EP2471390A1

EP2471390A1 - Smoking article having wrapper with indicium

Info

Publication number: EP2471390A1
Application number: EP10252249A
Authority: EP
Inventors: David Pertuiset
Original assignee: Philip Morris Products SA
Current assignee: Philip Morris Products SA
Priority date: 2010-12-30
Filing date: 2010-12-30
Publication date: 2012-07-04

Abstract

The invention relates to an elongate, cylindrical smoking article (10) having a transverse cross-sectional shape with a major chord and a minor chord, wherein a first side (28) of the cross-sectional shape extends between the end points of the major chord (26). The smoking article comprises: a tobacco rod (12); a filter (16) in axial alignment with the tobacco rod; and a wrapper (22) circumscribing at least a portion of the smoking article. The wrapper (22) includes a first indicium (24) applied to an external surface thereof, wherein the first indicium (24) is applied entirely within a first surface defined by the first side (28) of the cross-sectional shape, such that the first indicium (24) is visible from one direction without rotation of the smoking article (10).

Description

The present invention relates to a novel smoking article having a wrapper with an indicium applied to the external surface, and to a method for producing such a smoking article.
Filter cigarettes typically comprise a cylindrical rod of tobacco cut filler surrounded by a paper wrapper and a cylindrical filter axially aligned in an abutting end-to-end relationship with the wrapped tobacco rod. Conventionally, the wrapped tobacco rod and the filter are joined by a band of tipping paper that circumscribes the entire length of the filter and an adjacent portion of the wrapped tobacco rod.
It is common to apply a tipping paper which has been printed with a graphic design in order to provide the filter cigarette with a more aesthetically appealing appearance. However such printing is typically limited to a repeating pattern covering the entire tipping paper. In general, it is not desirable to provide information in the form of indicia such as a logos or pictures on the tipping paper, since it is only possible to view a relatively small portion of the tipping paper at any one time. It is therefore necessary to either print each indicium in a relatively small size so it can be observed from one side of the cigarette, or print the indicium in a larger size that is not visible from one side of the cigarette, which may force a consumer to rotate the cigarette in order to view the indicium as a whole. Either of these options can reduce the visual impact of the indicium.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a novel smoking article on which printed indicia can be more effectively displayed to the consumer.
According to the present invention there is provided an elongate, cylindrical smoking article having a transverse cross-sectional shape with a major chord and a minor chord, wherein the major chord is longer than the minor chord. A first side of the cross-sectional shape is defined by a segment of the perimeter of the cross-sectional shape that extends between the endpoints of the major chord on one side of the cross-sectional shape. A second side of the cross-sectional shape is defined by a segment of the perimeter that extends between the endpoints of the major chord on the opposite side of the cross-sectional shape.
A "chord" is defined as a line passing from one side of the non-circular cross-sectional shape to the other side of the shape. The "endpoint" of a chord is the point at which the chord meets the perimeter of the shape.
The "major chord" is defined as the longest possible chord for the given cross-sectional shape, extending between the two points on the perimeter of the shape that are furthest from each other. In some non-circular shapes, the major chord passes through the centre of the cross-sectional shape. In such cases, the major chord can be referred to as the major diameter. However, the major chord will not necessarily correspond to the major diameter for irregular shapes.
The "minor chord" is defined as the shortest possible chord for the given cross-sectional shape, extending between the two points on the perimeter of the shape that are closest to each other. In some non-circular shapes, the minor chord passes through the centre of the cross-sectional shape and can therefore be referred to as the minor diameter.
The transverse cross-sectional shape of smoking articles according to the invention may be described as non-circular since the major chord is longer than the minor chord. Preferably, the major chord is at least 1.1 times longer than the minor chord, more preferably at least 1.25 longer than the minor chord and even more preferably at least 1.5 times longer than the minor chord.
The "perimeter" of the transverse cross-sectional shape refers to the line forming the outline or outer edge of the shape.
The term "transverse" is used to refer to the cross-section taken in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elongate smoking article. Any references in the present specification to the "cross section" or "cross-sectional shape" of smoking articles according to the invention refer to the transverse cross-section unless otherwise specified.
