US2147889A - Processing of tissue or paper and the product obtained thereby - Google Patents

Description

Patented Feb. 21, 1939 I 2,147,889

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESSING OF TISSUE OR. PAPER AND THE PRODUCT OBTAINED THEREBY James I. Gardiner and John Barnes, San Francisco, Calii., assignors of one-third to Charles F. W. Nichols, Chicago, Ill.

No Drawing. Application July 8, 1937, Serial N0. 152,528

Claims. (or. m ss) Our present invention relates to the processing tissue suitable for use as cigarette wrappers, the of tissue or paper and the product secured therecombustibility of which will not continue and by, and has peculiar application to the processing promote combustion in the cigarette during inof tissue employed as wrappers for cigarettes, tervals when the cigarette is not actually drawn 5 although it may be employed with advantage in upon in the operation of smoking. 5

the processing of any tissue, the intended uses We have had as a further object the improveof which would not be incompatible with, and ment of the tobacco flavor of cigarettes by matemight be enhanced by, retarded combustibilty. rially reducing the highly volatile products of In connection with cigarette wrappers the pacombustion produced from the very readily comper has never been considered as a desirable adbustible cigarette wrappers now in universal 10 dition to the cigarette, and the manufacturers employment. of cigarette papers and the manufacturers oi. As a third object of our invention we have decigarettes have sought continuously, so far as sired to obtain the foregoing objects without imwe are at present advised, to produce a'product parting an additional perceptible flavor to the 5 of minimum physical bulk which would be comcharacter and quality of the smoke. The elepletely combustible and would leave a minimum ment we employ unquestionably burns, but the of ash. The residual ash, of course, is innocuamount thereof employed in relation to the bulk ous to the smoker and the reduction of the bulk or mass of the paper is so relatively small that or substance or mass of the paper necessarily the only noticeable result of smoking a cigarette also results in a reduction of the volatile eleprovided with our processed wrapper is the ab- 20 ments created when the paper and tobacco burn. sence of the volatile elements of the combustion The present practice, as above outlined, reof the paper which were always heretofore presduces the amount of volatile products of the coment, although to a greater or less extent disrebustion of the tissue cigarette wrapper but does garded by cigarette smokers.

not otherwise materially reduce its noxious char- We have attained the foregoing objects and 25 acter which is always, to a greater or less extent, results in the following manner: a very complicated product having acrid and We prepare an aqueous solution of albumen unpleasant characteristics when drawn into the which may differ very greatly in strength. We oral and nasal cavities. The present practice, regard the addition of about one-third by volume which we believe is universal, results in the proof water to the albumen of an egg as it comes 30 duction of a cigarette paper which is extremely from the shell as about right. But a much larger combustible, and which causes the continuous addition of water may be made with the nearly combustion of itself and the tobacco which it complete elimination of smoke between puffs encloses during the intervals when the smoker is from the cigarette and after smoking is disconnot smoking the cigarette. In other words, a tinued. A greater concentration of albumen 35 cigarette continues to burn and smoke between may also be employed withoutimparting a charintervals in its actual smoking and after the acteristic flavor to the smoking of the completed residuum of the cigarette has been discarded, cigarette. whereas pipe tobacco especially, and cigarette It should be stated, however, that what we retobacco also, if its combustion were not enhanced gard as the suitable principle for the determina- 40 by the paper wrapper, will immediately start to tion of the volume of the aqueous content is the go out and is not capable of continuing combusproduction of a fluid of such fluidity as will most tion in the absence of the draft supplied in the readily accomplish thorough impregnation of smoking operation. the paper or tissue wrapper. The paper, after It will be immediately seen that if the paper impregnation, is advantageously permitted to 45 employed in cigarettes will not promote continudry to some extent and then pressed between one combustion during the time the cigarette is heated or cool, as may be desired, smoothing or not actually being drawn upon, a much larger ironing rollers. An additional burnishing or impercent or proportion of smoking is conserved parting of a gloss to our processed paper renders for the enjoyment of the smoker and the interthe product noticeably different from the present 50 vening combustion of the cigarette, as well as cigarette wrappers upon the market. The imflre hazard, by reason of the presence of a selfparting of such a gloss under present circumcontinuing combustion is very materially reduced stances is therefore not desirable, but it in no and practically eliminated. way affects the chemical and physical action of 5 It has therefore been our object to produce a the treated product.

It will be noticed that in smoking cigarettes provided with papers or wrappers processed as hereinbefore described, the smoking of the cigarette between puffs, or when it is laid asidemomentarily, is very materially reduced and ceases almost instantly when the actual drawing upon the cigarette has been discontinued. If the cigarette has been smoked rapidly so as to develop an appreciable amount of ignited glowing tobacco the combustion in thisamount of ignited glowing tobacco will take the usual time to subside, but such combustion is not self-continuing as with the cigarettes as they are at present made.

If the cigarette with tissue wrapper impregnated as hereinbefore described has not been rapidly smoked so as to create a considerable mass of glowing tobacco it may be laid directly upon the varnished top of a desk or upon papers without the least fear of scorching the material or causing a fire.

It may develop that albumen has been employed as a sizing element for paper, but it is pointed out that the sizing of paper is for the purpose of affecting its appearance, Whereas our process is not intended to affect the appearance in any respect but affects its qualities and operation during the combustion and we employ far less material than is necessary to constitute a satisfactory size.

-It is also pointed out that our approach to the problem of elimination of objectionable features in the combustion of paper or tissue is directly opposite to the present procedure as the present practice, while reducing bulk and mass strives to attain a ready and complete combustion, whereas it is our object to delay and retard combustion except to the extent necessary in the consumption of the tobacco as a pleasure or pastime. 5

Having described our invention what we claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The process of treating a cigarette wrapper in an aqueous solution of albumen and the drying and smoothing of such treated tissue. 1

2. The process of treating a tissue suitable for use as a cigarette wrapper in a solution consisting of the white of an egg as it comes from the shell to which has been added a third, by volume, of water, and the drying and smoothing of such 1 treated tissue.

3. A tissue suitable for use as a wrapper for cigarettes containing a sufilcient amount of albumen to prevent the tissue from continuing combustion of the cigarette during intervals between and after the actual smoking of the cigarette.

4. A cigarette having a wrapper containing a suflicient amount of albumen to prevent the tissue from continuing combustion of the cigarette during intervals between and after the actual smoking of the cigarette.

5. The process of treating a tissue for retarding the combustibility thereof comprising the application thereto of a combustion retardant consisting of an aqueous solution of albumen and 3 the drying and smoothing of such treated tissue.

JAMES I. GARDINER. JOHN BARNES.