US597153A - Plug-tobacco-tagging machine - Google Patents

Description

H e e h S W e w w 3 R N I H M MM G M m T P0 A m G U L P (No Model.)

No. 597,153. Patented Jan. 11, 1898.

iNVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY,

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

0. R. PFLAGING'. PLUG TOBAOGO TAGGING MACHINE. No. 597.153. Patented Jan. 11,1898.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

C. R. PPLAGING.

PLUG TOBACCO TAGGING MACHINE.

No. 597,153. Patented Jan. 11, 1898 I I r (@2 7 1m: uorrms' Farms :0. Pnomuro. wnsmwrau', o. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT rricn,

CHARLES R. PFLAGING, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

PhUG-TOBACCO-TAGGING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,153, dated January 11, 1898.

Application filed December 10, 1896. Serial No. 615,133. (No model) v To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. PFLAGING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have in vented a certain new and usefullmprovement in Plug-Tobacco-Tagging Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in machines for tagging plugs of tobacco, and has for its object to provide such a machine that will automatically perform this work. I

In manufacturing tobacco in plug shape it is customary to place thereon one or more metal tags by pressing the prongs of said tags into the plug, andthis has usually been accomplished by hand, but by the use of my improved machine the tags are placed within one or more magazines which automatically arrange them in proper position, and pass them to slotted chutes, by which they aredelivered to a convenient point and thereafter picked up by magnets and finally driven into the plug of tobacco, all of which is accomplished automatically, the only hand-work being the placing of the plug in position for the reception of the tags.

lVhile I have here shown a construction for the embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that many of the details thereof may be altered without altering the gist of my invention, and this is especially true of that portion of the machine which applies the tag directly to the plug, and I deem it only necessary to illustrate a construction which will carry out my invention sufficiently for those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In the drawings annexed thereto and forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective of amachine built in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a section of a tagging-table, illustrating the mechanism for bringing about the application of the tags to the plug; Fig. 3, a detail perspective of the lower end of one of the chutes for delivering the tags in proper position to the magnets; Fig, 4, a front view of one of the magazines, the chute being sectioned away, showing the scoop in position for dumping the tags within the hopper; Fig. 5, a similar view showing the sides of the hopper swung open for relieving it of the surplus tags which have not been placed within the slot; Fig. 6, a longitudinal section of one of the magazines, showing a number of tags within the slot and the push-out in its normal position before starting forward; and Fig. 7, a similar view showing the push-out forced forward to drive the tags within the chute.

In the embodiment of my invention as here shown 1 represents the magazines adapted to contain the tags, which may be arranged in a series containing any number, and they are preferably mounted upon a frame 2 of some elevation in order that the tags delivered therefrom may move downward by their gravity. Each of these magazines is composed of a cylinder 3,which is journaled within the uprights 4-, so as to rotate after the 1nannor of a shaft, and may be caused to rotate in unison, one with the other, by the gearteeth 5, formed thereon, which mesh with intermediate idle-pinions, {not shown,) thus causing each of the cylinders to rotate in the same direction. Poweris here shown as being transmitted to the cylinders by a belt running upon one of said cylinders and a pulley 6, and this pulley is secured upon the powershaft journaled in the frame of the machine. Secured to the interior wall of each cylinder are scoops 7, set at such an angle that when the cylinder is rotated in the direction of the arrow said scoops in passing through the lower portion of their movement will pick up a number of the tags S'which have previously been deposited within. the cylinder and elevate them to the position shown in Fig. 4,, after which said tags will be dumped from the scoops. A bar 9, which is triangular in cross-section, extends through the center of the cylinder and has a longitudinal slot 10 formed therein of a width just sufficient to receive a tag when placed edgewise, so that but one tag at a time can gain access to one portion of the slot for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

A hopper composed of the sides 11 and 12, said sides being secured to the rods 13 and 14, respectively, serves to receive the tags when dumped from the scoops, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and the side 11 of the hopper Y is so bent that the lower portion thereof when in normal position stands almost perpendicu- This arrangement has the effect of prevent-' ing the tags from entering the slot in any position other than that desired, since should they fall within the hopper with their prongs pointing in the opposite direction they would not be permitted to enter the slot on account of the contact of said prongs with the lower portion of the side 11, which would holdthe tags at too great an angle to the slot to permit their entrance, and it will also be noted that they do not enter the slot except when their prongs are approximately in a horizontal plane, as said tags would strike against the bar 9 and sustain themselves above the slot.

