Process for the manufacture of uniformly crimped filter tow

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING TOW PARTICULARLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN THE PREPARATION OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS, WHICH COMPRISES SPINNING FILAMENTS IN 15 TO 100 SPINNING CABINETS FROM A SPINNING SOLUTION SUPPLIED FROM METERING PUMPS DRIVEN BY A COMMON POWER UNIT, WITHDRAWING THE SPUN FILAMENTS FROM ALL OF SAID CABINETS AND CONDUCTING THE FILAMENTS AROUND GODEST ROLLS DRIVEN FROM A COMMON POWER SOURCE WHEREBY BETTER UNIFORMITY OF SPINNING AND WITHDRAWAL ARE OBTAINED, TREATING ALL OF SAID FILAMENTS WITH A NON-TOXIC FINISHING AGENT WHICH IMPARTS A LOW SLIPSTICK RATIO TO THE FILAMENTS, GATHERING ALL OF THE FILAMENTS TOGETHER IN THE FORM OF A BAND OF FILAMENTS OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM WIDTH AND THICKNESS, APPLYING A TEMPORARY ANTISTATIC AND SOFTENING LIQUID TO SAID UNIFORM BAND, FEEDING THE UNIFORM BAND TO AND THROUGH A STUFFING BOX CRIMPER WHEREBY AT LEAST FOUR CRIMPS PER INCH IS IMPARTED TO SAID FILAMENTS, SAID CRIMPED TOW RESULTING FROM THE AFORESAID PROCESS BEING CHARACTERIZED IN THAT IT IS FREE OF SKIPS AND IS UNIFORM ACROSS THE TOW AND WITHDRAWING AND PACKING SAID CRIMPED TOW.