Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FILTER CIGAR~TTE
The present invention relates to filter
cigarettes. More particularly, the present invention
relates to filter cigarettes which are adjustable.
Various mechanisms have been disclosed in
heretofore issued patents which provide for adjustment
of the air dilution value of a filter cigarette, but
these mechanisms are not without certain disadvantages.
While many complicated mechanisms have been disclosed,
the simpler mechanisms generally involve making one or
more openings through a substantially air impermeable
filter plug wrap and the overlying, substantially air
impermea~le tipping paper and one or more corresponding~
openings in a sleeve which is placed over the tipping
paper and which is then either rotated or moved axially
to select the degree to which the two sets of openings
are in registry. In another embodiment found in the
art, the filter is not glued to the tipping paper and
thus may be moved axially within the cylinder formed by
the tipping paper. Openings are made in the filter
plug wrap and corresponding openings are made in the
tipping paper. The air dilution value is adjusted by
axial;y moving the filter plug within the tirping paper
to adjust the degree to which the two sets of openings
are in registry.
Among the problems associated with such
mechanisms are that the sleeve or filter plug may be
removed from the cigarette by the smoker and not
readily replaced, and that when dilution is desired,
thus requiring some degree of registry between the two
sets of openings, this registry may be inadvertently
destroyed by a slight axial movement of the sleeve or
plug. Accordingly, the dilution, once set by the
smoXer, is not ensured of any degree of consistency.
~et another problem associated with a number of these
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prior devices is that they have not been readily
adaptable to a high rate of production on cigare-tte
making machinery of conventional design.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present
invention to provide a cigarette which can he readily
manufactured on conventional cigarette making equipment
and that is adjustable to vary the ratio of air to
smoke delivered to the mouth of the smoker.
According to the invention, there is provided a
filter cigarette comprising a tobacco rod, a wrapped,
substantially cylindrical, filter plug characterised in
that the filter comprises: a first mouth-end segment
and a second axially aligned, rod-end segment spaced
apart from the first segment; means joining the tobacco
rod to the second segment in axially aligned, abutting
end-to-end relation; and substantially air impermeable
tipping paper, further characterised in that the
wrapping is substantially air impermeable and defines a
substantially cylindrical void between the first
segment and the second segment, and in that the tipping
paper circumscribes the filter plug and the mouth end
of the tobacco rod, the first segment being movable
along the longitudinal axis of the cigarette towards
the s~cond segment, whereby the plug wrap be~ween the
first segment and the second segment is compressed,
thereby varying the resistance-to-draw of the
cigarette.
Cigarettes of the invention are adjustable to
provide a wide range of air dilution and/or resistance-
to-draw values and may include means for releasing
varying amounts of a flavourant. The air dilution
value~is the ratio of the volume of air to the volume
of smoke exiting the mouth end of the filter, expressed
as a percentage.
There may also be provided at least one opening in
the tipping paper and at least one opening in the
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underlying plug wrap positioned such that as -the first
segmen-t is moved axially towards the second segment,
the first and second openings are moved into varying
degrees of registry, thereby admitting varying amounts
of air to -the filter, changing the air dilution value
of the cigare-tte.
The invention will now be further described, b~
way of example, with reference to the drawings, in
which:
Fig. 1 is an enlarged, partially fragmentary
perspective view~taken from the mouth end, of a first
preferred embodiment of the filter cigarette of the
present invention;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view, taken
from the mouth end, of the assembled embodiment of
Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the
line A-~ of Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged, partially ~ragmentary
perspective view, taken from the mouth end, of a second
preferred embodiment of the filter cigarette o the
present invention;
Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view, taken
from the mouth end, o~ the assembled embodiment
Fig. 4;
Fig~ 6 is a cross-sectional view~taken along the
line B-B of Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 is an enlarged, partialLy fragmen-tary
perspective view, taken from the mouth end, of a third
preferred embodiment cf the filter cigarette of the
present invention;
Fig. ~ is an enlarged perspective view, taken
from the mouth end, of the assembled embodiment of
Fig. 7;
Fig~ 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the
line C-C of Fig. 8;
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Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 and showing
the first segment moved to a position towards the
second segment at which the openings in the tippin~,
paper are in registry with the openings in the plu.,
wrap; and
Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 9 but showing a
flavour generator positioned in the void between the
first and second segments.
Common to the preferred embodiments of the present
invention are the following elements: a tobacco rod 1
comprising a substantially cylindrical charge of
tobacco 13 is enclosed in cigarette paper 15 and is
axially aligned with a filter plug comprising a first
ilter segment 7 and a second filter segment 3. Means
are provided joining the tobacco rod 1 to the second
segment 3 in abutting end-to-end relation at the line
o~ abutment 5. The first and second segments are
spaced apart and are joined by a circumscribing
wrapping 9 which is substantially air impermeable.
This wrapping initially defines a substantially
cylindrical void between the first and second segments.
The tipping paper 11, which is substantially air
impermeable, circumscribes the filter plug and the
mouth end of the tobacco rod. The tipping paper
extends from a position intermediate the ends of the
first segment to a position on the tobacco rod 1
adjacent the rod end of the second segment 3.
A first opening is provided in the tipping paper
and a second opening is provided in the underlying plug
wrap. The first segment 7 is movable along the
longitudinal axis of the cigarette towards the second
segment 3 either by rotation or by translation.
Movement along this axis compresses the plug wrap
between the segments thereby decreasing the volume of
the void 8 which varies the resistance to draw to
provide a constant resistance to draw value.
