Smoking Article and Method for Manufacturing a Smoking Article

Abstract

A smoking article includes a rod including smokable material wrapped by a wrapper, a mouthpiece connected to an end of the rod, wherein a machine-readable code is printed onto an outer surface of the wrapper, the printed machine-readable code being proximate a distal edge of the wrapper. A method for manufacturing a smoking article is also provided.

Claims

1. A smoking article comprising: a rod comprising smokable material wrapped by a wrapper; and a mouthpiece connected to an end of the rod; wherein a machine-readable code is printed onto an outer surface of the wrapper, the printed machine-readable code being proximate a distal edge of the wrapper.

2. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the machine readable code is printed with ink comprising ground tobacco.

3. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the ink also contains water, humectant, solvents, pigments, dyes, resins, lubricants, solubilizers, surfactants, particulate matter and/or fluorescents.

4. The smoking article according to claim 2, wherein the ground tobacco comprises a maximum particle size of 30 μm.

5. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the wrapper, being a background of the printed machine-readable code, is of relatively lighter color than the machine-readable code, being a foreground, which is of relatively darker color.

6. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein a symbol contrast between the machine-readable code and the wrapper is at least of grade C.

7. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the machine-readable code is a QR-code or a barcode.

8. The smoking article according to claim 5, wherein the machine-readable code comprises a margin around the machine-readable code having the same color of either the background or the foreground.

9. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the machine-readable code is positioned less than 5 mm from the distal edge of the wrapper.

10. A method for manufacturing a smoking article comprising a rod comprising smokable material wrapped by a wrapper, a mouthpiece connected to the rod, and a machine-readable code printed on an outer surface of the wrapper, wherein the machine-readable code is proximate to a distal edge of the wrapper, comprising the steps: printing of machine-readable codes onto a surface of a continuous wrapper material, wherein the machine-readable codes are positioned in a defined code distance to each other; forming a continuous rod by wrapping a smokable material with the continuous wrapper material, so that the surface containing the printed machine-readable codes does not contact the smokable material; forming rods by cutting the continuous rod at defined cut positions in relation to the machine-readable codes; and assembling a mouthpiece to each of the rods.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of printing the machine-readable codes uses an ink mixed of at least ground tobacco and a humectant and/or water.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein a cutting position of the continuous rod is determined by sensing a position of the machine-readable codes with a sensor and adding an adjustable offset to the position of the machine-readable codes.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the machine-readable codes are printed onto the continuous wrapper material in pairs, wherein each pair consists of two of the machine-readable codes positioned next to each other along a feeding direction of the continuous wrapper material with a spacing between the two codes which is smaller than a defined distance between the pairs.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the continuous rod is cut at a cut position between the two codes of a pair.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the continuous rod is cut at a second cut position in a middle between two of the pairs.

16. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein a symbol contrast between the machine-readable code and the wrapper is of grade A.

17. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the machine-readable code is positioned less than 0.5 mm from the distal edge of the wrapper.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] Further advantages, objectives and features of the present invention will be described, by way of example only, in the following description with reference to the appended figures. In the figures, like components in different embodiments can exhibit the same reference symbols. The figures show:

[0050] FIG. 1 a general view of a smoking article 1 comprising a code 10;

[0051] FIG. 2 a detailed view of the wrapper 6 with the code 10;

[0052] FIG. 3 a schematic view of the continuous rod 22 comprising codes 10;

[0053] FIG. 4 a schematic view of the continuous rod 22a comprising code pairs 30.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] FIG. 1 shows a general view of a smoking article 1. The smoking article 1 comprises a rod 2 and a filter rod 8. The rod 2 comprises a smokable material 4 having a cylindrical shape 2a. The cylindrical shape 2a consists of a lateral area 4a of the smokable material 4 and two circular base areas 4b being parallel to each other and being perpendicular to the lateral area 4a. A wrapper 6 is wrapped around the smokable material 4. The wrapper 6 covers the whole lateral area 4a of the smokable material 4 and leaves the base areas 4b unwrapped. A longitudinal axis L1 of the rod 2 is arranged parallel to the lateral area 4a and perpendicular to the base areas 4b and intersects with the base areas 4b at their respective center.

[0055] A filter rod 8, having a cylindrical shape with a longitudinal axis L2, is arranged at a proximal end 3a of the rod 2. The proximal end 3a of the rod 3 denotes the end 3a, to which the filter rod 8 is arranged. The filter rod 8 is arranged to the rod 2 so that the longitudinal axes L1, L2 are congruent. Preferably, the filter rod 8 comprises a filter segment 8a of cylindrical shape and a tipping paper 8b wrapped around the lateral area of the filter segment 8a.

[0056] A machine-readable code 10 is arranged on the outer surface 6a of the wrapper 6. The outer surface 6a is directed away from the smokable material 4. The code 10 is arranged at the distal end 3b of the rod 2. The distal end 3b is the lit end of the rod 2. The wrapper 6 comprises a distal edge 12, which is arranged at the distal end 3b of rod 2. The code 10 is arranged near the distal edge 12 of the wrapper 6. The code 10 has a rectangular shape. The code comprises a margin 16 surrounding the code 10 at its outer edges 11a, 11b. Two parallel outer edges 11a of the code 10 are parallel to the longitudinal axis L1.

