US2230195A

US2230195A - Cigarette tobacco feed

Info

Publication number: US2230195A
Application number: US198277A
Authority: US
Inventors: James W Warren
Original assignee: AMF Inc
Current assignee: AMF Inc
Priority date: 1938-03-26
Filing date: 1938-03-26
Publication date: 1941-01-28
Anticipated expiration: 1958-01-28

Description

Jan. 28, 1941. J. w. WARREN 2,230,195

CIGARETTE TOBACCO FEED Filed March 26, 1958 INVENTOR JAMES w. WARREN BY ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 28, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,230,195 CIGARETTE TOBACCO FEED poration of New Jersey Application March 26, 1938, Serial N0. 198,277

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a tobacco feed for a continuous rod cigarette machine, especially for a machine of the type in which shredded tobacco supplied from a mass thereof in a hopper is fed between a bottom feed drum and a refuser drum in a stream which follows a path extending downwardly through a comb and a picker roll to a rotatable winnower which is run at relatively high speed to gather the tobacco and hurl it through different trajectories, thus separating the desired shreds of tobacco from undesirably heavy pieces, stems and foreign matter which maybe contained within the tobacco mass.

The shower of tobacco in desired shreds falls progressively in a mat upon a surface on which it is advanced to a feed couple, such a surface being preferably the travelling surface of an endless conveyor, as for example, an endless belt or conveyor apron by which it is delivered to the aforesaid feed couple, and is fed thereby in the form of another shower to the strip of wrapper web, and is there formed into a rod.

The operation of machines of this type has been subject to the disadvantage that a gap existed between the path followed by the blades of the rotary winnower and path of the mat formed on the collecting surface by the shower of desired shreds from the winnower, and this gap permitted the passage therethrough of air currents which blew the shredded components of the shower in various directions, resulting in the formation of a mat characterized by uneven thickness and containing ridges and intervening depressions which were represented in the rod by hard spots and soft spots. When a rod of this uneven formation is severed at a soft spot, the result is to turn out two cigarettes each having loose tobacco in the ends at which they adjoin each other prior to severance. The existence of loose tobacco at the end placed in the mouth of a smoker is objectionable for well-known reasons, and if a like condition exists at the end to be lighted, it is objectionable for equally wellknown reasons. Accordingly, many rejects are due to the cause above described. Of course, the existence of either a soft spot or a hard spot at any portion of a cigarette has its characteristic disadvantages, to be obviated if possible.

Under such conditions, the primary object of the present invention is to provide means to avoid the occurrence of air currents capable of producing the defects above described, and in pursuance of the above general object, it is an object of the invention to so arrange the winnower, its arcuate bottom concave, and the stretch of surface on which the shower from the winnower descends, that there will be no such gap through which an air current can find access to the shower. A cognate object is to so arrange the arcuate concave that its lengthwise dimension, crosswise of the hopper, will bring the ends of the arcuate concave into close relation with the side walls of the hopper, in order to prevent the passage of air through crevices at such regions also, and the disturbance of the shower at these points. Accordingly, When this invention is carried into eifect, the shower will form an even mat of uniform thickness upon the collecting surface and thus the rod fabricated in the rod-former will be substantially freed from the occurrence of soft or hard spots, so far as they have been due to the cause above described, and more perfect cigarettes will therefore be produced.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear as the description of the particular physical embodiment thereof selected for description progresses.

The accompanying drawing is a View of a somewhat schematic character, in sectional elevation, of part of a tobacco feed in the construction of which the present invention has been embodied.

In the now preferred embodiment of the invention thus selected for illustration, the automatic tobacco feed mechanism shown comprises a tobacco hopper 5, a bottom feed drum 6, a refuser drum I, a comb 8, a picker-feed drum roll 9, a feeding apron or conveyor belt ID, a collecting apron or surface H, a filler roll couple l2l3, a picker roll 14 and a chute 15, all constructed and cooperating to deliver the final shower W of desired shreds to the web P of wrapper paper preparatory to formation of the rod, in a manner well-known in the art and therefore requiring no detailed description, other than that incidental to the following specification.

Provision is also made of a winnowing device of substantially conventional form, which comprises a rapidly rotating shaft or member l6, adjacent to the feed drum 6, and carrying a fixed core l1 formed with spaced apart blades l8, in somewhat radial disposition, which gather the stream of tobacco shred T issuing from the drum 6 and picker 9, the winnower hurling the stream through different trajectories, determined by the differences in mass of the individual shreds. In operation, the desirable lighter shreds S will fall upon the forwarding apron ll, while the undesirable heavier pieces of stem and foreign matface in close proximity to an arcuate concave 20,

which terminates at its lower end in closely arranged disposition with relation to the pathof T the winnower blades l8, extending upward therefrom to the point 2| which defines the nearest approach of the blades I8 to the feed drum 6.

The contact of the concave with the apron i l makes a seal which serves toprevent aircurrents from passing therethrough, and the length of the arcuate concave is preferably equal to the breadth of the hopper 5, so that no gaps for-passage of-air will be left between the winnower and the adjacent walls 5 ofthe hopper. This contact of the i concave with'the apron tends to remove anytobaccodust which may accumulate onthe edge of: thelcwer end of the concave. Otherwise the tobacco dust accumulating at this point may occasionally drop off upon the apron and form non-uniform spots in the cigarette rod.

