US2250502A - Delivery for tobacco strippers - Google Patents

Description

July 29, 1941. R. E. RUNDELL DELIVERY FOR'TOBACGO STRIPPERS Filed Nov. 50, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

l INVENTOR @peri-Eg?? e/Z.

ATTOR N EY July 29, 1941. R. E. RUNDELL 2,250,502

DELIVERY FOR TOBACCO STRI-PPERS Filed Nov. 30, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIGA F165 lNvENToR Rufen Ejundell.'

ATTORN EY July 29, 1941 R. E. RUNDELL 2,250,502

DELIVERY FOR TOBACCO STRIPP-ERS Filed Nov. 30, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVE ATTORNEY Patented July 29, 1941 DELIVERY FOR TOBACCO STRIPPERS Rupert E. Rundell, Rockville Centre, N. Y., assignor to International Cigar Machinery Company, a, corporation of New Jersey Application November 3o, 1937, serial No. 177,216

(o1. iai- 124) 24 Claims.

This invention relates to stemming and/cr stripping and booking of tobacco, more particularly to delivery mechanisms for stemming machines. The main object of the invention is to improve prior types of delivery mechanisms so that laying of the stemmed tobacco leaves in outspread condition may be assured. v To this end the stemmed leaves are delivered between traveling endless belts which have opposed runs coacting to grip and advance the leaves, and having their delivery ends mounted on swinging members which cause the belts to swing to and fro while delivering the leaves on to a at surface. Y

A further object of the invention is to segregate unstemmed or incompletely stemmed leaves. For this purpose there may be employed a revolving brush or the like which transfers leaves from the stemming machine to the said belts and which may be controlled by a defective leaf detector so that it will be moved out of operative position at the time an unstemmed or incompletely stemmed leaf reaches transferring position.

Still another object is to provide a delivery mechanism wherein various lengths of leaves may be handled and deposited in the desired relationship, upon merely advancing or retarding the swinging movement of the members over which the exit ends of the delivery belts are guided. Another objective is to deposit the stemmed leaves on a traveling screen in successively overlapping pairs having an end-to-end relationship or in a single row thereon upon substitution of the appropriate change gear. The traversing crank-gear traversing the swinging members to and fro across the screen may be timed to reach the limits of its throw while the tips of successive leaves are emerging from between the delivery belts, wherefore the leaves will be deposited in butt-to-butt relationship on the screen Upon relatively displacing the crank-gear a quarterturn, the leaves will be laid tip-to-tip, which is preferred. Substitution of the appropriate size of change gear for driving the crank-gear will permit the leaves to be deposited in a single overlapping row on a traveling screen, or in a booked, that is, a stacked relationship on a stationary screen.

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

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the delivery mechanism in conjunction with the delivery end of a stemming machine;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the same shown on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic View of a portion of the delivery mechanism shown in Fig. operating to advance a stemmed leaf; v

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the same, operating to eject an unstemmed or incompletely stemmed leaf; Y

Fig. 6 is a schematic view illustrating the operation of the delivery mechanism in laying leaves tip-to-tip on a traveling screen; v l

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing the arrangement of a number of stripping machines delivering the stemmed leaves in tip-to-tip relation ony to creens placed on the conveyor belt;

Fig. 8 is a detail view of one of the screens showing the delivery of a single row of leaves thereon; l s

Fig. 9 is a detail view of one of the screens showing the leaves placed in butt-to-butt relation thereon;

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic side elevationof the stripping mechanism of a stemming machine provided with members for advancing and transierring the stemmed leaves to the delivery mechanism; and

Fig. 11 is a detail section of the gear wheel and solenoid-actuated pins of the' detector device.

Referring to the drawings, the delivery mechanism illustrated may be used in conjunction with a stemming machine of the general type shown in Patent No 1,981,470, grantedr to R. E. Run-dell et al., November 20, 1934. In the machine illustrated therein the stemmed leaves are delivered tip first by driven belts HJ and Il (Figs. 1 and 3) which coact to grip and advancethe/leaves over a revolving brush l2 acting to guide themrto a pair of belts i3 and I4 coacting to grip and forward the leaves between them. The belts i3 and I pass over idler rollers l5 and It, respectively, and travel in an upward direction over avdriving drum I7 and thence over a guideroller i8 directing them downwardly over idler rollers I9 and 20 respectively. The belt.l3 is thence led upwardly over idler rollers 2l and 22 and back over a tightener roller 23 to the roller i5, and belt l@ is led upwardly and back over a tightener roller 24 to roller '|6. u g

