US297668A - Geoege beowtfstein - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

G. BROWNSTYEIN.

TOBAQOO SWEATER.

- Patented Apr 29,1884.

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V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

GEORGE BROWVNSTEIII, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

TOBACCO- SWEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 297,668, dated April 29, 1884:. 7

Application filed September 7, 1883. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern; 7

Be it known that I, GEORGE BRowNsrEIN,

of the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented an Improvement in Tobacco-Sweaters; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof;

My invention relates to that class of tobacco curing or treating machines known as tobacco sweaters, and more particularly to that sub-class in which the tobacco is contained within a close steam-tight and water-tight vessel which is surrounded by a steam or water jacket. 1

My invention consists in the combination of devices hereinafter explained and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a vertical section of my sweater. V band water-troughs, the covers being removed.

In machines or devices of this class greatcare must be taken to prevent the water or steam by which the inner vessel is surrounded from getting in to the tobacco, as such an acci- 1 dent is now generally held to be detrimental both to the flavor and color of the article. It is necessary, rather, to steam it in its own vapors, and for this purpose these vapors should be kept in as well as the steanikept out. Various devices are employed to accomplish this result in several machines, the cover being said to be steam-tight; but, as far as I can discover, this is either not, the fact or means are used differing from those which I shall explain.

independent of each other, the innermost being used for the tobacco, while the spaces between each are used for thewater or steam.

I construct my machine of a vessel, A, preferably made of galvanized sheet metal, and

having the spaced walls a a the outer and inner walls, respectively, thus forming a water and steam jacket, 13, and an interior compartment, 0, for the tobacco. These walls are either formed integral or of separate sheets, and are joined by a diaphragm, b, all around the top. This diaphragm is perforated throughout its extent, in order to permit the free circulation of the steam, as I shall explain. \Vhen a considerable weight of material is in the Fig. 2 is a plan showing diaphragm Generally these machines consist of two or more concentric or nested vessels compartment 0, it is obvious that the wall a must have some support, and for this purpose I extend rods D under it and support their ends in the outer Wall, a.

E is a supply-opening, which, having a lid or door, 0, acts also as a safety-valve for the escape of the steam.

-F is the drain-pipe communicating with the water-jacket. i

G is a water-gage by which the level of the Water in the jacket may be determined.

H is the inner cover. This cover consists of a plate of sheet metal, the upper surface of which is convexed or inclined downwardly from center or apex to its edge, which is provided with a downwardly-projecting flange, h. Upon the inner wall, a, of vessel A is secured a circumscribing flange, I, forming a trough, z, into which the flange or rim h of cover H projects when said cover is fitted down. This flange I is carried up higher than the top of the vessel A, and the cover H rests upon it. v

J is the outer cover, having a flat surface and a rim or flange, j. This rim fits down over the outer wall, a, of vessel Ain a trough, is, formed by a circumscribing flange, K, which likewise is carried up higher than the top of vessel A. The outer coverhas its flange j, made sufficiently long that when resting in the trough it its top is raised high enough above the inner cover to form a space or jacket, B, which communicates through the perforated top or diaphragm b with the jacket B. WVater w is placed in trough 7a.

L are handles by which the covers may be raised. t

This machine may be placed over a fire or other heating apparatus, or may have connected with it by suitable pipes a heater or stove.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The covers are removed, and the tobacco, after being suitably prepared in 'a manner well known to those skilled in the art, is placed in the interior compartment, 0. In order to prevent the scorching of the tobacco, (which I here represent by T,) and which'comes in contact with the sides and top of the compartment, I line the compartment with moistened Havana stems S by placing them between the exterior of the tobacco mass and the walls of the compartment. These stems are waste material otherwise, and having no value aTdd nothing to the expense of the operation, and yet are an advantage not only in protecting the outside of the tobacco, but in imparting to \the mass a better flavor. After the tobacco is in place, I put back the inner cover, H, and pour water 10 into the trough 2'. Then I put the outer cover in place and pour water in trough It. I then supply jacket B with water through the supply-hole until it is on about a level with the top of the water-gage. Then the heat is applied and the water is raised to the boiling-point and steam generated. The steam passes up through the perforated top I) of the jacket and into the jacket B of the cover, so that the inner compartment 0 is kept well heated on all sides and the tobacco is sweated. In the circulation of the steam it cannot pass the water-seal in trough 17, and thus it is prevented from getting into the compartment where the tobacco is; nor can it escape from the jacket save by the safety-valve, for it cannot pass the water-seal in trough 7.. For a like reason the vapors of the tobacco cannot escape. Thus the cover is rendered steam and vapor tight.

I have an object in making the top of the inner cover, 11, convex or inclined. It is that the trough i may be supplied with water by the condensation of the steam. The condensed water will run down the inclined top of the cover and into trough i, which is thus rendered self-supplying.

By making the trough-flanges I K higher than the top of the jacket B, I prevent any overflow of the water-seals, except in a harmless direction. The water in the troughs, if it should rise high enough, would flow over the jacket-walls into the jacket, and thus neither get in to the tobacco nor escape to the outside.

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

1. In a machine for sweating tobacco, a metallic vessel having an outer water-jacketwith perforated top Z), in combination with the removable metallic covers having a space be- I tween them, forming a steam-jacket over the top of the interior compartment, and communicating with the water-jacket of the main vessel through the perforated top of the latter, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for sweating tobacco, the metallic vessel A, having an interior tobacco-c011- taining compartment, and a surrounding water-jacket having an inlet and a drain,and the inner and outer circumscribing flanges, I K,at the top of the vessel, forming troughsi 70 for a water-seal, in combination with the removable inner and outer covers, II J, having flanges h j, fitting in the water-troughs, and having a steam-j acket, B,between them, communicating with the water-j acket of vessel A, substantially as herein described.

3. In a machine forsweating tobacco, the metallic vessel A, having an interior tobacco-containing compartment, and a surrounding water-jacket having an inlet and a drain,and the inner circumscribing flange, I, at the top of the vessel, forming a trough, '1', for awater-seal, in combination with the inner cover, H, having its upper surface sloping from center to edge, and a flange, h, fitting the inner water-trough, and the raised outer cover, J, formingbetween itself and the inner cover a steam jacket communicating with the water-jacket of vessel A, substantially as herein described.

4. Inamachineforsweatingtobacco, the metallie vessel A,having an interior tobacco-compartment and asurroundingwater-jacket, and the inner and outer eircumscribing flanges, I K, at the top of the vessel-,and higher than its upper edge, said flanges forming troughs i k for a water-seal, in combination with the removable inner and outer covers, II J, having flanges h j, fitting in the water-troughs, and having a steam-jacket between them, communicating with the water-jacket of vessel A, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE BROWNSTEIN. lVitnesses:

Janus L. KING, War. H. SHARP.

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