Tow for use in the production of tobacco smoke filters

Claim 1

IN AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE COMPRISING AN INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTER TIP ELEMENTS IN WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY ALL THE FILAMENTS OF THE ELEMENT ARE COEXTENSIVE, SAID INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A SUBSTANTIALLY UNTWISTED, ELONGATED, CONTINUOUS FILAMENT FILTER TWO OF WHICH THE FILAMENTS IN THE AGGREGATE ARE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLE, SAID TOW BEING MADE UP OF FILAMENTS OF A PLASTICIZABLE SPUN CELLULOSE ESTER, SAID FILAMENTS BEING OF A DENIER OF NOT GREATER THAN ABOUT 16 DENIER PER FILAMENT AND THE TOTAL DENIER OF THE TOW BEING BELOW 160,000, THE TOW CARRYING 0.1%-3% BY WEIGHT OF THE TOW OF A FILAMENT FINISHING AGENT WHICH IS NONTOXIC AND OF EDIBLE GRADE AND WHICH DOES NOT IMPAIR THE TOBACCO SMOKE AND ODOR AND IN SOME INSTANCES MAY ENHANCE THE FLAVOR OF THE TOBACCO SMOKE, THE AFORESAID TOW BEING PARTICULARLY CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THE INDIVIDUAL FILAMENTS OF THE TOW CONTAIN A DEGREE OF CRIMP GREATER THAN 4 CRIMPS PER INCH AND THIS CRIMP IS PARTICULARLY CHARACTERIZED IN THAT IT IS SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM AND FREE OF SKIPS OF BOTH LONGITUDINALLY OF THE TOW AND ACROSS THE TOW.