Method for bulk curing tobacco

Claim 1

A METHOD OF CURING GREEN TOBACCO LEAVES WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF ASSEMBLING A MULTIPLICITY OF GREEN TOBACCO LEAVES TOGETHER INTO LOOSE BULK FORM WITH THE FLAT SURFACES THEREOF EXTENDING GENERALLY IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE FLAT SURFACES IN PARALLEL RELATION, COMPACTING AND PERIPHERALLY CONFINING THE ASSEMBLED LEAVES INTO A COMPACT BULK BUNDLE, PROVIDING INTERIOR SUPPORT WITHIN THE PERIPHERAL CONFINEMENT AT SPACED POSITIONS THROUGH SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE LEAVES OF THE COMPACT BULK BUNDLE INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID LEAVES, SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF SAID COMPACT BULK BUNDLES WITHIN A CONFINED ZONE SOLELY BY THE PERIPHERAL CONFINEMENTS THEREOF WITH THE LATTER DISPOSED GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY AND THE FLAT SURFACES OF THE LEAVES DISPOSED GENERALLY VERTICALLY AT POSITIONS SUCH THAT A FLOW OF FORCED AIR WITHIN SAID CONFINED ZONE WILL PASS ONLY BETWEEN THE FLAT SURFACES OF THE LEAVES WITHIN THE PERIPHERAL CONFINEMENTS THEREOF, ESTABLISHING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS FLOW OF FORCED AIR VERTICALLY BETWEEN THE FLAT SURFACES OF THE LEAVES OF SAID PLURALITY OF COMPACT BULK BUNDLES WITHIN THE PERIPHERAL CONFINEMENTS THEREOF WHILE SAID PLURALITY OF BULK BUNDLES ARE SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID CONFINED ZONE FOR A FIRST TIME PERIOD AT A TEMPERATURE LESS THAN 110* F. WHILE CONTROLLING THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF THE AIR SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN A RELATIVELY HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT LEVEL IN THE LEAVES SO THAT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE CHLOROPHENYLL IN THE TOBACCO LEAVES IS OXIDIZED UNMASKING THE YELLOW PIGMENTS PRESENT IN THE LEAVES, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING A FORCED FLOW OF AIR WHILE MAINTAINING SAID SUPPORT OF THE PLURALITY OF BULK BUNDLES WITHIN SAID CONFINED ZONE FOR A SECOND TIME PERIOD AT A TEMPERATURE WHICH IS GRADUALLY INCREASED AND HELD AT AN INTERMEDIATE ELEVATED LEVEL WHILE CONTROLLING THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF THE AIR SUFFICIENT TO INITIALLY ARREST THE CHEMICAL ACTION TAKING PLACE AT THE END OF THE FIRST TIME PERIOD AND TO DEHYDRATE THE LEAVES TO AN INTERMEDIATE LOWER MOISTURE CONTENT LEVEL AT THE END OF THE SECOND TIME PERIOD, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING A FORCED FLOW OF AIR WHILE MAINTAINING SAID SUPPORT OF THE PLURALITY OF THE BULK BUNDLES WITHIN SAID CONFINED ZONE FOR A THIRD TIME PERIOD AT A TEMPERATURE WHICH IS GRADUALLY INCREASED AND HELD AT AN UPPER ELEVATED LEVEL WHILE CONTROLLING THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF THE AIR SUFFICIENT TO BRING THE LEAVES TO A CRISP AND FRAGILE CONDITION AT THE END OF THE THIRD TIME PERIOD, AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING A FORCED FLOW OF AIR WHILE MAINTAINING SAID SUPPORT OF THE PLURALITY OF BULK BUNDLES WITHIN SAID CONFINED ZONE FOR A FOURTH TIME PERIOD AT A REDUCED TEMPERATURE LEVEL WHILE CONTROLLING THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF THE AIR SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE THE LEAVES WITH A FINAL MOISTURE CONTENT PERMITTING THEM TO BE HANDLED WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL BREAKAGE.