Rollers I5 and l5 are supported at their endsin bars 25 suspended from side'frames 26 and 2l wherein are also supported the shaft 23 of drum l1 and the rollers 2| and 22. Roller 23 is mounted on a cross shaft 29 journaled in one end of bell-crank levers mounted on studs 3| carried by the side frames. To the other end of levers 3G are connected springs 32 anchored to posts 33 secured in the side frames which urge the roller 23 into position to keep the belt I3 taut. Belt I4 is kept taut in alike manner by means of springs 34 urging upwardly the arms 35 clamped to pivot shafts 3E supported in side frames 26 and 21. Said frames are supported by brackets 3'! carried by the inclined channel-bars 384 of the stemming machine and at their lower ends are/connect'ed by tie bars'39.

The rollers I9 and 20 of belts I3 and I4 are mounted in swinging arms 40 and 4I carried on a shaft 42 journaled in the side frames 25 and 21. The swinging motion of arms 49 and 4I is derived from gears 43 and 44, the former being driven from the stemming machine by a sprocket chain (not shown) and driving gear 44 which is Y equipped with a crank pin 45 engaging tre bearings 46 in one end of a connecting rod 41 whose other end is pivoted on a wrist-pin 48 carried by the lever 49. At its upper end the lever 48 is clamped to a rocker-shaft i! which is supported in frames 26 and 21 and carries at its other end an arm 5|. A forked head 52 fastened to the lower ends of arms 49 and 5I carries rods 53 connected by eyes 54 to studs 55 of arms 40 and 4I. A plate 60 having flanges 6| secured to the inner walls of arms 40 and 4| engages the inner loop of belt I4, and the longitudinal strips 62 carried bystraps 63 secured to the inner faces of arms 40 and 4I engage the inner loop of belt I3, thus preventing sagging of the same and slipping of the leaves carried downwardly between said belts.

The swinging arms 4U and 4| sweep the exit ends of the belts I3 and I4 from position 64 to position 65 indicated in dotted lines (Fig. 6) above a screen 66 on which the leaves are to be delivered and serve to deliver the leaves tip rst and lay them -in outspread condition in the particular relationship desired. Laying the leaves in a tip-to-tip relation is the prefer-red way and to obtain this result the radius of the crank pin 45 with respect to the center of gear 44 is sufficient to swing the arms 40 and 4I across the width of the screen andthe linear speed of the belts I3 and I4 is such that the crank pin reaches a position intermediate the limits of its throw while the tip of the leaf is emerging from their exit ends. The particular gear ratio selected for gears 43 and 44 is 2 to 1, but any suitable ratio may be used. Therefore during the forward swing of the arms 49 and 4I the emerging tip end of the leaf will be laid on the screen slightly before it reaches the center of said screen, and `the continued forward movement of the arms49 and 4| causes the leaf to be spread over the remainder of the screen. On the return stroke of arms 4I! and 4I, the succeeding leaf will be laid in the opposite direction with its tip end overlapping the tip of the leaf previously delivered on to the screen and the screen may be continuously advanced to cause overlapping of successive pairs of leaves.

To deliver the leaves in a butt-to-butt fashion, Fig. 9, the gear 44 is adjusted by disengaging the gear 431therefrom and turning gear 44 one quarter-turn and then reengaging the gear 43 therewith, so that the laying of the leaf will 'be started with the tip end adjacent either side of the screen and continued until the butt end of the leaf L extends across the center of the screen, the movement ofthe arms spreading the leaf over the screen. On the return stroke of the arms, the next leaf will be laid in the same manner, with its butt end overlapping the previously laid leaf, and the screen may be advanced continuously to obtain the illustrated lateral overlapping of the leaves.

A number of machines A, B, C, etc., may be arranged as indicated in Fig. 7, to lay the leaves in tip-to-tip relation as shown. or butt-to-butt or other desired relation, the delivery mechanism of each machine delivering a different kind or grade of tobacco leaves on to the screens `6% which are advanced on an endless conveyor belt eight machines will be required, five of which handle the rst kind of tobacco, two handling the second kind, and one the third kind. When the screens have passed all of the machines they arrive at the end of the conveyor and are lifted therefrom and transported to a drying chamber where the blended tobacco is permitted to dry before being placed in a storage bin. My copending application, Serial No. 60,808, led January 25, 1936, which issued as Patent No. 2,195,427 on April 2, 1940, has a continuation in part in this application as to the blending.

