US1992723A - Cigarette bod sealer - Google Patents

Description

Patented Feb. 26, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE ROD SEALER Application May 22, 1934, Serial No. 727,003

10 Claims.

This invention relates to cigarette rod sealers for continuous rod cigarette machines, its main object being to provide an endless belt type sealer in which the sealing belt is narrow enough to go between the edges of the forming tape during the rod sealing operation, and in which the belt travels in a direction opposite to the movement of the cigarette rod. A further object is the production of a universally adjustable self cleaning cigarette rod sealer. Another object is the provision of a resilient mounting for the belt to take up the expansion of the belt when it is heated. Still another object is to provide means for automatically moving the sealing belt out of contact with the heater when lifting the sealer off the cigarette rod during operation of the machine. And still another object is to drive the sealing belt by pinch rollers which provide a more positive drive of the belt and serve to dispense with the necessity of flanges on the belt pulleys retaining the belt thereon, which flanges might interfere with the rod.

These objects are achieved by running the endless steel sealing belt at low speed over a pair of relatively yieldable pulleys supported in a horizontally and vertically adjustable frame carrying an electric heater having a shoe in contact with the sealing loop of the moving belt. The said frame is swingable about the drive shaft of the sealer, and an arm supporting the shaft of one of the said rotating pulleys carries a cam follower which, upon lifting of the frame, engages with a stationary cam rail, thereby shortening the center distance between the pulleys and causing the band to buckle away from the heater shoe. A scraper, adjustably attached to the sealer frame, removes the surplus paste from the sealing band and deposits the same into a waste pot also carried by the sealer frame, thus avoiding frequent stoppage of the machine for cleaning the sealer.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the improved cigarette rod sealer;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the sealer; and

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing the action of the cam for buckling the sealing belt to disengage it from the heater.

In carrying the invention into effect there is provided means for forwarding a cigarette rod having a pasted seam, an endless heated sealing belt arranged to extend along the cigarette rod and contact said seam to seal the same, a heater arranged to heat the belt, and mechanism for driving said belt so that the portion thereof in contact with said seam travels in a direction 5 opposite to the movement of the cigarette rod, whereby the portion of the belt just heated is the portion with which the rod first contacts. In the best constructions contemplated there is provided a pivoted sealer frame carrying pulleys over which the sealing belt is trained, and mechanism for automatically disengaging the belt and heater when the sealer frame is lifted out of operative position. These various means and parts may be widely varied in construction within the scope of the claims for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The invention therefore, is not to be restricted to specific construction shown and described.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, a pedestal 5 supported by a frame 6 secured to the bed of the cigarette machine carries a vertical slide '7 guided by rails 8. The height of the slide 7 may be adjusted by means of a screw 9 turning loosely in a slotted ledge of slide '1 and engaging with a threaded split lug 10 of pedestal 5, the screw 9 being held in adjusted position by clamp-screw 11 connecting the split ends of lug 10. In slide '7 is journaled a stationary shaft 12 on which the sealer frame 13 is loosely mounted and on which revolves a bevel gear 14 held in place by a collar 15 and fastened to a sprocket 16 also loosely mounted on shaft 12 and driven by a chain 17 from the main drive of the cigarette machine.

On a stud 18 in frame 13 is pivoted a bracket 19 which carries a'pin 20 whereon is pivoted an arm 21 carrying a horizontal shaft 22 on which revolves one of the pulleys 23 carrying the endless steel sealing belt or band 24. The other pulley 25 is fixed on a shaft 26 revolving in bearings of frame 13 and driven by a bevel gear 27 in mesh with gear 14. True alignment of the pulleys 23 and- 25 is effected by an adjusting screw 28 in bracket 19 bearing against a stud 29 in frame 13 protruding through an opening in bracket 19, the bracket 19 being secured in the adjusted position by a screw 30 passing through a slot in the bracket. The tension of the sealing belt on the pulleys 23 and 25 is adjusted by a screw 31 tapped into arm 21 and bearing against the head of a plunger 32 sliding in frame 13 and tensioned by a spring 33 coiled around it. The arm 21 has a tail 21a which abuts the web of bracket 19, thereby limiting the outward heater arranged to heat said belt, and a resilient mountforoneofsaidpulleystotakeupthe expansion of the belt when the latter is heated.

8. In a cigarette rod sealer, the combination with an endless sealing-belt, of a sealer frame, a driven pulley and an idler pulley supported on said frame, over which pulleys said belt is trained, a heater arranged to heat said belt, a resilient mount for one of said pulleys to take up the expansion of the belt when the latter is heated. said mount including an arm carrying said idler pulley and pivotally supported on said frame, and a compression spring interposed between said frame and arm.

9. In a cigarette rod sealer, the combination with an endless sealing belt, of a sealer frame, unflanged driven and idler pulleys supported on said frame, over which pulleys said belt is trained to engagethepastedseamofa travelingclgarette rod and seal the same, and flanged pinch rollers arranged to press the belt on said pulleys, whereby a more positive drive of the belt is assured and there are no flanges on said pulleys to interfere with the cigarette rod.

10. In a continuous rod cigarette machine, the combination with a channeled rod forming plate, of a forming tape traveling through the channel of said plate and forwarding therein a cigarette rod having a pasted seam, side guides on said plate arranged to hold the margins of the forming tape against the rod to enhance the traction of the tape on, the rod, and a heated endless sealing belt arranged above said plate to extend along the cigarette rod and contact with said seam to seal the same, said belt being narrow enough to go between the edges of the tape in order to avoid scorching the same.

ELBERON D. sm'm.

A. SPENCER Feb. 26, 1935.

BUFFER Filed Feb. 7, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l

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