ABSTRACT
IAose cut tobacco is fed via a feeders a towe.- reparato.- and a spec-
ial tangential separattor to'the upper and of an upri&.t conduit to form a
column of substantially uniform density therein,, a conveyor.conductLinv- a sub-
stantial I y wiiforrm -stream of tobacco fm-.l the lowe.- end of said condUt to
cutter means for cutting off the proper leng:',,h of said streem- evivU-ent ';.Io a
predeternined vvi&7it of tobacco., ulper rzeans uripin& said..
len,,-'%.h Oi a
conveyor to P. pac!M-Lng rxchine.
LIn
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 14 April 1999

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for cicaning,
classif3lLng end auto.-,6--tie dividing of cut tobacco into pack-a-80-siza weir:ats
writhin prescribed tolerances.
Packa&e-sizo uaior;its of cut tobacco for pipzs or for hand-roll-r-41
cigarettes at present are obtained by @and) a worker takL-& a hand-ful of
tobacco frvat a 5upp37, veighinw it and adjusting to appro.---itmtely the correct
veight, then tr."LinE it from the weiChing scale and placing it into bunkats
uhich. supply a pacImEing atachine. This method is subject to several dis-ndvent.-
ages such as hwz,,n error, non-uniforrdt.7 of the tobacco zi:%, slo."1033 and C03'.
10 of hwmm labo-,=.
Previous attempts at zschanical uoigldr4-, of cut tobacco leave rosulted
in serious degradation of the tobacco strwrid sizes and, therefore, hzvo not,
been Senerally adopted b7 the industry.
One object of the prosent invention is to provide an apptratus %thich
,vdU ens@,xo a sdostantic,117 unifoxm mix W" tebacco sttranc: sizes, measure sub-
eue.ntially co-.-.!s'u.--It teialts of tobacco and feed the tobacco -.,eIrht:; to tr;-
t)rpe of lmcrw..-q packaging machines.
Another object '616 this invention is to provide an apparatus and
method for wito.%--tic&lly dividing cut tobacco into pac:mae-size 1-MIC'e"s with-
out wV serious degradation of strand sizes.
A further object of the invention is to provide mems within the
apparatus to remove undesirable COMPOnOnIL3 iiiich =V be present in the out
tobacco, for axe-mple: fine dust'. pazticlos, aliye=3 (CUL SteMS), 'obacco
gum (1,ro.-I the cutter knives), and foreign nLterLmas-
-at, ng to tire invention comprises an upstand:U.S cond%tit.,
Appa. us accordi;
feed means for foedirg loose tobacco of sWbstantiall-j unifor-3 density to the
upper end of said conduit, a conveyer disposcid beneath the lo-...cr C.-Id of said
cond,-,It, meants for driving said conve.-or 4.0 conduct a 3abstantial%r
Ctrep-m of tobacco from sr-id conduit, &l*n,--. a substantiaI17 horizontal pethp
30 cutter =P.-is for autt:Lng preda"Wormired lerrha from srl,' and utpar
means for uripint: a cut loneh transvorzo%, from. said c. ve-- for feedina 'o
W. 'O
a packinv machine t1hich may be of a conventional t.- ra.
Lill
BATCO document for Province of BrltlSh ColUmbla 14 April 1999

The method according to the invention bzsicaI3,y compriscs the st cps
of eitablteaing a mt of loose cut tob--cco of sWastantially unifona densit ty
and cross-soctiora-1 area, and =Turing from said mat redeterained Ionoths re-
Q.
presenUng packqre-cise
In the accorkpan;-Ing drawi:ngs,' itinick. illustrate a presently preferred
embodiment n@jhe invention:
Figure l,is !L diagratriatic elevz'Llion of the apparatus,
Figtzra 2 is a top plan view of the metering belt, and the cutter
apparatus associated there;dth.
10 Figure 3 is a side elevation of the Cotering belt a-A associated
apparatus sho%n in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a sectional view taken an the line 4-4 of Firare 3,
Fig=o 5 is a view of the @utter head showing valve means now-tted
thereon adapted to be operated by cutter blade and triping machownisam.
Figure 6 is an alevational vieur.of the cutter head 3ho..-ine the
aolei,oid operated slide-valve =-,untdd thereon unich governs the flow of fluid
to the cylii-iders operating the cutter blade and wiper rnchanism.
Figuxe 7 is an end elevation of the cutter head sho-cdnS the presser
plate, cutter blade, idper blade and a control associated vith the cutter
20 ))lade.
Referring to Figure 1, the au
.paratus consists of a hoppmr 25, adapt-
ad to receive loose bulk fine cut tobacco, whien he, =unted therein a convey-
or 26 i-Mich, transports the tobacco uyura.-M,7 and feeds it betueen counter rotat-
Ing Members V and 29, provided Wth spreader mmabers of helical rod rotor
formation.% uhich 1003011 and spread the tobacco in a substantially uniform la,7or
across the vidth of the upper end of conveyer 26. The tobacco is discharged
from the convenor 26 into a hopp3r 29 on den&-id from a protocols. level control,
not s6uns but located'at tbe lo%.-er end of-hoppei'@@- Thi-tobacco, is re=.ed
fr= the @cpper by an uptmdly inclined tined convertor bi:lt 30 notuited in a
30 housing 31. Rotata1bly no,=ted above the inclined tined.-bolt 30 there is a
tined rcfuser rotor *2 waich re=ves the excess oi tobacco cr
rried above the
*0 tines of belt 30 v&ereby a predeterdnod depth or r.-+..o4' ";.tacco remains there-
CP%
-2-
00
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 14 April 1999