Smoking articles according to the invention comprise: a tobacco rod; a filter in axial alignment with the tobacco rod; and a wrapper circumscribing at least a portion of the smoking article. The wrapper includes a first indicium applied to an external surface thereof. The first indicium is applied entirely within an area of a first surface of the smoking article, wherein the first surface is defined by the first side of the cross-sectional shape, as defined above. A second surface is additionally defined by the second side of the cross-sectional shape. Advantageously, with this arrangement, the entire first indicium is visible to the consumer from one direction, without rotation of the smoking article. In addition, the non-circular cross-sectional shape also provides a large visible first surface (relative to a smoking article with a round cross-sectional shape) on which to print the indicium.
The term "indicium" is used to refer to a self-contained portion of printing that provides a representation of information in the form of text, a pattern, an image or a combination thereof. For example, the first indicium on the smoking article according to the present invention may comprise a brand or manufacturer logo that allows the consumer to identify the type or origin of the smoking article.
In smoking articles according to the present invention, the first indicium is applied to the first surface of the smoking article, which is the part of the external surface of the smoking article defined by the first side of the cross sectional shape extending between the end points of the major chord. The first surface defines an area of the external surface of the wrapper having a relatively 'flat' surface, which provides a projected surface having a relatively large width compared to the width of the projected surface of a conventional, circular smoking article. Smoking articles according to the present invention can therefore advantageously provide an increased projected surface area from at least one direction, for communicating information to the consumer.
By "projected surface area" is meant the surface area of the smoking article or wrapper that is visible from a particular direction. The larger the projected surface area, the more information can be displayed to the consumer at any one time and therefore the greater the opportunities for communicating product or brand information to the consumer.
For a conventional smoking article, such as a cigarette, having a circular transverse cross section, the projected surface area is substantially the same from all directions. In contrast, in smoking articles according to the present invention having a non-circular cross-section, the projected surface area will be different depending upon the direction from which the smoking article is viewed from. The largest projected surface area will be visible on the area of the external surface corresponding to the first surface. As such, this is preferably the surface to which the first indicium is applied. This projected surface area may be significantly larger, for example more than 15 % larger, than that of a circular cigarette having a similar overall volume.
As a result of the increase of the maximum projected surface area on the external surface of the wrapper of smoking articles according to the invention, it is possible for the consumer to view the entire first indicium at the same time without rotating the smoking article. This enables information to be communicated more effectively to the consumer through the first indicium. The invention also provides the manufacturer with more varied options as to the level and form of information that can be provided to the consumer on the outside surface of the smoking article.
The first indicium is preferably applied to the wrapper using any suitable printing technique. The first indicium may be applied to the wrapper prior to the wrapper being wrapped around the smoking article. In this case, it is necessary to align the wrapper during the wrapping process such that the first indicium is provided at the desired position on the smoking article. Alternatively, the first indicium may be applied to the wrapper once the wrapper is in place on the smoking article. In this case, it is necessary to align the smoking articles to ensure that the first indicium is applied to the desired position on the wrapper.
The transverse cross-sectional shape of the smoking article may be selected from a wide variety of non-circular, regular or irregular shapes. Preferably, the transverse cross-sectional shape is defined by a curved circumference, which may optionally include straight portions in addition to curved portions, but which does not include any corners. For example, the transverse cross-sectional shape of the cylindrical smoking article may be oval, elliptical, egg-shaped or any shape approximating or resembling an oval, ellipse or egg. Most preferably, the transverse cross-sectional shape is oval.
By "oval" is meant that the circumference of the cross-sectional shape is formed of two opposed pairs of arcs having a different radius to each other, the ends of which are brought together to form a continuous curve. Each arc corresponds to a section of the perimeter of a circle of the same radius as the arc. The centres of the circles containing the arcs of smaller radius lie within the oval shape, on the major chord.
The major chord of an oval corresponds to the major diameter, or the line connecting the midpoints of the pair of opposed arcs having the lower radius. This also corresponds to the maximum width of the cross-sectional shape. The minor chord of an oval corresponds to the minor diameter, or the line connecting the midpoints of the pair of opposed arcs having the higher radius.
The first and second surfaces of a smoking article having an oval cross-sectional shape are defined largely by the two arcs with the higher radius. The first indicium therefore lies within an area of the wrapper defined by one of the pair of arcs having the higher radius. These arcs of higher radius appear flatter than those defined by the arcs having the lower radius. As a result, a larger proportion of the surface area of the wrapper is visible from one direction than from a substantially perpendicular direction. This means that even if the total area of the wrapper is the same as for a conventional, circular smoking article, the maximum projected surface that can be viewed from one direction is significantly greater.
Preferably, the first indicium is applied within the indicium area of the first surface. The indicium area is a section of the perimeter of the oval extending between two endpoints on the perimeter of the oval. The two endpoints are defined by projecting the centres of the circles containing the arcs of smaller radius in a direction perpendicular to the major chord.
If desired, a second indicium may be applied to the second surface, which is defined by the second of the pair of arcs having the higher radius.
The term "ellipse" refers to a plane curve formed by the intersection of a circular cone with a plane. An ellipse can also be defined as the locus of all points of the plane whose distances to two fixed points, or 'foci', add up to the same constant value. The two foci lie within the ellipse along a longitudinal axis extending across the ellipse. An ellipse has a major diameter and a minor diameter, as described above. Unlike in an oval, the radius of curvature of the circumference of an ellipse varies continuously around the circumference.
Preferably, the first indicium is applied within the indicium area of the first surface. The indicium area is a section of the perimeter of the ellipse extending between two endpoints on the perimeter of the ellipse. The two endpoints are defined by projecting the two foci onto the perimeter in a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis passing through the foci.
Particularly preferably, the first indicium is centred at approximately the mid point of the first surface, the midpoint being positioned midway between the endpoints of the major chord. The centring of the first indicium will typically achieve a certain degree of symmetry on the wrapper, which may be aesthetically appealing.
The first indicium preferably extends no more than 160 degrees circumferentially around the smoking article, and more preferably no more than 140 degrees circumferentially around the smoking article. This optimises the visibility of the indicium.
For the purposes of defining positions around the outer surface of the smoking article, a line is drawn between the midpoint of the major chord and the point of interest on the outer surface of the cross-sectional shape. The angle of interest is the included angle between this line and one half of the major chord. The angle defined at a first endpoint of the major chord is zero degrees and the angle defined at the second endpoint of the major chord is 180 degrees.
The wrapper to which the first indicium is applied is preferably visible to the consumer during normal use of the smoking article and therefore the wrapper is preferably an outer wrapper forming at least a portion of the outer surface of the smoking article. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wrapper is a tipping paper circumscribing the filter and connecting the filter to the tobacco rod. Alternatively, the wrapper may be the outer wrapper of the rod of tobacco material.
Preferably, the wrapper of smoking articles according to the present invention extends circumferentially around the smoking article from a starting position corresponding to a point on the first surface which is between 20 degrees and 160 degrees from a first end point of the major chord, in either circumferential direction, i.e. clockwise or anticlockwise. More preferably the wrapper extends circumferentially from a starting position corresponding to a point which is between 45 and 135 degrees from the first end point, in either circumferential direction. Particularly preferably, the wrapper extends circumferentially from a starting position corresponding to a point which is between 80 and 100 degrees from the first end point, in either circumferential direction. The underlying edge of the wrapper is therefore positioned on the flatter surface of the smoking article and more preferably, towards the centre of the flatter surface. This may be convenient from a manufacturing point of view, as described in more detail below.
Particularly, the wrapper extends at least 375 degrees circumferentially around the smoking article or portion thereof, in either circumferential direction, preferably at least 390 degrees, and more preferably at least 420 degrees. The wrapper preferably extends less than 480 degrees around the smoking article. The wrapper extends circumferentially around the smoking article more than 1.05 times, preferably more than 1.25 times, whilst in contrast in a conventional smoking article the wrapper typically extends around and overlaps itself only about 1 mm, which is less than about 375 degrees around the smoking article, or extending less than about 1.05 times around the smoking article. The advantage of this feature is related to the process of wrapping the smoking article, as described in more detail below.