Accordingly, the desired shreds S of winnowed tobacco descend evenly upon the apron I l, forming thereon-an even mat'of desired tobacco shreds having a unifo'rm thickness, and which are delivered smoothly throughthe feed couple l2l3 and the picker roll M to and through the chute E, into the-trough P forming part of the rodformer of -a cigarette machine.

In order to prevent shorttobacco from leaking from the hopper at point and also from passing betweenthe winnower and the drum 6 onto the collecting surface Ii, the concaves are extendedup and around the winnower I8 to a point Zi'and then around the drum-6 to-the point 25: This prevents the delivery to the mat of any uncontrolled masses of shorts. 1

There may be considerable variation in the structure of the concave element by whichithis feature of the present invention is put into practice, and in the instance illustrated the concave 26 is attached to a band 22 receiving'one end of an adjusting screw 23, carried by a cross-bar 24 on the feed-frame, andwhich provides means for.

the adiustment'of the concave in a vertical .direction soas to maintain the desired contacting pressure of the ends of the concave'with the, aprons; An extension Ma of the concave ZIl-is so placed within the hopper that its end 25 also acts toprevent air leakage. the collecting surface ll with-the rotating blades 48 is such'also'that any desired shreds which may be carried downward and rearward by the bladesit of the winnower will be cleared therefrom by the forward movement of the surface I l, which? acts as a doctor for thewinnower.

What. is claimed is:

l. A' tobacco feed comprising a winnower,

means to feed a stream of shredded tobacco from a supply thereof to said winnower, which is rotatable in the pathof said stream in a direction to interceptsaid stream of tobacco-and impel the particles of tobacco over the top of the'winnower and-away from said stream, aconcave element havingan-arcuate face extending around a substantial arc of the lower-circumference of said rotary winnower at the side thereof adjacent said The cooperation of means and in close proximity to the periphery of said winnower, and a conveyor having an endp less travelling surface adapted to receive a shower of desired shreds from said winnower, said conveyor being disposed with its working surface in tangent relation with the lower surface of said arcuate concave to exclude the passage of air currents between the concave and: conveyor, and thereby to promote the showering of said-tobacco onto said conveyor by said winnower'in a mat of substantially uniform thickness.

2. A tobacco feed comprising a winnower,

means to feed a stream of shredded tobacco from a-supplyth'e'reof to the winnower, which is rotatable in" the path of said stream in a direction to inter'cept said stream of tobacco and impel the particles of tobacco up over the top of the winnow'er and away from said stream, and a concave element having an arcuate face extending around a substantial arcof the. lower circumference of saidrota'r'y winnower; and a conveyor apronhaving an endless travelling surface "adapted .to receive ashower of 'desiredshreds fromsaid'winnower.

A tobacco feed comprising a winnower;

means to feed a streamof shredded tobacco from a supply'thereof to said winnower,- which is ro-" tatabl'e in the path'of said stream, a'concave el'ementhaving anarcuate face extendingar'oundf a substantial arc of the lower circumference 'of said rotary winnower, and a'conveyor having an endless travelling surface adapted to receive a shower of desired'shreds from'said winnower,

said conveyor being disposed with its working,

surface in such relation with said-concave as to remove from the lower end ed'ge ther'eofany" shreds of tobacco which may'tend to accumulate thereon.

4. A tobacco feed'for. a continuous rod-cigarette drum andunder said "refuser drum, a picker roll cooperating to loosen thetobacco in said stream thereof, as ititravels downward from betweensaiddrumsa. winnower rotatable in the downwardpath of said loose'stream, a bottomiconcave element having two merging arcuate portions concentric "with saidwinnower and bottom drum extendinggfroma plane substantially defined by the axes--of:rotation of said winnoweran'd said bottom-drum, the portion concentric with the. lower: drum': extending :i-in'to tangent relation'ship to said :conveyor 1 and. a I conveyor apron :having an endless travelling surface adapted to receive a shower of desired shreds-from said winnower,

said conveyor-apron being disposed with its work ing surface in'substantiallytangent relation'with the lower edglecf said arcuateportionof the concave which is corrcentri'c'f with the winnower, thereby'to exc'ludeflthe passage of air currents between the concave and conveyor. apron, and thus ,to promote the even showering of said tobacco by said winnower upon said apron in an. even mat ofsubstantially: uniform thickness, free from the.ridges or irregularitiescharacteristic of such a stream when built up of a shower subject' to disturbing air currents from a source beyond the hopper. v

5. A tobacco feed comprising a winnower, means to feed a stream of shredded tobacco from a supply thereof to said winnower, which is rotatable in the path of said stream, a concave element having an arcuate face extending around a substantial arc of the lower circumference of said rotary winnower, a conveyor apron having an endless traveling surface adapted to receive a shower of desired shreds from said winnower, means to maintain said concave in position to exclude the passage of air currents between the concave and conveyor, said feeding means including a feed drum, and a concave element extending beneath the lower circumference of said feed drum and meeting the first named concave adjacent to the region of nearest approach of the peripheries of the winnower and feed drum to each other, said arcuate concaves being constituted by integral divergent faces of a unitary element.

6. A T tobacco feed comprising a winnower, mechanism to feed a stream of shredded tobacco from a supply thereof to said winnower which is rotatable in the path of said stream, and a conveyor having an endless traveling collecting surface adapted to receive a shower of desired shreds from said winnower, and means to prevent any air currents between the winnower and said coilecting surface other than those entrained within the circumference of the winnower.

JAMES W. WARREN.