US2551095A - Feeding device for cigarettemaking machines - Google Patents

Description

May 1, 1951 p CHAZE 2,551,095

FEEDING DEVICE FOR CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINES Filed April 11, 1945 Patented May 1, 1951 OFFICE FEEDING DEVICE FOR CIGARETTE- MAKING MACHINES Paul Chaze, Le Kremlin -Bicetre France Application April 11, 1945, Serial No. 587,77 In France May 11, 1943 Section 1, Public Law 690, August s, 1946 Patent expires May 11, 1963 Claims. (01. 222-1 62) In machines for making cigarettes by means of paper tubes, tobacco is delivered to the machine as follows: after a predetermined amount of tobacco has been introduced by hand into a slot, a recess or a gutter provided in th machine, it is then compressed or packed and the roll of tobacco is pushed into the paper tube by operating the mechanism of the machine. A machine of the aforesaid type has been described and claimed in my prior British Patent 464,948.

It will be understood that a rather delicate manual operation is required for feeding the machine with tobacco, and irregularities may occur so that the cigarettes can be unevenly filled.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved machine which is free from the above drawback. According to this invention, a device for delivering predetermined amounts of tobacco to machines for making cigarettes of the type described, comprises a semi-cylindrical trough having a split bottom and held in a stationary position above the slot or gutter of the machine; a member adapted to play the part both of a scraper and a tobacco container is capable of swin ing or pivoting in the trough. The scraper is made as a bottomless box adapted to be filled with tobacco,the latter being subjected to a,pressure tending to push it through the slot in the trough. Then, upon each swinging movement of the scraper, a predetermined amount of tobacco passes through the trough slot into the gutter of the machine, where it is packed and driven out by the mechanism of said machine.

The pressure on the mass of tobacco in the hollow scraper may be produced by springs acting on a pushing member slidably mounted in the scraper, the springs being preferably arranged so as to hold the scraper in either of its end positions.

The following description with reference to the appended drawings given solely by way of example will show how this invention may be carried out.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of the machine for making cigarettes in accordance with my prior British patent, said machine being provided with a device according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinalsection of the feeding device shown on a large scale.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the trough.

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken along line IVIV on Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the scraper and Fig. 6 is a cross section taken along line VIVI on Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing the pushing member positioned'in the scraper, and Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section taken along line VIII-VIII on Fig. 7.

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are diagrammatic views illustrating the operation of my device.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary view corresponding to Fig. 2 showing an adjustable slot.

In the example shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the machine for making cigarettes generally denoted by reference character I, has a slot 3 in its upper horizontal wall 2 (Fig. 2) above slot 3 lies a slot t in a semi-cylindrical trough 5 which is shown on Figs. 3 and 4.

The trough is fast with a frame 6- the lower part of which is secured on the wall 2 of the machine by means of screws 1 or any other suit-- able means, and has two spaced apart parallel.

cheeks 8 provided with holes 9 wherein the hollow scraper I0 is journalled; the journals may be for instance screws, studs or the like.

The scraper is a bottomless box and the lower" edges of its faces are shaped as semi-cylinders having the same radius as the trough, as shown. at H on Fig. 6.

Owing to this construction, the lower edges ll'a' of the scraper transverse faces i. e. faces which. do not contact checks 8, are tangent with the inner surface of the trough. Engaging the hol-- low scraper I0, is a pushing member I2 (Figs. 7' and 8) the bottom [3 of which has two or more holes I4 providing an exit for air when pushing: member I2 is driven into the hollow scraper l0.. Springs 15 are interposed between stationary pins or lugs IE on cheeks 8, and lugs l! on the: upper part of pushingmember l2.

The'feeding device operates as follows, refer-- ence being had to diagrammatic Figs. 9 to 11: an: amount of tobacco corresponding for instance to the content of a package or half a package of V tobacco is placed within the scraper box IE! as shown at l8 on Fig. 2. The pushing member I 2 is then introduced into the scraper box, its introduction and removal being very easy by reason of the operation of springs l5 when the pushing member is manipulated.

When the pushing member [2 is in its place, tobacco I8 is subjected to the vertical pressure illustrated by arrow F on Fig. 2, which tends to drive a small amount of tobacco through the slot 3. Assuming that the scraper is in the position shown on Fig. 9, tobacco will be very simply fed by swinging the scraper from the position shown on Fig. 9 to the position shown on Fig. 10. During the swinging motion, the end Ila of the left hand wall of the scraper pushes tobacco in the direction of arrow ,f (Fig. 9); as tobacco is in abutment against the right hand end of slot 3, said tobacco is thus expelled and a determined amount thereof will pass through said slot as shown at lea on Fig. 10

W'hen the machine is provided below the slot 4, with a gutter having a stationary wall [9 lined by an extraction spoon 19a (bearing the reference character 1'7 in my prior Britishpatent) while the other wall is a pushing member 20 (equivalent to the compression rnernber 13 in said British patent), tobacco will be packed by moving the pushing member 20 in-theldilectipn of arrow f1 (Fig. 11), and for obtaining a complete cigarette it will be only necessary to, drive the amount of packed tobacco as a cylindrical 15011 (as shown at I8b on Fig. 11) by means of atransverse push rod fast with spoon 19a into the cigarette paper tube.

When the amount of tobacco 18a is deemed insufiicient, the scraper l may be swung again i. e. brought back from the position shown on Fig. to the position shown on Fig. 9, so that the right hand edge Ha will push a new amount of tobacco in the direction reverse to that of arrow 1, and cause it to pass through the slot 4.

From the foregoing statement, it will be seen that each swinging movement of the scraper causes delivery of a predetermined amount of swinging axis of the scraper, in each one of the extreme positions of the latter, said scraper is efficiently held in its place in either of said extreme positions.

It should be understood that alterations may be brought in the device above described without departing from the scope of this invention. In particular as shown in Figure 12, the slot 4 may have a variable width for instance by providing a slidable plate 2| occupying an adjustable position between the wall 2 of the machine and trough 5 and secured'by bolts 22 passing through elongated slots 23 of plate 2|.

What I claim is:

1. A feeding device of the type described which comprises a trough including spaced apart side cheeks and an intermediate semi-cylindrical member having a longitudinal bottom aperture: an open-ended box in the form of a parallelepiped cut across at its lower part by a cylinder of the same radius as said intermediate member and placed so as to be tangent through its bottom face with said intermediate member, the box being accommodated between the cheeks and journalled therein so as to be capable of swinging on an axis which is coincident with the axis of said semi-cylindrical member, a plunger fitted in and slidably engaging said box, and spring means between the top exposed portion of said plunger and said cheeks for biasing the plunger downe wardly.

' 2. A feedingdevice of the type described which comprises a frame, a concave-member having a deliver-yaperture secured on the frame, a tubular 4 hollow body having curved edges at one end, said curved edges being in contact with the inner surface of said concave member, a piston in said tubular hollow body for pushing material therein towards said concave member, and means providing a swinging axis for said tubular hollow body, said tubular hollow body being adapted to move with its edges in permanent contact with sa d q cavc mem .3. VA feeding device of the type described which comprises a trough including spaced apart side ghee kg and, ;g, 1- 1' intermediate concave member having a longitudinal aperture, a tubular hollow bodylpiyotally mounted in the cheeks of said trough having its edges at one end adapted and arranged for contact with the concave member of the trough, and a plunger slidably mounted in the tubular hollow body for pressing any material towards said open end.

4. A feeding device of the type described which comprises a trough including. spaced apart side cheeks and an intermediate concave .member having a longitudinal aperture, a tubular hollow bodyhaving trunnions pivotally mounted in the cheeks of said trough-having at one of its ends curved edges adapted and arranged for contact with the inner surfaceof .the concave. member of said trough, a plunger slidablymounted in and projecting from said tubular hollow body and resilient means operatively interposed between said plunger on its portion outside said tubular hollow body and said trough, for biasing said plungertowards said aperture.

5-. A feeding device of the type described which comprises a. trough including spaced apart side cheeks andanintermediate.concave member having a longitudinal. aperture, a tubular hollow body having trunnions pivotallymounted in the cheeks of. said trough having; at one of its ends curved edges adapted and arranged for contact with the inner surfaceof the concave member of said trough, a plunger slidably mountedv in and projecting from said tubular hollow body and resilient means secured at least at one point of saidplunger'on its portion outside the tubular hollow body and. atxleastatone outside point of said. trough, .saidlatterzpoint being straight below said trunnions whereby the plunger isurged towards the trough, and the hollow body is urged towards its extremepositions.

' PAUL CHAZE.

REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are-of record in the file of this patent-:

. UNlEED-STAIES- PATENTS. N mber

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