Locating the starting position for wrapping the wrapper toward the middle of the first surface may facilitate the placement of the wrapper. Specifically, placement of the leading edge of the wrapper on a relatively 'flat' surface can facilitate the placement of the wrapper.
In addition, the wrapper of the present invention preferably extends further around a smoking article than in a conventional smoking article. This allows the wrapping to begin on the flatter portion of the smoking article, but also enables the seam created in the wrapper on the outer surface of the smoking article to be positioned outside of the area of the first surface to which the first indicium is applied.
The control over the position of the seam on the smoking article ensures that the seam does not adversely affect the continuity of the first indicium and also means that the first indicium does not need to extend across the seam. This in turn means that the first indicium advantageously does not need to be printed in two parts, which have to be aligned during wrapping. In this case, it would be necessary to register the position of wrapper on the smoking article with a high level of precision to ensure that the parts of the first indicium were lined up accurately. This may adversely affect the speed at which the wrapping process could be carried out, as well as the uniformity of the wrapped products.
Preferably, the wrapper terminates at an end position corresponding to a point on the circumference of the cross-sectional shape that is less than 45 degrees, and more preferably less than 20 degrees, from one of the end points of the major chord, in either circumferential direction from the end point. This is the position at which the seam in the wrapper will be visible. The angle may be varied depending on the extent to which the first indicium extends circumferentially around the wrapper so that the seam does not interfere with the visibility of the indicium.
In certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, a second indicium is applied entirely within the second surface of the wrapper, defined by the second side of the cross-sectional shape extending between the end points of the major chord, as defined above. The first and second indicia may be the same as each other, or different.
In a smoking article having a regular shaped cross-section, such as an oval, the second surface will be substantially opposed to the first surface and the first indicium and the second indicium will be provided on substantially opposed projected surfaces of the smoking article. The provision of an additional indicium therefore makes use of the other, opposed 'flattened' surface of the smoking article, which provides a similar, increased projected surface area for the improved communication of information to the consumer.
The wrapper may be formed of any sheet material which is suitable to receive printing on at least one surface. Preferably, the wrapper is formed of a cellulosic sheet material, such as paper. The wrapper may be printed with additional indicia or patterns in the areas of the external surface area other than that including the first indicium.
The filter of smoking articles according to the invention may be of any suitable construction and may include a single filter segment, or may be a multi-segment filter comprising two or more connected, abutting filter segments. Preferably, the filter is circumscribed by a filter wrapper before being connected to the tobacco rod. The filter wrapper may be printed with the first indicium as described herein, if desired, however in most cases the filter wrapper will not be printed, since in most cases it will not be visible to the consumer in the final smoking article.
The filter may comprise any suitable known filtration materials including, but not limited to, cellulose acetate tow (optionally including activated carbon on the tow), crepe paper and activated carbon. The filter may optionally further comprise flavour-bearing material such as, for example, plant material, breakable capsules containing flavourants, flavour-bearing granules or other materials loaded with flavour.
Preferably, the filter has a length of between about 18 mm and about 36 mm, more preferably a length of about 32 mm.
The tobacco rod of smoking articles according to the invention may comprise any type of tobacco or tobacco-flavoured material.
Smoking articles according to the present invention preferably have an overall length of between about 68 mm and about 128 mm, more preferably a length of about 84 mm.
The diameter of the smoking article is not constant, due to the non-circular cross-sectional shape. Preferably, the minimum diameter of the smoking article is between 4.5 mm and 7 mm. Preferably the maximum diameter is between 7.5 mm and 9.5 mm and therefore greater than the diameter of a standard filter cigarette of circular cross section, which has an average, constant diameter of 7.85 mm.
According to the present invention there is also provided a method for the continuous manufacture of smoking articles according to the invention and as described above. The method of the present invention comprises the steps of:

