US3142303A - Needle for transferring a wrapper to a cigar filler - Google Patents

Description

July 28, 1964 w. THIELE 3,142,303

NEEDLE FOR TRANSFERRING A WRAPPER TO A CIGAR FILLER Filed Feb. 21 1961 Fig.1

United States Patent 3,142,303 NEEDLE FOR TRANSFERRING A WRAPPER TO A QIGAR FILLER Willi Thiele, Geesthacht-Tesperhude, Germany, assignor to Hauni-Werke Korber & Co. K.G., Hamburg-Bergerlorf, Germany Filed Feb. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 90,773 Claims priority, application Germany Mar. 2, 1960 '7 Claims. (Cl. 131-36) The invention relates to cigar manufacture and particularly is directed to improvements in a needle structure for transferring the end of a wrapper to a cigar filler in a wrapping machine. In order to transfer a wrapper to a previously prepared or rolled tobacco filler, a needle is pierced into the end of the wrapper adhering to a suction head, and then the needle is caused to move the end of the wrapper downwardly upon one end of the cigar filler and press this end of the wrapper against the filler during the first few revolutions of the wrapping fixture. The needle has to be very flexible in order to follow this movement of the filler. The needles heretofore used can only be employed when the cigar filler has rather pointed ends, because when the cigar filler has blunt ends, the flexure of the needle would become so great that the needle would break. In addition, the stem of the needle is positioned approximately in axial alignment with the axis of the filler when the needle takes part in the wrapping operation, so that the remote end of the needle moves in a circular path which puts additional stress on the needle.

It is an object of the invention to provide a needle whose end remote from the wrapper is mounted in a shaft in such a manner that the pointed end of the needle may move in all directions and is always arranged in axial alignment With the needle body when the pointed end of the needle is disengaged from the cigar filler. For this purpose the needle body is mounted with one end in a tubular shaft provided with a ball socket, while the end of the needle body is provided with an enlargement to form a part of a ball hearing so that the needle point is swingable in a circular path and may also be arranged in axial direction with the tubular shaft.

Another object of the invention is to arrange the needle in such a manner in the tubular shaft that the needle may be displaced axially against the action of a spring, while the ball-shaped enlargement on the needle is so constructed that the needle is automatically caused to assume an axial alignment with the tubular shaft when the needle is not used for piercing a wrapper. If such a needle should engage with its pointed end the blunt or egg-shaped end of the cigar filler, then the needle will be pushed into the tubular shaft against the action of the spring. When the needle after the first few revolutions is withdrawn from the cigar filler, it will return to its normal axial alignment with the tubular shaft. In order that this operation of the needle can take place, the enlargement at the end of the needle is provided with a plane surface arranged at right angles to the axis of the needle, while within the tubular shaft is arranged an axially movable plunger one end face of which is arranged at right angles to the axis of the plunger and is adapted to engage the plane face on the enlargement on the needle, while the other end of the plunger is subject to the action of an adjustable spring.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear hereinafter, the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a needle structure of the prior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates a needle structure in accordance with the present invention, and

3,142,303 Patented July 28, 1964 FIG. 3 illustrates in an enlarged section the front end of the needle structure.

Referring to FIG. 1, which illustrates a needle structure employed heretofore, it will be noted that a needle support 1 has mounted therein by means of a set screw 1a a needle stem 2. The front end of this stem 2 has exchangeably mounted therein one end of a flexible needle 3. In the illustrated position the pointed end 7 of the needle 3 has pierced one end of a wrapper 4 and presses it against the end 5 of a cigar filler. The axis of the cigar and the axis of the needle stem 2 are arranged in alignment as indicated by the dash-and-dotted line 6.

