Cigarette extender

Abstract

The cigarette extender is a relatively stiff tipping paper an eighth-inch in width and a length equal to the width of the cigarette paper glued to an end of the cigarette paper. The stiff strip is rolled up with the cigarette paper. The stiff end becomes the mouthing end that does not soften excessively by saliva in the mouth to resist mouthing of particulate tobacco.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to cigarettes. More specifically, the invention is a stiff strip of tipping paper glued to overlap an end on the inside surface of a cigarette rolling paper to create a reinforced mouthpiece.

2. Description of the Related Art

The prior art of interest describes various cigarette filters, but none discloses the present invention. There is a need for those smokers who hand-roll their own cigarettes (“roll-your-owns”) to minimize the amount of deleterious tars and the like during smoking. The related art of interest will be distinguished in the order of perceived relevance to the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,561 issued on Sep. 28, 1971, to Mortimer R. Dock describes an extender means for attachment of an auxiliary cigarette filter to a conventional cigarette having a tubular body with ridges on its internal surface defining air ducts to rarify the smoke drawn through the cigarette. The filter end of a conventional cigarette is inserted partially into a housing containing a filter that can be one of three embodiments. The first embodiment in FIG. 2 appears to be spheres embedded in particulate paper. The second embodiment in FIGS. 3 and 5 has linear angular recesses and no packing. The third embodiment has helical ridges and no packing. The extender means is distinguishable for requiring either another filter packing or longitudinal or helical recesses or ridges, respectively, in the interior surface of the extender.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,932,301 issued on Apr. 12, 1960, to Joseph Tabara describes a safety cigarette holder made from perforated paper and a metal foil to provide a combination cigarette holder, ashtray, and an automatic extinguisher. The device is distinguishable for requiring a metal foil cover.

U.K. Patent Application No. 2 026 842 A published on Feb. 13, 1980, for Donald L. Eastman describes a cigarette holder comprising a mouthpiece and a cigarette recess separated by a catalyst chamber having perforated sidewalls. The cigarette holder is distinguishable for requiring a catalyst.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0034042 A1, published on Feb. 20, 2003, for Kazuyo Kaneki et al. describes a cigarette wrapper and cigarette comprising a wrapped tobacco section, a filter section at one end, and a tip paper having ventilation holes at the opposite end. The cigarette is distinguishable for requiring a tip paper end having ventilation holes.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,693,193 issued on Nov. 2, 1954, to Louis G. Pelletier describes a cigarette holder comprising a tubular sleeve element on a metallic or resinous body element that extends over a cigarette. A filter fills the body element. The holder is distinguishable for requiring a filter element and a sliding sleeve element to hold a cigarette.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,841,153 issued on Jul. 1, 1958, to Louis G. Pelletier describes a cigarette having a sleeve member at the mouthing end with openable triangular tabs to increase the amount of air sucked in during inhalation of the smoke. The cigarette is distinguishable for requiring openable air vents in a cigarette.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,359,988 issued on Dec. 26, 1967, to Osborne M. Thompson describes a filter cigarette comprising a divider extending from side to side and lengthwise within the filter. The filter is constructed of thin paper or plastic to form separate filter channels. A plurality of holes are formed in the outer wall of one of the filter channels so that when drawing on the filter, air will be drawn into one channel only. A movable sleeve having an opening is positioned over the external surface of the filter, and is adjustable, whereby the number of holes subjected to the inward air flow may be varied on movement of the sleeve. The filter cigarette is distinguishable for requiring a divider element having a plurality of holes.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,428,050 issued on Feb. 18, 1969, to Walter R. Kandel describes a filter cigarette having an adjustable filter capacity by dividing transversely into tip and body sections rotatably interengaged, and having the meeting ends divided longitudinally into at least one segment filled with a tobacco smoke filter, and another segment without a filter, the two segments being axially offset from each other. A variable degree of smoke-filtering action is achieved depending upon the relative angular adjustment of the tip and body sections. The filter cigarette is distinguishable for requiring rotatable tip and body sections.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,503,406 issued on Mar. 31, 1970, to Lawrence M. Riegel et al. describes a sleeve containing a control element is provided to cooperate with the cylindrical cigarette tip containing a complementary control element to control the flow of smoke and air in balanced portions. The sleeve and tip also have aeration apertures displaced a predetermined distance from the sleeve control element and the tip end. The sleeve is independently movable both rotationally and axially relative to the tip end to effect a full range of air/smoke ratio and damping to assure a balanced draw. The sleeve is distinguishable for requiring its independent movability rotationally and axially.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,537 issued on May 19, 1970, to Louis G. Pelletier describes an adjustable aerated cigarette in which the cigarette wrapper is provided with a tobacco-free extension surrounding a sleeve, the extension having a circumferential region of pores which register with a ring of slots formed in the sleeve adjacent the end of the tobacco column. A tube having a colored indicator ring is telescopically received in the sleeve, the tube having an opening therein that is so shaped that when the tube is pushed inwardly, it registers with the slots to provide a lateral air passage of varying dimensions. The cigarette is distinguishable for requiring a slotted sleeve having a telescopic tube with an opening.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,576 issued on May 17, 1977, to Vello Norman describes a cigarette mouthpiece made of one-piece construction in which two semi-cylindrical shells are hinged together along one edge and are releasably secured together at the free edges. The device has an internal cylindrical smoke chamber which is separated from a tobacco column at one end by a baffle while the opposite end of the smoke chamber is defined by a pair of abutting walls which are each slotted to define an orifice. The orifice has a diameter less than the orifice of the smoke package to control the smoke flow. The exterior surface of the mouthpiece is provided with longitudinal grooves that cooperate with an overlying perforated tipping paper to define flow paths for ventilation air. The cigarette mouthpiece is distinguishable for requiring a separate internal smoke chamber and a baffle separation.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,943 issued on Aug. 6, 1985, to Walter A. Nichols et al. describes an adjustable filter cigarette comprising tobacco wrapped in cigarette paper, an integral axially aligned cylindrical filter plug, and tipping paper. The filter plug is divided into two segments with the first segment being rotatable with the second segment. The cigarette is distinguishable for requiring an adjustable filter plug.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,982 issued on May 13, 1986, to Peter I. Adams et al. describes a tipping assembly for a cigarette comprising a ventilated tipping wrapper spaced from the filter element by a raised pattern of thermoplastic material printed on the inner surface of the wrapper. The cigarette is distinguishable for requiring a raised pattern of thermoplastic material printed on the wrapper.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,561 issued on Feb. 9, 1988, to John A. Luke describes a cigarette provided with an intermediate filter element having an air permeable surface with lengthwise peripheral ventilation grooves. The cigarette is distinguishable for requiring an intermediate filter element.

