US1607135A - Method and machine for flavoring leaf tobacco - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 16,1926. 1, 07,135

. C. L. ROBERTS METHOD AND MACHINE FOR FLAVORING LEAF TOBACCO Filed June 11. 1925 INVENTOR Patented Nov. 16, 1926. t 9

: UNITED 1s cHAaLEs L. ROBERT ,o'F f LOUrsVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNQRTO THEIAVMERICAN, TOBACCO COMP Y. or NEW YORK, N.VY., A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

METHOD ANnM AcHINEroa FLAVORING LEAF Toia'Aoco.

. Application filed June 11, was. Serial No, 36,299.]

' This invention is an improvement inmethads and machines for flavoring leaf tobacco, and fmore particularly in methods and machines for flavoring the finer particles of the leaf and the tobacco dustproduced during the handling of the leaf.

tobacco is subjected in this conversionfrom the raw to the finished product, the leaves 7 are flavored, usually by 'olipping'into a suit-f able flavoring liquid, draining, and compressing to ex'pressthe excess liquid: Y

' Prior to theflavoring of the tobacco the 7 large woody portion of the stem is removed.

In the operation a relatively large quantity of tobacco dust, and fragments of a size too Small to'be successfully flavored by theusual methods are produced. These particles and thedust are tobacco of the same character and grade as the larger pieces, and are entire ly suitable for use in the'making-of the products fonwhich the larger portions are used'a H 1 V Inthe usual'method' of flavoring, the.to

7- bacco leaves are passed through the flavoring liquid, by mechanical means, and they-Jarrive at the expressing mechanism, usually 'apair of cooperating wringer rollers, in a more or less bunched condition. The rollers ordinarily used are 1 smooth surfaced, and they do not readily grasp bunched leaves. Unless the feed to the rollers is substantiallyuniform, they do not function to the best advantage, so faras a wholly mechanical operation is concerned," andthe mechanical feed must be supplemented'by; manual manipulationw ndipped portions, {and agglomerated with the ther handling of the leaf. j Another ob'ect is the provision dipped portion for convenience in the'furof anew and improved mechanism or I machine for carrying out the "process. 1

Another ob 'ect is the provision of a mechanism so constructed and arranged that the agglomeration of the dry and the dipped particles will "be ,er substantially uniform character-L 1 v Anotherfiobject is the provision in such a mechanism of a construction of exprees= One" of the primary objects of the present invention 'is the provision'of a method by the practice-of which the'smaller portions of the bunched or in segregated relation. H

To the accomplishment :of the'foregoing, 1 V

and such other objects. as may hereinafter v appear, the invention consists in the method, In some'of the proceduresto hich;leaf

and in the construction and novel combina- I 'tion .of partsfully described hereinafter,v

illustratedin the accompanying drawings,-

carrying out the 4 In the pres'ent embodiment oftheinvenf t1on,;-the improved machine for carrying.

out the method, includes a tank 1 for holding the-flavoring liquid, which maybe of any. sultable or desired composition, and the tobacco to be flavored is fed into the tank at Oneend thereof, lthrough an inclined chute 2. Only thelarger portions of the leaf, such as the tips, separated in the manner shown and described in my copending application Ser. 'No. 36,298, of even date herewith, are fed throughthe; chu-te'2. 1 s The leaves are submerged in the liquid, and are driven therethrough, by means of a dipping dru1n3,on. -;a shaft 4;, which isjourr naledtransversely ofthe tank, near the disi chargeiend of the chutej2, The drum has on its periphery longitudinally extending plates .or' vanes 5,-which impart movementto the liquid ina directionawayfromthe chute 2,

andiwhich engageythe leaves that may fioat son the liquid, andsubmerges them therein.

2 .Thus; the drum provides fora veryinti mate mixt'ureofthe leaves and the flavoring" liquid,.so that every part of each leaf particleis touched with-the liquid After leav-L ing thedrum, the leaves pass beneath' the lower end of an elevator, which', re1noves them from the tank, carrymgthem over a 'drainageplate, I

WThe carrieris composedof endless chains- '6, .7 supported by sprocket. wheels 7' on shafts 8and9 ouriila le d transversely of trough, the shaft. T. lasing su ported the trough,

Lil

there is an interlockingengagement between till the lower runs thereof move upwardly,

' tacting with said surface.

delivers: onto leaf 1particles,

which are produced in'thehandl'ng of the tobacco,prior-'to-the flavoring thereof, and whicl'iare-showered onto the dipped port-ionsfin adry I while the shaft9 is arranged wellaliove the same, and in rear of the shaft 8. As many I chainsas may be necessary are provided, the chains being inv register, and they are connected by cross bars '10 at suitable intervals.

The cross bars carry tines or prongs 11, a number being provided for each cross bar, and arranged longitudinally thereof. 'The construction is such that the tines are swept in. succession through the flavoring liquid, just in rear of the'dip in drum, and the chains are moved in sucha direction, that i and rearwardlyffi'om the tank.

