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AssigneePhilip Morris Incorporated
InventorsReginald W. Newsome, Alexander S. Gergely, Richard A. Thesing, William T. Callaham, Paul N. Gauvin, Warren E. Claflin, Walter A. Nichols
Estimating the term…
A filter cigarette comprising a tobacco rod and filter portion comprising a fluted tubular extrusion. The flutes are blocked intermediate the rod end and mouth end of the extrusion. The tobacco rod is circumferentially wrapped with a porous wrapper comprising a longitudinal band of perforations. The fluted tubular extrusion is attached with tipping paper to the tobacco rod. A mouthband and a rodband of perforations circumscribes the tipping paper. A rod of charcoal-impregnated filter material may abut the tubular extrusion.
A filter cigarette comprising:
A filter cigarette comprising:
A filter cigarette comprising:
A method for producing a filter cigarette having optimal levels of overall dilution which comprises a tobacco rod circumferentially wrapped with a porous wrapper and a filter portion comprising a tubular portion wrapped with tipping paper and having a plurality of longitudinal flutes circumferentially spaced therearound, which are in turn intersected with a blocking means to prevent primary dilution air from entering the tobacco rod and prevent secondary dilution air and smoke from the tobacco rod from flowing through channels defined by said tipping paper and said flutes directly to a smoker's mouth;
A filter cigarette comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Tobacco smoke filters characterised by their shape or structure: with ventilation means, e.g. air dilution
Cigars
Term ended 20 Sep 2010 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
The present invention relates to filter cigarettes. More particularly, the present invention relates to filter cigarettes with novel means for diluting cigarette smoke with outside air.
Filter cigarettes with means for diluting the smoke stream with outside air have been constructed in the art. For example, the wrappers surrounding the filter, the tobacco, or both may be made of a porous material that allows outside air to be drawn into the smoke stream, thereby diluting it. Alternatively, either or both of these wrappers may be perforated. It is also known to provide grooves or flutes in the filter or in a filter mouthpiece that direct dilution air to the smoker's mouth.
In one configuration, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,461, a fluted plastic mouthpiece is provided, wherein the dilution air enters perforations in the tipping paper and flows down the flutes to the smoker's mouth. In this configuration, the dilution air first mixes with the smoke in the smoker's mouth. Another structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,122, in which the dilution air flows through grooves embedded in a filter previously wrapped in a nonporous wrapper.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the filter cigarette of the present invention shown in a partially unwrapped condition.
FIG. 2 is an end view of the unwrapped filter portion of a cigarette according to the present invention looking from the mouth end of the cigarette.
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, except it shows the tipping material wrapped around the filter portion.
The invention will now be described with reference to the Figures, in which like elements are given like reference numbers throughout.
A preferred embodiment of the filter cigarette 10 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-3, and comprises a filter portion 16 and a substantially cylindrical tobacco rod 12 wrapped in cigarette paper 14. The cigarette paper may preferably be a 12-second increased citrate cigarette paper such as Kimberly Clark paper number 611 from Kimberly Clark Co., or Ecusta paper number 511 from Ecusta Co., or a normal citrate cigarette paper such as Kimberly Clark paper number 110-6 or Ecusta paper number 751.
The filter portion 16 comprises a fluted tubular extrusion 18, preferably of polyethylene, that is impervious to both smoke and air. The tubular extrusion is axially aligned with and joined in abutting, end-to-end relationship with the wrapped tobacco rod. In a preferred embodiment, the extrusion is 27 mm long. The hollow central tube portion 20 of the extrusion is filled with a filter material 24, such as cellulose acetate tow.