US3128775A - Method for processing tobacco for use in the manufacture of cigarettes - Google Patents

Description

April 14, 1964 EISSMANN 3,128,775

0. E. METHOD FOR PROCESSING TOBACCO FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CIGARETTES Filed Jan. 18, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTQR Oswald Eriqh Eissmunn By 1U ATTORNEY o. E. EISSMANN 3,128,775 OR PROCESSING TOBACCO FOR USE IN E MANUFACTURE OF CIGARETTES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 14, 1964 METHO Flled Jan 18 1961 Oswald Erich Eissmann BY .4242? ATTORNEY 3,128,775 SING TOBACCO FOR USE IN ETTES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 PROCES THE MANUFACTURE OF CIGAR April 14, 1964 o. E. EISSMANN METHOD FOR Filed Jan. 18. 1961 United States Patent Ofifice 3,128,775 Patented Apr. 14, 1964 3,128,775 METHOD FOR PROCESSING TOBACCO FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CIGARETTES Oswald Erich Eissmann, Richmond, Va., assignor to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 83,545 4 Claims. (Cl. 131-146) This invention relates to a method for cutting tobacco and similar material, and more particularly to the crosscutting of leaf tobacco fed continuously.

It has been found in cigarette manufacturing that cigarettes sometimes tend to be more compact than at other times. This variation in compactness is obviously undesirable. One of the causes for this variation is the difference in shred lengths which are delivered to the cigarette making machine. For example, a shred may range in length from Me" in size to a size of several inches. Thus, if very small shreds are received, the cigarette may be more compact than if the shreds were very long.

It is the purpose of this invention to provide a novel method of cutting tobacco leaves with a tobacco cutting device which can control the variation in shred length to thus provide shreds of predetermined lengths resulting in cigarettes of more uniform density than when made with shreds having widely different lengths.

Another object of this invention is to cut the tobacco first in parallel strips, and then to cross-cut the tobacco strips transversely to their length.

A further object of this invention is to cut whole tobacco leaves into square or rectangular lamina having stems, and then to process the cut leaves through a thresher, to separate the lamina from the stem portion.

Another object of this invention is to subdivide leaves into large squares and then subject the cut squares to a shredding operation to make shredded tobacco.

Another object of this invention is to control the transfer of the tobacco as it is first cut in strips in one direction by one cutting means and then at an angle to the axis of the strips by another cutting means to form individual pieces.

A further object of this invention is to have tobacco cut accordingly to a substantially predetermined presized size so as to control the density of the tobacco in cigarettes.

Other important objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the accompanying description of the method and an embodiment of the device according to this invention.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein like characters of reference have been applied to corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is 21 tion.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of another embodiment of this invention showing two cutting devices with the transferring conveyors.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section taken through line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken through line 4-4 of FIG. 2 showing a transfer mechanism to change the direction of cut tobacco from longitudinal to a lateral movement, and

FIG. 5 illustrates diagrammatically a tobacco leaf out according to my invention.

FIGURE 6 is a block diagram illustrating the method according to this invention.

To illustrate my invention, I have disclosed for the purpose of illustration only, and without intending to limit myself to this specific apparatus, one type of mechanism plan view of one embodiment of my invenwhich readily enables my invention to be carried into eifect.

According to the invention, the tobacco leaves lying flatly on a conveyor are first cut in one direction and then cut again at an angle to the original cut. While I have shown this second cut to be at a angle for purposes of illustrating the invention, it will be appreciated it could be at any other angle as well. Because the pieces of tobacco are presized by this method, the variation in length of the resulting shreds can then be more readily maintained within a much narrower range. As a consequence, cigarettes of more uniform compactness can then be made. When utilizing my tobacco cutting machine for cross cutting the tobacco is first cut in one direction and then a transfer mechanism is used to change the direction of the cut tobacco from its longitudinal movement to a lateral movement.

As shown in FIG. 1, tobacco leaves which have been dropped or in some way placed on a suitable conveyor (not shown) are cut into strips in one direction by a cutter 2 and are discharged onto a belt 4 which advances them into the range of action of a suitable knife 6 such as a fly type knife, which severs the leaves at an angle to the original cut into pieces 9 of predetermined size. While I have shown the cutter 6 as cutting at a right angle to the cut made by cutter 2, any other angle could also be employed. In other words the angle of cut employed will be that desired to obtain the shape of pieces desired. Cutter 2 may be of the type described in my Patent No. 2,984,276, dated May 16, 1961.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2, tobacco leaves, which have been placed lengthwise on a suitable conveyor (not shown) are cut into strips in one direction by a cutter 10 and are discharged onto a belt 12 which advances them to a cutting station where a knife 14 severs the leaves at an angle to the original cut into pieces of predetermined size. Cutter 10 may be of the type described in my Patent No. 2,984,276, referred to above.

