ELONGATED SMOKING ARTICLE

Abstract

The present invention relates to an elongated smoking article (100) that extends in a longitudinal direction (L). The elongated smoking article (100) comprises a heatable tobacco material (11) and a filter element (20) aligned with the smoking body (10). The filter element (20) has at least one filter portion (30) and at least one hollow section (40), wherein the at least one hollow section (40) is disposed between the smoking body (10) and at least one of the at least one filer portion (30). The filter element (20) is sheathed by a tipping paper (50) together with the smoking body (10). The filter portion (30) comprises a material for reducing unwanted substances from an aerosol and a hollow section (40) has a barrier layer (51) disposed on its inner surface (41) and a carrier layer (52) disposed on the barrier layer (51). The carrier layer (52) contains a volatile additive (80) and the barrier layer (51) is impermeable to the volatile additive (80). The present invention also refers to a hollow section (40) for an elongated smoking article (100) of the invention, the hollow section (40) being spirally wound from a cardboard sheet material (42) comprising a barrier layer (51) disposed on its inner surface (41) and a carrier layer (52) disposed on the barrier layer (51), wherein a volatile additive (80) is contained in the carrier layer (52) and the barrier layer (51) is impermeable to the volatile additive (80).

Claims

1. Elongated smoking article (100) extending in a longitudinal direction (L), comprising: a cylindrical smoking body (10) with a heatable tobacco material (11); a cylindrical filter element (20) aligned with the smoking body (10) in the longitudinal direction (L) and having at least one filter portion (30) and at least one hollow section (40); and at least one paper (50) circumscribing the smoking body (10) and the filter element (20) for attaching the smoking body (10) and the filter element (20); wherein the at least one hollow section (40) is disposed between the smoking body (10) and at least one of the at least one filter portion (30); wherein the at least one filter portion (30) comprises a material configured to reduce unwanted substances from an aerosol drawn through the filter element (20) from the heated smoking body (10), wherein at least one hollow section (40) has a barrier layer (51) disposed on its inner surface (41) and a carrier layer (52) disposed on the barrier layer (51), and wherein the carrier layer (52) contains a volatile additive (80) and the barrier layer (51) prevents migration of the volatile additive (80) to an exterior of the hollow section (40).

2. Elongated smoking article (100) according to claim 1, wherein the volatile additive (80) is configured to release, upon interaction with the aerosol drawn through the filter element (20), at least one substance into the aerosol.

3. Elongated smoking article (100) according to claim 1, wherein the volatile additive (80) comprises a flavoring.

4. Elongated smoking article (100) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one hollow section (40) comprises a hollow cylinder spirally wound from a sheet material (42).

5. Elongated smoking article (100) according to claim 4, wherein the sheet material is cardboard (42).

6. Elongated smoking article according to claim 4, wherein the barrier layer (51) and the carrier layer (52) are attached to the unwound sheet material (42).

7. Elongated smoking articles (100) according to claim 1, wherein the barrier layer (51) and the carrier layer (52) are formed as a laminate.

8. Elongated smoking articles (100) according to claim 1, wherein the barrier layer (52) comprises a metal or a plastic material and/or wherein the carrier layer (51) comprises a fibrous material.

9. Elongated smoking article (100) according to claim 1, wherein the barrier layer (51) is an aluminum layer and the carrier layer (52) is a paper layer.

10. Elongated smoking articles (100) according to claim 1, wherein the heatable tobacco material (11) is configured to emit a tobacco-flavored aerosol when being heated to a temperature below a combustion point of the heatable tobacco material (11).

11. Elongated smoking articles (100) according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical smoking body (10) comprises a heat reflecting layer (12) circumscribing the heatable tobacco material (11).

12. Elongated smoking articles (100) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one filter portion (30) comprises a cellulose acetate and triacetin.

13. Elongated smoking articles (100) according to claim 1, wherein the barrier layer (51) is configured to prevent the volatile additive (80) to pass through the hollow section (40) and/or into the tipping paper (30).

14. Elongated smoking article (100) according to claim 1, wherein the volatile additive (80) is disposed in the carrier layer (52) by applying a solution of the volatile additive to the carrier layer paper (52).

