Smoking article mouthpiece for receiving an insert unit

Abstract

A smoking article (10) includes an aerosol-generating substrate (12) and a mouthpiece (14) that (i) includes a first hollow tubular segment (24) of elastically deformable material and (ii) is secured to a downstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate; and a second hollow tubular segment (30) adjacent to and upstream of the first hollow tubular segment. The second hollow tubular segment (30) defines a chamber (32) for receiving an insert unit (50). The first hollow tubular segment defines an opening through which an insert unit can pass from the exterior of the mouthpiece into the chamber (32) of the second hollow tubular segment. At least a portion of the first hollow tubular segment inwardly projects into the opening to define at least one elastically deformable projection (26).

Claims

1. A 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 hollow tubular segment of elastically deformable material; and a second hollow tubular segment adjacent to and upstream of the first hollow tubular segment, the second hollow tubular segment comprising a permeable peripheral portion of a fibrous filtration tow surrounding a hollow defining a chamber for receiving an insert unit; wherein the first hollow tubular segment defines an opening through which the insert unit can pass from the exterior of the mouthpiece into the chamber of the second hollow tubular segment, and wherein at least a portion of the first hollow tubular segment inwardly projects into the opening to define at least one elastically deformable projection.

2. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the first hollow tubular segment comprises two or more elastically deformable projections uniformly disposed around the opening.

3. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the opening has at least one degree of bilateral symmetry as viewed from the downstream end of the smoking article or mouthpiece.

4. The smoking article according to claim 1, where the shape of the opening has radial symmetry as viewed from the downstream end of the smoking article or mouthpiece.

5. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the cross sectional area of the opening of the first hollow tubular segment has an equivalent diameter (Deq.) of about 90 percent or less than an equivalent diameter (Deq.) of the cross sectional area of the chamber of the second hollow tubular segment.

6. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the cross sectional area of the opening of the first hollow tubular segment has an equivalent diameter (Deq.) of from about 2.5 millimetres to about 4.5 millimetres.

7. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece further comprises a segment of filtration material adjacent to and upstream of the second hollow tubular segment.

8. The smoking article according to claim 7, wherein the first hollow tube segment has a colour and wherein the segment of filtration material has a different colour from the colour of the first hollow tubular segment.

9. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece further comprises an impermeable wrapper circumscribing at least the first hollow tubular segment and the second hollow tubular segment.

10. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the first hollow tubular segment comprises fibrous filtration material and a plasticiser added to the fibrous filtration material, wherein the second hollow tubular segment comprises a plasticizer added to the fibrous filtration tow, and wherein the percentage weight content of the plasticiser in the first hollow tubular segment is higher than the percentage weight content of the plasticiser in the second hollow tubular segment.

11. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the first hollow tubular segment has a length of from about 3 millimetres to about 10 millimetres.

12. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the second hollow tubular segment has a length of from about 4 millimetres to about 10 millimetres.

13. The smoking article according to claim 1, where the first hollow tubular segment of elastically deformable material is arranged at the downstream end of the mouthpiece.

14. A mouthpiece for a smoking article, the mouthpiece comprising: a first hollow tubular segment of elastically deformable material; and a second hollow tubular segment adjacent to and upstream of the first hollow tubular segment, the second hollow tubular segment comprising a permeable peripheral portion of fibrous filtration tow surrounding a hollow chamber for receiving an insert unit; wherein the first hollow tubular segment defines an opening through which the insert unit can pass from the exterior of the mouthpiece into the chamber of the second hollow tubular segment, and wherein at least a portion of the first hollow tubular segment inwardly projects into the opening to define at least one elastically deformable projection.

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 shapes for the opening at the downstream end of a smoking article in accordance with the present invention.

(6) FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a smoking article 10 in accordance with 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 hollow tubular segment 24. The first hollow tubular segment 24 is formed of elastically deformable fibrous filtration material, such as cellulose acetate tow. In the FIG. 2 smoking article, the first hollow tubular 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 hollow tubular segment may consist of a mouth end cavity formed by one or more wrappers (23) extending downstream of the first hollow tubular segment.

(8) Upstream of the first hollow tubular 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 hollow tubular segment 24.

(9) The second hollow tubular segment 30 defines a chamber 32 for receiving an insert unit 50, such as a capsule 50, as indicated by the dotted arrow in FIG. 2. 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 first hollow tubular segment 24, second hollow tubular segment 30 and plug of filtration material 40 can be seen in FIG. 3.

(10) As can be best seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, the first hollow tubular segment 24 defines an opening through which an insert unit 50 can pass from the exterior of the mouthpiece into the chamber 32 of the second hollow tubular segment 30. Two portions of the first hollow tubular segment 24 inwardly project into the opening 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 opening relative to the cross sectional area of the chamber 32.

(11) Accordingly, a consumer can insert the insert unit 50, through the opening of the first hollow tubular 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. After the insert unit 50 has passed into the chamber 32, the projections 26 revert to their previous state and provide a barrier that prevents the insert unit 50 from exiting the mouthpiece

(12) FIGS. 4 to 6 show exemplary shapes for the opening at the downstream end of a smoking article in accordance with the 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, there are three elastically deformable projections 26 uniformly disposed around the 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 opening 25.

(13) As can be seen from FIG. 4, the 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 intersects 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.

(14) FIGS. 5 and 6 show further exemplary shapes for the opening 25 at the downstream end of a smoking article in accordance with the present invention. In each of FIGS. 5 and 6, there is only a single elastically deformable projection 26 that inwardly projects into the opening 25. In FIG. 5, the opening 25 is pie-shaped. In FIG. 6, the opening 25 is heart-shaped.