' The severed lengths of tobacco 16 are discharged onto a speedup belt 18, which runs at a faster rate than the belt 12, so as to provide a space between the trailing end of the severed length 16 and the leading end of the tobacco from which it was severed. The severed length of tobacco then comes within the range of action of a suitable transfer mechanism. For purposes of illustration only I have shown how this mechanism may consist of a reciprocating pusher 20, which deflects the lengths onto a suitable conveyor such as belt 22. The belt 22 delivers the laterally arranged tobacco segments in between a pair of cutters 24 which may be similar to cutters 10 Where the tobacco is again cut at an angle to thereby provide tobacco pieces of substantially uniform size. By regulating and coordinating the speed of belt 12 and cutters l0 and 14 with each other, the size of the pieces obtained can be varied so as to obtain the presized tobacco pieces desired. While I have for purposes of illustration only shown this last cutting operation to be at a 90 angle to the previous cut, it will be appreciated that this last cut could also be at a different angle if preferred to facilitate the cutting operation as well as to obtain the type of pieces desired.

As shown in FIG. 5, leaf 26 has been cut by the above described operation into squares 28 consisting of lamina portions 29, 29, attached to stem portions 30 of the leaf stem 32, and into all-lamina squares 34 and segments 36. When tobacco which has been thus cut into squares is shredded it necessarily will result in shreds of relatively more uniform length because the dimensions of the square impose a limit on the length of shred that can be produced. Uniformity is improved further because the all-lamina squares, after separation from squares 28, can be shredded directly without intermediate threshing, and therefore the objectionable dust-like particles which normally would be produced in the course of threshing are not present in the final product.

As diagrammed in FIGURE 6, in accordance with this invention the squares 28 (or other configurations depending on the type of cut) having stem portions 30 are separated from all-lamina squares 34 and segments 36 by sending these through a tobacco separator of known construction. Squares 28 (or other shape depending on the angle of cutting) are then processed in tobacco threshers, also of known construction such as disclosed in US. Patent 2,944,629, granted to O. E. Eissmann on July 12, 1960, to remove the lamina portions 29, 29' from the stem portions 30, while the separated segments and squares 34, 36 are passed directly on to a shredding operation as illustrated. In this case, only a small portion of the tobacco leaf passes through the threshing process. Hence, a lesser number of the threshers is required because all of the tobacco leaf is not threshed, and there will be less fines, because all of the lamina will not be subjected to threshing. After threshing, the lamina 29, 29' and stem portions 30 are subjected to a further separating operation (the lamina portions thereby being separated from stem portions) and these lamina portions finally are passed on to the shredding operation while the stem portions are separately collected.

In still another variation of the invention, a plurality of cutter sets and any number of conveying means may be employed to cut the tobacco into squares and to then subject the squares to a shredding operation. Leaf tobacco presized in accord with his invention may then be fed directly to a rod forming apparatus such as that disclosed in my Patent No. 3,026,878, dated March 27, 1962, where it will be shredded while on its Way to the rod forming station.

In yet another variation of the invention, a single cutter may be used. In this variation strips of tobacco leaves or tobacco material may be received in parallel a1ignment from another tobacco cutting machine and then cut at an angle by the cutter to form pieces of the dimensions desired.

By angularly cutting tobacco in this manner, there will be a controlled variance in shred length which enables cigarettes of more uniform density to be made, than when shreds have widely different lengths.

The invention described may therefore be varied within the scope of the claims, for the particular method and device selected to illustrate the invention are representative of many possible embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the precise details of the method and structure shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of producing uniformly shredded tobacco comprising the steps of:

(a) neatly cutting and cross-cutting natural tobacco leaf into pieces larger than shred size having a substantially uniform, definite shape,

(b) subjecting said pieces to a separating operation to segregate pieces containing tobacco stem and rib portions from pieces containing essentially only tobacco leaf,

(0) threshing said pieces thereby separated and containing said tobacco stem and rib portions to further separate tobacco leaf particles from pieces of stem and rib, and

(d) shredding both said tobacco leaf particles separated by threshing and said cut pieces containing essentially only tobacco leaf.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said cutting is effected mainly to form quadrangular pieces.

3. A method of producing uniformly shredded tobacco comprising the steps of:

(a) neatly cutting and cross-cutting natural tobacco leaf into pieces larger than shred size having a substantially uniform, definite shape,

(b) subjecting said pieces to a separating operation to segregate pieces containing tobacco stem and rib portions from pieces containing essentially only tobacco leaf, and

(c) shredding said pieces thereby separated and containing essentially only tobacco leaf.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said cutting is effected mainly to form quadrangular pieces.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 180,951 Smothers Aug. 8, 1876 209,808 Holley Nov. 12, 1878 485,483 Abojador Nov. 1, 1892 1,340,225 Howard May 18, 1920 2,161,891 Spang June 13, 1939 2,186,167 Eissmann Jan. 9, 1940 2,187,252 Urschel Jan. 16, 1940 2,188,307 Patterson Jan. 30, 1940 2,327,103 Gude Aug. 17, 1943 2,398,450 Rundell Apr. 16, 1946 2,734,513 Hungerford et al Feb. 14, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 122,338 Austria Apr. 10, 1931 286,421 Great Britain Mar. 8, 1928

Claims (1)

1. 3. A METHOD OF PRODUCING UNIFORMLY SHREDDED TOBACCO COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) NEATLY CUTTING AND CROSS-CUTTING NATURAL TOBACCO LEAF INTO PIECES LARGER THAN SHRED SIZE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM, DEFINITE SHAPE,

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