Smoking article mouthpiece configured to receive an insert unit

Abstract

A smoking article (10) comprising: an aerosol-generating substrate (12) and a mouthpiece (14) secured to a downstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate (12). The mouthpiece (14) comprises a first segment (24) of elastically deformable material, the first segment (24) having a length in the longitudinal direction of the mouthpiece (14) and a width transverse to its length. The first segment (24) comprises an insert unit access portion comprising at least one slit (60) extending along at least a part of the length of the first segment (14), and extending across at least a part of the width of the first segment (14) to facilitate deformation of the access portion, such that an opening (25) is formable or expandable in the access portion of the first segment (14) upon receiving an insert unit (50).

Claims

1. A smoking article for receiving an insert unit, the smoking article comprising: an aerosol-generating substrate and a mouthpiece secured to a downstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate, the mouthpiece comprising: a first segment of elastically deformable material, the first segment having a length in a longitudinal direction of the mouthpiece and a width transverse to its length, wherein the first segment comprises an insert unit access portion comprising at least one slit extending along at least a part of the length of the first segment, and extending across at least a part of the width of the first segment to facilitate deformation of the insert unit access portion, between: an undeformed state, in which the boundary of the at least one slit does not define an opening in the insert unit access portion; and a deformed state, in which the boundary of the at least one slit forms at least a portion of the periphery of an opening in the insert unit access portion by action of inserting an insert unit into the first segment of the mouthpiece.

2. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the access portion of the first segment consists solely of the at least one slit.

3. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the first segment is a hollow tubular segment of elastically deformable material and the access portion of the first segment further comprises a pre-formed opening in the hollow tubular segment, and wherein the at least one slit extends across at least a part of the width of the first segment from a point on the periphery of the pre-formed opening.

4. The smoking article according to claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the first hollow tubular segment inwardly projects into the pre-formed opening to define at least one elastically deformable projection.

5. The smoking article according to claim 4, wherein the at least one slit extends across at least a part of the width of the first segment from a point on the periphery of the pre-formed opening defined by the tip of the at least one elastically deformable projection.

6. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the first segment has a substantially circular cross-section and the at least one slit extends along at least a portion of a line passing through the centre of the first segment's substantially circular cross-section.

7. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the at least one slit in the first segment comprises a first slit and a second slit, and wherein the first slit intersects with the second slit at a location on the first segment.

8. The smoking article according to claim 7, wherein the second slit is substantially perpendicular to the first slit.

9. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the at least one slit extends along the entire length of the first segment.

10. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the first segment comprises fibrous filtration material, such as cellulose acetate fibers, polylactic acid fibers or crimped paper, and a plasticiser added to the fibrous filtration material.

11. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece further comprises a second segment adjacent to and upstream of the first segment, and wherein the second segment is a hollow tubular segment defining a chamber for receiving the insert unit.

12. The smoking article according to claim 11, wherein the mouthpiece further comprises a segment of filtration material adjacent to and upstream of the second segment.

13. A mouthpiece for a smoking article, the mouthpiece being configured to receive an insert unit and comprising: a first segment of elastically deformable material, the first segment having a length in a longitudinal direction of the mouthpiece and a width transverse to its length, wherein the first segment comprises an insert unit access portion comprising at least one slit extending along at least a part of the length of the first segment, and extending across at least a part of the width of the first segment to facilitate deformation of the insert unit access portion, between: an undeformed state, in which the boundary of the at least one slit does not define an opening in the insert unit access portion; and a deformed state, in which the boundary of the at least one slit forms at least a portion of the periphery of an opening in the insert unit access portion by action of inserting an insert unit into the first segment of the mouthpiece.

14. A method of forming a mouthpiece for a smoking article that is configured to receive an insert unit, the method comprising: providing a first segment of elastically deformable material, the first segment having a length in a longitudinal direction of the mouthpiece and a width transverse to its length; and providing at least one slit in the first segment to form an access portion in the first segment, the at least one slit extending along at least a part of the length of the first segment, and extending across at least a part of the width of the first segment to facilitate deformation of the insert unit access portion, between: an undeformed state, in which the boundary of the at least one slit does not define an opening in the insert unit access portion; and a deformed state, in which the boundary of the at least one slit forms at least a portion of the periphery of an opening in the insert unit access portion by action of inserting an insert unit into the first segment of the mouthpiece.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first segment is a hollow tubular segment of elastically deformable material having a pre-formed opening that forms part of the access opening, and wherein the at least one slit extends across at least a part of the width of the first segment from a point on the periphery of the pre-formed opening.