To lay a single row of overlapping leaves as seen in Fig. 8, the gearing 43-44 is replaced by a crank-gear having half the throw of gear 44 and a pinion which will give a 1 to 1 ratio with the crank gear. Therefore a leaf will be fed only during the forward stroke of the arms and the return stroke will be completed without delivering a leaf. The screen will be advanced at the appropriate speed to obtain the desired overlapping of the leaves. With a stationary screen the leaves will be deposited in stacked or booked relationship.

If during the operation of the machine a leaf should reach the delivery mechanism unstemmed or only partially stemmed, a control mechanism of the general type disclosed in Patent No. 2,019,721, granted to P. M. Nejedly, dated November 5, 1935, will swing lever 10 (Fig. 3) and through its connections to the brush I2 move the same to its dotted position 1I. This permits the leaf to be advanced away from the pick-up belts I3 and I4 to the lowered position 1I of brush I2 and thereby rejected. Lever 19 is connected by a link 12 to a bell crank lever 13 clamped on one protruding end of a cross shaft 14 supported in the brackets 15 of the machine, the other end of shaft 14 carrying a crank 16. Cranks 13 and 16 each carry eyes 11 connected by turn-buckles 18 to eyes 19 pivotally secured to arms 89'. The cross-shaft 8| on which the brush I2 is mounted is supported in the ends of the arms which are loosely mounted on a sleeve 82 supported on a shaft 63 carried by brackets 15.

Arms 84 attached to each end of a rod 85 carried by bracket 15 support a cross-shaft 86 on which is mounted a brush S1 arranged to engage belt II and wipe oi any clinging leaves from the same. The brush 99 carried by bars 4!) and 46 (Fig. 1) and driven from the shaft of pulley I9 coacts with the belt I4 in the same manner. A sprocket 88 fixed on the shaft 95 which is suitably driven from the stemming machine, drives a chain 89 running over an idler sprocket 90 loosely mounted on the sleeve 82. A gear 9|, which may be integral with or fastened to sprocket 90, meshes with a gear 92 attached to the brush shaft 8|. Bars 93 fastened to the brackets 15 support each of the side frames 26 and 21, and are equipped with cross members 94 which engage belts I3 and I4 and prevent sagging thereof. Straps 55 which support the lower ends of the bars 25 are also provided on -the bars 93.

length does not exceed the throw of the swinging arms, and deposited in the desired end-to-end or stacked relationship, upon the appropriate adjustment of the crank-gear relatively to its driving pinion 43 to advance or retard the swinging movement of the exit end of the delivery belts relative to the stemming machine with which the delivery mechanism is associated.

In Fig. 10, certain details are shown of the particular stemming machine referred to above to illustrate the invention wherein the leaves enter tip first between opposed vertical runs of the endless belts and |0| whereby they are delivered on to the rotating suction drum |02 to which the successive leaves adhere while their stems are seized and torn out by grippers (not shown), of the gripper drum |03. The leaves are delivered by the suction drum to an endless conveyor belt |04 serving to transport them to the delivery belts l0 and On the belt |04 the leaves are advanced under a detector (not shown) of control mechanism illustrated in the above-mentioned Nejedly patent, whereby the link is actuated to swing the brush l2 into position to divert unstemmed and incompletely stemmed leaves.

For this purpose the arm |1| of lever 1E) extends into the proximity of the path of the axially displaceable pins |12 mounted in the web of the gear wheel |13 revolving on the shaft |14. Gear |13 is suitably driven from the main drive of the stemming machine. A solenoid |15 has a core |15 connected to one arm of a three-arm lever |11 fulcrumed on a bracket |18. The lower arm of lever |11 is provided with an arcuate ange |19 coextensive with a portion of the path of pins |12, which is normally held out of contact with the pins by the tension spring |80 connected to the upper arm of the lever. Upon energization of the solenoid |15, due to the detection of an unstemmed or partially stemmed leaf onthe` belt |04, as described in the Nejedly patent, the flange |19 of the lever is swung against the particular pin |12 then opposite it, so that it will be displaced suiciently to engage and actuate the arm |1| when the detected leaf has reached the brush |2. The arm 80 carrying the latter is rocked suciently to move the brush into a position which permits diversion of the defective leaf. A tension spring |8| suitably connected to the linkage actuating the arm 8|] normally maintains the brush |2 in its operative position and at the same time yieldingly urges the arm |1| into the path of the axially displaced pin. The latter is returned to its initial position upon engaging a stationary cam plate |82.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with a screen, of a traveling member adapted to advance the screen horizontally, a plurality of mechanisms'receiving a desired variety of grades of stemmed tobacco to form a blend and depositing them so that they will be deposited to assume a paired relationship extending transversely of the advancing screen with successive pairs of leaves overlapping each other laterally.

