Abstract: The apparatus for combining tobacco sheets comprises a first shaft for carrying a first bobbin of tobacco sheet and a second shaft for carrying a second bobbin of tobacco sheet. The apparatus also comprises a splicing unit for combining an end portion of tobacco sheet from the first bobbin to a head portion of tobacco sheet from the second bobbin. The splicing unit comprises a cutting device for cutting the tobacco sheets such as to provide complementary cuts to the tobacco sheets from the first bobbin and from the second bobbin, a dispensing device for dispensing water to at least one of the tobacco sheets, and a combining device for applying force onto the tobacco sheets thereby producing a spliced tobacco sheet.

Abstract: The apparatus for combining tobacco sheets (3, 4) comprises a first shaft for carrying a first bobbin (30) of tobacco sheet (3) and a second shaft for carrying a second bobbin (40) of tobacco sheet (4). The apparatus also comprises a splicing unit (2) for combining an end portion of tobacco sheet from the first bobbin (30) to a head portion of tobacco sheet from the second bobbin. The splicing unit comprises a cutting device (20) for cutting the tobacco sheets such as to provide complementary cuts to the tobacco sheets (3) from the first bobbin and from the second bobbin (4), a dispensing device (23) for dispensing water to at least one of the tobacco sheets (3, 4), and a combining device (24) for applying force onto the tobacco sheets thereby producing a spliced tobacco sheet.

Abstract: A method of feeding rod-shaped consumer goods to a packing apparatus is provided, including providing a plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods to an upstream end of a stacking channel, and feeding the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods along the stacking channel to a downstream end of the stacking channel. The upstream end of the stacking channel is higher than the downstream end in the vertical direction, and at least a portion of the stacking channel extends at an angle of between about 25 degrees and about 75 degrees with respect to the vertical direction. The method further includes receiving the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods into a hopper from the downstream end of the stacking channel, and distributing the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods from the hopper into a packing apparatus.

Abstract: A smoking article is provided, including a carbonaceous combustible heat source, an aerosol-forming substrate, and a wrapper circumscribing at least the heat source and the aerosol-forming substrate. One or more heat conducting elements overlie a rear portion of the heat source and an adjacent front portion of the aerosol-forming substrate. At least one heat conducting element includes a patch of thermally conductive printable medium printed onto the wrapper. Also provided is a method for applying heat conducting patches onto a web of smoking article wrapper material, wherein at least some of the patches include an area of thermally conductive printable medium.

Abstract: The apparatus for combining tobacco sheets (3, 4) comprises a first shaft for carrying a first bobbin (30) of tobacco sheet (3) and a second shaft for carrying a second bobbin (40) of tobacco sheet (4). The apparatus also comprises a splicing unit (2) for combining an end portion of tobacco sheet from the first bobbin (30) to a head portion of tobacco sheet from the second bobbin. The splicing unit comprises a cutting device (20) for cutting the tobacco sheets such as to provide complementary cuts to the tobacco sheets (3) from the first bobbin and from the second bobbin (4), a dispensing device (23) for dispensing water to at least one of the tobacco sheets (3, 4), and a combining device (24) for applying force onto the tobacco sheets thereby producing a spliced tobacco sheet.

Abstract: A method is provided for evaluating porosity distribution within a porous article such as a crimped filter, a tobacco plug, or a cigarette, including obtaining a digital image of a transverse area of the article and determining a pore area fraction for each of a plurality of identically dimensioned sub-areas of the transverse area of the article. This provides a plurality of pore area fractions. The plurality of pore area fractions allow the evaluation of a local porosity distribution within the transverse area of the porous article. Each sub-area within which a pore area fraction is calculated overlaps with at least one adjacent sub-area by between 10% and 95%. The method for quantitatively evaluating porosity distribution may be used to control a process for manufacturing the porous article.

Abstract: An apparatus for wrapping a sheet of wrapping material (5) around a rod-shaped article (4) or a plurality of linearly arranged substantially cylindrical segments, either of which comprises a fragile segment (40), comprising: —a rotatable drum (2) having a circumferential drum surface (20) comprising a plurality of flutes (21) adapted to hold a rod-shaped article (4) or a plurality of linearly arranged substantially cylindrical segments, and comprising attachment portions (22) arranged between the flutes (21) adapted to hold a sheet of wrapping material (5) having an adhesive on an outer surface, —a rolling device (1) comprising a contact surface (10) arranged at a predetermined distance from the drum surface (20), to contact a periphery of the rod-shaped article (4) or plurality of linearly arranged substantially cylindrical segments to make the rod-shaped article (4) or plurality of linearly arranged substantially cylindrical segments move out of the flute (21) and roll over the outer surface having the adhe

Abstract: A rod is provided, formed from a first sheet including an aerosol-forming material and a second sheet including a thermally-conductive material, the first and second sheets being gathered together and circumscribed by a wrapper. The rod may be used as a component part of an aerosol-generating article.

