Smoking article with reduced tobacco

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11375742-B2
Application number	US-202016984966-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2020
Priority date	Sep 14, 2017
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

An exemplary smoking article including a smoking rod filled with a combination including tobacco filler material and cellulose filler material. The tobacco filler material and cellulose filler material can be arranged such that the constituent material particles are generally distributed throughout the smoking rod, the tobacco filler material at least partially surrounds the cellulose filler material along a length of the smoking rod, and/or the cellulose filler material particles have a higher concentration along a central axis of the smoking rod than the tobacco filler material particles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a smoking article, comprising: forming a smoking rod filled with particles of tobacco filler material and particles of cellulose filler material free of tobacco, wherein the tobacco filler material at least partially surrounds the cellulose filler material along a length of the smoking rod and the cellulose filler material includes cut cellulose filter paper, shredded cellulose filter paper, or cut cellulose filter paper and shredded cellulose filter paper.

2. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , wherein the tobacco filler material and the cellulose filler material are separately disposed in concentric areas along the length of the smoking rod.

3. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , further comprising impregnating the cellulose filler material with an additive.

4. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , further comprising impregnating the tobacco filler material or the cellulose filler material, or both, with an additive.

5. The method of making the smoking article of claim 3 , wherein the additive comprises a flavorant.

6. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , wherein the cellulose filler material is a part of a pre-formed rod.

7. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , wherein the cellulose filler material further includes at least one material of the following materials: wood, jute, ramie, tree bark, banana leaves, bamboo, paper, cotton, and cotton-based material.

8. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , wherein the cellulose filler material includes a cellulose material with an ash content that is less than or equal to 0.5% when burned.

9. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , wherein the cellulose filler material includes a substantially acid-free or an unbleached cellulose material, or both.

10. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , wherein the tobacco filler material includes a modified tobacco filler material.

11. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , wherein the tobacco filler material includes a blend of conventional tobacco filler material and modified tobacco filler material.

12. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , further comprising attaching a filter portion to the smoking rod.

13. The method of making the smoking article of claim 12 , wherein the filter portion includes a multi-plug arrangement.

14. The method of making the smoking article of claim 13 , wherein the filter portion includes an additive releasably stored in a bead or a capsule, or both.

15. The method of making the smoking article of claim 12 , further comprising providing an interface between the filter portion and the smoking rod.

16. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , further comprising providing an interface connected to the smoking rod opposite a burn end of the smoking rod.

17. The method of making the smoking article of claim 16 , wherein the interface includes an additive.

18. The method of making the smoking article of claim 15 , wherein the interface includes an additive.

19. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of tobacco filler material to cellulose filler material is in a range of 95:5 to 25:75.

20. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , wherein an amount of tobacco filler material in the smoking rod is less than an amount of cellulose filler material in the smoking rod.

21. The method of making the smoking article of claim 1 , wherein the smoking article is a cigarette, a cigar, or a cigarillo.

22. A method of making a smoking article, comprising: forming a smoking rod filled with filler material including particles of tobacco filler material and particles of cellulose filler material free of tobacco, wherein at least some of the cellulose filler material is arranged in a higher temperature burn area of the smoking rod in relation to at least some of the tobacco filler material, and the cellulose filler material includes cut cellulose filter paper, shredded cellulose filter paper, or cut cellulose filter paper and shredded cellulose filter paper.

23. The method of making the smoking article of claim 22 , wherein the tobacco filler material is arranged substantially along a periphery of an inner volume of the smoking rod.

24. The method of making the smoking article of claim 22 , wherein the cellulose filler material is impregnated with an additive.

25. The method of making the smoking article of claim 22 , wherein the cellulose filler material includes a cellulose material with an ash content that is less than or equal to 0.5% when burned.

26. The method of making the smoking article of claim 22 , wherein the tobacco filler material and the cellulose filler material are separately disposed in concentric areas about a longitudinal axis of the smoking rod.

27. The method of making the smoking article of claim 22 , wherein the tobacco filler material includes a modified tobacco material.

28. The method of making the smoking article of claim 22 , wherein the cellulose filler material includes substantially acid-free or unbleached cellulose material, or both.

29. The method of making the smoking article of claim 22 , further comprising attaching a filter portion to the smoking rod.

30. The method of making the smoking article of claim 29 , wherein the filter portion includes an additive releasably stored in a bead or capsule, or both.

31. The method of making the smoking article of claim 29 , further comprising providing an interface between the filter portion and the smoking rod.

32. The method of making the smoking article of claim 22 , wherein the smoking rod is formed such that a portion of the smoking rod is not filled with the filler material, creating an interface configured to store an additive.

33. The method of making the smoking article of claim 31 , wherein the interface includes an additive.

34. A method of making a smoking article, comprising attaching a filter portion to a smoking rod, the smoking rod including a blend of particles of tobacco filler material and particles of cellulose filler material free of tobacco, the blend containing a higher concentration of cellulose filler material than tobacco filler material in a central area along a length of the smoking rod, and the cellulose filler material includes cut cellulose filter paper, shredded cellulose filter paper, or cut cellulose filter paper and shredded cellulose filter paper.

35. The method of making the smoking article of claim 34 , wherein the cellulose filler material is impregnated with an additive.

36. The method of making the smoking article of claim 35 , wherein the additive includes a flavorant.

37. The method of making the smoking article of claim 34 , wherein the filter portion includes a plug-space arrangement.

38. The method of making the smoking article of claim 34 , wherein the filter portion includes an additive releasably stored in a bead or a capsule, or both.

39. The method of making the smoking article of claim 34 , wherein a ratio of tobacco filler material to cellulose filler material is in a range of 95:5

Assignees

• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• Mishra Munmaya K
• Yu Shaoyong
• Appleton Bernard S
• Li Weiling

Classifications

• A24D3/061 Primary

  containing additives entrapped within capsules, sponge-like material or the like, for further release upon smoking · CPC title

• A24D1/18

  Selection of materials, other than tobacco, suitable for smoking · CPC title

• A24B15/16

  of tobacco substitutes · CPC title

• A24B13/00

  Tobacco for pipes, for cigars, e.g. cigar inserts, or for cigarettes; Chewing tobacco; Snuff (reconstituted tobacco products A24B3/14) · CPC title

• A24B15/403 Primary

  having only oxygen as hetero atoms · CPC title