on. The refuter rotor 32 also pla@s a Wt in combin't-, o-:1. lw.ips in the tobac-
co. 'The tobacco retained betu-con the tines of bolt 30 Is rcmvcd by a rotat-
in doffing br-4;b 33 rtdch is wtv.-tod -adjacoe. tha upper end of tho hwxzir.-
.0 Lb
31 in con,;F-ct vith the return flight of the tined bcr,.. 71o rotcting doffinZ
brush 33 removes, the tobacco froze the tines and feads it, into a Spout 34 t-hich
directs it onto a vibratirr, screen coilvoyor 35. T.,-.a tobacco deposited upon
screen conveYor 35 is &stated to loosen the mass and sift out the fine$ Unich
Ws do-unwardly through the screen of the conveyor. The screened tobacco
transported by the conveyor 35 is deposited Li the mouth. 36 of the. tower separ-
ator inlet 37 where there is motnited a bladed rotor .38 which throws the tobacco
10
into and across the touer aop*--Ltor 39 at a pFodotermined volociz,-r. In the
.0
tower separator the tobacco is subjected to an up-waard current of air i-Ahith
carries loose tobacco up-.mads w!-Me permittLir, tobacco limps or ag&lomerato-
and foroi,=;n materistl, gum and stem &.ips to fast dovrmiardl-.r. The dowrnardly
fp-Uin.,, rp-terial falls on a vibrating screen 41 wbich scz--3ns out the swterri3,
etc., the tobacco 1-XT3 retained on the screen being conveyed into a conduit
42 which is cornected to the suction side of a pneumatic conw-yor tcx-Wtnati4n,-
in a tangential separator 43 %inich return3.the tobacco lumps to tined conveyor
30 for further combing.
The tobacco passing L7wardly in the saWator 39 is fad to a special
2D
tangential separator 4.0 tlu-our;i an adjustable throat 44 formd bel-ve--T the
inner and outer scrolls of the separator. The are& of.the throat is con-trolled
by a darper 45 which guides the stream of tobacco entering the separator tgairst
the inner surface of the outer p@rip@enf or scroll of the separator. Air and
IJ Wd nn etc an
dust an discharged into the e7i'must, cond t 40" ch is co. 9 d to Ithe f.
47. 'Ibe fan V exhwasts 'the air to atmosphere via a filtering apparatus 48
-which collects the dust or p--ovision could be made to return the air to the
3A%uer@ end of tower 39. The =ab3 of tobacco iihich P23506 throuZ:% the thrort 44
travels arw-md the Inner face or periphery or the outer scroll and forms into
a belt-like -ass v+-ich flows and is CuLded into an, calls,, 49 forrmd on the
30 Is -LI : "..
separator 4.0 and passes dw;nr--tard2;- into a =DterinS tubw or conduit, 50. The
tobacco entering motering tube 50 flows downwardly 'ha tube, =der the ft--J
do C7%
-3-
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia `14 April 1999

influence of gravity wand the force of the ai--,sIfrcc!a uithin the zc2ai-ator 40.
The metering-ttebe 50 at its lose end is provided uith an arcu--',.c throat 51
which deflects t!;o gtrom 9: tobacco fron a vertical flou to a horizontal
flo-j. The threat, as shotm in Figure 3, coz.?Asev an, arcuatc, bac'91-. plate 52
and an adjutsta1ble, arcz' ta, hip.,redly mounted front. plate 53 unich is replied
in adjusted. The tobacco is.SUL-ir. from throat
k. a.?@sition.by adjrnting r-cans 54.
51 flo.-as onto zatering conveying belt 55 thich carries it bet-ween ',Ir,?-n3Vcr.-ely
adjustable guides 56, supported on side rails 57 of the frar-2-work 58. The
tobacco, as it is carried along by catering
convening belt 55, passes, beneath
10 a compicting.roller 59 -.kich reduces the depth of the mat 'of tobacco sufficient,
ly to perzit its passage beneatth a cutter head assembly 60 and coatinue, its
travel until the leading end of thr.- mat abuts'agUnst a tobacco stop 61.
The cutt"tr lead assembly comprises a cutter head 62, %&,ich sup.3orts
thercon a PI-033Cr-plate 63, a cutt--z iblaade 64 and a wiper blade 65. The cutter
head 62 has forced therein bores 66 (Figure 6) adapted to nlidably =-xit culter
head 62 on iTstardi:ng guide-pO3'V3 67 which are secured to rails 57 of Irz=s-
woel: 58. The -tpp3r free ends of guide-posts 67 are hcId in spaced relation
eetablature 63 i.@rdch is secured thereof by nuts 69 and 70. The presser-pla-Le
63 COPSi3t3 Of & Bole-PILIVO 71 fozzed vVuh an arcuate edge v.1hieli faces
in relation to Via travel of the mat of teo,-cco. A pair of Upstarldir-Sposts
20'.
72 are secured in transverse spaced reletion to the soie-plate 63 e;-.d e::tend
ujr,;ard3,7 throu&. bores 73, formed in cutter head 6;2.. The upper ends of t@e
posts 72 exLending above the cutter hoad 62 axe threadedly angased in nuts 74
which am adjusted to maintain the a6le-plate 73. a predetermined distance belo%-
the bottom surface of cutter head 62. The pre3rure-plate is yie'Ida:b2,v mir.1%-4:Ln-
ad in its dou-=-Ard position by springs 75 which enCOMPa33 the posts 72 and
bear against the upper s,=fLce of the sole-plate 711 and the lo-.-.or surface of
the cutter lead 62, re--poevivel-7. Tre cutter bltdo 64,'as in Firuro 7,
is secured to the ceter boad arA e:A..crd3 do-..=a.-dI.,- Ath its t-p-3t;--exri 'Lace
abutting aeeinst the dotnist.-can edCo of sole-plate 71. The cutting edge of
30
the cutter blade, La &:-.c*.n in Firuv 7,. is aligned in a y1ane subst-wit wiall::, C=)
parallel to the botto-a plano of the solc-PI41-tc 71. 7@io vidrt@r b3-,de 65 ic
-4-
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 14 April 1999

mounted on a croS5-hcad 76 which is slidably mounted on, parallel horizontal
spaced shorts 77. The shafts 77 are supported at their ends in brackets 70'
which are mounted on and secured to cutter head 62. The wiper blade 65, -as
sho-.!.n in Figure 3, abuts against the dcrm3tream face of cutter blade 64 and
extends at a right angle therefi@om a distance, when in'the douninsrd operative
position, r-Mcient to sweep the space Imtvnen the cutter blade 64 and tobacco
stop 61.
41 The cutter head 62 and the appended presser-plate 63, wiper-blade 65
and cutter blade 64 are reciprocated upardly and dowmiardly by. a piston and
10 cylinder arrangemant 79, 60 tFigurs 5) cylinder 79 being mounted on and secured
to establature 68whila pist on rod 80 is attached to cutter head 62. The
wipeer-blade 65 is reciprocated back:.and forth across zotering conveyor belt
55 by a piston and cylinder arrangement 81 mounted on and secured to the Ic.1t
hand bracket 78, see Figures 4 and .5. The 'piston rod -of this arrangemant, not
shoi-in, passes freely through said bracket to be secured at its :--e end to the
cross-heed 76. The cutter blade 64 and wiper-blade 65 wben in the lowered,
operative position are adjusted to clear the metering
conveyor belt 55 by
approximately five one-thousandths of an inch. The adjustment of the Viper-
blade 65 and the cutting edge of the cutter 64 is accomplished by collars C2
2D threadedly engaged on the lo-4&r ends of guide posts 67. The upper surfaces of
the collars 82, engaging the lower 'surface of the cutter head 62 arwand guide
posts 67 when the cutter head is forced ectintrardly into the operative P03it Uon,
arrest and stop t@e cutter head 62. The cylindere'79 and 81 mounted on C3ta-
-blature 68 and the bracket 78, respectively, are actuated by a slide valve 83
which is reciprocated by a solenoid 83t. The slide-valve 83 op2rates in con-
junction with one-way pilot valves 84 and 85. 7he valve 84 is installed in
the supp3,v conduit, not shoum, so that the lover arm 96, pivotally secured
thereon, is actuated by a doi :el-pin 87 when the cutter tead 62 has reacted tolim
and of its do-eam-ard store, whereupon the pressutv in the cylinder 79 is per-n-It
30 ted to exhaust and cut off the poter. The one-wa7 p1lot valve 85 is secured
on the cutter head 62 so that the lover arm as pivetan:@ mounted thereon pro-
Cr%
jects dowmttardly, so* Figures 4 and 5, into the par' C- -_.I'Oii@-head 7ewhich
Qn
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 14 April 1999

