CA2037520C

CA2037520C - Assembly of cigarettes

Info

Publication number: CA2037520C
Application number: CA 2037520
Authority: CA
Inventors: Cameron I. Thompson
Original assignee: Rothmans Benson and Hedges Inc
Current assignee: Rothmans Benson and Hedges Inc
Priority date: 1990-03-05
Filing date: 1991-03-04
Publication date: 1999-01-26
Anticipated expiration: 2011-03-04
Also published as: CA2037520A1; GB9004872D0

Abstract

A novel manner of assembling cigarettes is described, in which a novel cigarette rod of double the normal cigarette length is provided, with a region adjacent the mid-point along the length of the rod being hollow. The rod is divided into two and a cigarette smoke filter is inserted into the end recess and affixed therein.

Description

20375~0 .~_ ASSEMBLY OF CIGARETTES
The present invention relates to 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 furtherassembly or processing by the consumer. A minority of smokers prefer to assemble their own cigarettes, since tobacco sold in an inherently-unsmokeable form attracts a much lower rate of tax than in pre-formed cigarettes and hence cigarettes formed from such tobacco are cheaper to produce 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 manner of assembly of a cigarette for smoking. In the present invention, a cigarette rod of double the normal cigarette length is provided having a region adjacent the centre of the length of the cigarette rod from which tobacco is absent and hence is hollow. This double length rod constitutes one aspect of the present invention.
The assembly of such double length rod into a smokeable cigarette constitutes a further aspect of the invention. In such procedure, the double length cigarette rod is separated into two equal-length cigarette rods. A line of perforations or other convenient means may be provided to assist in achieving such separation. The individual length cigarette rod, corresponding in length to the desired smoking length, has a recess at one end into which is inserted a cylindrical cigarette smoke filter, until the filter abuts against the cigarette rod. The filter is adhered ~ ~7 520 ~i in place to provide the finished cigarette.
Generally, the recess is dimensioned such that its inside diameter and length correspond to the outside diameter and length of the filter, so that the recess is completely filled by the filter and the filter is received in sliding fit relation with the recess during assembly. The cigarette rod and filter may comprise a kit, in accordance with a further aspect of this invention.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a cigarette assembly kit comprises:
i) a plurality of non-smokeable cigarette rod elements, each element having double the length of a desired finished cigarette length and having two spaced apart tobacco rods in an element when a central hollow region is defined between a spaced apart tobacco rods and within cigarette element wrapper, a hollow region being twice the length of a cylindrical cigarette filter where a central line of perforation in a wrapper divides a hollow region in half, an element being non-smokeable along it length by virtue of a hollow space separating a tobacco rods; and ii) a plurality of cylindrical cigarette filters, each for insertion in a corresponding a hollow space within a wrapper separated along a line of perforation.
The procedure is illustrated in the accompanying sketch of drawings.
In this regard, the sole Figure 1 of the drawings shows the assembly of a cigarette in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
Referring to the drawings, a double length cigarette rod 10 may be formed on a conventional filter tipping machine, without the filter tip, to jointwo cigarette rods 12 and 14 by filter "cork" paper 16, with the cigarette rods 12 and 14 spaced apart by a hollow space 18 inside the cork paper tube 16.

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The double length cigarette rod 10 may, for example, be 140 mm in length for a desired 70 mm cigarette having a 50 mm filler rod.
Such double cigarette rods 10 are normally packaged for sale in multiples of such rods, for example, twenty, for sale to the consumer in this form. Excise tax on tobacco in finished tobacco products is levied on the number of cigarette rods up to a certain length sold 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 may be made by the consumer for the same cost to the consumer.
The cigarette rod 10 is separated into the individual rods 12 and 14, for example, at a line of perforation 20. The two individual rods 12, 14 have tobac~ofillerforthebulkoftherrl ~ ~ ~

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., -. 3 A cigarette smoke filter 24, for example, of about 20 mm in length, but usually corresponding in dimensions to those of the recess, then is inserted into the recess 22 into, which it is received in sliding fit relationship therewith, until the filter 24 abuts against the tobacco filler rod in the individual cigarette rod 12 or 14.
The filter 24 and the individual cigarette rod 12 or 14 may be sealed together in any convenient manner to resist disassembly during smoking of the resulting cigarette 26.
One specific manner of achieving sealing of the filter 24 in place is by gluing. The glue may be provided on the outer surface of the filter 24 and may be moisture activated immediately prior to assembly of the filter 24 with the rod 12 or 14. The glue preferably is one which is slick when wet, so as to avoid assembly problems when the filter 24 is inserted into the recess 22.
In summary of this disclosure, the present invention provides a novel method of assembly of roll-your-own cigarettes employing multiple length cigarette rods and separate filter elements, as well as the multiple-length cigarette rods and kits comprising such rods and filters. Modifications are possible within the scope of this invention.

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Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A cigarette assembly kit comprising:
i) a plurality of non-smokeable cigarette rod elements, each element having double the length of a desired finished cigarette length and having two spaced apart tobacco rods in said element when a central hollow region is defined between said spaced apart tobacco rods and within cigarette element wrapper, said hollow region being twice the length of a cylindrical cigarette filter where a central line of perforation in said wrapper divides said hollow region in half, said element being non-smokeable along it length by virtue of said hollow space separating said tobacco rods; and ii) a plurality of cylindrical cigarette filters, each for insertion in a corresponding said hollow space within a said wrapper separated along said line of perforation.

2. The kit of claim 1 wherein said element is made on a filter-tipping machine.

3. The kit of claim 1 wherein said cylindrical cigarette smoke filter has an outside diameter and a length corresponding to the inside diameter and substantially half the length of the region from which tobacco is absent in saidcigarette rod.

4. A method of assembling a smokeable cigarette from a kit of any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising the steps of:

i) separating said element at said line of perforation; and ii) inserting said cylindrical cigarette filter into said hollow space.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said filter is adhered in place after insertion into said recess.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein moisture-activated adhesive is provided on the outer surface of said filter and said adhesive is activated immediately prior to insertion of the filter into the recess.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said adhesive is slick when wet.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein said cylindrical filter has a length and diameter corresponding to those of the recess, so that the recess is completely filled by the filter, and the filter is received in sliding fit relation to the recess when the filter is inserted into the recess.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein perforations are provided in the outer wrapping paper of the cigarette rod adjacent the mid-point along the length of the double length rod to assist in said separation step.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said double length cigarette rod comprises a pair of cigarette rods each comprising a tobacco filler and an outer paper wrapper enclosing the filler and a cylinder of filter wrapping paper to which the pair of rods is adhered, one at each longitudinal end of the filter wrapping paper cylinder.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said double length cigarette rod is formed from two preformed cigarette rods and said cylinder of filter wrapping paper on a filter-tipping machine.