US75805A - spencer - Google Patents

Description

Letters Patent No. 75,805, dated March 24, 1868.

. i IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINE FOB. CUTTING TOBACCO.

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T0 ALL WHOM IT MAY OONGERN:

Be it known that I, L. W. SPENCER, ofthe city and county of New-York, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinery for Producing FineCut Tobacco; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof. I

My invention relates to the means forcompressing and feeding forward the properly sweetened and otherwise prepared leaves of. tobacco, to means for maintaining a very sharp condition of the cutters, and to means for avoiding the accumulation of gummy or adhesivematter upon the cutters.

I will rst proceed .to describe what I considerthe best means for carrying out my invention, and will afterwards designate. the points which I believe to be new.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification;

Figure 1 is' a front view.

Figure 2 is a side view.

Figure 3 is a plan view; and

Figure 4 is a view of a portion, as seen from within.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures. Tints are employed merely to aid in distinguishing parts, and do not necessarily imply differences of material. Thematerial of the metallic parts may be iron and steel. The framing orcase may bc made of hard wood.

A is a xed framework, which may be bolted down, or otherwise firmly secured upon' the door. B B are the two sides of a stationary box or casing, mounted upon the framework A, and between which the tobacco is introduced. These sides are not exactly parallel; they are a little wider apart at the feed-rollers. B is a mouth-piece or plate, preferably of iron or steel, through which the compressed and compacted tobacco is slowly discharged, and is cut by cutters traversing across, as will be readily understood. This mouth-pieceB is bolted to the sides B B, and connects them firmly at the front end. C is an arbor or shaft, driven by a belt not represented, running on the pulley C', and impelled by a steam-engine or other suitable power. I)1 D2 are stout arms, very rigidly secured on the axis C, and carrying knives al d, which, as the shaft C revolves, are carried in close proximity across the face ofthe mouth-piece B. These knives sever the tobacco as it is slowly forced out through the said mouth-piece. E is a. broad emery-wheel or emery-roller. It is mounted in bearings supported on the framework as represented, :d is vrotated rapidly by a round belt, not represented, which runs'on the pulley E', on the prolongedend of the shaft.'m Each knife touches this rapidly-revolving emery-wheel at each revolutiomand the action of the grinding-surface keeps the cutters sharp. Gr is a casing, preferably ofmetal, which encloses the emerywhecl E on all sides, except a little space on the front to allow the' cutters to be successively presented. lhis caringl G stands at a little distance from the rapidly-revolving surface of the emery-wheel, and is lled with steam throughhthe pipe g, steam being supplied from a boiler, not represented.

The steam keeps the 'emery-wheel hot and damp, and the moisture imparted tothe cutters d d by the moisture of the emery-wheel, and by the small quantityof steam which is allowed to escape from the aperturein the front of the casing G, tends very eiTectually to prevent any accumulation of gummy matter on the cutters.

My machine treats the tobacco in a novel` manner previous to its issuing throughthe mouth-piece B. On beingintroduced between the sides B B, it rests on a slowly-traversing endless apron,`H, which is carried on drums h1 h2, as indicated in dotted lines in iig. 2. `The stock is fed forward by this means, and is seized by two stout and accurately-turnedrollers, I' I2, shown in strong lines in figs. 1 and 3, and in dotted lines in g. 2. These rollers are perfectly cylindrical, and fill very nearly `the entire space at that point between the sides B B, the sides beingr peculiarly adapted at this point, as will be` described further on. Stout worm-wheels J1 J2 are ixedon the shafts of these feed-rollers,just outside of the casing B' B, andtheirperipheries are simultaneously acted onby the single worm K, mounted in bearings on the outsidelof the casing B B, and connected so as, like the drums L h2, to receive a slow rotatory motion from the driving-shaft() by gearing of an ordinary character,

which wI do not deem it necessary to represent, It may be suilcient to say that the connection is made by gearing and worm-wheels, the connection extending across under theiramework A.

