Modular smoking article and method of use

Abstract

A modular smoking article, method of using same and smoking kit are provided in which a plurality of inner sleeve members have various sized compartments for receiving various mediums within a cigarette smokestream passageway. The inner sleeves are sized so as to individually be received within an outer sleeve which also receives a cigarette at one end and provides a mouthpiece at the other end whereby the cigarette may be smoked with a variety of different volumes of different mediums such as flavoring, filtering or taste mediums in the inner sleeve compartments.

1 . A modular article for smoking a cigarette with a predetermined volume of a particular medium such as flavoring, filtering, or taste materials, comprising: 
 an outer sleeve member having a first end and a second end, the first end of said outer sleeve member being arranged to receive an end of a cigarette, said outer sleeve member defining a passageway through the outer sleeve member;    a plurality of inner sleeve members, each of said inner sleeve members being receivable within said passageway of said outer sleeve, each of said inner sleeve members defining a passageway through the inner sleeve member with a compartment provided within the passageway of the inner sleeve member having a predetermined volume, the predetermined volume of the compartment being different for different inner sleeve members of said plurality of inner sleeve members, wherein a different volume of a particular medium may be used when smoking a different cigarette.    
   
   
       2 . The modular article of  claim 1  further comprising a mouthpiece, said second end of said outer sleeve being arranged to receive said mouthpiece and the smoking article having the physical feel of a traditional lit-end cigarette upon insertion of a cigarette in the outer sleeve.  
   
   
       3 . The modular article of  claim 1  wherein said second end of said outer sleeve provides a mouthpiece for the article.  
   
   
       4 . The modular article of  claim 1  wherein each of said plurality of inner sleeve members defines a first end and a second end with said compartment provided between said first end and said second end of said inner sleeve member, said inner sleeve members each being snugly received within the passageway of said outer sleeve so that substantially all fluid passing from the first end of the outer sleeve to the second end of the outer sleeve passes through the compartment of the inner sleeve, said modular article further comprising: 
 a first sieve member arranged to be received adjacent the first end of said inner sleeve member;    means for retaining said first sieve adjacent said first end of said inner sleeve member;    a second sieve member arranged to be received adjacent the second end of said inner sleeve member; and,    means for retaining said second sieve member adjacent the second end of said inner sleeve member.    
   
   
       5 . The modular article of  claim 4  further comprising a mouthpiece, said second end of said outer sleeve being arranged to receive said mouthpiece and the smoking article having the physical feel of a traditional lit-end cigarette upon insertion of a cigarette in the outer sleeve.  
   
   
       6 . The modular article of  claim 4  further comprising an end member arranged to be received by said second end of said outer sleeve member, said end member being arranged to receive a cigarette filter.  
   
   
       7 . The modular article of  claim 4  wherein said second end of said outer sleeve provides a mouthpiece for the article.  
   
   
       8 . The modular article of  claim 4  wherein said second end of said outer sleeve is arranged to receive a cigarette filter.  
   
   
       9 . The modular article of  claim 1  wherein each of said plurality of inner sleeve members has a different predetermined length and a common predetermined inside diameter.  
   
   
       10 . The modular article of  claim 1  wherein each of the plurality of inner sleeve members provides a resistance to draw for a smoker which is generally imperceptible to the smoker when smoking a cigarette.  
   
   
       11 . The modular article of  claim 1  wherein the volume of the compartments of said plurality of inner sleeve members ranges from about 0.025 cubic centimeters to about 0.3 cubic centimeters.  
   
   
       12 . The modular article of  claim 1  wherein said plurality of inner sleeve members are filled with a predetermined particular medium.  
   
   
       13 . A modular article for smoking a cigarette with a predetermined volume of a particular medium such as flavoring, filtering, or taste materials, comprising: 
 an outer sleeve member having a first end and a second end, the first end of said outer sleeve member being arranged to receive an end of a cigarette, said outer sleeve member defining a passageway through the outer sleeve member;    an inner sleeve member, said inner sleeve member being receivable within said passageway of said outer sleeve, said inner sleeve member defining a passageway through the inner sleeve member with a compartment provided within the passageway of the inner sleeve member having a predetermined volume, the predetermined volume of the compartment being determined by the length of a portion of the inner sleeve member, wherein a predetermined volume of a particular medium may be used when smoking a cigarette.    
   
   
       14 . The modular article of  claim 13  further comprising a mouthpiece, said second end of said outer sleeve being arranged to receive said mouthpiece and the smoking article having the physical feel of a traditional lit-end cigarette upon insertion of a cigarette in the outer sleeve.  
   
   
       15 . The modular article of  claim 13  wherein said second end of said outer sleeve provides a mouthpiece for the article.  
   
   
       16 . The modular article of  claim 13  wherein said inner sleeve member defines a first end and a second end with said compartment provided between said first end and said second end of said inner sleeve member, said inner sleeve member being snugly received within the passageway of said outer sleeve so that substantially all fluid passing from the first end of the outer sleeve to the second end of the outer sleeve passes through the compartment of the inner sleeve, said modular article further comprising: 
 a first sieve member arranged to be received adjacent the first end of said inner sleeve member;    means for retaining said first sieve adjacent said first end of said inner sleeve member;    a second sieve member arranged to be received adjacent the second end of said inner sleeve member; and,    means for retaining said second sieve member adjacent the second end of said inner sleeve member.    
   
