Smoking article with extinguishment means

Abstract

There is provided a smoking article (10) comprising: a charge (12) of tobacco material; a wrapper (14) circumscribing the charge (12) of tobacco material; a filter (16) arranged downstream of the charge (12) of tobacco material; and a hollow tube (18) defining an inner cavity (20) and attaching the filter (16) to the wrapper (14). An affixing portion (22) of the wrapper (14) is received within the inner cavity (20) and permanently secured to the hollow tube (18). A downstream end of the charge (12) of tobacco material is secured to the wrapper (14) by means of a thermally deactivatable adhesive (28) provided on an outer surface of the charge (12) of tobacco material or on an inner surface of the wrapper (14) or on both such that, upon deactivation of the adhesive (28), at least a portion of the charge (12) of tobacco material becomes slidable within the wrapper (14) in relation to the filter (16).

Claims

1. A smoking article comprising: a charge of tobacco material; a wrapper circumscribing the charge of tobacco material; a filter arranged downstream of the charge of tobacco material; a hollow tube defining an inner cavity and attaching the filter to the wrapper, an affixing portion of the wrapper being received within the inner cavity and permanently secured to the hollow tube; wherein a downstream end of the charge of tobacco material is secured to the wrapper by means of a thermally deactivatable adhesive provided on an outer surface of the charge of tobacco material or on an inner surface of the wrapper or on both such that, upon deactivation of the adhesive, at least a portion of the charge of tobacco material becomes slidable within the wrapper in relation to the filter.

2. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein a length of the charge of tobacco material is less than about 40 millimetres.

3. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein a length of the charge of tobacco material is at least about 12 millimetres.

4. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the length of the affixing portion of the wrapper is at least about 1 millimetre.

5. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the length of the affixing portion of the wrapper is less than about 10 millimetres.

6. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the charge of tobacco material comprises tobacco cut filler.

7. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the charge of tobacco material comprises crimped reconstituted tobacco.

8. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the thermally deactivatable adhesive is provided over an affixing area of the outer surface of the charge of tobacco material or of the inner surface of the wrapper or of both, the affixing area extending circumferentially about the charge of tobacco material.

9. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the thermally deactivatable adhesive is provided over the outer surface of the charge of tobacco material or of the inner surface of the wrapper or of both in a pattern spiralling about the charge of tobacco material.

10. A smoking article according to claim 1 comprising a ventilation zone at a location along the filter.

11. A smoking article according to claim 1 comprising a ventilation zone at a location along the hollow tube.

12. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive force of the adhesive following deactivation is less than about 0.15 Newtons.

13. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive force of the adhesive prior to deactivation is at least about twice the adhesive force of the adhesive following deactivation.

14. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive has a deactivation temperature of less than about 120 degrees Celsius.

15. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive has a deactivation temperature of less than about 90 degrees Celsius.

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 is a schematic side view of a smoking article in accordance with the present invention prior to smoking;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the smoking article of FIG. 1 immediately prior to extinguishment; and

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the smoking article of FIGS. 1 and 2 after extinguishment.

(5) FIG. 1 shows a smoking article 10 in accordance with the present invention. The smoking article 10 comprises a charge 12 of tobacco material and a wrapper 14 circumscribing the charge 12 of tobacco material. Further, the smoking article 10 comprises a filter 16 arranged downstream of the charge 12 of tobacco material. A ventilation zone 160 is provided at a location along the filter 16.

(6) In addition, the smoking article comprises a hollow tube 18 attaching the filter 16 to the wrapper 14. Thus an inner cavity 20 is defined between the charge 12 of tobacco material and the filter 16.

(7) In more detail, an affixing portion 22 of the wrapper 14 is received within the inner cavity 20 and permanently secured to the hollow tube 18 by means of a permanent adhesive 24 provided between the outer surface of the affixing portion 22 of the wrapper 14 and the inner surface of the hollow tube 18.

(8) A downstream end 26 of the charge 12 of tobacco material is secured to the wrapper 14 by means of a thermally deactivatable adhesive 28 provided on an outer surface of the charge 12 of tobacco material. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the thermally deactivatable adhesive 28 is provided over an affixing area of the outer surface of the charge 12 of tobacco material extending circumferentially about the charge 12 of tobacco material to ensure a strong connection between the tobacco material in the charge and the wrapper. The thermally deactivatable adhesive 28 has a deactivation temperature of about 70 degrees Celsius.

(9) During use, as the burning coal approaches the hollow tube 18 and ashes 30 are produced (see FIG. 2), the temperature at the downstream end of the charge 12 of tobacco material and of the wrapper 14 increases. When the temperature at the affixing portion 22 reaches the deactivation temperature of the adhesive 28, the adhesive 28 is deactivated and there is no longer a structural connection between what is left of the charge 12 of tobacco material and the wrapper 14. Thus, what is left of the charge 12 of tobacco material becomes slidable within what is left of the wrapper 14 and the hollow tube 18 in relation to the filter 14. When the consumer next puffs on the filter 14, what is left of the charge 12 of tobacco material along with any ashes 30 is therefore drawn into the hollow tube 18 (see FIG. 3) and this advantageously causes the smoking article to extinguish without the consumer needing to use an ash tray.