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF CURING GREEN TOBACCO LEAVES WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF ASSEMBLING A MULTIPLICITY OF GREEN TOBACCO LEAVES TOGETHER INTO LOOSE BULK FORM WITH THE FLAT SURFACES THEREOF EXTENDING GENERALLY IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE FLAT SURFACES IN PARALLEL RELATION, COMPACTING AND PERIPHERALLY CONFINING THE ASSEMBLED LEAVES INTO A COMPACT BULK BUNDLE, PROVIDING INTERIOR SUPPORT WITHIN THE PERIPHERAL CONFINEMENT AT SPACED POSITIONS THROUGH SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE LEAVES OF THE COMPACT BULK BUNDLE INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID LEAVES, SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF SAID COMPACT BULK BUNDLES WITHIN A CONFINED ZONE SOLELY BY THE PERIPHERAL CONFINEMENTS THEREOF WITH THE LATTER DISPOSED GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY AND THE FLAT SURFACES OF THE LEAVES DISPOSED GENERALLY VERTICALLY AT POSITIONS SUCH THAT A FLOW OF FORCED AIR WITHIN SAID CONFINED ZONE WILL PASS ONLY BETWEEN THE FLAT SURFACES OF THE LEAVES WITHIN THE PERIPHERAL CONFINEMENTS THEREOF, ESTABLISHING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS FLOW OF FORCED AIR VERTICALLY BETWEEN THE FLAT SURFACES OF THE LEAVES OF SAID PLURALITY OF COMPACT BULK BUNDLES WITHIN THE PERIPHERAL CONFINEMENTS THEREOF WHILE SAID PLURALITY OF BULK BUNDLES ARE SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID CONFINED ZONE FOR A FIRST TIME PERIOD AT A TEMPERATURE LESS THAN 110* F. WHILE CONTROLLING THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF THE AIR SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN A RELATIVELY HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT LEVEL IN THE LEAVES SO THAT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE CHLOROPHENYLL IN THE TOBACCO LEAVES IS OXIDIZED UNMASKING THE YELLOW PIGMENTS PRESENT IN THE LEAVES, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING A FORCED FLOW OF AIR WHILE MAINTAINING SAID SUPPORT OF THE PLURALITY OF BULK BUNDLES WITHIN SAID CONFINED ZONE FOR A SECOND TIME PERIOD AT A TEMPERATURE WHICH IS GRADUALLY INCREASED AND HELD AT AN INTERMEDIATE ELEVATED LEVEL WHILE CONTROLLING THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF THE AIR SUFFICIENT TO INITIALLY ARREST THE CHEMICAL ACTION TAKING PLACE AT THE END OF THE FIRST TIME PERIOD AND TO DEHYDRATE THE LEAVES TO AN INTERMEDIATE LOWER MOISTURE CONTENT LEVEL AT THE END OF THE SECOND TIME PERIOD, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING A FORCED FLOW OF AIR WHILE MAINTAINING SAID SUPPORT OF THE PLURALITY OF THE BULK BUNDLES WITHIN SAID CONFINED ZONE FOR A THIRD TIME PERIOD AT A TEMPERATURE WHICH IS GRADUALLY INCREASED AND HELD AT AN UPPER ELEVATED LEVEL WHILE CONTROLLING THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF THE AIR SUFFICIENT TO BRING THE LEAVES TO A CRISP AND FRAGILE CONDITION AT THE END OF THE THIRD TIME PERIOD, AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING A FORCED FLOW OF AIR WHILE MAINTAINING SAID SUPPORT OF THE PLURALITY OF BULK BUNDLES WITHIN SAID CONFINED ZONE FOR A FOURTH TIME PERIOD AT A REDUCED TEMPERATURE LEVEL WHILE CONTROLLING THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF THE AIR SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE THE LEAVES WITH A FINAL MOISTURE CONTENT PERMITTING THEM TO BE HANDLED WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL BREAKAGE.