providing a wrapper sheet material having a plurality of first indicium applied thereto;
providing a succession of tobacco rods, the tobacco rods having a cross-sectional shape with a major chord and a minor chord, wherein the major chord is longer than the minor chord;
providing a succession of filters, the filters having substantially the same transverse cross-sectional shape as the tobacco rods;
disposing one of the succession of tobacco rods in axial alignment with one of the succession of filters such that the major chords of the cross-sectional shapes of the tobacco rods and filters are substantially aligned;
contacting the filter and the adjacent tobacco rod with the wrapper sheet material;
wrapping the wrapper sheet material around the filter and the tobacco rod to attach the filter and tobacco rod to one another, creating a smoking article; and
cutting the wrapper sheet material to form discrete wrappers.

During the step of contacting the wrapper sheet material with the filter and tobacco rod, the circumferential position at which the wrapper sheet material is contacted with the smoking articles is controlled such that after wrapping, a first indicium is positioned on the external surface of each smoking article entirely within the first surface, as defined above.
For smoking articles according to the invention having a non-circular cross-sectional shape, it is important to align the tobacco rod and the filter of the smoking article such that the major chords of the components are in substantially the same direction. This enables the position of the first indicium to be controlled. It also enables the first indicium to be applied to the same position on each smoking article, thereby ensuring uniformity of the wrapped smoking articles.
Once the smoking articles are aligned with each other, the wrapper is registered on the smoking articles such that it is contacted with each smoking article in the same position relative to the end points of the major chord of the cross-sectional shape. This ensures that the first indicium is always applied to the same position on the smoking article and also ensures that the wrapper terminates at an appropriate position on the smoking article, relative to the first indicium.
Preferably, the wrapper sheet material is contacted with the smoking articles at a circumferential position corresponding to a point on the first curved portion of the cross-sectional shape which is between 20 degrees and 160 degrees from a first end point of the major chord, in either circumferential direction, i.e. clockwise or anticlockwise. More preferably the wrapper sheet material is contacted with the smoking articles at a circumferential position corresponding to a point which is between 45 and 135 degrees from the first end point, and most preferably between 80 and 100 degrees from the first end point.
Typically, using conventional techniques and apparatus, the wrapper sheet material is first brought into contact with the smoking articles at a position on the top surface of the smoking articles. Preferably, therefore, the tobacco rods and filters are aligned such that the surface corresponding to the first curved portion of the circumference is provided as the top surface of the smoking articles. The position of the wrapper sheet material on the smoking articles is registered using any suitable means, such as for example using camera control. Suitable means would be well known to the skilled person.
Preferably, the wrapper sheet material is wrapped such that the wrapper extends circumferentially at least 375 degrees, at least 390 degrees, or at least 420 degrees around the smoking article, in either circumferential direction. This is significantly greater than in conventional wrapping processes for circular smoking articles, in which the wrapper will typically extend circumferentially less than about 375 degrees around the smoking article, as discussed above. However, if the same or a similar process is applied to the non-circular elongate smoking articles of the present invention, the wrapper will often terminate in the region of the first indicium. This is undesirable, for the reasons set out above and makes it more difficult to achieve a uniform application of the first indicium.
By increasing the angle by which the wrapper extends around the smoking article to at least 375 degrees, it is possible to continue using conventional wrapping apparatus whilst also ensuring that the position of the seam in the wrapper does not coincide with the first indicium. Furthermore, the first indicium can be printed as a whole in one position on the wrapper. This is simpler than in the case where the seam coincides with the first indicium, when the indicium must be printed in two parts which need to be aligned during the wrapping process.
Particularly preferably, the wrapper sheet material is wrapped around the filter and tobacco rod such that the wrapper terminates at an end position corresponding to a point on the circumference of the cross-sectional shape that is less than 45 degrees from an endpoint of the major chord, more preferably less than 20 degrees, in either circumferential direction from the end point. This enables the wrapper to be terminated at a position that does not coincide with the first indicium.
The step of cutting the wrapper sheet material to form discrete wrappers may take place prior to wrapping the material around the filter and tobacco rod, such that discrete wrappers of the appropriate size are wrapped around a single filter and tobacco rod, to form an individual smoking article. Alternatively, the wrapper sheet material may be wrapped around adjacent tobacco rods and filters to form connected smoking articles, which are then separated by cutting the wrapper between adjacent smoking articles.
The steps of the method of the present invention can all be carried out using standard wrapping techniques and apparatus, with modifications to achieve the desired alignment of the filters and tobacco rods and the desired positioning of the wrapper and the first indicium on the smoking articles.
As an alternative to the methods of the present invention described above, smoking articles according to the present invention may be formed by first producing smoking articles having a substantially circular transverse cross section, using conventional apparatus and methods, and then compressing the initially circular smoking articles so that the cross section is effectively flattened, for example to an oval or ellipse, and so that the first indicium is aligned on a flattened surface of the smoking article.
The invention will now be further described with reference to the following drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an elongate smoking article according to the present invention;
Figures 2a and 2b show partial side views of the elongate smoking article of Figure 1 from first and second perpendicular directions; and
Figure 3 shows a transverse cross sectional view of the elongate smoking article of Figure 1.