Description

(1) The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a smoking article in accordance with the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a partially transparent view of the smoking article of FIG. 1 with the filter unwrapped;

(4) FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of some of the components of FIG. 2; and

(5) FIGS. 4 to 6 show exemplary configurations for the first segment of a smoking article in accordance with various different embodiments of present invention.

(6) FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a smoking article 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The smoking article 10 comprises a wrapped rod 12 of tobacco cut filler which is attached at one end to an axially aligned filter 14. A band of tipping paper 16 circumscribes the filter 14 and a portion of the wrapped rod 12 of tobacco to join together the two portions of the smoking article 10.

(7) As shown in FIG. 2, the filter 14 comprises a first segment 24, in the form of a hollow tubular segment. The first segment 24 comprises a permeable peripheral portion formed of elastically deformable fibrous filtration material (such as cellulose acetate tow), and a pre-formed central opening 25, which extends along the entire length of the segment 24.

(8) In the FIG. 2 smoking article, the first segment 24 is at the downstream end of the filter 14. However, in some cases the filter can include one or more further hollow tubular segments downstream of the first hollow tubular segment. Alternatively or additionally, the portion downstream of the first segment may consist of a mouth end cavity formed by one or more wrappers extending downstream of the first hollow tubular segment.

(9) Upstream of the first segment 24 is a second hollow tubular segment 30, also formed of fibrous filtration material, such as cellulose acetate tow. The second hollow tubular segment 30 has a peripheral portion 31 formed of fibrous filtration material, such as cellulose acetate tow. As seen in FIG. 2 the second hollow tubular segment 30 is adjacent to the first segment 24.

(10) The second hollow tubular segment 30 defines a chamber 32 for receiving an insert unit 50, such as a capsule 50. Adjacent to and upstream of the second hollow tubular segment 30 is a plug of filtration material 40, such as a plug of cellulose acetate tow. An exploded view of the a first hollow tubular segment 24, second hollow tubular segment 30 and plug of filtration material 40 can be seen in FIG. 3. In FIG. 2, the capsule 50 is shown as being in the chamber 32 of the second hollow tubular segment 30. In FIG. 3, the capsule 50 is shown as being external to the mouthpiece segments, with an arrow 51 indicating the path along which the capsule must travel to enter the chamber 32 of the second hollow tubular segment 30.

(11) As can be best seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, the first segment 24 comprises an insert unit access portion, which comprises the pre-formed opening 25 and a pair of slits 60. The access portion is provided in this way so that an insert unit 50 can pass from the exterior of the mouthpiece into the chamber 32 of the second hollow tubular segment 30. In particular, as best seen from FIG. 3, two portions of the first hollow tubular segment 24 inwardly project into the pre-formed opening 25 to define two elastically deformable projections 26 at the downstream end of the filter 14. These projections help to reduce the cross sectional area of the pre-formed opening 25 relative to the cross sectional area of the chamber 32.

(12) Each slit 60 of the access portion extends along the entire length of the first segment 24, and across a portion of the width of the first segment 24 from a point on the periphery of the pre-formed opening 25 defined by the tip of a respective elastically deformable projection 26. The slits 60 are provided in this way to facilitate deformation of the access portion of the first segment 24, so that the pre-formed opening 25 can be expanded in the access portion when the insert unit is being passed through the first segment 24.

(13) The slits 60 may be formed by applying a cutting blade to the first segment 24 after the opening 25 has been formed.

(14) By providing the slits 60 in the first segment, the capsule 50 can be easily inserted into the mouthpiece 14 without a great risk of damaging the capsule 50 during insertion. This is because the slits 60 can help the access portion of the first segment 24, and in particular the projections 26 of the first segment 24, to better deform about the pre-formed opening 25 as the capsule 50 passes through the first segment 24. This prevents the elastically deformable material of the first segment 24 from imposing too large a resistive or compressive force on the capsule 50. However, once the capsule 50 has passed through the pre-formed opening 25 and resides in the chamber 32 of the second hollow tubular element 30, the first segment 24, and in particular the projections 26, can elastically revert to a previous undeformed state to provide a barrier that prevents or inhibits the capsule 50 from exiting the mouthpiece 14. In particular, the first segment 24 can elastically revert to a position that results in the pre-formed opening 25 of the first segment having a cross-section area that does not fully encompass the cross sectional area of the capsule 50 contained within the chamber 32. Namely, after the capsule 50 has passed through the first segment 24, the portion of the first segment 24 defined by the slits 60 reverts to its previous position such that the slits 60 exhibits their previous narrow profile and thus ensure there is at least a partial enclosure surface downstream of the chamber 32 to secure the capsule 50 in the chamber 32. Consequently, the capsule 50 is retained within the chamber 32 and prevented from exiting the mouthpiece 13.

