US 4,904,308 AGranted

Adjustable smoker's mouthpiece

AssigneeCigarette Components Limited

InventorsJohn Charlton, Paul F. Clarke

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A ventilated smoker's mouthpiece, e.g. for a cigarette, in which the degree of ventilation is readily adjustable. The mouthpiece includes a ventilating outer sleeve around a buccal end core member and an adjacent upstream core member longitudinally aligned therewith. The buccal end core member bus, extending upstream from its exposed end, a portion which is movable longitudinally relative to the remainder thereof to move the adjacent upstream core member longitudinally relative to the sleeve to vary the extent of ventilation permitted through the outer sleeve. Thus, the outer sleeve may have one or more ventilating orifices, with longitudinal movement of the adjacent upstream core member under the action of the movable portion of the buccal end core member, bringing the upstream core member at least partially into or out of blocking registration with the ventilation orifice or orifices, or altering the extent of such blocking registration, with the amount of ventilation permitted varying accordingly.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A ventilated smoker's mouthpiece, comprising:

a cylindrical buccal end core member comprising a radially outer tubular portion snugly slidably surrounding a radially inner portion disposed coaxially therewith;
said buccal end core member having a first end and a second end;
at least one of said radially outer tubular portion and said radially inner portion being capable of having smoke and air drawn longitudinally therethrough and out said first end of said buccal end core member;
a cylindrical second core member comprising a cylindrical plug of cigarette filter material through which cigarette smoke may be drawn longitudinally while being filtered;
said second core member having a first end and a second end;
said second core member being coaxially arranged with said buccal end core member with said second end of said buccal end core member disposed adjacent said first end of said second core member;
said second core member further including an air-impervious outer peripheral wrap;
a ventilating outer sleeve engagingly peripherally surrounding said buccal end core member and said second core member thereby securing said radially outer tubular member of said buccal end core member in relation to said second core member;
said second core member being snugly longitudinally slidably received in relation to said ventilating outer sleeve;
said ventilating outer sleeve being radially pervious to air towards said second core member adjacent said first end of said second core member adjacent said second end of said buccal end core member;
said radially inner portion of said buccal end core member being externally accessible from said first end of said buccal end core member, so that said radially inner portion may be pushed axially upstream relative to said radially outer tubular portion, and thereby push the second core member axially upstream relative to the ventilating outer sleeve, from an initial position in which said air-impervious outer peripheral wrap to a first, greater degree prevents air from being drawn through said ventilating outer sleeve by suction on said first end of said buccal end core member, to a variably selected use position in which said air-impervious outer peripheral wrap to a second, lesser degree prevents air from being drawn through said ventilating outer sleeve by suction on said first end of said buccal end core member;
and
means permitting attachment of said ventilated smoker's mouthpiece to a cigarette so that said second end of said second core member is disposed nearest the cigarette, so that a user may push-in the radially inner core portion by a selected amount in order to regulate the proportion of air and smoke which is drawn through the first end of said buccal end core member by sucking thereon while the cigarette is attached to the ventilated smoker's mouthpiece and being smoked by the user.

10 more elements

A filter tip cigarette, comprising:

a cylindrical buccal end core member comprising a radially outer tubular portion snugly slidably surrounding a radially inner portion disposed co-axially therewith;
said buccal end core member having a first end and a second end;
at least one of said radially outer tubular portion and said radially inner portion being capable of having smoke and air drawn longitudinally therethrough and out said first end of said buccal end core member;
a cylindrical second core member comprising a cylindrical plug of cigarette filter material through which cigarette smoke may be drawn longitudinally while being filtered;
said second core member having a first end and a second end;
said second core member being coaxially arranged with said buccal end core member with said second end of said buccal end core member disposed adjacent said first end of said second core member;
said second core member further including an air-impervious outer peripheral wrap;
a ventilating outer sleeve engagingly peripherally surrounding said buccal end core member and said second core member thereby securing said radially outer tubular member of said buccal end core member in relation to said second core member;
said second core member being snugly longitudinally slidably received in relation to said ventilating outer sleeve;
said ventilating outer sleeve being radially pervious to air towards said second core member adjacent said first end of said second core member adjacent said second end of said buccal end core member;
said radially inner portion of said buccal end core member being externally accessible from said first end of said buccal end core member, so that said radially inner portion may be pushed axially upstream relative to said radially outer tubular portion, and thereby push the second core member axially upstream relative to the ventilating outer sleeve, from an initial position in which said air-impervious outer peripheral wrap to a first, greater degree prevents air from being drawn through said ventilating outer sleeve by suction on said first end of said buccal end core member, to a variably selected use position in which said air-impervious outer peripheral wrap to a second, lesser degree prevents air from being drawn through said ventilating outer sleeve by suction on said first end of said buccal end core member;
a cigarette having a downstream end;
said cigarette being coaxially aligned with said ventilated smoker's mouthpiece, with said downstream and adjacent said second end of said second core member;
and
means wrappingly attaching said cigarette to said ventilated smoker's mouthpiece so that a user may push-in the radially inner core portion by a selected amount in order to regulate the proportion of air and smoke which is drawn through the first end of said buccal end core member by sucking thereon while the cigarette is being smoked by the user.

12 more elements

Stock for providing a plurality of ventilated smoker's mouthpieces, comprising:

a plurality of buccal end core members each comprising a first portion snugly slidably related to a second portion;
each said buccal end core member having a first end and a second end;
at least one of said first portion and said second portion of each said buccal end core members being capable of having smoke and air drawn longitudinally therethrough and out of said first end of the respective said buccal end core member;
a plurality of second core members through which cigarette smoke may be drawn longitudinally;
each said second core member having a first end and a second end;
each said second core member being arranged with said second end of a respective said buccal end core member disposed adjacent said first end of a respective said second core member;
a plurality of third core members through which cigarette smoke may be drawn longitudinally;
each said third core member having a first end and a second end;
each said third core member being arranged with said first end thereof disposed longitudinally spacedly adjacent said second end of a respective said second core member;
said buccal end core members, said second core members and said third core members being arranged in a series of longitudinally successive mirror image like groups beginning with a third core member, then a second core member, then a buccal end core member, then another buccal end core member, then another second core member, and then another third core member;
a ventilating outer sleeve engagingly peripherally surrounding all of said buccal end core members, all of said second core members and all of said third core members in said series;
said second portion of each buccal end core member, when each said group is severed from all others of said groups in said series by cutting transversally through said ventilating outer sleeve, being externally accessible from said first end of said buccal end core member, so that one said portion may be moved axially relative to the other said portion, to thereby move the second core member axially relative to the ventilating outer sleeve, from an initial position, to a variably selected use position.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.