Cigarette for electrical smoking system

• US 5,499,636 A
• Filed: 04/20/1995
• Issued: 03/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Clark, David A., Wrenn, Susan E., Uhl, Richard G., Baggett, James D. Jr., Cowling, Patrick C.
• Primary Examiner(s): BAHR, JENNIFER DOYLE
• Application Number:
  US08/425,837
• Time in Patent Office: 334 Days
• Field of Search: 131/370, 131/372, 131/374, 131/84.1, 131/355, 131/194
• US Class Current: 131/374
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/01 Making cigarettes for simulated smoking devices
• CPC Class Codes: A24D 1/20 Cigarettes specially adapted for simulated smoking devices

Abstract

A novel cigarette adapted for use in an electrical cigarette system comprising a tobacco rod having filled and untilled tobacco rod portions and being arranged so that electrical heater elements may overlap the filled and untilled tobacco rod portions. The tobacco rod includes a tobacco web rolled into tubular form. The tobacco web is constructed in accordance with a novel process comprising the steps of converting tobacco feedstock into a continuous sheet of tobacco web and converting the continuous sheet of tobacco web into one or more bobbins of tobacco web suitable for automated manufacture of cigarettes.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a tobacco web comprising a base web and a layer of tobacco material, said tobacco web being foldable into a tubular form as part of a cigarette operative with an electrical cigarette lighter, said method comprising the steps of:

separating solubles from fibers of a tobacco feedstock, said solubles being in solution comprising 5 to 10% by weight dissolved tobacco constituents;

producing said base web by forming a slurry of said separated tobacco fiber, mixing said slurried tobacco-fiber with a slurried strengthening agent to form a slurried mixture and casting said slurried mixture onto a web forming apparatus;

producing said tobacco material by mixing said 5 to 10% solution of tobacco constituents with additional tobacco particles, glycerin and pectin so as to form a dispersion of tobacco material and adjusting water content so as to achieve in said dispersion a solids content in the range of approximately 20 to 30%;

applying said dispersion of tobacco material along said base web to form a sheet of said tobacco web;

drying said sheet of said tobacco web to moisture content in the range of approximately 8.5 to 12%;

cooling said sheet of said tobacco web to a temperature in the range of approximately 70°

to 80°

F.;

decurling said sheet of said tobacco web;

winding said sheet of said tobacco web so as to form a roll of tobacco web; and

slitting said roll of tobacco web so as to produce a bobbin of tobacco web.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said solution of tobacco solubles comprises approximately 7 to 8% by weight dissolved tobacco constituents.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the amount of water is adjusted to achieve at the conclusion of the mixing step a dispersion of approximately 24 to 26% solids content.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the tobacco particles are in the range of approximately 100 to 220 mesh.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the tobacco particles are approximately 120 mesh.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said slurried strengthening agent comprises at least one of wood pulp, flax pulp and tobacco stem pulp.

7. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said applying step includes applying said dispersion of tobacco material to said base web at dry weight ratio of at least 2:

1.

8. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said applying step includes applying said dispersion of tobacco material to said base web at dry weight ratio of at least 3:

1.