US3707976A

US3707976A - Cigar making machine

Info

Publication number: US3707976A
Application number: US00098548A
Authority: US
Inventors: Veen A Van
Original assignee: VEEN A VAN
Current assignee: VEEN A VAN
Priority date: 1970-12-16
Filing date: 1970-12-16
Publication date: 1973-01-02
Anticipated expiration: 1990-01-02

Abstract

The invention comprises a cigar making machine including two belts with means for driving same at different speeds; the slower, to feed the wrapper to the filler or bunch, and the other to roll the filler, or bunch and wrapper, plus means for stretching the wrapper and for sizing the cigar.

Description

United States Patent 1 Van Veen 1 Jan. 2, 1973 s41 CIGAR MAKING MACHINE 1,801,231 4/1931 Fitzgerald ..131/36 x 1 891 094 12/1932 Killman ..131/47 [76] Inventor: Anton Van Veen, Morgan Road,

Canton Center Conn. 06019 3,225,773 12/1965 Gustavson ..131/46 X [22] Filed: Dec. 16, 1970 Primary Examiner-Aldrich F. Medbery Assistant Examiner-J. F. Pitrelli [211 App]' Attorney-E. Seward Stevens [52] US. Cl ..131/36, 131/47 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl ..A24c 1/30, A241: 5/08 The invention com prlses a crgar makmg machme 1n- [58] Field of Search 56 eluding two belts with means for driving same at different speeds; the slower, to feed the wrapper to the [56] Reierences Cited filler or bunch, and the other to roll the filler, or UNITED STATES PATENTS bunch and wrapper, plus means for stretching the wrapper and for s1z1ng the crgar. 139,375 5/1873 DeForest ..131/47 1,636,922 7/1927 Noel ..l3l/47 4 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures P'A'TENIEDJAN 2 ms SHEET 5 BF 5 INVENTOR.

BY 5 Wm,

#15 H free/v5 CIGAR MAKING MACHINE The invention includes novel means for making a plurality of types of cigars including the so-called American and European cigars. The American cigar consists of an inner filling called a filler which is first wrapped in a sheet of tobacco called a binder, with a paste to hold the filler and binder together, which combination is called a bunch". The straight American cigar is cone-shaped on one end and this is done in a press. The cone-shaped end is called the head of the cigar. After the cone-shaped head is formed, a special spiral shaped wrapper is wrapped around the bunch to produce a finished cigar.

Many European cigars have no cone-shaped head. They are made straight of only a filler and binder (without a wrapper). The entire length of the binder is pasted so that on the finished cigars they may be broken in two or more lengths without falling apart. This cannot be done with the spiral-shaped cigar described above without using a special wrapper.

The object of my invention is to provide a cigar making machine in which a plurality of belts are driven at different speeds to efficiently combine a filler, binder and wrapper to make cigars, either headed or straight.

A further object is to provide a machine of the character described including adequate means for stretching the binder, the wrapper and for sizing the cigar.

A further object is to provide a machine of the character described, in which cigars of different shapes may be formed, and of any desired circumference and/or length.

A further object of my invention is to provide a machine for making cigars in which the above and other objects may effectively be attained as will more fully appear from the detailed specification which follows.

Practical embodiments of my invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents a plan view of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

FIG. 2 represents an end view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 represents an end view of my invention with the pulley and crank removed, the lock lever being down or in locked" position.

FIG. 4 shows the elements of FIG. 3 with the locked lever released, and,

FIG. 5 shows the elements of FIGS. 3 and 4 with the rollers fully open.

FIG. 6 is a section taken on the line 66 of FIG. 3, and partly broken away, looking in the direction of the arrows. The crank and pulley have been added to this view.

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 represent the operation of. FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 and are shown in diagram to illustrate the effect of the different attitudes of the several elements.

