Abstract: A cigarette making machine is provided with a pressure drop measuring unit (1) located at or close to the garniture of the making machine. The pressure drop of a gas stream of constant volume is introduced into the compacted tobacco rod beneath the format finger (2) on the making machine at a point at which that pressure drop measurement correlates with the bound pressure drop of the finished cigarette. The unbound cigarette pressure drop or draw resistance experienced by the smoker can be calculated using the bound tobacco rod pressure drop obtained by correlation with the measured pressure drop across the rod in an algorithim processed by calculation means. The degree of ventilation of the cigarette may also be utilised in the algorithim calculation. Comparator means allows the unbound cigarette pressure drop to be maintained within pre-set limits by varying cigarette parameters which affect the overall unbound cigarette pressure drop.

Abstract: Tobacco leaf stem is separated into large-stem and small-stem fractions, the large-stem fraction is cut in a stem cutter and the small-stem fraction is shredded in a mill, whereafter the cut and shredded materials are mixed.

Abstract: In a process of tobacco reconstitution by extrusion a mixture of tobacco, starch and binder, with the addition of water, is extruded as a web. The extrudate is drawn down, whereby the thickness of the web is reduced. A minor proportion of the binder, which may be carboxymethyl cellulose, is fed to the extruder barrel in aqueous solution. This has the effect of increasing the tensile strength of the web, so that the web can be drawn down to a greater degree.

Abstract: A cigarette having a region having means to reduce the vapour phase constituents of tobacco smoke, such as carbon, surrounding a tobacco smoke flow path is provided with ventilation means to channel the tobacco smoke away from the vapour phase constituent reducing region. The vapour phase constituent reductions achieved are greater than the reduction which would be expected in view of the degree of ventilation to which the cigarette is subjected.

Abstract: A particulate plastics material, a polysaccharide and water are fed to an extruder which is operated under such heat and pressure conditions that upon emergence of the extrudate from the extruder die, the extrudate assumes a cross-section greater than that of the exit orifice of the die. The extrudate is then further processed, either by shredding to produce particulate material for feeding to filter-making section of a cigarette making machine, or by forming into smoking article filter rod lengths.

Abstract: This invention provides a smoking article having reduced sidestream smoke in the inter-puff period. A smoking article according to the invention may have segments of a high level of tobacco-containing material interconnected by segments of low level of tobacco-containing material which are capable of maintaining smoulder in the inter-puff period and re-igniting the segments of a high level of tobacco-containing material in the puff period. Alternatively, a smoking article according to another aspect of the invention may have a lengthwise, axially extending, tobacco-containing fuse portion which sustains smoulder in the inter-puff period when surrounding tobacco material is substantially extinguished and which re-ignites the extinguished material on puffing of the smoking article.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods of increasing the viscosity of a dispersion containing an alginate by subjecting the dispersion to high shear, such as the shear in a laboratory valve homogeniser. The viscosity of the dispersion increases within the range of two fold to five hundred fold.The method of increasing viscosity is useful in tobacco reconstitution or tobacco substitut processes, especially where either low levels of binder are required or improved taste characteristics over cellulosic binders, for example, are important.

Abstract: A smoking article which comprises tobacco treated with a high loading level of humectant and which has been expanded by a high level expansion process to produce expanded tobacco having a humectant loading level in the range of 4% to 15%. The particulate matter, water, nicotine and humectant free (PMWNHF) to nicotine delivery ratio of smoking articles according to the invention and smoked under standard machine smoking conditions is not more than 8 to 1.

Abstract: Lamina and stem components of tobacco leaf are fed simultaneously to a milling machine such that there is produced a fluent mixture of lamina and stem particles. The mixture, with little or no further particle size reduction can be fed to a cigarette making machine.

Abstract: Whole tobacco leaf is fed to a milling machine such that there is produced a mixture of lamina flakes and intact stem lengths. The lamina fraction, with little or no further particle size reduction can be fed to a cigarette making machine. The stem fraction can be discarded or processed according to conventional methods.

Abstract: Smoking article rod is made by extruding a tobacco/binder mixture, with the addition of water, to provide a rod form extrudate, under conditions such that the extrudate is of a cross-section greater than that of the die orifice. The extrudate is drawn down by, for example, passing the extrudate about two driven and peripherally grooved draw down drums.

