WO1995010950A2

WO1995010950A2 - Filter cigarette with filter at both ends

Info

Publication number: WO1995010950A2
Application number: PCT/CA1994/000552
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Unsworth
Original assignee: John Unsworth
Priority date: 1993-10-18
Filing date: 1994-10-17
Publication date: 1995-04-27
Also published as: WO1995010950A3; AU7806394A

Abstract

A cigarette having a filter at both ends. One or both of the filters (4) and (5) may be detachably attached to an encasing paper body (3) containing cut tobacco (6) at the overlap (7) and (8) of the filters and the body so that one or both filters may be removed using one's fingers. Cigarette may also be divided by one's fingers into portions along plane oriented perpendicular to longitudinal axis of cigarette at points of weakness in the body (9, 10 and 11) and at points of weakness in the cut tobacco (12) contained within the body.

Description

FILTER CIGARETTE WITH FILTER AT BOTH ENDS

BACKGROUND OF THIS INVENTION

The invention relates to filtered cigarettes.

Cigarettes having one filter attached to one end of an encasing paper body filled with cut tobacco have been in use for many years. Often the smoker intends to only smoke a small part of the cigarette before it is discarded, wasting much of the cigarette in the process. This may be due to the lack of time available to smoke the cigarette or simply because the smoker chooses to have a brief smoke. Because the filter has been attached to only one end of the cigarette, the smoker has not been able to make use of the part of the cigarette that he does not intend to use without extinguishing the cigarette and later relighting it. Doing so however often results in an unpleasant change in the taste of the cigarette when it is later relighted. While this problem might be solved by producing smaller cigarettes, the same smoker might often wish to have the option of smoking a full sized cigarette when time permits or inclination dictates.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THIS INVENTION

This invention relates to an improved cigarette that has a filter tip at both ends of the cigarette. This permits the user of the cigarette to remove one filter and have a full length cigarette, or to divide the cigarette into two portions, each being tipped with a filter, or to discard the filter from the portion to be smoked.

If the user chooses to divide the cigarette into two portions, he might choose to divide the cigarette into equal or unequal portions, as his inclination dictates. If he should do so, the portion not smoked the first time may be smoked later. This would avoid the change in taste that some smokers notice when a cigarette is extinguished and later relit.

This invention also describes means to facilitate the removal of one or both filters and to divide the cigarette into predetermined portions using one's fingers rather than by using a cutting instrument such as a pair of scissors or a knife. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of obtaining them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal perspective view of the invention showing a cigarette comprised of an encasing paper body 3 containing cut tobacco, shown in a cut-away as 6, the body being attached along the overlap 7 and 8 of the body and the two filters 4 and 5. Fig. 1 also shows three possible locations 9, 10 and 11 of means to facilitate the separation of the cigarette into portions.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal perspective view that shows in greater detail and in larger scale a part of the encasing paper body with a cut-away revealing the cut tobacco that is contained within the body. Two packets of cut tobacco abut at 12, with substantially no connecting strands of tobacco. Fig. 2 also shows on the encasing body a line 13 to indicate where the cigarette could be more neatly divided and the location 10 of weakening means to facilitate the separation of the cigarette into portions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A typical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 1, a longitudinal perspective view, illustrating an encasing paper body containing cut tobacco, having a filter attached at both ends along the overlap 7 and 8 of the body and filter.

This basic embodiment of the invention allows one to separate the cigarette into two cigarettes both having filters or by removing one filter have one long filtered cigarette. However, to do so one must either use a cutting instrument or simply break the cigarette with one's fingers. The former possibility while producing a neat result, may be inconvenient and the latter, while convenient will probably produce a ragged and torn end where the cigarette is broken. The following additional embodiments are methods to allow one to remove with one's fingers one or more of the filters or divide the body neatly without using a cutting instrument.

Normally a non-releasing adhesive is used to permanently bond the filter to the encasing paper body along the overlap of the two. One embodiment of the invention is to detachably attach the filters to the body to permit one or both filters to be removed from the body using the force of one's fingers. The bond detachably attaching the filter to the body should however be sufficiently strong to prevent the filters from dislodging from the body during otherwise normal use. The bond, detachably attaching the filters to the body could be effected by many methods including a releasing adhesive or mechanically bonding the overlapping paper of the filters and the body at 7 and 8 of Fig. 1 by such means as knurling or perforating the overlapping materials together.

Additional weakening means to facilitate the removal of the filters from the body, and for separating the body and the tobacco contained within, into portions would include perforating, knurling, scoring or creasing the body along a line on the body that is coincident with the intersection of the body and a plane oriented perpendicular with the longitudinal axis of the body. Additional weakening means would include applying a chemical along the line that would weaken the material comprising the body. Perforations are shown at three possible locations of the weakening means at 9, 10 and 11 on Fig. 1 and at 10 on Fig. 2. The material used for the body, before the weakening means are applied should be substantially uniform in strength to increase the probability of a clean break of the body when separated.

Additional weakening means to facilitate the portioning of the body and the tobacco contained within, using the force of one's fingers, may be provided by arranging the cut tobacco contained within the body in such a way that the strands of the cut tobacco substantially abut but do not overlap along a plane passing through the body and oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body as illustrated at 12 in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

A mark or line could be placed on the outside surface of the body to indicate where the tobacco strands substantially abut but do not overlap and thus where the body and the tobacco contained within might be separated more neatly as illustrated as 13 in Fig. 2.

To produce the neatest and best result the body would be weakened and the tobacco would abut but not overlap along the same plane oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body.

While one embodiment of this invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described herein above, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein, without departing from the essence of this invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cigarette comprising an encasing paper body containing cut tobacco with a filter attached to both ends of said body, whereby one may remove one or both filters or divide said body and said tobacco contained within, into two or more portions.

2. The cigarette of claim 1, further including a releasable bond, detachably attaching one or both said filters to said body, whereby one may remove one or both filters from said body more easily and neatly.

3. The cigarette of claim 1, further including weakening means located at one or more positions on said body, in combination with the rest of said body having substantially uniform and greater material strength, whereby the cigarette can be separated into portions more easily and neatly at the points of weakness.

4. The cigarette of claim 1, further including two or more packets of said cut tobacco each abutting the other but not substantially connected by overlapping strands of said tobacco, along a plane oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said body.