Cigarettes and their construction

Abstract

A cigarette is provided with the tobacco column portion adjacent the filter assembly encased by a heat shrink material whereby as the burn approaches the butt the heat shrink material begins to contract radially and compress the encased tobacco column restricting the air flow therethrough. This reduces the diameter of burning column adjacent the filter assembly and thus extinguishes or at least confines the remaining tobacco in the cigarette.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A composite tipping paper wrap which may be fed from a roll and wound onto a column assembly including a wrapped tobacco column and a co-axially juxtaposed filter, the tobacco column having a butt portion extending axially from the filter, the composite tipping paper wrap consisting of a tape or a band of:
 tipping paper formed to wrap about the filter, and   heat shrink material laminated to and protruding from one edge of the tipping paper and together forming the composite tipping paper wrap, and which on application to said respective column assembly extends beyond the junction between the filter and the juxtaposed wrapped tobacco column to form an encasing heat shrink layer about the butt portion of the wrapped tobacco column;   wherein the encasing heat shrink material is capable of shrinking about the butt portion of the wrapped tobacco column sufficiently to extinguish the encased tobacco when the tobacco column burns down to the heat shrink material.   
     
     
         2 . The composite tipping paper wrap as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the band of heat shrink material overlaps an adjacent edge portion of the band of tipping paper and extends therefrom for a distance of between 5 mm and 10 mm onto the butt portion of the wrapped tobacco column. 
     
     
         3 . A tipping paper wrap for simultaneous application to a pair of oppositely arranged respective column assemblies each including a wrapped tobacco column and a filter arranged with their respective filters in substantially co-axial abutting relationship, said wrap having one side portion forming a composite tipping paper wrap as claimed in  claim 1  for application to one said column assembly and an opposite side portion forming a composite tipping paper wrap for application to the other said column assembly. 
     
     
         4 . A method of joining a wrapped tobacco column to a co-axially juxtaposed filter including providing a composite tipping paper wrap as claimed in  claim 1  the method comprising winding the tipping paper wrap onto the juxtaposed wrapped tobacco column and filter to form an encasing layer of heat shrink material which spans the joint between the wrapped tobacco column and the filter to join them together. 
     
     
         5 . The method as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the coaxially juxtaposed wrapped tobacco column and filter are rotated about their common longitudinal axes while winding the composite tipping paper wrap thereabout. 
     
     
         6 . The method as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the composite tipping paper wrap is simultaneously wound onto a pair of wrapped tobacco columns and their respective filters arranged in a coaxial array with their filters adjoining one another. 
     
     
         7 . The method of joining a tobacco column to a co-axially juxtaposed filter comprising providing a composite tipping paper wrap as claimed in  claim 1  and winding the composite tipping paper wrap onto the juxtaposed wrapped tobacco column and filter to join them together and to form an encasing layer of heat shrink material about the butt of the tobacco column. 
     
     
         8 . A cigarette made in accordance with the method of  claim 4 . 
     
     
         9 . A composite tipping paper wrap which may be fed from a roll and wound onto a column assembly including a wrapped tobacco column and a co-axially juxtaposed filter, the tobacco column having a butt portion extending axially from the filter, the composite wrap consisting of a tape or a band of:
 tipping paper formed to wrap about the filter, and   a band of heat shrink material joined to and protruding from one edge of the tipping paper and together forming a laminate composite tipping paper wrap, and which on application to said respective column assembly extends beyond the junction between the filter and the juxtaposed wrapped tobacco column to form an encasing heat shrink layer about the butt portion of the tobacco column;   wherein the band of heat shrink material overlaps all or a significant portion of the band of tipping paper and is apertured along an overlapping area to enable the band of tipping paper to pass air, smoke or gases therethrough;   wherein the encasing heat shrink material is capable of shrinking about the butt portion of the wrapped tobacco column sufficiently to restrict smoke flow through the wrapped tobacco column and draw air through the aperatures.   
     
     
         10 . A roll of a composite tipping paper wrap defined in  claim 1 .