The filter cigarette 10 shown in Figure 1 comprises a rod 12 of tobacco cut filler wrapped in a rod wrapper 14, such as a cigarette paper, which is attached at one end to an axially aligned filter 16 comprising one or more filter segments 18 wrapped in a filter wrapper 20, such as a plug wrap. The wrapped tobacco rod 12 and the filter 16 are joined by tipping paper 22, which circumscribes the entire length of the filter 16 and an adjacent portion of the wrapped tobacco rod 12. A first indicium 24 comprising a portion of text has been applied to an area of the external surface of the tipping paper 22.
Figure 3 shows a transverse cross-sectional view of the cigarette 10 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cigarette. As can be seen from Figure 2, the cigarette 2 has an oval cross-sectional shape which has a major diameter 26 extending between points A and B on the circumference of the oval and through the centre point thereof. Points A and B are the points on the circumference of the oval that are furthest apart from each other.
A first, upper curved portion 28 of the circumference extends between points A and B and a second, lower curved portion 30 extends in the opposite direction between points A and B. These correspond to the first and second sides of the cross-sectional shape, respectively. It can be seen that the first and second sides of the oval cross-sectional shape define opposed first and second surfaces which have a higher radius or curvature than the curved portions in the regions of points A and B. The first and second surfaces therefore provide 'flatter' surfaces to the smoking article.
As shown in Figure 3, the first indicium 24 is approximately centered at the midpoint of the first surface and extends circumferentially around the first surface by an angle alpha (α) of approximately 135 degrees, between points E and F on the circumference of the oval.
As can be seen from Figures 2a and 2b, the oval cross-sectional shape of the cigarette 10 means that the cigarette has a different apparent width and therefore a different projected surface are, depending on which direction the cigarette is viewed from. Figure 2a shows a partial side view of the cigarette 10 of Figure 1 viewed in the direction shown by the arrow C in Figure 3. Figure 2b shows a partial side view of the cigarette 10 when viewed in the direction shown by the arrow D in Figure 3, which is perpendicular to arrow C. The area of the external surface area of the tipping paper 22 that is visible in Figure 2a corresponds substantially to the area of the first surface.
It can be seen that when the cigarette is viewed in the direction shown by the arrow C, the apparent width x of the cigarette is significantly larger than the apparent width y of the cigarette 10 when viewed in the direction shown by arrow D. In the position shown in Figure 2a, the projected surface area is therefore also significantly larger. It is within this relatively large projected surface area that the first indicium 24 is provided.
As shown in Figure 3, the underlying edge 32 of the tipping paper 22 is in contact with the wrapped filter plug 18 at a position corresponding approximately to the midpoint of the first curved portion 28, approximately 90 degrees (angle beta (β)) from each endpoint A and B. The tipping paper 22 extends circumferentially around the cigarette by approximately 450 degrees, so that the terminating edge 34 of the tipping paper is at point B on the circumference of the cigarette. The seam formed by the terminating edge 34 of the tipping paper 22 therefore lies away from the first indicium 24. The tipping paper 22 is indicated schematically in Figure 3 with an exaggerated thickness relative to the overall dimensions of the smoking article.

