Philip Morris Inc.

Warren D Winterson

Eugene B Fischer

John C Crump, Iii

Lennart F Olsson

Leif E Jaxmar

Gus D Keritsis

Karen M Torrence

Jose G Nepomuceno

Robert C Wilson

Gustav M Norberg

E Barry Fischer

Walter Allen Nichols

G Robert Scott

Wesley G Sanderson

Richard A Thesing

George H Burnett

Timothy D Cochran

Lewis A Haws

John F Sherwood

Ronald A Tamol

Veronica Y Manuel

Harry A Jones

Robert S Mullins

Mark St John North

Eugene B Fisher

Nils S Selander

Steve Rinehart

Method and apparatus for expanding tobacco

A tobacco expansion apparatus and method comprising a source of tower gas, an obloid transfer duct, in communication with the gas source, a tobacco feeder at a location along the obloid transport duct and a separator for recovering tobacco from the expansion apparatus. The tobacco feeder is adapted to introduce tobacco uniformly across the width of the obloid transfer duct. The apparatus improves the filling power of the processed tobacco and can be operated at higher production rates with less tobacco breakage, thereby improving tobacco yield.

A process for reordering tobacco or other suitable hygroscopic organic material, which results in no significant decrease in the equilibrium CV of the tobacco or other hygroscopic organic material, or significant degradation of the tobacco or other hygroscopic organic material, is provided. Material to be reordered is contacted with an air stream having a relative humidity near the equilibrium conditions of the material. As the OV content of the hygroscopic organic material increases, the relative humidity of the air stream contacting the hygroscopic organic material is increased to affect reordering of the material. Also provided is a process for drying tobacco or other suitable hygroscopic organic material, which results in no significant change in the equilibrium CV of the tobacco or other hygroscopic organic material or significant degradation of the tobacco or other suitable hygroscopic organic material. Material to be dried is contacted with an air stream having a relative humidity near or below the equilibrium conditions of the material. As the OV content of the hygroscopic organic material decreases, the relative humidity of the air stream contacting the hygroscopic organic material is decreased to affect drying of the material. It has been found that tobacco can be reordered or dried successfully according to the processes of the present invention in a continuous manner using a self-stacking spiral conveyor.

Process for adjusting the moisture content of organic materials

An apparatus is provided that comprises a self-stacking spiral conveyor that traverses through a circulating atmosphere. The atmosphere is manipulated by one or more chambers having an open side adjacent to the perforated sides of the spiral conveyor. Additional control over the circulating atmosphere may be achieved by injection or ejection of gas into one or more chambers.

Apparatus for treatment of solid material

A process for reordering tobacco wherein tobacco is contacted with an air stream having a relative humidity near the equilibrium conditions of the tobacco. As the OV content of the tobacco increases, the relative humidity of the air stream contacting the tobacco is increased to effect reordering of the tobacco. Also provided is a process for drying tobacco, wherein tobacco is contacted with an air stream having a relative humidity near or below the equilibrium conditions of the tobacco. As the OV content of the tobacco decreases, the relative humidity of the air stream contacting the tobacco is decreased to effect drying of the tobacco. Tobacco is reordered or dried according to the processes of the present invention in a continuous manner preferably using a self-stacking spiral conveyor.

Process for adjusting the moisture content of tobacco

An improved endless conveyer belt is provided which can carry minute particles of conveyed product such as are found in packed bed applications, without limiting the ability of the conveyor belt to articulate into a spiraling conveyor stack. The perforations in the foraminous bottom member of the conveyor belt can be dimensioned according to the size of conveyed products. The number and placement of the perforations can be chosen to alter gas flow characteristics of the belt.

Conveyor belt for treatment of particulate solid material

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

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Midlothian, VA, United States of America

Warren D Winterson