15. A hollow section (40) for an elongated smoking article (100) according to claim 1, the hollow section (40) being spirally wound from a cardboard sheet material (42) and comprising a barrier layer(51) disposed on its inner surface (41) and a carrier layer (52) disposed on the barrier layer (51), wherein a volatile additive (80) is contained in the carrier layer (52) and the barrier layer (51) is impermeable to the volatile additive (80).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] Further features of the invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic perspective view of an elongated smoking article;

[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic cross section of a filter element of an elongated smoking article according to a first embodiment;

[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic cross section of a filter element of an elongated smoking article according to a second embodiment;

[0035] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic cross section of a filter element of an elongated smoking article according to a third embodiment; and

[0036] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates the manufacturing of a hollow section according to an embodiment.

DETAILLED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0037] With reference to FIG. 1, a schematic perspective view of a smoking stick 100 as an example of an elongated smoking article 100 is shown and a schematic cross section of the smoking stick 100 is shown in FIG. 2. The smoking stick 100 includes a cylindrical rod of heatable tobacco material 11 that is loaded with glycerin as an additionally aerosol-forming component. The cylindrical surface of the tobacco material 11 is surrounded by a heat reflective layer 12, e.g., an aluminum layer for allowing a more uniformly heating thereof.

[0038] The tobacco material 11 within the heat reflective layer 12 is referred to as smoking body 10 and one base area of the smoking body 10 is open to expose the heatable material 11. At this open base area of the smoking body 10 the tobacco material 11 can be heated by inserting a heating element through this open base area (inside-out-heating). Alternatively, the tobacco material 11 can be heated by inserting the smoking stick 100 into a heating element (outside-in-heating). At the opposite base area of the smoking body a filter element 20 is positioned. The filter element 20 comprises a mouthpiece portion 35, a hollow section 40 and a filter portion 30, wherein the hollow section 40 is disposed between the smoking body and the filter portion 30. The mouthpiece portion 35 is arranged at a terminal end of the filter element 20 and forms an open base area of the elongated smoking article that allows a user to draw an aerosol from the heated tobacco material 11 for inhalation. The base areas of the filter element 20 and smoking body 10 permit the passage of an aerosol there through.

[0039] The filter element 20 and the smoking body 10 are axially aligned in an end-to-end relationship along a longitudinal relationship L of the smoking stick 10. The filter element 20 has a generally cylindrical shape with a diameter that is essentially equal to the diameter of the smoking body 10. The filter element 20 is fixed to the smoking body 10 via a tipping paper 50 that is circumscribing both, the filter element 20 and the smoking body 10. The tipping paper 50 is wrapped over the whole length of the filter element 20 and whole length of the smoking body 10 along the longitudinal direction L and might be attached by an adhesive to external surfaces of the smoking body 10 and the filter element 20 or to itself. Thus, the tipping paper 50 provides a force closure between smoking body 10 and filter element 20 via an indirect adhesive bond using a suitable adhesive, such as e.g., a water-based adhesive of the type traditionally employed by cigarette manufacturers for application of tipping paper during filtered cigarette manufacture.

[0040] The filter portion 30 includes a filter material, such as e.g. plasticized cellulose acetate treated with triacetin, which is configured to reduce unwanted substances in an aerosol that is drawn by a smoker from the heated smoking body 10 through the filter element 20. The filter portion 30 is provided as a donut filter having a hollow cylinder of aforementioned materials and a hollow bore for allowing a user to easy draw an aerosol through the hollow bore.

[0041] As shown in the cross section of FIG. 2, the mouthpiece portion 35 providing the open base area that serves as a mouthpiece for a consumer with an improved mouth feeling for the consumer. The hollow section 40 disposed between the smoking body 10 and the filter portion 30 is made of a spirally wound laminate of a cardboard sheet 42, a barrier layer 51 and a carrier layer 52.

[0042] The filter cigarette 100 as shown in FIG. 3 differs from that of FIG. 2 in that a hollow section 40 is disposed between two filter portions 30a, 30b, wherein the filter portion 30a provides the mouthpiece portion for a consumer and might comprise more triacetin than filter portion 30b. However, also the hollow section 40 in FIG. 3 is made of a spirally wound laminate of a cardboard sheet 42, a barrier layer 51 and a carrier layer 52.

