Abstract: A mouthpiece unit (6) of a semiclosed-circuit breathing apparatus (1) includes a inhaled/exhaled air circulation chamber (61), an inhalation gas supply opening (71) for providing a constant flow of fresh breathing gas from a breathing gas cylinder, a mouthpiece (62) attached to an external opening (65), and manually operated members (75, 76) that are maintained at an initial position by a resilient force and can be moved to a first operating position against the resilient force. In an interlocking operation, movement of the manually operated members to the first operating position is accompanied by opening of an external opening (65) by a valve (101). A first lever (73) opens and closes the gas supply opening (71) in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the valve (101).

Abstract: Cigarette filters are disclosed which comprise entangled continuous filaments of lyocell. The filaments may be entangled for example by hydroentangling a web which comprises one or more layers of lyocell filaments in spread tow form or by directing radial or circumferential water jets at a tow of lyocell filaments in rod form.

Abstract: A device for the orderly supply of cigarettes; the device presenting at least one channel defined by two lateral walls and for feeding a respective column of cigarettes at a given dropdown speed and in a given traveling direction to the bottom opening of the channel; and an ordering device being provided upstream from the bottom opening in the traveling direction, and presenting at least two engaging elements located at either end of one of the two lateral walls and movable inside the channel to accompany the cigarettes along a given portion of the channel and so feed the cigarettes in orderly manner to the bottom end.

Abstract: A hand held portable humidor for cigars including a humidifying material for maintaining a substantially constant relative humidity within the humidor, the humidor including an upper housing and a lower housing which is formed of a material less rigid than the upper housing, with the lower housing being telescopically fitted within the upper housing such that a sliding seal is maintained between the upper housing and the lower housing. The upper housing includes an inwardly directed ridge; and the lower housing includes an outwardly directed ridge which contacts the inward directed ridge of the upper housing when the humidor is in a fully extended configuration preventing the lower housing from separating from the upper housing. The upper housing includes an exterior surface to which a cigar cutter is detachably secured. The humidor also includes a lid secured to the upper housing and an enclosure sized to receive the humidifying material.

Abstract: A container, which may or may not be in the form of a cylinder conforming generally to the shape of a cigar, having a wall thickness and constitution which permits water vapor to escape therethrough, but which will not permit water droplets or palpable moisture to pass therethrough and subsequently over-wet the material to be humidified, such as cigars. The container is adapted to house a quantity of highly absorbent material, such as acrylamide potassium or sodium acrylate copolymer, cross-linked. End caps may be used as desired, including end caps with apertures therein to permit an accelerated rate of humidification by allowing more water vapor to escape the interior of the container than is allowed by ordinary osmosis through the walls of the container.

Abstract: A cigar humidor has a liner and is for containing tobacco products. The liner is made of liner members of humidor wood and has an increased interior surface area for being exposed to an interior of the humidor.

Abstract: An ashtray includes an insert with a cylindrical section having at least one radial or side opening therethrough and lugs at one end to restrict the movement of a cigarette. An entry to the cylindrical section is provided. The side opening is sized to fit over a burning portion of a lighted cigarette to diminish the rate of combustion and simultaneously suppress smoke while permitting the cigarette to continue to burn for more than a few seconds, but causing extinguishment after a defined period greater than a few seconds. The holder may be used in combination with a table top ashtray, a cup holder ashtray or various other ashtrays.

Abstract: A low-density filler material for cigarettes from either a low-density tobacco composition or an extruded grain or starch composition. The low-density tobacco composition and a method of making the low-density tobacco composition by extruding a mixture of tobacco and flour or tobacco and starch under conditions whereby the solvent in the extruded mixture flashes into vapor upon release from the extrusion head. The low-density tobacco composition is formed without the aid of an added binder. The low-density flour or starch material and a method of making it by extruding flour or starch with a filler material such as calcium carbonate under conditions whereby the solvent in the extruded mixture flashes into vapor upon extrusion through the orifice die. The extruded composition can then be cut and used in place of cut tobacco filler.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and plant of treating tobacco stems for the production of cut tobacco for smokable articles, wherein uncut stem are sauced to a moisture content of approximately 45% at the maximum, the sauced stems are overdried to a moisture content of less than approximately 12%, and the overdried stems are remoistened to the processing moisture content for the subsequent stem process, e.g. a CRS process.

Abstract: The present invention features an ash receptacle for attaching to a vertical surface of the body of a golf cart or similar vehicle. A tiltable cover keeps rain from entering the ash collection chamber which features a removable insert for ease of dumping. Clips are provide for securely holding one or more lighted cigarettes. Drainage holes are provided in the bottom of the outer body to allow drainage of trapped rain water, condensation, or the like. All outer edges and corners of the ash receptacle are rounded to prevent snagging a user's clothing or injuring a user in the event that the user accidentally brushes against or bumps the ash receptacle.

Abstract: A device for feeding blanks on a cigarette packing machine, wherein a succession of blanks, arranged side by side and overlapping one another along a supporting strip wound into a reel, is fed along a supply path by unwinding the reel and feeding the supporting strip along the path, which extends through a pitch-change device for spacing the blanks to eliminate the overlapping arrangement, and for adjusting the pitch of the blanks in a given manner.

