Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
I
TOBACCO UNIT FOR A SMOKING ARTICLE MAKING DEVICE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tobacco unit for use in a making device for
smoking
articles. In particular, the present invention relates to a tobacco unit
having a preformed
substantially rectangular cross section.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There is a trend among consumers towards roll-your-own and make-your-own
smoking
articles. Such smoking articles are made using loose, fine-cut tobacco which
the consumer rolls
into a sheet of paper or inserts into a tube of paper, typically with the aid
of a making device. One
of the disadvantages of such smoking articles, however, is that smoking
articles with variable
quality, firmness and resistance to draw are produced, depending on the amount
of loose tobacco
used by the consumer and the consumer's skill.
Figure 1 schematically shows a making device 100 for smoking articles
according to the prior
art. The making device 100 includes a base 101 and a lid 103 that is hinged to
the base 101 at
hinge 105. The base 101 includes a tobacco pressing chamber 107, with an
opening 109. The
tobacco pressing chamber 107 is for receiving loose tobacco, through opening
109. The end 111
of the lid 103 away from hinge 105 includes an aperture 113. The end 115 of
the base 101 away
from the hinge also includes an aperture 117. Aperture 117 extends into the
tobacco pressing
chamber 107. When the lid 103 is closed onto the base 101, aperture 113 in lid
103 aligns with
aperture 117 in base 101. The opening 109 of the tobacco pressing chamber 107
is rectangular
in shape with a length 119 and a width 121.
During conventional operation, a consumer crumbles loose tobacco into tobacco
pressing
chamber 107 through opening 109. When the consumer shuts lid 103 on base 101,
the tobacco
in the tobacco pressing chamber is compressed into a cylinder by compression
means (not
shown) in the base 101 or in the lid 103 or in both the base 101 and the lid
103. Then, a
prefabricated paper tube may be inserted through apertures 113 and 117 and the
tobacco cylinder
may be pushed into the tube by pushing means (not shown). This produces a
smoking article.
EP-A-1,790,240 describes a continuous tobacco slab which may be used in a
making
device for smoking articles. Although the tobacco slab itself has a
substantially uniform
composition, a consumer still needs to handle the tobacco slab and select a
suitable amount of
the slab for use in a making device. In addition, the separation of the
tobacco from the tobacco
slab might lead to an undesired degradation of some of the tobacco fibres.
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1A
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It would be desirable to provide an easy to use tobacco material with which a
consumer
can produce smoking articles in a making device for smoking articles.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a tobacco unit
for use in a
making device for smoking articles, the tobacco unit comprising: a quantity of
shredded tobacco
suitable for making one smoking article; and an outer wrapper enveloping the
shredded tobacco,
the outer wrapper being open at both ends of the tobacco unit; wherein the
tobacco unit is
longitudinally extending and has a substantially rectangular cross section.
According to the invention, the tobacco unit may be arranged for use in a
making device
for smoking articles. The tobacco of the tobacco unit is removed from the
outer wrapper and
inserted through an opening into a tobacco pressing chamber in the making
device. Then the
tobacco may be compressed into a cylindrical form, which may then be inserted
into a
prefabricated paper tube. The prefabricated paper tube may be a filter-tipped
paper tube.
According to the invention, the quantity of shredded tobacco in the
longitudinally extending
tobacco unit is preferably that quantity needed to fill one prefabricated
paper tube. The making
device may be any manually operable smoking article making device having a
tobacco pressing
chamber suitable to receive the tobacco of the longitudinally extending
tobacco unit, for example,
the "Silver Tip" device manufactured by Gizeh Raucherbedarf GmbH, Germany.
