Patent ID: 9345268
Filing Date: 2016-05-24
CPC Classification: A24C,A24D

Claim Text:
1. A method for modifying moisture content of a fuel element used in making smoking articles, the method comprising steps of: providing a plurality of fuel elements having a starting moisture content; next, flowing unheated ambient air over the fuel elements to reduce the moisture content to below the starting moisture content; next, cutting the fuel elements into smaller units; next, assembling the fuel elements into smoking article components that include substrate material, which substrate material has a substrate moisture content; and next, flowing unheated (about 16° C. to about 35° C.) ambient air over the fuel elements assembled into the smoking article components and thereby further reducing the moisture content to a predetermined target moisture content, which predetermined target moisture content is also thereby equilibrated with the substrate moisture content wherein the step of flowing unheated ambient air over the fuel elements includes bi-directional air flow, both from a first end toward a second end and from a second end toward a first end.