CA2184035A1 - Make your own cigarettes - Google Patents
Make your own cigarettesInfo
- Publication number
- CA2184035A1 CA2184035A1 CA 2184035 CA2184035A CA2184035A1 CA 2184035 A1 CA2184035 A1 CA 2184035A1 CA 2184035 CA2184035 CA 2184035 CA 2184035 A CA2184035 A CA 2184035A CA 2184035 A1 CA2184035 A1 CA 2184035A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- product
- tobacco
- smokable
- wrapper
- perforations
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
- A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
- A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
- A24C5/40—Hand-driven apparatus for making cigarettes
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
- A24D—CIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
- A24D1/00—Cigars; Cigarettes
- A24D1/008—Cigars; Cigarettes dividable
Abstract
A non-smokable tobacco product comprises a rod or stick-shaped element of cigarette tobacco with a filter element at one end and both enclosed by a tubular wrapper.
The product is rendered unsmokable by a series of apertures extending through the wrapper adjacent the filter so that when air is drawn through the filter substantially all of the air enters through those apertures, there being insufficient air flow through the tip end to propagate normal cigarette combustion of the tobacco at that location and to permit any appreciable amount of smoke from reaching the smoker's mouth.
The product is rendered smokable by covering the apertured region of the wrapper by means of a strip a sliding band or ring which blocks air flow through the apertures and thus converts the product into a self-made cigarette that can be smoked in the manner of a regular cigarette.
The product is rendered unsmokable by a series of apertures extending through the wrapper adjacent the filter so that when air is drawn through the filter substantially all of the air enters through those apertures, there being insufficient air flow through the tip end to propagate normal cigarette combustion of the tobacco at that location and to permit any appreciable amount of smoke from reaching the smoker's mouth.
The product is rendered smokable by covering the apertured region of the wrapper by means of a strip a sliding band or ring which blocks air flow through the apertures and thus converts the product into a self-made cigarette that can be smoked in the manner of a regular cigarette.
Description
This invention relates to a new or improved non-smokable tobacco product, to a method for its manufacture, and to the non-smokable tobacco product in combination with an element which can render it smokable.
There has long been a demand among a certain segment of the smoking population for self-made or roll-your-own cigarettes. Traditionally these have involved the smokers purchasing a supply of fine-cut cigarette tobacco and a supply of wrapping material such as cigarette papers, and making cigarettes by rolling a charge of tobacco onto a cigarette paper, forming the latter into a tubular rod-like form and sealing it around the tobacco. This process when performed manually is quite difficult and in fact it is virtually impossible for the user to fabricate anything approximating a machine-made cigarette.
Over the years various aids have been devised for facilitating the roll-your-own cigarette fabricating process, and while some of these have had a fair measure of success, in terms of the quality of the product even the best of them has scarcely been able to produce an adequate substitute for a machine-made cigarette. Still the demand for roll-your-own cigarette making supplies persists, this being in part due to the more favourable tax treatment enjoyed by these in compar-ison to conventional machine-made cigarettes.
One system for self-made cigarettes that has enjoyed a measure of commercial success is that described in Canadian Patent 1,271,389 of EFKA-Werke Frita Kiehn GbmH. In this system a preformed factory made product in the form of a rod of tobacco having an air permeable outer surface is provided for use in combination with a preformed cigarette paper tube having a filter element at one end thereof. To assemble a smokable cigarette the tobacco rod is inserted into the cigarette paper tube, the latter having a diameter corres-ponding to that of the rod. This system is not entirely satisfactory however since some people have difficulty in inserting the tobacco rod into the paper tube. The empty tubes are of very delicate form and are easily crushed, thus making the insertion step even more difficult. Finally the combined volume of the rod and the tube is approximately twice that of the made-up cigarette so that very capacious packaging is required. Furthermore the packaging must be strong to protect the delicate tubes from crushing.
It is an object of the invention to provide a non-smokable tobacco product which can readily be made up into a smokable cigarette, and to provide a method for making such a product, and to provide a combination of such product and the means by which it may be rendered into a smokable cigarette.
The invention provides a non-smokable tobacco product comprising: a rod-shaped element of cigarette tobacco one end of which abuts a rod-shaped filter element, both said elements being enclosed within a tubular wrapper; that portion of said tubular wrapper enclosing said tobacco element being of smokable material that has a low permeability to the passage of air therethrough; said wrapper having perforations in a region thereof in register with said one end of the tobacco element, said perforations rendering said product unsmokable in that when air is drawn from said product through said filter element, the major portion of such air is drawn through said perforations and any air flow drawn longitud-inally through said tobacco element is insufficient to propagate combustion at the tip end thereof or to cause any appreciable amount of smoke from flowing through said filter element.