The operation of this conventional needle is as follows:

The needle support 1 is operated in such a manner that the needle 3 moves toward the carrier of the wrapper until the pointed end 7 of the needle 3 pierces the end of the wrapper 4, whereupon the needle is moved toward the end 5 of the cigar and presses the end of the wrapper 4 against this end 5 of the cigar. The cigar is now rotated about its longitudinal axis so that the wrapper 4 is wrapped around the cigar. During the first few revolutions the shaft of the needle remains in the illustrated position and the point 7 of the needle 3 is moved in a circular path which causes a flexing of the needle at a point between its outer end and the end where it is attached to the shaft 2. This stress permits only a relatively small bending of the needle, since the material of the needle becomes fatigued quickly so that the needle 3 is bound to break easily.

Referring now to the FIGS. 2 and 3 which illustrate a needle structure of the invention, it will be noted that the needle support 1 has attached thereto by means of the previously mentioned set screw 1a a tubular supporting member or shaft 8. The front end position or outermost end is rounded and has the form of a semi-spherical socket 9 provided with an axial conically shaped aperture 10. This semi-spherical socket 9 serves as a bearing for a semi-spherical end portion or enlargement 11 provided at one end of the needle 12. The aperture 10 is of such a size that the needle 12 may be swivelled into the position illustrated in FIG. 2, in which position the pointed end portion 18 of the needle 12 engages the end 5 of the cigar and no bending of the needle 12 between its ends occurs; in other words, the needle 12 remains absolutely straight.

The tubular shaft 8 has slidably mounted therein suitable holding means including a plunger 13 the front end portion of which is flat and forms a right angle with the axis of the plunger and is adapted to engage the flat face 17 on the adjacent portion of the semispherical enlargement 11. The flat face 17 also forms a right angle with the axis of the needle 12. The other end of the shaft 8 is closed by an adjustable screw 15 between which and the adjacent end of the plunger 13 is arranged a helical spring 14 the bias of which can be varied by an adjustment of the screw 15.

The operation of the needle structure of the invention is as follows:

The engagement of the wrapper 4 against the end 5 of the cigar takes place in the same manner as described in the foregoing. However, the needle 12 remains always straight. When the cigar rotates, the pointed end portion 18 of the needle performs the required swivellng movement. The pivot point of the needle is arranged, however, in the ball bearing formed by the semi-spherical socket 3 and the semi-spherical enlargement 11 arranged at one end of the needle 12 (FIG. 3). When the needle support 1 is withdrawn, the compressed spring 14 pushes the plunger 13 forward or toward the left until the flat end face 16 of the plunger 13 engages the adjacent flat face 17 of the semi-spherical enlargement 11. The

needle 12 is now again in normal position of axial alignment with the bore in the tubular shaft 8 and another wrapping operation can be initiated.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show portions of wrapping rollers 20 which serve to convolute the wrapper 4 around the cigar filler 5.

What I claim is:

1. In a cigar machine, the combination with a cigar wrapping machine for applying a wrapper to a cigar filler, of a needle structure for transferring said wrapper to said cigar filler in said wrapping machine, said needle structure comprising a tubular shaft closed at one end by an integral wall forming a semi-spherical socket fully open towards the interior of said shaft and a needle having a normal position in which it is axially aligned with said tubular shaft and being provided at one end which is positioned within the bore of said tubular shaft with a semi-spherical enlargement, means yieldably urging said semi-spherical enlargement into engagement with said semi-spherical socket which is provided with an aperture of larger diameter than said needle and through which said needle extends so that the other end of said needle can be swivelled around said normal position.

2. In a cigar machine, the combination with a cigar wrapping machine for applying a wrapper to a cigar filler, of a needle structure for transferring said wrapper to said cigar filler in said wrapping machine, said needle structure comprising a tubular shaft provided at one end with a ball socket and a needle extending with one end into said tubular shaft and having a ball-shaped enlargement thereon engaging said ball socket, a plunger slidably mounted in said tubular shaft and engaging said ballshaped enlargement with one of its ends, and a spring engaging the other end of said plunger for yieldably urging said plunger into engagement with said ball-shaped enlargement, said ball socket having an aperture through which said needle extends and which permits a swingable movement of said needle about said filler and with respect to said tubular shaft, said ball'shaped enlargement being provided with a fiat face extending at right angles to the axis of said needle and said plunger having a fiat end face extending at right angles to its axis and engaging the flat face of said ball-shaped enlargement whereby said needle, when disengaged from said filler, will be biased into axial alignment with said tubular shaft.