   
       17 . The modular article of  claim 16  further comprising a mouthpiece, said second end of said outer sleeve being arranged to receive said mouthpiece and the smoking article having the physical feel of a traditional lit-end cigarette upon insertion of a cigarette in the outer sleeve.  
   
   
       18 . The modular article of  claim 16  further comprising an end member arranged to be received by said second end of said outer sleeve member, said end member being arranged to receive a cigarette filter.  
   
   
       19 . The modular article of  claim 16  wherein said second end of said outer sleeve provides a mouthpiece for the article.  
   
   
       20 . The modular article of  claim 16  wherein said second end of said outer sleeve is arranged to receive a cigarette filter.  
   
   
       21 . The modular article of  claim 13  wherein said inner sleeve member provides a resistance to draw for a smoker which is generally imperceptible to the smoker when smoking a cigarette.  
   
   
       22 . The modular article of  claim 13  wherein the predetermined volume of the compartment of said inner sleeve member is between about 0.025 cubic centimeters to about 0.3 cubic centimeters.  
   
   
       23 . The modular article of  claim 13  wherein said inner sleeve member is filled with a predetermined particular medium.  
   
   
       24 . A method for testing a cigarette with different predetermined volumes of a particular medium such as flavoring, filtering, or taste materials, comprising the steps of: 
 selecting a first inner sleeve member from a plurality of inner sleeve members, said selected inner sleeve member having a passageway with a compartment having a first predetermined volume;    filling said compartment of the first inner sleeve member with a predetermined medium;    closing said compartment with a sieve member to retain the medium within the compartment;    inserting the first inner sleeve member within an outer sleeve member;    inserting one end of a cigarette in a first end of said outer sleeve member;    smoking the cigarette;    removing the first inner sleeve member from the outer sleeve member;    selecting a second inner sleeve member from said plurality of inner sleeve members, said second inner sleeve member having a passageway with a compartment having a second predetermined volume, different than said first predetermined volume;    filling said compartment of the second inner sleeve member with the predetermined medium;    closing said compartment with a sieve member to retain the medium within the compartment;    inserting the second inner sleeve member within the outer sleeve member;    inserting one end of a cigarette in a first end of said outer sleeve member;    smoking the cigarette, whereby different volumes of a predetermined flavor, filter or taste material for cigarettes may be tested.    
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24  wherein said steps of smoking the cigarette are performed by a smoker.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 24  wherein said steps of smoking the cigarette are performed by a machine.  
   
   
       27 . A method for adjusting treatment of mainstream tobacco smoke by passing the smoke through a predetermined volume of a particular medium such as flavoring, filtering, or taste materials, comprising the steps of: 
 selecting a first inner sleeve member from a plurality of inner sleeve members, said selected first inner sleeve member having a passageway with a compartment having a first predetermined volume, the compartment of said plurality of inner sleeve members providing a variety of predetermined volumes, the compartment of each of said plurality of inner sleeve members being filled with a predetermined medium;    inserting the first inner sleeve member within an outer sleeve member;    inserting one end of a cigarette in a first end of said outer sleeve member;    drawing upon the cigarette while lit;    removing the first inner sleeve member from the outer sleeve member;    selecting a second inner sleeve member from said plurality of inner sleeve members, said selected second inner sleeve member having a passageway with a compartment having a second predetermined volume filled with a predetermined medium;    inserting the second inner sleeve member within the outer sleeve member;    inserting one end of a cigarette in a first end of said outer sleeve member;    drawing upon the cigarette while lit.    
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the predetermined volume of said second selected inner sleeve member is substantially the same as the predetermined volume of said first selected inner sleeve member.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the medium provided in the compartment of the second selected inner sleeve member is substantially the same as the medium provided in the compartment of the first selected inner sleeve member.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 27  wherein said steps of smoking the cigarette are performed by a smoker.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the predetermined volume of said second selected inner sleeve member is different than the predetermined volume of said first selected inner sleeve member.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the medium provided in the compartment of the second selected inner sleeve member is different than the medium provided in the compartment of the first selected inner sleeve member.  
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 27  wherein said steps of smoking the cigarette are performed by a smoker.  
   
   
       34 . A smoking kit comprising: 
 a mouthpiece having a passage therethrough for delivery of cigarette smoke to a smoker;    an outer sleeve adapted to receive a cigarette at an upstream end thereof and the mouthpiece at a downstream end thereof; and    a plurality of inner sleeves sized so as to be individually received within the outer sleeve, the inner sleeves having differently sized compartments through which the cigarette smoke passes, the compartments being prefilled or fillable with flavoring, filtering and/or taste mediums.    
   
   
       35 . The smoking kit of  claim 34 , wherein the inner sleeves are prefilled with flavoring, filtering and/or taste mediums.