The total area of the perforations is selected to ensure that less than 9~ of the air flow drawn from the filter will enter the product from through the tip of the tobacco element and preferably 90~ or more of such air flow will enter the product through the perforations. As is known, auxiliary ventilation holes may be included in the peripheral surface of the filter element and through which some air will enter when air is drawn through the filter. In the present invention, the total area of the perforations is selected to ensure that sum total of the air flow through perforations in the tobacco element and through the auxiliary ventilation holes in the filter is 90~ or more of the air flow that passes longitudinally through the end of the filter element. Perfor-ations have an area such that the non-smokable tobacco product has a permeability of at least 1500 Coresta units (cc/min/cm2) When air is drawn through the filter as in the act or simulated act of smoking, although by far the major part of such air will enter through the perforations, some small percentage of air flow may still enter at the tip end of the article and pass longitudinally through the tobacco rod. The amount of such air flow must be minimized to the extent that it is insufficient to propagate the combustion of the tobacco, so that even if the tip end of the tobacco rod is lit, there will be insufficient air flow to propagate combustion during puffing. Such air flow through the tobacco rod can be controlled to some extent by control of the packing density of the tobacco of the rod, and in this connection it is preferred that the packing density be greater in the vicinity of the tip end than elsewhere in the length of the tobacco rod. Alterna-tively such air flow through the tobacco rod may also be controlled to some extent by controlling the packing density to an extent that will provide an increase in the resistance to flow in the tobacco element relative to that resistance to flow as offered by the size of the perforations and that of the filter element.
The perforated region of the wrapper preferably extends around the complete periphery thereof and the perfor-ations may be in any suitable form. The perforated region of the wrapper extends over a minor portion, i.e. less than 50~
of the length of the tobacco element, and preferably is less than 25~ of this length, and more preferably is of the same order as the diameter of the tobacco rod. In one embodiment the perforations comprise a band of longitudinally elongated generally elliptical apertures. The wrapper is of a smokable material. In a preferred embodiment it is of a burn-retardant cigarette paper which has a limited permeability to the flow of air therethrough. Other materials of course could be used, for example real or reconstituted tobacco leaf etc.
To render the non-smokable tobacco product into a smokable cigarette, there is provided in combination with it a sealing band comprising a strip of flexible substantially impervious or low permeability material having a width corres-ponding to the width of the perforated region and a length
There has long been a demand among a certain segment of the smoking population for self-made or roll-your-own cigarettes. Traditionally these have involved the smokers purchasing a supply of fine-cut cigarette tobacco and a supply of wrapping material such as cigarette papers, and making cigarettes by rolling a charge of tobacco onto a cigarette paper, forming the latter into a tubular rod-like form and sealing it around the tobacco. This process when performed manually is quite difficult and in fact it is virtually impossible for the user to fabricate anything approximating a machine-made cigarette.
Over the years various aids have been devised for facilitating the roll-your-own cigarette fabricating process, and while some of these have had a fair measure of success, in terms of the quality of the product even the best of them has scarcely been able to produce an adequate substitute for a machine-made cigarette. Still the demand for roll-your-own cigarette making supplies persists, this being in part due to the more favourable tax treatment enjoyed by these in compar-ison to conventional machine-made cigarettes.
One system for self-made cigarettes that has enjoyed a measure of commercial success is that described in Canadian Patent 1,271,389 of EFKA-Werke Frita Kiehn GbmH. In this system a preformed factory made product in the form of a rod of tobacco having an air permeable outer surface is provided for use in combination with a preformed cigarette paper tube having a filter element at one end thereof. To assemble a smokable cigarette the tobacco rod is inserted into the cigarette paper tube, the latter having a diameter corres-ponding to that of the rod. This system is not entirely satisfactory however since some people have difficulty in inserting the tobacco rod into the paper tube. The empty tubes are of very delicate form and are easily crushed, thus making the insertion step even more difficult. Finally the combined volume of the rod and the tube is approximately twice that of the made-up cigarette so that very capacious packaging is required. Furthermore the packaging must be strong to protect the delicate tubes from crushing.
It is an object of the invention to provide a non-smokable tobacco product which can readily be made up into a smokable cigarette, and to provide a method for making such a product, and to provide a combination of such product and the means by which it may be rendered into a smokable cigarette.
