A - Human Necessities – 24 – B
Patent
A - Human Necessities
24
B
131/95
A24B 5/16 (2006.01) A24B 5/00 (2006.01) A24B 5/10 (2006.01)
Patent
CA 2011123
METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING STEM CONTENT OF BALED TOBACCO ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method of and an apparatus for automatically determining the stem content of leaf tobacco from a preselected sample of the tobacco including lamina and stem is disclosed. The apparatus utilizes a dryer, such as a fluidized bed dryer or a rotary drum dryer with internal vanes, for applying heat to remove moisture and volatile organic compounds from the sample while concurrently agitating it for a period of time sufficient for preliminary reduction of the sample into a mixture of at least partly segregated lamina and stem portions. The mixture is then introduced into a separator for further agitation thereof to remove remaining lamina from the stem portions. The resulting stem portions are classified into at least two categories according to a thickness dimension of the stems. The stems in each category are weighed and compared with the weight of the tobacco sample to determine the stem content of the sample. This information is used to regulate the processing of the tobacco from the bale or of the same grade to maintain a desired amount of stem in each category in the final smoking article being produced. The separator includes a container having a wall which is vibratable to cause movement of a plurality of elastomeric balls against the tobacco mixture to thresh the remaining lamina from the stem portions, after which the lamina is discarded. In one embodiment, the stem portions are transferred to a grader which aligns the stem portions and feeds them along preset paths having apertures for discharging stems of less than a predetermined thickness for weighing. After weighing those stem fractions, the width of the apertures is selectively increased to discharge the remaining stems of greater thickness from the grader. In another embodiment, the stems are graded into two sizes by the vibratory separator and are weighed and discharged as in the first embodiment.
Foote Roger A.
Henderson Richard M.
Mchone D. Randall
Swofford Aubrey L.
Warren Henry H. Jr.
Bereskin & Parr
R.j. Reynolds Tobacco Company
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