has formd thereon a chwdorad surface 89 adapted to en.-ase arm 80'. The am.
88, then actuated, move!- the valve to open position,, penditting the presc;ure
within cylinder SI to e7thaust so that the travel of the cross-head my be
arrested at the end of its stroke. Simultaneously with the termination of the
uiping stroke of vriper-blade 65 the solenoid 831 is *nsrgized to reset the
slide valve 83 sothat thu cylinder 79 and 81 are.energized to raise the cutter
head 62 and the attached wiper-blade 65, the cylinder 81 withdratting the iriper-
blade to the left, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
It will be appreciated that when the cutter head assembly is forced
10 do-emi-tardly, the pres3er-plato 63 contacts and presses the mat of tobacco to
a predetermined depth, depending on the preset yield strength of springs 75.
The cutter blade, as it travels do=fardly, severs a portion of tobacco from
the mat and ihe Aper-blade at this moment is energized to wipe the severed
portion of 'L the metering belt 55. L4 belt 55, from beneath the pres3ure path
to a point slightly beyond the tobe-CCO 3tQp 61, is alidably stoppered on a
bed-plate 89 secured between the side rails 57 of framework 58, see Fig-am 4.
The bed-plate acts as a rigid means which resists the downwmaxds pressure of
the pressure-plate 63 and the cutting blade 64. The block or batch of tobacco
wiped from the metering conveying belt 55 falls into a chute 90 Which guides
20 it into trapping Or packaging machine 91, knaim to the trade as a "Rose Pack-er".
The speed of the metering belt 55 and the timing of the reciprocations Of the
cutter head 62 am governed by the rate at uhich the'packer recei-res and wraps
the block* of tobacco, by M2&n3 Of suitable electronic equipmentp not shocin
but well knovn to the art. Each wrapped block of tobacco ejected from the
packer is picked up by- a conveyor 92 (Figare 1) tihich carries it and deposits
it on the bends of a %eighing machine 93 wftich has incorporatted therein sensing
means adapted to function when the packages'passing thereover are overteight
or undo--nieiGht beyond predetermined toleriuicos. If the- pack:,re3 are over-
weight- the sensing =ans, througn sorvo-means, and electronic Mapuns, IMO-.!M to
30 the art, feeds a Sipal to 310VI dO'.M the speed of the conve or belt 55. If,
an the ether hand# the packages pissine ever the machine are under-
.... . ...
.10 veight the zensing means 34ValS the serve and elecIt-nn],- -tans which Speeds
NO
No
BATCo document for Province of BritiSh Columbia 14 April 1999

the conveyor belt, 55 until the i-mir, Is of the pacla:Zcs are '!.-:7
UP @h
dete and tolerances. T@e metering t1lbe is provided with a scrics of
electric cells 094 adapted Iwo scan the colmm of tobacco in th: i,-.c1Lc--1n,-
and naintaJ n it at the. prop3r level ror ef ficient oparAtion by co:,'.:-o, li-..;
the spzed of componant3 oZ the apparatgs upstrox-3 of the Mebe.
Packages vi-aich are ove-mmight or underveieht be.-ond thn-
ad by i Lc
tolerances are blo, into a reject bin by a blast or air controll
-weight veniino,, mezns.
Ln
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 14 April 1999

