Tobacco leaf orienting machine

Claim 2

A tobacco leaf orienting machine, comprising in combination a vertically elongated chamber having a leaf inlet at its upper end and a leaf outlet at one side of its lower end portion, means for producing a current of air upwardly through said chamber so that leaves deposited into the chamber through said inlet are subjected to a combined effect of gravity and upward airflow and are thereby oriented with their relatively heavy stems pointing downwardly, an endless leaf carrier provided in the lower end portion of said chamber and movable in the direction of said leaf outlet, and leaf-translating means provided in said chamber above said carrier, said translating means being operative to laterally deflect the stem-down oriented leaves so that they come to engage said carrier with their stems pointed in the direction of said leaf outlet, said endless carrier being foraminous and having said current of air passing upwardly therethrough.

Claim 3

The machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said chamber is constituted by a housing which also includes a lateral extension defining an outlet passage in communication with said leaf outlet of the chamber, and an oriented-leaf delivery conveyor provided at the bottom of said outlet passage.

Claim 4

The machine as set forth in claim 2 wherein said air current producing means includes a blower at the lower end of said chamber forcing air upwardly through the chamber and also laterally into said outlet passage, said lateral housing extension having a foraminous wall for dispersion of forced air outwardly from said passage.

Claim 5

The machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said air current producing means includes a blower at the lower end of said chamber below said endless carrier, said blower forcing air upwardly through the foraminous carrier and through said chamber.

Claim 6

The machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said leaf-translating means comprise a set of transversely spaced oscillatory kicker members provided in said chamber above said carrier.

Claim 7

The machine as set forth in claim 5 which is further characterized in that said kicker members are oscillated in vertical planes about a horizontal axis transverse to the direction of movement of said carrier.

Claim 8

The machine as set forth in claim 6 which is further characterIzed in that said kicker members are oscillated between a substantially horizontal position and a downwardly slanted position.

Claim 9

The machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said chamber is constituted by a housing having an open upper end, together with a partition provided in the upper end portion of said housing in closely adjacent relation to one side thereof, said leaf inlet existing between said one side of the housing and said partition.

Claim 10

The machine as defined in claim 8 which is further characterized in that said one side of the upper end portion of said housing is outwardly flared, said partition being disposed in closely spaced parallel relation to said flared side of the housing.

Claim 11

A tobacco leaf orienting machine comprising in combination a vertically elongated housing having an open upper end portion, a lower end portion and an intermediate portion between said upper and lower end portions, said housing defining a vertically elongated chamber, a leaf inlet in the upper end portion of said housing, and a leaf outlet at one side of the housing in the lower end portion thereof, blower means in said bottom end portion for forcing a current of air upwardly through said chamber so the leaves deposited into said chamber through said inlet are subjected to a combined effect of gravity and upward airflow and are thereby oriented with their relatively heavy stems pointed downwardly, and conveyor means within said chamber above said blower means for moving tobacco leaves transversely of said chamber in the direction of said outlet means, said conveyor means comprising a foraminous endless carrier through which said air current will pass.

Claim 12

A tobacco leaf orienting machine comprising in combination a vertically elongated housing having an open upper end portion, a lower end portion and an intermediate portion between said upper and lower end portions, said housing defining a vertically elongated chamber, a leaf inlet in the upper end portion of said housing, and a leaf outlet at one side of the housing in the lower end portion thereof, blower means in said bottom end portion for forcing a current of air upwardly through said chamber so the leaves deposited into said chamber through said inlet are subjected to a combined effect of gravity and upward airflow and are thereby oriented with their relatively heavy stems pointed downwardly, and conveyor means within said chamber above said blower means for moving tobacco leaves transversely of said chamber in the direction of said outlet means, said conveyor means comprising a foraminous endless carrier through which said air current will pass.

Claim 13

The machine as set forth in claim 10 wherein said upper end portion has sidewalls flaring outwardly and upwardly from the top of said intermediate portion, defining a zone or reduced air pressure in relation to the air pressure in said intermediate portion, and a slanted partition extending across said upper end portion and separating the open end thereof into said leaf inlet and into an air exhaust passage, said zone of reduced pressure being effective to prevent any leaves which are forced into said zone by upward airflow from passing out of said chamber through said open upper end portion and permitting the leaves to fall back downwardly through said chamber.

Claim 14

The machine set forth in claim 11 wherein said air exhaust passage is covered with a foraminous screen.

Claim 15

The machine set forth in claim 10 wherein said endless carrier is a foraminous cylindrical drum, mounted horizontally within the lower end portion of said housing with means for rotating the drum so that the upper surface of the drum rotates in the direction of said leaf outlet.

Claim 16

A tobacco leaf orienting machine comprising in combination a vertically elongated housing having an open upper end portion, a lower end portion and an intermediate portion between said upper and lower end portions, said housing defining a vertically elongated chamber, a leaf inlet in the upper end portion of said housing, and a leaf outlet at one side of the housing in the lower end portion thereof, blower means in said bottom end portion for forcing a current of air upwardly through said chamber so the leaves deposited into said chamber through said inlet are subjected to a combined effect of gravity and upward airflow and are thereby oriented with their relatively heavy stems pointed downwardly, and conveyor means within said chamber above said blower means for moving tobacco leaves transversely of said chamber in the direction of said outlet means, together with thrust means mounted in said intermediate portion above said conveyor means for striking downwardly falling leaves and giving them an upward and sidewise thrust, said thrust means comprising a set of multiple horizontally spaced kicker members pivotally mounted on one side of said housing on a substantially horizontal axis and extending inwardly substantially across said chamber, and means for oscillatiNg said kicker members between a substantially horizontal position and a downwardly inclined position, with alternate kicker members oscillating 180out of phase with the other members of said set.

Claim 17

A tobacco leaf orienting machine comprising in combination a vertically elongated housing having an open upper end portion, a lower end portion and an intermediate portion between said upper and lower end portions, said housing defining a vertically elongated chamber, a leaf inlet in the upper end portion of said housing, and a leaf outlet at one side of the housing in the lower end portion thereof, blower means in said bottom end portion for forcing a current of air upwardly through said chamber so the leaves deposited into said chamber through said inlet are subjected to a combined effect of gravity and upward airflow and are thereby oriented with their relatively heavy stems pointed downwardly, and conveyor means within said chamber above said blower means for moving tobacco leaves transversely of said chamber in the direction of said outlet means, together with thrust means mounted in said intermediate portion above said conveyor means for striking downwardly falling leaves and giving them an upward and sidewise thrust, said thrust means comprising a set of multiple horizontally spaced kicker members pivotally mounted on one side of said housing on a substantially horizontal axis and extending inwardly substantially across said chamber, and means for oscillatiNg said kicker members between a substantially horizontal position and a downwardly inclined position, with alternate kicker members oscillating 180out of phase with the other members of said set.