GB2064939A

GB2064939A - Improvements relating to tipping material for smoking articles

Info

Publication number: GB2064939A
Application number: GB8035668A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corp
Current assignee: Brown and Williamson Holdings Inc
Priority date: 1979-11-07
Filing date: 1980-11-06
Publication date: 1981-06-24
Also published as: LU82909A1; GB2064939B; DE3041538A1; AT373475B; ATA541680A; FR2469132A1; CA1157733A; CH652572A5; FR2469132B1; GR71719B; AU6411180A; HK71483A; FI803469L

Abstract

A cigarette tipping material having non-lipsticking properties includes preselected areas of the material provided with a non-lipsticking coating and with other preselected, uncoated, areas having perforations therein. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to tipping material for smoking articles This invention concerns improvements relating to tipping material for smoking articles, more particularly but not exclusively cigarettes. For simplicity, reference will be made hereinafter to cigarettes.

In the manufacture of cigarettes, it is common practice to apply a coating on the tipping material for the cigarettes to reduce or prevent lipsticking, that is the tendency of the wrapping, around a filter, which comes in contact with the smoker's lips to adhere thereto. Presently, there are known in the art several different methods for coating the tipping to prevent or at least reduce the sticking of wrapping material to the smoker's lips during use. British Patent No.

328,147 relates to a cigarette having a tip with which sticking to the lips is prevented by a coating applied to preselected surfaces on the tip. U.S. Patent No.

288,151 teaches a cigarette wrapper having preselected areas with the coating applied thereon in a form of a design. U.S. Patent No. 2,033,791 teaches a water-proof tip which is "lip-proof", only preselected portions of the tobacco paper being coated for strengthening the paper. Other patents which teach coating of the wrapper to prevent sticking to the lips include U.S. Patent No. 2,217,527, U.S. Patent No.

2,159,704 and U.S. Patent No.2,149,896.

The present invention seeks to provide a tipping material, which has not only non-lipsticking properties but also provision for ventilation for mixing air with the smoke stream at the filter end of a cigarette.

According to the invention, cigarette tipping material comprises a sheet of tipping material, a coating having non-lipsticking properties covering preselected areas of said sheet and perforations in said sheet, said perforations being located in areas not covered by said coating. The invention further provides a method of making a cigarette tipping material comprising the steps of passing a sheet of tipping material through a means for adding thereto a coating having non-lipsticking properties in a preselected area or areas or a preselected pattern, drying the coating and passing the coated material through means to form perforations therein.By the invention, clogging of ventilation perforations with coating material can be avoided and build-up or other problems with the perforating means can be obviated, thereby reducing downtime and machine cleaning, and a consistent perforated product can be ensured.

One manner of carrying the invention into effect will now be more fully described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sheet of cigarette tipping material in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of a cigarette using the tipping material of Figure 1 and Figure 3 is a schematic view, in perspective, illustrating one preferred manner of making the tipping material of Figure 1.

In Figure 1, a sheet of tipping material 2, generally paper, is provided with preselected areas 4 coated with a material of non-lipsticking, or lip-releasing, type. Suitable materials for such coatings with non-lipsticking properties include ethyl cellulose, nitrocellulose, and other well known agents used for preventing sticking of a smoker's lips to a cigarette.

The coating may be applied along various configurations or patterns. In the example shown, it is applied along spaced parallel straight lines running the length of the paper. In use, as shown by way of example in Figure 2, it extends around the filter 6 of a cigarette 5. The uncoated areas of the tipping paper are provided with spaced parallel straight lines of perforations 8 which, in use, also encircle the filter 6 as shown, in a single line, in Figure 2, thereby allowing air into the smoke stream as it passes through the filter during smoking.

In a preferred method of making tipping material in accordance with the invention, illustrated by Figure 3, a sheet 10 of unprinted tipping paper is fed to a pair of synchronized rollers 12 and 14. Roller 12 is a pressure roller and roller 14 is a roto-gravure printing cylinder having preselected engraved areas therein, for example areas 16a, 16b and 16c. The roller 14 dips into reservoir 20 containing coating material 22. The coating material does not transfer or adhere to the unengraved areas of the roller 14.

