Cigarette having a blind conduit

Abstract

The invention relates to a cigarette, a cigar, a pipe or a plug of tobacco for pipes, comprising an internal fresh air admission conduit and means for causing said fresh air to pass through the shredded tobacco, thereby enabling the toxicity of the smoke to be reduced by increasing the condensation of the toxic vapors and increasing the quantity of external fresh air drawn-in. According to the invention, these means take the form of a fluid-tight bottom wall arranged in the air-admission conduit so as to form a deflection screen for the fresh air. The fluid-tight bottom wall is placed close to the suction extremity.

Parent Case Text

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 108,395, filed Jan. 21, 1971, now abandoned.

Description

The present invention relates to a cigarette, a cigar, a pipe and a plug of tabacco for pipes, comprising an internal intake conduit for fresh air, enabling the toxic nature of the smoke to be reduced by increasing the condensation of the toxic vapors and increasing the quantity of fresh air admitted.

In order to reduce the ill effects on health of certain toxic constituents of tobacco smoke, a purification of the smoke is effected by filtering elements which are placed at the end of the cigarette. These filtering elements have a fairly limited effectiveness and only produce very partial condensation of the toxic vapors. In order to increase this effect, it has also been proposed to cause fresh air to be admitted in the vicinity of the suction extremity of a cigarette by perforations formed in the outer wrapping of the cigarette, or alternatively it has been proposed to smoke cigarettes through the intermediary of cigarette-holders provided with small lateral openings for the admission of external air. Both these expedients are not very practical, to the extent that they necessitate the use of an auxiliary equipment.

On the other hand, the method of purification employed, which consists of cooling down the tobacco smoke in the vicinity of the suction extremity by means of lateral perforations is not very rational, since the suction of this fresh air is effected with a small loss of pressure, at least in the first phase of combustion, which has a tendency to reduce considerably the effect of draught through the source of combustion. In the case of a cigarette holder with lateral orifices, it will furthermore be observed that the cooling of the smoke is effected after it has left the pack of tobacco, so that the effect of condensation on the tobacco smoke is considerably reduced due to the non-existence of a condensation support, constituted in the other case by the shreds of tobacco.

It has further been proposed to reduce the ill effects of the smoke by providing inside cigarettes or cigars an air-admission conduit extending over part or the whole of the cigarette or cigar, this conduit being perforated or not. Means of this kind have shown certain disadvantages. It has in fact been observed that a preferential air admission is produced at the level of the air-admission conduit, while the draught through the shreds of tabacco is substantially reduced. There is in fact only obtained a reduction in the smoke temperature, without thereby causing either condensation of the smoke or reduction of its toxic vapors, and this air and this smoke, circulating in parallel, reach the smoker's mouth at the same time.

It has also been proposed, especially in the manufacture of cigars, to associate the central conduit with small lateral conduits opening into the periphery of the said cigar. In this arrangement, the lateral conduits permit the admission of ambient air, with or without suction, with a small loss in pressure, whereas the smoke passing through the tobacco has to overcome a high pressure loss. In addition, the air admitted to the main conduit is hindered and prevented from circulating freely and completely in the pack of tobacco, so that it cannot result in progressive condensation along the pack of tobacco.

In pipes, purification of the smoke is generally carried out by elements which are introduced into the interior of the stem of the pipe. These elements are provided in the form of a helicoidal member which increases the length of travel of the smoke and gives it a whirling movement which has the effect of depositing part of the nicotine along the said helicoidal member. The purification of the smoke in such a device is far from being satisfactory and in order to improve this purification, it has been proposed to introduce into the pipe stem a filtering element which can be easily changed when the filter material is charged with nicotine.

These purification elements have disadvantages, and while they permit the temperature of the smoke to be reduced, they produce in fact only a very partial condensation of the toxic vapors.

The present invention has for its object to cause the condensation of the smoke and and the reduction of the toxic vapors by arranging a simple and effective device in the interior of cigarettes, cigars, pipes and plugs of tobacco for pipes.