Abstract: In a method of making lengths of smoking-material rod, particularly cigaret lengths, smoking material and wrapper-web material are each continuously fed to a rod maker operable to wrap and seam-seal the wrapper material about the smoking material to provide smoking material rod which is then fed to a cutter for cutting the rod into lengths. Smoke-modifying agent is applied by spray intermittently to one of the materials during their feeding to the rod maker so that, in each of the lengths, the smoke-modifying agent is distributed over one end zone which is accounted for by a few puffs, in the smoking of the length. The smoke modifying agent is of low volatility and low porosity migration.

Abstract: There is provided a smoking article comprising a heating unit, aerosol generation section in flow communication at a first end thereof with said heating unit, nicotine source in flow communication at a first end thereof with the heating unit, a mixing space with which said aerosol generation section and nicotine source means are in flow communication at or via respective second ends thereof, and a velocity accelerating orifice in flow communication with the mixing space.

Abstract: The invention is based on the realization that for a rod-like article, a cigarette for example, having a plurality of ventilation gas flows, the flows can be equated to a single equivalent flow nominally occurring at an "equivalent ventilation point". By establishing one or more flow regimes in a rod-like article and measuring gas pressures, the articles can be monitored for displacement of the equivalent ventilation point, such displacement being indicative of the position of out-of-specification gas flows.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for treating particulate material, the material, when in a mobilization zone bounded by upwardly divergent walls, is subjected to a flow of gaseous mobilizing medium, supplied at a multiplicity of sites of the walls, and preferably also to a simultaneous flow of gaseous accelerating medium supplied in an upward direction from a lower region of the zone. The treatments include drying, moistening, heating, cooling and blending.

Abstract: A method of making a ventilated cigarette filter plug in which a bore is thermally formed, by a laser beam for example, in a rod comprising a duct extending coaxially of the rod and matrix material surrounding the duct. The thermally formed bore extends through the matrix material to provide air-flow communication between the periphery of the rod and the interior of the duct.

Abstract: Extraction means capable of providing a constant feed rate to the inlet of a tobacco expansion pneumatic transport system is provided at the outlet of a tobacco reservoir zone. The extraction means is preferably in the form of a pinned roller capable of metering tobacco, associated with a pinned tobacco opening roller. The extraction means feeds the extracted tobacco into a transport duct as a stream extending across the full width of the duct at a flow rate which is also uniform across the width of the stream.

Abstract: In a smoking article comprising a smoking rod and a mouthpiece, the rod may comprise a wrapped body, of particles of tobacco and/or other smoking material, of which body the packing density is in a range of from 100 to 400 mg cm.sup.-3, a passage extending within the rod and in gas-flow communication with the mouthpiece and the article comprising menthol or other vapor-release material at the mouthpiece and/or at a mouthpiece-end zone of the passage.The passage, which may extend substantially to the mouthpiece end of the rod, may be closed at the end thereof remote the mouthpiece end.The passage may be provided by a tube of combustible material or as a bore extending within said body of particles.A portion of the cross-section of the mouthpiece end of the rod not occupied by said passage may be in gas-flow communication with the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece may comprise a filter.

Abstract: Tobacco is reconstituted to provide a product of tobacco-filler size particles. Particulate tobacco, starch, binder and water are fed to an extruder, the operating conditions being such that in the sheet form extrudate water flashes off to steam, thus to expand the extrudate. While in the plastic phase, the extrudate is subjected to a draw down step. The extrudate is then cut to particle size.

Abstract: Mobilization apparatus for the treatment, drying for example, of particulate material comprises a mobilization zone bounded by upwardly divergent walls. Particulate material in the zone is mobilized by being subjected to a flow of gaseous mobilizing medium supplied at a multiplicity of sites of the divergent walls. The material is simultaneously subjected to a flow of gaseous accelerating medium supplied in an upward direction from a lower region of the mobilization zone. The obtains in the mobilization zone of circulatory pattern comprising downward flow at the divergent walls and upward flow from a lower region of the zone.In order to discharge the particulate material from the apparatus, a mask extending outwardly from the lower end of an upwardly extending discharge duct is brought to the upper end of the mobilization zone. The result is that the circulatory pattern is destroyed and the material is pneumatically transported up the discharge duct.