US59489A - Improvement in machines for pressing tobacco - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT @einen WILLIAM H. WATSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR PRESSING TOBACCO.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,489, dated November 6, 1866.

` To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. WATSON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction and Operation of Machines for Pressing Tobacco and other substances 5 and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which'- Figure l is a side elevation of my improved machine; Fig. 2, a vertical cut-section of the same; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section of the lower half of the machine 5 Fig. et, a view of the removable side plate employed; Fig. 5, a front view of the cutting apparatus employed by me; Fig. 6, a vertical cut-section of the cutting apparatus, piercers, and lifting-table used by me in some instances. Fig. 7 are detached views of the counting apparatus employed by me.

In the drawings like parts ofthe invention are indicated by similar letters of reference.

The nature of my invention consists, (tu) in the use or employment of a pressing-surface formed by combining a series of bars or plates, A, constructed and operating as hereinafter fully made known; (1),) in 'combining with the same a feeding or pressing surface, formed by combining a series of bars or plates, B, conv structed and operated as hereinafter described; (0,) in piercing the tobacco, substantially as shown, for the purposeshereinafter set forth 5 ((1,) in constructing the wheels so that they shall force forward the bars or plates A and B when in operation, as hereinafter fully described; (6,) in the use or employment of a cutting apparatus for cutting the tobacco, as hereinafter fully described 5 (f,) in combining with the piercer a movable table, as hereinafter described, (g,) in combining with a tobacco-pressing machine a counting or registering apparatus, as hereinafter fully described.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same.

D shows the lower frame of my improved machine, composed of two side pieces bolted together and supported by the legs E. F shows the driving-shaft of the machine, running its entire length, and supported, also, in holes in the legs E. This shaft is a crankshaft, and has attached to it the treadle G. Upon this shaft, about midway its length, is placed the screw H, gearing into the cog-wheel I upon the shaft J, and upon the forward end of the shaft F the pin R, operating the wormwheel L.

J is a shaft, held in the lugs ay a, having upon it the cogwheel I and pinion M, gea-ring into the cog-wheel N upon the shaft O.

At the back end of the frame D is hung the roller P upon the shaft Q, over which roller the belt R passes.

The frame is grooved upon its interior, as at d d, to receive and retain in position the bars or plates B, forming the lower pressing-surface, by which the tobacco or other material is pressed. These bars or plates may be made of steel, iron, or any suit-able material, and are so constructed that their ends shall fit snugly into the grooves d d in the sides of the frame and their faces project beyond the same.

In order that the tobacco in its passage through the machine shall not adhere to the bars or plates, I propose to vitrify, enamel, or cover with soluble glass the same, thus presentin g a perfectly smooth surface, over which the tobacco must glide freely.

O shows a shaft, placed about midway the length of the frame D, upon which shaft is held the grooved wheel S, which gives motion to the bars or plates B and the cog-wheel N, gearing into the cog-wheel N upon the shaft J. It will be observed that this wheel S is so constructed that it shall force forward the bars or plates B when in operation. This is particularly desirable in the presentinstance, because it serves to keep the bars or plates closely together and gives an easier pressure to the material to be pressed. y

D2 shows the secondary or upper frame of the machine, about half the length of the lower frame, which frame D2 is attached to the lower frame in any convenient manner, and is so placed that the bars or plates A contained in the same shall fall directly over the bars or plates B held iu the lower frame, D.

E2 is a shaft upon which is the grooved wheel F2, operating the bars or plates A. This upper frame is grooved upon its interior to admit and receive the bars or plates A, constructed similar to the bars or plates B contained in the lower frame.

Upon the shaft E2 is the cog-wheel G2, gearing into the cog-wheel H2 upon the shaft O.

