EP3116333B1 - Élément de filtre pour article à fumer - Google Patents

Élément de filtre pour article à fumer Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3116333B1
EP3116333B1 EP15704818.2A EP15704818A EP3116333B1 EP 3116333 B1 EP3116333 B1 EP 3116333B1 EP 15704818 A EP15704818 A EP 15704818A EP 3116333 B1 EP3116333 B1 EP 3116333B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
filter
plug
perforation
filter element
segments
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Active
Application number
EP15704818.2A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP3116333A1 (fr
Inventor
Nobuo Nagai
Hiroshi Okuno
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
JT International SA
Original Assignee
JT International SA
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by JT International SA filed Critical JT International SA
Priority to PL15704818T priority Critical patent/PL3116333T3/pl
Publication of EP3116333A1 publication Critical patent/EP3116333A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP3116333B1 publication Critical patent/EP3116333B1/fr
Active legal-status Critical Current
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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24D—CIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
    • A24D3/00—Tobacco smoke filters, e.g. filter-tips, filtering inserts; Filters specially adapted for simulated smoking devices; Mouthpieces for cigars or cigarettes
    • A24D3/04—Tobacco smoke filters characterised by their shape or structure
    • A24D3/041—Tobacco smoke filters characterised by their shape or structure with adjustable means for modifying the degree of filtration of the filter
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24D—CIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
    • A24D1/00—Cigars; Cigarettes
    • A24D1/02—Cigars; Cigarettes with special covers
    • A24D1/027—Cigars; Cigarettes with special covers with ventilating means, e.g. perforations
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24D—CIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
    • A24D3/00—Tobacco smoke filters, e.g. filter-tips, filtering inserts; Filters specially adapted for simulated smoking devices; Mouthpieces for cigars or cigarettes
    • A24D3/06—Use of materials for tobacco smoke filters
    • A24D3/16—Use of materials for tobacco smoke filters of inorganic materials
    • A24D3/163—Carbon