2. The combination with means for removing the stems of tobacco leaves, of mechanism for advancing the stemmed leaves from said means, and spreading and laying them in booked relationship, said mechanism including a pair of endless traveling belts arranged to admit therebetween stemmed leaves from said means andcoacting to advance and deliver the leaves edgewise, and pendant swinging members over which direction.

said belts are guided to provide opposed runs coacting to deliver the leaves in booked relationship and spread the same during delivery.

3. The combination with means for stemming tobacco, of delivery mechanism for receiving the stemmed leaves from said means, said mechanism including a pair of endless traveling belts arranged to admit therebetween stemmed leaves from said means and coacting to advance and deliver the leaves edgewise, and pendant swinging members over which said belts are guided to provide opposed runs coacting to deliver the leaves, and a device for traversing said members to and fro to deliver the leaves in a paired relationship and cause spreading of the leaves during delivery, said device being adjustable to cause each pair of leaves to be deposited with their tips or their butt ends adjacent each other and their other ends remote from each other.

4. Mechanism for depositing tobacco leaves in outspread fashion comprising a pair of endless traveling belts having opposed runs arranged to admit the leaves therebetween and coacting to advance and deliver the leaves edgewise, and pendant swinging members over which said belts are guided to provide opposedrruns coacting to deliver the leaves and spread the same during delivery. Y Y

5. Mechanism for depositing tobacco leaves in outspread fashion comprising a pair of endless traveling belts arranged to admit tobacco leaves therebetween and coacting to advance and deliver the leaves edgewise, pendant swinging members over which said belts are guided to provide opposed runs coacting to deliver the leaves, and a device connected to said members and swinging them to and fro in a direction to cause spreading of the'leaves during delivery.

6.v Mechanism for depositing tobacco leaves in outspread fashion comprising a pair of endless traveling belts arranged to admit tobacco therebetween and coacting to advance and deliver the leaves edgewise, pendant swinging members, rollers carried by said members over which said belts are guided to provide opposed runs coacting to deliver the vleaves vertically, and a device connected to said members for swinging them to and fro to spread and lay the leaves so that they will be'deposited to assume a paired relationship having a tip-to-tip relationship.

'1. Mechanism for depositing tobacco leaves in outspread fashion comprising a pair of endless traveling belts arranged to admit tobacco leaves therebetween and coacting to advance and deliver the loaves edgewise, pendant swinging members, rollers carried by said members over which said belts are guided to provide opposed runs coacting to deliver the leaves vertically, and a device connected to said members for swinging them to Vand fro in properly timed relation to spread andv lay the leaves so that they will be deposited to vassume a paired relationship having a butt-to-butt relationship.

8. Mechanism for depositing tobacco leaves in outspread fashion, comprising a pair of endless traveling belts arranged to admit tobacco leaves tip i'lrst therebetween and coacting to advance and deliver the leaves edgewise, pendant swinging members, rollers carried by said members over which said belts are guided to provide opposed runs coacting to deliver the leaves vertically, and a device connected to said members for swinging them to and fro to spread and lay the leaves with their tips pointing in the same 9. Mechanism for depositing tobacco leaves-in outspread fashion, comprising a pairfof `endless traveling belts arranged to admit tobacco therebetween and coacting to advance and deliverthe leaves edgewise, pendant swinging members, rollers carried by said members over which said belts are guided to provide opposed runs coacting to deliver the leaves vertically, and a device con-.

nected to said members and swinging them to and fro in properly timed relation to spread and lay the leaves in booked relationship.

'10. 'Ihe combination with an endless traveling member arranged to receive stemmed leaves from a stemming machine and advance the same, and mechanism for swinging said member to and fro to deliver the stemmed leaves in outspread condition.