[0057] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of the wrapper 6 with the code 10. The wrapper 6 has a length 15 along the longitudinal axis L1. The code 10 is arranged at a distal edge distance 17 from the distal edge 12 of the wrapper 6. The distal edge distance 17 is smaller than 5 mm, preferably less than 1 mm, most preferred less than 0.5 mm.

[0058] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the continuous rod 22 comprising codes 10. The continuous rod 22 comprises a continuous wrapper material 18 wrapped around continuous smokable material. The continuous rod 22 is an intermediate good in the smoking article 1 manufacturing process. The continuous rod 22 is fed through a machinery in a feeding direction F. The feeding direction is parallel to the later longitudinal axis L1 of the continuous rod 22. The codes 10 are arranged on the continuous wrapper material 18 at a code distance 20 to each other. The code distance 20 denotes the length 15 of the wrapper 6 minus the code width 21 measured in the feeding direction F. The continuous rod 22 is cut into individual rods 2, each having a code 10, at cut positions 24. Each cut position 24 is aligned at the neighboring code 10. The cut position 24 is distanced from the center 26 of the code 10 by a cut-code distance 28. The cut positions 24 are distanced from each other by the cut distance 29, which equals the length 15 of the wrapper 6 along the longitudinal axis L1.

[0059] FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of the continuous rod 22a comprising code pairs 30. Each code pair comprises two machine-readable codes 10, 10a. The two codes 10, 10a of a code pair 30 are distanced to each other by the intra-pair distance 32, which extends from the center 26 of the first code 10 to the center 26a of the second code 10a of a code pair 30. The second code 10a is arranged, as the first code 10, parallel to the longitudinal axis L1 with two of its outer edges 11a. The two codes 10, 10a are arranged parallel to each other.

[0060] The continuous rod 22a with the code pairs 30 is used in a standard, but more efficient production method for smoking articles 1, which is briefly described in the following. At first a continuous wrapper material 18a is wrapped around continuous smokable material. The obtained continuous rod 22a is then cut at a first cut position 36 into double rods, each having the double length of an individual rod 2 and comprising a double wrapper. In the subsequent process, the double rod is then cut in the middle into two individual rods 2 of the same length at a second cut position 38. The two rods 2 are then spaced from each other along the longitudinal axis L1 and a double filter segment, having the double length of an individual filter segment 8a, is inserted between the two rods 2 and affixed to both rods 2, which face each other with their respective proximal ends 3a. The double filter segment is then wrapped in a double tipping paper which is glued at its seam and thereby affixes the double filter rod to both rods 2. In the final step, the double filter rod is cut perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L1 in its middle with a third and final cut. In this way two individual smoking articles 1 are formed with their respective distal ends 3b facing away from each other and their respective proximal ends 3a facing towards each other.

[0061] The first cut position 36 is arranged between the two codes 10, 10a of a code pair 30. The first cut position 36 is preferably arranged in the very middle between the two codes 10, 10a. This will result in equal distal edge distances 17, of the code 10 on the wrapper 6 for each individual rod 2. The first cut positions 36 are distanced by the first cut distance 39, which equals the double length of the rod 2 along the longitudinal axis L1.

[0062] Each code pair 30 is distance from the neighboring pair 30 by the inter-pair distance 34, which is smaller than the length of the double wrapper. Between two neighboring first cut positions 36 two codes 10, 10a belonging to different code pairs 30 are arranged. In this way, each double wrapper comprises two codes 10, 10a originating from different code pairs after being cut from the continuous wrapper material 18a. The second cut position 38 is located in the very middle between two code pairs 30.

[0063] The applicant reserves his right to claim all features disclosed in the application document as being an essential feature of the invention, as long as they are new, individually or in combination, in view of the prior art. Furthermore, it is noted that in the figures features are described, which can be advantageous individually. Someone skilled in the art will directly recognize that a specific feature being disclosed in a figure can be advantageous also without the adoption of further features from this figure. Furthermore, someone skilled in the art will recognize that advantages can evolve from a combination of diverse features being disclosed in one or various figures.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0064] 1 smoking article

[0065] 2 rod

[0066] 2a cylindrical shape

[0067] 3a proximal end

[0068] 3b distal end

[0069] 4 smokable material

[0070] 4a lateral area

[0071] 4b base areas

[0072] 6 wrapper

[0073] 6a outer surface

[0074] 8 mouthpiece

[0075] 8a filter segment

[0076] 8b tipping paper

[0077] 10, 10a machine-readable code

[0078] 11a, 11b outer edges

[0079] 12 distal edge

[0080] 14 proximal edge

[0081] 15 length of wrapper, wrapper length

[0082] 16 margin

[0083] 17 distal edge distance

[0084] 18, 18a continuous wrapper material

[0085] 20 code distance

[0086] 21 code width

[0087] 22, 22a continuous rod

[0088] 24 cut position

[0089] 26, 26a center of the code

[0090] 28 cut-code distance

[0091] 29 cut distance

[0092] 30 code pair

[0093] 32 intra-pair distance

[0094] 34 inter-pair distance

[0095] 36 first cut position

[0096] 38 second cut position

[0097] 39 first cut distance

[0098] L1 longitudinal axis

[0099] L2 longitudinal axis

[0100] F feeding direction