The tobacco unit according to the invention has a number of advantages. The
tobacco
unit produces a smoking article having a consistent and uniform quality,
firmness and resistance
to draw. Such consistency and uniformity is difficult to achieve by a consumer
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using loose tobacco. The tobacco unit is convenient for a consumer, since the
consumer
does not need to handle loose tobacco. Also, the substantially rectangular
shape of the
longitudinally extending tobacco unit advantageously aligns with the opening
of the tobacco
pressing chamber in the making device. The substantially rectangular cross
section of the
longitudinally extending tobacco unit also simplifies the distribution of
tobacco in the tobacco
pressing chamber of the making device and in a finished smoking article,
compared with
either loose tobacco or a cylinder, since the tobacco pressing chamber of the
making device
generally also has a rectangular opening corresponding to the substantially
rectangular
shape of the tobacco unit.
The term "substantially rectangular cross section" is used throughout the
specification to indicate a cross sectional shape comprising two pairs of
substantially parallel
edges. The corners of the rectangle may be curved. The corners may have a
radius, for
example a radius with a length of up to 25% of the length of an edge. This may
be, for
example, due to resetting forces during production. The substantially
rectangular cross
section is preferably substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal extent
of the tobacco unit.
The outer wrapper is open at both ends of the tobacco unit and this refers to
the ends (with a
substantially rectangular shape) separated by the longitudinal extent of the
tobacco unit.
The longitudinally extending tobacco unit comprises compressed shredded
tobacco.
The shredded tobacco may be in cut filler form, for example blended, cased,
cut and
flavoured tobacco. The strand length and strand width of the shredded tobacco
is preferably
substantially the same as fine cut used for the manufacture of roll-your-own
and make-your-
own smoking articles. As used herein, the term "strand" denotes a strip,
shred, filament, rod
or other elongate element. Processes and apparatus for producing shreds or
strands of
tobacco material are known in the art. The length of the shreds or strands of
tobacco
material is preferably about 50 mm or less when uncurled. The width of the
shreds or
strands of tobacco material may be between about 0.2 mm and about 0.9 mm.
Preferably,
the width of the shreds or strands of tobacco material is between 0.4 and
about 0.9 mm,
more preferably between about 0.5 mm and about 0.7 mm.
The longitudinally extending tobacco unit may comprise tobacco leaf lamina and
tobacco leaf stems. The longitudinally extending tobacco unit may comprise
expanded
tobacco. Expanded tobacco denotes tobacco that has been treated to increase
its bulk
volume. The longitudinally extending tobacco unit may comprise reconstituted
or
homogenised tobacco material. Reconstituted or homogenised tobacco material
denotes a
material formed by agglomerating particulate tobacco.
The quantity of shredded tobacco in the longitudinally extending tobacco unit
is
suitable for making one smoking article. The tobacco unit may comprise any
desired quantity
of shredded tobacco which is suitable for making one smoking article. The
particular quantity
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will depend, for example, on the size of smoking article to be produced from
the tobacco
unit. This will depend on the size of the making device for use with the
tobacco unit.
Preferably, the making device is arranged to be used with prefabricated paper
tubes, which
may be filter-tipped paper tubes. In this, case the quantity of shredded
tobacco in the
longitudinally extending tobacco unit will depend on the size of the
commercially available
prefabricated cigarette paper tubes. Preferably, the quantity of tobacco in
the longitudinally
extending tobacco unit is that needed to fill a commercially available
prefabricated cigarette
tube. The particular quantity of shredded tobacco in the tobacco unit will
also depend on the
desired density of the finished smoking articles. Preferably, each tobacco
unit comprises
between about 0.3 g and about 1.0 g of shredded tobacco, preferably between
about 0.5 g
and about 0.8 g of shredded tobacco.
Preferably, the average density of the longitudinally extending tobacco unit
is
between about 90 mg/cm3 and about 400 mg/cm3, more preferably between about
90 mg/cm3 and about 300 mg/cm3, even more preferably between about 150 mg/cm3
and
about 250 mg/cm3. The term "density" used throughout the specification refers
to the
tobacco density in the tobacco unit or a continuous tobacco stream. The
density can be
measured, for example, by the ProScan 2 measuring device available from Hauni,
Germany.