Abstract: A tobacco filter with a circumferential length of 17 to 27 mm is prepared by creping or embossing, with a roller of a temperature not lower than 100.degree. C., a sheet-like material comprising not less than 20% by weight of a cellulose ester component and having a web structure with a basis weight of 20 to 35 g/m.sup.2 and a density of 0.25 to 0.45 g/cm.sup.3, and wrapping up the creped or embossed material into a rod form. The cellulose ester component includes e.g. a cellulose ester short staple, a fibrillated fiber, an esterified fiber and a fiber coated with a cellulose ester. This tobacco filter shows a pressure drop of 200 to 500 mm WG, a firmness of 88% or more and a cross-sectional porosity of 2% or less provided that it has a circumferential length of 24.5 mm and a length of 10 cm.

Abstract: A new Tobacco Smoke Abatement System for moving and dissipating tobacco smoke in an enclosed environment. The inventive device includes an air distribution manifold on an item of furniture and a system to supply compressed air to the manifold.

Abstract: A mouthpiece for smoking instruments which is structured to be anatomically correct, in that it is structurally compatible with the mouth parts of a user when the mouthpiece is situated in the user's mouth to one side thereof. The mouthpiece is a laterally asymmetrical structure which conforms to the shape of the side of the mouth. The tip is acutely angled in relation to the mouthpiece axis which lateral asymmetry locates the tip so that it does not interferingly affront the tongue and cheek thereby increasing comfort and teeth feel and the port of the tip is directed toward the tongue cavity thereby making inhalation easier and more efficient. The mouthpiece is vertically symmetrical so that by simply inverting the mouthpiece, it can be placed comfortably at either side of a user's mouth. The mouthpiece is preferred to include a groove adjacent the end for interfacingly receiving with the tips of the smoker's teeth.

Abstract: A drying device for a cigarette stick includes a hollow cylinder body and a heat applicator. The cylinder body has an open top portion, a closed bottom portion, and an inner wall surface which confines a stick receiving space that is adapted to receive the cigarette stick therein. The heat applicator is provided on the cylinder body for generating heat along the inner wall surface of the cylinder body to heat the stick receiving space. The stale taste of the cigarette stick can be reduced, and the freshness of the cigarette stick can be recovered when the cigarette stick is heated in the stick receiving space of the cylinder body.

Abstract: A machine wherein block-shaped arrays of cigarettes are confined in envelopes having closed ends and open ends located at the adjacent end faces of the confined arrays. Each open end includes two confronting elongated flaps alternating with narrow tucks which are to be folded against the adjacent end face of the confined array ahead of the flaps. Successive envelopes are delivered onto a platform constituting the bottom wall of a receptacle and being movable from a lower level, in which the receptacle receives an envelope, to an upper level in which it delivers the finished envelope into a pocket at the underside of an indelible turntable. The tucks of an envelope on the platform are folded over the adjacent end face of the confined array by two folding elements which are movable in a horizontal plane.

Abstract: A golfer's tool includes a body, a pair of prongs, a cutter, and a clip. The pair of prongs extend from one end of the body and are used in repairing ball marks. The cutter includes a slidable blade within the body and a central passage extending through the body transversely of the path of the blade. The blade is used to cut the tip off a cigar inserted in the central passage. The clip is mounted on a portion of the tool away from the pair of prongs and includes a spring located between two sets of arms. The spring biases one of the sets of arms towards the other for holding a cigar or cigarette.

Abstract: A cigarette severing device is provided including a housing with a slot and a circular aperture formed therein. A blade is slidably situated within the slot. Also included is a slider control mechanism for effecting the sliding of the blade within the slot. As such, a user may move the blade within the slot by way of the slider control mechanism for severing a cigarette situated within the circular aperture. Next provided is a mechanism for drawing the blade tightly against one of the faces of the housing only when the blade enters the circular aperture to effect a clean cut.

Abstract: A hood assembly placeable over a person's head for treating a person with a gas such as oxygen. Basically the assembly includes a resilient neck ring around a user's neck, a soft, rubbery, tubular neck seal with one end connected to the neck ring and the other configured to fit around the user's neck and a transparent hood fastened to a hood ring that can be sealed against the neck ring. Tubes direct gas into and out the hood through ports through the neck ring. Preferably, the seal that engages the neck is marked with indicia showing a series of varying circumferences, so that the neck seal opening can be trimmed to provide a comfortable and sealing circumference for engaging the user's neck. The assembly is particularly adapted to use in providing oxygen to a patient in a hyperbaric chamber.

Abstract: A ledger device suitable for use in a cigarette making machine, for supporting one or more cigarette rods while being cut into predetermined lengths, comprises two similar ledger support members (10; 12) mounted respectively on two pairs of cranks (30,32; 42,44) and arranged to orbit two ledger parts (22; 28) in the same plane along the same circular path, 180.degree. out of phase with one another, each ledger part being arranged to support the rod or rods during alternate cuts.