Smoking article

• US 8,678,013 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• 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, Dempsey B. Jr., Read, Louis John Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Felton, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US12/688,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20100186757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 131/273
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/165 comprising as heat source a carbon fuel or an oxidized or thermally degraded carbonaceous fuel, e.g. carbohydrates, cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/00 Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
• 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.

Claims

1. A cigarette comprising:

a lighting end and a mouth end;

a smokable segment disposed only at the lighting end, said smokable segment having a length and comprising a smokable material circumscribed by wrapping material;

a mouth end piece segment disposed at the mouth end;

an aerosol-generation system disposed between the smokable segment and the mouth end piece segment, the aerosol-generation system including (i) a heat generation segment adjacent to the downstream end of the smokable segment and axially aligned in an end-to-end relationship with, but physically separate from, the smokable segment, 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 between, but physically separate from, each of the heat generation segment and the mouth end;

a single piece of outer wrapping material that provides an overwrap (i) around the aerosol-generating segment for at least a portion of its length, (ii) around the heat generation segment for the length of that segment, and (iii) around the smokable segment for at least a portion of its length;

those segments being connected together by the overwrap 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 the heat generation segment has a length of less than about 30 mm, and the heat source comprises a carbonaceous fuel element.

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

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

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

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