Untitled record

Application filed July 30, 1891. Serial No, 401,145. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, John H. J. Haines, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and 5 State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Packing-Funnels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a construction of packing-funnel and of apparatus employed io therewith for making packages of tobacco or other loose material.

The object of my invention is to provide a funnel which is especially adapted for use in connection with wrappers which are partially 15 made up previously to being handled by the packer and which consists, essentially, of a tube the outer dimensions of which are practically those of the end of the funnel, said tube being open at one or both ends.

In the operation of making packages of tobacco with foil or other wrappers the packer employs a funnel the bottom .end of which is of substantially the same shape as that of the package desired and upon which he wraps 25 the tin-foil and paper wrapper, holding its edges overlapped in desired position, after which he turns down the end and inserts the whole into a box or mold for filling in the tobacco.

The object of my invention is to provide a funnel which shall be adapted for use with a tubular wrapper, which shall be made up independently of the packing operation and which shall be adapted to slip upon the end 35 of the funnel.

The object of my invention is to facilitate the operation of packing with wrappers which are made up in the form of tubes, open at one end, or both ends, to which end my invention 40 consists in the special construction of a packer’s funnel having a collapsible end, as hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

My invention consists, also, in certain im45 provements in the details of the apparatus used in the packing operation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a packer’s funnel constructed in accordance with my invention. 50 Fig. 2 shows the same in position in the usual box or mold. Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate the operation of applying the wrapper to the funnel. Fig. 5 is a plan, while Fig. 6 is a crosssection of a form of wrapper that may be used with the funnel. 55

A indicates the body or tubular portion of the funnel, and B the hopper end, into which the material is poured. The body A at its open end is of suitable shape to conform to the shape desired in the finished package, as 60 well understood in the art. It has hitherto been made rigid, so that the operation of applying the wrapper, if it is not constructed upon the funnel itself, is a rather nice and delicate one. To avoid any difficulty from 65 this source, I make the end of the funnel, or that end which constitutes the “former” end of the funnel, so that it may collapse and expand. For this purpose I propose to hinge one side of the funnel upon the other—as, for 70 instance, at the points C C, where I have shown ears C² projecting from the body or collar F, to which the parts are attached. A spring II may be applied, as shown, so as to act upon a tail-piece attached to the movable 75 side of the funnel in a manner to tend to open.

I is a stop, which tends to limit the opening movement and which, if desired, maybe made adj ustable. 80

In using the funnel the end is compressed to diminish its dimensions and the wrapper is then slightly expanded and slipped over the end of the funnel, after which the latter is expanded by the action of the spring or 85 otherwise so as to fill the interior of the tubular wrapper, which has been previously constructed of the proper dimensions.

The operation is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 as carried out in connection with a tubular 90 wrapper open at both ends. The wrapper is slipped down over the end of the funnel (which has been compressed for that purpose) to such an extent that the open end of the tinfoil wrapper shall project beyond the open 95 end of the funnel to a sufficient extent to permit it to be folded down, as indicated in Fig. 4, after which the funnel, with the attached wrapper, is, if desired, put into the box or mold K and the tobacco or other substances 100 filled in.

I do not limit myself to any special construction of the end of the funnel, permitting it to be collapsed by hand and to open by * 474,383 aid of a spring, but prefer to hinge one side upon the other and apply the spring to a tail-piece extending from the hinged side, as shown.

In the operation of packing tobacco, groceries, and other substances by the use of a packing-funnel around which the package fits, as described, it is usual to employ a plunger or rammer L. A part of my invention consists io in providing such plunger with a suitable stop M, that is adapted to engage with an anvil or abutment P, thus limiting the depth to which the plunger may be forced down into the funnel and determining the extent to 15 which the charge shall be compressed when it is forced down or compressed by the operation of the plunger. In connection with the stop I provide a suitable catch (indicated at P³) upon the plunger, that locks the plunger 20 down by catching automatically upon the stop, thus permitting the operator to use both hands in lifting the funnel out of the package without lifting the package and the tobacco or other filling with it out of the box or 25 mold. Hitherto it has been necessary for the operator to hold the plunger down by one hand, so as to keep the package in place while removing the funnel with the other. In order that the plunger may be disengaged auto30 matieally and lifted out with the funnel after the latter has been moved upward to a considerable distance, I employ in connection with the devices described a detent, which is carried by the funnel, and when the same has 35 been drawn out to a certain extent will operate upon the catch-lever P³, so as to free the plunger, which has been up to that time locked down by means of the catch, which latter engages with a suitable offset or lock40 ing-piece upon the stop or upon another fixed part of the apparatus. The detent is conveniently provided by arranging the edge of the funnel to strike the curved upper end or tail-piece of the catch-lever at P⁴. Other con45 structions of detent might be used. As the funnel engages the curved end of the lever it lifts the plunger with the funnel. As will be seen, the operator can perform the whole operation of disengaging the funnel and plun50 ger from the package with one hand.

In order to limit the distance to which the wrapper shall be slipped upon the funnel, I provide upon the side of the latter a stop or stop-piece R. This stop I make adjustable 55 for the purpose of adjustably limiting the distance to which the wrapper shall be slipped over the funnel, and thus determine the amount which shall be folded over upon the end. By means of this device the same funnel may be expeditiously used with different 6c lengths of wrapper.

The funnel herein described I have shown in my application, Serial No. 401,144, filed July 30, 1891, as a preferred means for practicing the particular method of packing here- 65 in set forth.