THE EMODIMM OF TKID, INVENTIM ni 1.11i'll! A11 EXCLUSI"WrE
PROPERTY OR FRIVID-ME IS CLIMED A-RE IW-Zl=-D AS FOLIO.-.'S:
1. Apparatus for &uto=&ticP-lly dividirg cut t,)b,-cco into p2c1,-:,rc-s V
-weights, said apparatus cormrising an upstanding conduit, reed -nans for ffee@@-
Ing loose t6bacco'of substantially uniform density to the upper end of said
conduit, 'conveyor disposed beneath the lower end or said conduit, r--ans for
driving said conveyor 1VO conduct a 3ub3tanttially uniform stream of tobacco
from said conduit along a substanUilly horizontal path, cutter means for
cutting predeserminod. lengths from said stream and wiper means for viping a
cut length transversely from said conveyor for feeding to packa.-InS. =eV--Is.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim. )L, therein said cutter Kravis includes
a vertically disposed cutting blade, means for vertically reUp-rocating said
blade, a horizontal presser plate movable -with the cutter blade and adapted
' '2 IZ:
to cont@ct and'compress.loose tobacco innediately upstream of the center blaee,
and resilient means yieldingly urging said pressure plate do-,-=.rardly-
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said wiper means uipe3
the cut lenrth of the tobacco from the downstream side of the cutter means
while said cutter means remains in a d(nm posittion.
Apparatus as claimed in elect 1 or 2, including check v.0graing :means
for chtucking the weight of packages discharged from the paclkaging means and
responsive to excessively over-ieiW. or underweight packages to alter the
speed of the conveyor.
5. Apparatus as cl&L-.sd in claim 1, wherein 'said feed me?,ns includes a
vertical tower, means for introducing tobacco laterally into said to-@.er, =ears
for producing'an upward current of air In said tower to'carry'up-ja!@ds onl7
tobacco particles or a desired densitys and &@ Ur.&cnawiLl separator adopted t o
receive said particles and deliver them to the iTp*r end of said cond-lit.
6. Apparatus as clai;--ed In @laim 5, wher,oin s=" Itangential separator
Is designed to utilize tho tobacco in tho upstanding, cvndu'i@.'as an air real to
'prevent inCrc33 of air Wile at the &v= tL-.e proviing discharge recalls for V-
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 14 April 1999

raterial I rom, the tangential separator.
7. Apparatus as claimed in elai:-a 5, vr'@-erein said feed mcaxis frrtl,.--r
includes a bulk tobacco conveyor, a plurality of helical rod rotors for romo.,
ing tobacco from said bulk conveyor, an L7..ardly iir-lined, tined con,.ez@or for
receiving tobacco from said rotors, a tired rotor adjacent said tined con%cyo-
for brushing excess tobacco on said conveyor douaraardly and co:-.bin- out arr-lom-
crates on said conveyor, a brush roller adjacc.-it the uprer end of the
run of said tined conveyor for stripping tobacc@ fr,om said tined corveyor,
and mans for impelling tobacco stripped from said tired convoyor into said
touer at a predet;rminod velocity.
S. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, includirZ vibratin,-, screen con-ey-
ing mans for receiving the tobacco stripped from said tined conveyor and
removing fines therefrom before the tobacco is impelled into the tower.
Apparatus as claimed in claive 7 or 8, including means Zor rett=Lng
agglomerates from said tomr to the lower end of said tired conveyor.
10. A method@ of dividing cut tobacco into package-size vaights v-hich
comprises the steps of establishing a mat of loose cut tobacco Of 3-Abstart.4 all
uniform density and cross-sectional area and cutting from said bit predet.c.-n!n-
ad lenSth3 representing packLge-size weigbts.
n. A method as claimed In claim iO, wherein the mat of tobacco is
before the c@tting stop.
12. A method L3 claimed in claim 10, Wherein the tobacco is init
subjected to an upward stream of air of prodeter.-Ined volocit.-7 to conve7 it
upwardly v.-ay from material of greater t@an the desired density in. the mt .
and is then deposited in a vertical cond-At of uniform cros.-section -.-hic"I
discharges on to a horizontal conveyor.
is conve-d
13. A method as claimed in claim 12, i4terein.the _;@&cco Vat.
by said conveyor to be out and the cut lengths are wi;iEd tran3versoly off the '-4
conveyor for feeding to paelcaring means.
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 14 April 1999

V;- A method as claimed in claim 13., silhorain a cutter blade for cut"4113
the r.-t of tobacco is held in a domn position vAiiie the iriping slep is b&;--
carried out.
BATCO document for Province of BritlSh Columbia 14 April 1999