Flow Control Device for a Smoking Article

Abstract

A flow control device 4 for a smoking article comprises a body having first and second longitudinally arranged body portions 7, 10 rotatable relative to one another between a first position and a second position. The first 7 and second 10 body portions are configured to define a first smoke flow path through the device 4 in the first position and a second smoke flow path through the device 4 in the second position and to cause an adjustment to the direction of smoke flow upon rotation from the first position to the second position, thereby to allow smoke to pass through the second smoke flow path.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a flow control device for a smoking article and particularly, but not exclusively, to a smoking article filter comprising a flow control device.

BACKGROUND

It is known from EP 0317154A and U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,995 to provide filters for cigarettes which include a rotatable filter segment having two smoke flow paths containing different flavourant materials, that can be rotated to select different longitudinal paths through the filter segment through which smoke travels to the consumer. This enables the user to select a flavourant or different levels of filtering depending on the angle of rotation of the filter segment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a flow control device for a smoking article, comprising a body having first and second longitudinally arranged body portions rotatable relative to one another between first and second positions, the first and second body portions being adapted to define a first smoke flow path through the device in the first position and a second smoke flow path through the device in the second position and to cause an adjustment to the direction of smoke flow upon rotation from the first position to the second position, thereby to allow smoke to pass through the second smoke flow path.

Adjusting the direction of smoke flow allows selectable control over various aspects of the consumer experience. For example, the adjustment to the direction of smoke flow may comprise directing the smoke flow at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the device. This allows an increased area of interaction with a flavourant or other smoke-modifying agent contained in the device, so that smoke modification is enhanced compared with longitudinal flow through a smoke-modifying agent.

Furthermore, the second smoke flow path is preferably longer than the first smoke flow path, or vice versa, so that resistance to draw may be selectively altered by twisting the device from the first position to the second position, thus providing a different smoking experience depending on the relative angle of the body portions.

Preferably, the flavourant or other smoke modifying agent is provided in the longer smoke path. Flavour must therefore take a longer path in order to migrate out of the device, so that the flavourant is kept fresh.

The adjustment in the direction of smoke flow may for example be a 180 degree adjustment, or may alternatively be a 90 degree adjustment. The adjustment may be made in stages; for example a 180 degree adjustment in direction may comprise a first adjustment of 90 degrees followed by a subsequent further adjustment of 90 degrees.

Preferably, the smoke-modifying agent is a granular flavourant contained in a chamber having wall portions comprising smoke apertures sized so as to prevent the granular agent from leaving the chamber.

Optionally, the adjustment to the direction of smoke flow comprises reversing the direction of smoke flow so that smoke flows through the smoke-modifying agent in a direction towards the tobacco end of the flow control device.

The device is preferably generally tubular, the second body portion having an inlet channel at one end of the tubular device and the first body portion having an outlet channel at an opposing end.

The first body portion may comprise a smoke-refluxing member aligned with the inlet smoke channel in the second position, the smoke-refluxing member being configured to cause said adjustment by receiving smoke from the inlet channel in the second position and reversing the direction of smoke flow.

Alternatively, the first body portion may have an insertion member received by the second body portion, the insertion member comprising a first peripheral region which is smoke permeable and a second peripheral region which is smoke impermeable, the second peripheral region defining an interior wall of the inlet smoke channel in the first position, and the first peripheral region defining an interior wall of the inlet smoke channel in the second position. The peripheral regions may be configured so that in the first position the second peripheral region prevents smoke from passing through the second smoke flow path and so that rotation from the first position to the second position allows smoke to pass through the second smoke flow path via said first peripheral region, preferably in a transverse direction, thereby adjusting the direction of smoke flow.

The invention also provides a smoking article comprising the flow control device. As used herein, the term “smoking article” includes smokeable products such as cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes and also heat-not-burn products.

The invention also provides a smoking article filter comprising a flow control device. Preferably, the filter forms part of a smoking article.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, embodiments thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cigarette including a flow control device.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the flow control device.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the flow control device of FIG. 1 in a first position.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the flow control device in a second position.