U.S. Patent No. U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,475 Bl issued on Oct. 1, 2002, to Shichisei Tani et al. describing a cigarette having projections of an embossed plug wrap attached to a tipping paper surrounding the filter. The cigarette is distinguishable for requiring an embossed plug wrap.

U.K. Patent No. 241,463 issued on Oct. 22, 1925, to Franz H. B. Stelzer describes a method of tipping paper strips in cigarette-making machines comprising the gluing of the cork foil to tissue paper and wound into coils for machine manufacture. The cork foil tipped cigarettes are distinguishable for lacking an extender element on the mouthing end of the cigarette.

U.K. Patent No. 1,537,583 issued on Jan. 10, 1979, to Deutsche Benkert GmbH. & Co. KG describes a perforated cigarette tipping paper covering the filter of a cigarette. The cigarette is distinguishable for requiring a perforated cigarette tipping paper.

U.K. Patent Application Publication No. GB 22 078 084 A published on Jan. 6, 1980, for Stanley G. Jones describes automatic high speed manufacture of cigarette papers provided with a strip of incombustible foil directed longitudinally on the cigarette paper and secured to the uncoated face of the paper adjacent the glued edge. Only a portion of the strip is adhesively secured to the cigarette paper, and the remainder of the strip may be bent away by the smoker after the cigarette has been rolled to form a pre-attached holder. The cigarette is distinguishable for requiring a metal strip on the paper.

U.K. Patent Application Publication No. GB 2 099 678 A published on Dec. 15, 1982, for Walter Riedesser describes a mouthpiece for filter cigarettes having a filter chamber comprising two filter parts of a paper or fibrous material and a third filter part lying in between loosely filled with granular filter material all surrounded by a porous cover strip. The filter chamber is encased completely by a strip for connecting the filter chamber to the tobacco part of the cigarette, which strip is perforated in the region of the filter part filled with granular material, and is a naturally porous fleece-like paper of high porosity impregnated with a low viscosity starch solution. The cigarette mouthpiece is distinguishable for requiring three filter parts covered by a porous cover strip.

U.K. Patent Application No. GB 2 135 166 A published on Aug. 30, 1984, for David L. Bassett describes a tipping assembly for a filtered cigarette comprising an elongated and webbed tipping paper having a series of ventilating apertures lying parallel to the longitudinal axis of the web. Printing onto the web elongate areas of polyvinyl chloride on either side and parallel to the vents, and applying the coated web to a filter rod so that the printed areas define a circumferential cavity between the tipping paper and the filter rod. The tipping assembly is distinguishable for requiring a series of ventilating apertures and printed areas of polyvinyl chloride.

