Abstract:
A tobacco product is formed by rolling moistened tobacco leaves about a cylindrical form casing and allowing the leaves to dry to form a shell. After the form casing is removed a consumer can fill the shell with crushed tobacco leaves of a favorite blend, thereby eliminating some steps in the making of a “roll-your-own” tobacco product.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/863,824, filed Apr. 16, 2013 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,783,266 on Jul. 22, 2014), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/305,826, filed Nov. 29, 2011 (issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 8,418,698 on Apr. 16, 2013), which was a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/782,112, filed May 18, 2010 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,066,012, issued on Nov. 29, 2011), which was a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/539,346, filed Aug. 11, 2009 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,119, issued on May 18, 2010), which was a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/058,916, filed Feb. 15, 2005, (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,571,730, issued on Aug. 11, 2009), which was a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/361,985, filed Feb. 11, 2003 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,471, issued on Feb. 15, 2005), which was a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/090,932, filed Mar. 5, 2002 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,986, issued on Mar. 4, 2003), which was a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/944,979, filed Aug. 31, 2001 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,448, issued on Mar. 19, 2002), which was a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/456,738, filed Dec. 7, 1999 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,755, issued on Nov. 27, 2001). 
     Each of the above referenced applications are incorporated herein by reference and priority to each is hereby claimed. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable 
     REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX” 
     Not applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to tobacco products, and more particularly to a cigar shell for “roll your own” tobacco products. 
     In recent years, smoking of cigars has become in vogue, and numerous cigar shops opened around the world to satisfy this growing trend. The variety, quality and size of ready-made cigars satisfy the majority of the public. However, a small segment of connoisseurs insist that nothing can compare with the taste and smell of custom-blended tobacco products. These knowledgeable individuals are very selective in the manner their cigars are rolled and in the grade of tobacco used. 
     A still smaller segment of cigar aficionados prefers to roll their own cigars. They buy tobacco leaves or cigar wrapping and use their preferred brand of crushed tobacco. Some people buy inexpensive cigars, cut them with a sharp blade along the side and carefully pry the cut cigar open. The innermost layers are then removed and substituted with a favorite brand of crushed tobacco, which may come from cigarettes or bulk tobacco blend. The user then brings the cut edges of the cigar together, closing the outer layers of the cigar over the “stuffing.” The edges are then sealed with a liquid or honey, and a new cigar is ready for a smoke. 
     Some reports indicate that the roll-your-own tobacco market is flourishing. In some countries, the roll-your-own products now hold a substantial share of the tobacco market, and their consumers represent more than 10% of the smoking population. This may be explained by the ability of a consumer to create a tailor-made product, as opposed to commercially available types of cigars. 
     A disadvantage of the existing method of making such custom-made cigars is that a consumer has to be skillful in the rolling of cigars, that is to have a certain finger dexterity, which would allow him to make the cigar shell without crushing the tobacco leaves. Inexperienced people often become frustrated when the finished product collapses because the cigar was not properly rolled. 
     The present invention contemplates provision of a tobacco product, or shell, for rolling a custom-made cigar and a method of making the shell. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a device for making a tobacco shell. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a method of making a shell suitable for use in rolling a custom-made cigar. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of making a shell for a custom-rolled cigar. 
     These and other objects of the invention are achieved through a provision of a shell that eliminates some steps in the making of a “roll-your-own” tobacco product. Wrapping moistened tobacco leaves around a cylindrical form casing forms the shell. The leaves are allowed to dry, and the shell is ready for sale to a consumer. After the form casing is removed, the consumer can fill the shell with a favorite blend of tobacco. 
     In one of the embodiments, a longitudinal slit is formed through a wall of the shell to allow prying open of the shell body and removal of the form casing. After crushed tobacco leaves are deposited into the central opening of the shell, the edges of the slit are moistened and brought together to seal the slit. A cigar is ready for smoking 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective, partially cross-sectional view of the shell in accordance with the present invention wrapped about a form casing. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the form casing for use in the method of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the shell made in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Turning now to the drawings in more detail, numeral  10  designates a tobacco product shell of the present invention. The shell  10  is formed as a generally cylindrical hollow body with a central opening  12  extending along the shell&#39;s longitudinal axis. The shell  10  can be made in any desired length and with a predetermined diameter. A longitudinal slit  14  extends through a wall of the shell body; the purpose of the slit  14  will be explained in more detail hereinafter. 
