Abstract: A novel cigarette structure is provided which produces an approximately uniform delivery of flavour along its length as the cigarette is smoked. The filler rod of the cigarette has a strip of more highly-flavoured tobacco to one side or to two sides of the rod, with the remainder of the cross-section of the rod being formed of lower flavoured tobacco, and has a higher proportion of the more highly-flavoured tobacco than the lower flavour tobacco at the lighting end. The cigarette filler rod of improved smoking characteristics may be formed by a simplified assembly procedure.

Abstract: The quality of a tobacco filler rod as formed in cigarette-making machines is improved. The improvement is achieved by by-passing all the metering and refusing mechanisms of a conventional cigarette-making machine and providing a wide carpet of opened tobacco particles directly to the filler rod-forming procedure.

Abstract: An improved composite cigarette comprising a core of lesser quality tobacco smoking material surrounded by an annulus of higher quality tobacco smoking material is described. The improvement resides in the provision of an increased quantity of the annulus material at the lighting end of the cigarette, so as to increase the initial flavor impact and thereby provide more uniform smoke taste characteristics along the length of the cigarette.

Abstract: Tobacco trimmed from a filler rod is recycled and used in the control of the rod-forming operation. A reservoir vessel is divided into physically-separate chambers, a narrow one of which receives the recycled trimmed tobacco and a wider one of which receives cut tobacco. Tobacco is simultaneously fed from both chambers by a common feeding device to form a metered flow from which the filler rod is ultimately formed. The level of tobacco in the narrow chamber is sensed and the operation of the common feeding device is controlled in response to sensed levels outside a predetermined range. If the sensed level is too high, then the tobacco is being fed too fast to the rod formation and the common feeding device then is slowed down, thereby slowing the tobacco feed rate, while, if the sensed level is too low, then the tobacco is being fed too slowly to the rod formation and the common feeding device then is speeded up, thereby speeding up the tobacco feed rate.