Patents

The U.S. and international cigar industry of the 1700’s and early 1800’s was rudimentary at best, a scattering of factories, while most cigars rolled in rural sheds and city apartments. In Cuba, small town and farm factories were allowed to roll cigars only for local consumption until the early 1800’s. Once Cuban cigars were exported, demand grew quickly, becoming a huge fad in Europe and the U.S. by 1830. Demand for cigars far outstripped Cuba’s ability to supply, leading ultimately to a huge industry develoing in Europe and in the U.S. By 1860, more than 1,000 US cigar factories (mostly small) were rolling cigars.

Whenever a new industry comes into being, a huge network of other trades and professions is affected. In the cigar industry that included tobacco growing, warehousing, curing, flavoring, blending, manufacturing cigars, making and supplying tools, marketing, shipping, delivery, packaging, box making, label design & printing, creating machinery for all those tasks, display, promotion, billing and financing. Plenty of people had ideas how something could be improved.

These illustrations are courtesy of Don Thornton, the country’s top author - authority on egg beaters. While researching egg beater patents Don thoughtfully and graciously offered to copy cigar related patents as he came across them. You’ll see a great many patents issued to Oscar Hammerstein, the father of the composer of Broadway musicals. Hammerstein was issued more patents for cigar apparatus than any man in history, and Don made a particular effort to copy as many of his patents as possible.

Here, with little comment, and in no particular order, are some of the good and not so good ideas.

Cigar-related Patents

A National Cigar Museum Exhibit

1866. Metal box for fuses (matches).

[5100]

1856. A “self lighting” cigar, lit by friction of the tip. The inventor is vague about what is on the tip and how it gets there. The SELFLIGHTING PATENT CIGAR was in production around 1902 and can be seen in the NCM. [5168]

1858. When cigars and cigarettes are rolled too tightly they don’t draw well. He solves the problem by wrapping two wires inside each smoke, and then withdrawing them prior to smoking.

[5169]

1860. Hydraulicizing is powerful mould compression of tobacco in steel hydraulic moulds around tapered iron wires, which are then withdrawn, resulting in cheaper better-drawing, mass produced small cigars from scrap tobacco are the result. [5170]

1861. Pre-packing finely cut cigar filler in silk tubes allows for mass production while the silk layer prevents moisture and mold. During manufacture the tubes are cut, pinched and rolled with binder and wrapper or wrapper alone. [5171]

1864. Cigars made with belladona leaves “will be almost magical” relieving symptoms of neuralgia, liver complaints, bronchitis, apasmodic complaints of the stomach, epilepsy, short-sightedness, fever, gout “and all kindred diseases.” [5172]

1865. A tapered wire makes for free drawing, with the addition of a sponge “or equivalent”

mouthpiece. [5173]

1865. A contender for worst idea of all time, this requires wrapping the binder and wrapper leaf around a wooden form, then removing the form resulting in a hollow tube of tobacco ready to be stuffed with filler. [5174]

1866. By using a binder of paper or silk, scrap tobacco otherwise suitable only for smoking in pipes can be used to fill cigars. A mouthpiece of “paper or other suitable material” and a small wad of cotton act as a filter for nicotine. [5175]

1868. A cap is formed of flammable material, then slipped on the end of a cigar to protect the end from damage, allow for perforations to help the draw, light easily, and provide space for a trademark.

[5177]

1872. A glued and wired mouthpiece results in

the smoker spitting less while keeping

teeth clean and lips unstained.

[5178]

1872. This tapered corn-stalk mouthpiece will, according to its inventor, absorb nicotine.

[5179]

1873. This tapered glass mouthpiece makes it easy to hold the cigar in the smoker’s mouth.

[5180]

1877. A two inch spring wire holds a wooden or cane mouthpiece tube into the filler bunch.

[5181]

1882. This patent claims that using two wrappers, rolled from opposite ends, makes for a better cigar, which can also be cut in half to make it go further. [5182]

1861. Water cooled cigar holder.

[5183]

1864. Elaborate cigar holder and mouthpiece

with finger ring holder. Sponge to trap tars

can be saturated with various flavors.

[5184]

1866. Just what you always wanted. a way to attach your cigar to your hat.

[5185]

1868. Cigar perforator.

[5186]

1868. Combination mouthpiece-perforator.

[5187]

1871. A must for every smoker. The cigar holder

can be unscrewed resulting in an ordinary

finger ring.

[5188]

1872. And if that doesn’t suit you, here’s another

holder-perforator, complete with tar trap.

[5189]

1872. Cutter-holder combination.

[5190]

1873. Man’s endless drive to build a better

mouthpiece. The wire permits the smoker to talk without the mouthpiece falling out of his mouth.

[5191]

1918. Snake’s head perforator.

[5192]

1876. All-in-one tool, combination knife-blade, cigar-box-opener, hoof-cleaner, corkscrew,

and hammer.

[5193]

1872. Combination cigar holder and perforator.

[5194]

1865. Cardboard throw-away retail cigar package that comes complete with five cigars and matches.

Created years before packages of five cigars

were legal.

[5195]

1878. A pipe shaped like a cigar, designed to accept preformed plugs of tobacco. This went into manufacture commercially.