The invention provides a non-smokable tobacco product comprising: a rod-shaped element of cigarette tobacco one end of which abuts a rod-shaped filter element, both said elements being enclosed within a tubular wrapper; that portion of said tubular wrapper enclosing said tobacco element being of smokable material that has a low permeability to the passage of air therethrough; said wrapper having perforations in a region thereof in register with said one end of the tobacco element, said perforations rendering said product unsmokable in that when air is drawn from said product through said filter element, the major portion of such air is drawn through said perforations and any air flow drawn longitud-inally through said tobacco element is insufficient to propagate combustion at the tip end thereof or to cause any appreciable amount of smoke from flowing through said filter element.
The total area of the perforations is selected to ensure that less than 9~ of the air flow drawn from the filter will enter the product from through the tip of the tobacco element and preferably 90~ or more of such air flow will enter the product through the perforations. As is known, auxiliary ventilation holes may be included in the peripheral surface of the filter element and through which some air will enter when air is drawn through the filter. In the present invention, the total area of the perforations is selected to ensure that sum total of the air flow through perforations in the tobacco element and through the auxiliary ventilation holes in the filter is 90~ or more of the air flow that passes longitudinally through the end of the filter element. Perfor-ations have an area such that the non-smokable tobacco product has a permeability of at least 1500 Coresta units (cc/min/cm2) When air is drawn through the filter as in the act or simulated act of smoking, although by far the major part of such air will enter through the perforations, some small percentage of air flow may still enter at the tip end of the article and pass longitudinally through the tobacco rod. The amount of such air flow must be minimized to the extent that it is insufficient to propagate the combustion of the tobacco, so that even if the tip end of the tobacco rod is lit, there will be insufficient air flow to propagate combustion during puffing. Such air flow through the tobacco rod can be controlled to some extent by control of the packing density of the tobacco of the rod, and in this connection it is preferred that the packing density be greater in the vicinity of the tip end than elsewhere in the length of the tobacco rod. Alterna-tively such air flow through the tobacco rod may also be controlled to some extent by controlling the packing density to an extent that will provide an increase in the resistance to flow in the tobacco element relative to that resistance to flow as offered by the size of the perforations and that of the filter element.
The perforated region of the wrapper preferably extends around the complete periphery thereof and the perfor-ations may be in any suitable form. The perforated region of the wrapper extends over a minor portion, i.e. less than 50~
of the length of the tobacco element, and preferably is less than 25~ of this length, and more preferably is of the same order as the diameter of the tobacco rod. In one embodiment the perforations comprise a band of longitudinally elongated generally elliptical apertures. The wrapper is of a smokable material. In a preferred embodiment it is of a burn-retardant cigarette paper which has a limited permeability to the flow of air therethrough. Other materials of course could be used, for example real or reconstituted tobacco leaf etc.
To render the non-smokable tobacco product into a smokable cigarette, there is provided in combination with it a sealing band comprising a strip of flexible substantially impervious or low permeability material having a width corres-ponding to the width of the perforated region and a length
2 1 ~4035 corresponding to the circumference of the product. Except in cases where it is relatively wide, e.g. of a width more than 50~ greater than the diameter of the tobacco element, the strip is preferably of a non-smokable material. It has an adhesive coating on one surface thereof which is effective to adhere the strip in position around the product and covering the entire or at least a major part of the area of the aper-tures. The adhesive may be of any suitable form, such as a water-activated gum or the like. Alternatively the strip may be adhered to a releasable backing sheet to be applied directly to the product once the backing sheet has been removed.
Articles of the non-smokable product can be packaged in suitable quantities, much in the manner of machine-made cigarettes. The strips which are used to render the product into smokable condition can be provided in the packaging on sheets containing sufficient individual strips to convert into smokable cigarettes all of the products in the package. Thus the combination can be packaged in a very compact form.
The invention also provides a method of fabricating a non-smokable tobacco product comprising: in a continuous process feeding cigarette tobacco, filter elements, and a strip of wrapper material in a cigarette manufacturing machine; forming said wrapper material in a continuous trough and feeding into said trough charges of tobacco interspaced by filter elements; wrapping said wrapper material to form a tube surrounding said tobacco and filter elements; and severing said continuous tube to form discrete elements of uniform length each including at one end a filter element; including the step of perforating said wrapper at spaced locations in the length thereof such that in the finished product each said discrete element includes said perforations in a narrow region thereof registering with the tobacco adjacent the filter element.
The foregoing method can be carried out by modifying a conventional cigarette making machine to provide the perfor-ations in the wrapper. This may be done before or after the wrapper material is formed into a trough. Alternatively the strip of wrapper material may be pre-perforated before being installed in the cigarette making machine.
The invention will further be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of a non-smokable tobacco product in accordance with the invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view to a smaller scale illustrating a step in converting the product of Figure 1 into a smokable cigarette; and Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the cigarette that is produced.