The schematic layout illustrating the formation of the several types of cigars is illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11, l2, l3 and 14.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which the several parts are denoted by the-same numerals in each FIG.:

A rectangular frame, denoted by l, carries rotatably mounted

shafts

2, 3 and 4. Shaft 2 is the main drive shaft on which are mounted hand crank 5, drive pulley 6, gear 7 and gear 8. Shaft 3 carries gear 9 (in mesh with gear 8) and sprocket 10, through chain 11, drives sprocket 12 on shaft 4. Sprocket 12 is free to revolve on shaft 4 when clutch 13, operated by lever 14, FIG. 1, is disengaged.

Pivotaly mounted on shaft 2 is swingable frame 15 on which shaft 16 is rotatably mounted, gear 17 on shaft 16 being meshed with gear 7 on shaft 2.

Roller 18 is pinned to shaft 3 by pin 19.

Roller 20 is pinned to shaft 4 by pin 21.

Roller 22 is pinned to swivel shaft 16 by pin 23.

FIG. 5 swingable frame 15 is open position, that is,

roller 22 on shaft 16 is removed from roller 18 on shaft 3. Mounted on swingable frame 15 and free to pivot on shaft 16 bell crank lock 24 slides across the top of shaft 4 and further forward movement of swingable frame 15, places roller 22 on shaft 16 directly above roller 18 on shaft 3. In this position (FIG. 3), lock 24 drops down onto shaft 4 and engages same thereby preventing any return movement of frame 15.

Roller 25 is pinned to shaft 4 by pin 26. Bracket 27 FIGS. 1 and 7 supports shaft 28 on which is rotatably mounted roller 29. Supported by rollers 25 and 29 is a feed belt 30 on which is placed a cigar binder or wrapper, depending upon the type of cigar to be produced.

Bracket 31- FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 through shaft 32 supports swivel bracket 33 with shaft 34 mounted therein on which roller 35 is free to rotate.

In the open position of

rollers

18 and 22 as shown in FIG. 7, swivel bracket 33 is pulled by spring 36 against stop 37.

Loosely draped over

rollers

18, 22 and 35 as shown in FIG. 7 is belt 38. Loop 39 formed by belt 38, with side plates 40 and 41, (FIG. 1), forms a pocket in which the filler tobacco is placed by the operator.

All rollers are revolved at the same speed, but since the diameter of the binder or wrapper feed belt roller 25 is smaller than the diameter of rollera.l8 and 22, the surface speed of feed belt 30 is normally about 10 percent slower than that of belt 38.

Operation To set the machine for a specific cigar diameter a straight piece of wood of the specified diameter and length is placed in loop 29. Swingable frame 15 is brought forward until lock 24 drops onto shaft 4. In this position screw 43 is adjusted down until, at the desired position, it stops on bracket 31 and the stop screw is locked with lock nut 44. Swingable frame 15 is then returned to the extreme open position (FIGS. 5 and 7) and the piece of wood removed.

The machine is now ready to produce cigars, by first moving the feed belt clutch lever 14 to OUT position as shown in FIG. 1 and swingable frame 15 to open position as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. The machine drive through pulley 6 is started to revolve

rollers

18 and 22, but nothing happens to belt 38 which is loose and feed belt clutch 13 is out. A desired amount of tobacco (filler) is placed in the predetermined pocket formed by loop 39 in belt 38 and between side plates 40 and 41. The operating lever 15 is then moved toward the position of FIG. 3. By so doing, roller 22 takes up the belt slack and with roller 18 starts revolving the filler 45. Further such movement of frame 15 closes loop 39 until lock 24 drops over shaft 4. Filler 45 is confined in I belt 38, between side plates 40 and 41 and is rolled and shaped to the specific diameter established by the wooden model.

