CN109310144B

CN109310144B - Smoking article, mouthpiece for smoking article and method of forming same

Info

Publication number: CN109310144B
Application number: CN201780035400.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: E·比纳西
Original assignee: Philip Morris Products SA
Current assignee: Philip Morris Products SA
Priority date: 2016-06-30
Filing date: 2017-06-29
Publication date: 2021-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 2037-06-29
Also published as: JP2019522967A; RU2019101800A; US20190174816A1; AR108921A1; JP7137481B2; EP3478095B1; WO2018002264A1; SG11201809616WA; KR20190024884A; CN109310144A; RU2019101800A3; RU2760898C2; MX2018015122A; KR102443984B1; EP3478095A1

Abstract

A mouthpiece for a smoking article comprises at least one mouthpiece element; a substantially transparent wrapper wrapped around the at least one mouthpiece element such that first and second opposing edges of the substantially transparent wrapper (18) overlap one another along a longitudinal overlap region; and a reagent disposed between the first and second opposing edges of the substantially transparent packaging material in at least a portion of the longitudinal overlap region. The substantially transparent packaging material comprises cellulose acetate and the agent comprises a glyceride.

Description

Smoking article, mouthpiece for smoking article and method of forming same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a filter for a smoking article having a substantially transparent wrapper, and a method of making such a filter. The invention also relates to smoking articles incorporating such filters.

Background

Filter cigarettes typically comprise a cylindrical rod of tobacco cut filler surrounded by a paper wrapper, and a cylindrical filter axially aligned in abutting end-to-end relationship with the wrapped tobacco rod. Cylindrical filters typically comprise a filter material surrounded by a mouthpiece paper sleeve. Conventionally, the wrapped tobacco rod and filter are joined by a band of tipping wrapper, typically formed from an opaque paper material, which surrounds the entire length of the filter and an adjacent portion of the wrapped tobacco rod.

A variety of smoking articles have also been proposed in the art in which an aerosol-generating substrate, such as tobacco, is heated rather than combusted. In a heated smoking article, an aerosol is generated by heating an aerosol-generating substrate. Known heated smoking articles include, for example, smoking articles in which an aerosol is generated by electronic heating or by heat transfer from a combustible fuel element or heat source to an aerosol-generating substrate. During smoking, volatile compounds are released from the aerosol-generating substrate by heat transfer from the heat source and entrained in air drawn through the smoking article. As the released compound cools, the compound condenses to form an aerosol that is inhaled by the consumer. Smoking articles are also known in which a nicotine-containing aerosol is generated from a tobacco material, tobacco extract or other nicotine source, for example by a chemical reaction, without combustion and sometimes without heating.

The wrappers for smoking articles are typically provided such that opposing edges of each wrapper overlap one another along a longitudinal overlap region to form a seam. An adhesive, such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or a hot melt adhesive, is used to secure the opposite edges of each wrapper to each other along the seam.

It has previously been proposed to provide a smoking article with a wrapper which is at least partially transparent so that a consumer can view at least a portion of the smoking article through the wrapper. For example, smoking articles have been provided with tipping wrappers formed from transparent polymeric materials. However, clear polymeric tipping wrappers provide a different surface feel that tends to be objectionable to consumers than traditional paper tipping wrappers.

As an alternative, it has been proposed to provide smoking articles with an opaque tipping paper with a cut-out window so that the consumer can view the lower part of the smoking article through the cut-out window. Where a plug wrap is provided between such tipping paper and the underlying filter, it has been necessary to use a plug wrap formed from a transparent material so that the user can see the underlying portion of the smoking article through the window and through the transparent plug wrap.

However, where the seam of the substantially transparent plug wrap is formed using an adhesive (e.g. PVA or hot melt adhesive), the seam will not be transparent and is therefore clearly visible from the remainder of the plug wrap. This is particularly problematic when the substantially transparent plug wrap is under a tipping paper with a cut-out window, as alignment is required to avoid seams under the window.

Accordingly, there is a need to provide a smoking article with a substantially transparent wrapper which may appear transparent around the entire circumference of the smoking article. It would further be desirable to provide a smoking article having a substantially transparent wrapper underlying a cut-out in a window of the tipping paper without the need for alignment between the substantially transparent wrapper and the tipping paper.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouthpiece for a smoking article, comprising: at least one mouthpiece element; a substantially transparent wrapper wrapped around the at least one mouthpiece element such that first and second opposing edges of the substantially transparent wrapper overlap one another along a longitudinal overlap region; and a reagent disposed between the first and second opposing edges of substantially transparent packaging material in at least a portion of the longitudinal overlap region; wherein the substantially transparent packaging material comprises cellulose acetate, and wherein the agent comprises a glyceride.