European Patent Application No. 0 659 353 A1 published on Jun. 28, 1995, for Urs Nyffeler et al. describes a kit for making a smoking article comprising a hollow cylinder of cigarette paper having a filter at one end joined by a tipping. A rectangular sheet of reconstituted tobacco is rolled into a cylindrical shape and inserts same into the hull to make a cigarette. The hand-made cigarette is distinguishable for lacking an empty extender.

None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a cigarette extender solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a cigarette extender is stiff, one-eighth inch wide and having a length commensurate to the length of a standard cigarette paper for do-it-yourselfers who prefer to make their own cigarettes and economize on store-bought packaged cigarettes. The conventional cigarette paper is glued to the aforementioned strip of stiff paper on the narrow end or width of the cigarette paper. The desired amount of tobacco is added as a strip on an edge on the cigarette paper opposite its glued edge and conventionally rolled up either by hand or in a rolling up device. The longitudinal glued end is conventionally wet by saliva to seal the tobacco inside the paper. The self-prepared cigarette is smoked with the inserted stiff inner paper collar end held between the smoker's lips. The advantage of the added stiffener strip is the increased stiffness of the cigarette's mouthed end resulting in less deformation due to the saliva of the smoker.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a device to decrease the deformation of the mouthed end of a self-rolled cigarette during the smoking period.

It is another object of the invention to provide a reinforced end to a hand-rolled cigarette.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an inner stiff paper collar at the mouthed end during smoking.

Still another object of the invention is to increase the enjoyment of smoking a hand-rolled cigarette due to avoiding the distortion of the wet end.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.

These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental side elevational view of a smoker using a cigarette equipped with an inner collar strip on a personally wrapped cigarette according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a cigarette paper and its stiff inner collar strip applied to one end thereof according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the completed device attached to one end of a personally rolled cigarette.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is directed to a device to increase the resistance of a hand-rolled cigarette to the saliva of a smoker during smoking. A problem with smoking hand-rolled cigarettes is that the mouthed end becomes soggy and distributes tobacco inside the mouth. This invention is directed to those smokers who prefer to make their own cigarettes.

In FIG. 1, a lighted hand-made modified cigarette 10 being smoked by a person 12 has an extender element 14 attached to its proximate end. Many people prefer to make their own cigarettes by rolling up a quantity of their favorite brand ground tobacco 16 in rectangular cigarette papers 18 of their favorite brands. The tobacco 16 is added in an even distribution to one end of the filter paper 18 and rolled up either by hand or by using a simple cigarette rolling device (not shown).

According to our invention, a stiff strip of paper or extender element 14 approximately one-eighth inch in width and as long as the width of the cigarette paper 18 is adhesively added by overlapping extender element 14 on the edge of the cigarette paper 18. Any conventional non-toxic adhesive or glue can be used.

As is conventional, the cigarette maker makes a crimp 20 at the opposite end of the hand-made cigarette 10, and usually moistens the crimp 20 by mouth saliva in order to confine the tobacco 16 from spilling out prior to lighting the cigarette 10.

The economical and ergonomic extender element 14 thus enables any smoker 12 to smoke his/her hand-made cigarettes 10 with the comforting knowledge that less tar, nicotine and like deleterious materials are contaminating his/her body. When one considers the inflated price of manufactured cigarettes today, the saving in cost and minimizing the unhealthy inhalation of the cigarette's tar, nicotine and the like is well worth the effort.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A cigarette extender on a self-rolled cigarette, comprising:

cigarette paper having a length and a width, and a glued strip along the length for sealing;

a quantity of cigarette tobacco;

a strip of stiff paper tipping having a minimal width and a length coextensive with the length of said cigarette paper; and

said stiff paper tipping attached to said cigarette paper along its length and, resulting upon rolling the cigarette, forms a cigarette extender portion;

whereby upon completion of the production of a rolled cigarette with tobacco, a smoker holds the stiff paper portion in his/her mouth for smoking, resulting in less tar and the like intake of deleterious materials.

2. The cigarette extender according to claim 1, wherein the stiff tipping paper has a minimal width dimension of one-eighth of an inch.

3. The cigarette extender according to claim 1, wherein the stiff tipping paper overlaps the cigarette paper along its length.

4. The cigarette extender according to claim 1, wherein the stiff tipping paper is applied to the stiff tipping paper by a non-harmful adhesive.