A piece of tobacco wrapper, or binder, is then placed on feed belt 30. To make European cigars, only one piece of tobacco leaf is provided to wrap around the bunch. This piece of tobacco is called the binder. The binder on the European cigar is usually a straight rectangular piece of tobacco spread the full length with paste. This binder, shown as 46, FIG. 9, is placed with the forward edge on the roller gap coverage 47

rollers

18 and 22, in the FIG. 9 position, are spaced apart sufficiently as to not interfere with the wrapper feed. Clutch I3 is engaged which, through chain 11 and sprockets l and 12, starts roller 25 revolving. As roller 25 is approximately lO percent smaller in diameter than all the other rollers feed belt 30-travels slower than filler belt 38. By placing his hand on the hinder or wrapper 46 while it is moving forward, the operator automatically retards and thereby stretches the binder 46 when it is being rolled toward and on the filler 45. In the same way, the wrapper 52 on an American cigar is automatically stretched as it is being applied to the filler bunch 50.

An American Cigar, (FIG. is made from a bunch and filler 50 by the foregoing method with the head, 51, preshaped as mentioned. 52 is the wrapper for this type cigar. The bunch 50 is placed in the loop 39 of belt 38 with the cone-shaped end, 51, overlapping the roller 22 with plate 41 being omitted. Wrapper 52 is rolled on bunch 50 and stretched in the same manner as noted withrespect to 46. The last part of the wrapper, called the flag, 53, is for covering the tapered cone-shaped end, 51, and is manually assisted by the operator as shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 13 shows the finished cigar.

As shown in FIG. 14, 53 is a double spiral wrapper. Rolled on a straight European filler with paste shown at 55 it makes a long cigar that can be cut to produce two cigars.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided a machine capable of producing three types of' cigars. The three types of wrappers may be applied as stated without adjustment, and versatility of this tion and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, I do not intend to be limited to the embodiment shown and described,- except as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

I. In a cigar making machine, the combination comprising an outer frame, a swingable frame, a plurality of shafts rotatably mounted in both frames, means on the outer frame for driving the shafts, and means interconnected therewith for driving at least one of the shafts in the swingable frame, rollers mounted on a plurality'of said shafts, two endless belts mounted on spaced sets of saidrollers, means for driving said belts at different speeds, means for locking the said rollers and belts into cooperative relationship, a movable tobacco receiving section in one said belt, adjustable means for determining the size of said tobacco receiving section, means located between said rollers for guiding said wrapper furnished by another said belt to the tobacco supply in said receiving section, whereby the rotation of the tobacco supp y at a surface speed greater than the surface speed of the wrapper causes the latter to tightly engage and wrap the supply to form a cigar.

2. The combination, according to claim I, in which said swingable frame is mounted on a driven shaft in the main frame.

3. The combination, according to claim 1, in which said locking means comprises another bell crank swingably mounted on a shaft in the swingable frame and a shaft in the outer frame slidably engaged by said bell crank in one position thereof, and releasably locked thereto in another position.

4. Thecombination, according to claim 1, including means for predetermining the size of the tobacco supply to be wrapped, said means including a swivel bracket, and adjustable stop therein, a roller in said frame, a belt thereon, whereby the swing of the frame controls belt tension and thereby the depth of the tobacco receiving section and side plates encompassing said receiving section.

Claims

1. In a cigar making machine, the combination comprising an outer frame, a swingable frame, a plurality of shafts rotatably mounted in both frames, means on the outer frame for driving the shafts, and means interconnected therewith for driving at least one of the shafts in the swingable frame, rollers mounted on a plurality of said shafts, two endless belts mounted on spaced sets of said rollers, means for driving said belts at different speeds, means for locking the said rollers and belts into cooperative relationship, a movable tobacco receiving section in one said belt, adjustable means for determining the size of said tobacco receiving section, means located between said rollers for guiding said wrapper furnished by another said belt to the tobacco supply in said receiving section, whereby the rotation of the tobacco supply at a surface speed greater than the surface speed of the wrapper causes the latter to tightly engage and wrap the supply to form a cigar.

2. The combination, according to claim 1, in which said swingable frame is mounted on a driven shaft in the main frame.

4. The combination, according to claim 1, including means for predetermining the size of the tobacco supply to be wrapped, said means including a swivel bracket, and adjustable stop therein, a roller in said frame, a belt thereon, whereby the swing of the frame controls belt tension and thereby the depth of the tobacco receiving section and side plates encompassing said receiving section.