Preferably, the glyceride of the substantially transparent packaging material is triacetin (also known as glycerol triacetate). The glyceride may be triethyl citrate, as an alternative to or in addition to triacetin.

In contrast to prior art seam adhesives, the present inventors have discovered that substantially transparent seams may be obtained by using an agent or binder comprising a glyceride and a substantially transparent packaging material comprising cellulose acetate. Glycerides are substantially transparent agents and, unlike conventional adhesives, interact with the cellulose acetate in the wrapper to directly bond or otherwise weld the overlapping portions in the longitudinal overlap region to each other. This can result in a seamless transition of one of the overlapping edges to the other overlapping edge in the overlapping region, rather than a differential bond between the two overlapping edges, as is the case with conventional adhesives. Thus, the overlapping area may have substantially the same appearance as the remainder of the packaging material, as it may in fact be considered as a part of the packaging material, having the same or similar properties as the remainder of the packaging material, but twice the thickness of the remainder of the packaging material.

Thus, according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mouthpiece for a smoking article, comprising: at least one mouthpiece element; and a substantially transparent outer sheath surrounding the at least one mouthpiece element, wherein the substantially transparent outer sheath comprises cellulose acetate, and wherein the substantially transparent outer sheath comprises longitudinally extending portions formed by the interaction of the cellulose acetate and the glycerides. In other words, there is provided a mouthpiece for a smoking article, comprising: at least one mouthpiece element; and a substantially transparent outer sheath surrounding the at least one mouthpiece element, wherein the substantially transparent outer sheath comprises cellulose acetate, and wherein the substantially transparent outer sheath comprises a longitudinally extending portion having a thickness of about twice a thickness of a remaining portion of the substantially transparent outer sheath as measured in a radial direction of the mouthpiece.

This is in contrast to conventional adhesives which simply create a bond between two overlapping portions. Thus, the resulting overlap region may appear as a continuation of the area of the packaging material on either side of the overlap region, but the resulting overlap region is about twice as thick as the area of the packaging material on either side of the overlap region. The term "substantially transparent" is used herein to describe a material that allows at least a sufficiently large proportion of incident light to pass through it so that it can be seen through the material. In the present invention, the substantially transparent wrapper allows sufficient light to pass through it so that the underlying segment of the cigarette is visible through the wrapper. The transparency of a substantially transparent packaging material can be evaluated according to ASTM D1003-13.

The substantially transparent packaging material may be completely transparent. Alternatively, the substantially transparent wrapper may have a low transparency while still transmitting enough light so that the underlying mouthpiece segment is visible through the substantially transparent wrapper. In some cases, the substantially transparent packaging material may be colored or tinted.

Preferably, the cellulose acetate is selected from the group of cellulose acetate, cellulose diacetate and cellulose triacetate. Particularly preferably, the cellulose acetate is cellulose diacetate.

The substantially transparent packaging material may be composed of additional compounds other than cellulose acetate. Preferably, however, the substantially transparent packaging material consists essentially of cellulose acetate. This may help ensure that sufficient cellulose acetate is present at the surface of the substantially transparent packaging material and is therefore able to react with the glycerides.

The substantially transparent packaging material may comprise one or more layers, at least one layer comprising cellulose acetate. In some preferred embodiments, the substantially transparent packaging material comprises a polymer layer, such as a polyvinyl alcohol layer, disposed between two layers comprising cellulose acetate (e.g., cellulose diacetate).

Preferably, the reagent is provided in the form of a line extending along the overlap region. Preferably, the width of the thread is from about 0.1 mm to about 5mm, more preferably from about 0.5 mm to about 3 mm, even more preferably from about 1 mm to about 2.5 mm.

Preferably, the agent is provided in an amount of about 0.5 mg to about 1.5 mg.

The mouthpiece of a smoking article according to the invention may comprise a filter comprising one or more segments of filtration material. For example, the mouthpiece may comprise a single segment of filter material, or the mouthpiece may comprise a multi-segment filter comprising two or more segments of filter material. Where two or more filter segments are provided, the filter segments may be of the same construction and material as one another. However, it is preferred that the filter segments have different structures and/or contain different filter materials from each other.

