A method for manufacturing different types of smoking article

Abstract

A method for concurrently manufacturing two different types of smoking articles using a smoking article manufacturing machine. The machine comprises a filter rod feeder, a rod attachment unit for attaching rods of smokable material to each longitudinal end 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, forms a smoking article. The method supplies the filter rod feeder with filter rods comprising filter tow. The filter rods being configured so that the two filter rod segments cut from a dual length filter rod by the cutter will each have different characteristics. A pack of smoking article industry products, and an intermediate product made during the concurrent manufacture of two different types of smoking articles, are disclosed.

1 . The method for concurrently manufacturing two different types of smoking articles using a smoking article manufacturing machine, the machine comprises a filter rod feeder, a rod attachment unit for attaching rods of smokable material to each longitudinal end 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, forms a smoking article, the method comprising supplying the filter rod feeder with filter rods that comprise filter tow and which are configured so that the two filter rod segments cut from a dual length filter rod by the cutter will each have a different characteristic. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising supplying filter rods in which the tow of one filter rod segment of a dual length filter rod has a different characteristic to the tow of the other filter rod segment of the same dual length filter rod. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , comprising supplying filter rods in which the different characteristics of the filter rod segments of a dual length filter rod are visually discernible. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising supplying filter rods in which the tow contains longitudinally spaced objects of different respective types so that when a dual length filter rod is cut by the cutter into two filter rod segments, each segment contains a different object type or different combination of object types. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the filter rod feeder comprises an initial cutter for cutting filter rods into dual length filter rods prior to attachment of rods of smokable material to each longitudinal end of each dual length filter rod, the method comprising the step of supplying the filter rod feeder with filter rods each of which contain four longitudinally spaced objects of alternating type so that, when the rod articles cut by the initial cutter into two dual length filter rods, each dual length filter rod contains an object of each type. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the filter rod feeder comprises an initial cutter for cutting filter rods into dual length filter rods prior to attachment of rods of smokable material to each longitudinal end of each dual length filter rod, the method comprising the step of supplying the filter rod feeder with filter rods each of which contain six longitudinally spaced objects of alternating type so that, when the filter rods are cut by the initial cutter into three dual length filter rods, each dual length filter rod contains an object of each type. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the step of supplying the filter rod feeder with filter rods comprises supplying filter rods with capsules inserted therein, wherein some of the capsules contain a flavourant of a first type and some of the capsules contain a flavourant of a second type,. which is different from the first type. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the tow characteristic is related to the flavourant contained in the capsule inserted into the tow having that characteristic. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the filter rods comprise a plug wrap having an indicator to denote a predetermined rod orientation based on object type, the method including placing the filter rods in the filter rod feeder so that all the filter rods are in a predetermined orientation relative to the filter rod feeder. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the smoking article manufacturing machine comprises a tipping unit to receive a web of tipping paper so that the smoking article manufacturing 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 to the first type of smoking article, wherein the method includes loading the tipping paper web onto a smoking article manufacturing machine in a predetermined orientation, and placing filter rods in the filter rod feeder in an orientation corresponding to the orientation of the supply of tipping paper, 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 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, 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 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. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising supplying the filter rod feeder with filter rods that include tube filters so that when a dual length filter rod is cut into two filter rod segments, each segment contains a tube filter portion in addition to a filter tow section, each of the filter tow sections of a dual length filter rod having a different characteristic. 
     
     
         12 . A pack of smoking article industry products, each smoking article industry product comprising a filter rod formed from filter tow that contains a capsule, the capsule contained in the tow of a filter rod of at least one of the smoking article industry products in the pack being of a different type to the type of capsule contained in the tow of a filter rod of at least one other smoking article industry product in the pack, wherein the tow of filter rods containing capsules of one type has a different characteristic to the tow of filter rods containing capsules of another type. 
     
     
         13 . The pack according to  claim 12 , wherein the tow of filter rods containing capsules of one type is of a different colour to the tow of filter rods containing capsules of a different type. 
     
     
         14 . The pack according to  claim 13 , wherein each filter rod comprises a tube filter, the differently coloured tow being visible through the tube filter when the pack is opened. 
     
     
         15 . The smoking article obtainable by the method according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         16 . An intermediate product made during the concurrent manufacture two different types of smoking article according to the method of  claim 1 , comprising a dual length filter rod having rods of smokable material attached to each longitudinal end prior to the dual length filter rod being cut into two filter rod segments, the dual length filter rod comprising filter tow and being configured so that when the dual length filter rod is cut to form two filter rod segments, each filter rod segment has a different characteristic. 
     
     
         17 . The intermediate product according to  claim 16 , wherein the tow that forms one filter rod segment of a dual length filter rod has a different characteristic than the tow that forms the other filter rod segment of the same dual length filter rod. 
     
     
         18 . The intermediate product according to  claim 16 , wherein the tow that forms one filter rod segment of a dual length filter rod contains an object of a first type and the tow that forms the other filter rod segment of the same dual length filter rod contains an object of a second type, the first and second object types being different.