(15) Accordingly, a consumer can insert the capsule 50, through the access portion of the first segment 24, and into the chamber 32 of the second hollow tubular segment 30. During insertion, the projections 26 elastically deform to allow passage of the insert unit 50 through the opening 25. Deformation of the projections 26 is further facilitated by the presence of the slits 60. After the capsule 50 has passed into the chamber 32, the projections 26 revert to their previous (undeformed) state and provide a barrier that prevents the capsule 50 from exiting the mouthpiece.

(16) FIGS. 4 to 6 show exemplary configurations for the access portion of the first segment 24 of a smoking article in accordance with embodiments of present invention, as viewed from the downstream end of the smoking article at a point along the central longitudinal axis of the smoking article. In FIG. 4, the access portion again comprises a pre-formed opening 25. There are three elastically deformable projections 26 uniformly disposed around the pre-formed opening 25, with each projection 26 being disposed at the tip of an imaginary equilateral triangle. That is, the projections 26 are equally spaced around the pre-formed opening 25.

(17) As shown in FIG. 4, the access portion of the first segment further comprises a first slit 611 and a second slit 612, each extending from the tip of a respective projection 26. One of the projections has no corresponding slit.

(18) As can be seen from FIG. 4, the pre-formed opening 25 has a perimeter 255 as viewed from the downstream end of the smoking article. Each projection 26 of the first hollow tubular segment 24 is delimited by a first portion of the perimeter and an imaginary straight line 262 that interests each end of the first portion of the perimeter. The distance 265 between the straight line 262 and the point on the first portion of the perimeter furthest from the straight line in a direction perpendicular to the straight line corresponds to the ‘height’ 265 of the projection 26.

(19) FIGS. 5 and 6 shows further exemplary configurations for the access portion of the first segment 24 of a smoking article in accordance with embodiments of present invention. In FIG. 5, the access portion again comprises a pre-formed opening 25. However, in this embodiment, no projections are provided around the pre-formed opening 25 of the access portion of the first segment 24. Instead, the pre-formed opening 25 has a circular cross section. The access portion of the first segment 24 in FIG. 5 also comprises four slits 61, 62, 63, 64, which are equally spaced around the pre-formed opening 25. Each slit extends across a portion of the width of the first segment 24 from a point on the periphery of the pre-formed opening 25, and along the path of a line passing through the centre 241 of the first segment's 24 substantially circular cross-section. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the cross section of the pre-formed opening 25 is smaller than the cross section of the insert unit 50, which is inserted into the mouthpiece. In such a scenario, the elastically deformable material of the first segment 24 could be expected to provide a relatively large compression force on the insert unit 50 as it passes through the pre-formed opening 25. However, because the access portion includes four slits 61, 62, 63, 64 spaced around the pre-formed opening 25, deformation of the access portion can be further facilitated. This helps to prevent the elastically deformable material of the first segment 24 from imposing too large a resistive or compressive force on the insert unit 50, as the unit 50 is being inserted into or through the access portion of the first segment.

(20) FIG. 6 shows a further exemplary configuration for the first segment 24 of a smoking article in accordance with another embodiment of present invention. Unlike the segments of FIGS. 4 and 5, the access portion of the first segment in FIG. 6 does not comprise a pre-formed opening 25. Instead, the access portion of the first segment in FIG. 6 is defined solely by a first slit 65, and a second slit 66. The second slit 66 is substantially perpendicular to the first slit 65. Each slit extends across a portion of the width of the first segment 24, and along the path of a line passing through the centre 241 of the first segment's 24 substantially circular cross-section. Accordingly, when the access portion of the first segment 24 in FIG. 6 is its undeformed state, there is effectively no opening in the access portion or an infinitesimally small sized opening defined solely by the slits 65, 66 themselves. However, when a consumer attempts to insert an insert unit 50 into the mouthpiece via the access portion of the first segment 24, the slits 65, 66 facilitate deformation of the access portion about the insert unit 50 to cause an opening to be formed in the access portion, and thus allow the insert unit 50 to pass at least partially through the first segment 24 without imposing too large a resistive or compressive force on the insert unit 50.

(21) After the insert unit 50 has passed sufficiently far along the length of the access portion of the first segment 24, the portions of the slits 65, 66 at the mouth end of the first segment 24 will no longer be affected by the presence of the insert unit, and can therefore revert to their previous undeformed state. This means that the slits 65, 66 exhibits their previous narrow profile as shown in FIG. 6, and thus ensure there is at least a partial enclosure surface downstream of the insert unit 50. The mouth end portions of the slits 65, 66 can therefore provide an extremely effective barrier that prevents or inhibits the insert unit 50 from exiting the mouthpiece, after it has been inserted.