Web of tipping paper

Abstract

A web of tipping paper ( 20 ) for supplying a smoking article manufacturing machine ( 17 ) which cuts the web into individual patches and wraps each patch about a respective dual length filter rod ( 1 ) to attach rods of smokable material ( 4 ) to the ends of each dual length filter rod is disclosed. A first lateral portion ( 25 a ) of the tipping paper web comprises a first longitudinal series of first indicators ( 26 ), and a second lateral portion ( 25 b ) of the tipping paper web comprises a second longitudinal series of indicators ( 27 ), the first and second indicators being different to each other so that a first indicator is indicative of a first type of smoking article and a second indicator is indicative of a second type of smoking article which is different to the first type of smoking article, wherein the tipping paper web is configured to be loaded onto a smoking article manufacturing machine so that the machine wraps a first part of a patch of tipping paper which is formed from the first lateral portion of the tipping paper web around a first portion of the dual length filter rod in the formation of a smoking article of the first type and so that a first indicator on the first part of the patch denotes that said first portion of the dual length filter rod is a part of a smoking article of the first type and, so that the machine wraps a second part of the patch which is formed from the second lateral portion of the tipping paper web around a second portion of the dual length filter rod in the formation of a smoking article of the second type and so that a second indicator on the second part of the patch denotes that said second portion of the dual length filter rod is a part of a smoking article of the second type, prior to cutting the dual length filter rod and the patch into a first filter rod segment that is wrapped in said first part of the patch and which forms, together with the rod of smokable material attached thereto, a smoking article of the first type, and into a second filter rod segment that is wrapped in said second part of the patch and which forms, together with the rod of smokable attached thereto, a smoking article of the second type.

1 . A web of tipping paper for supplying a smoking article manufacturing machine, the machine cuts the web into individual patches and wraps each patch about a respective dual length filter rod to attach rods of smokable material to the ends of each dual length filter rod, wherein a first lateral portion of the tipping paper web comprises a first longitudinal series of first indicators, and a second lateral portion of the tipping paper web comprises a second longitudinal series of second indicators, the first and second indicators being different to each other so that a first indicator is indicative of a first type of smoking article and a second indicator is indicative of a second type of smoking article, which is different from the first type of smoking article, wherein when the tipping paper web is wrapped about a dual length filter rod by the smoking article manufacturing machine, a first part of a patch of tipping paper, which is formed from the first lateral portion of the tipping paper web, is wrapped around a first portion of the dual length filter rod in the formation of a smoking article of the first type so that a first indicator on the first part of the patch denotes that said first portion of the dual length filter rod is part of a smoking article of the first type and, a second part of the patch, which is formed from the second lateral portion of the tipping paper web, is wrapped around a second portion of the dual length filter rod in the formation of a smoking article of the second type so that a second indicator on the second part of the patch, which is different to the indicator on the first part of the patch, denotes that said second portion of the dual length filter rod is part of a smoking article of the second type, prior to cutting the dual length filter rod and the patch into a first filter rod segment that is wrapped in said first part of the patch and which forms, together with the rod of smokable material attached thereto, a smoking article of the first type, and into a second filter rod segment that is wrapped in said second part of the patch and which forms, together with the rod of smokable material attached thereto, a smoking article of the second type. 
     
     
         2 . A web of tipping paper according to  claim 1 , wherein the first indicator is configured to denote that the first filter rod segment has an object of a first type inserted within it. 
     
     
         3 . A web of tipping paper according to  claim 1 , wherein the second indicator is configured to denote that the second filter rod segment has an object of a second type inserted within it. 
     
     
         4 . A web of tipping paper according to any of  claim 1 , wherein each patch is of sufficient length to wrap about a dual length filter rod to attach a rod of smokable material to an end of said dual length filter rod, and each indicator of the first longitudinal series of first indicators is spaced from its longitudinally adjacent first indicator such that the first part of each patch has only one first indicator. 
     
     
         5 . A web of tipping paper according to  claim 1 , wherein each patch is of sufficient length to wrap about a dual length filter rod to attach a rod of smokable material to an end of said dual length filter rod, and each indicator of the second longitudinal series of first indicators is spaced from its longitudinally adjacent second indicator such that the second part of each patch has only one second indicator. 
     
     
         6 . A web of tipping paper according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said first and/or second indicators comprise a visual or tactile mark or other indicia. 
     
     
         7 . A bobbin configured for mounting to a tipping unit of a smoking article manufacturing machine and a web of tipping paper, according to  claim 1 , wound on the bobbin. 
     
     
         8 . A method of using the tipping paper web, according to  claim 1 , in the concurrent manufacture of two different types of smoking article on a smoking article manufacturing machine that comprises a filter rod feeder, a rod attachment unit for attaching rods of smokable material to longitudinal ends of a dual length filter rod received from the filter rod feeder, and a cutter to cut the dual length filter rod into two filter rod segments so that each segment, together with the rod of smokable material attached to each segment, relates to a different respective smoking article, the method comprising threading the web of tipping paper through the smoking article manufacturing machine so that, during operation, the web is cut into individual patches before wrapping each patch about a respective dual length filter rod to attach rods of smokable material to the ends of each dual length filter rod, and so that a first part of a patch formed from a first lateral portion of the tipping paper web is wrapped around a first portion of the dual length filter rod in the formation of a smoking article of the first type such that a first indicator on the first part of the patch denotes that said first portion of the dual length filter rod is part of a smoking article of the first type, and so that a second part of the patch formed from a second lateral portion of the tipping paper web is wrapped around a second portion of the dual length filter rod in the formation of a smoking article of the second type such that a second indicator on the second part of the patch denotes that said second portion of the dual length filter rod is a smoking article of the second type, prior to cutting the dual length filter rod and the patch into a first filter rod segment that is wrapped in said first part of the patch and which forms, together with the rod of smokable material attached thereto, a smoking article of the first type, and into a second filter rod segment that is wrapped in said second part of the patch and which forms, together with the rod of smokable material attached thereto, a smoking article of the second type.