US3160160A

US3160160A - Apparatus for applying a wrapper leaf on a cigar bunch

Info

Publication number: US3160160A
Application number: US260548A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henricus J Maas; Marten G Aalpoel
Original assignee: Mignot & De Block Nv
Current assignee: Koninklijke Vereenigde Tabaksindustrieen Mignot & De Block N V; Mignot & De Block Nv
Priority date: 1962-03-01
Filing date: 1963-02-25
Publication date: 1964-12-08
Anticipated expiration: 1981-12-08
Also published as: AT255950B; ES285525A1; GB1031282A; DK112013B; DE1432680B1; CH415408A

Description

De 8, 9 H. J. MAAS ETAL APPARATUS FOR APPLYING A WRAPPER LEAF ON A CIGAR BUNCH 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 25, 1963 INVENTORS MARTEN GEERT AALPOEL HENRICUS JQHANNES MAAS W. M4 4 h ATTORNEYS Dec. 8, 1964 Filed Feb. 25, 1963 H. J. MAAS ETAL 3,160, 160

APPARATUS .FOR APPLYING A WRAPPER LEAF ON A CIGAR BUNCH 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Dec. 8, 1964 H. J. MAAS ETAL APPARATUS FOR APPLYING A WRAPPER LEAF ON A CIGAR BUNCH 4 Sheets$heet 3 Filed Feb. 25, 1963 FIGS INVENTORS MARTEN GEERT AALPOEL HENRICUS JOHANNES MAAS ATTORNEYS Dec. 8, 1964 H. J. MAAS ETAL 3,160,160

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING A WRAPPER LEAF ON A CIGAR BUNCH Filed Feb. 25, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS MARTEN GEERT AALPOEL HENRICUS JOHANNES MAAS 9W0; d ATTORNEYS United States Patent 5 4 (liairns. 6C1. 131-49 The invention relates to an apparatus for wrapping up a bunch for a cigar having at least one closed or substantially closed spherical or conical end portion in a wrapper leaf of predetermined shape and adapted to be wound in one cycle of operation from the transition zone between the spherical or conical end portion of the bunch and the body of the bunch towards the end of said end portion and toward the other end of the bunch, to which purpose the apparatus comprises a rolling mechanism which consists of a number of rotatable rollers enclosing a rolling s-ace and is connected to a support mounted for movement during the rolling process in a direction transverse to the axis of the rolling space and a movable leaf holder, by means of which the wrapper leaf is held with its leading-in flap in the right position relative to the path of the rolling mechanism and is guided, after said leading-in flap has been inserted into the rolling mechanism.

An apparatus called wrapping apparatus, of this kind is known per se. In this known Wrapping apparatus, which is particularly adapted to the manufacture of so-called Bolknak-cigars, the wrapper leaf is laid by a conveyor carrying a first leaf-holder onto a table operating as second leaf holder and having a stationary part and a movable turn table and the rolling mechanism is moved over said table. Therein the hunch is placed from below into the rolling space at one end of the active stroke of the rolling mechanism and the manufactured cigar is removed from the rolling space on the lower'side of the rolling mechanism at the other end of said stroke. Owing to the use of two leaf-holders, of which the second is composed of two individual parts, the known wrapping apparatus is involved and it can only work with relatively low speed. Moreover, the chance of stagnation in said apparatus, for instance due to the fact that the wrapper leaf is not delivered by the first leaf holder in the right manner to the composite table, is rather great, so that the percentage of waste is also relatively large.

The invention has for its object to simplify such a wrapping apparatus considerably and to give it such a construction that it can operate faultlessly with high speed. The invention includes a rolling mechanism that can be opened on the upper side to permit a bunch to be placed into and a cigar to be removed from the rolling space, andwhich cooperates during the rolling process with movable guide members connected also to said support and adapted to keep the wrapper leaf tight when it is drawn, during the rolling process, into the rolling mechanism, said guide members having the shape of a guide plate and at least one rotatable guide roller connected with and aligning with its active circumferential surface the active surface of said plate, and further characterized in that the leaf holder is movably connected to a conveyor mounted for moving said leaf holder between a position, in which a leaf can be taken up, and a position above the path of the rolling mechanism and cooperates with means for successively delivering the leading-in flap of the wrapper leaf taken up by the leaf holder into the rolling mechanism and other portions of the wrapper leaf onto said guide roller and said guide plate and the guide roller the rolling mechanism are known per se.

is mounted in the vicinity of the part of the rolling space meant for the said spherical or conical end portion of the bunch and serves to keep the portion of the wrapper leaf to be wound round said end portion of the bunch tight. In this apparatus the second leaf holder formed as a stationary table and a turn table cooperating therewith is dispensed with, so that a single arm mounted for swinging about a vertical axis and carrying aleaf holder which,

as in the known wrapping apparatus, is mounted for swinging about a vertical axis on said arm can be used. During the rolling process the conveyor of the leaf holder can be kept stationary and the leaf holder has only to be swung through a small angle, e.g. an angle smaller than 45 Due to these simple movements of the rolling mechanism and the leaf holder the wrapping apparatus can be driven with high speed.

It is observed that wrapping apparatus provided with a rolling mechanism adapted to be opened on its upper side and a conveyor carrying a leaf holder adapted to transport a wrapper leaf directly from a die or stack of leaves to In these Wrapping apparatuses the rolling mechanism is stationary and the leaf holder is moved during the rolling process along a very complicated path over the rolling mechanism. For wrapping up a bunch for a cigar having a closed or substantially closed spherical or conical fire-end portion the leaf holder must, after the leading-in end of the flag of the wrapper leaf for covering said fire-end has been inserted into the rolling mechanism by a needle or has been blown therein, first be swung through an angle of nearly 180 about the centre of said flag and thereafter be moved over the rolling mechanism substantially parallel to itself at an angle with the axis of the rolling space. This involved movement of the leaf holder requires, for the leaf-holder, a conveyor consisting of interlinked parts and complicated guide members. Moreover, said movement can only be performed with relatively low speed so that the capacity of said wrapping apparatus is small.

It is further stated that guide members formed as a plate and a roller for keeping the wrapper leaf tight, when the latter is drawn into the rolling mechanism, are also used in combination with a rolling mechanism adapted to be opened on its upper side. In that case the roller is used exclusively for keeping the portion of the wrapper leaf to be last drawn in the rolling mechanism tight, consequently generally for keeping the flag of the wrapper leaf for covering the spherical or conical mouth-end of the bunch tight.

Ln accordance with the invention the roller is situated near the spot, where the portion of the wrapper leaf to be first fed into the rolling mechanism is located and it serves, when manufacturing cigars of the Bolknak-type, to keep the flag for covering the thick spherical or conical fire-end portion of the bunch tight.

It is advantageous to define the part of the rolling space meant for the said spherical or conical end portion of the bunch by a smoothing block, which has a gap which extends only through a part of the circumference of the rolling space, and consists of parts adapted to be moved away from one another during the opening of the rolling mechanism, and by a pressing roller movably mounted on the rolling mechanism and adapted to be inserted into or removed from said gap of the smoothing block. Said pressing roller may have a conical shape.

The reciprocating movement of the rolling mechanism enables a simple and easily adjustable and variable control of the guide members and the pressing roller. To that end bars extending in the direction of the path of the rolling mechanism and having cam surfaces may be provided and the guide members and the pressing roller may be connected to control arms which,'during'the movement of the rolling mechanism, run over said cam surfaces and are controlled thereby.

The leaf holder may be constructed as a hollow box connected, during operation, permanently to a suction con duit, the bottom of said box being perforated and forming the leaf holding surface, and at a short distance above 'said bottom, conduits may open which are connected to a compressed airline through valves attached to the conveyor of the leaf holder, said valves being brought within reach of a control member, when the leaf holder is brought into its position above the path of the rolling mechanism. Said control member is so constructed as to open, during the rolling process, the valves one after the other.

In order to make sure, that the wrapper leaf, even when a large portion thereof has been drawn from the perforated holding surface of the leaf holder by the rolling mechanism, remains well sucked against said holding surface, a construction is recommended, in which the interior of the leaf holder is divided by a partition into two compartments lying one above the other, of which the upper one is connected to the suction conduit and in the lower compartment of which the compressed air conduits open, whereas the two compartments communicate with one another exclusively above the spot, where the portion of the wrapper to be last wound round the bunch is carried.