Referring to Figure 1, the non-smokable tobacco product 10 illustrated therein comprises a rod-shaped element 11 of fine cut tobacco which is abutted against a rod-shaped filter element 12, the elements 11 and 12 being enclosed within a tubular wrapper 13. The product 10 is unsmokable because of a series of elongate perforations or holes 14 extending in a peripheral band completely around the article in a region 15 which registers with the end of the tobacco element 11 adjacent the junction 16 between the latter and the filter element 12. In addition there are a series of venti-lation holes 17 which penetrate the wrapper 13 within the length of the filter rod 12. The non-smokable product 10 has dimensions corresponding to those of a normal machine-made cigarette, having a diameter of approximately 8 mm, and a length corresponding to some standard cigarette length, e.g.
regular size or king size. The cigarette dimensions could also be of luxury length (99 mm to 102 mm), or of a different circumference such as 23 mm or less (diameter of 7.3 mm or less). The tobacco element 11 is packed to a density corres-ponding to or higher than that of the tobacco in a machine-made cigarette, and the filter element 12 may be any of the types of filter commonly used in cigarettes. The holes 14 extend over a region 15 in the length of the product which is of the same order as its diameter and have a total area which gives permeability to air flow of 1500+500 Coresta units (cc/min/cm2). With this arrangement, the product 10 is unsmokable because of the holes 14 such that when air is drawn from the filter end of the product as in a simulated act of smoking, over 90~ of the air flow enters the product through the holes 14 so that only a minimal amount of the air flow enters through the tip end of the tobacco element 11, such minimal amount being insufficient to propagate combustion of the tobacco during puffing.
The material of the wrapper 13 is a conventional burn-retardant cigarette wrapper, e.g. phosphate treated paper of low permeability to the flow of air therethrough. The use of a low-permeability paper is also generally effective to slow the smouldering of cigarette products once lit. In the embodiment shown, a small amount, of the order of 20%, of the air flow drawn from the filter element 12 will enter through the ventilation holes 17 and another amount, of the order of 70%, will enter through the ventilation holes 14.
To convert the non-smokable product 10 into a smokable cigarette, it is used in combination with a flexible sealing band 20 which has a length corresponding to the circumference of the product 10 and a width which exceeds the length of the region 15. The band is self-adhesive, and once brought into contact with the product 10 in alignment with the holes 14 as shown in Figure 2 can be wrapped therearound in the direction of the arrow 21 to completely encircle the product 10, closing off the holes 14 and thus converting the article 10 into a smokable cigarette 22 as seen in Figure 3.
The non-smokable products 10 can be packaged in any convenient quantities and in this respect are dimensionally quite similar to cigarettes which typically are provided in 20 packs of 20 or 25 articles. The combination of the non-smokable product 10 and the corresponding sealing band 20 occupies approximately the same space as a regular cigarette.
In the embodiment shown, the sealing band 20 has a dimension of approximately 8 mm in width by 27 mm to 30 mm in length. A
package containing 25 units of the non-smokable product 10 will include a corresponding number of sealing bands 20 provided on a backing sheet (not shown) and peelable therefrom at the time of use. The backing sheet can be fitted readily within the package containing the non-smokable products 10 and will not significantly increase the thickness of the package.
The non-smokable product 10 is readily manufactured on conventional cigarette making machinery since most of its components are standard items used in the fabrication of machine-made cigarettes, namely the tobacco element 11 in the filter element 12. The paper wrapper 13 although not necessarily the same as the paper wrapper of a conventional cigarette nonetheless is similar and can be handled in a similar manner by the cigarette making machine. Thus to manufacture the product 10 a continuous strip of wrapper material is drawn into the machine (not shown), formed into a trough into which tobacco elements 11 separated by filter elements 12 are added in a continuous manner. The wrapper material is sealed around the tobacco and filler into a tube which is then cut into discrete lengths each including at one end a filter element 12. The strip of wrapper material can be pre-formed with the holes 14, or alternatively the machine could be modified to form these holes in the manufacturing process.
Although a presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above in relation to Figures 1 to
Articles of the non-smokable product can be packaged in suitable quantities, much in the manner of machine-made cigarettes. The strips which are used to render the product into smokable condition can be provided in the packaging on sheets containing sufficient individual strips to convert into smokable cigarettes all of the products in the package. Thus the combination can be packaged in a very compact form.
