US240266A - Process of curing and coloring tobacco - Google Patents

Description

I 2 Sheets-:Sheet C. S. PHILIPS.

Process of Curing-and Coloring Tnbacco No. 240,266. Patented April 19,1881.

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. 0. S. PHILIPS. I Process of Curing and Coloring Tobacco. No. 240,266. Patented April 19,1881.

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u. PETERS, PMOI'o-LITHOGRAPMER, msnmswu u UNITED STATES PATENT CHARLES S. PHILIPS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PROCESS OF CURING AND COLORING TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,266, dated April 19, 1881.

Application filed July 10, 1879.

' will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an isometrical view of my sweatroom, which may be of sufficient size to accommodate any number of cases placed therein. Fig. 2 is a direct total top view. Fig. 3 is a sectional view out through line a b in Fig. 2, representing the inside of the sweat-room, looking to the back. The cases 0, shelves '0 'v, and bottom Q are represented in a side elevation. Fig. at is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 5 represents one of the shelves o c. Fig. 6 represents the bottom Q, which is a flooring placed loosely over the pipes P P, shown in Fig. 8 in cross-section. Fig. 7 is a view from the top, with the roof 0 removed. Fig. 9 is an enlarged crosssection of the lower part of the house, as shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 10 is a view of a water-regulating device, as shown in Fig. 1, (chamber M.)

It is usual to resweat tobacco preparatory to its being manufactured into cigars for the purpose of improving its quality and darkening its color. Heretofore certain difficulties have been experienced,arisin g from the incapacity of the means employed for this purpose,

. or in cases where the apparatus used has been of sufficient capacity it has been so constructed that the tobacco had to be placed into it in a mass, so that the tobacco could not be examined during treatment without unpacking a portion or all of it from the vessel in which it is contained, and not infrequently large quantities of tobacco have been spoiled or rendered unfit to be used for the purpose intended.

The object of my invention is to remedy the evils heretofore existing; and it consists in an improved method of curing or resweatin g tobacco in any desired quantity by the means herein described.

air, water, and steam tight.

The tobacco, if not sufficiently moist, is cased or dampened, and packed into the original cases, or in ordinary wooden boxes of any dey sired size. The covers are then fastened down and the cases or boxes are put into a sweatroom orsweat-housc constructed for or adapted to the purpose, as shown in the drawings. This sweat-room is so arranged that any one of the cases or boxes of tobacco can be taken out whenever it is deemed necessary to examine it during the process of treatment, and if not sufficiently resweated it may be replaced without disturbing the tobacco in any of the other cases contained therein.

The tobacco in the cases or boxes' when placed in the sweat-room may be heated to the required temperature (indicated on a thermometer) by means of a series of pipes, P P, placed in a tray or basin containing water, which is constructed in the lower part of the sweatroom, as shown in Fig. 8, the object of packing the tobacco into cases or boxes being to subdivide it, so that it can be easily, handled and examined whenever desired, and to prevent too much moisture from acting directly upon it. The moisture arising from the water in the lower part of the room causes the wood of the cases containing the tobacco to swell somewhat and become so tight that the moisture from the outside of the cases in thesweatroom cannot enter into them and come in direct contact with the tobacco suificiently to oversaturate it, and at the same time the moisture in the tobacco in the cases is prevented from escaping, and the tobacco does not, therefore, become too dry.

As already stated, the tobacco to be treated is packed in wooden cases 0 O, and is placed on shelves o 'v, arranged on the inside of the room, or the cases are tiered on a bottom, Q,

this tray makes, withthe leadL L, a close fit,

This tray also has an extension, M, forming a water-chamber outside of the room. The bottom of the house, formed by the tray T T,lined with lead, is filled with water to any height desired, and if high enough it will surround the whole of the exposed surfaces of the pipes P P, as shown in Fig. 9. But the water may only be high enough to come in contact with a part of said pipesurfaces, according to the amount of moisture required.

The height of water in the tray T T is regulate'd in chamber M by a device shown in Fig. 10, which consists of a swimmer, S, and an outlet-pipe, 00, which can be adjusted by a movable weight, W, on the T-lever L, and fixed to said lever by slot 9. Rod it operates the adjustable valve V in a Water-supply pipe, y. The swimmer S: is made of a buoyant substance, and will sink and rise with the water, and also in connection with it the outlet-pipe 00, which is made so as to slide through the bottom of the water-chamber M.

The moisture for the atmosphere is produced by steam, hot air, or water flowing through the pipes P P, so evaporating the water surround- 7 ing the outside surfaces of said pipes, and the amount of moisture is regulated by the amount of pipe-surfaces exposed to the water, and also by the amount of heat allowed to pass through the pipes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described process of curing and coloring tobacco, which consists in subdividing the tobacco to be treated by packing it into wooden cases, which are to be placed or tieredin a sweat-room, and heating it in a moist atmosphere of sufficient density and heat to color the tobacco, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of J une, 1879.

CHARLES S. PHILIPS.

Witnesses:

HERMAN O. T. KRAUS, MAURICE SoLoMoN.

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