Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MIS 156 1989 10 31 Dl
CIGARETTB ROD HOLDER
The present invention relates to a novel cigarette
rod holder or mouthpiece for use in a novel procedure for
the formation of "roll-your-own" cigarettes.
The large majority of cigarettes are sold as pre-
formed cigarettes which can be smoked without further
assembly or processing by the consumer. A minority of
smokers prefer to assemble their own cigarette, since
tobacco sold in an inherently-unsmokeable form attracts
a much lower rate of tax than in pre-formed cigarettes
and hence is cheaper to purchase and the consumer is able
to smoke more cigarettes for the same price.
A variety of procedures has been used to form roll-
your-own cigarettes, ranging from wrapping consumer
assembled tobacco filler rods in cigarette paper to
inserting an inherently-unsmokeable pre-formed rod of
tobacco into a preformed filter-tipped paper tube having
a length to fully enclose the rod. In accordance with
the present invention, there is provided an additional
novel way of assembly of a cigarette for smoking.
In accordance with one aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a novel cigarette rod
holder, comprising a cigarette smoke filter and tubular
extension means mounted to the filter and defining an
open-ended tube of diameter to receive one end of a plain
cigarette rod therein. The tubular extension means may
comprise an extension of a paper wrapper for the filter.
The tube may be of a length sufficient to hold the
cigarette rod but is not as long as the cigarette rod.
The cigarette rod is generally received in sliding fit
relationship with the tubular extension and may be
secured in place by any convenient means.
It is well known to provide cigarette holders or
mouthpieces for use with the smoking of cigarettes.
However, such devices generally have been reusable
permanent structures. It is considered novel to provide
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a disposable cigarette rod holder having the structure
described above.
The provision of the novel cigarette rod holder of
the present invention leads to a novel method of consumer
assembly of cigarettes. Accordingly, in another aspect
of the invention, there is provided a method of assembly
of a filtered cigarette for smoking comprising a
plurality of steps. A first cigarette rod is provided
comprising a tobacco filler rod and an outer paper
wrapping and being of a length which is a multiple of the
length of cigarette rod required in the finished
cigarette. A second cigarette rod of length required in
the finished cigarette is separated from the first
cigarette rod.
One end of the second cigarette rod is inserted into
the tubular extension means of the cigarette rod holder
provided in accordance with one aspect of the invention
such that the second cigarette rod is supported by the
cigarette rod holder and the second cigarette rod is
sealed to the cigarette rod holder to provide the
finished cigarette.
The invention is described further, by way of
illustration, with respect to the accompanying drawings,
in which:
Figures 1 to 4 contain a schematic illustration of
the steps involved in the novel method aspect of the
invention incorporating the novel rod holder aspect of
the invention.
In the drawings, a plain cigarette rod 10 comprising
a tobacco filler rod 12 and an outer wrapping of
cigarette paper 14 is supplied in a multiple of the
length of filler rod ultimately desired in the finished
cigarette, for example, 100mm for a desired 70mm
cigarette having a 50mm filler rod.
Such cigarette rods 10 normally would be packaged in
multiples of such rods, for example, twenty, for sale to
the consumer. Excise tax on tobacco rods is levied
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on the number rather than the length of the rod. By
packaging and selling the rods in multiple lengths of
the desired length of filler rod, more cigarettes can be
made for the same cost to the consumer.
The plain cigarette rod 10 then is cut or otherwise
separated into plain filler rod lengths 16 by any
convenient cutting device, which may be supplied to the
consumer with the package of cigarette rods 10, along
with instructions for use. For the example of the 100mm
length rod 10, the rod 10 is cut into two equal 50mm rod
lengths 16. A location mark or perforation may be
provided to facilitate separation of the individual
lengths.
The individual rod lengths 16 next are assembled
with a novel cigarette rod holder 18 provided in
accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The
cigarette rod holder or mouthpiece 18 comprises a normal
cigarette filter 20 of conventional length, for example,
about 20mm, and a wrapping of the conventional "cork"
paper which surrounds a filter in a conventional
cigarette and which extends beyond the filter a short
distance to provide an open-ended-tube relatively-stiff
paper 22 having a diameter slightly greater than that of
the cigarette rod length 16 to receive the same in snug
fit within the tube 22. The tube 22 may have any
convenient length, for example, from about 3 to about
10mm.
The cigarette rod length 16 then is inserted into
the cigarette rod holder 18. Any convenient procedure
may be employed to facilitate such assembly. Once the
cigarette rod length 16 is located in the paper tube 22
abutted against the filter 20, the two parts may be
sealed in place in any convenient manner to resist
disassembly during smoking of the resulting cigarette
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One specific manner of achieving sealing of the
cigarette rod in place is by gluing. A band of
adhesive may be provided on the rod 10 straddling the
location of severing, so as to be present on both
cigarette rod lengths 16. The provision of such
adhesive band also prevents the multiple length rod 10
from being smoked, instead of being separated into its
rod lengths 16 and assembled with the rod holder 18,
since the adhesive or other convenient material tends to
extinguish the flame.
Just before assembly with the cigarette rod holder
18, the glue may be moistened. The glue employed
preferably is one which is slick when wet, so as to
avoid assembly problems when the rod length 16 is
inserted in the paper tube 22.
Another manner of achieving sealing is to permit
the person assembling the cigarette to apply the
adhesive, either to the exterior of the rod 10 or rod
length 16 or to the interior of the tube 22.
In summary of this disclosure, the present
invention provides a novel cigarette rod holder or
mouthpiece useful in a novel procedure of forming
consumer-produced cigarettes. Modifications are
possible within the scope of this invention.