The average density of the longitudinally extending tobacco unit is calculated
as the
weight per unit volume of the tobacco unit. Preferably, the tobacco unit has a
density
sufficiently high that the shredded tobacco will retain its form (the
longitudinally extending
shape with a substantially rectangular cross section) when the outer wrapper
is removed. As
will be understood by the skilled person, the density will be affected by
various factors,
including but not limited to, the filling capacity of the tobacco in the
tobacco unit, the type or
types of tobacco in the tobacco unit, the amount of expanded tobacco in the
tobacco unit,
and the quantity of any other non-tobacco components in the tobacco unit. In
addition, the
density will be affected by how much the tobacco in the tobacco unit has been
compressed
or compacted. Preferably, the tobacco unit comprises between about 30% and
about 100%
of expanded tobacco, more preferably between about 70% and about 100% of
expanded
tobacco.
Preferably, the average density of the longitudinally extending tobacco unit
is the
same as or slightly less than the average density of the tobacco in an
industrially produced
cigarette (which is about 240 mg/cm3). For example, the average density of the
longitudinally
extending tobacco unit may be 10% lower than the average density of the
tobacco in an
industrially produced cigarette. For example, the average density of the
longitudinally
extending tobacco unit may be 20% lower than the average density of the
tobacco in an
industrially produced cigarette. This is so that, after compression of the
tobacco of the
tobacco unit, the resulting density is the same as the average density of the
tobacco in an
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industrially produced cigarette. For example, when the tobacco unit having a
substantially
rectangular cross section is compressed into a cylinder in the tobacco
pressing chamber of
the making device, the resulting density may be substantially the same as the
average
density of the tobacco of an industrially produced cigarette.
According to the invention, the length in the longitudinal direction of the
tobacco unit
is greater than the width or height of the tobacco unit. The longitudinally
extending tobacco
unit may have any desired length but, preferably, the length of the tobacco
unit is
substantially equal to the length of the filling opening of the tobacco
pressing chamber in the
making device. This depends on the desired size of smoking article. In one
embodiment in
which the making device is arranged to produce conventional sized smoking
articles, the
length of the tobacco unit is between about 66 mm and about 69 mm. However,
for different
smoking article lengths, an appropriate length of the tobacco unit may be
selected.
Preferably, the smaller dimension of the tobacco unit's substantially
rectangular cross
section is the width and the larger dimension of the tobacco unit's
substantially rectangular
cross section is the height. That is, preferably, the height of the tobacco
unit is greater than
the width of the tobacco unit. Preferably, the ratio of height: width is 2:1
or less. More
preferably, the ratio of height: width is between about 1.2:1 and about 1.7:1.
Alternatively,
the longitudinally extending tobacco unit may have a substantially square
cross section.
The longitudinally extending tobacco unit may have any desired width and
height but,
preferably, the width of the tobacco unit is substantially equal to the width
of the filling
opening of the tobacco pressing chamber in the making device. This depends on
the desired
size of smoking article. In one embodiment, the width of the tobacco unit is
between about
5 mm and about 7 mm, more preferably about 6 mm. Alternatively, the width of
the tobacco
unit may be up to about 12 mm.
The height of the tobacco unit is not necessarily equal to any dimension of
the
tobacco pressing chamber in the making device. Preferably, the height of the
tobacco unit is
greater than the height of the tobacco pressing chamber in the making device.
Depending on
the specific design of the making device, this may allow the shredded tobacco
to protrude
from the top of the tobacco pressing chamber, when the shredded tobacco unit
is positioned
in the tobacco pressing chamber. A larger amount of tobacco may thus be
incorporated
when the tobacco is compressed into a cylinder. Since the width of the tobacco
pressing
chamber is fixed, such an arrangement is not possible with a tobacco unit
having a circular
cross section, since the height of the cylinder must equal its width. If the
height of the
tobacco unit is greater than the height of the tobacco pressing chamber in the
making
device, the average density of the tobacco unit may be slightly less than the
average density
of the tobacco in an industrially produced cigarette.
