Manufacture of a smoking article
First Claim
1. An apparatus for overwrapping a preformed rod of smoking material with a sheet of wrapping material, the apparatus comprising a smooth bore tube of resilient but rigid material open at at least one end adapted to receive said preformed rod of smoking material when inserted axially therein, and provided with a longitudinal slot extending parallel to the axis of the tube and adapted to receive said sheet of wrapping material, one lip of the slot being tangential to the circumference of the tube and located at a greater distance from the axis of the tube than the other lip of the slot so as to provide a guide inlet for said sheet of wrapping material when inserted in the slot, the smoothness of the bore of the tube being such that the friction between the tube and the sheet of wrapping material is less than the friction between the sheet of wrapping material and the rod, and the tube being sufficiently deformable so that the user is able to reduce by finger pressure the diameter of the tube and thereby control the friction between the rod and sheet on rotating the rod within the tube so as to enable the sheet to be taken up by the rod.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for making a smokeable cigarette from a preformed inherently unsmokeable rod of tobacco and a separate sheet of cigarette paper provided with a strip of contact adhesive comprises an open-ended smooth bore resilient tube provided with a longitudinal slit defined by a pair of lips one of which is radially further spaced from the axis of the tube than is the other lip and is tangential to the circumference of the tube. In operation, the rod is inserted axially into the tube, the paper is then inserted into the slit and the rod rotated so as to wind the paper onto the rod. The user squeezes the tube so as to control the friction between the rod and the sheet. The sheet finally adheres to itself by means of the strip of adhesive. The invention also includes a booklet of cigarette papers which are mounted on the backing card by strips of contact adhesive. On removing a sheet from the card the strip of adhesive remains attached to the sheet.
45 Citations
21 Claims
- 1. An apparatus for overwrapping a preformed rod of smoking material with a sheet of wrapping material, the apparatus comprising a smooth bore tube of resilient but rigid material open at at least one end adapted to receive said preformed rod of smoking material when inserted axially therein, and provided with a longitudinal slot extending parallel to the axis of the tube and adapted to receive said sheet of wrapping material, one lip of the slot being tangential to the circumference of the tube and located at a greater distance from the axis of the tube than the other lip of the slot so as to provide a guide inlet for said sheet of wrapping material when inserted in the slot, the smoothness of the bore of the tube being such that the friction between the tube and the sheet of wrapping material is less than the friction between the sheet of wrapping material and the rod, and the tube being sufficiently deformable so that the user is able to reduce by finger pressure the diameter of the tube and thereby control the friction between the rod and sheet on rotating the rod within the tube so as to enable the sheet to be taken up by the rod.
- 10. A smoker'"'"'s kit to enable a smoker to make a smokeable cigarette, the kit comprising a self-supported preformed rod of smoking material that is inherently unsmokeable until it has been overwrapped, a sheet of wrapping material provided with a line of adhesive, the sheet being adapted to be wrapped round the preformed rod, and a tube of resilient but rigid material open at at least one end adapted to receive said preformed rod of smoking material when inserted axially therein, and provided with a longitudinal slot extending parallel to the axis of the tube and adapted to receive said sheet of wrapping material, and, on manipulation by the smoker, to wrap the sheet round the preformed rod and to secure the sheet to the rod so as to make a smokeable cigarette.
- 15. A mounted arrangement of individually detachable sheets of flexible material, the arrangement comprising a backing web provided with a plurality of regions of contact adhesive and a set of sheets of flexible material mounted in an imbricated array on the backing web by means of the regions of contact adhesive, the arrangement being such that on separating a sheet from the backing web the respective region of contact adhesive holding said sheet to the web is thereby detached from the backing web and retained on said sheet.
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21. A method of making a smokeable cigarette from an inherently unsmokeable rod of smoking material and a sheet of cigarette paper provided with a strip of adhesive along one edge, the method comprising the steps of,
(a) providing a tube of rigid but resilient material of substantially circular cross-section, open at both ends and provided with a longitudinal slot parallel to the axis of the tube from one end of the tube to the other (b) inserting the rod into one end of the tube so that the rod is a close fit in the tube, (c) inserting into the slot an edge of the sheet of cigarette paper which is the opposite edge to said one edge provided with the strip of adhesive, (d) rotating the rod axially within the tube and applying sufficient finger pressure to the tube to deform the tube so as to cause the sheet of cigarette paper to be taken up by the rod as it is rotated until the adhesive strip has been drawn into the tube and adhered to the rod, and (e) releasing the pressure on the tube and removing the completed cigarette from the tube.
Specification