FIG. 5 a is an exploded perspective view of the middle segment of the flow control device.

FIG. 5 b is a perspective view of the middle segment of the flow control device.

FIG. 5 c is an end view of the middle segment of the flow control device.

FIG. 5 d shows a retaining grid.

FIG. 6 a is an exploded perspective view of an alternative flow control device.

FIG. 6 b is a perspective view of part of the flow control device of FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the flow control device of FIG. 6 in a first position.

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the flow control device of FIG. 6 in a second position.

FIG. 9 is a perspective cutaway view of the flow control device of FIG. 6 in the second position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a smoking article in the form of a cigarette 1 includes a paper wrapped tobacco rod 2 that abuts a filter element 3. Filter element 3 has a flow control device 4 positioned at its mouth end and a plug of cellulose acetate tow 5 positioned at its tobacco end. The filter element 3 may further comprise a plugwrap wrapped around device 4 and plug 5. As shown, a tipping paper 6 is wrapped around the filter element 3 and the tobacco rod 2 to join them together.

As is shown in FIG. 2, flow control device 4 comprises a first body portion 7 comprising a mouth-end part 8 fixed in position relative to a middle part 9, and a second body portion 10 rotatably mounted relative to the first body portion 7. The parts 8, 9, 10 are co-axially arranged and generally tubular and are preferably formed from a moulded plastics material. The parts 8, 9, 10 may for example have a diameter of approximately 7.8 mm.

When the flow control device 4 is arranged in a cigarette as shown in FIG. 1, the second body portion 10 is attached to the tobacco rod 2 by the tipping paper 6 while the first body portion 7 is free to rotate with respect to the rod 2. As will be described in more detail below, the body portions 7, 10 have a first rotated position (shown in FIG. 3) in which smoke can pass longitudinally through the flow control device 4 towards the mouth end of the cigarette 1. The body portions 7, 10 can be rotated from the first position to a second position (shown in FIG. 4) in which smoke flow is directed in a reverse direction through a flavourant located in the middle body part 9, and is then redirected towards the mouth end of the cigarette 1 and thus through the device 4. In this way, the smoke drawn from the cigarette 1 may be selectively flavoured by rotating the second body portion 10 with respect to the first body portion 7 (or vice versa) so that the body portions 7, 10 are positioned in the second position. Directing the smoke flow along the path shown in FIG. 4 increases the pressure drop across the filter element 3 as compared with the smoke flow path shown in FIG. 3, thereby simultaneously providing flavoured smoke and an increased resistance to draw.

Turning now to a more detailed description of the flow control device 4, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 body parts 8, 9, 10 have channels 11, 12, 13, 14 with substantially kidney-shaped cross-sections, which provide for smoke to pass through the parts 8, 9, 10 in the first and second positions. The channels 11, 12, 13, 14 may for example each have a cross sectional area of approximately 6.7 mm².

FIG. 3 shows a cross sectional view of device 4 with the second body portion 10 positioned in the first position relative to the first body portion 7. A shown, inlet channel 11 in second body portion 10 is aligned with channel 12 in middle part 9 and with channel 13 in mouth end part 8, thus defining a flavourant-free smoke flow path 11, 12, 13 through the device 4.

As shown, middle part 9 has interior smoke impermeable walls 15, 16 which define a flavourant-containing chamber 17. The walls 15, 16 prevent smoke from passing into the flavourant-containing chamber 17 when the body portions 7, 10 are positioned in the first position. When the body portion 10 is rotated 180 degrees from the first position into the second position shown in FIG. 4, the channel 11 in second body portion 10 is aligned with the channel 14 in the middle body portion 9, which in turn is aligned with a smoke guiding recess 18 formed in the mouth-end part 8. Smoke guiding recess 18 does not pass completely through part 8 and instead is shaped to guide smoke from the channel 14 into the flavourant-containing chamber 17. As shown in FIG. 4, smoke guiding recess 18 causes smoke to reflux so that smoke flows through the flavourant chamber 17 in a direction opposite to the direction of smoke flow through the channel 14. Second portion 10 comprises a similar, but oppositely facing smoke guiding recess 19 shaped to guide smoke from the flavourant-containing chamber 17 into the channel 12 in the middle part 9, thus reversing the direction of smoke flow so that smoke flows through the channels 12, 13 in the same direction as through the channel 14, and out of the mouth end of the device 4. In this way a smoke flow path 11, 14, 18, 17, 19, 12, 13 is defined through the device 4 in the second position. Smoke passing through this path is flavoured by the flavourant in chamber 17 and passes along a longer path than the smoke flow path of the first position, so that resistance to draw is increased. Optionally, the channels 11, 12, 13, 14 and recesses 18, 19 are filled with a smoke permeable substance, for example cellulose acetate tow, which further increases the resistance to draw across the device 4 in both the first and second positions, the increase being greater for the second position since the smoke path is longer.