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a filter element for a smoking article.
  • the present invention relates to a filter element which enables a user to vary the ratio of tobacco smoke to air inhaled by providing a mechanism by varying the pressure drop across the filter.
  • Filter elements for smoking articles are, of course, well known. It is also well known to provide filter elements that have means for varying the ratio of tobacco smoke to air inhaled by a user by providing a mechanism to the user to vary the pressure drop across the filter. Examples of such configurations are shown in US4646763 , US4649944 , US4570649 or WO 2013/079645 , for example. Such configurations allow for variations of the ventilation level of the filter, therefore of the smoke intensity and tar delivery of the smoking articles, between a maximum tar delivery in a first state and a second tar delivery in a second state.
  • the present invention seeks to provide a filter element which improves control of the smoke intensity by a user, enabling the user to vary the pressure drop across the filter between reduced tar delivery states whilst still ensuring that a cost effective filter element is provided.
  • the present invention provides a filter element for a smoking article, the filter element comprising: at least one plug of filter material surrounded by a substantially air permeable plug wrap, wherein the plug of filter material comprises at least two segments being longitudinally aligned and rotatably mounted about a common longitudinal axis, at least one of the segments comprising at least one perforation formed in the substantially air permeable plug wrap; and a wrapping material surrounding at least one portion of the substantially air permeable plug wrap, the wrapping material comprising a first part attached to a first of the two segments of the plug of filter material and a second part attached to the second segment of the plug of filter material, and comprising at least one aperture formed therein, the first and second parts of the wrapping material and first and second segments of the plug of filter material being arranged such that the respective at least one perforation of the substantially air permeable plug wrap and the at least one aperture of the wrapping material can be superimposed upon rotation of one of the segments of the plug of filter material about the common longitudinal axis to vary the filter ventilation
  • the filter element according to the present invention therefore includes a combination of aligning slots, respectively referred to as perforations and apertures, and a substantially air permeable or porous plug wrap for allowing air flow into the filter.
  • aligning slots and porous plug wrap allows for a relatively small variation of air dilution, which results in an improved stability and fine tuning of the variable filter product.
  • this enables the manufacture of cigarettes having variable taste strength and tar deliveries, by providing a filter element adjustable between two ventilated cigarette configurations.
  • the at least one perforation may be formed in the second segment of the filter material and the at least one aperture may be formed in the second part of the wrapping material.
  • each of the at least one perforation has a first length and each of the at least one aperture has a second length.
  • each of the perforations have the same length, while each of the apertures also have the same length (which is different from the length of the apertures), which facilitates manufacturing of the filter element.
  • At least one of the segments of the filter material comprises at least three perforations spaced equidistally from each other.
  • a further aspect of the invention relates to a smoking article comprising a filter element as previously described.
  • a smoking article would typically include a tobacco rod connected to an end of the filter by the wrapping material which overlaps said end of the filter element and one end of the tobacco rod.
  • the second part of the wrapping material comprising the aperture surrounds a segment of the plug of filter material including the perforation and at least part of a segment of the plug of filter material free from the at least one perforation.
  • the first and second parts of the wrapping material may be separated by a circumferential slit around the filter plug, while the first and second segments of the plug of filter material may be separated by a circumferential cut in a second plane perpendicular to the common longitudinal axis, and wherein the circumferential slit is located in the second plane.
  • the circumferential slit in the wrapping material corresponds to a circumferential cut in the plug of filter material, both being located in the same plane.
  • a filter cigarette 1 comprises a tobacco rod 2 and a filter component 3.
  • the filter component 3 is configured to allow adjustment of the filter ventilation by a user to adjust the taste strength of the cigarette 1.
  • the filter component 3 comprises a plug of filter material such as cellulose acetate having a plug wrap 4 extending over its outer surface.
  • the plug wrap 4 is substantially air impermeable.
  • the filter component 3 is divided into a mouth end filter segment 5 and a tobacco end filter segment 6, by a circumferential transverse cut 7, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cigarette 1.
  • the cut 7 is only partial throughout the diameter of the filter plug 4 so as to leave a central connecting member of filter material between the two segments 5, 6.
  • This connecting member (not shown) advantageously acts as an axis of rotation for the segments 5, 6 relative to each other to allow variation of the filter ventilation as explained below.
  • At least one slit also referred to as a perforation 8 is formed into the plug wrap 4 in the tobacco end filter segment 6. This perforation 8 allows air to be drawn in through the plug wrap 4 and into the core of the filter component 3.
  • a suitable wrapping material such as tipping paper 9 is provided and wrapped over the plug wrap 4 and filter segments 5, 6.
  • the tipping paper 9 is comprised of two bands 10, 11 separable at a pre-cut or cut line 12.
  • a first band 10 of the tipping paper 9 is attached, usually by gluing, to the mouth end filter segment 5 of the cigarette 1 and extends over the cut 7 between the two filter segments 5, 6 and partially over the second filter segment 6 and the perforation 8 without being attached to the second segment 6.
  • This first tipping band 10 comprises at least one transverse slot 13 which is positioned so that it can be aligned over the perforation 8 in the second filter segment 6.
  • a second tipping band 11 of the tipping paper 9 is attached, usually by gluing, on the remaining part of the tobacco end segment 6 not covered by band 10 and the tobacco rod 2 to attach the filter component 3 to the tobacco rod 2.
  • Figure 2 shows Figure 1 when assembled with the slot 13 of first band 10 of tipping paper 9 aligned over the perforation 8.
  • Such configuration of the filter component 3 and tipping paper 9 makes the mouth end filter segment 5 capable of rotation around the longitudinal axis of the cigarette 1 relative to the tobacco end filter segment 6 connected to the tobacco rod 2. This varies the respective positions of the perforation 8 in the tobacco end filter segment 6 and the slot 13 in the first tipping band 10 as shown in Figure 3 in order to adjust the ventilation of the filter component 3, and hence the strength of the cigarette 1.
  • Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the filter component 3 through the location of the perforation 8 and slot 13. From this it can be seen that relative rotation of the mouth end filter segment 5 with respect to tobacco end filter segment 6 in either direction can adjust the relative positions of the slot 13 and perforation 8 to control the amount of air that can be drawn through the combination of the slot 13 and perforation 8 and into the filter component 3 when the cigarette 1 is being smoked.
  • the user can rotate the mouth end filter segment 5 to vary the relative locations of the slot 13 and perforation 8 and vary the ventilation for the filter component 3 varying air mixture received by a user when the tobacco rod 2 is lit.
  • airflow can only be drawn through the combination of the slot 13 and perforation 8 and into the filter component 3, since the plug wrap 4 in the known configurations is substantially air impermeable.
  • Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a smoking article comprising a filter element according to the present disclosure, through the location of the perforation 8 and slot 13.
  • the smoking article according to the present invention is substantially similar in structure to that shown in Figures 1 to 3 , with the exception that the plug wrap provided is substantially air permeable or porous.
  • plug wrap papers having porosities ranging from about 1300 CU to 24000 CU can be used in the smoking article of the present invention.
  • the user can rotate the mouth end filter segment 5 to vary the relative locations of the slot 13 and perforation 8 and vary the ventilation for the filter component 3 varying air mixture received by a user when the tobacco rod 2 is lit.
  • the plug wrap 40 is porous, therefore allowing at least some airflow through the filter at all times, irrespective of the alignment of the slot 13 and perforation 8. Since airflow always passes through the filter element 3, the variation of air dilution obtained by the relative positions of the slot 13 and perforation 8 is smaller than in the case of Figure 3 .
  • this improves control of the user who is able to steadily vary the smoke intensity, i.e. the tar delivery of the smoking article between two ventilated states.
  • the filter of the invention provides pressure drops of below 130 mmH2O and preferably below 120 mmH2O in any respective position of the slot 13 and perforation 8. This particularly reduces resistance to drawing smoke through the filter element 3 whilst a user tuned the filter to obtain high tar delivery states.
  • any plurality of perforations 8 and/or slots 13 could be provided to achieve the same function of varying the ventilation level in the filter component 3, the common principle of ventilation variation remaining identical and based on alignment/misalignment of said perforations 8 and slot 13 upon rotation of the mouth end segment 5 of the filter with respect to the tobacco end segment 6.
  • the perforations 8 are of equal length and can vary from 2.00 mm to 4.5 mm, for example.
  • FIGs 6A and 6B shows the variation of the airflow through the filter component 3 represented in Figure 7 , using relatively small perforations 8, e.g. 2.5 mm and matching slots 13 ( Figure 6A ) and relatively large perforations 8, e.g. 4.0 mm and matching slots 13 ( Figure 6B ). Since the plug wrap 40 is porous, airflow always passes through the filter component 3, resulting in a relatively weak but permanent airflow in the case of relatively small perforations 8 and matching slots 13 ( Figure 6A ), and a relatively strong, permanent airflow in the case of relatively large perforations 8 and matching slots 13 ( Figure 6B ).
  • Figure 8 is a table reproducing minimum and maximum tar deliveries obtained for five different smoking articles according to the invention, with different filter structures (dual charcoal acetate or mono-acetate filters), different plug wrap porosities and different perforations sizes.
  • the tar deliveries reproduced in that table were obtained under standard ISO smoking regime, following ISO standards for testing smoking articles (ISO 3308, ISO 4387).
  • filter plug-forming material that may be a material such as cellulose acetate tow in a conventional and well-known manner in the industry of cigarette filter making.
  • a continuous filter rod is hereby obtained. This continuous rod is then surrounded with a porous plug wrap 40 to hold the acetate tow in shape and segmented to produce individual filter components 3.
  • filter components 3 are then loaded into a conventional smoking article maker which is equipped with a processing module to assemble filter components 3 and tobacco rods 2 to form cigarettes 1.
  • the filter components 3 are then cut transversally to form two rotatable interconnected segments 5, 6.
  • Perforations 8 are formed in the filter components 3 by laser or blade cutting.
  • the pre-perforated tipping paper 9 may be used.
  • the tipping paper 9 may be perforated and cut or preferably pre-cut to define separation line 12 between bands 10, 11 of the tipping paper 9 and then supplied and wrapped around the filter component 3 to connect it with the tobacco rod 2 to form a cigarette product.
  • the filter components 3 are submitted to a laser or blade cut to form simultaneously perforations 8 in the tobacco end filter segment 6 and corresponding slots 13 in the tipping paper 9.
  • the mouth end filter segment 5 is then twisted to misalign perforations 8 and slots 13 of the filters and thereby set the cigarette products 1 at the lowest level of ventilation of the filter components 3.
  • the finished cigarette products are then gathered to form a bundle which is then packed for sale.

