451 



United States Patent [i9i 



Lawson et al. 



[M] aGARETTE 



[75] Inventon: Jerry W. Lawson, aemmons; Bruce 

 R. Ballings; Thomas A. Perfetti, both 

 of Winston-Salem, all of N.C. 



[73] Assignee: R. 3. Reynolds Tobacco Company, 

 Winston-Salem, N.C. 



[21] Appl. No.: 137,9r7 



[22] FUed: Dec 24, 1987 



. Related VS. AppllEiHon DaU 

 [63] Conlinuation-in-ptrt of S«. No. 12,922, Feb. 10. 1987. 



[51] InL a.« A24D 1/00; A24D 1/02 



[521 U,S. CL - 131/336; 131/335; 



131/352; 131/365 

 [58] Field of Search 131/352, 365, 335, 336 



[S6] References Oted 



U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 



2,152,236 3/1939 Bttchelder . 



2,207,69* 7/1940 B»i«r . 



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3.095.882 7/1963 Hind et «1. . 



3,109.436 11/1963 Bivley et «L . 



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3,422.819 1/1969 Jones et «L . 



3,384,630 6/1971 Inskeep . 



3.861,400 1/1975 Perkins et al. . 



3,876,850 4/1975 Gibson et al. . 



3,924.642 12/1975 Echer et al. . 



3,924.644 12/1973 Anderson et al. . 



4,125,118 11/1978 Rudner . 



4,236,532 12/1980 Sehweizer et al. . 



4.256,126 3/1981 Seligman et al. . 



4,286.604 9/1981 Ehretsmann et al. . 



4,300.576 11/1981 van der Loo et al. . 



4.481.960 U/1984 Brooks . 



4.506,682 3/1985 Muller . 



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4,676,259 6/1987 Ellis et al. . 



4,714,082 12/1987 Banerjee et al. . 



4,715,389 12/1987 Lynm et al. . 



OTHER PUBLICATIONS 



Abdallah, Sensory Testing of Cigarette Smoke. Pa:.. I 

 Selection, Training and Use; North Carolina Stu'c 

 Univ. Ph.D. Thesis (1974). 



Armilage et »1. , Quarterly Journal of Expenmenlal Phy i ■ 

 ology. vol. 59. pp. 55-61 (1974). 



(List continued on next page.) 



Primary Examiner — V. Millin 



[57] ABSTRACT 



Cigarettes having high nicotine content tobacco c-.i 

 filler are rendered smooth smoking and palauble liy 

 incorporating an organic acid additive therein, fur 

 example, a cigarette having a cut filler with a ble.-.l 

 nicotine content of greater than 2 percent has at lea, I 

 one organic acid additive incorporated into the ciga- 

 rette in an amount of greater than 1 percent. Smooth 

 smoking cigarettes yielding good tobacco taste and 

 minimal off-taste are provided when the majority of tlij 

 organic acid additive is levulinic acid. The levulitiic 

 acid can be in a dissociated and/or nondissociated form. 

 For cigarettes having filter elements, at least a portlun 

 of the levulinic acid can be present In the filter element 

 Alternatively, cigarettes can have at least a portion of 

 the levulinic acid provided in the form of nicotine lev i- 

 linale. Cigarettes having high nicotine content tobaccos 

 and levulinic acid and cigarettes having a salt such as 

 nicotine levulinate incorporated therein can exhibit low 

 FTC "tar" to nicotine ratios while providing a smooth, 

 palatable and Havorful taste. 



36 Claims, I Drawing Sheet 



40 35 



