Tobacco – Cigar or cigarette making – Wrapping devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-30
2001-08-14
Colaianni, Michael P. (Department: 1731)
Tobacco
Cigar or cigarette making
Wrapping devices
C131S108000, C131S110000, C131S274000, C131S302000, C131S304000, C131S309000, C131S300000, C131S306000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273093
ABSTRACT:
The subject invention relates to the incorporation of particulate smoke-modifying agents in smoking material rods.
It has heretofore been proposed to incorporate a particulate smoke-modifying agent in a tobacco rod of a cigarette. Thus, for example, it has been proposed in GB 1 349 537 to admix encapsulated flavourant with cut tobacco cigarette filler and then to feed the thus obtained mixture to a cigarette rod making machine. It was the proposition of U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,863 to adhere a particulate burn rate substance to adhesive printed on cigarette paper, such that the substance adheres to the paper in accordance with the printed pattern of the adhesive. The cigarette paper so loaded with burn rate modifying substance is then used on a rod making machine for the purpose of making continuous tobacco rod. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the proposed method of U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,863 could be used in respect of the incorporation of a particulate smoke-modifying agent in a tobacco rod. It is a teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,995 that particulate material is deposited on tobacco rod via a bore extending through the garniture tongue of a rod making machine.
It is an object of the subject invention to provide an improved and commercially practical method of incorporating a particulate smoke-modifying agent in a smoking material rod.
The subject invention provides a method of incorporating particulate smoke-modifying agent in a smoking material rod, wherein said agent is introduced into a flow of filamentary smoking material to the suction band of a rod making machine, the location of introduction being in the vicinity of the suction band of said machine and the particulate smoke-modifying agent being conveyed to said location of introduction and being introduced into the flow of smoking material by way of being entrained in a flow of gaseous medium.
By preference the gaseous medium is air.
Preferably, the location of introduction of the smoke-modifying agent into the flow of filamentary smoking material to the suction band of the rod making machine is at the suction band guide rails. Suitably, the path of introduction of the smoke-modifying agent into the flow of smoking material extends through one of the two guide rails. Alternatively, the path of introduction of the smoke-modifying agent extends through a wall bounding a chimney of a rod making machine and extends vertically, or substantially vertically, within the chimney.
Preferably, the location of the introduction of the smoke-modifying particles relative of the width of the curtain of filamentary smoking material flowing to the suction band is such that the particles are deposited on smoking material which has already been deposited on the suction band, and downstream of the said location, further smoking material of the curtain is deposited over the deposited particles, so as to ensure that the particles are other than at the periphery of the smoking material carpet as finally formed at the downstream end of the lower run of the suction band. Suitably, the said location is at a mid zone of the said curtain of smoking material. Thus, for example, the said location may be situate between about 25% and about 60% of the width of said curtain taken from that end thereof from which smoking material is first deposited on the suction band, and preferably between about 25% and about 40%. The advantages of the said location of the introduction of smoke-modifying particles being at a mid zone of the said curtain of smoking material include the minimisation of losses in respect of the smoke-modifying particles passing through the suction band, a better smoking article product wherein loss of smoke-modifying agent to sidestream smoke is minimised, and the maintenance of smoke-modifying particles in the smoking article without substantial loss.
Advantageously, the rate of flow of the smoke-modifying agent to the location of introduction is adjustable relative to the speed of operation of the rod making machine, i.e. with any changes in the flow rate of the smoking material to the suction band, such that the smoke-modifying agent is incorporated at a uniform mass quantity per unit length of the smoking material rod. The smoke-modifying agent may, as a result of employment of the subject invention, be present in the smoking material rod at, for example, 10 to 20 mg per smoking article unit length of the rod, 16 mg for instance.
As an alternative to the flow of smoke-modifying agent to the location of introduction being a continuous flow, the flow may be intermittent, so that in smoking article rods, the product of said machine, the smoke-modifying agent is located at a zone thereof, which zone extends over a fraction only of the length of the rod, at that zone, for example, which accounts for the last few puffs, the last two or three say, in the smoking of a smoking article comprising the rod.
The particulate smoke-modifying agent may comprise, for example, tobacco dust or encapsulated flavourant, menthol for example. In the former case the tobacco dust may be impregnated with a flavourant.
The smoke-modifying agent particles are preferably of spherical shape. The particles may, for example, be of a diameter from about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm. The particles used in any particular instance are preferably of uniform diameter. The particles should not be inter-adherent, but on the contrary a bulk of the particles should be free-flowing.
The subject invention further provides a smoking material rod making machine comprising a suction band, filamentary smoking material feed means and smoke-modifying agent feed means, the smoking material feed means being operable to provide a flow of filamentary smoking material to the suction band, the smoke-modifying agent feed means being operable to introduce smoke-modifying agent into said flow, the location of introduction into said flow being in the vicinity of said suction band, and said particulate smoke-modifying agent being conveyed to said location and being introduced into said flow of filamentary smoking material by said smoke-modifying agent feed means by way of said particulate smoke-modifying agent being entrained in a flow of gaseous medium.
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Claringbould Anthony Craig
Oliver Richard
British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
Colaianni Michael P.
Pitney Hardin Kipp & Szuch LLP
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