Abstract: There is provided a method, system and apparatus for cutting a profile, such as a cigar wrapper, from a natural leaf, such as a tobacco leaf, wherein the leaf is spread and supported on a support surface in a random position. Thereafter, a leaf facsimile or image, including the leaf outline and surface imperfections, is developed and at least one cut position for the wrapper is located in an area excluding the leaf outline and surface imperfections. This cut position is recorded and converted to digital data. The wrapper is then cut from the leaf at an actual cut position corresponding to the located cut position determined by the digital data. Also, the facsimile is created by a back lighting arrangement which illuminates color variations and surface imperfections, as well as the leaf outline, so that leaf color variations can be included in the facsimile or image.

Abstract: There is provided an improvement in an apparatus for cutting a profile of a selected shape from a natural sheet material at a given location, which apparatus comprises a cutting platen having an upper generally flat cutting surface and a lower generally flat support surface. The platen is movable to the desired position relative to a cutter which moves along an axis downwardly against the cutting surface to cut the preselected shape from the natural material. In accordance with the improvement, there is provided a fixed anvil having a flat force reaction surface parallel to and facing the supporting surface of the platen so that the cutting action is against the anvil. The anvil can also form the structure for supporting the platen as it is moved into the cutting position.

Abstract: A respacer and/or reorienter feed arrangement is operative for continuously feeding cigar wrappers in proper spaced-apart relationship and/or orientation to a cigar wrapping station of a multi-station cigar wrapping machine which includes a cigar bunch supply station, a cigar wrapper supply station, and a conveyor for conveying the bunches to a cigar wrapping station at which the wrappers are spirally applied about the bunches. The method of respacing and/or reorienting the wrappers includes conveying the latter in a predetermined arranged relationship and/or orientation in which successive wrappers are located relative to one another at positions selected for optimum compact transport purposes, and continuously moving each successively leading wrapper, one after another, relative to its next successively trailing wrapper, from its respective optimum compact transport position to and through the cigar wrapping station.

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring a natural tobacco leaf from a continuous, flexible conveyor belt to a generally flat leaf receiving member at a preselected position in the normal path of travel of the belt. The apparatus includes a plenum box having a pressure opening defined by a peripheral edge of the box, an arrangement for forcing the belt and box from the normal path position toward the receiving member at the preselected position and a mechanism for creating a positive pressure adjacent one surface of the belt to force the leaf from the belt onto the receiving member.

Abstract: A device for supplying a succession of die cut tobacco blanks with a given profile to a web of a coiled type, storage bobbin. This device comprises a set of die cut stations each including a cutting die blade with an upstanding cutting edge matching the profile of the proposed blank and vacuum means surrounding the edge of the blade for capturing a tobacco sheet material on the stations in a position overlying the cutting edge. The stations are moved along an endless, preselected cutting path which intersects a cutting means at a first position in the path of movement of the stations so that a tobacco leaf can be cut from a manually placed tobacco sheet captured on the movable station.

Abstract: There is provided a device for converting a succession of analog voltage signals representative of light intensity of light from and controlled by a corresponding succession of finite surface locations of a natural leaf into high or white, low or black and intermediate or gray digital signals. This device includes an arrangement for creating a white digital signal when the analog voltage of a given location exceeds the threshold voltage. The digital signals are continuously averaged and updated to provide a datum voltage against which the analog voltage is compared after the datum voltage is decreased by a preselected amount. If the analog voltage is less than the reduced datum voltage, a black digital signal is created. If there is neither a black nor a white digital signal, a gray digital signal is created. In this manner, the general light intensity characteristics of each successive location on the leaf can be recorded as either white, black or gray.

Abstract: A device for cutting a piece of a flat workpiece at a selected location identifiable by two or more binary coded numbers which device includes a cutter, a cutting platen having an upper workpiece supporting surface and a lower portion, a plurality of upstanding, shiftable members, a guiding arrangement on the platen adjacent the lower portion for loosely receiving the members, an arrangement for moving the members in accordance with the coded numbers and a structure for forcing the cutter against the cutting surface. In accordance with another aspect, the shiftable members are movable by binary fluid motors each including a series of axially aligned fluid actuating units having strokes corresponding to binary numbers and an arrangement for actuating certain of these units in the fluid motor to move the shiftable members in accordance with the extended condition of the binary motors.

Abstract: An apparatus for cutting cigar wrappers with a selected profile from a natural tobacco leaf, the apparatus comprises a vacuum supporting structure on a leaf receiving member. An arrangement is provided for selecting a cut position on the leaf and oriented with respect to the leaf receiving member and a cutting platen is provided including a leaf supporting surface and an arrangement for creating a vacuum on the surface to support a leaf. The platen is positioned in a known leaf receiving location and a transfer means is provided for transferring the leaf from the leaf receiving member to the leaf supporting surface of the cutting platen. The cutter having the desired profile is provided for cutting the profile from the leaf. The platen is then shifted from its leaf receiving position to a leaf cutting position with the support surface of the platen spaced from the wrapper cutter.

