Cigarette having configured lighting end

Abstract

The lighting end or tip of the smoking article is configured in such a manner that the entire front or upstream face thereof does not lie in a plane that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the smoking article. For example, at least a portion of the front face of the smoking article lies in a plane (e.g., a generally flat plane) that is positioned about 40° to about 50° relative to the longitudinal axis of that smoking article. As such, the overall nature or character of the mainstream aerosol generated by a smoking article can be altered. This shape may include an ellipse, or may include a first section in a plane not perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and a second section in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Alternatively, the face of the lighting end may have a shape such that its surface area is greater than the cross-sectional area of the smoking article.

1 . A smoking article embodied as a cigarette, which comprises an elongated cylindrical shape with a longitudinal axis, a lighting end and a mouth end, the lighting end configured with a first exposed end surface comprising a single, non-conical planar face disposed at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the smoking article. 
     
     
         2 . The smoking article of  claim 1  wherein the end surface planar face is disposed at an angle between about 30 and about 60 degrees relative to said longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         3 . A method for making smoking articles according to  claim 1  comprising providing a plurality of substantially cylindrical smoking articles and cutting the lighting ends of said substantially cylindrical smoking articles to form in each the single planar face. 
     
     
         4 . A package of smoking articles comprising a plurality of smoking articles according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         5 . A method for making a package according to  claim 4  comprising a step of combining a plurality of the smoking articles of  claim 1  into a single package. 
     
     
         6 . The smoking article of  claim 1  wherein the first exposed end surface comprises an elliptical shaped face. 
     
     
         7 . The smoking article of  claim 1  wherein the first exposed end surface comprises includes a partial cylinder-surface. 
     
     
         8 . The smoking article of  claim 1  wherein the first exposed end surface comprises a side view profile comprising a portion of a parabolic shape. 
     
     
         9 . The smoking article of  claim 1  further comprising a tobacco rod of tobacco material wrapped in paper, and the non-conical end surface plane comprises substantially the entire surface area of the lighting end. 
     
     
         10 . The smoking article of  claim 9  wherein the first exposed end surface plane comprises a plane connecting the longest extreme tip of the wrapping paper at the lighting end and the shortest extreme tip of the wrapping paper at the lighting end. 
     
     
         11 . The smoking article of  claim 10  wherein the longest extreme tip extends between 5 mm and 15 mm beyond the shortest extreme tip. 
     
     
         12 . A smoking article having a longitudinal axis, and having a lighting end and a mouth end, the smoking article comprising an aerosol-generating system that includes (i) a heat generation segment located near the lighting end, and (ii) an aerosol-generating region or segment located between the mouth end and the heat generation segment, and further comprising a lighting end configured with an exposed end surface forming a single, non-conical planar face disposed at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the smoking article. 
     
     
         13 . The smoking article of  claim 12  wherein the end surface plane is disposed at an angle between about 30 and about 60 degrees relative to said longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         14 . A method for making smoking articles according to  claim 12  comprising providing a plurality of substantially cylindrical smoking articles comprising the aerosol-generating system and cutting the lighting ends of said substantially cylindrical smoking articles to form in each the single flat plane. 
     
     
         15 . A package of smoking articles comprising a plurality of smoking articles according to  claim 12 . 
     
     
         16 . A method for making a package according to  claim 15  comprising a step of combining a plurality of the smoking articles of  claim 12  into a single package 
     
     
         17 . The smoking article of  claim 12  wherein the first exposed end surface has an elliptical shape. 
     
     
         18 . The smoking article of  claim 12  wherein the first exposed end surface includes a partial cylinder-surface shape. 
     
     
         19 . The smoking article of  claim 12  wherein the first exposed end surface has a side view profile comprising a portion of a parabolic curve shape. 
     
     
         20 . The smoking article of  claim 12  wherein the non-conical planar face of the smoking article comprises substantially the entire surface area of the lighting end. 
     
     
         21 . The smoking article of  claim 20  wherein the first exposed end surface plane comprises a plane connecting the longest extreme tip of the smoking article at the lighting end and the shortest extreme tip of the smoking article at the lighting end. 
     
     
         22 . The smoking article of  claim 21  wherein the longest extreme tip extends between 5 mm and 15 mm beyond the shortest extreme tip. 
     
     
         23 . The smoking article of  claim 12  wherein the heat generation segment comprises a fuel element, and the exposed end surface of the fuel element comprises a single, non-conical planar face disposed at a non-perpendicular angle relative the longitudinal axis of the smoking article. 
     
     
         24 . A smoking article having a cylindrical shape with a central longitudinal axis, a lighting end and a mouth end, the lighting end configured with an exposed end surface comprising a single planar face disposed at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the longitudinal axis having a surface area sufficiently greater than a cross-sectional area of the smoking article along a cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis such that at least one smoke constituent selected from the group consisting of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide is reduced by at least 20% on average over a sequence of at least 4 puffs of the smoking article smoked under FTC smoking conditions compared to a smoking article of identical composition having an exposed end surface in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         25 . The smoking article of  claim 24  wherein the smoke constituent reduction is at least 30% on average.