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: Tobacco is reconstituted to provide a product of tobacco-filler size particles. Particulate tobacco, from 5 to 10 weight percent of starch, up to 10 weight percent 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. Further, the cross-section of the extrudate when exiting the orifice of the extruder expands to a cross-section greater than that of the orifice of the extruder. After being cooled, the extrudate is cut to particle size. The particles, each of which comprises a cellular interior and a skin at two opposite sides, can be used as or in cigarette filler.

Abstract: Low sidestream cigarettes comprise at least 20% expanded tobacco and a cigarette paper comprising a burn retardant.

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 nicotine dispensing aerosol device has nicotine and propellant storage containers connected to atomization nozzle from which a nicotine-aerosol spray can flow. A conical aerosol confining chamber extends from the nozzle, the cross-section of the chamber enlarging away from the nozzle. Large aerosol particles are removed by impaction on the upstream face of an impaction member, which member is located in the wider, outlet region of the aerosol confining chamber. A series of baffles are provided downstream of the impaction member, which baffles serve to produce a long, sinuous path for aerosol flow. The duration of the passage of the aerosol from the nozzle to the user is thereby increased, allowing more evaporation of the particulate phase of the aerosol. The device is, therefore, operable to dispense nicotine in an aerosol of a constitution which approximates that of tobacco smoke.

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: 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: Low sidestream cigarettes comprise at least 20% expanded tobacco and cigarette paper of an air permeability of not more than 20 Coresta units, the tobacco density being between 100 and 260 mg cm.sup.-3.

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.

Abstract: In a method of expanding tobacco the tobacco is contacted in a first vessel with an expansion agent and, with the vessel being closed and liquid phase expansion agent in the tobacco being at a temperature above the boiling point at a lower, release pressure, the first vessel is connected to a closed second vessel the interior of which is at the release pressure. When the tobacco is contacted in the first vessel with the expansion agent, the tobacco is maintained in a mobilized, particle separated condition by supplying gaseous mobilizing medium to a mobilizing zone of the first vessel via nozzles located at upwardly diverging walls bounding the zone and preferably supplying in addition gaseous accelerating medium to the zone in an upward direction from a lower region of the zone.

Abstract: A tobacco smoke filtration element having a first smoke-flow passage of filtration efficiency less than that of a second smoke-flow passage, the first smoke-flow passage being provided with a heat deformable material which, upon smoking of a smoking article incorporating such a filtration element, deforms and thereby obturates the first smoke-flow passage causing smoke to pass along the second smoke-flow passage and thereby to be subjected to a higher degree of smoke filtration after the first stages of the smoking cycle.

Abstract: Apparatus for measuring the stiffness of creases of a packet blank comprises first and second spaced apart guides, on which a flat blank may be supported, and a plunger which is movable between the guides to deform the blank about a crease(s). The plunger brings part of the blank into contact with a bearing surface, and a panel(s) bent relatively of that part rests against force measuring means. The force measuring means provides a signal indicative of the resistance to bending of a crease about which the panel(s) has been bent.

Abstract: In the making of cigarette rod, which rod comprises an axial element of filler material and a wrapper surrounded by smoking material and an exterior wrapper, a web of the exterior wrapper material, a stream of the smoking material and a preformed rod, providing the axial element, are fed to the garniture of a cigarette rod making machine. The rod providing the axial element is made on a further rod making machine.

Abstract: A smoking article comprises a wrapped rod of smoking material, a filter element and a tipping wrapper by which the rod and filter element are interattached. The filter element comprises a body of fibrous filtration material and paper wrapper securing the filtration material. Opening means is provided in the paper wrapper extending longitudinally along the filter element and providing at least one ventillation-air distribution space bounded by the tipping wrapper. Ventilation air is permitted to ingress into the space at a first location, whereby air may flow through the space and then to enter the filtration material at a second location spaced longitudinally from the filter element. The smoking article of the invention has a number of advantages and represents an advance in the art in that it makes possible a more direct and better distributed flow of ventilation air into wrapped filter elements of smoking articles containing such elements.