The present invention relates to a cigarette, a cigar, a pipe, a plug of tobacco for pipes or the like, comprising a pack of tobacco with an external wrapper and leaving free an end opening intended to form the initial combustion source, and a zone distant from the opening of the initial source, intended to constitute the suction opening, at least one substantially permeable air-admission conduit, free from tobacco, extending from the end opening of the initial source of combustion at which it opens to the free air, to the said suction opening, means being provided in order that the air-admission conduit may be blind on the side of the suction opening and has a fluid-tight bottom wall.

According to the invention, the fluid-tight bottom wall is obtained by means such as pastilles, spheres, solid cylinders or the like which form an obstacle to the smoke. This air-admission conduit which passes into the pack of tobacco or its immediate vicinity makes it possible to ensure a substantial cooling of the smoke circulating in the pack of tobacco, by means of this current of external air practically free from toxic vapors and nearly at ambient temperature. The fluid-tight bottom wall of the conduit compels the fresh air to pass through the pack of tobacco, and this supplement of auxiliary air has a further effect of ensuring, at a point located upstream of the suction extremity, a mixture of the smoke with a substantial quantity of external fresh air. In this way, the smoke drawn-in has a very much lower degree of toxicity, on the one hand due to the fact that the tobacco smoke is at a lower temperature, and on the other hand because it has a lower content of toxic vapors by virtue of the increase in the rate of condensation resulting from the lower temperature, and also because of the additional supply of fresh external air.

According to one form of embodiment of the invention, the blind air-admission conduit with a fluid-tight bottom stops at a certain distance from the suction opening, or on the contrary it extends right through from the opening of the initial combustion source to the suction opening.

According to another form of embodiment of the invention, this air-admission conduit may be formed by mere agglomeration of shreds of tobacco to form an elongated cylindrical conduit inside the pack of tobacco, either with a wrapper which can itself be of paper, tobacco, either with a wrapper which can itself be of paper, tobaccoleaf, or even of a material which is more or less rigid and preferably combustible. The fluid-tight bottom wall of the air-admission conduit may either be visible from the side of the suction extremity or embedded in the tobacco, or fixed to a filter tip. In the case where the conduit is formed by a wall of a sheet of paper, tobacco, or a tube of other material, this conduit wall may be permeable or perforated with small holes forming passage clearances permitting the fresh air admitted to the conduit to pass into the pack of tobacco. The air-intake conduit may be single or alternatively it may be associated with one or more other conduits. The conduit is preferably of circular section, but it may have any other section, oval, polygonal or the like. The air-admission conduit is advantageously an axial conduit, but an eccentric conduit or even a conduit arranged at the lateral periphery of the pack of tobacco also ensures a substantially-purifying effect on the smoke.

certain characteristic features and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood from the description which follows below by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly in section and partly broken away, of a cigarette according to the invention;

FIGS. 2 to 6 are views similar to FIG. 1, showing other alternative forms of embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a partial view in perspective, with parts broken away of a cigar according to the invention;

FIG. 8 is another alternative form of a cigar according to the invention;

FIG. 9 is a view in partial section of a pipe in which the bowl comprises an auxiliary conduit according to the invention.

FIG. 10 is a view in partial section of a pipe in which the bowl comprises an auxiliary air conduit following an alternative form of construction;

FIGS. 11 to 16 are perspective views in partial section of plugs of tobacco for use in a pipe according to the invention;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an air-admission conduit according to the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, it can be seen that a cigarette comprises a pack of tobacco 1, enclosed in an outer wrapper of paper or tabacco-leaf 2, leaving free a suction extremity 3 and an initial combustion source extremity 4. In the pack of tobacco 1 is formed a blind axial conduit 5, extending from the initial combustion opening 4 to an extremity located at a certain distance from the suction extremity 3. The blind extremity of the conduit 5 is closed by a non-permeable bottom wall 6 which is shown in the form of a pastille having a section at least equal to that of the conduit 5. As can be seen from the drawing, this conduit 5 has a substantial section, for example of the order of one-third of the total section, and preferably between one-eighth and one-half of the total section, and it is formed by a simple agglomeration of shredded tobacco, without any outer support.

