Smoking article with extinguishment means

Abstract

There is provided a smoking article (10) comprising: a tobacco rod (12) comprising a charge (16) of tobacco material circumscribed by a wrapper (18); a filter (14) arranged downstream of the tobacco rod (12); and a hollow tube (20) defining an inner cavity (22) and attaching the filter (14) to the tobacco rod (12). An affixing portion (24) of the tobacco rod (12) is received within the inner cavity (22) and secured to the hollow tube (20) by means of a thermally deactivatable adhesive (26) provided on an outer surface of the wrapper (18) or on an inner surface of the hollow tube (20) or on both. Thus, upon deactivation of the adhesive, at least a portion of the tobacco rod (12) becomes slidable within the hollow tube (20) in relation to the filter (14).

Claims

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

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

3. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein a length of the tobacco rod is at least about 10 millimetres.

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

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

6. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the tobacco rod comprises tobacco cut filler.

7. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the tobacco rod comprises crimped reconstituted tobacco.

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

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

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

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

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

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

15. The 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 tobacco rod 12 and filter 14 arranged downstream of the tobacco rod 12. A ventilation zone 140 is provided at a location along the filter 14.

(6) The tobacco rod 12 comprises a charge 16 of tobacco cut filler circumscribed by a wrapper 18. Further, the smoking article comprises a hollow tube 20 attaching the filter 14 to the tobacco rod 12. Thus an inner cavity 22 is defined between the tobacco rod 12 and the filter 14.

(7) In more detail, an affixing portion 24 of the tobacco rod 12 is received within the inner cavity 22 and secured to the hollow tube 20 by means of a thermally deactivatable adhesive 26 provided on an outer surface of the wrapper 18 at the downstream end of the tobacco rod 12. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the adhesive is provided over an affixing area of the outer surface of the wrapper 18 extending circumferentially about the charge 16 of tobacco material to ensure a strong connection between the tobacco rod 12 and the hollow tube 20. The adhesive has a deactivation temperature of about 70 degrees Celsius.

(8) During use, as the burning coal approaches the hollow tube 18 and ashes 28 are produced (see FIG. 2), the temperature at the downstream end of the tobacco rod 12 increases. When the temperature at the affixing portion 24 reaches the deactivation temperature of the adhesive, the adhesive is deactivated and there is no longer a structural connection between what is left of the tobacco rod 12 and the hollow tube 20. Thus, what is left of the tobacco rod 12 becomes slidable within the hollow tube 20 in relation to the filter 14. When the consumer next puffs on the filter 14, what is left of the tobacco rod 12 (see FIG. 3) is therefore drawn into the hollow tube along with any ashes 28, as indicated by the arrow. This advantageously causes the smoking article to extinguish without the consumer needing to use an ash-tray.