Now it will be seen that it is only necessary after a number of tags have been dumped within the hopper to open the sides of said hopper to permit the tags which have not entered the slot to fall from off the bar, and this I accomplish in the following manner: The rods 13 and 14 are j ournaled within the frames 16 and l7,which latter are secured to the strip 18, upon which the bar 9 is supported, and the rear ends of these rods have secured thereon the cranks 19 and 20, respectively, said cranks having pivoted thereto the links 21 and 22, the former of which is attached to the cam-lever 23 at 24 and the latter to said lever at 25, the cam-lever being pivoted to the frame 17 at 26, from which it is obvious that when this cam-lever is swung in the direction of the arrow marked adjacent thereto in Fig. 4 the sides of the hopper will be swung outward to the position shown in Fig. 5. The cam-lever 23 is caused to swing in this manner by the cams 26, which are formed upon the cylinder and arranged to act upon the pin 27. These cams are of such shape as to bring about the movement of the lever quickly and then permitits retraction gradually,'which latter is accomplished by the coil-spring 28, attached to the lever at one end and to the collar 29 at the other, said collar being adj ustably carried upon the extension 30 of the frame 17, so as to vary the tension of this spring for increasing or decreasing the strength of action of the lever. After the tags have been delivered to the slot it is necessary that they be pushed forward to the chute, the construction of which will be hereinafter explained, and to accomplish this I provide a push-out 31, the latter fitted to run in the slot and connected by means of the rod 32 to the upper end of the arm 33, and this arm is secured to the eccentric disk 34, which latter is pivoted at 35 to the lug 36,

which projects upward from the projecting bar 37. A link 38 is pivoted at 39 to the eccentric disk and has its opposite end pivoted at 40 to the cam-lever 41, said lever being pivoted at 42 to the post 43, which also projects upward from the projecting bar 37. The inner end of the cam-lever 41 is provided with a roll 43, arranged to bear upon the outer edge of the cylinder, and this outer edge has secured thereto or formed thereon cam projections 44, so that as the cylinder revolves and these cam projections come into contact with the roll they will force the inner end of the lever 41 downward, thereby elevating its outer end,which in turn will actuate the cocentric disk so as to move the arm 33 inward, and as the push-out is connected with this arm, as before described, said push-out will be caused to travel throughout the length of the groove 10 until reaching the position shown in Fig. 7. It is therefore obvious that tags which have previously been inserted within this slot will be forced forward and caused to pass from out of the slot. The strip 18 is bent downward, as indicated at 45, and is secured to the inner end of the projecting bar 37 at 46, and upon this strip is supported the chute 47, which forms a continuation of the slot 10, so that'when the push-out forces the tags out of the slot they will pass into the chute, after which, by their gravity, they will move downward when permitted until reaching the turner 48, which consists of strips of sheet metal so bent and placed as to receive the tags with their prongs projecting into the space 49 and convey them downward, gradually turning them over until they lie level with their prongs downward.

Vhen the chute is full of tags and the continued operation of the push-out tends to force other tags within the chute, the tags which are in the slot 10 and are themselves being forced will be thrown out of the slot by the action of the push out, which has a rounded nose sufficiently to pass under the tags when the latter offer any considerable resistance to its forward movement, which resistance will be offered when the tags in the slot are blocked from passing therefrom to the chute by the tags which have previously gained access to the chute in suflicient manner to fill the same, the bottom tag being retained by the lugs 58 at the bottom of the turner, and to prevent the liability of the tags within the chute being thrown from out the same or otherwise disarranged a strip 50 is so disposed relative to the chute as to confine the prongs of the tags against upward movement, as will be readily understood. As before stated, a series of these magazines (here shown as three in number) are arranged to work in conjunction with the tag-applying mechanism, and the chute from each of the magazines leads downward and, terminating in a spreader 48, is arranged to deliver the tags to said mechanism.

52 represents the tagging-table, forming a part of the frame of the machine, and has projecting upward therefrom the guideways 53, in which is fitted the reciprocating block 54:, and said block is caused to move to and fro within the guideways by the connecting-rods 55, which are pivoted thereto at one end and to the upper ends of the levers 56. These levers are secured upon the shaft 57, and their lower ends extend within the field of action of the cam-disks 59, said disks being secured upon the shaft 60, which is caused to rotate by a suitable belt and pulley. (Not shown.) Within the sliding block 54: are arranged magnets 62, which are equal in number to the chutes and are so located relative thereto that the poles of said magnets, which project downward from the block, pass over the lowest tag in each of the chutes, so that when vitalized the tags will be attracted thereby and by adhering to the poles of the magnets may be moved outward with the block. It is necessary, therefore, that the magnets should be vitalized and devitalized at predetermined points,which is accomplished by passing wires 63 to a circuit-breaker 64, which consists of a disk secured to the main shaft, having a portion thereof insulated, a battery 66 being utilized for the furnishing of the electric energy in the well-known manner.

A platen (37 is mounted upon the uprights 68, which latter project through the table and have pivoted thereto at 69 the outer ends of the cam-levers 70, said levers in turn being pivoted at 71, their inner ends projecting within the field of action of the cam 72, said cam being secured upon the shaft 60 and so timed that when the block carrying the magnet-s has reached its outward limit and there caused to dwell by the action of its cams the platen will be forced upward by the spring 80. It will therefore be seen that to apply the tags to a plug of tobacco it is only necessary that said plug be placed upon the platen prior to its elevation, and as the tags are brought forward by the poles of the magnets they will be suspended above the block, and when the platen is forced upward the prongs thereof will be forced into the plug. At this point the circuit will be broken and the magnets devitalized, thus losing their hold upon the tags, so that when the platen descends the plugwill remain thereon, after which it may be pushed rearward by the placing of a new plug upon the platen, or it may be removed for that purpose. I From this description it is obvious that the attendant has only to supply the platen with the plugs of tobacco and see that the magazines are kept supplied with tags for the machine to continue its operation indefinitely.

