US2316785A - Method of making cigars - Google Patents

Description

April 20, 1943. F. c., GLADECK METHOD OF MAKING CIGARS 4 She'ets-Shee t 1 Filed Nov. 5, 1 938 LhL v 3nnentor FREDERICK C. GLAD ECK Gttorneg April 20, 4 F. c. GLADECK METHOD OF MAKING CIGARS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 3, 1938 FIG.3

25 Zhmentof FREDERICK QGLADECK (Ittorneg A 20; 1943. F; c. GLADECK METHOD OF MAKING CIGARS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 3, 1958 4 w 7 9 H a M w a 1 1 \E a L a W -5 2 m FIG.6

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3nvntor LAD ECK FIGH.

Team-c0 Cow/a Bnvbsz Hal 025D ERICK c.

attorney Men/v5.6 5/1505550 April 1943- F. c. GLADECK METHOD OF MAKING CIGARS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 3, 1958 Zhwentor FREDERICK C.GLADECK I Linen-mu Patented Apr. 20, 1943 METHOD: OF MAKING CIGARS Frederick O. Gladeck, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to International Cigar Machinery Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application November 3, 1938, Serial No. 238,521

14 Claims.

This invention relates to cigar machines, more particularly to automatic binder and wrapper material feeds for high speed cigar machines of the fresh work or scrap bunch type, and the present application is a continuation in part of my application, Serial No. 12,508, filed March 22, 1935, and contains subject-matter and claims which have been divided directly from said parent application. i

In cigar machines heretofore in use, a tobacco leaf is spread by the attendant on a cutting bed provided with a die having the required configuration to cut a wrapper or bunch binder of the desired shape, wherefore the output of the machine depends upon the experience and speed of the attendant in so placing said tobacco leaf.

It is the main object of the present invention to provide an improved method of feeding and cutting bunch binding and/or wrapping material and in pursuance of said object to feed automatically the wrapper and/or binder material in the form of a web from a supply-roll thereof, or from a magazine in the form of sheets of web material. This may be accomplished by using a web of pulped sheet tobacco and in the case of the binder material, paper or crepe paper may be used instead, the same being fed between two sets of make-up rollers located at either side of the cutting bed by unwinding the web from a supply reel and rewinding it upon an intermittently driven reel. The feeding of the web is so timed according to the invention, that it is advanced and then stopped while the aforementioned take-up rollers descend and stretch it over the cutting die and bed. Thereupon a set of cutting rollers pass over the cutting die, and cut out a wrapper or binder, as the case may be. The cutting rollers then retreat and the binder carrier or wrapper carrier picks up and transports the section so cut to the bunch rolling and/or wrapper-applying mechanisms, respectively. The take-up rollers now rise and the web is again advanced sufliciently to allow a new blank to be cut therefrom, and the same cycle of operations is periodically repeated.

However, the wrapper or binder material may be stacked in the form of sheets in a magazine, fed from the bottom of the stack by a rotary segmental roll, gripped by automatic mechanism which engages the end of the sheet being so advanced, and stretched and deposited upon the wrapper cutting or hinder cutting bed.

Another object of this invention is to provide for a spraying operation which will take place while the travel of the webof binder material is interrupted this operation serving to spray a solution of flavoring material of suitable composition and ingredients on the web. This may be accomplished by operating a sprayer from the same drive as the binder web-feeding means. In this manner the web is moistened at areas which eventually register with the cutting bed and the solution adhering to the binder cut from the web enriches'the tobacco flavor and aroma of the cigar.

Still another object of the invention is to emboss or impress the pulped sheet tobacco used for the wrapper or binder material with a pat tern'which simulates or resembles leaf tobacco of the desired grade or type. For this purpose the web passes between a set of rolls provided on their peripheries by any suitable photo-engraving or engraving process with the required pattern for the desired type or grade of tobacco, and is thereby embossed or impressed. Preferably, the web is drawn between the engraved rolls on its way to the cutting bed, so that the pattern applied thereto may not be injured by winding of the web.' The invention consists also in the provision of a new improved method of manufacturing full shaped cigars, having tapered tuck.

and head ends, and each of which is fabricated with a bunch comprising a charge of filler material enclosed in a form cut binder of artificial sheet material rolled about said charge, and a form cut outer wrapper of natural tobacco leaf origin wound spirally about said bunch to form a complete cigar.

