This document describes improvements to a cigarette-making machine tobacco feed. It aims to more efficiently handle tobacco winnowed from shredded tobacco fed into cigarette machines. Specifically, it provides a stem box to collect undesirable stem particles from the winnowing process. It then automatically shreds the collected stem particles into a size suitable for incorporation into cigarettes using a grinding mechanism located within the stem box. This avoids the need for additional manual processing and handling of the winnowed tobacco.

1. * GB780108 (A)
Description: GB780108 (A) ? 1957-07-31
Improvements in a cigarette-making machine tobacco feed
Description of GB780108 (A)
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PATENT SPECIFICATION
Date of Application and filing Complete Specification: Aug. 3, 1955.
780,108 No. 22268/55.
Application mode in United States of America on Oct. 22, 1954.
Complete Specification Published: July 31, 1957.
Index at acceptance:-Classes 117, A2K; and 130, C1C2, 13.
International Classification:-A24b, c, B02f.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in a Cigarette-making Machine Tobacco Feed We, AMERICAN
MACHINE & FOUNDRY COMPANY, a corporation organized and existing under
the laws of the State of New Jersey, United States of America, located
at 261 Madison Avenue, New York 16, State of New York, United States
of America, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a
patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be
performed, to be particularly described in and by the following
statement: -

2. This invention relates to cigarette machine feeds, and more
particularly to improvements in methods and apparatus for handling
tobacco winnowed from shredded tobacco that is fed in cigarette
machines.
Due to modern higher out-put methods of leaf preparation, such as
threshing, there is a tendency for more stems and woody particles to
be found in the cut tobacco used in cigarette making machines. This
has resulted in a need for more efficient winnowing and for a more
efficient manner to handle the winnowed tobacco.
An object of this invention is to provide for more efficient winnowing
by employing a stem box having a design which will extend under the
trajectory of winnowed tobacco which is of too large a weight to
prevent the stem particles from falling onto the collecting conveyor.
An object of this invention is to provide automatic means for
converting winnowed portions of tobacco collected in a stem box into a
size which can be used in the filler of cigarettes.
A further object of the invention is to provide for the discharge of
shredded stem particles onto the collecting conveyor so that it will
be readily incorporated into a cigarette without detracting from the
quality of the cigarettes.
Another object of our invention is to provide an improved method for
feeding shredded cigarette tobacco and for reprocessing [P
incompletely shredded tobacco in the cigarette making machine.
Other objects and features of the invention will appear as the
description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illust.
50 rate the invention progresses. In the accompanying drawings, which
form a part of this specification, like characters of reference have
been applied to corresponding parts throughout the several views which
make up 55 the drawings.
Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a tobacco feed for a cigarette
machine having our winnowing and stem shredding mechanisms
incorporated therewith. 60 Fig. 2 is a partial, sectional front
elevation taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional end
elevation of one form of the stem shredding mechanism, Fig. 4 is a
plan view of the same taken on 65 line 4-4 of Fig. 3.
In the past it has been the practice to process through a separating
apparatus the contents of the stem box to separate any usable tobacco
from the undesirable stem portions. 70 The undesirable stems may then
be processed still further. This procedure involves manually emptying
the stem boxes, cartage of the contents of the stem boxes to a
processing department, the use of separating machinery 75 to effect
the processing, and returning the usable tobacco separated from the
winnowed tobacco back into the production line.
The present invention dispenses with this entire procedure and avoids