[5196]

1868. Cardboard cigar case that can be printed

with adversiting and given away by retailers

“instead of the ordinary paper bags.” These

were manufactured and an example can

be seen in the NCM. [5197]

1869. Cigar case.

[5198]

1867. Pocket holder for a lit cigar, to preserve it when entering the theater or other place where smoking would not be appropriate.

[5199]

1860. Mechanical shaper to make rounded heads for cigars.

[5088]

1867. Improvement on earlier cigar cutter.

[5089]

1867. Tuck cutter for factory use.

[5090]

1868. Tool for rounding the head of a cigar.

[5091]

1869. Natural gas powered cigar drier.

[5092]

1870. Much simpler drier.

[5093]

1872. Perhaps the most used item in this patent exhibit, this tuck cutter became an industry standard for measuring and cutting cigars in a factory.

[5094]

1872. Another, less useful, cutter.

[5095]

1873. Metal cigar mold, perforated to permit

air-drying of the cigar. One of these can

be seen in the NCM tool exhibit.

[5096]

1875. Owen’s British patent for

cigar making machine.

[5026]

1875. Cigar making machine.

[5028]

1881. Hammerstein mechanical bunch maker.

[5097]

1881. Hammerstein cigar making machine.

[5098]

1882. Hammerstein machine for applying wrappers.

[5000]

1867. British designed cigar bunch

making machine.

[5024]

1883. Hammerstein machine for holding wrappers or cigarette paper in place when being

machine made.

[5102]

1884. Hammerstein machine for laying tobacco leaves one upon the other to prepare them for

being cut into shape as wrappers.

[5103]

1884. Hammerstein’s improvement on his machine for stacking wrapper.

[5104]

1885. Hammerstein’s machine for cutting wrappers

that was widely adopted by the industry.

[5105]

1885. Hammerstein’s machine for stripping

leaf tobacco.

[5106]

1885. Hammerstein’s machine for stripping leaf tobacco, second view.

[5107]

1885. Hammerstein’s machine for stripping leaf tobacco, third view.

[5108]

1886. Hammerstein’s machine for rolling cigars.

[5109]

1887. Another Hammerstein machine

for rolling cigars.

[5110]

1887. Hammerstein’s device and method for forming long filler cigars in a mould.

[5111]

1888. Hammerstein’s machine for

cutting cigar wrappers.

[5112]

1888. Another Hammerstein cigar rolling machine.

[5113]

1890. Hammerstein’s apparatus for cutting filler leaf for long filler cigar bunches.

[5114]

1901. Hammerstein’s process and machines

for cutting and storing wrappers

under tension. Devise generally

called a suction table.

[5115]

1901. Another Hammerstein machine

for cutting and storing wrappers

under tension. Devise generally

called a suction table.

[5116]

1901. Another Hammerstein machine for

cutting and storing wrappers under tension,

second view. Widely adapted devise

generally called a suction table.

[5117]

1901. Another Hammerstein machine for

cutting and storing wrappers under tension,

third view. Widely adapted devise

generally called a suction table.

[5118]

1901. Hammerstein’s machine for

manipulating cigar wrappers.

[5119]

1904. Hammerstein’s device for forming

the head of a cigar.

[5120]

1904. Hammerstein’s device for forming

the head of a cigar, second view.

[5121]

1904. Hammerstein’s device for forming

the head of a cigar, third view.

[5122]

1904. Hammerstein’s device for forming

the head of a cigar, fourth view.

[5123]

1904. Hammerstein’s device for forming

the head of a cigar, fifth view.

[5124]

1906. Hammerstein’s machine for making

bunch making machines.

[5125]

1907. Hammerstein’s improved machine

for cutting wrappers.

[5126]

1907. Hammerstein’s improved machine

for cutting wrappers, second view.

[5127]

1907. Hammerstein’s improved machine

for cutting wrappers, third view.

[5128]

1907. Hammerstein’s improved machine

for cutting wrappers, fourth view.

[5129]

1907. Hammerstein’s machine for rolling

cigar bunches. Widely adopted by

the cigar industry.

[5130]

1907. Hammerstein’s machine for rolling

cigar bunches. Widely adopted by

the cigar industry, second view.

[5131]

1907. Hammerstein’s machine for rolling

cigar bunches. Widely adopted by

the cigar industry, third view.

[5132]

1907. Hammerstein’s machine for rolling

cigar bunches. Widely adopted by

the cigar industry, fourth view.

[5133]

1907. Hammerstein’s machine for rolling

cigar bunches. Widely adopted by

the cigar industry, fifth view.

[5134]

1907. Hammerstein’s machine for producing

cigar bunching structures.

[5135]

1907. Hammerstein’s machine for producing

cigar bunching structures, second view.

[5136]

1910. Hammerstein’s latest cigar making machine.

[5137]

1910. Hammerstein’s latest cigar making

machine, second view.

[5138]

1910. Hammerstein’s latest cigar making

machine, third view.

[5139]

1910. Hammerstein’s latest cigar making

machine, fourth view.

[5140]

1910. Hammerstein’s latest cigar rolling machine, different from the above.

[5141]

1910. Hammerstein’s latest cigar rolling machine, different from the above, second view.

[5142]

1910. Hammerstein’s cigar banding machine.

[5143]