A further object is to provide an improved method for making such a cigar in which the binder of artificial sheet material is treated to resemble natural tobacco and cut to the usual binder shape.

As ancillary provisions the invention consists in an improved method for making cigars having an outer wrapper made of pulped sheet wrapper material, treated, as by embossing, and/or coloring; to resemble a wrapper of natural tobacco.

A further object is to provide an improved process for making a cigar in which the artificial sheet material of the outer wrapper is characterized by the limp, smooth, yielding, very flexible and somewhat hygroscopic texture of a thin high-grade natural tobacco wrapper.

With these and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain steps and combinations hereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended; r Inthe accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a partial plan view of a standard fresh work cigar machine, equipped with the automatic binder and wrapper material feeding means;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the automatic binder material feed and the binder cutter unit;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the intermittent drive used for the binder and wrapper material Web feeds;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the automatic wrapper material feed taken on line 5-5 .of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a device for impressing or embossing the pulped sheet tobacco used for the binder or wrapper material;

Fig. '7 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 8 is a partial plan View of a cigar machine provided with a modified form of binder material feed for feeding sheet blanks from a magazine in which they are stored to the binder cutting bed of the machine;

Fig. 9 is a partial side elevation of the same taken on line 9--9 of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of a device delineated in Fig. 8 for sweeping away the surplus portion of the sheet remaining on the binder cutting bed after the binder has been cut therefrom.

Fig. 11 illustrates a cigar in the fabrication of which the present invention has been carried into effect.

In carrying the invention into effect there is provided a cutting bed provided with a cutting die, automatic means for feeding and stretching sheet material over said cutting die and bed, mechanism coacting with the die to cut a section from the stretched sheet material, and means for. transporting the severed section away from said cutting die and bed. In the best constructions contemplated the feeding and stretching means includes an intermittently driven reel for drawing a web of wrapper or binder material step-by-step across the die, sets of take-up rollers at either side of said cutting bed, the Web being threaded between the sets of rollers, and mechanism for lowering the rollers to stretch the web on the die and bed while the feeding of the web is interrupted; or the feeding and stretching means may include a magazine supporting a stack of sheets, a rotary segmental roll operating to advance the lowermost sheet from under the bottom of the stack, and mechanism for gripping the sheet while it is being so advanced, and stretching and depositing the same upon the cutting die and bed.

These various means and parts may be widely varied in construction within the scope of the claims hereunto appended, for the particular constructions selected to illustrate the practice of this invention are but a few of the many possible concrete means for carrying the same into effect. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the precise details of the constructions shown and described. v

Referring to the drawings, the web of binder material B is unwound from an idle reel R by means of an intermittently driven reel Hi. In being drawn from the reel R and rewound on the reel It the web B passes between a set of take-up rollers H and I2 and a second set of take-up rollers l3 and M, Fig. 2. When said rollers descend they stretch the web B over a binder cutting bed l5 of conventional construction provided with a cutting bed 16 of the usual type (Fig. 3) and a die block I"! lying within and of the same configuration as the die Hi, the top of block I1 normally lying slightly below the cutting edge of the die 16. There is further provided a binder carrier 18 of well known construction and operation. Coacting with the die I6 is a swinging arm I9 carrying two cutting rollers 20 and 2|, which, at the proper time, roll over die l6 and cut a binder from the section of the binder web B previously stretched taut on the bed I5.