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In one embodiment, the tobacco unit is about 69 mm in length, about 5 mm in
width
and about 10 mm in height.
The density of the longitudinally extending tobacco unit may be substantially
uniform
along its length. Alternatively, the tobacco density at one or both ends of
the longitudinally
5 extending tobacco unit may be higher than the tobacco density between the
ends of the
longitudinally extending tobacco unit.
Preferably, the tobacco density at one or both ends of the longitudinally
extending
tobacco unit is between about 5% and about 20% higher than the tobacco density
in the
middle of the longitudinally extending tobacco unit. In this way, when the
tobacco from the
tobacco unit is inserted into a prefabricated paper tube (after being
compressed in a tobacco
pressing chamber of a making device), the lit end of the smoking article has a
higher density
than other portions of the smoking article. In addition, the dense ends of the
longitudinally
extending tobacco unit reduce the likelihood of loose tobacco shreds
dislodging from the
tobacco unit, for example during handling and packing of the tobacco unit.
This is
advantageous since the outer wrapper is open at both ends of the tobacco unit.
In addition,
the dense ends may prevent tobacco shreds from escaping from the smoking
article after
manufacture.
The moisture content of the tobacco unit may be between about 14% and about
25%
by weight of the tobacco unit. Preferably, the moisture content of the tobacco
unit may be
between about 16% and 23% by weight of the tobacco unit. Generally, the
practical
determination of moisture content is the loss in weight of a sample subjected
to an oven
drying procedure with specific precise definitions.
The outer wrapper may comprise any suitable material or materials including,
but not
limited to, cardboard, paper, plastic, plastic film, metal, or combinations
thereof. Preferably,
however, the outer wrapper comprises plastic film or paper. The outer wrapper
may be
formed from metal foil or metallised paper. The outer wrapper may comprise a
transparent
polymeric film of, for example, high or low density polyethylene,
polypropylene, oriented
polypropylene, polyvinylidene chloride, cellulose film, or combinations
thereof. The outer
wrapper may be transparent or opaque. The outer wrapper may be printed,
embossed,
debossed or otherwise embellished with manufacturer or brand logos, trade
marks, slogans,
images, graphics, text and other consumer information and indicia.
The outer wrapper may include a coating. The coating may be on the inner or
outer
surface of the outer wrapper. The coating may assist in retaining the moisture
in the
longitudinally extending tobacco unit. The coating may also prevent staining
of the outer
wrapper.
Preferably, the outer wrapper extends along the entire length of the
longitudinally
extending tobacco unit. However, the outer wrapper is open at both ends of the
tobacco unit.
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In this way, advantageously, tobacco units according to the invention may be
manufactured
by producing a continuous stream of tobacco, which is wrapped and then cut
into suitable
length units.
The outer wrapper may include an opening mechanism to assist the consumer to
open the outer wrapper.
In one embodiment, the outer wrapper includes a tear tape. The tear tape may
be
attached to the inner surface of the outer wrapper and may be used to assist
the consumer
to open the outer wrapper. Preferably, the tear tape extends in the
longitudinal direction of
the tobacco unit. Preferably, the tear tape extends along one side
corresponding to the width
of the tobacco unit. This advantageously allows a consumer to grasp the
tobacco unit on the
two sides corresponding to the height of the tobacco unit, to remove the tear
tape and then,
while maintaining the substantially rectangular shape of the tobacco unit, to
align and
release the tobacco into the pressing chamber of a making device.
In one embodiment, the outer wrapper includes perforations. The perforations
comprise at least one line of small holes to allow the consumer to tear the
outer wrapper
along the line. A single row of perforations or a double row of perforations
may be provided.
Preferably, the line or lines of perforations extend in the longitudinal
direction of the tobacco
unit. Preferably, the perforations extend along one side or the edge of one
side
corresponding to the width of the tobacco unit. This advantageously allows a
consumer to
grasp the tobacco unit on the two sides corresponding to the height of the
tobacco unit, to
tear along the perforations and then, while maintaining the substantially
rectangular shape of
the tobacco unit, to align and release the tobacco into the pressing chamber
of a making
device.
