Materials and methods for manufacturing cigarettes

Abstract

Cigarettes are manufactured using modified automated cigarette making apparatus. Those cigarettes possess smokable rods having paper wrapping materials having additive materials applied thereto as patterns. The additive material can be applied as a coating formulation in an off-line manner to a continuous paper sheet web that is later used for cigarette manufacture. The additive material can be applied as a coating formulation in an on-line manner to continuous paper web moving through an operating cigarette making machine. The coating formulation is applied to the paper web using roll applicator techniques, ink jet printing techniques or electrostatic precipitation techniques. Liquid coating formulation are curable, and are virtually absent of solvent or liquid carrier. Radiation, such as ultraviolet or electron beam radiation, is used to solidify and fix polymerizable liquid components of the coating formulation that have been applied to the paper web. Heating and subsequent cooling of the coating formulation used to fix solid components of the coating formulation that have been applied to the paper web. Registration techniques are used to ensure proper positioning of the additive material on the smokable rods so manufactured, and to ensure proper quality of those cigarettes.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A wrapping material suitable for making a smoking article, the wrapping material comprising: 
 a smoking article wrapping material substrate having a plurality of bands of coating layers deposited in a pattern on the substrate, at least one of the coating layers applied by spraying.    
     
     
         2 . The wrapping material of  claim 1 , wherein the wrapping material is adapted to be useful in manufacture of a reduced ignition propensity cigarette.  
     
     
         3 . The wrapping material of  claim 1 , wherein the coating pattern comprises transverse bands of coating layers, each band having a longitudinal width and spaced apart along a longitudinal length of the wrapping material.  
     
     
         4 . The wrapping material of  claim 1 , wherein the coating layers comprise coatings applied in pre-determined amounts.  
     
     
         5 . The wrapping material of  claim 1 , wherein the coating layers are applied to the substrate online during the making of the smoking article.  
     
     
         6 . A wrapping material suitable for making a smoking article, the wrapping material comprising: 
 a smoking article wrapping material substrate having a plurality of bands of coating layers deposited in a pattern on the substrate, at least one of the coating layers applied by ink jet coating.    
     
     
         7 . The wrapping material of  claim 6 , wherein the wrapping material is adapted to be useful in manufacture of a reduced ignition propensity cigarette.  
     
     
         8 . The wrapping material of  claim 6 , wherein the coating pattern comprises transverse bands of coating layers, each band having a longitudinal width and spaced apart along a longitudinal length of the wrapping material.  
     
     
         9 . The wrapping material of  claim 6 , wherein the coating layers comprise coatings applied in predetermined amounts.  
     
     
         10 . The wrapping material of  claim 6 , wherein the coating layers are applied to the substrate online during the making of the smoking article.  
     
     
         11 . A smoking article having reduced ignition propensity, the smoking article comprising a smokable material disposed in a wrapping material, the wrapping material comprising: 
 a smoking article wrapping material substrate having a plurality of bands of coating layers deposited in a pattern on the substrate, at least one of the coating layers applied by spraying,    wherein each of the plurality of bands comprises (a) a first coating layer effective in reducing the inherent porosity of the substrate, and (b) a second coating layer overlying the first coating layer.    
     
     
         12 . A smoking article having reduced ignition propensity, the smoking article comprising a smokable material disposed in a wrapping material, the wrapping material comprising: 
 a smoking article wrapping material substrate having a plurality of bands of coating layers deposited in a pattern on the substrate, at least one of the coating layers applied by ink jet coating,    wherein each of the plurality of bands comprises (a) a first coating layer effective in reducing the inherent porosity of the substrate, and (b) a second coating layer overlying the first coating layer.    
     
     
         13 . A method of making a smoking article wrapping material, the method comprising: 
 providing a smoking article wrapping material substrate wound on a first roll;    unwinding the substrate from the first roll;    applying in a pattern on the substrate a plurality of bands of coating layers comprising (a) a first coating layer effective in reducing the inherent porosity of the substrate, and (b) a second coating layer overlying the first coating layer, at least one of the coating layers applied by spraying.    
     
     
         14 . The method of claim.  13 , wherein the bands of coating layers are applied to the substrate online during making of a smoking article.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising winding the wrapping material substrate onto a second roll, 
 wherein the bands of coating layers are applied to the substrate offline prior to making of a smoking article.    
     
     
         16 . A method of making a smoking article wrapping material, the method comprising: 
 providing a smoking article wrapping material substrate wound on a first roll;    unwinding the substrate from the first roll;    applying in a pattern on the substrate a plurality of bands of coating layers comprising (a) a first coating layer effective in reducing the inherent porosity of the substrate, and (b) a second coating layer overlying the first coating layer, at least one of the coating layers applied by ink jet coating.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the bands of coating layers are applied to the substrate online during making of a smoking article.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising winding the wrapping material substrate onto a second roll, 
 wherein the bands of coating layers are applied to the substrate offline prior to making of a smoking article.