Advantageously, flavour from the flavour-containing chamber 17 tends not to migrate out of the device 4 because of the long diffusion paths to the device outlets. In this way, flavour will not substantially migrate from filter element 3 into the cigarette 1 or to other cigarettes within a cigarette pack, which might be undesirable to the consumer.

Although the description of FIGS. 3 and 4 above describes rotation of the body portion 10 with respect to the body portion 7, it will be appreciated that the consumer could rotate between the first and second positions by holding either of the first or the second body portions 7, 10 in place with one hand and rotating the other body portion with the other hand, or alternatively by twisting the body portions 7, 10 in opposite directions. Indeed, the consumer may prefer to hold the tobacco rod 2 in place and twist the mouth end body portion 7, rather than holding the portion 7 and twisting the tobacco rod 2.

Flavourant-containing chamber 17 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d. As shown, both sides of chamber 17 are provided with retaining grids 20, 21 configured to allow smoke to enter the chamber 17 but to prevent the flavourant, which may be in granular form in the chamber 17, from falling out. As shown in FIG. 5c, the middle part 9 has two pairs of locating holes 22, one pair for each of the grids 20, 21, and the retaining grids are provided with locating pins 23 which are received in the locating holes 22 to secure the retaining grids in position. The flavourant-containing chamber 17 may have a chamber size of approximately 0.03 cc and the retaining grids 20, 21 may be adapted to provide a ventilated area of approximately 3.5 mm². Smaller smoke aperture sizes will cause a higher pressure drop across the device 24 and thus the apertures may be sized so as to achieve a desired pressure drop.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative flow control device 24. As shown, flow control device 24 comprises first and second generally tubular body portions 25, 26, which may be formed of moulded plastic. As shown, the first body portion 25 comprises two integrally formed generally cylindrical tubular members 27, 28, the member 27 having a diameter less than that of the member 28. The second body portion 26 has first and second guiding members 29, 30 on opposing sides thereof, which define a bore 31 shaped to slidably receive the member 27. In this way the first body portion 25 slots into the second body portion 26 so as to be rotatable therein. The length of second body portion 26 may for example be 6 mm and the total length of the device 24 may be 11 mm. The diameter of the device 24 may be 6.8 mm.

As shown, guiding members 29, 30 further define a smoke channel 32 through the body portion 26 which is open to the bore 31 when the second body portion not slotted into place. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, which show sectional views, the second body portion 26 has a front wall 33 having a smoke aperture 34 which allows smoke to pass into the smoke channel 32. The smoke aperture 34 may for example provide an inlet area of approximately 5.8 mm².

FIG. 7 shows a cross sectional view of the device 24 with the first body portion 25 slotted into place and rotated into a first position. As shown, in this position smoke channel 32 is aligned with a smoke channel 35 formed in the annular wall 36 of the larger cylindrical tubular member 28, thereby defining a longitudinal smoke flow path through the device 24.

The smaller tubular member 27 has an annular wall 37 and a front wall 38, which together with the annular wall 36 of tubular member 28 define a chamber 39 containing a flavourant in, for example, granular form. The chamber may for example be approximately 8 mm in length and may have a diameter of 3.5 mm. As shown in FIG. 6a, the chamber 39 is closed at its rear end by a perforated endcap 40 which fits tightly into a generally circular aperture in the rear face of the chamber 39. The endcap 40 has smoke apertures 41 which are large enough to allow smoke to pass out of the device 24, but small enough to prevent the flavourant granules from falling out of the chamber 39 and may for example provide a total ventilation area of approximately 5.7 mm².

