Philip Morris Inc.

Gus D Keritsis

Jose G Nepomuceno

Walter Allen Nichols

Richard A Thesing

Lewis A Haws

George H Burnett

Cynthia W Arterbery

Douglas E Albertson

W Timothy Callaham

Morris F White, Jr

Kenneth A Newman

Warren D Winterson

Donald E Laslie

Robert B Seligman

Roger S Slagle

Norman B Rainer

Susan E Wrenn

Gordon H Bokelman

Wesley G Sanderson

Bernard A Semp

Eugene B Fischer

Alex S Gergely

Robert T Gaudlitz

Jerome S Osmalov

David A Lowitz

Grant Gellatly

Daniel M Teng

Andrew T Lendvay

Alline R Wayte

John F Sherwood

Charles S McClung

Steven Rohn Wagoner

Dewitt T Gooden, Iii

Ronald A Tamol

Helmut R Wakeham

Veronica Y Manuel

H Howard Sun

James O Dyson

Louis L Long

Donald B Knudson, Jr

Robert S Mullins

Harry A Jones

A concentric smoking filter in which one of the filter media is a fibrous tow, such as fibrous cellulose acetate tow, and one of the filter media is a web material, such as paper, is provided. The filter improves the taste, particularly, of 'ultra-light' cigarettes.

Concentric smoking filter having discrete tow and web filter media

Reconstituted tobacco sheets manufactured from tobacco dust and binder are described herein. More particularly, the tobacco dust has a mean particle size in the range of from about 60 mesh to about 400 mesh to afford reconstituted tobacco sheets having about 80% to about 90% tobacco content with improved quality and survivability. The reduced particle size of the tobacco dust allows an increase in the solids content of the slurry without an increase in slurry viscosity. The increased solids content reduces the drying load of the cast sheet thereby allowing an increased production rate. The reconstituted tobacco sheets may be prepared from a slurry comprising tobacco dust and binder that may be subjected to a means for removing air trapped within the slurry before casting the slurry into sheets. An apparatus for determining the amount of air trapped within the slurry prepared according to the process of the present invention is also described herein.

Reconstituted tobacco sheets and methods for producing and using the same

A concentric smoking filter in which the peripheral filter medium is a fibrous tow, such as fibrous cellulose acetate tow, and the core filter medium is a web material, such as paper, loaded with carbon particles, is provided. The filter improves the taste, particularly, of 'ultra-light' cigarettes.

Concentric smoking filter having cellulose acetate tow periphery and

A cigarette is provided including a reusable, air-permeable shell having a cavity and smokable material for being positioned in the cavity and smoked in the shell. The shell conceals and retains the smokable material before, during, and after smoking. A method of making a cigarette is also described.

Cigarette with insulating shell and method for making same

A container for containing an additive material for modifying the characteristics of a smoking article. The container contains at least two components that are movable between a first position and a second position with respect to each other. In the first position the additive material is hermetically sealed inside the container during storage of the smoking article prior to use. The container is activated by moving the components of the container to the second position to provide air flow pathways through the container so that the additive material can modify the smoking article accordingly. The components may have perforations that are covered by cooperating overlapping portions of the components of the container in the first position and uncovered in the second position. Alternately, the container may include a sealed capsule containing the additive that is punctured by moving the components during activation.

Container for additive materials for smoking articles

I disclose a flavor-enhancing smoking filter having at least two zones, including at least one filtering zone and at least one flavor-enhancing zone. The flavor-enhancing zone(s) have a flavorant, have a surface providing for the substantially laminar flow of smoke and permit the passage of none or a minority of the smoke drawn through the filter.

Flavor-enhancing smoking filter

An container for containing an additive material for modifying the characteristics of a smoking article. The container contains at least two components that are movable between a first position and a second position with respect to each other. In the first position the additive material is hermetically sealed inside the container during storage of the smoking article prior to use. The container is activated by moving the components of the container to the second position to provide air flow pathways through the container so that the additive material can modify the smoking article accordingly. The components may have perforations that are covered by cooperating overlapping portions of the components of the container in the first position and uncovered in the second position. Alternately, the container may include a sealed capsule containing the additive that is punctured by moving the components during activation.

A method and apparatus are disclosed for applying foamed material to tobacco, and for drying and setting the foamed material, particularly in connection with the making of cigarettes. The foamed material may be added to the tobacco, for example, in the paper guide section of a cigarette maker, at the garniture mouth or through the short tongue or through both, or at the chimney. Drying and setting can occur in the chimney, on the vacuum belt, or in the garniture, after the material has been applied to the tobacco filler. Drying can be accomplished, for example, by using heated air or microwave radiation. Addition of material to tobacco filler, during the cigarette making process in the form of a foam, results in a cigarette in which the material added is more uniformly distributed.

Tobacco processing

An apparatus and a method for processing extruded tobacco-containing materials as they are continuously extruded by applying a powdery material to the surface of the extrudate, optionally wiping the coated extruded material in order to smear or embed the powdery materials along and into the surface of the extruded material. The powdery material may be a flavorant or other additive materials modifying the characteristics of the extruded material. The invention is useful particularly for use in processing foamed, extruded materials into smoking articles which can be used with conventional cigarette maker equipment to produce large quantities of foamed, extruded tobacco-containing smoking articles having properties substantially equivalent to those of a conventional cigarette.

Method and apparatus for coating extruded tobacco-containing material

A method and apparatus are disclosed for applying foamed material to tobacco, and for drying and setting the foamed material, particularly in connection with the making of cigarettes. The foamed material may be added to the tobacco, for example, in the paper guide section of a cigarette maker, at the garniture mouth or through the short tongue or through both, or at the chimney. Drying and setting can occur in the chimney, on the vacuum belt, or in the garniture, after the material has been applied to the tobacco filler, Drying can be accomplished, for example, by using heated air or microwave radiation. Addition of material to tobacco filler, during the cigarette making process in the form of foam, results in a cigarette in which the material added is more uniformly distributed.

A tobacco product characterized by improved void volume and firmness characteristics and a method of making a tobacco product by applying binder material to tobacco filler, treating the filler to the extent necessary to cause the filler to become substantially non-tacky, forming a rod, activating the binder and treating the rod to the extent necessary to cause the filler shreds to become bonded to one another.

High void volume/enhanced firmness tobacco rod and method of processing

Apparatus and a method for processing hot, moist extruded tobacco-containing materials as they are continuously extruded by drying the extruded material rapidly with microwave energy, and then cooling the extruded material rapidly so that the surface temperature of the extruded material is decreased below the bulk temperature to provide the extruded material with an adequately rigid and stable dimensionally structure that can be formed into a smoking article. Microwave drying provides substantially uniform drying without case hardening the material. Cooling may occur by passing air at high velocity, refrigerated air or presenting a partial vacuum across the advancing extruded material, or contacting the material with cold contacting members or a cryogenic bath. Conventional maker devices can be used for forming smoking articles from the dried and cooled extruded material. The invention is useful particularly to process foamed, extruded materials into smoking articles which can be used with conventioanl cigarette maker equipment to produce large quantities of foamed, extruded tobacco-containing smoking articles having properties substantially equivalent to those of a conventional cigarette.

Method and apparatus for drying and cooling extruded tobacco-containing

A method for applying additives to a cigarette filter rod during its formation is disclosed. The additives are applied in the form of a liquid foam, allowing low application rates with uniform distribution. According to the method, it is not necessary to use large amounts of solvents to apply the additives, thereby avoiding overwetting of the filter material.

Method for producing a cigarette filter rod

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Richmond, VA, United States of America

Gus D Keritsis