Tobacco – Tobacco or tobacco substitute product or component part thereof – Compositions – e.g. – smoking or chewing mixture or medium
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-21
2001-02-06
Silverman, Stanley S. (Department: 1731)
Tobacco
Tobacco or tobacco substitute product or component part thereof
Compositions, e.g., smoking or chewing mixture or medium
C131S352000, C131S354000, C131S375000, C131S370000, C426S618000, C426S619000, C426S620000, C426S621000, C426S622000, C426S512000, C426S450000, C426S458000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182670
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the manufacture of smokeable material and, in particular, to a method of making a low density, extruded tobacco filler, the low density filler and smokeable article made with the low density filler.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Low density filler material has been of interest to cigarette manufacturers because it provides a way of reclaiming and using tobacco dust and other scrap tobacco in the manufacture of cigarettes. The low density filler material displaces an equal volume of higher density cut tobacco filler thus resulting in a lower “tar” and nicotine cigarette. Low density cigarette filler material has usually been of two different types, namely, an extruded mixture of tobacco dust, starch and a binder or a roasted grain.
Cured tobacco leaf usually undergoes several processing steps prior to the time the resulting cut filler is used to make cigarettes. The normal sequence is to separate the stem from the laminae of the cured tobacco leaf. The tobacco laminae undergoes further processing steps finally resulting in cut filler and the stems are either discarded or employed in the manufacture of reclaimed tobacco products. The storing, handling, cutting, blending and transporting stages of conventional cigarette making results in the formulation of a considerable amount of wasted tobacco material in the form of dust and fines. This cigarette dust and fines (C-dust) is of such small size as to be useless as cut filler for cigarettes. However, it is possible to retrieve C-dust and fines and employ this material either with tobacco stems or alone in the manufacture of reclaimed or reconstituted tobacco. The use of C-dust or C-dust and stems has also been suggested for use in extruded tobacco products.
The extrusion of tobacco particles, starch and a binder has been previously described in the patent literature. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,817, the use of cellulose binders, such as hydroxyethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl cellulose, with starch and tobacco is disclosed. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,018, galactomannans, such as locust bean gum and tara gum, and mixtures of galactomannans with carrageens and xanthan gum as binders with tobacco particles and optional filler material are disclosed.
According to the extrusion process of the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,817, starch, tobacco offal and binder are dry mixed, then fed into the hopper of a twin screw extruder. Sufficient water is fed into the barrel of the extruder to moisten the mixture of tobacco, starch and binder. The mixture is then extruded at a pressure sufficient to keep the water in the liquid phase and at a sufficiently high temperature so as to gelatinize the starch. As the extrudate issues from the die, the water flashes into steam, thereby expanding the extrudate and forming a closed cell extrudate structure. The extruded material is then cooled and drawn down by counter-rotating rollers to form a sheet. The sheet is then slit into filaments which are used as a substitute for cut filler.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a low density tobacco filler composition, method of making a low density tobacco filler composition and a smokeable article made from the composition. There are two approaches to the low density tobacco filler of the invention. In the first approach, the expanded extruded tobacco composition is produced by the following steps:
1. Dry mixing rice flour or starch with tobacco, e.g., C-dust, and, optionally, a filler such as sodium or calcium carbonate, carbon or activated carbon;
2. Feeding the dry mixture to the feed port of an extruder;
3. Injecting sufficient water into the extruder to moisten the mixture of tobacco and rice flour or starch; and
4. Extruding the binderless mixture of rice flour or starch and tobacco (and optionally a filler) at sufficient pressure and temperature so that the water present will flash into steam, thereby expanding the extruded tobacco/rice flour or tobacco/starch mixture.
The expanded extruded tobacco/rice flour or tobacco/starch composition is solid and lightweight with a pleasing tobacco odor. The expanded extruded tobacco/rice flour or tobacco/starch composition is collected and employed in the manufacture of cut filler and smoking articles such as cigarettes.
It was discovered that the degree of expansion of the composition was dependent on the size of the die orifice of the extruder at constant temperature and pressure of the extruded material at the die orifice. The larger the die orifice at constant temperature and pressure, the greater the expansion of the extruded material.
It was unexpectedly discovered according to the invention that a binderless mixture of tobacco particles, e.g., C-dust and rice flour yielded an expanded extruded tobacco product with improved properties as discussed hereinafter in more detail. Even more unexpected was the discovery that starch could be substituted for the rice or grain flour without the use of a binding agent in the extrusion process and that an extruded mixture of tobacco and starch without a binder also resulted in an acceptable extrudate.
The invention allows the reclaiming of C-dust, tobacco fines and tobacco leafstem or a mixture of C-dust and stems in an efficient and effective manner to yield a low density extruded tobacco composition. Advantageously, no additional binders are needed to bind the extruded product together. The extruded tobacco/grain flour composition is especially useful as a cigarette filler material because of its low density. The composition displaces an equal volumetric amount of cut filler resulting in a lower tar and nicotine cigarette with substantially the same level of smoking satisfaction.
The second approach is to extrude a tobaccoless mixture of rice flour or rice starch with an optional filler such as calcium carbonate. The extruded mixture can then either be coated with C-dust or toasted to give an acceptable color similar to dried tobacco. This extruded rice flour or rice starch, after coating or toasting, is usable as a substitute for tobacco in a low tar and nicotine cigarette. Alternatively, the rice can be toasted then ground to a powder which can be used to obtain an acceptable tobacco brown color when extruded with the tobaccoless mixture of rice flower or rice starch.
An object of the invention is to provide a low density extruded substitute for cut filler tobacco in the manufacture of cigarettes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a binderless, low density, extruded tobacco product useful as a substitute for cut filler.
Another object of the invention is to provide a binderless, low density, extruded tobacco product with the properties, including a lack of friability, necessary for the extruded tobacco product to be shredded into a cut filler tobacco product acceptable in the manufacture of cigarettes.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a binderless, low density extruded tobacco product that, when mixed with cut filler, can be made into an acceptable, smokeable cigarette.
A still further objective of the invention is to provide a binderless, low density extruded tobacco product with cut tobacco to make an acceptable, smokeable, low tar and nicotine cigarette.
A still further objective of the invention is to provide a binderless, low density extruded tobaccoless product that can be mixed with cut tobacco filler to make an acceptable, smokeable, low tar and nicotine cigarette.
With the foregoing and other objects, advantages and features of the invention that will become hereinafter apparent, the nature of the invention may be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, the appended claims and to the several views illustrated in the drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3964496 (1976-06-01), White
Perfetti Thomas Albert
White Jackie Lee
Halpern Mark
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Silverman Stanley S.
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