As shown, annular wall 37 has a peripheral section 42 having a plurality of smoke apertures 43, while the remainder 44 of the annular wall 37 forms a barrier which is impermeable to smoke. As shown in FIG. 7, in the first position the impermeable part 44 of the wall 37 defines an interior wall of the smoke channel 32, which prevents smoke from entering the flavourant-containing chamber 39. Rotating the first body portion 25 by 180 degrees to the second position shown in FIG. 8 brings the smoke apertures 43 in the peripheral section 42 into register with the channel 32, thereby providing the channel 32 with an interior wall which is permeable to smoke. In this way smoke can flow from the channel 32 through the apertures 43 and into the chamber 39. Preferably, the apertures 43 provide a total ventilation area of approximately 8 mm².

As shown in FIG. 8, in the second position the channel 32 is out of alignment with channel 35 so that the end of channel 32 is blocked by the annular wall 36 of member 28. Thus, in the second position the only path that smoke can take is via the apertures 43.

The arrows 45 in FIG. 8 show the path of smoke through the device 24 in the second position. As shown smoke enters the device 24 through smoke aperture 34 and passes into the channel 32. Smoke then passes in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the device 24 through the smoke apertures 43 and into the flavourant-containing chamber 39. The smoke then passes longitudinally through the flavourant-containing chamber 39, where the smoke is flavoured. The flavoured smoke then passes out through the apertures 41 in the endcap 40.

Since the smoke passes into the chamber 39 in a transverse direction, the surface area over which the smoke interacts with the granules is limited only by the dimensions of the smoke permeable region 42, rather than by the cross sectional area of the device 24 as would be the case for longitudinal smoke flow. Accordingly, the surface area of interaction can be increased and the flavour imparted intensified as compared with the case of longitudinal smoke flow.

Furthermore, the smoke apertures 43 and 41 can be sized to provide a desired resistance to draw in the second position. Thus, for example, the smoke apertures 43 can be made sufficiently small so that there is an appreciable difference to the pressure drop across the device 24 in the first and second positions, thereby providing the consumer with different smoking experiences depending on the selected orientation.

The apertures 41 in the endcap 40 may be adapted to allow flavour to migrate to the remainder of the cigarette 1 and possibly to other cigarettes in a cigarette pack, so as to provide a flavoured smell to the cigarettes before smoking, for example when the pack is opened. Although this may be in some circumstances be undesirable, as described above, it may be that some consumers may prefer a flavoured smell to be provided to their cigarettes before smoking and this option is provided by the device 24.

Advantageously, the first body portion 25, the second body portion 26 and the endcap 40 are formed from moulded plastic and can be manufactured using known injection moulding techniques. Assembly of the device 24 is convenient by hand or by machine by slotting the pieces 25, 26, 40 together.

Many modifications and variations will be evident to those skilled in the art. For example, although filter element 3 is described above as having a flow control device 4 positioned at its mouth end and a plug of cellulose acetate tow 5 positioned at its tobacco end, alternatively or in addition a plug of cellulose acetate tow may be positioned at the mouth end of filter element 3. Thus, optionally filter element 3 may comprise a flow control device with a plug of cellulose acetate tow positioned at each end. The cellulose acetate tow plugs, flow control device and tobacco rod may be held together using wrappers, for example plugwrap and/or tipping paper. The wrapper(s) may comprise a circumferential ring of perforations to allow the filter element to be twisted. The wrappers could be pre-perforated or alternatively laser perforation could be performed after the filter element is wrapped.

Further, although flavouring smoke using a flavouring agent has been described above, any smoke-modification could be selectively employed through the use of a suitable smoke-modifying agent. For example, a humectant could be used to vary the water content of smoke, in addition to or as an alternative to a flavourant.