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Cigarettes, Filters, And Manufacturing Of Filters (AREA)

Claims (11)

  1. Un élément de filtre (3) pour un article à fumer et cet élément de filtre (3) a la composition suivante :
    au moins un bloc de matériau filtrant entouré d'un enrobage relativement perméable à l'air pour ce bloc (40), et ce bloc de matériau filtrant comporte au moins deux segments (5, 6) qui sont alignés sur le plan longitudinal et tournent autour d'un axe longitudinal commun, et au moins un de ces segments (5, 6) comporte au moins une perforation (8) qui est formée dans l'enrobage relativement perméable à l'air pour ce bloc (40) et
    un matériau d'enrobage (9) qui entoure au moins une partie de l'enrobage relativement perméable à l'air pour ce bloc (40), ce matériau d'enrobage (9) comportant au moins une première partie (10) rattachée au premier (5) des deux segments du bloc de matériau filtrant alors que la deuxième partie (11) est rattachée au deuxième segment (6) du bloc de matériau filtrant et comporte au moins une ouverture (13) formée dans cet élément
    les première et deuxième parties (10, 11) du matériau d'enrobage (9) et les premier et deuxième segments (5, 6) du bloc de matériau filtrant sont disposés de telle sorte que la perforation respective (8), au nombre d'au moins 1, de l'enrobage relativement perméable à l'air (40) et l'ouverture (13), au nombre d'au moins 1, du matériau d'enrobage (9) peuvent se superposer en faisant tourner un des segments (5, 6) du bloc de matériau filtrant autour de l'axe longitudinal commun de façon à varier la ventilation du filtre
    se caractérisant par le fait que chacune des perforations (8), au nombre d'au moins 1, a une première longueur et que chacune des ouvertures (13), au nombre d'au moins 1, a une deuxième longueur différente de la première longueur.
  2. Un élément de filtre (3), comme celui que décrit la revendication 1, si ce n'est que la perforation (8), au nombre d'au moins 1, est formée dans le deuxième segment (6) du matériau filtrant et que l'ouverture (13), au nombre d'au moins 1, est formée dans la deuxième partie (11) du matériau d'enrobage (9).
  3. Un élément de filtre (3), comme celui que décrit l'une ou l'autre des revendications précédentes, si ce n'est que chacune des perforations (8), au nombre d'au moins 1, et que chacune des ouvertures (13), au nombre d'au moins 1, sont implantées dans un premier plan perpendiculaire à l'axe longitudinal commun.
  4. Un élément de filtre comme celui que décrit la revendication 3, si ce n'est qu'un des segments (5, 6), au nombre d'au moins 1, du matériau filtrant comporte au moins trois perforations (8) équidistantes.
  5. Un élément de filtre, comme celui que décrit l'une ou l'autre des revendications précédentes, si ce n'est qu'il comporte en outre au moins un deuxième bloc de matériau filtrant contenant un matériau adsorbant, de préférence du charbon activé.
  6. Un élément de filtre comme celui que décrit l'une ou l'autre des revendications précédentes, si ce n'est que la porosité de l'enrobage de bloc se situe entre 1300 et 24 000 unités Coresta (UC).
  7. Un article à fumer (1) comportant un élément de filtre (3), comme celui que décrit l'une des revendications 1 à 6, et une tige de tabac (2) raccordée à une extrémité de l'élément de filtre (3) par le matériau d'enrobage (9) avec une saillie par rapport à ladite extrémité de l'élément de filtre (3) et une extrémité de la tige de tabac (2).
  8. Un article à fumer, comme celui que décrit la revendication 7, si ce n'est que la chute maximale de pression est inférieure à 130 mm H2O.
  9. Un article à fumer (1), comme celui que décrit la revendication 7 ou la revendication 8, si ce n'est que la deuxième partie du matériau d'enrobage (11) qui fait partie de l'ouverture (13) entoure un segment (6) du bloc de matériau filtrant, y compris la perforation (8) et au moins une partie d'un segment (6) du bloc de matériau filtrant se situant à l'écart d'au moins une perforation (8).
  10. Un article à fumer (1), comme celui que décrit la revendication 8 ou la revendication 9, si ce n'est que la première partie et la deuxième partie (10, 11) du matériau d'enrobage (9) sont séparées par une fente circonférentielle (12) qui fait tout le tour du bloc filtrant.
  11. Un article à fumer, comme celui que décrit la revendication 10, si ce n'est que le premier segment et le deuxième segment (5, 6) du bloc de matériau filtrant sont séparés par une entaille circonférentielle (7) dans un deuxième plan perpendiculaire à l'axe longitudinal commun et si ce n'est que la fente circonférentielle (12) se situe dans le deuxième plan.
EP15704818.2A 2014-03-11 2015-02-18 Élément de filtre pour article à fumer Active EP3116333B1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PL15704818T PL3116333T3 (pl) 2014-03-11 2015-02-18 Element filtracyjny do wyrobu do palenia

