US242782A - Peters - Google Patents

Description

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a a J. R. LAWRENCE.

Tobacco Packing Machine.

No. 242,782. Pater fled June 14,1881.

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J. R. LAWRENCE. Tobacco Packing Machine.

No. 242,182 Patented June 14, I881.

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' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES R. LAwnENcE, OF DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA.

TOBACCO-PACKING M'ACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,782, dated- June 14, 1881.

Application filed November 13, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

, Be it known that I, JAMES R. LAWRENCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Durham, in the county of Orange and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-Packing Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Thepresent invention consists in certain constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter described, and designated in the claims, and are designed as improvements upon the machine for which Letters Patent of the United States were granted me July 31, 1877.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of the machine. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the left side of the machine. Figs. 3 and at are views of guides below the table. Fig. 5 is a view of the funnel-lifter. Fig. 6 is a view of the mechanism which operates the agitators in the hopper. Figs. 7 and 8 are views of the oscillating measuring-cylinder. Fig. 9 is a view of the grooved cam. Fig. 10 is a view of one of the rods which carries the funnel-lifter.

The letter A designates a table, supported by a suitable frame, A. A shaft, B,has bearings in the frame, and a pinion, b, and a drivepulley, b, are mounted on the shaft, preferably on one end, outside of the frame The pinion 1) drives a wheel, 0, upon the main shaft 0, which extends across below the table. Upon this shaft aremounted two cams, L, both exactly alike, one being near each end of the shaft. At or near the center of the shaft a third cam, N, is secured, and upon the extremityis a cam-lever, c, all for purposes hereinafter described.

Between the cam-lever c and the side of the frame A a vertical slide-rod, D, is interposed, riding on the shaft (3 by means of an upright slot, d, which fits the shaft. A pin, 61, below the shaft 0, and another pin, d above the shaft, are fastened to and proj ect from the sliderod D, and by the cam-lever c acting on these pins the slide-rod is raised and lowered. The upper end of the slide-rod is provided with a toothed rack, D, which gears with a pinion, E, of the extended rock-shaft e, which carries the single oscillating measuring-cylinder E. The construction of this deviceis an improvement on that shown in my former patent before named, and the object is to provide and adapt for this machine an adjustable measure I whose top opening shall always bepf the same dimensions. To this end .a movable bottom, E is provided, (see Fig. 7,) which is raised or lowered by two levers, 0, each pivoted by one end to the movable bottom, and by the other end to a threaded nut, 6 the said nuts being on a screw, 6 one end of which has a thread cut to the right and the other end a thread cut to the left, and one extremity of the screw projects at a, serving to facilitate it's turning and effect the adjustment of the bottom. It will be seen that by turning the screw one way or the other the bottom of the measure is raised or lowered, and thereby the capacity of the measure is lessened or increased,

while its top or month remains the same size 5 thus a regular and equal filling of the measure is secured, no matter whether it be adjusted for a large or small package. The vertical stroke of the slide-rod D is such that at its ilpward termination the measuring-cylinder is partly rotated or turned with its mouth upward, ready for the reception of the tobacco, and at the downward termination of the stroke the measure is partly rotated again and upset,

- discharging its contents.

The measuring-cylinder is inclosed in a cover, F, which is secured to the lower part of the hopper Gr. To the lower part of the cover is attached a stationary guiding-funnel, F, which latter delivers the tobacco into the movable package-funnel H. A shaft, G, is passed through the sides of the hopper, and is provided within the hopper with radial arms g, which serve as stirrers or agitators, and near the extremity of the shaft, outside of the hopper, a ratchet-wheel, g, is mounted. One end of a lever, I, (see Figs 1, 2,.and 6,) is pivoted on the extremity of the shaft, alongside of the ratchet-wheel, and carries a pawl, k, which engages with the ratchet-wheel. end of the lever is connected by means of a link-rod, 7a, with the cross-head J, which has a The other 6o ride on the shaft vertical reciprocating movement. This arrangement of lever, pawl, and ratchet-wheel gives to the agitators g a rotary motion, instead of an' oscillating motion, as shown in my former patent.

