Method for treating tobacco

Claim 1

A METHOD OF TREATING PROCESS TOBACCO MATERIALS TAKEN FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TOBACCO LEAVES AND LEAF PIECES AND PUFFED TOBACCO FORMED OF TOBACCO LEAVES AND LEAF PIECES, THE PROCES TOBACCO HAVING A WATER MOSITURE CONTENT OF FROM ABOUT 17% TO ABOUT 35%, CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF PREPARING A MIXTURE OF SCRAP AND WASTE TOBACCO MATERIALS TO BE MADE INTO TREATMENT MATERIAL, SUBJECTING THE FRAGMENTS OF SAID MIXTURE TO THE ACTION OF HIGH VELOCITY JETSOF A COMPRSSIBLE FLUID FOR REDUCING SAID TREATMENT MATERIAL TO A DRY POWDER CONSISTING OF PARTICLES SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF WHICH HAVE A SIZE OF NOT OVER 75 MICRONS BY EFFECTING ATTRITION BETWEEN THE FRAGMENTS, AND APPLYING SAID POWDER AS DISCRETE PARTICLES TO SAID PROCESS TOBACCO MATERIALS FOR FORMING ON SAID PROCESS TOBACCO MATERIALS A DISCONTINUOUS COATING CONSISTING OF SAID DISCRETE PARTICLES, SAID DISCRETE PARTICLES ADHERING TO SAID PROCESS TOBACCO MATERIALS SOLELY BY REASON OF THE INHERENT CHARACTERISTICS OF SAID TOBACCO MATERIALS, SAID METHOD FURTHER COMPRISING COMPRESSING THE THUS COATED PROCESS TOBACCO TO BIND THE POWDERED TREATMENT MATERIAL INTO INTIMATE CONTACT WITH THE PROCESS TOBACCO MATERIALS, AND WHILE IT IS THUS COMPRESSED, CUTTING THE SAID PROCESS TOBACCO MATERIALS, WHEREBY SUGARS AND THE LIKE CONTAINED IN THE TOBACCO MATERIALS ARE EXPOSED AND ASSIST IN THE ADHERENCE OF THE POWDERED TREATMENT MATERIAL.