Cigarette having a mouthpiece and method of making same

摘要

A cigarette has a cylindrical impermeable mouthpiece located in coaxial abutment to one end of a tobacco column of the cigarette. The mouthpiece includes an annular groove in its peripheral surface and a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves formed in its peripheral surface extending from the annular groove to the mouth end of the mouthpiece. A plurality of smoke flow capillaries are formed through the mouthpiece from one end to the other. Each capillary is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mouthpiece except for the portion beneath the annular groove which is curved to the longitudinal axis of the mouthpiece. A method for making the mouthpiece includes the steps of co-extruding a generally cylindrical shell of a plastic material and a core of another material filling the interior of the shell, forming an annular groove in the peripheral surface of the shell and concurrently deforming the section of each capillary located beneath the annular groove out of parallel with the longitudinal axis of the shell, and forming a plurality of longitudinal grooves in the periphery of the shell extending from the annular grooves to one end of the shell. Air permeable tipping material circumscribes the mouthpiece and overlaps a portion of the tobacco column to fasten the mouthpiece to the tobacco column.