Other opening mechanisms, for example, a line of weakness on the outer
wrapper,
may additionally or alternatively be provided.
According to the first aspect of the invention, there is also provided a
tobacco unit for
use in a making device for smoking articles, the making device having a
tobacco pressing
chamber for receiving tobacco via an opening in the tobacco pressing chamber,
the tobacco
unit comprising: a quantity of shredded tobacco suitable, when the tobacco is
compressed in
the tobacco pressing chamber of the making device into a cylinder for
insertion into a
prefabricated tube, for making one smoking article; and an outer wrapper
enveloping the
shredded tobacco, the outer wrapper being open at both ends of the tobacco
unit; wherein
the tobacco unit is longitudinally extending and has a substantially
rectangular cross section,
the length of the tobacco unit being substantially equal to the length of the
opening in the
tobacco pressing chamber, and one dimension of the substantially rectangular
cross section
of the tobacco unit being substantially equal to the width of the opening in
the tobacco
pressing chamber.
7
The plurality of tobacco units may be wrapped in a package wrapper. The
package
wrapper may be formed from any suitable materials including, but not limited
to, cardboard,
paperboard, paper, plastic, metal, or combinations thereof. Preferably, the
package wrapper
is formed of metal foil or metallised paper. The package wrapper may be
printed, embossed,
debossed or otherwise embellished with manufacturer or brand logos, trade
marks, slogans,
images, graphics, text and other consumer information and indicia.
The package may further comprise a container for housing the plurality of
tobacco
units. The container may take any suitable form for housing consumer goods.
For example,
the container may be a hinge-lid container having one or more hinge lids
connected to a box
housing the tobacco units. Alternatively, the container may be a slide and
shell container
having an inner slide for housing the tobacco units mounted within an outer
shell. Where the
container is a slide and shell container, the outer shell or the inner slide
may comprise one
or more hinge lids.
The container may be formed from any suitable materials including, but not
limited to,
cardboard, paperboard, plastic, metal, or combinations thereof. Preferably,
the container is
formed from one or more folded laminar cardboard blanks. Preferably, the
cardboard has a
weight of between about 100 g/m2 and about 350 g/m2. The exterior surfaces of
the
container may be printed, embossed, debossed or otherwise embellished with
manufacturer
or brand logos, trade marks, slogans, images, graphics, text and other
consumer information
and indicia.
The container may be in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, with right-
angled
longitudinal and right-angled transverse edges. Alternatively, the container
may comprise
.. one or more rounded longitudinal edges, rounded transverse edges, bevelled
longitudinal
edges or bevelled transverse edges, or combinations thereof. Alternatively,
the container
may have a non-rectangular transversal cross section, for example polygonal
such as
triangular or hexagonal, or oval, semi-oval, circular or semi-circular.
Containers may hold tobacco units of the same or different dimensions.
Preferably,
the dimensions of the container are adapted to the length of the tobacco
units, and the
collation of the tobacco units. Typically, the outer dimensions of the
container are between
about 0.5 mm and about 5 mm larger than the dimensions of the package of
tobacco units
inside the container. The package inside the container may or may not be
wrapped in a
package wrapper. Advantageously, the tobacco units within the container may be
grouped
into multiple packages. These packages may be individually wrapped, for
example to
maintain the moisture of the tobacco. The individual packages may comprise a
reclosable
feature that allows repeated opening and closing of an individual package.
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As well as housing a plurality of tobacco units, the container may further
comprise
other consumer goods, for example matches, filter tubes, lighters,
extinguishing means,
breath-fresheners or electronics. The other consumer goods may be attached to
the outside
of the container, contained within the container along with the tobacco units,
in a separate
compartment of the container or combinations thereof.
A third aspect of the invention is directed to the use of a longitudinally
extending
tobacco unit having a substantially rectangular cross section to make a single
smoking
article with a making device, the tobacco unit comprising a quantity of
shredded tobacco
suitable for making one smoking article and an outer wrapper enveloping the
shredded
tobacco, the outer wrapper being open at both ends of the tobacco unit.