Abstract: A rod for an aerosol-generating article is provided, including at least two sheets of tobacco material gathered together and circumscribed by a wrapper. The rod includes a first sheet of a first tobacco material and a second sheet of a second tobacco material. The second sheet of the second tobacco material is physically or chemically different to the first sheet of the first tobacco material.

Abstract: A rod is provided, formed from a first sheet including a tobacco material and a second sheet including a non-tobacco flavourant, the first and second sheets being gathered together and circumscribed by a wrapper. The rod may be used as a component part of an aerosol-generating article.

Abstract: A rod is provided, formed from a first sheet including an aerosol-forming material and a second sheet including a non-tobacco material, the first and second sheets being gathered together and circumscribed by a wrapper. The rod may be used as a component part of an aerosol-generating article. The second sheet preferably includes a material configured to modify an aerosol evolved from the aerosol-forming material or to modify other properties of the rod.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating article is provided, including an aerosol-forming substrate; a support element located immediately downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate; an aerosol-cooling element located downstream of the support element; and an outer wrapper circumscribing the aerosol-forming substrate, the support element and the aerosol-cooling element. The support element abuts the aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol-forming substrate is penetrable by a heating element of an aerosol-generating device.

Abstract: A rod for use in a smoking article is provided, the rod including a gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material circumscribed by a wrapper. The sheet may include one or more aerosol-formers and have an aerosol-former content of greater than 5% on a dry weight basis or of between 5% and 30% by weight on a dry weight basis. The rod may include a continuous element to which one or more additives have been applied, which is incorporated into the gathered continuous sheet of homogenised tobacco material. A method of forming the rod includes providing a continuous sheet of homogenised tobacco material; gathering the continuous sheet transversely relative to the longitudinal axis thereof; circumscribing the gathered continuous sheet with a wrapper to form a continuous rod; and severing the continuous rod into a plurality of discrete rods. The sheet is preferably crimped or otherwise textured.

Abstract: A hinge-lid pack of smoking articles such as cigarettes comprises: a box portion; a lid portion hinged to the box portion; and at least two longitudinally offset tiers of smoking articles mounted in the box portion. Each of the at least two tiers comprises a separately wrapped bundle of smoking articles. In one embodiment, the smoking articles in each of the at least two tiers are of substantially the same length and the upper ends and the lower ends of the separately wrapped bundles of smoking articles are longitudinally offset relative to one another. In another embodiment, the smoking articles in each of the at least two tiers are of different length and the upper ends of the separately wrapped bundles of smoking articles are longitudinally offset relative to one another.

Abstract: A method of producing a sealed bundle containing consumer articles such as smoking articles comprises the steps of wrapping a sealable material around an outer surface of a sleeve; at least partially sealing the sealable material while being wrapped around the sleeve at its bottom and along its length; pushing a group of smoking articles through the sleeve to remove the partially sealed sealable material from the sleeve; and sealing the partially sealed sealable material at the top so as to form the sealed bundle.

Abstract: A method of producing a sealed bundle containing consumer articles such as smoking articles comprises the steps of wrapping a sealable material around an outer surface of the sleeve; at least partially sealing the sealable material while being wrapped around the sleeve at its bottom and along its length; pushing the group of smoking articles through the sleeve to remove the partially sealed sealable material from the sleeve; and sealing the partially sealed sealable material at the top so as to form the sealed bundle.

Abstract: A hinge-lid pack of smoking articles such as cigarettes comprises: a box portion; a lid portion hinged to the box portion; and at least two longitudinally offset tiers of smoking articles mounted in the box portion. Each of the at least two tiers comprises a separately wrapped bundle of smoking articles. In one embodiment, the smoking articles in each of the at least two tiers are of substantially the same length and the upper ends and the lower ends of the separately wrapped bundles of smoking articles are longitudinally offset relative to one another. In another embodiment, the smoking articles in each of the at least two tiers are of different length and the upper ends of the separately wrapped bundles of smoking articles are longitudinally offset relative to one another.