As used herein, the terms “flavour” and “flavourant” refer to materials which, where local regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste or aroma in a product. They may include extracts e.g., licorice, hydrangea, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed, cinnamon, herb, wintergreen, cherry, berry, peach, apple, Dramboui, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, cardamon, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage, fennel, piment, ginger, anise, coriander, coffee, or a mint oil from any species of the genus Menth a), flavour masking agents, bitterness receptor site blockers, receptor site enhancers, sweeteners e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol, and other additives such aschlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath freshening agents. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example, oil, liquid, or powder.

Many further modifications and variations will be evident to those skilled in the art, that fall within the scope of the following claims:

Claims

1. A flow control device for a smoking article, comprising a body having first and second longitudinally arranged body portions rotatable relative to one another between a first position and a second position, the first and second body portions being configured to define a first smoke flow path through the device in the first position and a second smoke flow path through the device in the second position and to cause an adjustment to the direction of smoke flow upon rotation from the first position to the second position, thereby to allow smoke to pass through the second smoke flow path.

2. A flow control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjustment to the direction of smoke flow comprises directing the smoke flow at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the device.

3. A flow control device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the second smoke flow path is longer than the first smoke flow path.

4. A flow control device as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a smoke-modifying agent arranged along the second smoke flow path so that smoke may be selectively modified by rotating the body portions relative to one another from the first position to the second position.

5. A flow control device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the smoke-modifying agent is a flavourant.

6. A flow control device as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the smoke-modifying agent is in granular form.

7. A flow control device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the smoke-modifying agent is contained in a chamber having wall portions comprising smoke apertures sized so as to prevent the granular agent from leaving the chamber.

8. A flow control device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the adjustment to the direction of smoke flow comprises reversing the direction of smoke flow so that smoke flows through the smoke-modifying agent in a direction towards the tobacco end of the flow control device.

9. A flow control device as claimed in any preceding claim, the second body portion comprising an inlet smoke channel and the first body portion comprising a smoke-refluxing member aligned with said inlet channel in the second position, wherein the smoke-refluxing member is configured to cause said adjustment by receiving smoke from the inlet channel in the second position and reversing the direction of smoke flow.

10. A flow control device as claimed in claim 9, the second body portion comprising a smoke-refluxing recess configured to receive smoke from the first body portion in the second position and to direct smoke towards the mouth end of the flow control device.

11. A flow control device as claimed in claim 10, the first body portion further comprising an outlet channel aligned with the inlet channel in the first position and with the smoke refluxing recess of the second body portion in the second position

12. A flow control device as claimed in claim 11 wherein: the first smoke flow path comprises a path through the inlet smoke channel and a path through the outlet smoke channel; andthe second smoke flow path comprises a path through the inlet smoke channel, a path through the smoke refluxing member of the first body portion, a path through the smoke-refluxing recess of the second body portion and a path through the outlet smoke channel.

13. A flow control device as claimed in any of claims 9 to 12, wherein the smoke refluxing member of the first body portion comprises a smoke channel and a smoke refluxing recess.

14. A flow control device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, wherein: the second body portion has a smoke channel;the first body portion has an insertion member received by the second body portion, the insertion member comprising a first peripheral region which is smoke permeable and a second peripheral region which is smoke impermeable, the second peripheral region defining an interior wall of the smoke channel in the first position and the first peripheral region defining an interior wall of the smoke channel in the second position;wherein in the first position the second peripheral region prevents smoke from passing through the second smoke flow path and wherein rotation from the first position to the second position allows smoke to pass through the second smoke flow path via said first peripheral region, thereby adjusting the direction of smoke flow.

15. A flow control device as claimed in claim 14, having a chamber for containing smoke-modifying agent, wherein at least part of the chamber is comprised in the insertion member and wherein in the second position smoke can pass into the chamber via the first peripheral region.

16. A flow control device as claimed in claim 15, wherein said at least part of the chamber comprises a tubular cavity formed in the insertion member.

17. A flow control device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first and second body portions are formed from moulded plastic.

18. A smoking article comprising a flow control device as claimed in any preceding claim.

19. A smoking article filter comprising a flow control device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 17.