A wrapping apparatus according to the invention has, relative to the known wrapping apparatus, the advantage that it can be adapted at relatively low costs and in a short time to the treatment of bunches for cigars having a different shape. To that end only the dies, the leaf holders, the rolling mechanism with accessories, the stationary bars for guiding the guide members and the pressing roller and one single cam disc of the driving mechanism of the apparatus and adapted to guide the leaf holder during the rolling process have to be replaced by corresponding parts of different shape. All these parts are mounted in well accessible places of and connected by easily detachable means to the wrapping apparatus, so that the apparatus can be quickly changed. Also the change of a wrapping apparatus for left-hand Wrapper leaves into a wrapping apparatus for right-hand wrapper leaves and vice-versa does not offer any difficulties. When using the known wrapping apparatus there are required two individual machines for the operation with left-hand and right-hand wrapper leaves.

The invention will further be elucidated with the aid of the accompanying drawing. Therein is:

FIG. 1 a plan view of the essential part of a wrapping apparatus according to the invention for the manufacture of cigars of the Bolknak-type,

FIG. 2 an elevational view of the part of said apparatus shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 on a larger scale the holding surface of the leaf holder of the wrapping apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in different positions duning the rolling process, said holding surface being adapted to the shape of the wrapper leaf,

FIG. 4 on'a larger scale a plan view of the rolling mechanism, slightly modified so as to close both ends of the bunch, with accessories of the wrapping apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and

FIG. 5 an end view of the rolling mechanism with accessories shown in FIG. 4.

In the drawing two dies are designated by 1 and 2, on which wrapper leaves of predetermined shape are cut from tobacco leaves by means of upright knives 3 in the shape of said wrapper leaves and pressure rollers 4, which are reciprocated over the edge of said knives. The cutout wrapper leaves are brought by means of two leaf "holders 5 into a position above the path of a rolling mechanism mounted for reciprocation between two end positions and consisting of rollers 6 and smoothing blocks 4 7, '8. To that end each leaf holder 5 is connected for swinging about a vertical shaft 9 to the free end of a conveyor having the shape of an arm 11 mounted for swinging about a stationary vertical shaft 10.

Each leaf holder 5 is guided by two control members, of which one has a guiding rod extending between a point '12 of an arm 13 mounted on the shaft fi and an adjustable fixed point 14 of the stationary shaft 10, said guiding rod being composed of a rod 15 connected with the point 12 and a tube 16 telescoping on the rod 15 and connected to the point 14, in which tube a compression spring 17 is provided which tends tokeep the rod 15 pressed with its abutment 18 against the end surface 19 of the tube 16, The other control member consists of an arm 21 mounted on ashaft 2i) and provided with a pushing plate 23 which is held in a horizontal position by a rod 22 and is adapted to be pushed against a roller 24 mounted in the point 12 on the arm 13. In order to move the pushing plate 23 the shaft 20 is provided with an arm 25 connected by a rod 26 to a lever 28 which is mounted for swinging about a shaft 27 and is kept pressed with its roller 36 by a spring 29 against a camdisc'32 provided on a driven shaft 31 of the driving mechanism of the wrapping apparatus.

If a conveyor arm 11 has brought its leaf holder 5 into a position above the path of the rolling mechanism 6, 7, 8 it is locked by means of a member 34 mounted on a shaft '33 and provided with two rollers 35 which are pushed against the two upright oblique surfaces of a triangular cam-member 36 provided at the end of the arm 11.

For moving the rollers 35 into and out of the locking position, the shaft 33 is provided with an arm 37 which is connected by a rod 38 to a lever 40 mounted for swingin'g'about a shaft 39 and kept with a roller 41 in cooperation with a second cam-disc 43 of'the driving shaft 31 by 'a spring 42.

The rolling mechanism 6, 7, '8 with accessories is easily vdetachably mounted on a support-44 which is mounted 'for reciprocation between the two illustrated end positions on

bars

45, 46 and is driven by a lever 47 which is pressed with a roller '48 against a third cam-disc 49 of the driving shaft '31.

In the starting position of the rolling mechanism shown in dotted lines the two parts of said mechanism are moved from one another by means of a stationary cam 50, in such a manner'that the rolling space defined by the rollers 6 and the parts of the smoothing blocks 7, 8 is opened on the upper side inorder to admit'a cigar bunch 51 into said space.

When the rollingmechanism is moved from the starting position to the left it is automatically closed and it then comes within the reach of the leaf holder 5 which carries a wrapper and has in the meantime been swung into a position above the path of the rolling mechanlsm.

Due to 'the'action of the

guiding rod

15, 16 the leaf holder is swung as a result of the swinging movement of the conveyor arm 11 into the position shown in FIG. 1,

said position corresponding with the position 1 shown in FIG. 3 of the wrapper leaf or the corresponding shape of the holding surface of the leaf holder. Assuming that FIG. 3 represents the wrapper leaf, this leaf is provided with a leading-in flap 52, a fiag53 to cover the thick spherical or conical fire-end portion and a portion 54 having a flag 55 for'covering the body and the thin spherical or conical mouth-end portion of the bunch, respec- 'tively.

de t

and V and thereafter it is returned by the spring 17 into the position I. The positions of the rolling mechanism corresponding with the positions I-V of the leaf holder are indicated in FIG. 3 by the positions A, B, C, D and E of the bunch. After the rolling process the locking rollers 35 are released and the conveyor arm 11 carrying the leaf holder 5 is swung back to the die 1 or 2 to take up a next wrapper leaf.

It is observed that during the transport of a wrapper leaf to the path of the rolling mechanism said leaf is provided with glue in areas of the leading-in flap 52 and the flags 53 and 55 by a glueing device not shown.

For driving the rollers 6 said rollers are coupled through toothed wheels (not shown) with a shaft 57, FIGS. 1 and 4, which is rotatably supported in the support 44 and provided with two

sprocket wheels

58, 59

having each a freewheel of the type of conventional bicycle sprocket wheels, i.e., the sprocket wheel is provided with a clutch which enables drive in one direction and free rotation without drive in the opposite direction. The sprocket wheel 58 is driven by an endless chain 6%) which is passed over

sprocket wheels

61, 62 and driven in the direction of the arrow 63, FIG. 1, whereby the speed of revolution of the rollers 6 is adapted to the rolling velocity of the bunch during the going stroke of the rolling mechanism. During the returning stroke of the rolling mechanism the freewheel of the sprocket wheel 58 is in operation and the sprocket wheel 59 is driven by a stationary chain 64. During the going stroke of the rolling mechanism the hunch is provided with wrapper leaf and during the returning stroke thereof the rollers of the rolling mechanism continue to rotate in the same direction at decreased speed and thereby the manufactured cigar is given an after-rolling treatment. After the rolling mechanism has been returned into the starting position shown in dotted lines the manufactured cigar is removed by members (not shown) from the opened rolling mechanism and a next bunch is placed therein.

From FIGS. 1 and 2 it appears that the leaf holder 5 has the shape of a box. This box is permanently connected with a suction conduit comprising an opening 65, a passage 65 in the conveyor arm 11 and the hollow shaft 1% The bottom 66 of the box is perforated and forms the holding surface of the leaf holder. At a short distance above said bottom three

conduits

56, 67 and 63 open into said box, said conduits being connected to a pressure line 70 through flexible tubes and jointly operable valves 6%, b and c accommodated in a casing 69 mounted on the conveyor arm 11. Said valves are kept closed by a spring 71. If the conveyor arm 11 is in its position, in which the leaf holder 5 is above the rolling mechanism, the operating member 72 of the valves is situated above a vertically reciprocating control rod 73, which is moved by the driving mechanism of the wrapping apparatus and is adapted to open the valves one after the other. The compressed air conduits ss, 67 and 68 serve to blow the leading-in flap 52, the flag 53 and the flag 55 of the wrapper leaf at the right moments from the holding surface 66 of the leaf holder. To retain the suction force exerted on the wrapper leaf, even after a large portion of the wrapper leaf has been fed into the rolling mechanism, thereby leaving the apertures of the holding surface 65 of the leaf holder 5 open in a large area of said surface, the space within the box-shaped leaf holder 5 is divided by a horizontal plate 74 into two compartments, of which the upper one is directly connected to the suction conduit and the lower one communicates with the upper one exclusively by a relatively narrow aperture 75 which is located just above the area of the holding surface of the leaf holder destined to carry the flag 55 of the wrapper leaf which has to be fed last into the rolling mechanism.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show that the rolling mechanism 6, 7, 8

illustrated only diagrammatically in FIGS. 1 and 2, cooperates with a guide plate 76 and a cylindric guide roller 77. The guide roller '77 and the guide plate 76 form together a unity, such that the cylindric circumference of the guide roller forms a curved continuation of the active upper surface of the guide plate. The guide plate is connected for swinging about an axis 78 to the upper ends of arms an adapted to be swung about a shaft 79, which are controlled by an arm 31 mounted also on the shaft 79 and provided with a roller 82 and by a fixed control bar 83 provided with a cam-surface, on which the roller 82 rolls during the movement of the rolling mechanism. A spring 84 tends to swing the guide plate 7s and the guide roller 77 upwards, but this is prevented by a cam 85 attached to the plate 76 and engaging a two-armed lever 86 mounted for swinging about the shaft 79. Said lever is provided with a roller 88 mounted for rolling over a second fixed control bar 87 provided with a cam-surface.

The smoothing block 7 has a gap that extends only through a part of the circumference of the portion of the rolling space for the fire-end portion of the bunch, and it cooperates with a conical pressing roller 89 adapted to be inserted into and removed from said gap and serving to press and to smooth out the flag 53 of the wrapper leaf which is wound round the fire-end portion of the bunch. The pressing roller 89 is adjustably connected to a swingable lever 96 controlled by a two-armed lever 92 mounted for swinging about a shaft 91. One arm of the lever 92 is provided with a roller 93 which is rolled over a third fixed control bar 94, provided with a camsurface, when the rolling mechanism is moved.

The cam surfaces of the control bars 83, 87 and 94 are so formed as to control the guide plate 76, the guide roller '77 and the pressing roller 89 during the goingstroke of the rolling mechanism as follows:

In the starting position of the rolling mechanism (see the position shown in dotted lines in FIGS. 1 and 2) the guide plate 76 and the guide roller 77 are swung by the arms 80 to the left and the pressing roller 39 is swung by the levers $2 and hi) to the right out of reach of the opening of the opened rolling mechanism, so that the manufactured cigar can be removed therefrom and a next bunch can be placed therein. During the movement of the rolling mechanism from the starting position to the position B shown in FIG. 3 the guide plate 76, the guide roller "7'7 and the pressing roller 89 remain in their olfswung positions. When the position B is passed the leading-in flap 52 of the wrapper leaf is blown into the rolling mechanism by the compressed air conduit 56. A little bit later only the guide plate 76 and the guide roller 77 are returned to a position above and a position beside the rolling space, respectively, as indicated in FIG. 5 and they are thereafter swung upwards by the cooperation of the spring 84 and the lever 86 controlled by the control bar 87, whereby a toothed wheel 95 of the guide roller 77 is brought into engagement with a toothed rack 96 attached to the leaf holder 5, so that said roller is driven during the further movement of the rolling mechanism. In the meantime the rolling mechanism has reached a position between the positions B and C shown in FIG. 3 and the flag 53 of the wrapper leaf is blown by the compressed air-conduit 67 onto the driven guide roller 77, on which said flag sticks by glue brought thereon previously. At the same time the pressing roller 89 is moved into its operative position, to press against the fire-end portion of the bunch lying in the rolling space and the flag 53 of the wrapper leaf is drawn from the guideroller 77 over a rounded area of the smoothing block 7 into the rolling mechanism and is smoothed out by the pressing roller 89 and tightly wound around the fireend portion of the bunch. In the meantime the leaf holder 5 is swung into the position 111 (FIG. 3), so that the portion 54 of the wrapper leaf is wound helically round the body of the bunch. To wind the flag 55 of the wrapper leaf round the mouth-end portion, the leafholder is swung back to the positions IV and V and the Z a flag 55 which is also provided with glue is blown at the right moment by the compressed air conduit 68 onto the guide plate 76 and is wound with some stress due to the sticking force of the glue round the mouth-end portion of the bunch. During the returning stroke, the guide plate 76, the guide roller 77 and the pressing roller 89 are kept in the positions shown in FIGS. 4 and by not-shown locking members and the manufactured cigar is exposed to an after-rolling treatment, so that the wrapper leaf comes to lie in a tight manner and without creases on the bunch.

Owing to the relatively simple and quiet movements of the rolling mechanism and the leaf holder the present wrapping apparatus can be driven with great speed. The capacity of the wrapping apparatus is only limited by the speed with which the tobacco leaves to be cut out can be manually laid onto the dies 1 and 2.

If cigars of different shape have to be manufactured with the wrapping apparatus only the dies 1 and 2, the leaf holders 5, the rolling mechanism 6, 7, 8 and the guide plate 76, the guide roller 77, the pressing roller 89 and the control members thereof forming a unity therewith, the fixed control bars 83, 87 and 94 and the camdisc 32 to control the pushing plate 23 have to be replaced by corresponding parts of different shape. Since all these parts are easily detachably connected to the relevant parts of the wrapping apparatus, the work of changing the apparatus to adapt it to wrapping up bunches of different shape can be performed in a short time and at relatively low costs. It is also possible to manufacture cigars having left hand wrappers and cigars having right hand wrappers in one and the same wrapping apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention.

The wrapping apparatus as thus far described is meant for wrapping up a bunch for a cigar of the Bolknak-type, of which the mouth-end is tapered but not closed. For cigars having two closed ends, a wrapper led having an additional mouth-end flag, not shown in FIG. 3, must be used. In that case the dies 1, 2 and the leaf holders 5 must be adapted to this shape of the wrapper leaf. Also a guiding roller 77a and a conical pressing roller 89a have to be provided at the mouth-end of the rolling space as shown in FIG. 4. This second pressing roller 89a may be controlled together with the pressing roller 89 by the control bar 94. The shaft 91 extends through the entire set of rolling mechanism and guide members. Ann 9201 is attached to shaft 91 and it operates the arm 90a and the pressing roller 39:; in just the same way as the first pressing roller 89 is operated by arm 92. The two pressing rollers 8? and 89a are brought into operation simultaneously, that means shortly after the entire wrapper leaf has been fed to the rolling mechanism. The toothed wheel 95a conforms in function and mode of operation to wheel 95. Moreover the guide plate 76 must be adapted to its cooperation with two

guide rollers

77 and 77a.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for applying in one cycle of operation .a wrapper leaf of predetermined shape and having a leading in flap on a cigar bunch having at least one spherical or conical end portion from the transition zone between said end portion and the body of the bunch both towards the end of said end portion and towards'theother end of the bunch, comprising a rolling mechanism, a set of rotatable upper and lower rollers enclosing a rolling space and constituting together the rolling mechanism, a movable support for carrying said rolling mechanism,

means to move said support in a direction transverse to the axis of its rolling space, a die for cutting wrapper leaves of the required shape, a movable leaf holder, a