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP14158737 2014-03-11
PCT/EP2015/053418 WO2015135723A1 (fr) 2014-03-11 2015-02-18 Élément de filtre pour article à fumer

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP3116333A1 EP3116333A1 (fr) 2017-01-18
EP3116333B1 true EP3116333B1 (fr) 2018-12-19

Family

ID=50239489

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP15704818.2A Active EP3116333B1 (fr) 2014-03-11 2015-02-18 Élément de filtre pour article à fumer

Country Status (8)

Country Link
EP (1) EP3116333B1 (fr)
JP (1) JP2017507660A (fr)
KR (1) KR20160134732A (fr)
EA (1) EA032253B1 (fr)
ES (1) ES2706491T3 (fr)
PL (1) PL3116333T3 (fr)
TR (1) TR201900291T4 (fr)
WO (1) WO2015135723A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP4118981A4 (fr) * 2021-05-31 2023-08-23 China Tobacco Yunnan Industrial Co., Ltd Cigarette chauffante ayant une perméabilité à l'air de paroi de tube et une position de perméation de l'air réglables, et procédé de réglage

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP3606362B1 (fr) 2017-04-03 2022-05-04 Philip Morris Products S.A. Embout buccal d'article à fumer conçu pour recevoir une unité d'insertion
WO2020220507A1 (fr) * 2019-04-29 2020-11-05 云南中烟工业有限责任公司 Cigarette roulée à faible rétention et sans combustion

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4649944A (en) * 1982-09-30 1987-03-17 Philip Morris Incorporated Filter cigarette
US4570649A (en) * 1982-09-30 1986-02-18 Philip Morris Incorporated Filter cigarette
US4646763A (en) * 1985-11-19 1987-03-03 Philip Morris Incorporated Adjustable filter cigarette
US4687009A (en) * 1986-02-24 1987-08-18 Philip Morris Incorporated Adjustable filter cigarette and method of manufacture thereof
JP3181248B2 (ja) * 1997-10-06 2001-07-03 日本たばこ産業株式会社 フィルター付きシガレットおよびシガレット用フィルター
EP2368448A1 (fr) * 2010-03-26 2011-09-28 Philip Morris Products S.A. Article de fumeur doté de ventilation variable
GB201116866D0 (en) * 2011-09-29 2011-11-09 British American Tobacco Co Smoking articles
AR089183A1 (es) * 2011-11-30 2014-08-06 Philip Morris Products Sa Articulo para fumar con una boquilla ventilada que comprende primeras y segundas vias de flujo de aire

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
None *

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP4118981A4 (fr) * 2021-05-31 2023-08-23 China Tobacco Yunnan Industrial Co., Ltd Cigarette chauffante ayant une perméabilité à l'air de paroi de tube et une position de perméation de l'air réglables, et procédé de réglage

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EA201691601A1 (ru) 2017-03-31
EA032253B1 (ru) 2019-04-30
JP2017507660A (ja) 2017-03-23
WO2015135723A1 (fr) 2015-09-17
EP3116333A1 (fr) 2017-01-18
PL3116333T3 (pl) 2019-06-28
KR20160134732A (ko) 2016-11-23
TR201900291T4 (tr) 2019-02-21
ES2706491T3 (es) 2019-03-29

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