The invention also provides a method of fabricating a non-smokable tobacco product comprising: in a continuous process feeding cigarette tobacco, filter elements, and a strip of wrapper material in a cigarette manufacturing machine; forming said wrapper material in a continuous trough and feeding into said trough charges of tobacco interspaced by filter elements; wrapping said wrapper material to form a tube surrounding said tobacco and filter elements; and severing said continuous tube to form discrete elements of uniform length each including at one end a filter element; including the step of perforating said wrapper at spaced locations in the length thereof such that in the finished product each said discrete element includes said perforations in a narrow region thereof registering with the tobacco adjacent the filter element.
The foregoing method can be carried out by modifying a conventional cigarette making machine to provide the perfor-ations in the wrapper. This may be done before or after the wrapper material is formed into a trough. Alternatively the strip of wrapper material may be pre-perforated before being installed in the cigarette making machine.
The invention will further be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of a non-smokable tobacco product in accordance with the invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view to a smaller scale illustrating a step in converting the product of Figure 1 into a smokable cigarette; and Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the cigarette that is produced.
Referring to Figure 1, the non-smokable tobacco product 10 illustrated therein comprises a rod-shaped element 11 of fine cut tobacco which is abutted against a rod-shaped filter element 12, the elements 11 and 12 being enclosed within a tubular wrapper 13. The product 10 is unsmokable because of a series of elongate perforations or holes 14 extending in a peripheral band completely around the article in a region 15 which registers with the end of the tobacco element 11 adjacent the junction 16 between the latter and the filter element 12. In addition there are a series of venti-lation holes 17 which penetrate the wrapper 13 within the length of the filter rod 12. The non-smokable product 10 has dimensions corresponding to those of a normal machine-made cigarette, having a diameter of approximately 8 mm, and a length corresponding to some standard cigarette length, e.g.
regular size or king size. The cigarette dimensions could also be of luxury length (99 mm to 102 mm), or of a different circumference such as 23 mm or less (diameter of 7.3 mm or less). The tobacco element 11 is packed to a density corres-ponding to or higher than that of the tobacco in a machine-made cigarette, and the filter element 12 may be any of the types of filter commonly used in cigarettes. The holes 14 extend over a region 15 in the length of the product which is of the same order as its diameter and have a total area which gives permeability to air flow of 1500+500 Coresta units (cc/min/cm2). With this arrangement, the product 10 is unsmokable because of the holes 14 such that when air is drawn from the filter end of the product as in a simulated act of smoking, over 90~ of the air flow enters the product through the holes 14 so that only a minimal amount of the air flow enters through the tip end of the tobacco element 11, such minimal amount being insufficient to propagate combustion of the tobacco during puffing.
The material of the wrapper 13 is a conventional burn-retardant cigarette wrapper, e.g. phosphate treated paper of low permeability to the flow of air therethrough. The use of a low-permeability paper is also generally effective to slow the smouldering of cigarette products once lit. In the embodiment shown, a small amount, of the order of 20%, of the air flow drawn from the filter element 12 will enter through the ventilation holes 17 and another amount, of the order of 70%, will enter through the ventilation holes 14.
To convert the non-smokable product 10 into a smokable cigarette, it is used in combination with a flexible sealing band 20 which has a length corresponding to the circumference of the product 10 and a width which exceeds the length of the region 15. The band is self-adhesive, and once brought into contact with the product 10 in alignment with the holes 14 as shown in Figure 2 can be wrapped therearound in the direction of the arrow 21 to completely encircle the product 10, closing off the holes 14 and thus converting the article 10 into a smokable cigarette 22 as seen in Figure 3.
The non-smokable products 10 can be packaged in any convenient quantities and in this respect are dimensionally quite similar to cigarettes which typically are provided in 20 packs of 20 or 25 articles. The combination of the non-smokable product 10 and the corresponding sealing band 20 occupies approximately the same space as a regular cigarette.
In the embodiment shown, the sealing band 20 has a dimension of approximately 8 mm in width by 27 mm to 30 mm in length. A
package containing 25 units of the non-smokable product 10 will include a corresponding number of sealing bands 20 provided on a backing sheet (not shown) and peelable therefrom at the time of use. The backing sheet can be fitted readily within the package containing the non-smokable products 10 and will not significantly increase the thickness of the package.
The non-smokable product 10 is readily manufactured on conventional cigarette making machinery since most of its components are standard items used in the fabrication of machine-made cigarettes, namely the tobacco element 11 in the filter element 12. The paper wrapper 13 although not necessarily the same as the paper wrapper of a conventional cigarette nonetheless is similar and can be handled in a similar manner by the cigarette making machine. Thus to manufacture the product 10 a continuous strip of wrapper material is drawn into the machine (not shown), formed into a trough into which tobacco elements 11 separated by filter elements 12 are added in a continuous manner. The wrapper material is sealed around the tobacco and filler into a tube which is then cut into discrete lengths each including at one end a filter element 12. The strip of wrapper material can be pre-formed with the holes 14, or alternatively the machine could be modified to form these holes in the manufacturing process.