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The cigare-tte of the present invention, as shown
in ~ig. 11, may optionally include a flavour generator
~3 in -the void 8 which is designed to release
increaslng amounts of a flavourant within the void
responsive to movement of the first segment 7 towards
the second segment 3. As a flavour generakor, an
encapsulation system may be emplo~ed, such as strips of
cellophane containing discrete reservoirs of one or
more flavourants which are designed to burst responsive
to the pressure e~erted by movement of the first
segment towards the second segment. Other equivalent
flavour generators which will occur to those skilled in
the art may also be employedO
If desired, the first and second openings may be' `.
omitted resulting in a filter cigarette which has a
variable resistance to draw. This variable resistance
to draw embodiment may optionally include a flavour
generator.
In a first preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 1
,to 3, bands 16 ana 18 are interposed between the
tipping paper and the plug wrap. Band 16 extends from
the mouth end of the first segment 7 up to the rod end
of the first segment and i5 attached to the underl~ing
plug wrap 9. Band 18 e~tends from a position on the
tobacco rod 1 adjacent the rod end of segment 3 up to
the mouth end of segment 3. Band 18 is attached to
cigarette paper 15 and plug wrap ~ and joins segmcnt 3
to the tobacco rod 1. The tipping paper 11 extends
from the mouth end of segment 7 to a position on the
tobacco rod 1 which corresponds to the position of the
rod end of band 18. At least one opening 17 is
provided in the tipping paper and at least one opening
19 is provided through the band 18 and the underlying
plug wrap 9. The tipping paper 11 is attached only to
band 16 for movement therewith along the axis of the
cigarette towards the coal end of tobacco rod 1.
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In practice, the smoker moves the tipping paper 11
axially towards the coal end of the tobacco rod 1 which
moves segment 7 towards segment 3 compressing the plug
wrap be~ween the first and second segments thereby
increasing the resistance to draw and varying -the
degree of registry between the openings 17 and 19 to
vary the air dilution value of the cigarette.
The openings 17 and 19 may be made simultaneously
through the assembled cigarette to provide an
embodiment having, initially, a maximum air dilution
value wllich is decreased by movement of the first
segment 7 towards the second segment 3 or the openings
17 and 19 may be made such that they are initially not
in any degree of registry such that the cigarette has,
initially, a minimum air dilution value which is
increased by movement of the first segment 7 towards
the second segment 3.
The band 18 joins the tobacco rod 1 to the segment
3, preferably by means of a band of adhesi~e 25 ~hich
overlaps the line of abutment 5. The tipping paper is
preferably attached to the underlying band 16 by an
adhesive material 21 and the band 16 is preferably
attached to the underlying plug wrap 9 by means of an
adheslve material 23.
This embodiment, as well as those embodiments
discussed below, may be fabricated using existing
cigarette making e~uipment, which is commercially
available and known to those skilled in the art, with
only minor modifications. The openings in the tipping
paper and the underlying layers may be made ~mploying
any conventional means such as electrostatic discharge
apparatus,mechanical perforation apparatus,or a laser
perforation system. The openings may be made either
before or after assembly.
In a second preferred embodiment shown in Figs
to 6, the tipping paper ll extends as in the first
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embodiment but is attached directly to the plug wrap 9
over the first segment 7, preferably by means of a band
of adhesive material 39. Discrete areas of adhesive
material 37 are applied to the inner surface of the
tipping papex 11 at positions about the circumference
of the inner surface of the tipping paper which overlie
the plug wrap intermediate the rod end of segment 7 and
the mouth end of segment 3 and define a plane which is
perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the
cigarette. A first opening 33 is provided in the
tipping paper 11 and a second opening 35 is provided in
the plug wrap overlying the segment 3. The openings 33
and 35 are positioned and function to vary the air
dilution value as described in connection with the
first embodiment.
With one exception, this second embodiment
operates as described for the first embodiment and may
be modified in the same way as the first embodiment,
the exception being that the discrete areas of adhesive
material 37 join the tipping paper to the plug wrap 9
such that the rod end of the tipping paper moves
towards the mouth end of the cigarette responsive to
movement of the first segment 7 towards the second
segment 3. In the first embodiment, the entire length
of tipping paper 11 moves in the direction of movem~nt
of the first segment 7. This movement of the rod ~nd
of the tipping paper 11 is caused by compression of the
plu~ wrap 9 overlying the void 8, which compression
draws the tipping paper towards the longitudinal axis.
In a third preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 7
to 10, the tipping paper 11 extends from a pcsition
intermediate the mouth end and rod end of segment 7 to
a position on tobacco rod 1 adjacent the rod end of
segment 3. The tipping paper is attached only to the
plug wrap overlying segment 3 and to the cigarette
paper adjacent the rod end of segment 3, thereby
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attaching the tobacco rod 1 to the second segment 3.
PreEexably, the means of attachment is a band of
adhesive 31 which overlaps the line of abutment 50
A first opening 27 is provided in the tipping paper 11
and a second opening 29 is provided in the plug wrap
overlying the firs-t segment 7 at a position
intermediate the mouth end of the tipping paper 11 and
the rod end of segment 7.
In practice, the first segment 7 is moved axia;ly
towards the second segment 3 either by a longitudinally
acting force which may be applied by holding the
cigarette rod and tapping the protruding end o~ the
first segment 7, or by grasping the protruding end and
rotating it. This movement compresses the plug wrap 9
which overlies the void 8 as shown in Fig. 10, thereby
decreasing the volume of the void 8 and varying the
resistance to draw ~alue of the cigarette. This
movement also varies the degree of registry of the
openings 27 and 29 thereby varying the air dilution
value of the cigarette. These openings may be formed
and positioned in any of the ways discussed in
connection with the irst embodiment. The various
modifications discussed in connection with the first
embod;ment are also applicable to the third embodi~ent.
It will be understood that the particular
embodiments described are only illustrative of the
principles of th~ present invention, and that various
modifications can be made by those skilled in the art.