Among the various mechanisms old and well known in theart which are suitable for elevating the die block I! to present the cut binder to the binder carrier hereinafter described, that disclosed in Patent No. 1,543,874, granted on the application of Rupert E. Rundell, may be used. Further description of the same is omitted herein in the interest of brevity and clarity, as reference may be had to said patent for the details of said mechanism. V

The roll R of suitable binder material, such as pulped sheet tobacco, paper or crepe paper, is supported on a shaft 22 carried by a bracket 23 attached to the table 24 resting on the side frames 25 of the machine. A flange 26 provided on one end of shaft 22' retains the roll R on the shaft.

The take-up rollers ll, l2, l3 and I4, are mounted on studs carried by the U-shaped brackets 21 and 28, respectively. The central portions of brackets 21 and 28 are attached to the upper end of slide-rods 29 and 3B, respectively, and the lower ends of rods 29 and 301 are connected by a cam-actuated bar 3|. Rods 29 and 30 are guided in the bearings 32 and 33 of brackets 34 and 35 carried by the table 24. A cam groove in one face of a cam 36 mounted onrthe cam shaft 31 of the machine is engaged by a cam follower 38 carried by a cam lever 39 fulcrumed on a shaft 40 supported by the side frames 25,-the lever 39 being linked to bar 3| by a connecting rod' 4I.- The swinging motion of lever 39 imparts a reciprocating motion to the rods 29 and 30. The descent of rods 29 and 30 causes the take-up rollers ll, l2 and I3, M to stretch the binder web B'over the cutting bed l5 as previously mentioned and the ascent of said rollers brings the web B to a position B (Fig. 3) clear of the cutting bed, to allow the web to be advanced a step by means which will be presently described.

On the cam shaft 31 is also mounted a cam 42 provided with a cam groove into which is fitted a cam follower 43 carried by a cam lever 44 fulcrumed on shaft 40 and actuating a rod 45 connected to a' rocker-arm 46 fastened to a rocker-shaft 41 carried by bracket 48. A gear segment 49 onshaft 4'! meshes with a gear 50 loosely mounted ona shaft 5| supported in bracket 48. The web of the gear 50, which constitutes the driver of a friction clutch, is recessed to receive the projecting hub of the reel 52 which is the driven member' of the clutch (Fig. 4). This driven member 52 is keyed on the shaft 5| and its projecting hub is provided with wedgeshaped notches'in which rollers 54 fit loosely between the circumferential wall 55 of the recess in the hub o f gearf50 and the base ofthe notches, and become jamme'd'therebetwe'en wheneverthey are forced towardsthe apices of the notches by the movement of gear 50, the rollers normally being pressediagainst'thegear 55 by'springs 56 seated in recesses provided in the driven member 52. Therefora'when thegear' 50 turns in a clockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4, the rollers 54 jam against the circumferential Wall 55 of the recess in gear 50, thus turning the driven member 52 with the shaft and thereby periodically advancing the web B and rewinding it on the member 52. When the gear 50 rotates in a counter-clockwise direction the rollers 54 are freed and the gear turns idle. Since the oneway friction clutch just described is of the well known roller type, further description thereof is deemed unnecessary; it being understood, however, that any suitable one-way clutch of the ball or other type may be used instead.

When the binder web B is stretched across the cutting bed [5, the cutting rollers 29, 2! on arm l9 roll over the die l6 and cut a binder from the web 13. For this purpose the arm I9 is attached to the upper end of a vertical shaft 51 to the lower end of which is fastened an arm 58 suitably connected by a ball-and-socket joint or the like to one end of a link 59 which is pivotally connected at its other end to a cam lever 63 carrying a cam roller 6| engaging a cam groove (not shown) in one face of the cam 62 fast on shaft 37. The binder carrier I8 is mounted loosely on a stud 63 carried on the upper end of an arm 64 clamped to one end of a cam-actuated rock-shaft, not shown. This arrangement of the binder carrier is that shown in Patent No. 1,543,874 mentioned above, and the rock-shaft and binder carrier are connected by a linkage (not shown herein) which maintains the operating face of the binder carrier in a horizontal position during its travel. It will be understood, however, that any other type of binder carrier may be used, and that the arm [9 may carry a trip (not shown) connected to a safety device I9! of any suitable type such as shown in said Patent No. 1,543,874.