Although a presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above in relation to Figures 1 to
3, it will be appreciated that within the scope of the invention, many details of the product combination can be varied. Thus the region 15 where the holes are located could be longer than shown, e.g. it could have a length corres-ponding to twice the diameter of the product, or even a length as much as 50% of the length of the tobacco element 11. In the embodiment shown the sealing band 20 is of non-smokable material. However if the region 15 is lengthened as contem-g plated above, then it would obviously be desirable to utilize a smokable material for the sealing band since otherwise the useful length of the cigarette produced would be unacceptably curtailed.
Furthermore, although the band 20 in the example shown completely covers the holes 14, this is not essential.
A band that is narrower than the region of the holes or shorter than the circumference of the article could be used and an acceptable cigarette would result provided that the band covered a sufficient area of the holes 14 to allow an adequate air flow to be drawn through the tip end when the cigarette is smoked.
The sealing band 20 may be provided with any suitable form of adhesive, e.g. a permanently tacky adhesive that is covered by a release sheet, or a water activated adhesive. It is even conceivable that the band could operate without any adhesive, but rather maintained in covering relation to the holes 14 by the fingers of the smoker.
The ventilation holes 17 opening into the filter element 12 can be of any desired size to provide a predeter-mined amount of ventilation into the smoke that is drawn through the filter when the non-smokable product 10 is made up into a cigarette 22 as shown in Figure 3. Resistance to air flow through the ventilation holes 17 will be substantially constant whether the article is in the raw product condition as shown at 10 in Figure 1, or made up into a cigarette 22 as shown in Figure 3. Also for a given size of ventilation holes 14, the air flow through these holes will be substantially different depending on the size of the ventilation holes 17.
Therefore as the size of the ventilation holes 17 is increased, the required minimum size for the holes 14 is reduced. For example if the ventilation holes 17 provide 30 ventilation, then the combined area of the holes 14 can be reduced since these holes are then only required to provide from 60~ to 65~ of the air flow to ensure that the product 10 is unsmokable.
Although in the embodiments described above the sealing band 22 is self-adhesive and mounted on a backing sheet, a more economical product can be made if instead the sealing band is gummed, i.e. has on one side a dry coating of gum which can be e.g. water-activated at the time of use.
This would eliminate the backing sheet (which otherwise would be thrown away) and is obviously lighter and more compact than the sealing band - backing sheet combination.
Alternative means for rendering the non-smokable tobacco product into a smokable condition or possible.
Although the embodiments described above utilize an adhesive sealing band 22, the same effect could be achieved by providing a preformed cylindrical band (not shown) adapted to closely surround the periphery of the tubular wrapper 13 and slidable longitudinally thereof to cover the holes 14. The preformed band can have dimensions similar to the made-up sealing band as shown in Figure 3, but of course since it is preformed it need not include any means to effect adhesion to the wrapper 13 around the holes 14. Such a preformed cylin-drical band could be provided in the form of a flattened cylinder of cigarette paper of suitable dimensions, the cylinder being perforated to provide for its easier separation into lengths corresponding to the width of the sealing band 20, such lengths when separated being readily expanded to cylindrical form so that they can be slipped over the product 10 from one end or the other. The preformed band or ring will preferably have a circumference that is very closely matched to that of the product 10 so as to minimize leakage of air past the preformed band when installed in position over the openings 14. Such a preformed band can however still be readily positioned since the product 13 can be readily compressed by hand to ease passage of the preformed band therealong.
Furthermore, although the band 20 in the example shown completely covers the holes 14, this is not essential.
A band that is narrower than the region of the holes or shorter than the circumference of the article could be used and an acceptable cigarette would result provided that the band covered a sufficient area of the holes 14 to allow an adequate air flow to be drawn through the tip end when the cigarette is smoked.
The sealing band 20 may be provided with any suitable form of adhesive, e.g. a permanently tacky adhesive that is covered by a release sheet, or a water activated adhesive. It is even conceivable that the band could operate without any adhesive, but rather maintained in covering relation to the holes 14 by the fingers of the smoker.
The ventilation holes 17 opening into the filter element 12 can be of any desired size to provide a predeter-mined amount of ventilation into the smoke that is drawn through the filter when the non-smokable product 10 is made up into a cigarette 22 as shown in Figure 3. Resistance to air flow through the ventilation holes 17 will be substantially constant whether the article is in the raw product condition as shown at 10 in Figure 1, or made up into a cigarette 22 as shown in Figure 3. Also for a given size of ventilation holes 14, the air flow through these holes will be substantially different depending on the size of the ventilation holes 17.
Therefore as the size of the ventilation holes 17 is increased, the required minimum size for the holes 14 is reduced. For example if the ventilation holes 17 provide 30 ventilation, then the combined area of the holes 14 can be reduced since these holes are then only required to provide from 60~ to 65~ of the air flow to ensure that the product 10 is unsmokable.
Although in the embodiments described above the sealing band 22 is self-adhesive and mounted on a backing sheet, a more economical product can be made if instead the sealing band is gummed, i.e. has on one side a dry coating of gum which can be e.g. water-activated at the time of use.
This would eliminate the backing sheet (which otherwise would be thrown away) and is obviously lighter and more compact than the sealing band - backing sheet combination.
Alternative means for rendering the non-smokable tobacco product into a smokable condition or possible.
Although the embodiments described above utilize an adhesive sealing band 22, the same effect could be achieved by providing a preformed cylindrical band (not shown) adapted to closely surround the periphery of the tubular wrapper 13 and slidable longitudinally thereof to cover the holes 14. The preformed band can have dimensions similar to the made-up sealing band as shown in Figure 3, but of course since it is preformed it need not include any means to effect adhesion to the wrapper 13 around the holes 14. Such a preformed cylin-drical band could be provided in the form of a flattened cylinder of cigarette paper of suitable dimensions, the cylinder being perforated to provide for its easier separation into lengths corresponding to the width of the sealing band 20, such lengths when separated being readily expanded to cylindrical form so that they can be slipped over the product 10 from one end or the other. The preformed band or ring will preferably have a circumference that is very closely matched to that of the product 10 so as to minimize leakage of air past the preformed band when installed in position over the openings 14. Such a preformed band can however still be readily positioned since the product 13 can be readily compressed by hand to ease passage of the preformed band therealong.
Claims (17)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A non-smokable tobacco product comprising:
a rod-shaped element of cigarette tobacco one end of which abuts a rod-shaped filter element, both said elements being enclosed within a tubular wrapper;
that portion of said tubular wrapper enclosing said tobacco element being of smokable material that has a low permeability to the passage of air therethrough;
said wrapper having perforations in a region thereof in register with said one end of the tobacco element, said perforations rendering said product unsmokable in that when air is drawn from said product through said filter element, the major portion of such air is drawn through said perforations and any air flow drawn longitudinally through said tobacco element is insufficient to propagate combustion at the tip end thereof or to cause any appreciable amount of smoke from flowing through said filter element.
a rod-shaped element of cigarette tobacco one end of which abuts a rod-shaped filter element, both said elements being enclosed within a tubular wrapper;
that portion of said tubular wrapper enclosing said tobacco element being of smokable material that has a low permeability to the passage of air therethrough;
said wrapper having perforations in a region thereof in register with said one end of the tobacco element, said perforations rendering said product unsmokable in that when air is drawn from said product through said filter element, the major portion of such air is drawn through said perforations and any air flow drawn longitudinally through said tobacco element is insufficient to propagate combustion at the tip end thereof or to cause any appreciable amount of smoke from flowing through said filter element.
2. A non-smokable tobacco product as claimed in claim 1 wherein the total area of said perforations is sized to ensure that at least 90 percent of air flow drawn from said filter will enter said product through said perforations.
3. A non-smokable tobacco product as claimed in claim 1 wherein less than 9 percent of air drawn through said filter enters the product through the tip end thereof.
4. A non-smokable tobacco product as claimed in claim 3 including ventilating holes penetrating said wrapper and said filter, and wherein less than 10 percent of air drawn through said filter passes through the tip end of the product.
5. A non-smokable tobacco product as claimed in claim 1 wherein said perforations are spaced around the complete periphery of said narrow region of the wrapper.
6. A non-smokable tobacco product as claimed in claim 5 wherein said perforations are elongated in the length direction of the product.
7. A non-smokable tobacco product as claimed in claim 6 wherein said perforations comprise an array of regularly spaced apertures each aperture being of generally elliptical form and oriented in the length direction of the product.
8. A non-smokable tobacco product according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the tobacco of said rod-shaped element is more densely packed at the tip end thereof than elsewhere in the length of the element.
9. A non-smokable tobacco product as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said perforations have an area such that said product has a permeability to air of at least 1500 Coresta units (cc/min/c2).
10. A non-smokable tobacco product as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said wrapper is of a burn-retardant cigarette paper.