Claims

An elongate, cylindrical smoking article having a transverse cross-sectional shape with a major chord extending between the two points on the perimeter of the shape which are furthest from one another and a minor chord extending between the two points on the perimeter that are closest to each other, wherein the major chord is longer than the minor chord and wherein the cross-sectional shape has a first side defined by a segment of the perimeter of the cross-sectional shape that extends between the end points of the major chord, the first side defining a first surface of the smoking article, the smoking article comprising:
a tobacco rod;

a filter in axial alignment with the tobacco rod; and

a wrapper circumscribing at least a portion of the smoking article, the wrapper including a first indicium applied to an external surface thereof, wherein the first indicium is applied entirely within the first surface, the first indicium being visible from one direction without rotation of the smoking article.
A smoking article according to claim 1 wherein the first indicium is approximately centred at the mid point of the first surface, in a circumferential direction.
A smoking article according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the first indicium extends no more than 140 degrees circumferentially around the smoking article.
A smoking article according to any preceding claim wherein the wrapper is an outer wrapper forming at least a portion of the outer surface of the smoking article.
A smoking article according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the wrapper is a tipping paper circumscribing the filter and connecting the filter to the tobacco rod.
A smoking article according to any preceding claim 1 wherein the transverse cross-sectional shape of the cylindrical smoking article is oval, elliptical or egg-shaped.
A smoking article according to any preceding claim wherein the wrapper extends circumferentially in either direction around the smoking article from a starting position corresponding to a point on the first surface which is between 20 degrees and 160 degrees from a first end point of the major chord.
A smoking article according to any preceding claim wherein the wrapper extends at least 375 degrees circumferentially in either direction around the smoking article or portion thereof.
A smoking article according to any preceding claim wherein the wrapper terminates at an end position corresponding to a point that is less than 45 degrees from a first end point of the major chord, in either circumferential direction.
A smoking article according to any preceding claim wherein the cross-sectional shape includes a second side defined by a segment of the perimeter of the cross-sectional shape that extends between the two end points of the major chord in an opposite direction to the first side, the second side defining a second surface of the smoking article, wherein a second indicium is applied to the external surface of the smoking article entirely within the second surface.
A smoking article according to any preceding claim wherein the major chord is at least 1.1 times the length of the minor chord.
A method for the continuous manufacture of smoking articles according to any preceding claim comprising the steps of:
providing a wrapper sheet material having first indicia applied thereto;

providing a succession of tobacco rods, the tobacco rods having a transverse cross-sectional shape with a major chord extending between the two points on the perimeter of the cross-sectional shape which are furthest from one another and a minor chord extending between the two points on the perimeter of the cross-sectional shape that are closest to each other, wherein the major chord is longer than the minor chord and wherein the cross-sectional shape includes a first side extending between the end points of the major chord of the cross-sectional shape;

providing a succession of filters, the filters having substantially the same transverse cross-sectional shape as the tobacco rods;

disposing one of the succession of tobacco rods in axial alignment with one of the succession of filters such that the major chords of the cross-sectional shapes of the tobacco rods and filters are substantially aligned;

contacting the filter and the adjacent tobacco rod with the wrapper sheet material;

wrapping the wrapper sheet material around the filter and the tobacco rod to attach the filter and tobacco rod to one another, creating a smoking article; and

cutting the wrapper sheet material to form discrete wrappers.

wherein the circumferential position at which the wrapper sheet material is contacted with the filter and adjacent tobacco rod is controlled such that after wrapping the first indicium is positioned on each smoking article entirely within a first surface of the external surface of the wrapper defined by the first side of the cross-sectional shape.
A method according to claim 12 wherein the wrapper sheet material is contacted with the filter and adjacent tobacco rod at a circumferential position corresponding to a point which is between 20 degrees and 160 degrees from a first end point of the major chord.
A method according to claim 12 or 13 wherein the wrapper sheet material is wrapped such that the wrapper extends circumferentially in either direction at least 375 degrees around the smoking article.
A method according to any of claims 12 to 14 wherein the wrapper sheet material is wrapped such that the wrapper terminates at a circumferential position at an end position corresponding to a point that is less than 45 degrees from an endpoint of the major chord, in either circumferential direction.