GB2199726A

GB2199726A - Improvements relating to tipping materials

Info

Publication number: GB2199726A
Application number: GB08800627A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Anthony Luke
Original assignee: British American Tobacco Co Ltd
Current assignee: British American Tobacco Investments Ltd
Priority date: 1987-01-14
Filing date: 1988-01-12
Publication date: 1988-07-20
Anticipated expiration: 2008-01-12
Also published as: GB2199726B; GB8800627D0; GB8700743D0

Abstract

The tipping wrapper of a cigarette is operated upon by a cutting step or a thermal contacting step to produce other than a plain edge zone. Decoration is also applied to the tipping material in the region of the edge zone by means of any one or a printing process, an embossing process, or material removal process, or combinations thereof. The operating steps and decoration steps may be effected prior, during or after making the finished cigarette. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO TIPPING MATERIALS The invention the subject of the present application relates to smoking article tipping materials.

Conventional filter tipped cigarettes comprise a tipping wrapper which serves to interattach the filter and the cigarette rod. In the manufacture of such cigarettes a double width tipping wrapper is wrapped and adhesively secured about a centre portion of a double cigarette assembly comprising two unit length cigarette rods and a double unit length filter disposed intermediate of and abutting with the cigarette rods. The width of the tipping wrapper is such that it extends over a portion of each of the cigarette rods. After the wrapper has been secured about the double cigarette assembly, the assembly is severed at the central transverse plane thereof to provide two discrete finished cigarettes.

The invention the subject of the present application provides a method of manufacture of smoking article tipping, wherein sheet tipping material is operated upon to provide said material with other than a plain edge zone and decoration is applied to said material at said zone.

By preference the inventive method is applied to a web of double width tipping wrapper material, whereby each edge zone of the web is other than a plain edge zone and decoration is applied at the region of the location of each edge zone.

The inventive method can be performed on a filter tip attaching machine. Thus the method can be applied to a web of double width tipping material as the web is continuously fed from a reel thereof to a station at which the web is cut to provide discrete wrappers which are wrapped about double cigarette assemblies.

The edge zone modification step of the inventive method may take place before, after or simultaneously with the decoration application step thereof. The edge zone modification step may be constituted by a cutting step, which cutting step serves to separate a tipping wrapper web from a continuous sheet of tipping wrapper material. Alternatively, the edge zone modification step may be constituted by a thermal contacting step with a heated former having the desired shape or configuration.

The thermal contacting step may be carried out before the tipping wrapper is applied around a double cigarette assembly, or on a finished smoking article. If a thermal contacting step is to be carried out it is preferable that the tipping wrapper comprises a proportion of thermoplastics material.

The decoration application step may be constituted by a printing process, a material removal process, an embossing process, or two or more of these or other processes.

According to another aspect thereof the subject invention provides a method of making smoking articles, wherein a sheet of tipping material is operated upon to provide said material with an edge zone other than a plain edge zone, decoration is applied to said material at said zone, and a portion of the material so operated upon is wrapped about a filter and a smoking article rod so as to interattach the filter and the rod, said edge zone overlying the rod. It is to be understood that the decoration application step may take place after the portion of material has been wrapped about the filter and rod.

The present invention will now be illustrated, by way of example, with reference to the drawing hereof, each of Figures 1 to 6 of which shows a cigarette tipping wrapper of double width, and Figure 7 of which shows a cigarette. The centrally extending broken line on each of Figures 1 to 6 represents the line of cut which takes place after the wrapper has been applied to a double cigarette assembly.

The tipping wrapper of Figure 1 comprises two edge zones, the edges 1, 2 of which are cut in regularly, rounded dentate form. Disposed one at each tooth of the edges 1, 2, i.e. at the region of the edges 1, 2, are embossed areas 3, 4. The areas 3, 4 may be impressed below the exterior surface of the wrapper or may stand proud of the surface. The areas 3, 4 may be of a distinctive coloration.

The tipping wrapper of Figure 2 comprises edge zones having regularly scalloped edges 5, 6 and adjacently printed matching lines 7, 8.

The tipping wrapper of Figure 3 comprises edge zones having regularly serrated edges 9, 10. Disposed one at each pointed tooth of edges 9, 10 are triangular openings 11, 12. The wrapper of Figure 3 may be applied to a double cigarette assembly the cigarette rods of which comprise cigarette paper of a colour different from the colour of the wrapper so that the differently coloured paper will be exposed at the openings 11, 12.

The edge zones of the wrapper of Figure 4 comprise regularly emarginate edges 13, 14. Disposed one at each notch of the edges 13, 14 are matching printed lines 15, 16.

The edge zones of the wrapper of Figure 5 comprise regularly looped edges 17, 18 respectively adjacent solid printed areas 19, 20. Thin printed lines 21, 22 extend adjacent the respective areas 19, 20.

The wrapper of Figure 6 comprises edge zones having regularly crenellated edges 23, 24 and printed decorations 25, 26 adjacent the respective edges 23, 24 of said edge zones.

Figure 7 shows a tipped cigarette comprising a cigarette rod 27, a filter element 28 and a tipping wrapper 29 as per one half of the double wrapper of Figure 4.

A suitable embossing process is described in our United Kingdom Patent Specification No. 2145037B. An alternative marking process effected by colour change of the tipping wrapper is that process described in our United Kingdom Patent Specification No. 2148690B.

Claims

1. A method of manufacture of smoking article tipping, wherein sheet tipping material is operated upon to provide said material with other than a plain edge zone and decoration is applied to said material at said zone.

2. A method of making smoking articles, wherein a sheet of tipping material is operated upon to provide said material with an edge zone other than a plain edge zone, decoration is applied to said material at said zone, and a portion of the material so operated upon is wrapped about a filter and a smoking article rod so as to interattach the filter and the rod, said edge zone overlying the rod.

3. A method of manufacture of smoking article tipping according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein said tipping is a web of double width tipping wrapper material.

4. A method of manufacture of smoking article tipping according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the edge zone modification comprises a cutting step.

5. A method of manufacture of smoking article tipping according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the edge zone modification comprises a thermal contacting step.

6. A method of manufacture of smoking article tipping according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the decoration application step is constituted by a printing process, a material removal process, or an embossing process, or combinations of these processes.

7. A method of manufacture of smoking article tipping substantially as hereinabove described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 of the drawing hereof.

8. A method of making a smoking article substantially as hereinabove described with reference to Figure 7 of the drawing hereof.