EP3416505B1

EP3416505B1 - Cigarette and method for making the cigarette

Info

Publication number: EP3416505B1
Application number: EP17709482.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giuliano Gamberini; Angelo Li Vigni; Massimo Sartoni
Original assignee: GD SpA
Current assignee: GD SpA
Priority date: 2016-02-17
Filing date: 2017-02-10
Publication date: 2020-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 2037-02-10
Also published as: EP3416505A1; PL3416505T3; WO2017141142A1

Description

Technical field

This invention relates to a cigarette and method for making the cigarette, whose distinctive property is an improvement in the quality of the smoke produced.

Background art

It is known that cigarettes include a piece of filter and what is known as an "active portion" - usually a piece of cigarette rod designed to release the substance to be inhaled - stably connected to each other by means of a paper patch which is wrapped and glued at one end to the piece of filter and, at the other end, to the piece of cigarette rod.
During use, some smokers tend to continue smoking the cigarette down to the patch. One undesirable result of this is that the smoker may also inhale substances produced by the combustion of the glue used to fix the patch to the piece of cigarette rod.
The substances produced by the combustion of the glue may be harmful for the smoker, who may not notice when the cigarette has been smoked down to a point past the normal limit.
It is known, from document WO 2014/153622 , a cigarette with a tipping paper used to connect the filter with the cigarette rod section, where the tipping paper has a first portion made of paper and a second, end portion, made of a heat shrinkable material used to achieve an automatic extinguishing action when it is reached by the burning section of the cigarette.

Disclosure of the invention

The technical purpose of this invention is therefore to provide a cigarette and a method for making the cigarette which allow overcoming the above mentioned disadvantage.
In the context of this technical purpose, the invention has for an aim to provide a cigarette and a method for making the cigarette which allow safeguarding the user's health by preventing inhalation of products contained in the smoke produced by the combustion of the glue used to fix the wrapping patch.
The proposed aim is achieved by a cigarette and a method for making the cigarette, comprising the technical features set out in one or more of the appended claims.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting embodiment of it and in which:

Figure 1 represents a cigarette according to this invention;
Figures 2A-2D illustrate a sequence of working steps for making the cigarette of Figure 1;
Figures 3A-3B illustrate a sequence of working steps for making a further embodiment of the cigarette of this invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

With reference to the accompanying drawings and, in particular, as shown in Figure 1, the numeral 1 denotes in its entirety a cigarette made according to this invention.
More specifically, the cigarette 1 comprises a filter 2, an active portion 3 for releasing a substance to be inhaled and a patch 4 connecting the active portion 3 and the filter 2 to each other.
The patch 4 is wrapped around both the filter 2 and the active portion 3 in order to connect them to each other. For this purpose, the patch 4 has a first annular end portion 4a wrapped freely around the active portion 3 (that is to say, without interposing any adhesive substance between the first portion 4a and the active portion 3), and a second, annular portion 4b, adjacent to the first annular portion 4a and glued to the filter 2 and to the active portion 3. In other words, the inside surface of the second portion 4b of the patch 4 (but not that of the first portion 4a), which comes into contact with the filter 2 and with the active portion 3, is covered by an adhesive substance in such a way as to define a stable, uniform connection.
The patch 4 preferably has a third portion 4c which is adjacent to the first portion 4a and to the second portion 4b.
When the patch is wrapped, its third portion 4c is glued to its first portion 4a. Advantageously, the fixing of the patch 4 around the active portion 3 and filter 2 is improved.
In detail, the second portion 4b and the third portion 4c may form an L shape.
The third portion 4c of the patch 4 may be made of the same material as the first portion 4a and/or second portion 4b (preferably, the same material as the first portion 4a). Further, the third portion 4c of the patch 4 may receive the same treatments (for example, to vary its air permeability or flammability) as the first portion 4a and/or second portion 4b (preferably, the same treatments as the first portion 4a).
Preferably, the adhesive substance covers only certain zones of the portion 4b, according to a predetermined pattern.
Preferably, the first portion 4a of the patch has lower air permeability compared with the second portion 4b of the patch 4.
This is achieved, according to the invention, by using a paper patch 4 and subsequently modifying the air permeability of the first portion 4a of the patch and leaving unchanged the air permeability of the second portion 4b of the patch 4.
In a first embodiment, the reduction in air permeability is obtained by applying to the first portion 4a a covering made of a material having reduced or zero air permeability, for example a thin layer or sheet of aluminium foil.
In a second embodiment, the reduction in air permeability is obtained by impregnating the first portion 4a with a material having reduced or zero air permeability, for example a metal based material.
In addition or alternatively to this reduction in permeability, the first portion 4a of the patch 4 is also subjected to a treatment for reducing its flammability so that the first portion 4a has low ignition propensity (LIP).
In a first embodiment, the property of low ignition propensity is given by covering the first portion 4a with a reduced flammability or flame retardant material.
In a second embodiment, the property of low ignition propensity is given by impregnating the first portion 4a of the patch 4 with a reduced flammability or flame retardant material, such as, for example, an aqueous solution containing alginates, silicates or starch.
Figure 2A shows a patch 4' according to the invention before it is applied on the filter 2 and active portion 3 and being double in length (configured as two patches 4 of the kind described above, positioned mirror-symmetrically relative to each other) so that, when it is applied, it defines a double-length cigarette 1' provided with a central, double-length filter 2', to be cut to make two single-length cigarettes 1.
As may be noted in the drawing, the first portion 4a and the second portion 4b of the patch 4 are rectangular in shape and are adjacent to each other and defined by different portions of a single piece of paper material.
Described below is a method for making the cigarette 1 described above.
A double-size filter 2' and, at the two opposite ends of it, two respective, single size active portions 3 are disposed in alignment and a double-size patch 4' of the kind described above is wrapped around them by means of a known rolling process.
The rolling process is the process by which double-size filter 2' is joined to the two active portions 3 by means of the patch 4'. For this purpose, an adhesive substance (for example glue) is applied on the patch 4' beforehand, using a specific gumming unit, for example.
In detail, the adhesive substance may be spread on the second portion 4b of the double-size patch 4'. Alternatively, the adhesive substance may be spread along the perimeter of the second portion 4b of the double-size patch 4'.
Furthermore, the adhesive substance may preferably be spread on the third portion 4c of the double-size patch 4' so that when the double-size patch 4' is rolled up, the third portion 4c is glued to the first portion 4a of the double-size patch 4'. That way, the patch 4' is fixed stably and, at the same time, no adhesive substance is placed between the first portion 4a and the respective active portions 3. The double patch 4' is preferably made of paper and may be obtained by cutting it from a paper web.
As mentioned previously, the patch 4' is configured as two patches 4 of the kind described above, positioned mirror-symmetrically relative to each other and it thus has two first portions 4a, opposite each other and joined by a second, double-length, central portion 4b.
Likewise, the first portions 4a are preferably subjected to the aforementioned treatment for reducing air permeability and/or the aforementioned treatment for reducing flammability, according to the methods described above.
Next (Figure 2B), the double patch 4' is wrapped around the double filter 2' and the active portions in such a way that the second portion 4b of the patch 4 is glued to the double filter 2' and to a corresponding end portion of each active portion 3.
Next, the double cigarette 1' thus obtained is cut half way along the double filter 2' to obtain two filter cigarettes 1 placed end to end at the filter 2 (Figure 2C).
Lastly, one of the two cigarettes 1 is rotated and disposed with its longitudinal axis "X" parallel to the longitudinal axis of the other cigarette 1 in such a way that the filters 2 of both cigarettes 1 are disposed on the same side (Figure 2D).
The cigarettes 1 thus oriented are then transferred to further operating stations, for example for inspection and/or packing, along a conveying direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the cigarettes 1.
The above described cigarette making method of the invention is also applicable to making cigarettes from a single filter, in which case the steps of cutting the double cigarettes and rotating one of the two cigarettes obtained by cutting are omitted.
The invention achieves its preset aim, in particular by allowing the first portion of the patch to be wrapped and fixed around the active portion without causing glue to come into contact with the active portion. That means no adhesive substance is burnt and thus that the smoke inhaled is not contaminated by extraneous combustion products.
Moreover, the first portion also acts as a self-extinguishing zone, preventing combustion of the second portion of the patch (which is applied using an adhesive substance in order to maintain the structural integrity of the cigarette).
The self-extinguishing feature also prevents the cigarette from being burnt down to the filter.

