US628394A - Apparatus for treating tobacco. - Google Patents

Description

Patented July 4, i899.

C. E. COUTY.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TOBACCO.

(Application filed Oct. 31, 189B.)

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ATTORNEYS.

m: NoRms PETERS on, mqo'rquma, WASHINGTON n, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CIIARLES E. COUT'Y, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No. 628,394, dated July 4, 1899.

Application filed October 31,1898. Serial No. 695,091. (ITO model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLEs E. Count, of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus for the Treatment of Tobacco, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide an improvement in that class of apparatus which is adapted for reclaiming funked or moldy tobacco, whereby the injurious elfects and impaired appearance due to such conditions may be removed and the strength of the leaf restored without injury to it.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 isa vertical section taken practically on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

A represents a room, compartment,or building which is capable of being made air-tight and which is provided with windows, doors, or other forms of ventilators 10. Vertical racks 11 are located within the building, opposing racks being connected by rods 12, upon which racks the tobacco is tied in small hands, each hand preferably comprising eight'or ten leaves. Near the floor of the room, compartment, or building A a series of steam-pipes 13 is located, the pipes being usually parallel, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These steam-pipes 13 are provided with apertures 14: in their bottom portions, so that the steam escaping from these pipes will first strike the floor of the building, room, or compartmeht and become cooled'before said steam will ascend, thus tending to moisten the leaves, but not to burn them, since it is disastrous to the tobacco to have them submitted to moist heat of any intensity.

The various steam-pipes 13 are connected by a supply-pipe 15, and each of the steam delivery or distributing pipes 13 is provided with a valve 15 adjacent to the supply-pipe 15, in order that the amount of steam entering said delivery or distributing pipes 13 may be under complete control.

A steam-boiler or steam-generator 16 of any desired character is employed, and the pipe 15 is connected with the steam-chamber of said boiler or generator. Outside of the room, building, or compartment A two valves 17 and 18 are located in the steam-supply pipe 15, one being quite close to the steam-generator and the other usually quite near the outer wall of the building, as shown in Fig. 1.

j In connection with the delivery or distributing pipes 13 and alternating with them a lower series of delivery or distributing pipes 19 is provided. These distributing or delivery pipes 19 are preferably provided with apertures 20 in their upper surfaces and are located within casings 21, said casings forming a portion of the bottom of paus or trays 22, the pans or trays, together with the upper row of steam distributing or delivery pipes 13, being made to rest upon suitable supports 26. The lower layer or series 19 of distributing or delivery pipes is supplied by a pipe 23, connecting with one of their ends, and the amount of steam from the supply-pipe 23 to the lower distributing-pipes 19 is controlled by valves 24, and the supply-pipe 23 is made to connect with the supply-pipe 15 of the upper series'of distributing or delivery pipes at a point between the two .valves 17 and 18, as is best shown in Fig. 1.

The casings 21, connected with the trays 22, are closed at each end but the pipes 19 pass through one end of said casings, while at the opposite end of the casings a stop-cock 25 is located, whereby any desired amount of steam may be permittedto escape from the casings, as shown at the right-hand side in Fig. 1.

The pans or trays 22. are adapted to contain a fluid, usually water, and the vapor consequent upon the escape of the steam and the heat of the fluid in the pans or trays 22 will effectually remove all funk and mold from the leaves upon engaging with the damaged tobacco. At the same time a certain amount of nicotine and other chemicals natural to the leaf will be removed; but the leaf willbe brightened and given a proper color. After the hands of tobacco have been subjected to the action of the vapor for a desired length of time the ventilators in the room, compartment, or building are opened and the vapor, together with any obnoxious gases that may have been generated, is permitted to escape. The tobacco is left in the vapor room or compartment A until it becomes quite cool and more or less stiff or hard.

After the tobacco has been treated in the vap oriZing-room it is necessary that the strength extracted from thetobacco when subjected to the vapor should be replaced. To that end I employ a bath 27, as shown particularly in Fig. 3, in which avessel 28 is supported, provided at its upper end and above the bath with a stop-cock 29. The bath 27 is filled with Water, and the vessel 28 is partially filled with water, and in this water more or less tobacco of a high grade is placed in order that a stronginfusion or tea may be produced when the water boils.

In order to determine the pressure in the vessel 28, a smaller vessel 30 is fitted in the upper portion of the larger vessel 28, the bottom of the upper and smaller vessel 30 being made quite thin. The upper vessel 30 is filled with a predetermined quantity of water, and when the steam in the inner vessel 28, in which the infusion is to be made, has gained sufficient pressure to force the bottom of the upper vessel 30 outward the fluid in the upper vessel will be spilled, and thus notify the attendant that it is necessary to open the stop-cock 29 and relieve the extracting vessel 28 from surplus pressure. The upper vessel 30 may be termed an indicating vessel, since it indicates a surplus of pressure in the vessel in which it is fitted.

' In connection with the apparatus just described I employ a still, which consists of a receptacle 31, adapted to contain water, and an adjacent receptacle 32. A steam-pipe 33, provided with suitable valves, is connected with the steam-generator 16, and this steampipe 33 is provided with branches 34 and 35, that extend downward into the water contained in the bath-receptacle 27 and tank or receptacle 31 for the purpose of heating such water. A retort 36 is located in the receptacle 31 of the still, and the said retort is adapted to contain the infusion or extract of tobacco obtained through the medium of the receptacle 28, and the said retort 36 is connected with a worm 37, said worm being located in the receptacle 32, forming a portion of the still, and the lower end of the worm is carried to a tank 38, into which the extract or decoction is received. The hands of tobacco that have been treated in the vaporizing chamber or house A are treated with the tobacco essence that has passed through the still, the treatment being made in anydesired manner. Thus it will be observed that any nicotine or other natural qualities that may have been removed from the leaf when exposed to the vapor will be restored to the tobacco by the second treatment of the leaf.

It is evident that when tobacco has been treated as above set forth tobacco of a high grade that is usually sold as a low-grade tobacco because of blemish may be restored to its original condition, and the restoration may be made without injury to the leaf and without injury to the consumer of the leaf.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- In an apparatus for the treatment of tobacco, a sealed compartment capable of ventilation, a generator of steam, series of steampipes, one located below the other, the pipes of the two series being alternately arranged, the pipes of one series being provided with apertures facing downward and the pipes of the other series being provided with apertures facing upward, trays located between the series of pipes having their apertures facing downward, jackets attached to the trays and inclosing the other series of pipes, and inlet and outlet valves for the incased steampipes, as described.

CHARLES E. COUTY.

WVitnesses:

J AMES J. MORRIS, W. T. HALE.

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