The tobacco-bag to be filled is drawn over the lower part of the movable funnel H, and then the said part of the funnel with the bag over it is inserted into a form or receptacle, H,

and the mouth of the funnel is then placed under the guiding-funnel F and receives the tobacco which is delivered therefrom. The straight part of the movable funnel should be long enough to receive and hold the entire quantity of the tobacco to be packed, so that none should lie or pile up on the flaring top part. The funnel H, bag, and receptacle H are now to be placed in position. The flaring top part of the funnel rests within the threesided lifter P, (see Figs. 1, 2, and 5,) and the receptacle H is slid under the frame Z, by which it is held to the table. The tobacco is then rammed down by one downward motion of the presser-rod k, the upper end of which 2 5 is screw-threaded and passes through the crosshead J, the screw-thread serving to effect the vertical adjustment of the rod to suit packages of different sizes. The cross-head J is carried by the two vertically-movin g rods 1, each of 0 which works in a guide, f, secured to the upper frame A and passes through ahole in the table, and thelower end of each rod is provided (see Figs. 3 and 4,) with a head, through which is passed a laterally-projecting pin, it, on which 3 5 a friction-roller, h, is mounted. The head at the lower end of each rod I moves in vertical guides f below the table. The cams L on the shaft 0 are each provided on one side with a groove, *5, having'on the outer side a flange, Z,

40 and on the inner side a flange, m. The flange land groove at that part, a, of the cam immediately adjoining the eye through which the shaft 0 is passed, forms a segment of about ninety degrees of a circle of very short radius,

5 as shown in Fig. 9, and serves the purpose hereinafter described. That part, 8, of the cam diametrically opposite the part 1 forms a A segment of about ninety degrees of a circle "which is most remote from the axis of rotation. The friction-roller h of the vertically-moving rod on one side works in the groove i of one cam, and the one on the other side in like manner works in the groove of the other cam.

The apparatus for lifting the funnel is seen in Figs. 1, 5, and 10. The funnel-lifter P is carried by two vertical rods, 1), which pass through the table, the lower end of each being provided with a link-shaped head, It, embodying a vertical slot, q, by means of which the said rods The said rods are connected together by a bolt or shaft, 1", whereon is mounted, between the two rods, a frictionroller, 0%, against which the cam N on the main shaft bears. It will be seen the rotation of the cam N will, by bearing upward against by withdraw the said funnel from the bag and receptacle H, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l. y

The operation, briefly stated, is as follows: The hopper being supplied with tobacco and the machine set in motion, one of the movable funnels, having a bag drawn over its lower part and inserted into a form or receptacle, is placed below the funnel F and receives the quantity of tobacco for one package. The funnel H, bag, and receptacle are then moved to position under the presser-rod, as before described. B y the action of the cams L the plunger is brought down, and is retained in this position while the part n of each cam is "passing over the friction-roller h. While thus momentarily retained the cam N is brought against the friction-roller n and the funnel is withdrawn from the package. The presser-rod is then raised, and is momentarily retained at its elevated position while the part 8 of the two cams, which is now uppermost, is passing the friction-rollers, and while thus retained the tobacco-bag which has been packed is removed from position and another funnel and bag, loosely filled from the measuring'cylindcr and contained in the forming-receptacle, is placed underneath the presser-rod, when the same operation is repeated.

By the herein-described construction of the cams L the power is applied to the presser-rod k to bring it down on the tobacco in the package first, when that part, 1', of the groove of the cam most remote from its axis of rotation begins to pass over the friction-roller h, at which part the cam exerts its least power, and then as the tobacco is gradually compressed the friction-roller is operated on by the camgroove at points which are nearer and nearer the center of power-namely, the axis or shaft O-so that the greatest power is applied just at the time when it is most needed.

Having described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. In a machine for packing granulated tobacco or other material, the measuring device consisting of a receptacle provided with pivots by which it may upset, and having a bottom, E to be raised or lowered by means substantially as described, whereby the capacity of the measure may be adjusted, while the top opening always remains of the same dimensions, as set forth.

2. In a tobacco-packing machine, the combination of the adjustable presser-rod k, crosshead J, vertically-moving rods I, carrying the cross-head, and each provided at its lower end with a laterally-projecting friction-roller, h, and the cams L, each having a groove for the friction-roller to work in, as set forth.

3. In a machine for packing granulated material, the combination, with the funnel-lifter P, of rods 19 to carry the lifter, a rod or shaft, 4, to connect the said rods 19, and a cam, N, to iheart1 upward against the rod or shaft 1', as set ort 4. In a machine for packing granulated material, the combination, with the. presser-rod 7c and the agitators g, of a ratchet-wheel, g, mounted on the shaft to which the agitators 5 are attached, a lever, I, having one end pivoted and the other end connected, substantially as described, to the presser-rod, and a pawl, it, carried on the lever, to engage with the ratchet-wheel, whereby, upon the upward 1o movement of the presser-rod, the agitators are set in motion to loosen the material in the hopper. and effect the filling of the then upturned measuring-cylinder, as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES R. LAWRENCE.

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