Upon the shaft I2, at the front of the machine, is held the worm-wheel L, operated by the pin K upon the drivin g-shaft F. Directly above this shaft is the frame-work J2 for supporting and operating the piercer K2 through the medium of the worm-wheel L. This framework Islides in grooves placed upon the inside of the frame. This frame-work is provided with the lugs c, against which lugs the .pins e, inserted in the worm-wheel, impinge for the purpose of throwing back this frame-work, to which is attached this piercer. This piercer is simply a plate of any desired shape and size, attached, as previously stated, to a framework, and is employed to open the end of the plug of tobacco while it is being cut.

The object of opening the end of the plug is that one end of the wrapper may be inserted in the opening made in the plug, thus serving to keep the wrapper in position around the plug during the subsequent treatment to which the plug is subjected.

L3 is a table hung upon the rod f, inserted in the sides, of the lower frame. This table L3 is provided with the projections g, attached to its under side, which rest upon the surface-cams h, keyed upon 'the shaft L2. These cams serve to raise the forward end of the table after the tobacco has been pierced by the piercer, by which elevation of the table the tobacco may be forced Iout from the machine and over the piercer by the succeeding plug of tobacco fed upon the table.

M2 shows a vertical movable frame, supported at the front end of the machine by the frame N2 and support O2 for the same, the sides of this movable frame being dovetailed to t into the same.

P2 is the' knife-head or head to which the knife P3 is attached in any convenient manner, which knife-head is dovetailed upon its top and bottom edges to iit into the frame M2.

P3 shows a knife held in the knife-head and projecting a little belowthe opening. i shows a pin attached to the frameM2, which pin passes through a slot in the movable frame, and also through a slot in the knife-head.

j is abar extending across the movable frame, upon which bar 'the pin 7c upon the wormwheel L impin ges, throwing the movable frame and knife-head down, while a lateral :movement is given to the knife-head, as it descends, by means of the slot in the same, through which passes the pin.

l shows a spring placed directly beneath the movable frame for the purpose of restoring the same to its position; and m is a spring to throw the piercer forward after it has opened the end of the plug of tobacco.

Q2 is a removable side plate placed between the side of the frame and the raised portion of the bars or plates, and extending through the machine, forming sides for the feed-box and the pressing-surfaces. The beltPt passes over I placed upon a series of rings can be readily.

seen. The box or case is provided upon its interior with recesses to receive the rings, these recesses being placed around each other, and each being made larger in circumference than the preceding one, commencing with the central recess.

The rings I designate as unit, tenfand hundred rings, and place upon them figures as follows: Upon the unit-wheel, l 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0; upon the ten-wheel, 00 l0 2() 30 40 5() 60 70 80 90; upon the hundred-wheel, 000 l0() 200 300 400 500 600 700 80() 900. All the rings are provided with a series of pins, 2, upon their backs, which pins are operated as hereinafter described, and the unit and ten wheels are provided with springs 3, for the purpose in one case of causing the ten-wheel, and in the other case the hundred-wheel, to advance once for each en tire revolution of the preceding ring.

Directly behind the rings is the disk 4, having teeth or spokes inserted in its periphery, and also upon its inner face the bent pin 5. The box'or case 1 has its outer rim slotted to allow the spokes 6 to project through the same.

The counting apparatus thus constructed is attached at the front of the machine, and the spokes upon the disk are operated by a pin, 8, upon the driving-shaft F. At each revolution of this shaft this pin impinges upon one of the spokes, and when the shaft has made twelve (l2) revolutions the pin upon the same has impinged upon each of the twelve (12) spokes and the disk has perfected an entire revolution. As this is accomplished the bent pin 5 upon the disk is brought into contact with one of the pins upon the back of the unit-wheel, causing the same to advance once. By this movement of the unit-wheel (the counting apparaf tus having been properly set-that is to say, so that the rings register thus: the unit-wheel 0, the ten wheel 00, the hundredwheel 000) the figure l upon the unit-wheel is brought under the opening in the box or case, thus indicating that one plug of tobacco has been made, cut off, and pierced by the machine, and this operation of the unit-wheel is continued until nine has been registered. When the tenth plug of tobacco has been made, cut off7 and pierced, the spring upon. the unit-wheel impinges upon the ten-ring, causing the ten-wheel to advance one place, and at the same time the unit wheel or ring advances also, so that the figure l0 of the ten-ring andv the figure 0 of the unit-ring are shown directly beneath the opening of the box or case.