During the binder cutting operation, at which time the binder web remains stationary, a flavoring solution is sprayed on to said web to enrich its flavor and aroma. The sprayer consists of an air line 264 v (Fig. 3) which is connected through a regulating valve 65 and a pipe 66 to an air compressor or an air blast system. Pipe line 264 is equipped with a control valve 61 which is opened by a trip lever 68 fulcrumed on a stud 69 attached to the frame of the machine. Lever 68 carrying roller is periodically operated by a cam piece II attached to the periphery of cam 42. Lever 68 is equipped with an adjusting screw 12 which engages and pushes the stem 13 of valve 61 to open the same when roller 19 is raised by cam H. A collar 14 near the lower end of pipe line 264 engages with a lug of lever 68 and prevents the same from falling back too far when not in engagement with cam H. A pipe '15 communicating with the upper part of pipe 264 is connected with the pipe 16 of. a sprayer 11 of usual construction. The pipe 16 on its lower end is equipped with a nozzle 78 while the upper end carries an adjustable needle valve 19 by means of which it is possible to regulate the spray S issuing from nozzle 18. The air line 264 is furthermore equipped with a safety valve 80 which is set to open in case the air pressure in the line exceeds a given limit.

The filler tobacco, as in previous machines, is placed on an endless feed belt 8| (Fig. 1) and is advanced under the row of star wheels 82 which level the tobacco mass and advance the filler layer to a second row of star wheels 82a which feed the tobacco against-a series82b of spaced measuring fingers; Aftersthevprop'er volume of tobacco to form a charge of predetermined density has been pressed against the measuring fingers, the belt BI and the star wheels are stopped and the charge is cut off from the mass of tobacco by the cutter mechanism 83. The filler feed just described is shown in Patent No.1,791,558, granted on the application of V. G. Hanson, to which reference is made for a complete disclosure of the details of construction.

A set of reaper fingers 82c delivers the severed charge to a charge transfer 84 which may be of any suitable type or construction, or such as shown in Patent No. 1,838,192, granted on the application of Rupert E. Rundell.

In the meantime, the cutting rollers 26 and 2| have passed over the die and cut out a binder which is picked up by the binder carrier l8 after said cutting rollers have retreated from the cutting bed. The carrier 18 transports the binder and deposits the same upon the Chianti belt 85 of a bunch rolling mechanism of well known type. The charge is then ejected from the charge transfer 84 on to the binder just delivered on the Chianti belt, and the binder is then rolled about the charge to make the bunch. The bunch so formed is carried by a transfer 86 of well known construction to a re-rolling device 81 of conventional construction, wherein it is softened by being rolled between a knurled drum and a concave; and upon emerging from the .re-rolling device the bunch is carried b a transfer, not shown, to the crimper mechanism 88, which may be of a type well known in the art, wherein its ends are compressed to the required shape and then trimmed. The bunch is conveyed from the crimper by a transfer, not shown, to the wrap--.v per-applying mechanism 89 where the wrapper is drawn off the wrapper carrier and spirally wound about the bunch. This mechanism here shown in outline is preferably that disclosed in U. S. Patent No, 1,915,277 to Halstead.

In view of the fact that the bunch rolling and wrapper-applying mechanisms are well known in the art, and since a more detailed description of the same is not necessary to a full understanding of the present invention, it is omitted in the interest of brevity and clearness.

The web of wrapper material W, which may be pulped sheet tobacco, is unwound from a roll R. ((Fig. 1) by means of an intermittently driven reel 9| and passes between a set of take-up rollers 1 construction provided with a wrapper cutting die of the usual type and with a die block of well known construction lying within and of the same configuration as the wrapper cutting die. Thereupon the rollers 92, 93 and 94, 95 are lowered by mechanism, hereinafter described, to stretch the web W on the wrapper cutting die while its feed is interrupted.

