Cigarette filter modifier
AssigneeBissell Health Care Corporation
InventorsDonald Jansma, Howard W. Stemm
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The specification discloses a cigarette filter modifier and related method in which the pattern of tar and nicotine collection in a conventional cigarette filter is modified by the insertion into the filter of a hollow probe having apertures therein which communicate with the interior passageway of the probe, combined with a base shield radiating from and surrounding said probe so as to block the passage of smoke, thereby forcing cigarette smoke to travel through the apertures and interior passageway of said probe. The base shield is approximately the diameter of the cigarette, and its perimeter thereof defines the lateral extremes of the device so as to minimize its visibility.
Claims24
A cigarette filter modifier for insertion into a filter of a cigarette, the filter including an end area and a peripheral surface, said modifier comprising:
- an annular, thin disk defining a base shield, said base shield being relatively thin with respect to a filter of a cigarette and wherein the disk is dimensioned to overlie only an end area of the filter and not the peripheral surface of the filter whereby the modifier is relatively unnoticeable and can be readily located entirely within a smoker's mouth in use;
- an elongated probe projecting from said base shield;
- holding means on said probe for assisting in holding said modifier within the cigarette filter when inserted therein;
- a plurality of probe apertures in said probe communicating with the interior thereof;
- an interior passage in flow communication with said probe apertures and extending through the interior of said probe at least from said probe apertures to and through said base shield;
- said base shield being approximately as large in diameter as the diameter of the cigarette filter whereby passage of smoke is blocked by said shield and smoke is forced through said probe apertures and through said interior passage when a cigarette containing said probe is drawn upon;
- the perimeter of said base shield defining the lateral extremities of said modifier whereby said modifier is substantially unnoticeable when placed in the end of a cigarette and wherein said probe apertures open generally laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis of said probe whereby smoke being drawn from a cigarette into said probe apertures is forced to turn sharply with respect to the longitudinal axis of flow of smoke through the filter in order to enter said apertures and is forced to turn another sharp turn in order to pass down the length of said interior passage of said probe, each of said apertures having a length less than 0.1 inch along the longitudinal axis of said probe, the overall combined area of said apertures being less than about 0.0135 square inches and the interior passage of said probe having a cross section no greater than about 0.008 square inches.
A filter cigarette including a tobacco portion, a conventional fiber filter portion having an end area and an outer periphery and a modifier, said modifier comprising:
- an annular, thin disk defining a base shield, said base shield being relatively thin with respect to the length of the fiber filter portion whereby it is relatively unnoticeable and can be readily located entirely within a smoker's mouth in use;
- an elongated probe projecting from said base shield into said fiber filter portion;
- at least one aperture in said probe communicating with the interior thereof and located within said fiber filter portion;
- an interior passage in flow communication with said probe aperture and extending through the interior of said probe at least from said probe aperture to and through said base shield, said probe aperture opening generally laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis of said probe whereby smoke being drawn from the cigarette into said probe aperture is forced to turn sharply with respect to the longitudinal axis of flow of smoke through the cigarette filter portion in order to enter said aperture and is forced to turn another sharp turn in order to pass down the length of said interior passage of said probe;
- said base shield being approximately as large in diameter as the diameter of said fiber filter portion and overlying only said end area of said filter portion whereby passage of smoke is blocked by said shield and is forced through said probe aperture and through said interior passage when said cigarette is drawn upon;
- the perimeter of said base shield defining the lateral extremities of said device whereby said device is substantially unnoticeable when placed in the end of a cigarette.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.