The tobacco unit is arranged for use, for example instead of loose tobacco, in
a
making device for smoking articles. The tobacco of the tobacco unit may be
removed from
the outer wrapper and inserted through an opening into a tobacco pressing
chamber in the
making device. Then the tobacco having a substantially rectangular cross
section may be
compressed into a cylinder, which may then be inserted into a prefabricated
paper tube. The
prefabricated paper tube may be a filter-tipped paper tube. The quantity of
shredded tobacco
in the longitudinally extending tobacco unit is preferably that quantity
needed to fill one
prefabricated paper tube. The making device may be any manually operable
smoking article
making device having a tobacco pressing chamber suitable to receive the
tobacco of the
longitudinally extending tobacco unit.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for
making a
single smoking article using a tobacco unit according to the first aspect of
the invention, the
method comprising the steps of: removing the outer wrapper from the
longitudinally
extending tobacco unit; inserting the tobacco of the longitudinally extending
tobacco unit into
a tobacco pressing chamber of a making device for smoking articles;
compressing the
tobacco to form a longitudinally extending cylinder; and inserting the
longitudinally extending
cylinder into a prefabricated tube to thereby create a smoking article.
Preferably, the length of the tobacco unit is substantially equal to the
length of a filling
opening of the tobacco pressing chamber of the making device. Preferably, one
dimension
of the substantially rectangular cross section of the tobacco unit is
substantially equal to the
width of the filling opening of the tobacco pressing chamber of the making
device. The
prefabricated paper tube may be a filter-tipped paper tube.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for
manufacturing tobacco units according to the first aspect of the invention,
the method
comprising the steps of: a) producing a continuous tobacco stream; b)
providing the
continuous tobacco stream with a substantially rectangular cross section; c)
wrapping the
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continuous tobacco stream in an outer wrapper; and d) severing the continuous
tobacco
stream into tobacco units, wherein steps b), c) and d) may be carried out in
any order.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, there is also provided a
method for
manufacturing tobacco units for use in a making device for smoking articles,
each tobacco
unit comprising a quantity of shredded tobacco suitable for making one smoking
article; and
an outer wrapper enveloping the shredded tobacco, the outer wrapper being open
at both
ends of the tobacco unit, the tobacco unit being longitudinally extending and
having a
substantially rectangular cross section, the method comprising the steps of:
a) producing a
continuous tobacco stream; b) providing the continuous tobacco stream with a
substantially
rectangular cross section; c) wrapping the continuous tobacco stream in an
outer wrapper;
and d) severing the continuous tobacco stream into tobacco units, wherein
steps b), c) and
d) may be carried out in any order.
Preferably, step c) is carried out before step d), in which case the outer
wrapper may
be severed at the same time as the continuous tobacco stream. This results in
the outer
wrapper being open at both ends of the tobacco unit.
Preferably, step b) is carried out before step c) so that the outer wrapper
provides a
snug fit around the continuous tobacco stream.
Preferably, step d) comprises selecting the severing positions such that each
tobacco
unit has a length substantially equal to the length of a filling opening of a
tobacco pressing
chamber in a making device.
Preferably, step b) comprises selecting one dimension of the substantially
rectangular cross section of the continuous tobacco stream to be substantially
equal to the
width of a filling opening of a tobacco pressing chamber in a making device.
Preferably, the density of the continuous tobacco stream is higher at the
severing
positions than the average density of the continuous tobacco stream.
Preferably, step a) comprises providing a continuous tobacco stream having a
higher
than average density at spaced portions along the length of the stream, and
step d)
comprises severing the continuous tobacco stream at severing positions aligned
with the
higher density portions of the continuous tobacco stream.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for
packaging
tobacco units according to the first aspect of the invention, the method
comprising the steps
of: a) collating a plurality of the tobacco units; and b) folding at least one
packaging blank
around the plurality of tobacco units to form a container housing the
plurality of tobacco
units.