A c'lra'ii'i'board or plate 12 is arranged in the rearO-E the carrier, in'inclinedposition, and so pos'itio n'ed that thefree ends of the tines on the lower run of the carrier move close to the surface thereof, but without con- I The plate-12 perforate plate as shown, and asthe leaves are moved np"the-sl-oping plate by the tines orpro' ngsfthe' excess liquid escapes, run-. ning down thepl'ate, and throughthe perforations,back into thetank 7 At its rear and upper end, the plate 12 has an extension 13,-whioh inclines in the opposite direction to the plate .12. The

-lrained,but still wet leaves pass over the angle between the plates-'12 and-13, dropping down over the 'rearface of the' plate 13*into; the "grasp of the expressing mechanism. i p The said mechanism includes a pair of rollers 14 and15, arranged with theiraXes parallel,"and with the. axis of the roller" 14 above and inrear of that of theaxis of the roller 15. Each-ofthese rollers comprises a cylindrical body as shown, having a facing 16 of resilient material, with a high coefIicient-of' friction, as for instance rubber. The rubber facing-is corrugatedlongitudinally ofeach roller, to'provide alternating grooves and ribs, and the ribs of one roller register withthe grooves otthe other roller, hat in the normal-position ofthe rollers *Just above the roller 14, a Clint/817' is ar', ranged, in inclined position, the chute delivering to the upper surface of the roller- 14 just in front of'the axis ithereof. The' chute the dipped and drained large the fine particles and dust,

condition. This material is deliv'erectin a stream, extending substantially the full length of the'roller 1 1, and

falli'ngiintothe grooves and 'onto the ribs thereof,- is"c arried around and delivered upon the dipped tobaccofjustprior to the expression of the excess liquid therefrom.

' he stream delivered maybe of any'desired thickness, and it will be evident that as the roller 14 turns, the flner particles of dust will be agglomerated with the dipped larger leaf particles bythe pressureo'fthe rolls, and will be simultaneouslyflavored, partly by absorption, and partly by the forcing of theexces's liquid from the dipped toba co into the dry tobacco.

The compressed or wrung tobacco is delivered by the rollers 14 and 15, onto a drum 18, having longitudinal extending radialplates 19. This drum rotates inthe. same direction as the lower roller, and'as the leaf particles are delivered onto'the' plates thereof, theyoare carried 'over 'thedrum, and

dropp'edthro-ugh a chute ZO'intoa suitable i'ec'elver; 3 i v ,The drums, shafts, and rollers aredriven in any suitable manner from a primemover notshown, andthet obacco; is supplied to the chutes 2 and 17' in anydesir-ed manner. roduct of the improved: machineuis anagglomeration of large and small particles, the

small particles being; compressed" onto; and

into the'larger: particles, 'so that all are.

flavored, and-theproduct is in a convenient.-

shape'forfurther processing. 7 I 7 The arrangement of rollers, having- 1ongitu'dinally extending alternating grooves and ribs, insures a-firm graspof thedi'pp'ed tobacco, re'gardlessof uniformity-in the: feed, that is the leaves may come in bunches, {OI

in segregatedrelation, withouteffecting-the grasp of :the'rollers inv any manner. Furthermore the grooving-of the rollers, provides-pocketsi for receiv ngthe dry lea-f particles, and dust-asthey are showeredtlown' from thechute l7, and! they: function more satisfactory in the agglomeration ofthedry and wet leaf. ()ne. of the rollers14-15; is usually spring support-ed tov yield away from the other. I

l claimz". p @e 1. The nfethod of flavorin g tobacco leaves inf large' and'small fragments, V which ':con-

'sists in dipping the larger fragments ,in::a flavoring solution; draining I said" fragments, showering the finerfragments in a dry con dition' onto the drained. fragments, and afterwards squeezingto express the excess liquid and toysimultaneouslyiagglornerate v the-dry f-ragments with the dipped fragments. r

2. In the method of: flavoring leaf tobacco by llTlmQISlOHf in; a flavoring liquid, drainnig, and expressing the excess-liquid, the step which consists in sprinkling on thedipped leaf, prior tothe expressing, finetobacca leaf particles and dust. J

3. Inthe method f flavoring leaf tobacco by immersion. in a flavoring liquid, draining,

and, expressing the excess liquid,- the jstep which consists in agglomeratmg wlthfthe.

tobacco during-the expressing masses of smaller particles of tobacco in a dry condition prior to their contact with the drained tobacco.

at. The method of flavoring leaf tobacco which consists innnm'ersing the leaves in a flavoring liquid, dra1n1ng,and working into pressing rollers to which the drain board delivers, and means for 'showering'finer leaf particles in a dry condition upon the dipped leaves, prior to their rollers. 6. In a machine for flavoring'leat' tobacco, including a tobacco tank, a drain board, and a plurality of means to submerge andmove the leaves through the liquid in the tank, and to move them over thedrain board expressing rollers to which the drain board passage between the delivers, and means to shower leaf particles and tobacco dust onto theiupper roller at the side adjacent to the drain board. 7 g 7; In a machine for flavoring tobacco, a

pair of longitudinally corrugated expressing rollers arranged one above the other for expressing the excess liquid, and means for showering finer leaf particles and to bacco dustxin a dry state,-onto the clownwardly' moving side of the upper roller. 7

8. In a machine for flavoring tobacco, a I

pair of co -operating corrugated expressing the corrugations of one fitting between the state onto the downwardly moving side of 35 rollers arranged one above'the other with 7 the upper roller and intothe corrugations for the purpose specified.

Signed at Richmond in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia this eighth

Images