conveyor carrying said leaf holder and constructed to move the leaf holder between said die and a position above the path of the rolling mechanism, a movable guide plate, a movable guide roller, said guide plate and said guide roller forming an aligned composite guide member carried by the support of the rolling mechanism, said guide roller being mounted in the axial direction of the rolling space just beyond the part of said space meant to receive the said spherical end portion of the bunch, said guide plate extending parallel to the axis of the rolling space and being mounted just above one of the upper rollers of the rolling mechanism, and delivering means on said leaf holder constructed and arranged to successively deliver the wrapper leaf leading in flap, the portion to cover the said spherical end'portion of the bunch and the portion to cover the body and the other end portion of the bunch into the rolling mechanism, and onto said guide roller and guide plate respectively when the leaf holder has brought the leaf into a position above and in a plane parallel to the path of the rolling mechanism.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which means are provided movably connecting the guide plate and the guide roller to the support of the rolling mechanism, said means comprising two stationary bars extending parallel to the path of the rolling mechanism, cam surfaces formed by said bars and control arms mounted for swinging on the said support and operatively connected with said guide plate and said guide roller, said control arms being mounted for running over said cam surfaces and being controlled by said surfaces during the movement of the rolling mechanism.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said leaf holder comprises a hollow box, a suction conduit, said box being, during operation, permanently connected to said suction conduit, the bottom of said box being perforated and forming the leaf holding surface of the leaf holder, and said delivering means comprising a compressed air line, a valve system attached to the conveyor of the leaf holder, conduits entering the hollow leaf holder and opening a short distance above the bottom thereof, said latter conduitsbeing connected to said compressed air line through said valve system and a control member adapted to operate said valve system when the leaf holder is in its position above the path of the rolling mechanism.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, comprising in addition a partition provided in the interior of said box shaped leaf holder and dividing said box into two compartments lying one above the other, the suction conduit being connected to the upper one of said compartments, the conduits connected through the valve system to the compressed air line opening into the lower compartment and the two compartments communicating with one another exclusively above the area of the holding surface of the leaf holder which last releases and delivers a leaf portion to said guide plate of the rolling mechanism.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 340,741 4/86 Tanner 13156 X 654,199 7/00 Tyberg 13136 X 654,202 7/00 Tyberg 131-33 X 1,077,903 11/13 Burchardi et al. 13136 1,565,939 12/25 Herrington 131-56 X 1,993,661 3/35 Granstedt 131-105 2,006,113 6/35 Rober 131-56 2,009,492 7/ 35 Granstedt 131-56 X 2,226,224 12/40 Giles et al 131-33 2,267,648 12/41 Grandstedt et al 13136 2,601,856 7/52 Giles 131-33 SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. AN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING IN ONE CYCLE OF OPERATION A WRAPPER LEAF OF PREDETERMINED SHAPE AND HAVING A LEADING IN FLAP ON A CIGAR BUNCH HAVING AT LEAST ONE SPHERICAL OR CONICAL END PORTION FROM THE TRANSITION ZONE BETWEEN SAID END PORTION AND THE BODY OF THE BUNCH BOTH TOWARDS THE END OF SAID END PORTION AND TOWARDS THE OTHER AND OF THE BUNCH, COMPRISING A ROLLING MECHANISM, A SET OF ROTATABLE UPPER AND LOWER ROLLERS ENCLOSING A ROLLING SPACE AND CONSTITUTING TOGETHER THE ROLLING MECHANISM, A MOVABLE SUPPORT FOR CARRYING SAID ROLLING MECHANISM, MEANS TO MOVE SAID SUPPORT IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE AXIS OF ITS ROLLING SPACE, A DIE FOR CUTTING WRAPPER LEAVES OF THE REQUIRED SHAPE, A MOVABLE LEAF HOLDER, A CONVEYOR CARRYING SAID LEAF HOLDER AND CONSTRUCTED TO MOVE THE LEAF HOLDER BETWEEN SAID DIE AND A POSITION ABOVE THE PATH OF THE ROLLING MECHANISM, A MOVABLE GUIDE PLATE, A MOVABLE GUIDE ROLLER, SAID GUIDE PLATE AND SAID GUIDE ROLLER FORMING AN ALIGNED COMPOSITE GUIDE MEMBER CARRIED BY THE SUPPORT OF THE ROLLING MECHANISM, SAID GUIDE ROLLER BEING MOUNTED IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION OF THE ROLLING SPACE JUST BEYOND THE PART OF SAID SPACE MEANT TO RECEIVE THE SAID SPHERICAL END PORTION OF THE BUNCH, SAID GUIDE PLATE EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF THE ROLLING SPACE AND BEING MOUNTED JUST ABOVE ONE OF THE ROLLING ROLLERS OF THE ROLLING MECHANISM, AND DELIVERING MEANS ON SAID LEAF HOLDER CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO SUCCESSIVELY DELIVER THE WRAPPER LEAF LEADING IN FLAP, THE PORTION TO COVER THE SAID SPHERICAL END PORTION OF THE BUNCH AND THE PORTION TO COVER THE BODY AND THE OTHER END PORTION OF THE BUNCH INTO THE ROLLING MECHANISM, AND ONTO SAID GUIDE ROLLER AND GUIDE PLATE RESPECTIVELY WHEN THE LEAF HOLDER HAS BROUGHT THE LEAF INTO A POSITION ABOVE AND IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO THE PATH OF THE ROLLING MECHANISM.