US3585774A - Apparatus and method for dividing cut tobacco into package-size weights - Google Patents

Apparatus and method for dividing cut tobacco into package-size weights Download PDF

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Publication number
US3585774A
US3585774A US803795A US3585774DA US3585774A US 3585774 A US3585774 A US 3585774A US 803795 A US803795 A US 803795A US 3585774D A US3585774D A US 3585774DA US 3585774 A US3585774 A US 3585774A
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United States
Prior art keywords
tobacco
conveyor
tower
conduit
tined
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Expired - Lifetime
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US803795A
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English (en)
Inventor
Lorne A Rowell
Roger Lafleur
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Imperial Tobacco Company of Canada Ltd
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Imp Tobacco Co Ltd
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B1/00—Packaging fluent solid material, e.g. powders, granular or loose fibrous material, loose masses of small articles, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
    • B65B1/30—Devices or methods for controlling or determining the quantity or quality or the material fed or filled
    • B65B1/36—Devices or methods for controlling or determining the quantity or quality or the material fed or filled by volumetric devices or methods

Definitions

  • iNVENTORS LORNE A ROWELL ROGER LAFLEUR PATENIED JUH22I971 SHEET 2 OF 3 LORNE A. ROWELL, ROGER LAFLEUR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • This invention relates to an apparatus and method for cleaning, classifying and automatic dividing of cut tobacco into package-size weights within prescribed tolerances.
  • Package-size weights of cut tobacco for pipes or for handrolled cigarettes at present are obtained by hand, a worker taking a handful of tobacco from a supply, weighing it and adjusting to approximately the correct weight, then taking it from the weighing scale and placing it into buckets which supply a packaging machine.
  • This method is subject to several disadvantages such as human error, nonuniformity of the tobacco mix, slowness and cost of human labour.
  • One object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which will ensure a substantially uniform mix of tobacco strand sizes, measure substantially constant weights of tobacco and feed the tobacco weights to any type of known packaging machines.
  • Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus and method for automatically dividing cut tobacco into BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • Apparatus comprises an upstanding conduit, feed means for feeding loose tobacco of substantially uniform density to the upper end of said conduit, a conveyor disposed beneath the lower end of said conduit, means for driving said conveyor to conduct a substantially uniform stream of tobacco from said conduit along a substantially horizontal path, cutter means for cutting predetermined lengths from said stream, and wiper means for wiping a cut length transversely from said conveyor for feeding to a packing machine which may be of a conventional type.
  • the method according to the invention basically comprises the steps of establishing a mat of loose cut tobacco of substantially uniform density and cross-sectional area, and cutting from said mat predetermined lengths representing packagesize weights.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of the apparatus
  • FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the metering belt, and the cutter apparatus associated therewith;
  • FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the metering belt and associated apparatus shown in FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3,
  • FIG. 5 is a view of the cutter head showing valve means mounted thereon adapted to be operated by the cutter blade and wiping mechanism;
  • FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the cutter head showing the solenoid operated slide-valve mounted thereon which governs the flow of fluid to the cylinders operating the cutter blade and wiper mechanism;
  • FIG. 7 is an end elevation of the cutter head showing the presser plate, cutter blade, wiper blade and a control associated with the cutter blade.