In embodiments where the mouthpiece comprises two or more segments of filter material, at least two segments of filter material may be spaced apart so as to form a chamber therebetween. The chamber may be at least partially filled with a flavourant (flavanorant) material.

In any of the embodiments in which the mouthpiece comprises one or more segments of filter material, at least one of the filter segments may comprise a flavourant material. This may be in addition to any perfume material provided in the chamber (when present).

In some embodiments, the perfume material is a particulate perfume material. Suitable particulate perfume materials comprise particles of an adsorbent or cellulosic material impregnated with a liquid perfume. In some preferred embodiments, the particulate perfume material may comprise particles of plant leaves as described in EP-A-1,958,523. For example, the flavor material may comprise lamina from tobacco, green tea, mint, spearmint, bay, eucalyptus, basil, sage, verbena, and tarragon. In addition, portions of the Mentha plant can also be used. The term "mint" refers to a plant belonging to the genus mentha. Alternatively, the plant material may be in the form of seeds, roots, bark and/or flowers, such as those commonly used as spices.

In some embodiments, the perfume material is provided in a capsule adapted to release at least a portion of the fluid when the capsule is subjected to an external force, such as by being squeezed by a consumer.

The mouthpiece may also comprise a particulate material which does not include a flavourant, such as a cellulosic material or beads or particles of an adsorbent. This may be in addition to or instead of the particulate perfume material described above. Suitable adsorbents include activated carbon, carbon beads, activated aluminum, zeolite, sepiolite, molecular sieves, and silica gel.

Where the mouthpiece comprises one or more segments of filter material, the filter material is preferably a plug of fibrous filter material, for example cellulose acetate tow or paper. The filter plasticiser may be applied to the fibrous filter material in a conventional manner by spraying it onto the separated fibres, preferably before any particulate material is applied to the filter material. The mouthpiece may comprise a number of different types or combinations of filter segments, including the filter segments described above as well as other types of filter segments known to those skilled in the art, such as segments comprising flow restrictors and segments for adjusting Resistance To Draw (RTD).

Where the filter comprises a single segment, the substantially transparent wrapper may be a plug wrap around the filter material. Where the filter comprises two or more segments, any or all of the segments may each be individually wrapped in a slug wrapper. The segments of the filter may then be attached to one another in succession in a conventional manner using a substantially transparent wrapper, which forms a combined plug wrap. In this case, at least one of the slug packages is preferably transparent, except that the combination plug package is transparent, and in some cases, the transparent packaging materials are formed of the same material.

As mentioned above, the present invention advantageously enables the overlap region to have a transparency that is similar or identical to the transparency of the remaining portion of the substantially transparent packaging material. Thus, preferably, the transparency level of the overlapping area of the substantially transparent packaging material is within 10%, more preferably within 5% of the transparency level of the remaining portion of the substantially transparent packaging material. The level of transparency can be evaluated according to ASTM D1003-13.

The thickness of the substantially transparent packaging material is preferably about 10 microns or greater. The thickness of the substantially transparent packaging material is preferably about 200 microns or less, more preferably about 100 microns or less. More preferably, the substantially transparent packaging material has a thickness of between about 25 microns and about 75 microns. The substantially transparent packaging material preferably has a basis weight of at least about 15 grams per square meter (gsm). More preferably, the basis weight of the substantially transparent packaging material is between about 20gsm and about 130 gsm.

Preferably, the mouthpiece further comprises a paper wrapper surrounding at least a portion of the substantially transparent wrapper.

A window may be provided in the paper wrapper so that the underlying segment of the cigarette can be viewed through the window and the substantially transparent wrapper. This enables the consumer to view a portion of the mouthpiece which is located beneath the substantially transparent wrapper. The paper wrapper may contain a single window or multiple windows as desired. Where the paper wrapper comprises a plurality of windows, they may be the same window or they may have different sizes or shapes to accommodate different mouthpiece designs.

The window may be provided by making a cut in the paper wrapper. Alternatively, the paper wrapper may be formed from a composite material having a band of transparent material surrounding at least a portion of the mouthpiece to form a window. As another alternative, the paper wrapper may comprise two bands of paper material spaced apart along the length of the mouthpiece to define a gap, the gap forming the window.

In embodiments where the paper wrapper comprises a window, the window may extend around the entire circumference of the mouthpiece. Preferably, however, the window extends around only a portion of the circumference of the mouthpiece. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece preferably comprises a high basis weight transparent plug wrap underlying the paper wrapper and extending across the window to prevent collapse or breakage of the mouthpiece at the window during use. For example, the basis weight of the substantially transparent plug wrap may be at least 60gsm, preferably about 80 gsm.