Coacting with the wrapper cutting die is a swinging arm 91 carrying two cutting rollers 98 and 99 which, at the proper time, roll over the die and cut a wrapper from the web W. Since the actuating means of the arm 91 is similar to that for actuating the swinging arm 19 of the binder cutting unit, and the mechanism for elevating the wrapper die block to present the cut wrapper to the wrapper carrier hereinafter def scribed is similar to that described in Patent No. 1,543,874 referred to above, it has been deemed unnecessary to specifically describe the. same herein. The arm 91 may similarly be provided with a trip connected to a safety device I92.

The roll R is supported on a shaft I carried by a bracket IIII attached to a table I32 carried by the side frames of the cigar machine. Rollers 92, 93 and 94, 95 are mounted on studs carried by U-shaped brackets I03 and I04, respectively. To the upper ends of slide-rods I and I06, respectively, are attached the brackets I03 and I04; and the lower ends of said slide-rods I05 and I06 are connected to a cam-actuated bar I01 (Fig. 5). The rods I05 and I06 are guided in bearings of the brackets I08 and I09 attached to bed I02. A cam IIO mounted on a cam shaft I I I of the cigar machine actuates a cam follower II2 carried by a cam lever II3 fulcrumed on a shaft H4. The swinging motion of lever H3 operates a connecting rod II 5 attached to the arm I01, and periodically lowers the take-up rollers 92, 93 and 94, 95 to stretch the web W on the wrapper cutting bed while the cutter rollers 98, 99 are swung thereover.

The cam shaft I I I also carries a cam I it which actuates a cam follower II'I carried by a lever .I I8 fulcrumed on shaft II4, the motion thus imparted to lever IIB operating a rod H9 connected to a rocker-arm I fastened to a rocker-shaft carried by bracket I2I. The rocker-shaft carries a gear segment I22 meshing with a gear 523 loosely mounted on a shaft I24 supported in bracket I2I. The gear I23 is the driver of a ball or roller clutch, or other type of one-way clutch, in the same manner as the gear 50 of the binder feeding means, and the reel SI is the driven member of the clutch; wherefore further description of the same is deemed unnecessary and omitted.

The same mechanism for feeding webs of wrapper and/or binder material can be applied to cigar machines having a plurality of wrapper and/or binder cutting beds mounted on a turret, such as disclosed in Patent No. 1,888,788, granted November 22, 1932, on the application of S. Clausen.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7, when pulped sheet tobacco is used for the binder or wrapper material, it may be suitably impressed or embossed to simulate or resemble leaf tobacco. To this end the web as it is unwound from, the roll R passes between a pair of rolls I and I 3i which are suitably driven by means (not shown). To emboss the web, one of these rolls is provided in relief with the pattern of the grade or-type of tobacco it is desired to simulate and the other roll is provided with a similar pattern in raised work. When the web is to be impressed to give it the appearance of leaf tobacco, both rolls may be provided with a raised pattern. The required patterns may be formed on the rolls by the engraving process or by photogravure. The web in passing between said rolls will be impressed or embossed to resemble or simulate regular leaf tobacco. The embossingv rolls can be made in different designs so that the web will resemble leaf tobacco 'of whatever grade or type the particular manufacturer has been accustomed to or wishes to use, f

Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, there is disclosed therein a modified form .of device for, feeding the binder material to the cutting bed. In this arrangement pulped tobacco sheets 8 (Fig. 9) are stacked in a magazine I32 of conventional construction. The sheets 8 are of a predetermined size slightly largerthan the binder cutting die.

The cutting bed I5- supposes frame I33 carrying shafts I34, I35, I36 and I31, and to one end of shaft I34 is fastened a bevel gear I 38 meshing with a bevel gear I39 attached to a shaft I40. The cam shaft 31 (Fig. 8) imparts motion to shaft I40 by means of a chain drive, not shown. A sprocket I4I mounted on shaft I34 drives a chain I42 running over a sprocket I43 on shaft I 35. The shaft I34 also carries a cam I44 having in one of its faces a cam groove into which is fitted a cam follower I45 carried by a bell-crank lever I46 fulcrumed on the shaft I35. arm of the lever I46 is linked by a rod M1 to an arm I48 which is pivotally' mounted on the shaft I31, the upper end of arm I48 being connected by a link I49, to a lug I50, on a cross bar I5I. On vertical pintles fixed in the ends of bar I5'I, are pivoted the transfer arms I52 and I53.

The shaft I35 also carries a segmental roller I54 formed of rubber or other similar material or covered with rubber, felt or the like, and having a raised segment which contacts the lowermost sheet S in the magazine and advances the same to the grippers I55 carried by the transfer arms I52 and I53, respectively. The grippers consist of lower jaws. fastened to the bottom of the transfer arms and spring-tensioned upper jaws hinged on the transfer arms. As the grippers move into the position shown in Fig. 9, the upwardly extending tails of the spring-tensioned jaws meet a stationary vertical plate I55a, and the upper jaws are thus separated from the lower jaws to admit the sheet S therebetween. With the sheet thus delivered to the grippers, the cam I44 through its aforementioned connections advances the transfer arms I52 and I53, whereupon the upper spring-tensioned jaws close upon and grip sheet 8. The sheet S is thereby transferred to a position S as indicated in Fig. 8, wherein it overlies the cutting bed. Shortly before reaching position S the rollers I56 and IE1 carried by the tails of the transfer arms I52 and IE3, respectively, encounter the respective stationary cam pieces I58 and I59 whereby the transfer arms are swung outwardly against the resistance of a tension spring connecting the arms (Fig. 8). The arms in moving outwardly stretch the sheet over the cutting bed I5, and suction which is applied to the same retains the stretched sheet in position on the cutting bed while the grippers I55 slip on the sheet during the continued outward swinging of the transfer arms.

The sheet S being thus placed on the cutting bed, the transfer arms I52 and I53 retreat to their original position and are simultaneously pulled inward by the tension spring connecting the same. At this time the two cutting rollers 20 and 2I roll over die I6 and cut a binder from the sheet S, and having performed the cutting operation, the cutting rollers then retreat to their inactive position. Thereupon a revolving brush I60, which will be presently described, passes over the cutting bed and sweeps away the portion of the sheet S which remains on the bed after the binder cut therefrom has been transformed to the binder carrier. For this purpose the arm I6I is attached to the upper end of a vertical rock-shaft I62 on the lower end of which is fastened an arm I63 suitably connected by a balland-socket joint to one end of a link I64 which is pivotally connected at its other end to a cam lever I65carr'ying a cam roller I66 engaging a cam groove in a face cam I61 fast on shaft 37. The arm I6I supports a shaft I68 which, on its free end, carries the brush I; and to the other end thereof is fastened'a bevel gear I69 meshing The other with a stationary bevel gear I10 coaxial with the shaft I62 and supported in a bracket I! I. During the swinging motion of the arm l6! brush I60 is rotated by means of said bevel gears to sweep from the cutting bed l the portion of the sheet S remaining thereon. Finally said arm returns to its original position, and the next sheet S is carried to the cutting bed in the same manner. While the device shown in Figs. 8 to has been described as a binder feeding and cutting mechanism, th same construction is useful for wrapper feeding and cutting.

So also, spraying mechanism of the type above described in connection with the operation of applying flavoring fluid to the binder material may be utilized to apply coloring fluid to the binder material or to the wrapper material, or to both.

The product of the foregoing method constitutes a full-shaped cigar, as indicated at C in Fig. 1, and shown on a larger scale in Fig. 11, with tapered ends embodying a bunch which includes a charge of filler material bound with a form cut binder formed of artificial sheet material flavored to resemble natural tobacco and rolled about the charge, the bunch thus formed being confined by an outer form cut wrapping element of sheet material embossed and colored to resemble natural tobacco.

In the best constructions now known to me, the artificial wrapper material which has been treated to simulate natural leaf tobacco of high grade wrapper stock, such as Havana wrapper, will preferably be thin, tough and very flexible, and will be further characterized by a limp, inert, smooth, satiny, yielding and somewhat hygroscopic texture, as these are the properties recognized by smokers as most desirable in the natural cigar.

