Method of making cigarette filter rods

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR MAKING CIGARETTE FILTER RODS FROM A TOW MADE UP OF ABOUT 5,000 TO 33,000 CONTINUOUS FILAMENTS, HAVING A NOMINAL TOTAL DENIER OF ABOUT 35,000 TO 160,000, ABOUT 4 TO 40 CRIMPS PER INCH AND ABOUT 50 TO 200% CRIMP, WHICH COMPRISES REMOVING SAID TOW FROM A PACKAGE, PRETENSIONING SAID TOW, PASSING SAID TOW SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY DOWNWARDLY BETWEEN AT LEAST TWO PAIRS OF ROLLS POSITIONED ABOUT 10 TO 50 INCHES APART VERTICALLY, AT LEAST ONE ROLL OF ONE OF THE PAIRS BEING GROOVED, AT LEAST ONE ROLL OF EACH PAIR BEING DRIVEN WITH THE LOWER DRIVEN ROLL HAVING A PERIPHERAL SPEED ABOUT 120 TO 300% THAT OF THE UPPER DRIVEN ROLL, EACH PAIR OF ROLLS HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL NIP, DIRECTLY RECEIVING SAID TOW FROM THE LOWER NIP ON A COLLECTOR POSITIONED ABOUT 6 TO 20 INCHES VERTICALLY BELOW AND OFFSET LATERALLY ABOUT 3 TO 12 INCHES RELATIVE TO SAID NIP, AND FORMING SAID TOW INTO CIGARETTE FILTER RODS, THE PERIPHERAL SPEED OF SAID FIRST DRIVEN ROLL RANGING FROM ABOUT 50 TO 110% THAT AT WHICH SAID TOW IS FORMED INTO RODS SAID PROCESS MAKING FOR A WIDER LATITUDE IN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FILTER RODS PRODUCED FROM A GIVEN TOW, AS COMPARED TO THE LATITUDE OBTAINED WHEN SAID PAIRS ARE SO ARRANGED THAT THE TOW PASSES HORIZONTALLY BETWEEN SAID NIPS.