openings 2|. Furthermore, 20 the chambers 20 communicate each through an opening 24 with the chamber 33 and, through another opening with another chamber 36 below the jigger 6. Furthermore, one of the chambers 211 communicates through a pipe 22 25 with a chamber formed by hood 23 which covers the inlet side of the disintegrating chamber 3 and part of the means for feeding tobacco leaves thereto.

The drum 4 is securedto a rotatably journalled shaft 45, to which is secured a pulley 46. A

motor 5'! drives by means of a pulley 41 and a rope 48 the pulley 46, which is secured to the shaft 45 of the drum 4. Still another pulley 49 is secured to the shaft 45 and drives by means ofla rope 50 and pulley 5| a shaft 52, to which is secured one of the rollers 60, over which the conveyor belt I runs. To the shaft 52 is secured still another pulley 6!. A rope 53, running over the pulley 6i and over another pulley .54, drives the shaft 55 to which the eccentric 32 is secured. To the shaft 56, of the motor 51 is securedstill another pulley 58, which by means of a rope 62 drives a pulley 59, secured to the fan. shaft 44.

.. In operation, aroma, dust and other small pardust and valuable aroma from the tobacco inlet 5 and said chambers into the work-room will be prevented, and without providing any separate vacuum-cleaner.

Due to their gravity and velocity leaf parts descending through the chamber l3 and escaping throughits outlet opening I2 will be thrown further downwards and settle in the receptacle M whilst air saturated with aroma together with dust and other small light impurities will flow aside from the outlet opening [2 and enter the suction opening I6 of the suction chamber 15 and be sucked into the chambers 20, in which the velocity of the flow of air is reduced materially. Thus the dust and other impurities conveyed from the hood 23, the chambers 33 and 36 as well as from the suction chamber !5 will settle in the chambers, 21! and the cleaned air saturated with aroma will be introduced into the fan 2!. By the arrangement of the suction chamber l5 outside the opening l2 a satisfactory separation of tobacco from the air saturated with aroma and dust will be obtained Without the use of sieves or the like that are likely to be clogged by lamina adhering thereto.

We claim:

1. Ina device for disintegrating and separating tobacco mass, a tobacco leaf disintegrator, an air-channel adapted for receiving and separating disintegrated tobacco mass to remove stem parts therefrom, said air-channel extending up wards and having an upper outlet for lamina freed from stem parts, a chamber positioned within said device to receive dust from the disof said air-channel and having a bottom outlet for lamina conveyed by the air from said airchannel into said other chamber, another suction conduit opening slightly beyond said bottom outlet of said other chamber and being connected to the suction side of said fan, said other suction conduit forming togetherwith said fan, said air-channel and said other chamber a cirsuit for air flow, and a dust collector arranged in said air-circuit;

2. In a device for disintegrating and separating tobacco mass, a tobacco leaf disintegrator, an air-channel adapted for receiving and separating disintegrated tobacco mass toremove stem parts therefrom, said air channel extending upwards and having an upper outlet for lamina "freed from stem parts, a chamber positioned within said device to receive dust from the disintegrated tobacco mass before said mass enters said air-channeL a fan forprojecting air into said air-channel, a dust'suction conduit connecting said chamber with the suction side of said fan, another chamber connected to said outlet of said air-channel and having a bottom outlet for lamina conveyed by the air from said airchannel into said other chamber, a leaf collector beneath said bottom outlet, another suction conduit connecting said leaf collector with the suction side of said fanwhich together with said airchannel, said other chamber, said leaf collector and said other suction conduit forms a circuit for air flow, and a dust collector arranged in said air-circuit.

3. In a device for disintegrating and separating tobacco mass, a tobacco leaf disintegrator having an inlet side for supplying tobacco leaves to said disintegrator, an air-channel adapted for receiving and separating disintegrated tobacco mass to remove stem parts therefrom and being connected to a downwardly directed outlet for lamina separated from the stems, means for feeding tobacco mass from said disintegrator to said air-channel, a fan having a suction side connected to said inlet side of said disintegrator and to a suction opening located laterally of and adjacent to said outlet, an air-circuit adapted to pass air from said fan through said air-channel and said suction opening and back to said fan, and a dust collector arranged in said aircircuit.

4. In a device for disintegrating and separatingrtobacco mass, a tobacco leaf disintegrator having an inlet side for supplying tobacco leaves to said disintegrator, an air-channel adapted for receiving and separating disintegrated tobacco mass .to remove stem parts therefrom and being connected to a downwardly directed outlet for lamina separated from the stems, a chamber between said disintegrator and said air-channel, means for conveying disintegrated tobacco mass through said chamber from said disintegrator to said air-channel, a fan having a suction side connected to said chamber and to said inlet side of said disintegratcrand to a suction opening located laterally of and adjacent to said outlet, an air-circuit adapted to pass air from said fan through said air-channel and said suction opening and back to said fan, and a dust collector arranged in said air-circuit.

In a device for disintegrating and separating tobacco mass, a tobacco leaf disintegrator, an air-channel for receiving and separating disintegrated tobacco mass to remove stem parts therefrom, said air-channel having a downwardly directed outlet for lamina and dust separated from the stems, a lamina collecting chamber into which said outlet opens, said lamina collecting chamber having a suction outlet, a fan for projecting air into said air-channel, a suction conduit connecting said suction outlet of the lamina collecting chamber with the suction side of said fan, said air-channel and said suction ccnduitforming part of a closed air-circuit adapted to pass air from said fan through said air-channel and said suction opening of the lamina collecting chamber andback to said fan, a dust collector arranged in said air-circuit, another chamber arranged in said device adjacent the path of the tobacco mass for receiving dust separated from the mass before the mass has entered said air-channel, and a suction conduit connec'tingsaid other chamber with the suction side of thefan.

ERNST RUBEN DAHLsTRoM. CARL GEORG BERTIL ROTI-IELIUS.