Claims

A cigarette comprising a filter (2), an active portion (3) for releasing a substance to be inhaled and a patch (4) connecting the active portion (3) and the filter (2) to each other, characterized in that the patch (4) has a first annular end portion (4a) wrapped freely around the active portion (3), and a second, annular portion (4b), adjacent to the first annular portion (4b) and glued around the filter (2) and the active portion (3).
The cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the patch (4) has a third portion (4c) which is adjacent to the first portion (4a) and second portion (4b) and which is glued to the first portion (4a).
The cigarette according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) has lower air permeability compared with the second portion (4b) of the patch (4).
The cigarette according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first portion (4a) of the patch has reduced air permeability.
The cigarette according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) is made of the same material as the second portion (4b) of the patch (4) and is coated with material having reduced or zero air permeability.
The cigarette according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) is made of the same material as the second portion (4b) of the patch (4) and is coated with a reduced flammability or flame retardant material.
The cigarette according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) is made of the same material as the second portion (4b) of the patch (4) and is impregnated with material having reduced or zero air permeability.
The cigarette according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) is made of the same material as the second portion (4b) of the patch (4) and is impregnated with a reduced flammability or flame retardant material.
A method for making a cigarette, comprising the steps of:
- preparing at least one filter (2);

- preparing at least one corresponding active portion (3) for releasing a substance to be inhaled;

- preparing a patch (4) for connecting the filter (2) and the active portion (3) to each other;

- wrapping the patch (4) around the filter (2) and the active portion (3) by rolling in such a way that the patch (4) has a first annular end portion (4a) wrapped freely around the active portion (3), and a second, annular portion (4b), adjacent to the first annular portion (4b) and glued around the filter (2) and the active portion (3).
The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of preparing the patch (4) comprises a step of reducing the air permeability of the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) compared with the second portion (4b).
The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of reducing the air permeability of the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) comprises a step of coating the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) with material having reduced air permeability.
The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the step of reducing the air permeability of the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) comprises a step of impregnating the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) with material having reduced air permeability.
The method according to one or more of claims 9 to 12, wherein the step of preparing the patch (4) comprises a step of reducing the flammability of the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) compared with the second portion (4b).
The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of reducing the flammability of the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) comprises a step of coating the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) with a reduced flammability or flame retardant material.
The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the step of reducing the flammability of the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) comprises a step of impregnating the first portion (4a) of the patch (4) with a reduced flammability or flame retardant material.