In those embodiments in which the mouthpiece comprises a chamber, the window preferably overlies at least a portion of the chamber such that the consumer can view the chamber through the window and the substantially transparent layer.

Alternatively, or in addition, the paper wrapper may comprise a window overlying at least a portion of the filter segment comprising particulate material such that a consumer can view the particulate material through the window and the substantially transparent layer. Where the paper wrapper also comprises windows overlying a cavity located within the mouthpiece, the windows may be the same window extending over both portions of the mouthpiece or they may be different windows.

In smoking articles according to the invention, the mouthpiece may or may not abut the aerosol-generating substrate. For example, the mouthpiece may be spaced apart from the aerosol-generating substrate so as to define a gap or cavity therebetween. Alternatively, the intervening material may be positioned between the mouthpiece and the aerosol-generating substrate.

The smoking article according to the invention may be a filter cigarette or other smoking article that burns tobacco material to form smoke. For example, the aerosol-generating substrate may comprise a tobacco rod and the mouthpiece may comprise a filter, as described above. The paper wrapper may comprise a tipping wrapper.

Alternatively, a smoking article according to the invention may be an article in which an aerosol-generating substrate, such as tobacco, is heated rather than combusted to form an aerosol. In one type of heated smoking article, an aerosol-generating substance is heated by one or more electrical heating elements to produce an aerosol. In another type of heated smoking article, an aerosol is generated by heat transfer from a combustible or chemical heat source to a physically separate aerosol-generating substrate, which may be located within, around or downstream of the heat source. The invention also encompasses smoking articles in which a nicotine-containing aerosol is generated from a tobacco material, tobacco extract or other nicotine source, e.g., by a chemical reaction, without combustion and in some cases without heating.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of forming a mouthpiece for a smoking article, the method comprising: providing at least one mouthpiece element; providing a substantially transparent packaging material comprising cellulose acetate, the substantially transparent packaging material having first and second opposing edges; disposing a reagent adjacent the first opposing edge of the substantially transparent packaging material, the reagent comprising a glyceride; wrapping the substantially transparent wrapper around the at least one mouthpiece element such that the first and second opposing edges of the substantially transparent wrapper overlap one another along a longitudinal overlap region; wherein the glyceride of the reagent reacts with the cellulose acetate to fix the opposite edges to each other.

Preferably, the method further comprises the steps of: heating the substantially transparent packaging material, heating the reagent comprising the glyceride or heating both the substantially transparent packaging material and the reagent comprising the glyceride to a temperature of at least 25 degrees celsius, more preferably at least 50 degrees celsius, even more preferably at least 70 degrees celsius. Alternatively or additionally, preferably, the method further comprises the steps of: heating the substantially transparent packaging material, heating the reagent comprising the glyceride or heating both the substantially transparent packaging material and the reagent comprising the glyceride to a temperature of 140 degrees celsius or less, more preferably 100 degrees celsius or less, even more preferably 80 degrees celsius or less.

Such high temperatures may help enhance or accelerate the interaction between the reagent and the substantially transparent packaging material without substantially damaging the reagent or the substantially transparent packaging material.

Preferably, the method further comprises the steps of: a compressive force is applied to the longitudinal overlap region. Where the method involves the steps of heating the substantially transparent packaging material, heating the reagent comprising the glyceride or heating both the substantially transparent packaging material and the reagent comprising the glyceride, preferably the element which provides heat is the same element which provides the compressive force to the longitudinal region of overlap.

It will be appreciated that the features described above in relation to the first aspect of the invention are equally applicable and preferred for use in the second aspect of the invention.

Drawings

The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows a smoking article according to the present invention;

figure 2 shows the smoking article of figure 1 with the mouthpiece unfastened; and is

Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the overlapping area of the substantially transparent packaging material of fig. 1.

Detailed Description

The filter cigarette 10 shown in figures 1 and 2 comprises a wrapped rod 12 of tobacco cut filler, the wrapped rod 12 being attached at one end to an axially aligned filter 14, the filter 14 comprising a single filter segment 16. The individual filter segments 16 are formed from cellulose acetate tow which has been wrapped in a substantially transparent wrapper in the form of a substantially transparent plug wrap 18. The filter segment 16 incorporates particles (not shown) of liquid flavourant-impregnated cellulosic material, which are dispersed within the cellulose acetate tow. The wrapped tobacco rod 12 and filter 14 are joined by an outer wrapper 20 formed from standard tipping paper, the outer wrapper 20 surrounding the entire length of the filter 14 and the adjacent portion of the tobacco rod 12. The outer wrapper 20 is secured to the substantially transparent plug wrap 18 at bonding points (not shown) spaced around the circumference of the filter 14.