According to the sixth aspect of the invention, there is also provided a
method for
packaging tobacco units for use in a making device for smoking articles, each
tobacco unit
comprising a quantity of shredded tobacco suitable for making one smoking
article; and an
10
outer wrapper enveloping the shredded tobacco, the outer wrapper being open at
both ends of
the tobacco unit, the tobacco unit being longitudinally extending and having a
substantially
rectangular cross section, the method comprising the steps of: a) collating a
plurality of the
tobacco units; and b) folding at least one packaging blank around the
plurality of tobacco units to
form a container housing the plurality of tobacco units.
The method may further comprise, before step b), the step of wrapping the
plurality of
tobacco units in a package wrapper.
The container may take any suitable form for housing consumer goods, as
already
described.
Features described in relation to one aspect of the invention may also be
applicable to
another aspect of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with
reference to the
accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 shows a making device for smoking articles; and
Figure 2 shows a tobacco unit according to an embodiment of the invention, for
use in the
making device of Figure 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
Figure 2 shows a tobacco unit 200 according to an embodiment of the invention,
for use
in the making device 100 of Figure 1. The tobacco unit 200 comprises shredded
tobacco 201,
surrounded by an outer wrapper 203. The tobacco unit 200 has a length 119, a
width 121 and a
height 123. Outer wrapper 203 surrounds the shredded tobacco 201 along the
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entire length 119 of the tobacco unit 200, but the outer wrapper is open at
both ends 205 of
the tobacco unit 200, thereby exposing the shredded tobacco 201.
When tobacco unit 200 is used in the making device 100 of Figure 1, operation
is as
follows. A consumer firstly removes the outer wrapper 203 from the shredded
tobacco 201.
Then, the consumer inserts shredded tobacco 201 into the tobacco pressing
chamber 107
through opening 109. Since the length 119 of the tobacco unit 200 is
substantially equal to
the length 119 of the opening 109, and the width 121 of the tobacco unit 200
is substantially
equal to the width 121 of the opening 109, this allows easy insertion of the
shredded tobacco
201 into the chamber 107. When the consumer shuts lid 103 on base 101, the
shredded
tobacco 201 in the tobacco pressing chamber 107 is compressed into a cylinder
by
compression means (not shown) in the base 101 or in the lid 103 or in both the
base 101
and the lid 103. Then, a prefabricated paper tube may be attached to apertures
113 and 117
and the tobacco cylinder may be pushed into the tube by pushing means (not
shown). This
produces a smoking article.
Because the consumer does not use loose tobacco in the pressing chamber, the
smoking article produced has a consistent and uniform quality, which is
difficult to achieve
using loose tobacco. The consumer also does not need to handle any loose
tobacco. Since
the dimensions of the tobacco unit match those of the tobacco pressing chamber
opening, it
is easy for the consumer to insert the shredded tobacco into the tobacco
pressing chamber.
Preferably, the height 123 of the tobacco unit 200 is larger than the height
of the
tobacco pressing chamber 107. Then, when the consumer inserts the shredded
tobacco 201
into the tobacco pressing chamber 107, the shredded tobacco 201 protrudes
above the
opening 109 until lid 103 is closed onto base 101. Thus, a larger amount of
tobacco can be
incorporated into a finished smoking article. Since the width of the tobacco
pressing
chamber is fixed, such an arrangement is not possible with a tobacco cylinder,
since the
height of the cylinder must match its width. Since the tobacco pressing
chamber 107
generally has a rectangular opening, use of a substantially rectangular
tobacco unit 200
maximises efficiency of the making device.
Preferably, the average density of the tobacco unit 200 is less than the
average
density of the tobacco of an industrially produced cigarette. This is so that,
after the
shredded tobacco 201 has been compressed into a cylinder in the tobacco
pressing
chamber 107, the resulting density is similar to the average density of the
tobacco of an
industrially produced cigarette.