  • the apparatus consists of a hopper 25, adapted to receive loose bulk flne cut tobacco, which has mounted therein a conveyor 26 which transports the tobacco upwardly and feeds it between counter rotating members 27 and 28, provided with spreader members of helical rod rotor formation which loosen and spread the tobacco in a substantially uniform layer across the width of the upper end of conveyor 26.
  • the tobacco is discharged from the conveyor 26 into a hopper 29 on demand'from a photocell level control, not shown, but located at the lower end of hopper 29.
  • the tobacco is removed from the hopper by an upwardly inclined tined conveyor belt 30 mounted in a housing 31.
  • a tined refuser rotor 32 which removes the excess of tobacco carried above the tines of belt 30 whereby a predetermined depth or mat of tobacco remains thereon.
  • the refuser rotor 32 also plays a part in combing out lumps in the tobacco.
  • the tobacco retained between the tines of belt 30 is removed by a rotating doffing brush 33, which is mounted adjacent the upper end of the housing 31 in contact with the return flight of the tined belt.
  • the rotating doffing brush 33 removes the tobacco from the tines and feeds it into a spout 34 which directs it onto a vibrating screen conveyor 35.
  • the tobacco deposited upon screen conveyor 35 is agitated to loosen the mass and.
  • the screened tobacco transported by the conveyor 35 is deposited in the mouth 36 of the tower separator inlet 37 where there is mounted a bladed rotor 38 which throws the tobacco into and across the towe'rseparator 39 at a predetermined velocity.
  • the tobacco is subjected to an upward current of air which carries loose tobacco upwards while permitting tobacco lumps or agglomerates and foreign material, gum and stem chips to fall downwardly.
  • the downwardly falling material falls on a vibrating screen 41 which screens out the stems, etc., the tobacco lumps retained on the screen being conveyed into a conduit 42 which is connected to the suction side of a pneumatic conveyor terminating in a tangential separator 43 which returns the tobacco lumps to tined conveyor 30 for further combing.
  • the tobacco passing upwardly in the separator 39 is fed to a special tangential separator through an adjustable throat 44 formed between the inner and outer scrolls of the separator.
  • the area of the throat is controlled by a damper 45 which guides the stream of tobacco entering the separator against the inner surface of the outer periphery or scroll of the separator.
  • Air and dust are discharged into the exhaust conduit 46 which is connected to the fan 47.
  • the fan 47 exhausts the air to atmosphere via a filtering apparatus 48 which collects the dust or provision could be made to return the air to the lower end of tower 39.
  • the mass of tobacco-which passes through the throat 44 travels around the inner face or periphery of the outer scroll and forms into a beltlike mass which flows and is guided into an outlet 49 formed on the separator 40.
  • the tobacco entering metering tube 50 flows downwardly within the tube, under the influence of gravity and the force of the airstream within the separator 40.
  • the metering-tube 50 at its lower end is provided with an arcuate throat 51 which deflects the stream of tobacco from a vertical flow toa horizontal flow.
  • the throat as shown in FIG. 3, comprises an arcuate backplate 52 and an adjustable, arcuate, hingedly mounted front plate 53 which is retained in adjusted position by adjusting means 54.
  • the tobacco issuing from throat 51 flows onto metering conveying belt 55 which carries it between transversely adjustable guides 56, supported on side rails 57 of the framework 58.
  • the tobacco as it is carried along by metering conveying belt 55, passes beneath a compacting roller 59 which reduces the depth of the mat of tobacco sufficiently to pennit its passage beneath a cutter head assembly 60 and continue its travel until the leading end of the mat abuts against a tobacco stop 61.
  • the cutter head assembly comprises a cutter head 62, which supports thereon a resser-plate 63, a cutter blade 64 and a wiper blade 65.
  • the cutter head 62 has formed therein bores 66 (FIG. 6) adapted to slidably mount cutter head 62 on upstanding guideposts 67 which are secured to rails 57 of framework 58.
  • the upper free ends of guideposts 67 are held in spaced relation by entablature 68 which is secured thereon by nuts 69 and 70.
  • the presser-plate 63 consists of a soleplate 71 formed with an arcuate edge which faces upstream in relation to the travel of the mat of tobacco.
  • a pair of upstanding posts 72 are secured in transverse spaced relation to the soleplate 63 and extend upwardly through bores 73, formed in cutter head 62.