Abstract: There is provided an improvement in an apparatus for cutting a profile of a selected shape from a natural sheet material at a given location, which apparatus comprises a cutting platen having an upper generally flat cutting surface and a lower generally flat support surface. The platen is movable to the desired position relative to a cutter which moves along an axis downwardly against the cutting surface to cut the preselected shape from the natural material. In accordance with the improvement, there is provided a fixed anvil having a flat force reaction surface parallel to and facing the supporting surface of the platen so that the cutting action is against the anvil. The anvil can also form the structure for supporting the platen as it is moved into the cutting position.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for manufacturing a filtered large cigar which includes the steps of simultaneously introducing onto the rolling table of a cigar rolling machine preformed cigar filters and a charge of tobacco filler material for spiral wrapping within a sheet of cigar binder material which has simultaneously been introduced onto the rolling table. A reinforcement strip including layers of reinforcing tape and a nonflammable foil is also introduced onto the rolling table. In this manner, during the subsequent rolling operation, the reinforcement strip becomes circumferentially wrapped about and bonded to the binder over the interface between the filter and filter material. Depending on the relative placement on the table of the reinforcement strip and binder, the reinforcement strip will be positioned either over or under the binder.

Abstract: A device for cutting a piece of a flat workpiece at a selected location identifiable by two or more binary coded numbers which device includes a cutter, a cutting platen having an upper workpiece supporting surface and a lower portion, a plurality of upstanding, shiftable members, a guiding arrangement on the platen adjacent the lower portion for loosely receiving the members, an arrangement for moving the members in accordance with the coded numbers and a structure for forcing the cutter against the cutting surface. In accordance with another aspect, the shiftable members are movable by binary fluid motors each including a series of axially aligned fluid actuating units having strokes corresponding to binary numbers and an arrangement for actuating certain of these units in the fluid motor to move the shiftable members in accordance with the extended condition of the binary motors.

Abstract: An apparatus for cutting cigar wrappers with a selected profile from a natural tobacco leaf, the apparatus comprises a vacuum supporting structure on a leaf receiving member. An arrangement is provided for selecting a cut position on the leaf and oriented with respect to the leaf receiving member and a cutting platen is provided including a leaf supporting surface and an arrangement for creating a vacuum on the surface to support a leaf. The platen is positioned in a known leaf receiving location and a transfer means is provided for transferring the leaf from the leaf receiving member to the leaf supporting surface of the cutting platen. The cutter having the desired profile is provided for cutting the profile from the leaf. The platen is then shifted from its leaf receiving position to a leaf cutting position with the support surface of the platen spaced from the wrapper cutter.

Abstract: There is provided a digital device for creating a series of digital signals indicative of the profile in certain surface variations of a natural tobacco leaf. The light intensity characteristic of an emitted light from various locations on the natural tobacco leaf are scanned in succession across the leaf at parallel positions. The light intensity at the various locations creates a digital signal indicative of whether or not the light intensity is high, low or intermediate. The color profile of the leaf could be created by these signals; however, in accordance with the invention, a digital signal is created when the light intensity signal shifts from one value to another. At that time, a transition signal is created which can be combined to form a transition profile of the leaf which is indicative of the actual profile and color variations of the leaf itself. This information can be used for locating a wrapper cutter at the desired position on the leaf for subsequent cutting of the wrapper from the leaf.

Abstract: A method of selecting the cutting position of a cigar wrapper having a given shape with respect to a natural tobacco leaf using a remotely created leaf image of a given tobacco leaf, which image includes the outline of the given leaf, the position of the leaf stem and the areas with holes in the leaf. This method comprises the steps of providing an outline image of a given cutter shape, shifting the outline image with respect to the leaf image until the outline image is in a selected position avoiding the outline, the stem and any hole areas of the leaf image, and then creating cutting coordinates indicative of said selected position for use in controlling a cutting position of the cigar wrapper cutter on a given leaf.

Abstract: This invention provides coated tobacco product having a hydrophobic coating on at least one surface thereof, the coating comprising a cellulose propionate having an acetyl content of less than about 6% by weight, a hydroxyl content of at least 1.5% by weight, and a content of acyl groups of more than about 3 carbon atoms of less than about 10% by weight. The coating preferably comprises a mixture of the aforesaid cellulose propionate with a glyceride having the general formula: ##STR1## wherein preferably one of the R groups is a group selected from the group consisting of acetyl and propionyl, at least another R residue group represents an acyl containing at least about 12 carbon atoms, any remaining R group is hydrogen. The coating composition is applied, e.g. to a reconstituted tobacco product, as a clear solution in a volatile solvent. The volatile solvents which are suitable include alcohol-water mixtures, esters, and anhydrous alcohol-ester mixtures.

Abstract: A machine and method for continuously applying wrappers to a stream of bound cigar bunches.