As has previously been explained, the tobacco smoke which flows in the direction of the arrow f becomes mixed and cooled by secondary currents of fresh air f' admitted through the conduit 5, these air currents being diverted by the pastille 6 into the pack of tobacco 1. This suction of fresh air causes a progressive condensation of the smoke by reduction of its temperature, and a reduction in the content of toxic vapors.

In the alternative form of embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the blind air-intake conduit 25 in a cigarette 21 is in this case formed by a tube 27 of cylindrical shape, having a circular section, as at 27a, or oval, as at 27b, or even polygonal, as shown at 27c, and closed at its extremity directed towards the suction extremity of the cigarette by an impermeable bottom. This conduit may be provided with perforation openings 28, either circular, as shown at 28a, or rectangular, as shown at 28b, or oval, as shown at 28c.

It will be noted that in this form of embodiment, the air-admission conduit 25 extends right through from the suction extremity 23 to the initial extremity 24, with a bottom wall fluid-tight and located towards the suction extremity and preferably at a certain distance from the end of the conduit.

In FIG. 3, the pack of tobacco 31 in its wrapper 32 incorporates a pipe 37 of combustible or other material, with perforations 38, this pipe 37 having a pointed extremity 39 and being intended to be inserted by the smoker in the body of a cigarette. This pointed extremity 39 constitutes the fluid-tight bottom wall which compels the flow of fresh air to pass through the pack of tobacco 31 so as to be mixed with the tobacco smoke.

In accordance with FIG. 4, the air-admission conduit 45 is in this case not arranged axially as in the previous cases, but considerably eccentric as will be seen from the drawing. In certain cases, this arrangement may permit an easier manufacture; in this case in fact, strict accuracy in manufacture would not be required.

Referring now to FIG. 5, it is seen that the air-admission conduit 55 with perforations 58 is no longer formed by a cylindrical surface as in FIGS. 1 to 4, but is slightly frusto-conical, and its smaller section at 56 is located on the side of the suction extremity 53. The conduit is in this case formed by a tube of paper, and it is terminated in a fluid-tight bottom wall 57, but it is obvious that the conduit could advantageously be formed by tobacco leaves or by a more or less rigid material, preferably combustible, the bottom wall being formed by a pastille, as shown in FIG. 1.

In the form of embodiment shown in FIG. 6 and for the purpose of facilitating manufacture, the cylinder 68 may be preceded by another hollow cylinder 69 slightly projecting from the cigarette (combustion side) which the smoker removes when he wishes to smoke. The association of the two cylinders permits easy manufacture of the conduit and holds this latter intact in its packet or bundle, even if the latter is roughly handled. In an alternative form of construction, the two cylinders 68 and 69 may be fitted one into the other, but the cylinder 69 may also be associated with the pastille 6 previously described.

Referring now to FIG. 7, it can be seen that a cigar is formed by tobacco leaves 71 rolled in such manner at to leave free an axial conduit 72, in which the extremity opposite to that of the initial combustion is closed in a fluid-tight manner by one of the devices previously described. The sheets of tobacco are previously perforated, as shown at 73 so as to form a plurality of sinuous branch passages permitting the introduction of fresh air round the conduit 72 into the actual centre of the pack of tobacco.

According to the form of embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the blind axial conduit 80, formed in the manner previously described by rolling together leaves 81, is associated with branch conduits 83 extending radially from the axial conduit 80. Such branch conduits 83 are made, after the manufacture of the cigar, by an appropriate apparatus which has furthermore served as a mandrel for the manufacture of the conduit 80.

The invention provides for the construction of the fluid-tight bottom wall of an sweet-smelling material (mentholated for example) or of an odoriferous material, not necessarily having an agreable odour, which at the time of its combustion notifies the smoker of the necessity of stopping smoking the cigarette or cigar in question.