Thus, as the sheet 10 passes between the rollers 12 and 14, coating material is applied to the underside of the tipping paper in a preselected pattern. The sheet 10 leaving the coating step of the preparation is then fed to a drier for drying the coating. The drier illustrated includes an air blower 40 and a fire-box 41 for heating the air and directing same to the paper 10 passing thereover, as shown, or therethrough. The drier shown is by way of example only and other drying means known in the art may be utilized. The sheet 10 is next fed into a pair of synchronized rollers 24 and 26. The roller 26 is provided with a pair of parallel rings 18a and 18b having a plurality of pins 28 which, during rotation of the cooperating rollers 24 and 26, perforate the tipping paper.The rings 18a and 18b are in alignment with the unengraved portions of the cylinder 14so that, as the sheet 10 passes between the cooperating rollers 24 and 26, the pins perforate the tipping paper in its uncoated areas. The product leaving the rollers 24 and 26 shows the uncoated areas 18c and 18dwith rows of apertures therein and coated areas 30. The tipping paper is then ready for use with a cigarette filter.

The tipping material may alternatively be perforated prior to coating. Within the scope of the appended claims, various other departures may be made from the above-described examples with respect not only to the tipping material and its production, but also to its arrangement upon a filter or mouthpiece.

1. Acigarettetipping material comprising a sheet of tipping material, a coating having nonlipsticking properties covering preselected areas of said sheet, and perforations in said sheet, said

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to tipping material for smoking articles This invention concerns improvements relating to tipping material for smoking articles, more particularly but not exclusively cigarettes. For simplicity, reference will be made hereinafter to cigarettes. In the manufacture of cigarettes, it is common practice to apply a coating on the tipping material for the cigarettes to reduce or prevent lipsticking, that is the tendency of the wrapping, around a filter, which comes in contact with the smoker's lips to adhere thereto. Presently, there are known in the art several different methods for coating the tipping to prevent or at least reduce the sticking of wrapping material to the smoker's lips during use. British Patent No. 328,147 relates to a cigarette having a tip with which sticking to the lips is prevented by a coating applied to preselected surfaces on the tip. U.S. Patent No. 288,151 teaches a cigarette wrapper having preselected areas with the coating applied thereon in a form of a design. U.S. Patent No. 2,033,791 teaches a water-proof tip which is "lip-proof", only preselected portions of the tobacco paper being coated for strengthening the paper. Other patents which teach coating of the wrapper to prevent sticking to the lips include U.S. Patent No. 2,217,527, U.S. Patent No. 2,159,704 and U.S. Patent No.2,149,896. The present invention seeks to provide a tipping material, which has not only non-lipsticking properties but also provision for ventilation for mixing air with the smoke stream at the filter end of a cigarette. According to the invention, cigarette tipping material comprises a sheet of tipping material, a coating having non-lipsticking properties covering preselected areas of said sheet and perforations in said sheet, said perforations being located in areas not covered by said coating. The invention further provides a method of making a cigarette tipping material comprising the steps of passing a sheet of tipping material through a means for adding thereto a coating having non-lipsticking properties in a preselected area or areas or a preselected pattern, drying the coating and passing the coated material through means to form perforations therein.By the invention, clogging of ventilation perforations with coating material can be avoided and build-up or other problems with the perforating means can be obviated, thereby reducing downtime and machine cleaning, and a consistent perforated product can be ensured. One manner of carrying the invention into effect will now be more fully described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sheet of cigarette tipping material in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of a cigarette using the tipping material of Figure 1 and Figure 3 is a schematic view, in perspective, illustrating one preferred manner of making the tipping material of Figure 1. In Figure 1, a sheet of tipping material 2, generally paper, is provided with preselected areas 4 coated with a material of non-lipsticking, or lip-releasing, type. Suitable materials for such coatings with non-lipsticking properties include ethyl cellulose, nitrocellulose, and other well known agents used for preventing sticking of a smoker's lips to a cigarette. The coating may be applied along various configurations or patterns. In the example shown, it is applied along spaced parallel straight lines running the length of the paper. In use, as shown by way of example in Figure 2, it extends around the filter 6 of a cigarette 5. The uncoated areas of the tipping paper are provided with spaced parallel straight lines of perforations 8 which, in use, also encircle the filter 6 as shown, in a single line, in Figure 2, thereby allowing air into the smoke stream as it passes through the filter during smoking. In a preferred method of making tipping material in accordance with the invention, illustrated by Figure 3, a sheet 10 of unprinted tipping paper is fed to a pair of synchronized rollers 12 and 14. Roller 12 is a pressure roller and roller 14 is a roto-gravure printing cylinder having preselected engraved areas therein, for example areas 16a, 16b and 16c. The roller 14 dips into reservoir 20 containing coating material 22. The coating material does not transfer or adhere to the unengraved areas of the roller 14. Thus, as the sheet 10 passes between the rollers 12 and 14, coating material is applied to the underside of the tipping paper in a preselected pattern. The sheet 10 leaving the coating step of the preparation is then fed to a drier for drying the coating. The drier illustrated includes an air blower 40 and a fire-box 41 for heating the air and directing same to the paper 10 passing thereover, as shown, or therethrough. The drier shown is by way of example only and other drying means known in the art may be utilized. The sheet 10 is next fed into a pair of synchronized rollers 24 and 26. The roller 26 is provided with a pair of parallel rings 18a and 18b having a plurality of pins 28 which, during rotation of the cooperating rollers 24 and 26, perforate the tipping paper.The rings 18a and 18b are in alignment with the unengraved portions of the cylinder 14so that, as the sheet 10 passes between the cooperating rollers 24 and 26, the pins perforate the tipping paper in its uncoated areas. The product leaving the rollers 24 and 26 shows the uncoated areas 18c and 18dwith rows of apertures therein and coated areas 30. The tipping paper is then ready for use with a cigarette filter. The tipping material may alternatively be perforated prior to coating. Within the scope of the appended claims, various other departures may be made from the above-described examples with respect not only to the tipping material and its production, but also to its arrangement upon a filter or mouthpiece. CLAIMS