Pulp tobacco may be prepared in any of a wide variety of ways, covered by many United States patents such as Nos. 1,068,403, 1,903,942, 318,881, 999,986 and 189,182.

Thin crepe paper, to which reference has already been made, has been found to lend itself to the production of a satisfactory cigar embodying the desirable qualities above enumerated, but is merely recited by way of example, as it is not intended by such recital to exclude the use of other sheet material of which tissue is a good example, which may be found particularly suited for carrying into effect the basic idea of means which underlies the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 11, the cigar C comprises a charge of filler material, designated by the legend Charge, enclosed in a form cut binder rolled about the charge and designated by the legend Binder flavored, this being a section of the sheet material B which has been treated as shown in Fig. 3 with a spray designed to enhance the tobacco flavor and aroma. As hereinbefore indicated, this sheet binder material may be formed of a sheet of such artificial material derived from a magazine, such as that illustrated in Figs. 8, 9 and 10.

The cigar is shown as completed by a formcut, embossed wrapper of natural tobacco origin, designated by the legend Wrapper embossed, wound spirally around the binder-enclosed charge.

What is claimed is:

1. The unitary mechanical method of making cigars which comprises the steps of forming a filler charge, stretching sheet binder material and then cutting a binder therefrom, applying the cut binder to the filler charge to form a bunch, stretching pulped sheet wrapper material and then cutting a wrapper therefrom, and applying the cut wrapper to the bunch to form a cigar, all of said steps being performed as exclusively mechanical operations.

2. The unitary mechanical method of making cigars which comprises the steps of forming a filler charge, stretching sheet binder material and then cutting a binder therefrom, applying the cut binder to the filler charge to form a bunch, stretching pulped sheet wrapper material and then cutting the wrapper therefrom, applying the cut wrapper to the bunch to form a cigar, and embossing the wrapper material immediately before stretching and cutting the same, to simulate leaf tobacco, all of said steps being performed as exclusively mechanical operations.

3. Theunitary mechanical method of making cigars which comprises the steps of forming a filler charge, stretching sheet binder material and then cutting a binder therefrom, applying the cut binder to the filler charge to form a bunch, stretching pulped sheet wrapper material and cutting a wrapper therefrom, applying the cut wrapper to the bunch to form a cigar, and imprinting the wrapper material immediately before stretching it, to give it the appearance of leaf tobacco, all of said steps being performed as exclusively mechanical operations.

4. The continuous process of making cigars which comprises forming a series of filler charges successively, advancing sheet binder material in sections from a supply thereof, successively flavoring each section of binder material so ad vanced, stretching said flavored sections of sheet binder material successively and then cutting a binder from each such stretched section, applying each cut binder to one of the filler charges to form a bunch, stretching pulped sheet wrapper material and then cutting a wrapper therefrom, and applying each cut wrapper to one of the bunches to form a cigar, said wrapper being applied substantially immediately after the flavoring step.

5. The unitary mechanical method of making cigars which comprises the steps of feeding to a cutting station artificial sheet material adapted to form a binder, disposing said sheet material in smooth outspread condition at said cutting station and severing therefrom a form-cut section suitable to serve as a blank for a binder, transporting the severed form-cut blank from said cutting station to a bunch forming station, feeding a charge of filler to said blank at said bunch-forming station, and rolling said charge in said binder and shaping it to complete the bunch.

6. The unitary mechanical method of making cigars which comprises the steps of feeding to a cutting station artificial sheet material adapted to form a binder, disposing said sheet material in smooth outspread condition at said cuttin station and severing therefrom a form-cut section suitable to serve as a blank for a binder, transporting the severed form-cut blank from said cutting station to a bunch forming station, feeding a charge of filler to said blank at said bunch-forming station, and rolling said charge in said binder and shaping it to complete the bunch, disposing a sheet of artificial wrapper material in smooth, outspread condition at a second cutting station, and severing therefrom a form-cut wrapper, transferring said wrapper and said bunch respectively to a wrapping station,

and then wrapping the bunch, and finishing said shaped and enwrapped bunch to complete the cigar.

7. The continuous process of making a series of cigars which comprises the recurrent step of drawing successively from. a supply roll and maintaining in outspread condition freestretches of a web of artificial sheet material suitable for use as a wrapping element in the fabrication of said cigars, advancing the sheet material, spraying each such free stretch of said web of artificial sheet material with a flavoring solution progressively, the recurrent step of severing formcut sections from said freshly flavored stretches of web material successively, and then immediately embodying one of said flavored sections individually in each cigar of said series.

8. The unitary mechanical process of making cigars which comprises the steps of feeding to a cutting station artificial sheet material adapted to form a binder, disposing said sheet material in smooth, outspread condition at said cutting station and severing therefrom a die-cut section suitable to serve as a blank for a binder, transporting the severed, die-cut blank from said cutting station to a bunch-forming station, feeding a charge of filler to said blank at said bunchforming station, rolling said charge in said binder, shaping said bound charge to complete said bunch, transporting said completed bunch to a wrapping station, and applying a die-cut wrapper spirally to said shaped bunch to complete the cigar.

9.'The unitary mechanical process of making cigars which comprises the steps of feeding artificial sheet material, treated to simulate leaf tobacco, to a cutting station; disposing said sheet material in smooth outspread condition; severing from said treated sheet material while so outspread a die-cut wrapping element suitable for use in the fabrication of a cigar; and transferring said die-cut element to a station for incorporation with another cigar component or element to be enwrapped.

10. The unitary mechanical process of making cigars which comprises the steps of feeding artificial sheet material, treated to simulate leaf tobacco, to a severing station; disposing said sheet material at said severing station in smooth outspread condition; severing from said sheet material while so outspread at said station a pattern-cut wrapping element suitable for use in the fabrication of a cigar, and wherein a continuous web of said sheet material of indefinite length is supplied to said severing station intermittently, being advanced between the severing operations and permitted to dwell for each severing operation, while maintained progressively in stretched condition.

11. The unitary mechanical process of making cigars which comprises the recurrent step of advancing a web of artificial sheet material progressively to a severing station, the recurrent step of causing successive stretches of said material to dwell in a position held between spaced supports, and the further recurrent step of severing successive form-cut binder elements from said progressively advanced sheet material at the region of each such dwell, and thereafter drawing off the waste residual web.

12. The unitary mechanical process of making cigars which comprises the steps of advancing pulp tobacco sheet material from a roll intermittently to a severing station and there severing fromsaid pulp tobacco sheet material a pattern-cut wrapping element, and then transferring said pattern-cut element to a station forincorporation with another cigar element or component to be enwrapped, said steps of advancing the material and severing wrapping elements therefrom constituting successive steps in a unitaryseries of operations resulting in the production successively of a series of complete cigars.

13. The unitary mechanical process for the continuous fabrication of a, series of cigars, comprising the steps of feeding successively to a cutting station sections of artificial sheet material treated to simulate natural leaf tobacco, severing from said sections successively a series of pattern-cut blanks each adapted to be incorporated in one of the cigars asa Wrapping element, transporting said pattern-cut wrapping element away from said cutting station for incorporation in a cigar, while the residue of the section is maintained intact at said cutting station, and remov.- ing said residue in its intact state.

14. The unitary mechanical process for the continuous fabrication of a series of cigars, comprisingthe steps of feeding to a cutting station increments of cigar-forming sheet material each suificient respectively for the formation therefrom of at least one wrapping element to be incorporated in a cigar, disposing said sheet material in smooth outspread relation to severing means at said cutting station, severing therefrom a form-cut wrapping element, applying suction to said wrapping element to part it from the residual sheet material, transferring said form-cut wrapper element, while held suctionally, to a wrapping station, applying said wrapper element to a filling portion of the cigar, and removing said residual sheet material from the cutting station, preliminary to arepetition of said steps.

FREDERICK C. GLADECK.

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