Apparatus for orienting tobacco leaves

Apparatus for conveying tobacco leaves to a shredding machine while orienting them such that the stems of the tobacco leaves will in large part be presented essentially perpendicular to the cutting place of the shredder, comprising in combination:

• horizontally extending conveyor means for receiving tobacco leaves in randomly distributed fashion and conveying them along a predetermined path;
• tobacco leaf feed means for feeding tobacco leaves loosely onto said conveyor means at one region thereof;
• and
• compressing means extending downstream of said one region for laterally compressing the loose tobacco leaves while displacing and deforming tobacco leaves which reside generally transverse to said path into a disposition in which the stems thereof largely extend longitudinally with respect to said path, said compressing means comprising upstanding conveyor elements extending first convergently with respect to each other and then in generally parallel relation whereby to define a troughlike channel having a tapered entrance section, said horizontal conveyor means including a portion which angles downwardly away from said upstanding conveyor elements beyond said tapered entrance section of the channel, and including deflector means disposed between said upstanding conveyor elements for crowding the compacted tobacco leaves downwardly to escape from between said upstanding conveyor elements.

Apparatus for conveying tobacco leaves to a shredding machine while orienting them such that the stems of the tobacco leaves will in large part be presented essentially perpendicular to the cutting plane of the shredder, comprising in combination:

• horizontally extending conveyor means for receiving tobacco leaves in randomly distributed fashion and conveying them along a predetermined path;
• tobacco leaf feed means for feeding tobacco leaves loosely onto said conveyor means at one region thereof;
• and
• compressing means extending downstream of said one region for laterally compressing the loose tobacco leaves while displacing and deforming tobacco leaves which reside generally transverse to said path into a disposition in which the stems thereof largely extend longitudinally with respect to said path, said compressing means comprising upstanding conveyor elements extending first convergently with respect to each other and then in generally parallel relation whereby to define a trough-like channel having a tapered entrance section, means for driving said upstanding conveyor elements in the same direction and at essentially the same speed as said horizontally extending conveyor means,
• vertical plate means reacting against said conveyor elements to maintain them in converging relation in opposition to separating forces exerted by said tobacco leaves, and
• means for driving said upstanding conveyor elements in the same direction and at essentially the same speed as said horizontally extending conveyor means, said horizontal conveyor means including a portion which angles downwardly away from said upstanding conveyor elements beyond said tapered entrance section of the channel, and including deflector means disposed between said upstanding conveyor elements for crowding the compacted tobacco leaves downwardly to escape from between said upstanding conveyor elements.

Apparatus for conveying tobacco leaves to a shredding machine while orienting them such that the stems of the tobacco leaves will in large part be presented essentially perpendicular to the cutting plane of the shredder, comprising in combination:

• horizontally extending conveyor means for receiving tobacco leaves in randomly distributed fashion and conveying them along a predetermined path;
• tobacco leaf feed means for feeding tobacco leaves loosely onto said conveyor means at one region thereof;
• and
• compressing means extending downstream of said one region for laterally compressing the loose tobacco leaves while displacing and deforming tobacco leaves which reside generally transverse to said path into a disposition in which the stems thereof largely extend longitudinally with respect to said path said compressing means comprising upstanding conveyor elements extending first convergently with respect to each other and then in generally parallel relation whereby to define a trough-like channel having a tapered entrance section, said horizontal conveyor including a portion which angles downwardly away from said upstanding conveyor elements beyond said tapered entrance section of the channel, and including deflector means disposed between said upstanding conveyor elements for crowding the compacted tobacco leaves downwardly to escape from between said upstanding conveyor elements, and including support means for said horizontal conveyor means.

Apparatus for conveying tobacco leaves to a shredding machine while orienting them such that the stems of the tobacco leaves will in large part be presented essentially perpendicular to the cutting plane of the shredder, comprising in combination:

• horizontally extending conveyor means for receiving tobacco leaves in randomly distributed fashion and conveying them along a predetermined path;
• tobacco leaf feed means for feeding tobacco leaves loosely onto said conveyor means at one region thereof;
• and
• compressing means extending downstream of said one region for laterally compressing the loose tobacco leaves while displacing and deforming tobacco leaves which reside generally transverse to said path into a disposition in which the stems thereof largely extend longitudinally with respect to said path, said compressing means comprising upstanding conveyor elements extending first convergently with respect to each other and then in generally parallel relation whereby to define a trough-like channel having a tapered entrance section, vertical plate means reacting against said conveyor elements to maintain them in converging relation in opposition to separating forces exerted by said tobacco leaves, and
• a pair of pressure plates projecting through said plate means and disposed in converging relation to each other to define a constriction in the path of the compacted tobacco leaves.

Apparatus for conveying tobacco leaves to a shredding machine while orienting them such that the stems of the tobacco leaves will in large part be presented essentially perpendicular to the cutting plane of the shredder, comprising in combination:

• horizontally extending conveyor means for receiving tobacco leaves in randomly distributed fashion and conveying them along a predetermined path;
• tobacco leaf feed means for feeding tobacco leaves loosely onto said conveyor means at one region thereof;
• and
• compressing means extending downstream of said one region for laterally compressing the loose tobacco leaves while displacing and deforming tobacco leaves which reside generally transverse to said path into a disposition in which the stems thereof largely extend longitudinally with respect to said path, said compressing means comprising first and second sets of upstanding endless conveyor means, each set comprising a series of upstanding endless conveyor means disposed in nested relation and defining at least two upstanding flight elements travelling in the same direction and converging toward each other, the outer flight elements of the two sets which travel in the same direction being backed by convergent plate means for resisting spreading forces exerted by the tobacco leaves while being compacted.

Apparatus for compacting loose tobacco leaves into a strand in which the stems of the leaves are oriented predominantly longitudinally of the strand, comprising in combination:

• compactor and conveyor means for forming said strand and feeding it toward a shredder which shreds the strand transversely, said compactor and conveyor means including a horizontal flight portion and upstanding members overlying said flight portion to define a troughlike channel, said upstanding members extending first in converging relation to each other in the direction of said flight portion to form a tapered entrance region of said channel which will accept tobacco leaves transversely and then extending generally parallel to each other to define a narrow channel length which is of a width as will bend a transversely disposed tobacco leaf into U-shape such that its stem extends predominantly longitudinally of said narrow channel;
• means for distributing tobacco leaves onto said flight portion to enter said tapered region of the channel at such a rate as will form the compacted strand in said narrow channel length, said upstanding members being formed by upstanding flight portions of at least two upstanding endless conveyor means, each of the upstanding flight portions being backed by an upstanding plate means, and said horizontal flight portion being supported by horizontal support means which angles downwardly away from said upstanding flight portions below said narrow channel region, and deflector means interposed between said upstanding flight portions within said narrow channel region for crowding said strand downwardly onto said horizontal flight portion to escape from between said upstanding flight portions.