Outer wrapper 20 includes a circular cut-out portion 22 having a diameter of about 5mm, the cut-out portion 22 being positioned about 5mm from the end of the strip of outer wrapper 20. The underlying substantially transparent plug wrap 18 is exposed through a cut-out portion 22 in the outer wrapper 20 and, therefore, the region of the filter comprising cellulosic particles is visible through the cut-out portion 22.

The substantially transparent plug wrap 18 is formed from a cellulose diacetate film. A first portion 19 of the substantially transparent plug wrap 18 is provided with a reagent comprising triacetin. The first portion 19 is adjacent a first edge of a plug wrap 18 configured to wrap around the filter segment 16 such that the first edge overlaps a second, opposite edge of the substantially transparent wrapper along a longitudinal overlap region. When overlapped, the reagent reacts with the cellulose diacetate in the overlapping portion of the plug wrap 18 to secure it together.

As can be seen in fig. 3, the resulting thickness 37 of the overlapping portion 30 is about twice the thickness 35 of the remainder of the wrapper 34. The agent 32 thus results in an effective seamless transition of the film from one overlapped patch to another. In the arrangement of fig. 3, reagent 32 is not provided across the entire width of the overlap region 30. Thus, the top ends 38, 39 of the two overlapping edges are not fixed to their respective portions of the overlapping wrapper.

Claims

1. A holder for a smoking article, comprising:

at least one mouthpiece element;

a substantially transparent wrapper comprising cellulose acetate, the substantially transparent wrapper being wrapped around the at least one mouthpiece element such that first and second opposing edges of the substantially transparent wrapper overlap one another along a longitudinal overlap region; and

a substantially transparent seam formed in the substantially transparent packaging material with an agent comprising a glyceride disposed between the first and second opposing edges of the substantially transparent packaging material in at least a portion of the longitudinal overlap region.

2. A holder according to claim 1, wherein the cellulose acetate is selected from the group of cellulose acetate, cellulose diacetate and cellulose triacetate.

3. A holder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the substantially transparent wrapper consists essentially of cellulose acetate.

4. A holder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one holder element comprises at least one plug of filter material.

5. A holder according to claim 4, wherein the at least one plug of filter material comprises at least two segments of filter material spaced apart to form a chamber therebetween.

6. A holder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transparency level of the longitudinal overlapping area of the substantially transparent wrapper is within 10% of the transparency level of the remainder of the substantially transparent wrapper.

7. A holder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the substantially transparent wrapper has a thickness of between 10 and 100 microns.

8. A holder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the glyceride is triacetin.

9. A holder according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a paper wrapper surrounding at least a portion of the substantially transparent wrapper; and a window provided in the paper wrapper so that a portion of the underlying substantially transparent wrapper can be viewed through the window.

10. A smoking article comprising:

an aerosol-generating substrate; and

a holder according to any one of claims 1 to 9, axially aligned with the aerosol-generating substrate.

11. A smoking article according to claim 10, wherein a paper wrapper secures the mouthpiece to the aerosol-generating substrate.

12. A method of forming a mouthpiece for a smoking article, the method comprising:

providing at least one mouthpiece element;

providing a substantially transparent packaging material comprising cellulose acetate, the substantially transparent packaging material having first and second opposing edges;

disposing a reagent adjacent the first opposing edge of the substantially transparent packaging material, the reagent comprising a glyceride;

wrapping the substantially transparent wrapper around the at least one mouthpiece element such that the first and second opposing edges of the substantially transparent wrapper overlap one another along a longitudinal overlap region;

wherein the glyceride of the reagent reacts with the cellulose acetate to secure the first and second opposing edges to each other.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

heating the substantially transparent packaging material, heating the reagent comprising the glyceride, or heating both the substantially transparent packaging material and the reagent comprising the glyceride to a temperature between 70 degrees celsius and 80 degrees celsius.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising the step of:

a compressive force is applied to the longitudinal overlap region.

15. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the cellulose acetate is selected from the group of cellulose acetate, cellulose diacetate and cellulose triacetate.