US3443688A - Machines for manipulating cut tobacco - Google Patents

Machines for manipulating cut tobacco Download PDF

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Publication number
US3443688A
US3443688A US573517A US3443688DA US3443688A US 3443688 A US3443688 A US 3443688A US 573517 A US573517 A US 573517A US 3443688D A US3443688D A US 3443688DA US 3443688 A US3443688 A US 3443688A
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United States
Prior art keywords
tobacco
passage
usable
roller
cylinder
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Expired - Lifetime
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US573517A
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English (en)
Inventor
Desmond Walter Molins
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Molins Machine Co Ltd
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Molins Machine Co Ltd
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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
    • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
    • A24C5/14—Machines of the continuous-rod type
    • A24C5/18—Forming the rod
    • A24C5/185—Separating devices, e.g. winnowing, removing impurities

Definitions

  • a separator for cut tobacco has an elutriating passage for a primary separation of light from heavy particles. At the lower end of the passage a roller having small recesses in its periphery receives the heavies fraction for secondary separation thereof. Small usable tobacco particles enter the recesses and the larger unusable tobacco remains on the surface of the roller. The small particles from said recesses is pneumatically combined with the primary lights fraction.
  • This invention concerns improvements in machines for manipulating cut tobacco, such for instance as continuous rod cigarette-making machines, and is more particularly concerned with apparatus for separating stem and large fragments from cut tobacco.
  • ⁇ Cut tobacco is sometimes made by cutting Whole tobacco leaves so that the resulting tobacco is a mixture of cut lamina and cut stem. This mixture is not usually considered suitable for incorporation into cigarettes or other tobacco articles since some of the stem pieces are too large. In cigarettes, for example, large pieces of stem usually do not burn and may pierce the enveloping cigarette paper. Such pieces will be referred to hereinafter aS unusable stem whereas pieces suitable for incorporation will be referred to as usable stern. Any other large undesirable fragments present in the cut tobacco will together with the unusable stem be referred to as unusable material.
  • apparatus for separating cut tobacco containing unusable material into usable and unusable portions with the separation carried out in two stages comprising walls defining a substantially vertical passage, means to cause an air stream to ow up the 3,443,688 Patented May 13, 1969 "ice passage and means to feed tobacco into the passage, the air stream being such that usable tobacco only is entrained therein to be carried up the passage while the remaining tobacco falls through the air stream; and apparatus of the other stage comprising a compartment, means to feed tobacco to the compartment, a movable member forming the base of the compartment, recesses in the surface of said member into which only usable particles of tobacco can enter, means for continuously removing from the compartment unusable tobacco carried on the surface of the member and a receiver into which usable tobacco can fall from the recesses of the member.
  • a surface recessed as specified above could be a flat surface, for example a series of plates Acarried by a conveyor or the at surface itself of a conveyor, but for general convenience of manufacture and of operation a recessed roller or cylinder is to be preferred.
  • FIGURE l is a section through part of a continuous rod cigarette-making machine showing a preferred cmbodiment of the invention
  • FIGURE 2 is the same section as that of FIGURE 1 drawing to a smaller scale and including more apparatus than that shown in FIGURE 1,
  • FIGUR-E 3 is a section drawn to a larger scale of a fragment of a recessed cylinder shown in FIGURE l,
  • FIGURE 4 is an end view of FIGURE 3,
  • FIGURE 5 is a view, partly in section, of a driving device for the cylinder of FIGURE 3,
  • FIGURE ⁇ 6 is a side elevation of FIGURE 5
  • FIGURE 7 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 1 showing .another embodiment of the invention.
  • FIGURE 8 is a view similar to those of FIGURES 1 and 7 showing a still :further embodiment.
  • a carded drum 1 which is part of a hopper 2 of acontinuous rod cigarette-making machine, rotates in theA direction of arrow 3 and in so doing removes cut tobacco from the hopper 2, delivering it in the form of a carpet past a refuser drum 4 and combs 5 to a picker roller ⁇ 6.
  • Pins 7 on the periphery of the picker roller ⁇ 6 strip the carpet of tobacco from the carded drum 1 and project it over the surface of a partly concave shaped plate l8 between which and serrations 9 of a winnower roller 10 the tobacco particles are directed.
  • the roller 10 rotates in a clockwise direction as seen when looking at both FIGURES 1 and 2 and thus impels the tobacco to the left.
  • the speed of the roller 10' can be varied so that any desired initial velocity can be irnparted to the particles.
  • Tobacco particles can travel up a substantially vertical passage 13 to form a filler on the underside of an air pervious conveyor (not shown in FIGURE 2) which separates the top of the passage 13 from a suction chamber 14, all as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,030,965,
  • the suction chamber 14 which communicates via piping with a 'fan 116, causes a main air stream to ow up the passage 13, this ow being augmented by air sucked by a further fan 17 via piping 18 and 19.
  • the main air stream iiowing up the passage 13 causes air to tlow through the holes 12.
  • This air flow is transverse to the direction of movement of the impelled tobacco and is so regulated that it entrains light tobacco particles which are u'sable deecting them in a curved path around a rotating perforated cylinder 20 and into the passage 13.
  • This deliection is asserted by a-ir passing into the centre of the cylinder 20 and then out on its other side into the end of the piping 18.
  • the air through the cylinder 20 also removes dust and small fragments from the impelled tobacco, these being separated from the air in a separator 21 and being delivered by means of a duct 22, the fan 16 and yfurther piping 23 t-o dust collectors 24.
  • the main airstream carries a considerable part of the usable tobacco contained in the tobacco impelled by the roller 10 up the passage 13.
  • unusable tobacco is too heavy lto be deected and passes through the main air stream into a receptacle 25.
  • the unusable material which consists mainly of large pieces of stem, are some smaller and usable pieces of stem as well as shreds of lamina both of which become entangled with and carried along by the unusable material.
  • the receptacle 25 is formed ⁇ by side plates 26 and 27 with a rotatable metal roller 28 a-s its bottom.
  • the roller 28 has a serrated periphery formed by cutting 90 V- shaped grooves about 0.030" deep.
  • the side plate 26 ends in a resilient member 29 which cooperates with the roller 28 to act as an air lock whilst allowing tobacco which has fallen into the bottom of the receptacle 25 to pass therebetween.
  • Contact between the member 29 and the roller 28, which rotates as indicated by arrow 30, can be adjusted by means of a screw 311 and a spring 32.
  • the tobacco fed between the member 29 and the roller 28 enters a substantially vertical passage 33 above which is a curved 4passage 34.
  • One wall 3S of the passage 33 is fixed to a bracket 36 which is joined by means of adjustable screws 37 to a plate 38 located on the main frame of the machine.
  • a further locating screw 39 bears against the faceV of the bracket 36.
  • By adjusting the screws 37 and 39 the position of the Wall 35 can be moved sufliciently to vary the cross-sectional area of the passage 33.
  • Hinged to the top of the wall is an extension piece 40 which can be swung into any one of a series of desired positions by means of a quadrant bracket 41.
  • a wall 42 opposite the wall 35 is fixed. The lower ends of the walls 35 and 42 are joined to perforated plates 43 and 44, respectively.
  • the unusable material passes through a gap 48 between the bottom of the plate 43 and the cylinder 46 and are removed from the cylinders surface by a brush 49 rotating in a clockwise direction, falling into a receptacle 50.
  • a duct S1 having its top half removed so that the particles of unusable material can pass from the receptacle 50 into the duct 51 in which they are removed from the lmachine by means of an airflow from a source not shown.
  • the usable material lodged in the recesses 47 is carried by the rotation of the cyclinder 46 past a retaining plate 52 into a receiver 53.
  • the top of the receiver 53 becomes a rising passage 54 which emerges to the left (as seen when looking at FIGURE 1) of the plate 11.
  • the bottom of the receiver 53 is open to atmosphere at 55 and thus a further subsidiary air stream rises through the receiver 53 and the passage 54 to join the main air stream the remaining air for which is made up of that emerging through the holes 12 and from the passage 34.
  • This subsidiary air stream up the passage 54 has suicient velocity to entrain the remaining usable tobacco from the recesses 47.
  • the air drawn through the holes 12 is supplied from a duct 56 which is fed from the fan 17 via a further duct S7 (see FIGURE 2).
  • the duct l56 is subdivided to provide streams of air substantially as shown by the arrows in FIGURE 1 these streams being guided by separating members 58.
  • the cylinder 46 is constructed from a number of narrow discs 59, see FIGURES 3 and 4, mounted on a shaft and separated one from the other by thin circular plates 60.
  • the circular plates 60 and the tips of the discs S9 form the periphery or surface of the cylinder 46 on which the unusable material rests.
  • the cylinder shafts 59a is tted with a sprag clutch 60a the driving member of which is provided With a lever 61.
  • the lever 61 is oscillated by an eccentric rod 62 which is driven by an eccentric ⁇ (not shown) fixed on a rotatable shaft of the cigarette making machines.
  • a grooved pulley 63 engaged by a brake shoe 64 drawn into engagement therewith by a spring 65 prevents overrun or backlash.
  • the cut tobacco handled in the hopper 2 is a mixture of cut lamina and cut stem. It is stripped by the picker pins 7 from the carding of the drum 1 with the speed of the picker roller 6 being suiciently high at approximately 190041,50() r.p.m. to tear apart long strands of tobacco and to separate the stem and lamina portions. -Due to the presence and shape of the plate 8 all the stripped tobacco is directed between this plate and the winnower roller 10. By adjusting the speed of the roller 10 the tobacco can have imparted to it any desired amount of momentum.
  • the action of the main air stream is selective ⁇ in carrying away only light usable tobacco up the passage 13 while stem and other unusable material continue their movement across the flow of the main air stream and into the receptacle 25.
  • the tobacco in the receptacle 25, comprising mostly of unusable material but with some usable tobacco intermingled with or clinging thereto, is discharged through the airlock formed by the member 29 and the roller 28.
  • the tobacco which has passed through the air-lock 29-28 is further separated with some of the light usable tobacco being carried by the subsidiary air stream to join the main air stream flowing up the passage 13.
  • the remainder of the tobacco, mostly heavy unusable tobacco falls through the air stream onto the rotating cylinder 46.
  • the air velocity of the subsidiary air stream may be varied by altering the setting of the wall 35 and of the extension piece 40, both as described hereinbefore.
  • FIGURE 7 resembles FIGURE l in many ways and represents a further embodiment of the invention.
  • Like references refer to like parts and in the following description the differences only will be described.
  • the air lock comprises as before a roller 28 rotating in the direction of the arrow 30.
  • a rubber covered roller 66 rotating in the opposite direction.
  • the rubber covering of the roller 66 is of Soft or spongy material and is readily deformable when tobacco passes between the two rollers which thus form an air lock to prevent air being sucked by the compartment 25 and thus interfering with the function of the passage 33.
  • the walls 35 and 42 of the passage 33 are provided with holes 67 and 68 respectively at their lower ends.
  • the cylinder 46 is provided with V-shaped grooves 69 into which the usable tobacco can fall.
  • the unusable material carried on the surface of the cylinder 46 is brushed into a rotating air lock 70 which discharges into the duct 51.
  • FIGURE 8 A further embodiment is shown in FIGURE 8 in which like references again refer to like parts.
  • the air lock nOW comprising the rubber covered roller 66 and a cylinder 71 which resembles the cylinder 46 of FIGURE 7 in having its surface covered with V-shaped recesses 72.
  • the usable small tobacco from the compartment 25 enters into and is retained in the recesses 72 to be delivered to the receptacle 53 from which they are removed as previously by the further subsidiary air stream iiowing up the passage 54.
  • the remaining tobacco mostly unusable material with a small amount of usable tobacco entwined or adhering thereto passes through the air lock into a passage 73 at the bottom of which is the air lock 70 and the duct 51.
  • a subsidiary air stream flows up the passage 73, the opposite walls 0f which, 74 and 75, are provided with inlet holes 76 and 77 respectively.
  • the wall 74 is again adjustable and is provided with the hinged extension piece 40.
  • first stage separation is carried out by the cylinder 71 followed by second stage separation by the air stream flowing up the passage 73.
  • means defining a substantially vertical passage means to cause an airstream to flow towards and up said passage, means to project tobacco across said airstream whereby light tobacco is entrained and carried through said passage while the remainder of the tobacco falls, means defining a first compartment to receive said remainder, a separating cylinder forming the base of said compartment and having peripheral recesses separated by divisions narrower than said recesses, said recesses being of a size to accommodate only usable pieces of tobacco contained in said remainder, means defining a second compartment adjacent the first compartment and having an opening adjacent said cylinder to receive therefrom large unusable pieces of tobacco which rest on the divisions of said cylinder, a duct connecting one of said compartments with said passage, means to cause air to flow upwardly through said one compartment and said duct to entrain light elements of said remainder falling through said one compartment, a channel to receive usable pieces of tobacco from said recesses and directed towards said passage, and means to cause air to flow through said channel to entrain said usable pieces and project them
  • a cigarette-making machine comprising a hopper to receive cut tobacco containing stem, means to cause an upward airstream and means for removing tobacco from the hopper and impelling it across the path of the upward airstream which carries away only usable tobacco to form a main airborne stream of usable cut tobacco while the remainder of the tobacco falls, a first receptacle to receive the remainder of the impelled tobacco; second airstream means for separating said remaining tobacco into light and heavier fractions and for conveying said light fraction to said upward airstream while said lheavier fraction falls; means for feeding the remaining tobacco from said receptacle to said second airstream means and for preventing airflow between said first receptacle and said second airstream means; further means for receiving and separating said heavier fraction into usable and unusuable portions comprising a roller having small recesses in its periphery separated from one another by thin divisions, said recesses being of such size that only usable tobacco may enter and be contained therein while unusable tobacco remains on the perip
  • a cigarette-making machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein said means for feeding the remaining tobacco from said receptacle to said second airstream means and for preventing airflow between said first receptacle and said second airstream means comprises a pair of feed rollers capable of rotating in opposite directions and in contact with each other, at least one of said rollers being of resilient material.
  • a cigarette-making machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein said means for feeding the remaining tobacco from said receptacle to said second airstream means and for preventing airflow between said first receptacle and said second airstream means comprises a rotatably mounted feed roller having a serrated periphery and a resilient scarpper member which cooperates with said roller.
  • a cigarette-making machine of the kind comprising a hopper to receive cut tobac-co containing stem, means to cause an upward airstream and means for removing tobacco from the hopper and impelling it across the path of the upward airstream which carries away only usable tobacco to form a main airborne stream of usable cut tobacco, a first receptacle to receive the remainder of the impelled tobacco, second air stream means for separating tobacco into light and heavier fractions and conveying said light fraction to said upward airstream while said heavier fraction falls, means for feeding the remaining tobacco out of said receptacle and for separating said remaining tobacco into usable and unusable portions comprising a .pair of rollers capable of rotating in opposite directions and in Contact with each other, one of said rollers having small recesses in its periphery separated from one another by thin divisions, said recesses being of such size that only usable tobacco may enter and be contained therein while unusable tobacco remains on the periphery supported by said divisions, and means for rotating said one roller whereby