     A form casing  16  is provided for the practice of the invention. The form casing  16  is formed from a rigid material in a form of a cylinder of a predetermined length and outer diameter. The form casing  16  can be made either hollow, with a central opening  18 , or as a solid body. It is desirable that the form casing be inflexible and strong enough to withstand forces applied to the form casing  16  when a cigar shell  10  is rolled. 
     To form a shell  10 , an operator selects the appropriate form casing  16  from a set of casings that may be available in the shop. Tobacco leaves are prepared for rolling by application of a small amount of moisture to the leaves in order to make them more pliable. The operator carefully wraps the tobacco leaves about the outer surface of the form casing  16 , slightly compressing the leaves to cause them to adhere together. 
     The next step involves rolling of the form casing  16  with a tobacco leaf wrapped about it on a hard level surface, such a worktable. The steps of wrapping and rolling continue until the necessary layers of tobacco leaves have been rolled to form a shell  10  of a desired thickness. 
     It is known that wet tobacco leaves tend to adhere to each other. Therefore, subsequent application of moisture, in many cases, may not be necessary. Still, if the leaves become brittle and there exists a danger of breaking the shell  10 , the operator applies moisture to the leaves to retain their pliability. 
     Once the shell  10  has been created, the operator allows the shell to remain wrapped around the form casing  16  until dry. Cutting through the wall of the shell  10  with a sharp knife or a razor then makes the slit  14 . A finished shell  10  is then removed from the form casing  16  and is wrapped either in cellophane or another similar type of outer wrapper. 
     To facilitate disengagement of the shell  10  from the form casing  16 , an outer surface of the form casing  16  may be pre-coated with a non-stick material. In this manner, the danger of an operator damaging the shell  10  is minimized. The non-stick coating may be of a permanent type or applied immediately before wrapping of the tobacco leaves. It is important to select a coating material that would not leave an undesirable taste or odor on the tobacco leaves. A polytetrafluoroethylene (such as that sold under the trademark Teflon®) coating may serve well for this purpose. 
     The finished shells  10  can be packaged in conventional containers and sold directly to customers who desire to roll their own cigars, but do not have the required finger dexterity. An ultimate user will remove the shell  10  from its outer wrapper (not shown) and pry the shell  10  open by forcing the shell apart along the slit. The user will then fill the interior opening  12  with any desired blend of the favorite tobacco and seal the slit  14  by applying a small amount of moisture to the edges of the slit  14  and bringing the edges together. A small amount of pressure may be applied to the shell  10  to cause sealing of the slit  14 . In this manner, a custom-tailored cigar is made, answering all requirements of a connoisseur as to the tobacco blend, size and length of a cigar. 
     If desired, a kit for roll-your-own tobacco products can be manufactured and sold through tobacconists and specialty shops. The kit would contain a set of form casings  16 , an initial supply of tobacco wrapping leaves for the making of the shell  10  and a set of instructions. The user will be able to make individual shells in privacy, at the most convenient time for the user time. In this way, the formed shells will be always the freshest. 
     In the alternative, a special wrapping material may be used for making of the shells. This material is available on the market; it is made of homogenized tobacco paper that can be wrapped about the form casing  16 . 
     It is also possible to make the form casings  16  disposable. With this method, the shell  10  will remain wrapped about the form casing  16  until such time as a smoker desires to make a cigar. The wrapped shell  10  is then peeled off the form casing  16  and used in a conventional manner. The benefit of such a method is that the danger of a shell collapsing during shipment is eliminated. 
     Still another approach would be to use a rigid core form casing  16  with a non-stick coating on the outer surface and a secondary form casing made of cardboard that is slipped over the first form casing. The tobacco leaves are wrapped about the second cardboard form casing to make a shell. A cellophane sleeve is slipped over the finished shell and the first inner form casing is removed. The hardened shells with the cardboard form casing are shipped for sale. In that case, the finished product would look very much similar to the view shown in  FIG. 1 , except that the form casing  16  will be made of a cardboard material. 
     Stuffing of crushed tobacco into the cigars can be accomplished using a conventional funnel, the nose of which is lightly smaller than the diameter of the inner opening of the shell. The funnel, if desired, can be made a part of the kit containing one master form casing and a plurality of cardboard form casings. In such instance, the slit  14  may not be required, and the shell  10  will be constructed as a hollow cylindrical body with a slit-free sidewall. 
     Many changes and modifications can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. I, therefore, pray that my rights to the present invention will be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.