If found desirable, the plugs of tobacco may be fed automatically tdthe platen by an arrangement of continuouslF-operating belts, or the plugs may be placed in a hop per having push-out mechanism for deliverin'gthem through said hopper to the platen, and means may be also provided for the automatic re moval from the platen after being tagged, and when a machine is thus provided a single operator may attend a number of the machines, as the only attention said machines would then need would be the supplying of the hoppers with the plugs and the magazines with tags.

I am aware that many modifications might be made in the design of such a machine without departing from the spirit of my invention-as, for instance, permanent magnets maybe substituted for the electromagnet, or mechanical means might be utilized for the conveying of the tags from the lower ends of the chutes to a position over the platen for insertion in the plugs-and I therefore do not wish to limit myself to these exact details.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is- 1. In a tagging-machine, a rotating magazine, a receptacle adapted to receive the tags from the magazine by the rotation of the latter and a slotted chute into which the receptacle discharges, as and for the purpose described.

2. In combination with a tagging-machine, one or more magazines, each consisting of a revolving cylinder,ascoop carried upon the interior of said cylinder, a bar having a slot running longitudinally of the cylinder, a hopper having pivoted sides, said sides being arranged to work in conjunction with the slot, whereby, when the tags are dumped within the hopper, certain ones thereof will be inserted in the slot, means for swinging the sides of the hopper outward so as to relieve it of the tags which have not been inserted within the slot, means for forcing the tags in the slot outward, chutes for receiving said tags when forced outward, and means for removing the tags from the chute and applying them to a plug of tobacco, as specified.

3. In combination with a machine of the character described, one or more magazines, each consisting of a revolving cylinder, a bar having a slot extending longitudinally of the cylinder, ahopper composed of two swinging sides, said sides being so bent as to prevent the insertion of tags within the slot other than in one position, means for swinging the sides of the hopper outward so as to relieve it of the surplus tags, a scoop carried by the interior of the cylinder for elevating and dumping the tags within the hopper, a push-out arranged to slide within the slot and force the tags therein outward, a chute for receiving said tags when forced outward, an arm connected by a rod to the push-out for actuating the same, a cam-lever for imparting motion to the arm, and a cam carried by the cylinder for actuating the cam-lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a machine of the character described, a magazine, consisting of a revolving cylinder, a scoop secured to the inner walls thereof for the elevation of tags placed within said cylinder, a hopper for the reception of said tags when elevated, a slotted chute arranged beneath the hopper and adapted to receive the tags when properly presented thereto, the sides of said hopper being so arranged as to prevent the tags passing into the slot except in the desired position, means for swinging thesides of the hopper outward to relieve it of the surplus tags, a push-out having a rounded nose adapted to slide within the slot, an arm for operating the push-out, said arm being connected by a rod with said push-out, an eccentric disk to which the arm is secured, a cam-lever connected to the disk by a link, a cam carried by the cylinder for operating the cam-lever, a cam also carried by the cylinder for operatingthe sides of the hopper, and mechanism for transmitting the motion of the last-named cam to the sides of the hopper, as specified.

5. In a tagging-machine, one or more magazines of the character described, a chute leading from each of said magazines, a turner ar ranged upon'the end of each of the chutes, a table, guideways supported by said table, a reciprocating. block guided by said ways, means for reciprocating said block, means carried by the block for removing the tags from the chutes, a platen adapted to move upward at a predetermined time relative to the movement of the block, and means for so moving said platen, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a tagging-machine, a rotating magazine, a receptacle adapted to receive the tags from the magazine by the rotation of the latter, a slotted chute and means for forcing the tags from the receptacle into the chute, as and for the purpose described.

7. In a tagging-machine, a rotating magazine, a receptacle adapted to receive the tags from the magazine by the rotation of the latter, a slotted chute, means whereby the tags are forced from the receptacle into the chute, a reciprocating block arranged near the chute, magnets carried by the block to attract the tags and a platen adapted to force a plug of tobacco into engagement with the tags, substantially as described.

8. In a tagging-machine,a hopper composed of a frame, sides pivoted in the frame, a slotted bar arranged to fill the opening between the sides when they are in their closed position, a lever pivoted to the frame, links connecting the lever to cranks on the outside and means for operating the lever, substantially as described.

9. In a tagging-machine, a rotating cylinder, a scoop carried upon the interior of the cylinder a slotted'bar, in combination with a hopper consisting of a frame, rods journaled therein, sides secured on the rods and bent -to form a guide to the slotted bar in such a manner to prevent the tags entering the slot except in a certain position, a lever pivoted to the frame, cranks on the rods, links connecting the cranks and levers, an extension of the frame, a collar adjustable thereon, a spring connecting the collar and lever, and cams on the cylinder to operate the lever whereby the hopper is opened or closed, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto atfixed my signature inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GHARLES R. PFLAGING.

Vitnesses S. S. WILLIAMSON, ALBERT P. STROBEL.

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