3. undesirable 80 breakage of the separated material into still smaller
particles of tobacco because of the additional handling of the tobacco
just described.
To illustrate the invention applicant has 85 shown in Fig. 1 a
conventional cigarette hopper H for shredded tobacco T. A carded feed
drum 10 rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow picks up
tobacco T which is forwarded up against the feed drum 10 by 90 Erli
780,108 means of the feed belt 12 and carried by it upwardly.
A conventional refuser drum 14 rotating in the direction indicated by
the arrow pushes surplus tobacco from the carded feed drum 10 so that
a uniform quantity of tobacco is removed by the carding of the feed
drum 10. A conventional rotating picker roller 16 removes tobacco from
the teeth of the feed drum 10, and discharges it onto a rotating
winnower 18 which may be of conventional design.
The tobacco discharged into the winnower 18 is thrown forwardly and
has a trajectory as shown. This causes tobacco particles to be carried
to varying heights. The unacceptable stem portions of the tobacco fall
into the stem box 20. The acceptable shredded tobacco falls short of
the stem box and falls in a shower on top of the collecting belt 22
which travels over pulleys 24 and 26 in the direction indicated by the
arrows.
The collecting belt 22 conveys the showered tobacco towards a pin
roller 28 where the discharged tobacco is pushed in between the pins
of the roller 28 by means of the roller 30. The pin roller 28 is
surrounded by a concave which holds the tobacco against the roller
until it reaches the point where the picker roller 32 removes the
tobacco from in between the pins of roller 28.
The picker roller 32 travels in the direction indicated by the arrow
and showers tobacco removed from the pin roller 28 down through a
chute 34. At the lower end of the chute 34 there is a belt 35 which
travels underneath and along the length of said chute for receiving
tobacco showered downwardly through said chute 34. The belt 35 conveys
the showered tobacco to conventional rod forming mechanism of a
cigarette making machine.
The stem box 20 is equipped with a crusher or grinder which may be of
any suitable design for reducing the size of the winnowed tobacco to
such proportions that they would not be objectionable in the finished
cigarette.
This grinding is accomplished automatically and continuously and the
ground stems are immediately returned onto the tobacco stream carried
by the collector belt 22.
By immediately grinding the winnowed tobacco as it is received in the
winnowing box 20, it is distributed uniformly in a longitudinal
direction along the tobacco mat M, thereby saving labor and processing

4. costs.
This will also avoid the inclusion of tobacco particles of
objectionable size in the cigarettes and will facilitate the
manufacture of more utniform cigarettes. The amount of tobacco removed
by winnowing can be increased, thereby increasing the winnowing
efficiency without increasing the waste because all of the winnowed
tobacco is immediately broken down to an acceptable size and returned
to the tobacco stream.
One method of carrying out the invention is to arrange the winnower 18
so that it hurls stems and large tobacco pieces into the box 20. The
stem box 20 is of trough shaped configuration, so that the stems slide
to the bottom of the trough. A screw conveyor 36 is provided at the
bottom of the trough which forwards the stems to an outlet 38 arranged
at one side of the cigarette machine feed F. 75 The grinding mechanism
itself may be any conventional apparatus which will give a selective
cutting action. It preferably should not indiscriminately arind all
the material passed into it but should allow all material 80 smaller
than a given size to pass through unchanged while all material larger
than that size should be torn or cut to the given size as it passes
through the grinder.
In the crusher or crinder used to illustrate 85 the invention. the
rotor or cutter 40 which cuts the stems is formed of hardened steel.
The proportions of the grooves 42 and the pitch of the vee-shaped
contour of the rotor formed bv teeth 41 will control the size to 90
which the stems are to be cut. The fixed hardened blade 43 is shaped
to fit the periphery of the rotor or cutter teeth 41 and is set to
just scrape them. The cutter or rotor is mounted in bearings and
rotates in the 95 housing block 44.
The screw conm e-or 36 and the grinder may be driven by suitable means
which will rotate the parts when the feed is running, to ensure that
the stems are delivered in the 100 correct proportion to the tobacco
on the front collecting belt.
Stems and tobacco pieces which are too large to fall into the slots 42
are carried past the cutter knife 43 and are thus cut to size 105 in
passing. If they are already of the correct size they will fall into
the slot and pass by the cutter uncut. All material will fall away
from the rotor 40 out through the opening 46 at the bottom of the
housing block 44. which 110 may be somewhat similar to a small
coffeemill. By this arrangement the mill discharges a continuous
stream of ground or retorn stems through opening 46 which is
discharged directly on top of the tobacco mat on the 115 conveyor 22
as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. To simplify manufacture, the stem cutter
could be mounted, if desired. on the same shaft as the worm conveyor.
In such a case the screw conveyor would feed the tobacco material 120

5. directly to the grinder.
It will be realized that the quantity of stems delivered bv the
winnower to the stem box is quite small. so that the grinder may be of
a small design. requiring very little 125 power for its operation. and
occupying no more space than a six-inch cube. By using this invention
the manufacture of cigarettes is very much simplified and the cost
reduced.
The grinder is preferably arranged to de780,108 liver the stems to the
left-hand side of the carpet of tobacco, so that they are finally
delivered onto the top of the tobacco previously showered onto belt
22. This arrangement has two advantages, namely, during the forming
operations where the showered tobacco is formed into a cigarette rod,
the ground tobacco particles tend to sift through the tobacco stream,
thus becoming evenly distributed throughout the cross-section of the
cigarette, so that if any stem particle remained on the top surface of
the cigarette filler it would, in this position, finally be located
under the pasted lap of the cigarette rod, thereby leaving the front
or face of the cigarette on which the brand name is printed quite
smooth and unblemished by any protuberances from the inside.
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