  • the upper ends of the posts 72 extending above the cutter head 62 are threadedly engaged in nuts 74 which are adjusted to maintain the soleplate 71 a predetermined distance below the bottom surface of cutter head 62.
  • the presser-plate is yieldably maintained in its downward position by springs 75 which encompass the posts 72 and bear against the upper surface of the soleplate 71 and the lower surface of the cutter head 62, respectively.
  • the cutter blade 64 as shown in H6. 7, is secured to the cutter head and extends downwardly with its upstream face abutting against the downstream edge -of soleplate 71. The cutting edge of the cutter blade, as shown in FIG.
  • the wiper blade 65 is mounted on a crosshead 76 which is slidably mounted on parallel horizontal spaced shafts 77.
  • the shafts 77 are supported at their ends in brackets 78 which are mounted on and secured to cutter head 62.
  • the wiper blade 65 as shown in FIG. 3, abuts against the downstream face of cutter blade 64 and extends at a right angle therefrom a distance, when in the downward operative position, sufficient to sweep the space between the cutter blade 64 and tobacco stop 61.
  • the cutter head 62 and the appended presser-plate 63, wiper-blade 65 and cutter blade 64 are reciprocated upwardly and downwardly by a piston and cylinder arrangement 79, 80 (FIG. cylinder 79 being mounted on and secured to entablature 68 while piston rod 80 is attached to cutter head 62.
  • the wiper-blade 65 is reciprocated back and forth across metering conveyor belt 55 by a piston and cylinder arrangement 81 mounted on and secured to the left hand bracket 78, see FIGS. 4 and 5.
  • the piston rod of this arrangement not shown, passes freely through said bracket to be secured at its free end to the crosshead 76.
  • the cutter blade 64 and wiperblade 65 when in the lowered, operative position are adjusted to clear the metering conveyor belt 55 by approximately five one-thousandths of an inch.
  • the adjustment of the wiperblade 65 and the cutting edge of the cutter 64 is accomplished by collars 82 threadedly engaged on the lower ends of guide posts 67.
  • the cylinders 79 and 81 mounted on entablature 68 and the bracket 78, respectively, are actuated by a slide valve 83 which is reciprocated by a solenoid 83.
  • the slide-valve 83 operates in conjunction with one-way pilot valves 84 and 85.
  • the valve 84 is installed in the supply conduit, not shown, so that the lever arm 86, pivotally secured thereon, is actuated by a dowel-pin 87 when the cutter head 62 has reached the end of its downward stroke, whereupon the pressure in the cylinder 79 is permitted to exhaust and cut off the power.
  • the one-way pilot valve 85 is secured on the cutter head 62 so that the lever arm 88 pivotally mounted thereon projects downwardly, see FIGS. 4 and 5, into the path of crosshead 76 which has formed thereon a chamfered surface 89 adapted to engage arm 88.
  • the arm 88 when actuated, moves the valve to open position, permitting the pressure within cylinder 81 to exhaust so that the travel of the crosshead may be arrested at the end of its stroke.
  • the solenoid 83' is energized to reset the slide valve 83 so that the cylinders 79 and 81 are energized to raise the cutter head 62 and the attached wiper-blade 65, the cylinder 81 withdrawing the wiper-blade to the left, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
  • the resser-plate 63 contacts and presses the mat of tobacco to a predetermined depth, depending on the preset yield strength of springs 75.
  • the cutter blade as it travels downwardly severs a portion of tobacco from the mat and the wiper-blade at this moment is energized to wipe the severed portion off the metering belt 55.
  • the belt 55 from beneath the presser path to a point slightly beyond the tobacco stop 61, is slidably supported on a bedplate 89 secured between the side rails 57 of framework 58, see H6. 4.
  • the bedplate acts as a rigid means which resists the downwards pressure of the pressure plate 63 and the cutting blade 64.
  • the block or batch of tobacco wiped from the metering conveying belt 55 falls into a chute 90 which guides it into wrapping or packaging machine 91, known to the trade as a Rose Packers.
  • the speed of the metering belt 55 and the timing of the reciprocations of the cutter head 62 are governed by the rate at which the packer receives and wraps the blocks of tobacco, by means of suitable electronic equipment, not shown but well known to the art.