Referring now to FIG. 9, it is seen that a pipe 90 with its bowl 91 is adapted to receive a plug of tobacco 92 which is placed round an axial conduit 93 provided with perforations 94, this tube 93 being fixed by its base on the outlet 95 of the suction conduit of smoke from the pipe through the intermediary of a support 97 which frees an annular passage 96. The tube 93 has a fluid-tight blind

bottom, and the fresh air drawn-in through the axial conduit 93 passes through the perforations 94, following the circuit indicated by the arrow f, passes into the pack of tobacco in which it becomes mixed with the smoke and passes out through the annular space 96 so as to be drawn into the stem 95.

In an alternative form of construction shown in FIG. 10, before introducing the pack of tobacco into the interior of the bowl 91, a ring 107 is incorporated around the axial conduit 103 provided as in the case of FIG. 9 This ring 107 is a filtering element put in position before the smoking tobacco and which can be made for example with pre-agglomerated tobacco, sweet-smelling or odoriferous, or with any other material which can be used for conventional filtration of the smoke.

In the two cases described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the axial conduit and its support may be made in a single piece so as to be a monobloc construction, the unit being placed in slots provided for that purpose and formed at the outlet of the suction conduit of the pipe.

Different types of plugs are provided so as to be fitted into the pipes previously described, or into conventional pipes. FIG. 11 is an example of construction of a plug of tobacco which comprises a pack of tobacco 110 with an axial conduit 111 extending from one end of the pack of tobacco to the other, namely from the initial combustion opening to the suction opening. The conduit 111 is given a diameter slightly greater than that of the axial conduit of the pipe, so that it can be easily introduced into the bowl.

Referring now to FIG. 12, the plug of tobacco identical with that described in FIG. 11, comprises a pack of tobacco 120 with an axial conduit 121, and the base of the plug is provided with a circular ring of a material which may advantageouly be sweet-smelling or odoriferous, indicating to the smoker the necessity of stopping smoking as soon as it begins to be consumed.

FIG. 13 shows an alternative form of construction of a plug of tobacco for pipes designed without a conduit, formed by a pack of tobacco 130, an axial conduit 131 extending partially over part of the plug body from the extremity of the initial combustion source towards the suction extremity, this conduit being blind and being closed at the bottom by a fluid-tight wall 132. With this fluid-tight wall there is obtained the same fresh-air circuit so as to mix this latter with the smoke, as in the case shown in FIG. 9.

In an alternative form of this construction shown in FIG. 14, the pack of tobacco 140 with its axial conduit 141 and its fluid-tight bottom wall 132 is provided at its periphery and at its base with a ring 143 which, as in the case of FIG. 12, may be sweet-smelling or odoriferous, again for the purpose of telling the smoker that the plug of tobacco is almost entirely consumed, and that there is danger in going beyond this limit.

According to a further foem of embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the fluid-tight bottom wall which is intended to close the axial conduit is constituted by a a full or partly full cylinder 152 placed at the suction side extremity of the axial conduit 151, which extends on each side of the pack of tobacco 150. This construction provides two possibilities of use, either to use this plug of tobacco in a conventional pipe or to employ it in a pipe of the kind described in FIGS. 9 and 10, that is to say comprising an axial conduit incorporated in the pipe. In this case, it will be necessary to remove the full cylinder 152 and there is then obtained a plug in accordance with that shown in FIG. 11.

As has been described in FIG. 6 for the production of cigarettes, there may advantageously be arranged in the pack of tobacco 150 a hollow cylinder 153 which will for example precede the cylinder 152 and which is to be removed at the time of consumption of the plug of tobacco. This cylinder has the purpose of facilitating the formation of the axial conduit 151 and to protect this latter from possible crushing at the time of bundling together in packets.

FIGS. 9 the case of pipes which are not designed to receive an axial conduit such as that described in FIGS.9 and 10 and which the smoker does not wish to have adapted to plugs of tobacco designed with conduits, there is provided an axial removable conduit shown in FIG. 7, which is constituted by a tube 170 provided with perforations 171, one extremity of which is provided with a pointed fluid-tight end 172. This end portion 172 may be fixed to the tube 170 or it may be removable. For its utilization, it is only necessary in insert the conduit provided with the end portion in the plug of tobacco until the pointed end 172 slightly projects from the lower extremity so as to form, with the outlet of the suction tube of the pipe, an annular space to permit the passage of the air-smoke mixture. The tube 170 may be removed at that moment -- when ready to smoke the pipe -- and may thus be used several times, only the end-piece 172 being consumed. This end-piece may also be sweet-smelling or odoriferous. It is clear that the conduit shown in FIG. 17 may also be employed with plugs of tobacco of the same type as that shown in the figure, in which the axial conduit 111 facilitates penetration of the removable conduit.