1. Acigarettetipping material comprising a sheet of tipping material, a coating having nonlipsticking properties covering preselected areas of said sheet, and perforations in said sheet, said perforations being located in areas not covered by said coating.

2. The cigarette tipping material of Claim 1, wherein said sheet is paper.

3. The cigarette tipping material of Claim 1, wherein said coating comprises nitro-cellulose and/ or ethyl cellulose.

4. The cigarette tipping material of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the coating and the perforations are in spaced parallel lines.

5. Cigarette tipping material substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

6. A method of making a cigarette tipping material comprising the steps of passing a sheet of tipping material through a means for adding thereto a coating having non-lipsticking properties in a preselected area or areas or a preselected pattern, drying the coating, and passing the coated material through means to form perforations therein.

7. The method of Claim 6, wherein said means to add a coating is a pair of cooperating rollers, one of said rollers being a pressure roller and the other a rotogravure cylinder having an unengraved surface therein in a preselected area or areas, said rollers being mounted in contacting relationship to receive said tipping material therebetween.

8. The method of Claim 7, wherein said rotogravure cylinder is in contacting relationship with said coating material.

9. The method of any one of Claims 6 to 8, wherein said means for forming perforations is a pair of cooperating rollers, one of said rollers being a pressure roller and the other having at least one ring of pins therearound, a said ring being in alignment with said area or areas of unengraved surface of said rotogravure cylinder, whereby said perforations are made in an uncoated area or areas of said tipping pauper.

10. A method of making a cigarette tipping material substantially as hereinbefore described.

11. A tobacco-smoke filter for a cigarette, comprising tipping material around said filter, which material has a non-lipsticking coating in a preselected area or areas thereof and perforations in a preselected non-coated area or areas.

12. The cigarette filter of Claim 11, wherein said tipping material is paper.

13. The cigarette filter of Claim 11 or 12 wherein said coating comprises nitrocellulose andlor ethyl cellulose.

14. The cigarette filter of Claim 11,12 or 13, wherein the coating and the perforations are in spaced parallel lines.

15. A cigarette filter substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawing.