PAPER TUBE

Abstract

The present invention provides a mouthpiece or filter element (e.g., for a smoking article such as a cigarette, a tobacco heating product, a HNB product) comprising a longitudinally extending (e.g., substantially cylindrical) hollow tube of paper; a filler layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material engaged around the hollow tube along the full (e.g., longitudinal) length of the hollow tube; and a wrapper (e.g., plugwrap) engaged around the filler layer along the full (e.g., longitudinal) length of the filler layer, wherein the hollow tube, the filler layer and the wrapper are the same length.

Claims

1. A mouthpiece or filter element comprising a longitudinally extending (e.g., substantially cylindrical) hollow tube of paper; a filler layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material engaged around the hollow tube along the full (e.g., longitudinal) length of the hollow tube; and a wrapper (e.g., plugwrap) engaged around the filler layer along the full (e.g., longitudinal) length of the filler layer, wherein the hollow tube, the filler layer and the wrapper are the same length.

2. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the cross-section of the mouthpiece or filter element is uniform.

3. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the cross-section of the mouthpiece or filter element is annular.

4. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the circumference of the hollow tube of paper is from 4 to 25 mm, e.g., from 5 to 20 mm, e.g., from 6 to 18 mm, e.g., from 8 to 10 mm.

5. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the paper of the hollow tube is a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight from 80 to 150 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight from 90 to 140 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight from 100 to 120 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight 100 gsm.

6. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the filler layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material engaged around the hollow tube is of width or thickness from 0.6 to 2.0 mm, e.g., from 0.8 to 1.8 mm, e.g., from 1.0 to 1.6 mm, e.g., 1.3 mm.

7. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material is filter paper, non-woven paper, airlaid paper or cellulose/lyocell/viscose based paper.

8. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material is a non-woven paper made with non-plastic plant based fibres (e.g., flax, hemp, jute, sisal, abaca, coconut, bamboo, starch or wood pulp) or a blend of these materials.

9. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the filler layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material is comprised of multiple (i.e., more than one) sheets or layers of paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material.

10. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the filler layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material comprises carbon (e.g., activated carbon granules).

11. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the wrapper engaged around the filler layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material is a paper (e.g., a plugwrap) of basis weight from 50 to 150 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight from 60 to 140 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight from 70 to 130 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight from 80 to 120 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight of 100 gsm.

12. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the wrapper (e.g., plugwrap) engaged around the filler layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material is non-porous.

13. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the mouthpiece or filter element has greater than 90% biodegradability as measured according to ISO14855-1 Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials under controlled composting conditions-Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide.

14. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the mouthpiece or filter element has Ready Biodegradability level of biodegradability as measured according to OECD 301 B Ready Biodegradability method (modified Sturm test).

15. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the length of the mouthpiece or filter element is from 5 to 50 mm, e.g., from 10 to 30 mm, e.g., from 8 to 24 mm, e.g., from 15 to 20 mm, e.g., 18 mm.

16. A mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 wherein the circumference of the mouthpiece or filter element is from 14 to 30 mm, e.g., from 16 to 25 mm, e.g., from 24 to 25 mm.

17. A smoking article (e.g., a cigarette, e.g., a tobacco heating product, e.g., a HNB product) comprising a mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1, or a filter including a mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1, joined to a wrapped tobacco rod with one end of the filter facing towards the tobacco rod.

18. A multi-segment filter comprising a mouthpiece or filter element according to claim 1 and one or more discrete further segments.

19. A method for making a mouthpiece or filter element comprising the steps of: gathering and securing a sheet of paper to form a longitudinally extending hollow tube; advancing two or more sheets of paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material in a longitudinal direction; separating the two or more sheets of longitudinally advancing paper filtering material and/or other readily biodegradable filtering material; gathering or winding (e.g., spiraling) the separated sheets of longitudinally advancing paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material around the longitudinally extending hollow tube to form a filler layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material engaged around the hollow tube; gathering and securing a wrapper (e.g., plugwrap) around the filler layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material to form a continuous rod; and cutting the continuous rod to form individual mouthpieces or filter elements.

20. A method according to claim 19 wherein the paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material is filter paper, non-woven paper, airlaid paper or cellulose/lyocell/viscose based paper.

21. A method according to claim 19 wherein the paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material is a non-woven paper made with non-plastic plant based fibres (e.g., flax, hemp, jute, sisal, abaca, coconut, bamboo, starch or wood pulp) or a blend of these materials.

Description

[0054] The present invention will now be described in further detail by reference to the attached Figures in which:

[0055] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a mouthpiece or filter element according to the invention;

[0056] FIG. 2 shows the cross-sectional profile of the invention shown in FIG. 1;

[0057] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a mouthpiece or filter element 100 which is of length 108 mm and circumference 24.2 mm. The mouthpiece or filter element 100 comprises a longitudinally extending hollow tube 101 of paper of basis weight 100 gsm, length 108 mm and circumference 16 mm; a filler layer 102 comprising airlaid non-woven paper filtering material of width/thickness about 1.3 mm engaged around the full length hollow tube 101; and a plugwrap 103 of basis weight 100 gsm engaged around the full length of the filler layer comprising airlaid non-woven paper filtering material 102. As seen in FIG. 1, the hollow tube 101, the filler layer comprising airlaid non-woven material 102 and the wrapper 103 are the same length.

[0058] FIG. 2 shows the cross-sectional profile of the mouthpiece or filter element 100. Mouthpiece or filter element 100 has an annular cross-section with an inner circumference of 16 mm (defined by hollow tube 101) and an outer circumference of 24.2 mm (defined by the circumference of the mouthpiece or filter element 100, which is defined by the wrapper 103). The width/thickness (t) of filler layer 102 is about 1.3 mm.

[0059] The mouthpiece or filter element 100 may be made by using techniques known in the art by a method comprising the steps of: gathering and securing a sheet of paper of basis weight 100 gsm with a lapped and stuck seam to form the longitudinally extending hollow tube 101; advancing four sheets of airlaid non-woven paper filtering material of width 70 mm in a longitudinal direction; separating the four sheets of longitudinally advancing airlaid non-woven paper filtering material by a cone separator; gathering the four separated sheets of longitudinally advancing airlaid non-woven paper filtering material around the longitudinally extending hollow tube 101 to form filler layer 102 comprising airlaid non-woven paper filtering material engaged around hollow tube 101; gathering and securing a plugwrap 103 of basis weight 100 gsm with a lapped and stuck seam around the filler layer comprising airlaid non-woven paper filtering material; and cutting the continuous rod at 108 mm intervals to form the individual mouthpiece or filter element 100.

EXAMPLE 1

[0060] The biodegradability of the paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material used in mouthpieces or filter elements of the present invention was compared with the biodegradability of known cellulose acetate filters and filters containing cellulose acetate.

[0061] The biodegradability was measured according to ISO14855-1 Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials under controlled composting conditions-Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide. The test provides a measure of the biodegradability of a material (expressed as a percentage) over a 180 day period under optimal oxygen, temperature and moisture conditions.

[0062] Table 1 shows the biodegradability results for a Mono-Acetate filter, an airlaid paper filter (Genia), a wood pulp paper filter, a hemp paper filter and two BiTech filters (50% acetate/50% paper and 25% acetate/75% paper) compared to a standard cellulose acetate (CA) filter rod when tested according to the method of ISO14855-1. Filters were purchased or made according to methods known in the art.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Wood Pulp Hemp Mono- 50/50 25/75 Paper Paper Genia Filter Acetate BiTech BiTech (100%) (100%) (Airlaid) Length (mm) 108 108 108 108 108 108 Circumference 24.2 24.2 24.2 24.2 24.2 24.2 (mm) Plug wrap 27 27 27 27 27 27 (gsm) Hardness (%) 90 90 90 88 89 88.5 Biodegradation 87.2 87.8 93.9 99.5 95.6 94.1 % compared to CA reference after 180 days

[0063] Table 1 shows that wood pulp paper and hemp paper have the highest biodegradability of all the filtering materials. Further, the airlaid paper (Genia) and 25/75 BiTech also demonstrate good biodegradability compared to CA. It will be appreciated that 25/75 BiTech is biodegradable (as measured according to ISO14855-1). Thus this filtering material is within the invention even though it contains an amount of cellulose acetate (i.e., 25% cellulose acetate).

[0064] Thus the paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable filtering material used in mouthpieces or filter elements of the present invention degrade faster and more extensively than cellulose acetate.

[0065] The invention includes the subject matter described in the following numbered paragraphs:

[0066] 1. A mouthpiece or filter element comprising a longitudinally extending (e.g., substantially cylindrical) hollow tube of paper or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate) material; [0067] a layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material engaged around the hollow tube; and [0068] a wrapper (e.g., plugwrap) engaged around the layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material.

[0069] 2. A mouthpiece or filter element according to paragraph 1 wherein the cross-section of the mouthpiece or filter element is uniform.

[0070] 3. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the cross-section of the mouthpiece or filter element is annular.

[0071] 4. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the circumference of the hollow tube of paper or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate) material is from 4 to 25 mm, e.g., from 5 to 20 mm, e.g., from 6 to 18 mm, e.g., from 8 to 10 mm.

[0072] 5. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the paper or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate) material of the hollow tube is a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight from 80 to 150 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight from 90 to 140 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight from 100 to 120 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight 100 gsm.

[0073] 6. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material is engaged around the hollow tube along the full (e.g., longitudinal) length of the hollow tube.

[0074] 7. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material engaged around the hollow tube is of width or thickness from 0.6 to 2.0 mm, e.g., from 0.8 to 1.8 mm, e.g., from 1.0 to 1.6 mm, e.g., 1.3 mm.

[0075] 8. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material is filter paper, non-woven paper, airlaid paper or cellulose/lyocell/viscose based paper.

[0076] 9. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material is a non-woven paper made with non-plastic plant based fibres (e.g., flax, hemp, jute, sisal, abaca, coconut, bamboo, starch or wood pulp) or a blend of these materials.

[0077] 10. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material is comprised of multiple (i.e., more than one) sheets or layers of paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material.

[0078] 11. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material comprises carbon (e.g., activated carbon granules).

[0079] 12. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the wrapper engaged around the layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material is a paper (e.g., a plugwrap) of basis weight from 50 to 150 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight from 60 to 140 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight from 70 to 130 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight from 80 to 120 gsm, e.g., a paper (e.g., plugwrap) of basis weight of 100 gsm.

[0080] 13. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the wrapper (e.g., plugwrap) engaged around the layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material is non-porous.

[0081] 14. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the wrapper (e.g., plugwrap) engaged around the layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material is engaged around the layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material along the full (e.g., longitudinal) length of the layer.

[0082] 15. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the mouthpiece or filter element has greater than 90% biodegradability as measured according to ISO14855-1 Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials under controlled composting conditions-Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide.

[0083] 16. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the mouthpiece or filter element has Ready Biodegradability level of biodegradability as measured according to OECD 301B Ready Biodegradability method (modified Sturm test).

[0084] 17. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the length of the mouthpiece or filter element is from 5 to 50 mm, e.g., from 10 to 30 mm, e.g., from 8 to 24 mm, e.g., from 15 to 20 mm, e.g., 18 mm.

[0085] 18. A mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph wherein the circumference of the mouthpiece or filter element is from 14 to 30 mm, e.g., from 16 to 25 mm, e.g., from 24 to 25 mm.

[0086] 19. A smoking article (e.g., a cigarette, e.g., a tobacco heating product, e.g., a HNB product) comprising a mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph, or a filter including a mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph, joined to a wrapped tobacco rod with one end of the filter facing towards the tobacco rod.

[0087] 20. A multi-segment filter comprising a mouthpiece or filter element according to any preceding paragraph and one or more discrete further segments.

[0088] 21. A method for making a mouthpiece or filter element comprising the steps of: [0089] gathering and securing a sheet of paper or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate) material to form a longitudinally extending hollow tube; [0090] advancing two or more sheets of paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material in a longitudinal direction; [0091] separating the two or more sheets of longitudinally advancing paper filtering material and/or other readily biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material; [0092] gathering or winding (e.g., spiraling) the separated sheets of longitudinally advancing paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material around the longitudinally extending hollow tube to form a layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material engaged around the hollow tube; [0093] gathering and securing a wrapper (e.g., plugwrap) around the layer comprising paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material; and [0094] cutting the continuous rod to form individual mouthpieces or filter elements.

[0095] 22. A method according to paragraph 21 wherein the paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material is filter paper, non-woven paper, airlaid paper or cellulose/lyocell/viscose based paper.

[0096] 23. A method according to any one of paragraphs 21 to 22 wherein the paper filtering material and/or other biodegradable (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing) filtering material is a non-woven paper made with non-plastic plant based fibres (e.g., flax, hemp, jute, sisal, abaca, coconut, bamboo, starch or wood pulp) or a blend of these materials.

[0097] 24. A mouthpiece or filter element obtained by the method of any one of paragraphs 21 to 23.