Abstract: Packaging for smoking articles such as cigarettes in a rigid, hinged-lidded carton includes a sealed barrier layer enclosure within the carton and a line of separation aligned with a lid-end edge of an inner frame of the carton so that the edge acts as a guide in shearing the barrier layer when opening the enclosure.

Abstract: The invention provides a cigarette filter (1) the biodegradation of the material (3) which is assisted by the incorporation of swellable means in the filter so that upon exposure to moisture the volume of the filter is increased, preferably to the extent of breaking open a filter wrap (2) which enclosed it.

Abstract: A filter for a smoking article incorporating particles coated with platinum selectively reduces the amount of volatiles of mainstream smoking article smoke passing through the filter. The platinum may be a continuous or discontinuous coating, usually on a coating of another metal, and this coating(s) will usually encapsulate the particle substrate. This substrate may be low activity activated carbon.

Abstract: A lightweight cigarette filter including a filter element containing filter material having a total Denier of less than 35,000 or a bulk density of less than 0.12 gcm.sup.-3 in which part of the volume of the filter is occupied by a space filler impervious to smoke flow therethrough and the bulk density of which is less than the bulk density of the equivalent amount of filter material which it replaces.

Abstract: A smoking article comprising tubular support means to carry a supply of smoking material therein and to provide first and second ends thereof, said first end being located for ignition and said second end being directed towards filter means attached to said tubular support, said filter means including a transversely extending barrier located in a collection zone and on which particulate matter in the smoke from the smoking material is deposited when said second end is ignited and smoke is drawn through the smoking material to the filter means, and heating means for raising the temperature of said collection zone above that which would exist in the absence of said temperature raising means to raise the temperature of said smoke from said smoking material entering said zone and particulate material deposited on said transversely extending barrier, to release semi-volatile compounds therefrom.

Abstract: Apparatus for the separation of heavy and light particles from material which includes means for fluidising and agitating the material to cause heavy particles to sink from the acceptable material and comprising a deck adapted to receive material at a reception end and means for vibrating said deck to cause the material to move longitudinally along it to a discharge end, said deck having a number of longitudinally extending troughs separated by peaks and means for providing an upwardly directed air flow in the troughs characterised by means for causing two or more stratified material separation zones in each trough to classify the material two or more times.

Abstract: A filter tip cigarette comprising a rod of smoking material having an inner wrapper of sidestream reducing paper containing carbon as part of its total filler content and an outer overwrapping cigarette paper, and a ventilated filter tip of low efficiency / high pressure drop which provides a mainstream CO / "tar" ratio of 1:0 or less in conjunction with the filter ventilation.

Abstract: A rod of smoking material having an inner wrapper of sidestream reducing paper containing carbon as part of its total filler content and an outer overwrapping cigarette paper.

Abstract: A novel cigarette smoke filter element is provided which achieves an increased removal of tar from cigarette smoke while retaining a higher flavor level than is achieved using conventional filter materials. The filter comprises an elongate cylinder of microfine fibers which is closed at the upstream end of the filter element and tobacco smoke filter material located both externally and internally of the cylinder of microfine fibers. A tobacco smoke flow path blocking means is provided at the downstream end of the filter element to permit filtered tobacco smoke to pass from the filter element only from the tobacco smoke filter material located internally of the cylinder of microfine fibers.

Abstract: Fibrous materials are opened from a metered flow thereof using an opening roller and are subjected to a controlled and adjustable further opening operation to input desirable properties to the fibers. The invention is particularly described with respect to cut tobacco fibers and glass fibers.

Abstract: Degradation of tobacco brought about by refuser and recycle procedures in conventional cigarette-making machine operations is eliminated by feeding, metering and opening tobacco from a reservoir directly onto the external surface of a rotary or rectilinear transportation device which conveys the tobacco to rod formation. Specific modifications to the Molins Mark IX and Hauni Protos cigarette-making machines are described.

Abstract: Degradation of tobacco brought about by refuser and recycle procedure in conventional cigarette-making machine operations is eliminated by feeding, metering and opening tobacco from a reservoir directly onto the external surface of a rotary or rectilinear transportation device which conveys the tobacco to rod formation. Specific modifications to the Molins Mark IX and Hauni Protos cigarette-making machines are described.

Abstract: A cigarette filler rod-forming method and apparatus therefor are described for production of a filler rod containing two different blends of tobacco, so as to provide to a cigarette formed from the filler rod more uniform smoking characteristics. Discrete bunches of tobacco of a first blend are formed by employing a vacuum wheel having a belt which forms chords of a circle, so that, after trimming, the bunches have a flat surface adjacent the belt and a curved outer surface. Spaces between the bunches are filled with tobacco of another blend at least to the maximum height of the bunches of the first blend of tobacco, by a variety of procedures.

Abstract: Degradation of tobacco brought about by refuser and recycle procedures in conventional cigarette-making machine operations is eliminated by feeding, metering and opening tobacco from a reservoir directly onto the external surface of a rotary or rectilinear transportation device which conveys the tobacco to rod formation. Specific modifications to the Molins Mark IX and Hauni Protos cigarette-making machines are described.