Smoking article

• US 10,188,140 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2014
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R J Reynolds Tobacco Company (R. J. Reynolds Tobacco)
• Original Assignee: R J Reynolds Tobacco Company (R. J. Reynolds Tobacco)
• Inventors: Crooks, Evon L., Conner, Billy T., Brewer, Jr., Dempsey B., Read, Jr., Louis John
• Primary Examiner(s): Felton, Michael J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Will, Katherine A
• Application Number:
  US14/160,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20150201670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,834 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/47 Attaching filters or mouthpieces to cigars or cigarettes, e.g. inserting filters into cigarettes or their mouthpieces A24C5/52 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A24D 1/002 with additives, e.g. for flavouring preparing tobacco, e.g. flavouring, A24B
• CPC Class Codes: A24D 1/22 Cigarettes with integrated combustible heat sources, e.g. with carbonaceous heat sources

Abstract

A smoking article, such as a cigarette, comprises a lighting end and a mouth end. The smoking article possesses an aerosol-generation system that includes (i) a heat generation segment, and (ii) an aerosol-generating region or segment. A mouth end piece segment can be located at the mouth end of the smoking article. A segment of tobacco cut filler, gathered tobacco paper, or other type of flavor source material, can be positioned between the mouth end piece segment and the aerosol-generation segment. Optionally, segment composed of tobacco cut filler can be positioned so as to provide a lighting end segment. The smoking article possesses an overwrap (e.g., a single paper overwrap) that extends over the longitudinally extending surface of the mouth end piece segment, the aerosol generation segment, at least a portion of the length of the heat generation segment, any segment located between the mouth end piece and aerosol generation segments, and at least a portion of the length of the optional lighting end segment. Alternatively, the smoking article possesses an overwrap (e.g., a single paper overwrap) that extends over the longitudinally extending surface of the aerosol-generating segment, at least a portion of the length of the heat generation segment, at least a portion of any segment located downstream from the aerosol-generating segment, and at least a portion of the length of the optional lighting end segment, thereby forming a cigarette rod; and the cigarette rod is connected or attached to a filter element using a tipping type of material and arrangement.

Claims

1. A cigarette comprising:

a lighting end and a mouth end;

a mouth end piece segment disposed at the mouth end;

an aerosol-generation system including (i) a heat generation segment disposed at the lighting end, said heat generation segment having a length and including a heat source, and (ii) an aerosol-generating segment incorporating aerosol-forming material, said aerosol-generating segment having a length and being disposed adjacent to, and physically separate from, the heat generation segment, said aerosol-generating segment including a substrate for the aerosol-forming material, the substrate abutting with the heat source in the heat generation segment;

a single piece of a first wrapping material providing an overwrap around at least a portion of the length of the heat generation segment and around at least a portion of the length of the aerosol-generating segment;

a segment incorporating tobacco positioned between the aerosol-generating segment and the mouth end piece segment, such that the first wrapping material does not overwrap the segment incorporating tobacco;

a single piece of a second wrapping material providing an overwrap (i) around the segment incorporating tobacco for the length of that segment, (ii) around the aerosol-generating segment for the length of that segment, and (iii) around the heat generation segment for the majority of the length of that segment;

the segment incorporating tobacco, the aerosol-generating segment and the heat generation segment being connected together by the second wrapping material to provide a cigarette rod; and

the mouth end piece segment being connected to the cigarette rod using tipping material.

2. The cigarette of claim 1, wherein a single piece of a third wrapping material provides an overwrap around at least a portion of the length of the tobacco-containing segment and around at least a portion of the length of the mouth end piece segment.

3. The cigarette of claim 1, wherein a single piece of a tipping material provides an outer overwrap around at least a portion of the length of the tobacco-containing segment and around the length of the mouth end piece segment.

4. The cigarette of claim 1, wherein the heat generation segment has a length of less than about 30 mm, and the heat source comprises a carbonaceous fuel element.

5. The cigarette of claim 1, wherein the aerosol-generating segment incorporates glycerin, propylene glycol or combinations thereof.

6. The cigarette of claim 1, wherein the heat generation segment and the aerosol-generating segment are in a heat exchange relationship with one another.

7. The cigarette of claim 1, wherein the single piece of second wrapping material that provides an overwrap extends up to about 1 mm to about 5 mm from the lighting end of the cigarette.

8. The cigarette of claim 1, wherein the single piece of second wrapping material that provides an overwrap extends so as to be flush with the lighting end of the cigarette.

9. The cigarette of claim 1, wherein the first wrapping material is a laminate of paper and metal.

10. A method for manufacturing a cigarette of claim 1, the method comprising:

forming a two-up aerosol-generating segment comprising a substrate material and having two ends;

connecting a heat generation segment to each end of the two-up aerosol-generating segment with a first wrapping material such that the aerosol generating segment substrate material is adjacent to and abutting with the heat generation segment to provide a two-up combined segment;

subdividing the two-up combined segment to provide two combined segments;

forming a segment incorporating tobacco, that segment having two ends;

aligning one of the combined segments at one end of the segment incorporating tobacco, such that the aerosol-generating segment substrate material and the segment incorporating tobacco are adjacent to one another, so as to provide an aligned assembly;

wrapping the aligned assembly with a single piece of a second wrapping material thereby providing an overwrap (i) around the aerosol-generating segment for the length of that segment, (ii) around the heat generation segment for most of the length of that segment, and (iii) around the segment incorporating tobacco for the length of that segment;

the segment incorporating tobacco, the aerosol-generating segment and the heat generation segment being connected together by the second wrapping material to provide a cigarette rod; and

connecting a mouth end piece segment to the cigarette rod using tipping material.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the two-up aerosol generating segment and the heat generation segment are combined using a laminate of metal and paper.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the aerosol-generating segment and the segment incorporating tobacco are aligned such that the aerosol-generating segment substrate material is abutting with the segment incorporating tobacco.