  • Each wrapped block of tobacco ejected from the packer is picked up by a conveyor 92 (HO. 1) which carries it and deposits it onto the bands of a weighing machine 93 which has incorporated therein sensing means adapted to function when the packages passing thereover are overweight or underweight beyond predetermined tolerances.
  • the sensing means If the packages are overweight the sensing means, through servo-means, and electronic means, known to the art, feeds a signal to slow down the speed of the conveyor belt 55. lf, on the other hand, the packages passing over the weighing machine are underweight the sensing means signals the servo and electronic means which speeds up the conveyor belt 55 until the weights of the packages are within the predetermined tolerances.
  • the metering tube is provided with a series of photoelectric cells 94 adapted to scan the column of tobacco in the metering tube and maintain it at the proper level for efficient operation by controlling the speed of components of the apparatus upstream of the tube.
  • Apparatus for automatically dividing cut tobacco into package-size weights comprising an upstanding conduit of uniform cross section, feed means for feeding loose tobacco of substantially uniform density to the upper end of said conduit, said feed means including a vertical tower, means for introducing tobacco laterally into said tower, means for producing upward current of air in said tower to carry upwards only tobacco particles of a desired density, and a tangential separator adapted to receive said particles and deliver them to the upper end of said conduit, means for observing the level of tobacco in said conduit, means for controlling the rate of feed of tobacco into said tower to maintain said level within predetermined limits, a conveyor disposed beneath the lower end of said conduit, means for driving said conveyor to conduct a substantially uniform stream of tobacco from said conduit along a substantially horizontal path, and cutter means for cutting from said stream predetermined lengths representing package-size weights.
  • said cutter means includes a vertically disposed cutting blade, means for vertically reciprocating said blade, a horizontal presser-plate movable with the cutter blade and adapted to contact and compress loose tobacco immediately upstream of the cutter blade, and resilient means yieldingly urging said presser-plate downwardly.
  • Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 including check weighing means for checking the weight of packages discharged from the packaging means and responsive to excessively overweight or underweight packages to alterthe speed of the conveyor.
  • said feed means further includes a bulk tobacco conveyor, a plurality of helical rod rotors for removing tobacco from said bulk conveyor, an upwardly inclined, tined conveyor for receiving tobacco from said rotors, a tined rotor adjacent said tined conveyor for brushing excess tobacco on said conveyor downwardly and combing out agglomerates on said conveyor, a brush roller adjacent the upper end of the return run of said tined conveyor for stripping tobacco from said tined conveyor, and means for impelling tobacco stripped from said tined conveyor into said tower at a predetermined velocity.
  • Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, including means for returning agglomerates from said tower to the lower end of said tined conveyor.
  • a method of dividing cut tobacco into package-size weights which comprises the steps of feeding cut tobacco into a tower separator, subjecting it in said tower separator to an upward flow of air of predetermined velocity to convey tobacco of a desired density upwardly away from material of greater than the desired density, conducting the upwardly conveyed tobacco through a tangential separator, guiding the tobacco leaving the tangential separator into a vertical tube of uniform cross section, observing the level of tobacco in said tube and controlling the rate of feed to the tower separator to maintain the level within predetermined limits, conveying the tobacco from the lower end of said tube as a mat of substantially uniform density and cross-sectional area and cutting from said mat predetermined lengths representing package-size weights.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Quality & Reliability (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Manufacturing Of Cigar And Cigarette Tobacco (AREA)
  • Wrapping Of Specific Fragile Articles (AREA)
US803795A 1969-03-03 1969-03-03 Apparatus and method for dividing cut tobacco into package-size weights Expired - Lifetime US3585774A (en)