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  • Manufacturing Of Cigar And Cigarette Tobacco (AREA)
US573517A 1962-07-18 1966-08-19 Machines for manipulating cut tobacco Expired - Lifetime US3443688A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB27576/62A GB971736A (en) 1962-07-18 1962-07-18 Improvements in machines for manipulating cut tobacco

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US3443688A true US3443688A (en) 1969-05-13

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US (1) US3443688A (xx)
BE (1) BE635074A (xx)
DE (1) DE1432708B1 (xx)
GB (1) GB971736A (xx)
NL (1) NL295148A (xx)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4011876A (en) * 1974-06-04 1977-03-15 Hauni-Werke Korber & Co., Kg Device for withdrawing tobacco from the magazine of a tobacco distributor
DE3214091A1 (de) * 1981-04-16 1982-11-25 Molins PLC, London Zigarettenfertigungsmaschine
US4475562A (en) * 1981-10-16 1984-10-09 Philip Morris Incorporated Method and apparatus for separating tobacco mixture into lighter and heavier fractions
US4915824A (en) * 1985-08-12 1990-04-10 Surtees Guy F Pneumatic classifier for tobacco and method
US5205415A (en) * 1991-07-10 1993-04-27 The Standard Commercial Tobacco Co., Inc. Modular classifier
US5325875A (en) * 1987-08-24 1994-07-05 Universal Leaf Tobacco Co., Inc. Apparatus for separating threshed leaf tobacco
US6435191B1 (en) 1999-02-26 2002-08-20 Dimon Inc. Tobacco separator

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1146288A (en) * 1965-07-09 1969-03-26 Molins Machine Co Ltd Improvements in tobacco manipulating machines
GB9426249D0 (en) * 1994-12-24 1995-02-22 Molins Plc Cigarette making machine
DE10240617C1 (de) * 2002-09-03 2003-12-11 Bat Cigarettenfab Gmbh Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Justierung der Ausselektion von Winnowings

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US66872A (en) * 1867-07-16 Improvement in cockle and gaelic-separators
US392783A (en) * 1888-11-13 Oat-extractor for grain-separators
US3074413A (en) * 1959-03-13 1963-01-22 American Mach & Foundry Cigarette making machine
US3092117A (en) * 1960-05-16 1963-06-04 Molins Machine Co Ltd Winnowing apparatus for cigarettemaking machines

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US66872A (en) * 1867-07-16 Improvement in cockle and gaelic-separators
US392783A (en) * 1888-11-13 Oat-extractor for grain-separators
US3074413A (en) * 1959-03-13 1963-01-22 American Mach & Foundry Cigarette making machine
US3092117A (en) * 1960-05-16 1963-06-04 Molins Machine Co Ltd Winnowing apparatus for cigarettemaking machines

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4011876A (en) * 1974-06-04 1977-03-15 Hauni-Werke Korber & Co., Kg Device for withdrawing tobacco from the magazine of a tobacco distributor
DE3214091A1 (de) * 1981-04-16 1982-11-25 Molins PLC, London Zigarettenfertigungsmaschine
US4526182A (en) * 1981-04-16 1985-07-02 Molins Plc Cigarette making machines
US4475562A (en) * 1981-10-16 1984-10-09 Philip Morris Incorporated Method and apparatus for separating tobacco mixture into lighter and heavier fractions
US4915824A (en) * 1985-08-12 1990-04-10 Surtees Guy F Pneumatic classifier for tobacco and method
US5325875A (en) * 1987-08-24 1994-07-05 Universal Leaf Tobacco Co., Inc. Apparatus for separating threshed leaf tobacco
US5476109A (en) * 1987-08-24 1995-12-19 Universal Leaf Tobacco Co., Inc. Apparatus for separating threshed leaf tobacco
US5205415A (en) * 1991-07-10 1993-04-27 The Standard Commercial Tobacco Co., Inc. Modular classifier
US5358122A (en) * 1991-07-10 1994-10-25 The Standard Commercial Tobacco Company, Inc. Multiple stage tobacco classifier
US6435191B1 (en) 1999-02-26 2002-08-20 Dimon Inc. Tobacco separator

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Publication number Publication date
GB971736A (en) 1964-10-07
DE1432708B1 (de) 1970-08-27
BE635074A (xx)
NL295148A (xx)

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