In the forms of embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 17, the bottom wall has been described as being constituted by a pastille or the extremity of a full or partially hollow cylinder, but it is obvious that it may be formed by any other device acting as an obstacle to the direct flow of fresh air, and may take any useful form such as a sphere, etc., making it possible to obtain, in combination with the conduit, all the advantages desired, namely condensation of toxic vapors, super-oxygenated combustion source resulting in a more complete combustion of the substances, super-oxygenated axis over the whole length of the tobacco to be smoked, combustion source of ring shepe: resulting in a reduction of the combustion temperature by the elimination of the centre of the combustions source, the addition of relatively pure ambient air over the whole length of the device to be smoked, along its axis, which cools down the smoke and proportionally reduces the virulence of the said smoke.

These advantages are fundamental since it is admitted that the lack of oxygen at the axis of the cigarette or cigar and its high temperature (700.degree. to 780.degree.C.) permit the vaporization of certain elements such as polycyclic aromatic compounds and other compounds such as pyridine liberated by nicotine, a solubilizing solvent of the hydrocarbons belonging to the family of benzenes, together with others such as hydro-cyanic acid, ethanol, formaldehyde and the ketones, and including radio-active substances such as polonium, the common action of which in inducing cancer is several times greater than that of the benzo-(A)-pyrene present in the tar produced by tobacco.

The invention hereinbefore described in respect of its various forms of embodiment permits the association therewith of other elements such as filter-tips of conventional types.

FIG. 5 shows a cigarette provided at its suction extremity with a filter 53 for filtering the air-smoke mixture before it reaches the smoker. It is also possible to provide an external end-piece 65 adapted to fit on the suction extremity of the cigarette as shown in FIG. 6, and this end-piece may be of cardboard paper, cork or other suitable material, sweet-smelling or odoriferous, not thicker than the wrappers of the standard filter tip, the combustion of which may cause an odour disagreeable to the smoker, and indicating the necessity that he should stop smoking.

Similarly, with reference to pipes, the plug of tobacco shown in FIG. 16 comprises a filter tip 164 stuck to the base of the pack of tobacco 160 in juxtaposition to the fluid-tight bottom wall 162, and surrounded externally by the ring 163 which may in its turn also be of sweet-smelling or odoriferous material.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. In a cigarette or the like comprising an elongated body of tobacco laterally encircled by a wrapper, said cigarette having an end to be lit and a suction end; the improvement in which the body of tobacco has an air-permeable duct extending longitudinally thereof from said lit end and terminating at a distance from said suction end in a fluid-impervious end wall that occupies only a central portion of said body of tobacco and that is spaced inwardly from said wrapper, said end wall defining between itself and said wrapper an annulus filled entirely with tobacco, the tobacco of said body extending a substantial distance on the side of said end wall which is opposite said duct, the side walls of said duct being airpermeable, said end wall having a diameter about the same as the internal diameter of said duct.

2. A cigarette or the like as claimed in claim 1, said duct being empty and being bounded by said body of tobacco.

3. A cigarette or the like as claimed in claim 1, in which said duct is bounded by a sheath of perforate material.

4. A cigarette or the like as claimed in claim 1, in which said duct is bounded by a sheath of fluid-permeable material.

5. a cigarette or the like as claimed in claim 1, in which said duct is bounded by a wall of perforate combustible material.

6. A cigarette or the like as claimed in claim 1, and a filter between said end wall and said suction end, said filter being spaced from said end wall by a portion of said body of tobacco.

7. A cigarette or the like as claimed in claim 1, said duct having an internal diameter from one-eighth to one-half the diameter of the cigarette.