11. The combination with an endless traveling memberarranged to receive stemmed leaves from astemming machine and advance the same, and mechanism for-swinging said member to and fro to deliver the stemmed leaves in outspread condition, said mechanism being adjustable to advance or retard the swinging movement of said member relative to said machine and thereby deliver leaves of various lengths in a predetermined relationship.

12. Mechanism for depositing tobacco leaves in outspread fashion, comprising a pair of endless traveling belts arranged to admit tobacco leaves therebetween and coacting to advance and deliver the leaves edgewise, pendant swinging members over which said belts are guided to provide runs coacting to deliver the leaves, and a device connected to said members for swinging them to and fro in a direction to cause spreading of the leaves during delivery, said device being adjustable to advance or delay the swinging movement of said members and thereby deliver leaves of various lengths in a predetermined relationship.

13. The combination with an endless traveling member arranged to receive tobacco leaves and advance and deliver them edgewise, of a device for traversing said member to and fro in a direction to cause spreading or the leaves during delivery.

14. The combination with means for delivering stemmed tobacco leaves, of a revolving roll, and mechanism for swinging said roll away from its operative position to cause diversion of imperfectly stemmed leaves away from said means.

15. In a stemming machine, the combination with a plurality of leaf blending screens, of a continuously traveling conveyor adapted to detachably support in a substantially continuous series a plurality of the leaf blending screens and advance the same horizontally of a stripped leaf delivering means extending transversely of the direction of movement of said screens, said means including traveling conveyor belts moving transversely of said screens for delivering the stripped leaves on to said screens with their lengths extending transversely thereof during the continued movement of the screens.

16. In a stemming machine, the combination with means for continuously advancing stemmed tobacco leaves endwise in an outspread condition, of opposed members arranged to admit the stemmed leaves endwise therebetween while they are being continuously advanced by said means and coacting to grip and advance said leaves and deposit them in outspread condition.

17. In a stemming machine, the combination with means for continuously advancingstemmed tobacco leaves endwise in an outspread condition,\of 'opposed members arranged toadmit the stemmed leaves endwise therebetween while they are being continuously advanced by said means and coacting to grip and advance said leaves and deposit them in outspread condition, and a device for actuating said members to deposit said leaves in booked relationship.

18. In a stemming machine, the combination with means for continuously advancing stemmed tobacco leaves endwise in an outspread condition, of opposed members arranged to admit the stemmed leaves endwise therebetween while they are being continuously advanced by said means and coacting to grip and advance said leaves and deposit them in outspread condition, and a device for actuating said members to deposit the leaves in a paired relationship.

19. In a stemming machine, the combination with means for continuously advancing stemmed tobacco leaves endwise in an outspread condition,

.of opposed members arranged to admit the stemmed leaves endwise-therebetween while they are being continuously advanced by said means and coacting to grip and advance said leaves and deposit them in outspread condition, and a device for actuating said members to ydeposit the leaves in a paired relationship, with the `leaves of each pair overlapping at one end and remote from each other at their other ends.

20. In a stemming machine, the combination with means for continuously advancing stemmed tobacco leaves endwise in an outspread condition, of opposed members arranged to admit the stemmed leaves endwise therebetween while they are being continuously advanced by said means and coacting to grip and advance said leaves and deposit them in outspread condition, and a device for actuating said members to deposit the leaves'in a paired relationship, with the leaves of eachpair overlapping at one end and remote from each other at their other ends, said device being adjustable to deposit the leaves of each pair with their butt ends overlapping or their tip ends overlapping.

21. The combination with a screen, of a traveling member adapted to advance the screen horizontally, a plurality of mechanisms for receiving stemmed tobacco leaves in outspread condition and laying them outspread in a paired relationship on said screen and extending transversely thereof with similar ends overlapping.

22. The combination with a screen, of a traveling member for advancing said screen'horizontally, and opposed members arranged to admit the stemmed leaves endwise therebetween while they are being advanced by said means and coacting to grip and advance said leaves and deposit them in outspread condition on said screen extending transversely Athereof and in laterally overlapping relationship thereon.

23. The combination with means for stemming tobacco leaves, of opposed traveling members arranged to grip the stemmed leaves therebetween and advance them endwise and deposit them in outspread booked relationship.

24. In a stemming machine, the combination with mechanism for delivering stemmed tobacco leaves, of means operating to advance stemmed tobacco leaves edgewise into said mechanism, and a device for bodily moving said means away from operative'position to cause diversion of imperfectly stemmed leaves away from said mechanism.

RUPERT E. RUNDELL.

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