Tobacco smoke filter

Abstract

A tobacco smoke filter or filter element comprising: a rod (2) of a tobacco smoke filtering material; and an elongate member (3) including one or more frangible receptacles (5) integrally formed therein, the or each receptacle (s) including a fluid and being sealed by a capping member (7).

Claims

1. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element comprising: a rod of a tobacco smoke filtering material; and an elongate member including at least one frangible receptacle integrally formed therein as a single element wherein walls and a base of the at least one frangible receptacle are integrally formed with the elongate member and wherein the elongate member and the at least one frangible receptacle formed therein extend longitudinally of the tobacco smoke filter or filter element from one end of the filter or filter element to the other end of the filter or filter element; each one of the at least one frangible receptacle including a fluid and being sealed by a capping member.

2. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the at least one receptacle is hermetically sealed by the capping member.

3. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the elongate member is substantially completely covered with the capping member applied in register with the elongate member to thereby cap the at least one receptacle.

4. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the fluid includes a smoke enhancing additive.

5. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the fluid includes a surfactant.

6. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the elongate member comprises a plastics material.

7. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the elongate member comprises one or more of cellulose acetate, polyethylene (PET), polypropylene, polylactide (PLA) and a collagen.

8. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the capping member comprises a plastics material.

9. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the capping member comprises one or more of cellulose acetate, polyethylene (PET), polypropylene, polylactide (PLA) and a collagen.

10. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the filtering material is of natural or synthetic filamentary tow, natural or synthetic staple fibres, cotton wool, web material, synthetic non-woven material or extruded material.

11. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 1 over wrapped with a wrapper.

12. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the elongate member and/or the capping member further comprises a pigment.

13. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 12 wherein the pigment is of a contrasting colour to the tobacco smoke filtering material.

14. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the at least one receptacle which includes fluid has a crush strength of 4 to 30 N.

15. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the elongate member and the at least one receptacle formed therein extends longitudinally of the filter or filter element along a central or substantially central longitudinal axis of the rod, or extends longitudinally of the filter or filter element at a periphery of the rod.

16. A tobacco smoke filter or filter element according to claim 4 wherein the smoke enhancing additive comprises a flavoring agent.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will now be illustrated with reference to the attached drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective, part cut away, view of a tobacco smoke filter according to an aspect of the invention; and

(3) FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a single element strip including sealed receptacles according to a further aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) FIG. 1 is a perspective, part cut away, view of a filter 1. Filter 1 includes a substantially cylindrical rod 2 of tobacco smoke filtering material in the form of a cylindrical cellulose acetate plug of length 27 mm and circumference of around 25 mm. Filter 1 includes an elongate member 3 which is thermoformed from 4.5 mil Clarifoil cellulose acetate sheet.

(5) Elongate member 3 includes an elongated receptacle 5 which is integrally formed therein, during the thermoforming process, by methods well known in the art. The elongate member (which includes the receptacle) extends longitudinally of filter 1. The elongated receptacle 5 includes 22 cubic mm of fluid (liquid) flavouring agent in the form of flavouring agent (menthol) and propylene glycol in a 70/30 ratio together with a surfactant such as Teepol (to reduce surface tension). Methods of introducing such fluids are known in the art. The elongate member is coated with an EVA heat seal coating (not shown). The receptacle is hermetically sealed with a capping member 7 formed from Clarifoil 3 mil cellulose acetate sheet, which is bonded to the elongate member by means of the heat seal coating to form a sealed frangible bubble including the liquid flavouring agent. The substantially cylindrical rod 2 is made from cellulose acetate tow which is gathered and condensed around elongate member 3 into rod form by methods which are well known in the art, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,671. It will be appreciated that rod 2 will be formed as a multiple length filter rod (by these known methods) and then cut into individual or multiple length filter rods for subsequent use. The elongate member (and/or capping member(s)) may be tinted using appropriate pigments, preferably those with regulatory approval for use in food contact applications. The pigment may preferably be any colour which contrasts with the (e.g. white) tobacco smoke filtering material, for example green, blue, red, orange etc. It will be appreciated that a coloured elongate member which contrasts with the surrounding filter material may well be visible at the cut end of the filter (rod) to thereby provide a distinctive end appearance. Such a distinctive e.g. mouth end appearance in a final product filter or filter element (or filter cigarette) may be useful for anti-counterfeit purposes.

(6) The filter includes a wrapper 9 of an air-permeable paper, which applied around the rod 2 by methods well known in the art.

(7) It will be appreciated that the filter of FIG. 1 may be joined at its upstream end to a wrapped tobacco rod (not shown) by means of, for example, a full tipping overwrap which surrounds and engages the full length of the filter 1 and the adjacent end only of the wrapped tobacco rod, to form a filter cigarette. The filter of FIG. 1 may also be attached to a tobacco rod to form a filter cigarette by other means known in the art, such as ring tipping.

(8) It will be appreciated that filter and filter elements of the invention may include elongate members which include one or more sealed receptacles. In other examples (not shown) the elongate member included in the filter or filter element may include two, three, four, five to ten or even more sealed receptacles, depending on flavour loading requirements.

(9) FIG. 2 shows an elongate first member 33 which is thermoformed from 4.5 mil Clarifoil cellulose acetate sheet. Member 33 includes elongated receptacles 55 which are integrally thermoformed therein, by methods well known in the art. Each elongated receptacle 55 includes 22 cubic mm of fluid (liquid) flavouring agent in the form of flavouring agent (menthol) and propylene glycol in a 70/30 ratio together with a surfactant such as Teepol (to reduce surface tension). The elongate member is coated with an EVA heat seal coating (not shown). The receptacles are hermetically sealed with a capping member 77 formed from Clarifoil 3 mil cellulose acetate sheet, which is bonded to the elongate member by means of the heat seal coating to form sealed frangible bubbles including the liquid flavouring agent. The first member 33 is substantially completely covered with capping member 77 which is fixed in register with the first member 33 to cap the receptacles. The member 33 is suitable for use in tobacco smoke filtering elements. It will be appreciated that for use in production of tobacco smoke filters a long strip effectively comprising many members 33 fixed end to end will be formed, and the strip including the filled receptacles will be incorporated into tobacco smoke filters and filter elements by methods known in the art.

(10) In the examples, the term mil means one thousandth of an inch.