11. A non-smokable tobacco product as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in combination with a sealing band comprising a strip of flexible substantially impervious material having a width and a length corresponding to the width of said narrow region of the wrapper and to the circumference of the product respectively.
12. The combination as claimed in claim 11 wherein said strip is of a non-smokable material.
13. The combination of claim 11 wherein said strip has on surface thereof and adhesive coating by means of which it may be secured around said product in the perforated region thereof.
14. The product as claimed in claim 13 wherein said strip is attached to a release sheet after removal from which it can be adhered to said product.
15. A non-smokable tobacco product as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 in combination with a preformed tubular band of flexible substantially impervious material having a width corresponding to the width of said narrow region of the wrapper, and a circumference corresponding to that of the product.
16. The combination as claimed in claim 15 wherein said preformed band is of non-smokable material.
17. A method of fabricating a non-smokable tobacco product comprising:
in a continuous process feeding cigarette tobacco, filter elements, and a strip of wrapper material in a cigarette manufacturing machine;
forming said wrapper material in a continuous trough and feeding into said trough charges of tobacco interspaced by filter elements;
wrapping said wrapper material to form a tube surrounding said tobacco and filter elements; and severing said continuous tube to form discrete elements of uniform length each including at one end a filter element;
including the step of perforating said wrapper at spaced locations in the length thereof such that the finished product includes said perforations in a narrow region thereof registering with the tobacco adjacent the filter element.
in a continuous process feeding cigarette tobacco, filter elements, and a strip of wrapper material in a cigarette manufacturing machine;
forming said wrapper material in a continuous trough and feeding into said trough charges of tobacco interspaced by filter elements;
wrapping said wrapper material to form a tube surrounding said tobacco and filter elements; and severing said continuous tube to form discrete elements of uniform length each including at one end a filter element;
including the step of perforating said wrapper at spaced locations in the length thereof such that the finished product includes said perforations in a narrow region thereof registering with the tobacco adjacent the filter element.
Priority Applications (9)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2184035 CA2184035A1 (en) | 1996-08-23 | 1996-08-23 | Make your own cigarettes |
| CA002192760A CA2192760C (en) | 1996-08-23 | 1996-12-12 | Make your own cigarettes |
| AT97937383T ATE201570T1 (en) | 1996-08-23 | 1997-08-22 | SYSTEM FOR SELF-PRODUCTION OF CIGARETTES |
| PCT/CA1997/000605 WO1998007338A1 (en) | 1996-08-23 | 1997-08-22 | Make your own cigarettes |
| DE69705051T DE69705051T2 (en) | 1996-08-23 | 1997-08-22 | SYSTEM FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CIGARETTES |
| AU40069/97A AU720895B2 (en) | 1996-08-23 | 1997-08-22 | Make your own cigarettes |
| NZ334693A NZ334693A (en) | 1996-08-23 | 1997-08-22 | Cigarette comprising a filter having a highly porous peripheral surface and a tubular band of impervious material to render the cigarette smokable |
| US09/269,120 US6206008B1 (en) | 1996-08-23 | 1997-08-22 | Make your own cigarettes |
| EP97937383A EP0924997B1 (en) | 1996-08-23 | 1997-08-22 | Make your own cigarettes |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2184035 CA2184035A1 (en) | 1996-08-23 | 1996-08-23 | Make your own cigarettes |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2184035A1 true CA2184035A1 (en) | 1998-02-24 |
Family
ID=4158787
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2184035 Abandoned CA2184035A1 (en) | 1996-08-23 | 1996-08-23 | Make your own cigarettes |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2184035A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2000007467A1 (en) | 1998-07-31 | 2000-02-17 | Imperial Tobacco Limited | Manufacture of self-made cigarette assemblies |
| US6223895B1 (en) | 1998-11-10 | 2001-05-01 | Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. | Two-pack kit for packaging make-your-own cigarettes |
| US6443161B1 (en) | 1999-06-14 | 2002-09-03 | Roths, Benson & Hedges Inc. | Make-your-own cigarette |
-
1996
- 1996-08-23 CA CA 2184035 patent/CA2184035A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2000007467A1 (en) | 1998-07-31 | 2000-02-17 | Imperial Tobacco Limited | Manufacture of self-made cigarette assemblies |
| US6223895B1 (en) | 1998-11-10 | 2001-05-01 | Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. | Two-pack kit for packaging make-your-own cigarettes |
| AU762924B2 (en) * | 1998-11-10 | 2003-07-10 | Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. | Two-pack kit for packaging make-your-own cigarettes |
| US6443161B1 (en) | 1999-06-14 | 2002-09-03 | Roths, Benson & Hedges Inc. | Make-your-own cigarette |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |