US2802471A

US2802471A - Tobacco feed machine

Info

Publication number: US2802471A
Application number: US307803A
Authority: US
Inventors: Heitmann Walter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1952-09-04
Filing date: 1952-09-04
Publication date: 1957-08-13
Anticipated expiration: 1974-08-13

Description

Aug. 113 1957 w; HEITMANN 2,802,471

"rosacco FEED MACHINE Filed Sept. 4. 1952 Fig. I

IN V EN TOR.

United sates Patent TOBACCO FEED MACHINE Walter Heitmann, Hamburg-Lohbrugge, Klapperhof, Germany Application September 4, 1952, Serial No. 307,803 3 Claims. (Cl. 131-146) The invention relates to improvements in tobacco cutting machines and is particularly concerned with conveyor means for out tobacco at the outlet of a tobacco cutting machine. It is known to allow a conveyor belt to travel at the outlet of a cutting machine, which takes away the cut tobacco coming from the tobacco cutting machine. This tobacco, after it has left the conveyor belt, must in some cases be fed to a device which loosens the tobacco, which in general is very strongly compressed, and sorts out the stalks present therein. With tobacco cutting machines having a high output especially machines with a rotating knife head, a great deal of tobacco must be conveyed in a short time. Since in this case the quantity of stalks is considerably increased it is desirable to sort these stalks out of the tobacco in order to obtain the greatest possible output without having to do too much additional work with the large amounts of tobacco.

In rotating tobacco cutters the tobacco and the stalks are thrown down at an angle very rapidly by the rotating knife head onto the conveyor means located below it. Thereby and by the high speed of the feed means according to the invention the heavy tobacco particles like stalks and so on are thrown up from the base. In order that these particles shall not fall again into the tobacco, according to the invention a device is provided, for example above the high speed feed means, for example a table or shelf, onto which the stalks are collected while the tobacco is fed forward separately on a conveyor belt.

The features of the present invention are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 shows a rotary cutter roll and the feed device located below it for withdrawing the tobacco, the device being seen in side view, and Fig. 2 shows the same machine from above with parts taken away.

In the drawings means 1 feeds tobacco to a cutter roll which is similar to that shown and illustrated in U. S. Patent 2,464,896 issued March 22, 1949 and is indicated at 1 and from this the tobacco 2 falls downwardly at an acute angle to the vertical, for example onto an endless, preferably short, high speed conveyor belt 3 having a linear speed of 200 feet per minute and which runs over the rollers 4 and 5 supported at the stands 6 and 7 and is arranged horizontally to provide a substantially flat surface. The conveyor belt 3 is driven by a belt 8 from a pulley 9 of an electric motor 10. The tobacco leaves the machine at high speed whereby the heavy tobacco particles such for example as stalks, jump upwardly and obliquely and fall for example onto a table or shelf 11. The stalks 12 can be removed independently from here and conveyed away. The tobacco 2 passes below it onto a conveyor belt 13 which in the present example runs at right angles to the original conveyor belt 3.

What I claim is:

1. In a tobacco cutting machine, a rotary cutter roll arranged to discharge the cut tobacco rapidly down- "ice wardly, an endless belt conveyor arranged horizontally and spaced below said rotary cutter roll for receiving the cut tobacco as it is discharged from said rotary cutter, means for rapidly driving said conveyor belt and to impart to the cut tobacco a high speed which causes the heavier particles of the cut tobacco to bounce upwardly and in the general direction of movement of said conveyor belt, means for receiving said heavier particles of the cut tobacco, and a second conveyor for receiving the remaining lighter parts of the cut tobacco, said means for receiving said heavier particles being arranged above the conveyor belt and disposed adjacent said rotary cutter roll discharge in the direction of conveyor belt travel to receive heavier particles on rebound from said endless conveyor belt.

2. In a tobacco cutting machine, a rotary cutter roll arranged to discharge the cut tobacco rapidly downwardly, a horizontally arranged endless conveyor belt arranged to provide a flat surface arranged in a horizontal plane for receiving the cut tobacco as it is discharged from said rotary cutter, means for rapidly driving said endless conveyor belt and to impart to the cut tobacco a high speed which causes the heavier particles of the cut tobacco to bounce upwardly and in the general direction of movement of said endless conveyor belt trough, means extending transversely across said endless conveyor belt for receiving said heavier particles of the cut tobacco, and a second endless conveyor for receiving the remaining lighter parts of the cut tobacco, said trough means being arranged above the conveyor belt and disposed adjacent said rotary cutter discharge to receive heavier particles of tobacco on their initial rebound.

3. In a tobacco cutting machine, a cutter roll rotatable about a horizontal axis and operated with sufiicient speed to discharge the cut tobacco rapidly downwardly, a horizontal endless conveyor belt arranged in a position spaced below said rotary cutter and having a substantially fiat surface extending in a horizontal plane for receiving the cut tobacco as it is thrown downwardly by said cutter roll, means for rapidly moving said endless conveyor belt and to impart to the cut tobacco a high speed which causes the heavier parts of the cut tobacco to bounce upwardly and in the general direction of movement of the said surface of said conveyor means, stationary trough means arranged in a position spaced above said conveyor belt for receiving said heavier parts of said out tobacco, and a second conveyor belt arranged in a position spaced below said surface of said first mentioned conveyor belt for receiving the remaining lighter parts of the cut tobacco, said stationary trough extending across said endless conveyor belt and being located adjacent said cutter roll discharge in spaced relation from said discharge in the direction of endless conveyor belt travel to receive said heavier parts of tobacco on their first rebound from said endless belt conveyor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 188,053 Hinchman Mar. 6, 1877 635,076 Perkins Oct. 17, 1899 1,164,114 Patterson Dec. 14, 1915 1,326,547 Teale Dec. 30, 1919 1,765,830 Fuse June 24, 1930 2,151,527 Podmore Mar. 21, 1939 2,230,195 Warren Jan. 28, 1941 2,267,326 Eissmann Dec. 23, 1941 2,302,532 Downing Nov. 17, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,684 Great Britain 1909