[0043] The filter cigarette 100 as shown in FIG. 4 shows a further particularly preferred embodiment of the invention. Therein, the filter cigarette 100 has a diameter of 7.2 mm and an overall length of 48 mm. Further, the cylindrical smoking body 10 is again positioned at the tip of the cigarette 100 in longitudinal direction L and has a length of 12 mm and is formed of slit and gathered cast leaf tobacco. Adjacent to this tobacco portion 10, a filter element 30b is disposed that is formed as a hollow bore filter with a length of 10 mm and a central bore having a diameter of 3.5 mm. Adjacent to the filter element 30b, the hollow cardboard tube 40 with an overall length of 14 mm and the properties as described above is disposed. Adjacent to the cardboard tube 40, at the other terminal end of the filter cigarette 100, another filter element 30a is disposed, which is also formed as hollow bore filter with a total length of 12 mm and a central bore having a diameter of 2 mm. In a preferred embodiment, the hollow bore of filter element 30a is faced with an inner paper liner impregnated with another flavoring and/or being colored for distinguishing a certain kind (e.g., flavor) of the filter cigarette 100. Alternatively, this hollow bore is filled with a mono-acetate filter or the like. In FIG. 4, further the inside (interior) of the hollow tube 40 is marked with I and the outside (exterior) of the hollow tube 40 is marked with O.

[0044] A cross section of a laminate that is used for the hollow sections 40 of FIGS. 2 and 3 and that can be also used for the hollow section of FIG. 4 is shown in FIG. 5. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 5, a cardboard sheet 42 is provided with a shape that is suitable for forming a hollow cylinder by spirally winding the cardboard sheet 42. A laminate of a barrier layer 51 and a carrier layer 52 is disposed on an inner surface 41 of the cardboard sheet 42, e.g. via an adhesive layer (not shown). The laminate of the barrier layer 51 and the carrier layer 52 is an aluminum-paper-laminate, APL, and the barrier layer is thus an aluminum layer 51 and the carrier layer is thus a paper layer 52. After adhering the APL to the inner surface 41 of the cardboard sheet 42 the resulting laminate is spirally wound such that it partially overlaps with itself and is adhered to itself in the overlapping parts. Also in FIG. 5, the inside of the hollow tube 40 (to be formed) is marked with I and the outside is marked with an O.

[0045] Hence, the hollow section 40 is formed as a hollow cylinder from spirally wound cardboard sheet 42 with the APL 51, 52 disposed on an inner surface thereof and the carrier layer 52 facing the bore of the hollow section 40. Although in this example, the carrier layer 52 is paper it might also be at least partially formed of a weave, mesh, paper, and/or bibulous material. Preferably, the carrier layer 52 may also comprise a fibrous material, such as a cellulosic material, e.g. a lignocellulosic material. Exemplary cellulosic materials include flax fibers, hardwood pulp, softwood pulp, hemp fibers, esparto fibers, kenaf fibers, jute fibers and sisal fibers. Mixtures of two or more types of cellulosic materials can also be employed.

[0046] If the user thus draws an aerosol emitted by the heated smoking body 10 through the filter element 20, the aerosol comes into contact with the carrier layer 52 and heats up a volatile additive 80 that is contained in the fibrous carrier layer 52 (see also FIG. 5). Then, the volatile additive 80 evaporates and is added to the stream of drawn aerosol, where it may condense before it is inhaled by the consumer. The additive 80 can thus be used to provide a desired substance to a user, such as e.g. nicotine and/or a flavoring. At the same time, evaporation of the volatile additive 80 before usage of the elongated smoking article 100 by heating of the tobacco material 11 is advantageously prevented as a heat transfer from outside the elongated smoking article 100 is at least partially prevented by the cardboard sheet 42, the barrier layer 51 and/or the carrier layer 52. Further, the barrier layer 51 prevents the volatile additive 80 to diffuse through the cardboard sheet 42 and/or into wrapping paper 50. Hence, an unpleasant appearance of the elongated smoking article 100, e.g., with stained wrapping paper 50 can be advantageously prevented using the easy to manufacture filter element 20 comprising the hollow section 40 according to the invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS

[0047] 10 cylindrical smoking body

[0048] 11 heatable tobacco material

[0049] 12 heat reflecting layer

[0050] 20 filter element

[0051] 30 filter portion

[0052] 35 mouthpiece portion

[0053] 40 hollow section

[0054] 41 inner surface

[0055] 42 cardboard sheet material

[0056] 50 tipping paper

[0057] 51 barrier layer

[0058] 52 carrier layer

[0059] 80 volatile additive

[0060] 100 elongated smoking article

[0061] I inside (interior) of hollow tube

[0062] O outside (exterior) of hollow tube

[0063] L longitudinal direction