The operation of the counting apparatus continues until ninety-nine (99) plugs of tobacco are registered, when the spring upon the tenring impinges upon the hundred-ring, operating it one place and bringing the iigures 100 under the opening. The unit and ten rings also advance, and the gures then beneath the opening are 100 OO 0.

The operation just described of the counter is repeated, and the number of the plugs registered may be increased by increasing` the number of the rings.

The operation of the other parts of the machine may be thus described: Motion being imparted to the drivin g-shaft sets all the oper ative parts of the machine in operation. The tobacco or other material to be pressed is fed into the machine at its rear end upon the endless belt placed around the lower wheel and the lower bars or plates, and is drawn in between the upper and lower bars or pressingsurfaces, and as it passes through between the same is compactly and thoroughly pressed. As it is delivered from the pressing-surfaces it runs out upon the table. Vhen arsufrlcient quantity ofthe pressed tobacco to form a plug of the desired size has been run upon the table, the pin 7c upon the worm-wheel L impinges upon the bar j, throwing the knife-head (in which is the knife) down and cutting off the tobacco, the knife having a combined downward and lateral movement, the latter being imparted to it by means of the slot in the same.

Simultaneously with the downward more ment of the knife the piercer K2, operated by the pins e upon the sides of the worm-wheel, is forced into the end of the plug of tobacco previously pressed by the machine, by which operation the same is opened for the purpose already described. These operations having been performed, and the pin L upon the worm L having passed by the bar upon the knifeframe, the knife is thrown up by the springl at the bottom of the knife-frame, and at the same time the piercer 'is thrown back by the spring m, and the cams h upon the worm-wheel L, upon which rest the lugs attached to the table, raise the same and hold it in the raised position until sufficient tobacco to form the succeeding plug is fed from the machine; and when this is accomplished, and the plug previously cut off and pierced has been delivered,

Vthe table drops, and the operations just described are repeated.

The sides may also, when desirable, be enameled, vitried, or coated with soluble glass to prevent the tobacco adhering to them.'

The advantages arising from the use of pressing-surfaces made as shown is their economy of construction, non-liability to get out of order, and the readiness with which they canbe replaced should they become deranged or broken in the machine.

In Fig. 6 a mode of operating Vthe knife, piercer, and table is shown, which is sometimes employed by me. In this case a toggle-joint, 35, is employed, the upper end of which is hung to the bridge or cutting plate, its lower end being secured in a socket in the lower end of the movable knife-frame. A bar, 3G, passes through the toggle-joint, and is provided with pins, which operate the toggle-joint 35. The bar is bent, as at W', to form a head, to which the piercer is attached. The bar may be operated by any toothed wheel connected with the machine and ruiming at a suitable speed for the purpose, and as the bar is thrown back the knife, piercer, and table will be operated simultaneously.

Having thus described my present invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The use or employment of a pressing-surface formed by combining a series of bars or plates, A, consti-noted and operating as described, for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the same, of a feeding or pressing surface formed by combining a series of bars or plates, B, when combined, constructed, and operating substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

3. Piercing the tobacco substantially as shown, for the purpose described.

et. Constructing the wheels operating the bars or plates A and B so that they shall force forward the same, as herein fully described, for the purpose set forth.

5. The cutting apparatus, constructed substantially as described, for cut-tin g the tobacco.

6. The combination of the piercer with a movable table, for the purposes shown.

7. Combining with a tobacco-pressing machine a Counting or registering apparatus, for the purposes set forth.

W. H. WATSON.

In presence of- A. SIDNEY Donna, S. M. OSTRANDER.

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