System for debossing a heat generation member, a smoking article including the debossed heat generation member, and a related method

Abstract

A system for debossing a heat generation member of an elongate smoking article includes a dispensing mechanism configured to serially dispense a longitudinally-extending heat generation member along a machine direction, wherein the heat generation member has an outer surface and defines a longitudinal axis. The system further includes a debossing mechanism having a first die and an opposing second die each defining a longitudinally-extending channel, wherein the channels of the opposing first and second dies each include spaced-apart protrusions and are arranged to receive therebetween the longitudinally-extending heat generation member from the dispensing mechanism, and wherein the protrusions in the channels are configured to extend non-parallel to the channels and cooperatively interact with the heat generation member to deboss the outer surface thereof. An associated method and smoking article are also disclosed.

That which is claimed: 
     
         1 . A system for debos sing a heat generation member of an elongate smoking article comprising:
 a dispensing mechanism configured to serially dispense a longitudinally-extending heat generation member along a machine direction, the heat generation member having an outer surface and defining a longitudinal axis; and   a debossing mechanism comprising a first die and an opposing second die each defining a longitudinally-extending channel, the channels of the opposing first and second dies each comprising spaced-apart protrusions and being arranged to receive therebetween the longitudinally-extending heat generation member from the dispensing mechanism, the protrusions in the channels being configured to extend non-parallel to the channels and cooperatively interact with the heat generation member to deboss the outer surface thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising an extruding mechanism configured to extrude the heat generation member as a monolithic element of a carbonaceous material. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the extruding mechanism is configured to form a plurality of spaced-apart grooves in the monolithic element, the grooves extending longitudinally between opposed first and second ends of the heat generation member. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the protrusions in the channels of the debos sing mechanism are configured to cooperatively interact with the heat generation member to deboss the outer surface thereof and define a plurality of spaced-apart depressions between the opposed first and second ends of the heat generation member, each depression extending about a circumference of the outer surface thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein each of the protrusions in the channels of the debos sing mechanism is configured to deboss either a first hemicylindrical portion or an opposing second hemicylindrical portion of the outer surface of the heat generation member to form the plurality of spaced-apart depressions extending about either the first hemicylindrical portion or the opposing second hemicylindrical portion. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the first die and the opposing second die are aligned such that the protrusions in the channels of each are aligned with one another so as to cooperatively interact with the heat generation member such that the formed plurality of spaced-apart depressions extending about the first and second hemicylindrical portions are aligned with each other, and such that the spaced-apart depressions extending continuously around the circumference of the outer surface of the heat generation member. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the first die and the opposing second die are aligned such that the protrusions in the channel of the first die are offset in the machine direction with regard to the protrusions in the channel of the second die, and wherein the first and second dies cooperatively interact with the heat generation member such that the formed plurality of spaced-apart depressions extending about the first hemicylindrical portion are offset in the machine direction with regard to the formed plurality of spaced-apart depressions extending about the second hemicylindrical portion. 
     
     
         8 . A smoking article comprising:
 a mouth end portion disposed at a mouth end;   a tobacco portion disposed between a lighting end and the mouth end portion; and   an aerosol-generation system including an aerosol-generation portion disposed between the lighting end and the tobacco portion, the aerosol-generation system including a heat generation portion disposed at the lighting end, the heat generation portion comprising a longitudinally-extending heat generation member configured to be actuated by ignition of the lighting end, the heat generation member defining a plurality of spaced-apart depressions between opposed first and second ends thereof, each depression extending about a circumference of the outer surface thereof.   
     
     
         9 . The smoking article of  claim 8 , wherein the heat generation member comprises a plurality of spaced-apart grooves extending longitudinally between the opposed first and second ends thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The smoking article of  claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of spaced-apart depressions has a constant depth. 
     
     
         11 . The smoking article of  claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of spaced-apart depressions extends about a first hemicylindrical portion or an opposing second hemicylindrical portion of the outer surface of the heat generation member. 
     
     
         12 . The smoking article of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of spaced-apart depressions extending about the first and second hemicylindrical portions are aligned with each other such that the spaced-apart depressions extend continuously around the circumference of the outer surface of the heat generation member. 
     
     
         13 . The smoking article of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of spaced-apart depressions extending about the first hemicylindrical portion are longitudinally offset along the heat generation member with regard to the plurality of spaced-apart depressions extending about the second hemicylindrical portion. 
     
     
         14 . The smoking article of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of spaced-apart depressions are configured to increase a surface area of the heat generation member, exclusive of surface areas of the opposed first and second ends, over a surface area defined by an outer periphery of the heat generation member without the plurality of spaced-apart depressions. 
     
     
         15 . A method for debos sing a heat generation member of an elongate smoking article comprising:
 serially dispensing a longitudinally-extending heat generation member along a machine direction, the heat generation member having an outer surface and defining a longitudinal axis; and   debossing the heat generation member by receiving the heat generation member between longitudinally-extending channels of a first die and an opposing longitudinally-extending channel of a second die of a debos sing mechanism, the channels of the opposing first and second dies each comprising spaced-apart protrusions, the protrusions in the channels being configured to extend non-parallel to the channels and cooperatively interacting with the heat generation member to deboss the outer surface thereof.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein serially dispensing a longitudinally-extending heat generation member comprises extruding the heat generation member as a monolithic element of a carbonaceous material. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein extruding the single carbonaceous material comprises forming a plurality of spaced-apart grooves in the monolithic element, the grooves extending longitudinally between opposed first and second ends of the heat generation member. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein receiving the heat generation member such that the protrusions in the channels of the debos sing mechanism cooperatively interact with the heat generation member to deboss the outer surface thereof comprises defining a plurality of spaced-apart depressions between the opposed first and second ends of the heat generation member, each depression extending about a circumference of the outer surface of the heat generation member. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising aligning the first die and the opposing second die such that the protrusions in the channels of each die are aligned with one another, the dies cooperatively interacting with the heat generation member to form the plurality of spaced-apart depressions, wherein the plurality of spaced-apart depressions extending about a first and second hemicylindrical portions are aligned with each other such that the spaced-apart depressions extend continuously around the circumference of the outer surface of the heat generation member. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising aligning the first die and the opposing second die such that the protrusions in the channel of the first die are offset in the machine direction with regard to the protrusions in the channel of the second die, the dies cooperatively interacting with the heat generation member to form the plurality of spaced-apart depressions such that the plurality of spaced-apart depressions extending about a first hemicylindrical portion are offset in the machine direction with regard to the plurality of spaced-apart depressions extending about a second opposing hemicylindrical portion.