3. In a cigar machine, the combination with a cigar wrapping machine for applying a wrapper to a cigar filter, of a needle structure for transferring said wrapper to said cigar filler in said wrapping machine, said needle structure comprising a shaft having a bore and provided at one end with a ball socket having an aperture in communication with said bore, a needle having a pointed end portion and a second end portion with the latter extending through said aperture and into said bore and including a ballshaped enlargement, said aperture being dimensioned in such a way that said enlargement is prevented from passing therethrough and that said pointed end portion is free to swivel about the axis of said bore, and holding means provided in said bore and yieldably engaging said second end portion to bias said enlargement against said ball socket, said holding means and said enlargement having cooperating portions which tend to urge the needle into axial alignment with said bore from all positions of the needle.

4. A needle structure as set forth in claim 3, wherein said holding means comprises a plunger reciprocably received in said bore and resilient means for biasing said plunger against said enlargement, said needle being movable counter to the bias of said resilient means when its axis coincides with the axis of said bore.

5. A needle structure as set forth in claim 3, wherein said cooperating portions are provided with flat faces which are in full face-to-face abutment with each other when said needle is in axial alignment with said bore.

6. In a cigar machine, the combination with a cigar wrapping machine for applying a wrapper to a cigar filler, with a needle structure for transferring said Wrapper to said filler in said cigar wrapping machine, said needle structure comprising a supporting member having an end portion, a needle having an end portion adjacent to the end portion of said supporting member, one of said end portions being of spherical shape and the other end portion defining a socket for said one end portion so that said needle is free to swivel with respect to said supporting member, and yieldable holding means arranged to bias said needle at all times to a normal position around which the needle may swivel by overcoming the bias of said yieldable means.

7. A needle structure as set forth in claim 6, wherein said needle is straight and is sufficiently rigid to remain straight at the time it overcomes the bias of said holding means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 535,048 Bunn et al. Mar. 5, 1895 1,297,211 Magness Mar. 11, 1919 1,639,441 Spahr Aug. 16, 1927 2,236,561 Roher et al. Apr. 1, 1941 2,304,046 Durning Dec. 1, 1942 2,860,899 Gottschald Nov. 18, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,223,983 France Feb. 1, 1960 95,054 Germany Dec. 1, 1897 796,706 Great Britain June 18, 1958 OTHER REFERENCES American Machinist of April 10, 1947, page 139.

Claims (1)

1. 3. IN A CIGAR MACHINE, THE COMBINATION WITH A CIGAR WRAPPING MACHINE FOR APPLYING A WRAPPER TO A CIGAR FILTER, OF A NEEDLE STRUCTURE FOR TRANSFERRING SAID WRAPPER TO SAID CIGAR FILLER IN SAID WRAPPING MACHINE, SAID NEEDLE STRUCTURE COMPRISING A SHAFT HAVING A BORE AND PROVIDED AT ONE END WITH A BALL SOCKET HAVING AN APERTURE IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID BORE, A NEEDLE HAVING A POINTED END PORTION AND A SECOND END PORTION WITH THE LATTER EXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURE AND INTO SAID BORE AND INCLUDING A BALLSHAPED ENLARGEMENT, SAID APERTURE BEING DIMENSIONED IN SUCH A WAY THAT SAID ENLARGEMENT IS PREVENTED FROM PASSING THERETHROUGH AND THAT SAID POINTED END PORTION IS FREE TO SWIVEL ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID BORE, AND HOLDING MEANS PROVIDED IN SAID BORE AND YIELDABLY ENGAGING SAID SECOND END PORTION TO BIAS SAID ENLARGEMENT AGAINST SAID BALL SOCKET, SAID HOLDING MEANS AND SAID ENLARGEMENT HAVING COOPERATING PORTIONS WHICH TEND TO URGE THE NEEDLE INTO AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID BORE FROM ALL POSITIONS OF THE NEEDLE.

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