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US80379569A 1969-03-03 1969-03-03

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US (1) US3585774A (nl)
BE (1) BE746627A (nl)
DE (1) DE2009521C3 (nl)
GB (1) GB1278014A (nl)
NL (1) NL160208C (nl)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4019547A (en) * 1974-05-13 1977-04-26 Del Monte Corporation Can filling method and apparatus
US4157037A (en) * 1977-03-30 1979-06-05 Del Monte Corporation Apparatus and methods for controlling the feeding of wet materials
US20100199601A1 (en) * 2007-10-12 2010-08-12 Azionaria Costruzioni Macchine Automatiche A.C.M.A. S.P.A. Machine for manufacturing pouches containing a tobacco mixture
US9833021B2 (en) 2014-10-02 2017-12-05 Digirettes, Inc. Disposable tank electronic cigarette, method of manufacture and method of use

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1052318A (nl) *
US1353613A (en) * 1919-04-23 1920-09-21 James H Renton Cop-making apparatus
US1398569A (en) * 1921-04-11 1921-11-29 Combination Machine Company Method of packing and preserving plug-tobacco
US2763973A (en) * 1954-04-09 1956-09-25 Philip Morris And Co Ltd Inc Method of packaging tobacco
US3020687A (en) * 1958-09-15 1962-02-13 Falls Paper & Power Company Method and apparatus for forming individual wrapped pads from otherwise continuous batt strips
US3474592A (en) * 1964-04-20 1969-10-28 Stille Werner Ab Machine for producing and packaging diapers
US3513626A (en) * 1967-02-28 1970-05-26 Zoya Valentinovna Zhavoronkova Device for putting food-stuffs into cans

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1052318A (nl) *
US1353613A (en) * 1919-04-23 1920-09-21 James H Renton Cop-making apparatus
US1398569A (en) * 1921-04-11 1921-11-29 Combination Machine Company Method of packing and preserving plug-tobacco
US2763973A (en) * 1954-04-09 1956-09-25 Philip Morris And Co Ltd Inc Method of packaging tobacco
US3020687A (en) * 1958-09-15 1962-02-13 Falls Paper & Power Company Method and apparatus for forming individual wrapped pads from otherwise continuous batt strips
US3474592A (en) * 1964-04-20 1969-10-28 Stille Werner Ab Machine for producing and packaging diapers
US3513626A (en) * 1967-02-28 1970-05-26 Zoya Valentinovna Zhavoronkova Device for putting food-stuffs into cans

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4019547A (en) * 1974-05-13 1977-04-26 Del Monte Corporation Can filling method and apparatus
US4157037A (en) * 1977-03-30 1979-06-05 Del Monte Corporation Apparatus and methods for controlling the feeding of wet materials
US20100199601A1 (en) * 2007-10-12 2010-08-12 Azionaria Costruzioni Macchine Automatiche A.C.M.A. S.P.A. Machine for manufacturing pouches containing a tobacco mixture
US8402720B2 (en) * 2007-10-12 2013-03-26 Azionaria Costruzioni Macchine Automatiche A.C.M.A. S.P.A. Machine for manufacturing pouches containing a tobacco mixture
US9833021B2 (en) 2014-10-02 2017-12-05 Digirettes, Inc. Disposable tank electronic cigarette, method of manufacture and method of use
USD805686S1 (en) 2014-10-02 2017-12-19 Digirettes, Inc. Vaping device
USD805687S1 (en) 2014-10-02 2017-12-19 Digirettes, Inc. Vaping device tank
US10278428B2 (en) 2014-10-02 2019-05-07 Digirettes, Inc. Disposable tank electronic cigarette, method of manufacture and method of use
US10299513B2 (en) 2014-10-02 2019-05-28 Digirettes, Inc. Disposable tank electronic cigarette, method of manufacture and method of use
USD857985S1 (en) 2014-10-02 2019-08-27 Digirettes, Inc. Vaping device
USD863676S1 (en) 2014-10-02 2019-10-15 Digirettes, Inc. Vaping device tank

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
NL160208B (nl) 1979-05-15
NL160208C (nl) 1979-10-15
DE2009521A1 (de) 1970-09-10
DE2009521C3 (de) 1978-12-21
GB1278014A (en) 1972-06-14
BE746627A (fr) 1970-07-31
DE2009521B2 (de) 1978-05-18
NL7003042A (nl) 1970-09-07

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