It will be understood that this arrangement imparts a steady but tary slow rotatory movement to the feed rolls Il I2, and that a corresponding forward movement is given to the highly-compressed mass of tobacco which is delivered through the same, and is urged forward to be cut on itscxitfrom the mouth-piece B. In order to properly confino the tobacco laterally, I provide side-platesm m, of polished iron orother suitable material, which are introduced and form a lining, so to speak, to the side-pieces BB along the surface where the tobacco is being compressed by the rollers. One of these pieces detached, withvsome of the4 adjacent parts, is represented in iig. 4. A portion of each of these sideplates is shown in g.3. Each side-plate extends into the diminishing spacevor bite between the rolls, and practically contines the width of the-'casing between which the tobacco.is confined to a width less than the cylindrical part of the feed-rolls I1 IZ. Just at the point where the tobacco is most compressed between the feed-rolls, that is to say, just in a line `between the axes of the feed-rolls Il Iz, the side-plates mm terminate. At this point, therefore, the tobacco, after being held laterally to endure the full compressing action of the rolls Il I2, is relieved from further lateral pressure.l In other word's, the highlycompressed and accurately-squared mass of tobacco is relieved from pressure, both laterally and vertically, as it passes the line of centres of the feed-rolls. llhence it is fed forward in a dense mass, enclosed in a suitable casing, M, both laterally and vertically, until'it reaches the mouth-pieceB. This mouth-piece, instead of being of uniform size with 'the casing M, as has been the form of the mouth-pieces of previous tobacco-machines, is contracted, so that the tobacco, instead of meeting with greatfresistance from friction during its whole passage through the casing M, and-thus holding back the progress of the entire mass, is relieved from pressure, except at the mouth, and'is allowed to move freely, but it is tightly compacted and supported on all sides just previous to its being acted on bythe cutters.

I have tested this portion of my mechanism very carefully, and have found it to produce an admirable effect. The tobacco is cut very uniformly, and the feeding, as thus arranged, is very eiiicient and uniform.

I can gear my feeding-mechanism to feed las little or as much between each stroke of the cutters as may be required for the several kinds or grades to be produced. l I

My machine avoids some very serious diiculties incident to tobacco-cutting machines heretofore employed. I may remark that the cutters of the ordinary tobacco-machines require to be removed and ground after operating only about one minute. l

Some of the advantages due tocertainfeatures of my invention may be separately enumerated, as follows:

First. By reason of the fact that my tobacco is fed forward by the -feed-rolls Ix I2, made of large size, either plain, as represented, or ridged longitudinally, spirally, or otherwise, I am able tocompress efectually and without so much bending the material, as would be required with small rolls acting on a small area, and can, by the great surface thus afforded, urge' forward the material eiliciently, and con deliver the tobacco to the cutters d din a highly compact form, and with avery uniform feed, without the crushing of the stock due to the joints of chains or the like, and with very simple, cheap, anddurable mechanism. J I

Second. By reason of the fact that my passage through the early part of the casing M is larger than the space between the rolls Il I2, I allow the tobacco to move forward without serious resistance from friction, while it is still sutiiciently guided and sustained, and by reason of the-fact that my throat B"is contracted at the point of cutting, I compress the mass of tobacco, and thereby cause the cutto be unifor'mand prevent portions or ends of the leaves from being drawn through by the cutters in large pieces, instead of being finely cut.

Third. By reason of the fact that the sides B B diverge towardl the feed-rolls, I secure an easy and gentle contact of the sides against the material, while I allow the material lto be packed between the sides by the hands or otherwise, with all the force which is available, and, as the tobacc'o moves forward, insure an easy and gentle contact of the sides, and only a slight resistance, due to friction against the same, while it is still eiicicntly guided and supported.

Fourth. By reason of the fact that the plates 'm m are tted closely to the contour of the rolls, and lill the space between the `sameat each end, as represented, Iam ableto produce a smoother and more firmly-compressed edge to the mass to be forced forward through the casing M, with less tine or thin material projecting beyond the corners, than would otherwise be possible with equally cheap and simple means.

Fifth. By reason of the fact that my cutters d d are acted on at each revolution by the emery-wheel E, I am able to maintain an extremely sharp cutting-edge on each cutter for a much longer period than is usual in tobacco-machinery.

Sixth. By reason ofthe fact that the steam received through the pipe g into the casing .G is applied to moisten vthe surfaces ofthe cutters d d at each revolution, I am able to insure just a suicient degree of moisture on the cutters to prevent the adhesion of gummy or adhesive matter to the latter, without the deleterious eects which would arise from the presence of any considerable quantities of water on' the surfaces.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows: l

1. I claim the feed-rolls I I, conducting-case M, and-cutters d o?, combined as and for thc purpose herein set forth. l

2. I claim the contracted mouth-picce/B, adjacent to the cutter d,arranged as -represented relatively to the passage M and rolls Il I, as and for the purposes herein set forth. l

3. I claim the diverging sides B B off/the feed-box, as and for the purpose herein specified.

4.4 I claim the plates m, constructed sind arranged relatively to thelfeed-box B B and feeding-devices II I2, as and for the purposes herein set forth.

5. I claim thc grinding-surfae,E,'arranged and operated relatively to the cutters substantially as represented, so as to sharpen the knives or cutters d d while they are in operation, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.` f

6. I claim the application ofvsteam tothe cutters rl d or their equivalents previous 11o each cut2 by conducting the steam from a. boiler or the like into the Vcasing through or past which the cuttciS revolve, substantiaiiy as and for the purpose herein set forth.

L. W. SPENCER.

Witnesses:

W. C DEY, i C. C.,LIv1NGs.

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