GB2049393A - A tobacco smoke filter - Google Patents

Abstract

For removing tar and nicotine from tobacco smoke there is provided a filter in the form of a holder comprising an assembly 10 of detachably connected sections, a first section 11 having an inlet chamber 22 in which tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos are held, smoke produced by the burning of said tobacco products being drawn by the inhalation action of a smoker towards a restricted outlet 53 in a mouth piece section 14, so that between said inlet chamber 22 and restricted outlet 53 the smoke moves along a predetermined path through each of the sections and is alternatively expanded and compressed to remove tar and nicotine. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A filter This invention relates to a filter for removing tar and nicotine from tobacco smoke, the filter being in the form of a holder for holding tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos, and comprising an assembly of detachable connected sections through which the tobacco smoke is drawn and is alterntively expanded and compressed to remove tar and nicotine therefrom coupled with means for cooling the smoke during its passage through the sections.

During recent years an increasing number of different types of smoke filtering devices have been developed. Many of these devices have been made the subject of Letters Patent, one such patent showing a cigarette holder featuring a radially extending constricted bore for accelerating the velocity of the smoke as it is drawn from a lighted cigarette on inhalation. However, most of the known devices are of a complex and expensive construction, are prone to clogging by tar and nicotine deposits and are time consuming to clean. Yet other devices do not sufficiently reduce the levels of tar and nicotine from tobacco smoke to be of any benfit to the smoker.

An object of the present invention is the provide a filter which removes tar and nicotine from tobacco smoke on successive inhalations the smoke by alternatively expanding and contracting the smoke and dissipating heat, therefore providing a relatively simple and inexpensive assembly which obviates the disadvantages of known filters.

Furthermore, it is also an object of the invention to provide a filter in which the heat from tobacco smoke is dissipated by a heat dissipating element which permits only a small amount of smoke to pass therethrough in a given time.

With these objects in view the present invention provides a filter for removing tar and nicotine from tobacco smoke, the filter being in the form of a holder for holding tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos and comprising an assembly of a detachably connected sections, said assembly consisting of a first section for holding said tobacco product comprising a u-shaped structure having a pair of inclined flanges arranged in confronting relationship to define an inclined narrow bore, said bore communicating both with a passage leading from an inlet chamber and an enlarged chamber into which the inclined narrow bore terminates adjacent a side wall of said first section, a second section removably attached to said first section, said second section comprising two parts of which one part consists of a laterally extending web having a restricted passageway therethrough adjacent to one side thereof and communicating with the enlarged chamber of said first section, and the other part consists of a tapering part connected to said first part and having a bore therethrough for the passage of inhaled smoke, said second section having an annular flange having an opening therein leading to atmosphere, a third section detachably and rotatably connected to said second section by way of an annular inner shoulder having a series of spaced apart radially extending passages of different crosssection which are adapted to be selectively placed in communication with the opening of said annular flange of said second section to allow the passage of air from the atmosphere to the bore of said tapering part of said second section, said third section having a chamber for the reception of smoke passing from said second section and a reduced hollow portion on its outer end having a bore which communicates with the bore of said tapering part, said reduced portion having a mouth-piece section telescopically fitted thereover.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a front elevational view of a modified embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2; Figure 5 is an exploded view of the assembly of Figure 1, illustrating the detachable sections thereof in the order of their interconnections to one another; Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3; Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional elevational view taken on line 7-7 of Figure 3; Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 3;; Figure 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 3; Figure 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of Figure 3; and Figure 7 1 is a perspective view of the assembly with arrows to illustrate the relative movement of certain sections for adjusting the path of movement of inhaled smoke.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 and Figures 5 to 11, a preferred embodiment of the filter of the present invention is the form of a holder and comprises an assembly 10 of detachably connected tubular sections including a section 11 forthe retention of tobacco products in the form of cigarettes, cigars of cigarillos, a heat dissipating section 12, an adjustment section 13 for increasing and decreasing the travel of the inhaled smoke, and a mouthpiece section 14, said sections together defining restricted passages and large chambers for condensating the smoke to remove increasing amounts of nicotine and tars from the inhaled smoke.

The section 11, 12, 13, 14 may be fabricated or moulded from any desired material. Sections 11,13 and 14 can be made, for example, from an acrylic plastics material or a urea or a phenol condensate, which is extruded into a suitable mould for each of these plastic sections. Section 12 can be fabricated from a heat-dissipating metal, such as aluminium or an aluminium alloy and can be made in two interconnectable parts or cast as an integral unit for sake of economy.

Illustrated in Figure 2 is a modified embodiment of the present invention which comprises a specially constructed section 15 which is interposed between sections 11 and 12 and which functions in the same manner as section 11 thereby further reducing the intake bythe smoker of nicotine and tar.

Figure 3 illustrates, in sectional elevation, the construction of each of the sections 11 to 14which define the path of travel of tobacco smoke from a lighted cigarette cigar, or cigarillo upon inhalation of smoke by a smoker. Such a form of construction provides restricted passages and large chambers thereby effecting rapid condensation of the smoke and effective removal of nicotine and tar. In order to enable the admission of air into the smoke when desired, a small opening 16 is provided in section 12 which can be placed in communication with the interior of the holder 10 as hereinafter described.

Each of the connectable and detachable sections are specially constructed in orderto attain optimum and efficacesous results not only in the reduction of nicotine and tar intake upon successive inhalations of tobacco smoke but also in cooling the smoke.

Each of the sections has a smooth outer surface for ease of handling as well as for aesthetic purposes.

Section 11 is formed with a reduced longitudinally extending hollow element 21 defining an inlet chamber 22 into which a cigarette 23, shown in dotted outline in Figures 1 and 2, can be inserted and held while being smoked, element 21 being integral with and merging with a generally u-shaped longitudinally extending portion defining an enlarged chamber 24 and providing an inclined narrow bore 26 defined by a pair of opposed or confronting inclined flanges 27 and 28 extending inwardly from laterally extending base 29, said bore 26 having a restricted outlet 30. Base 29 has a passage 31 which connects the inlet chamber 22 with the bore 26.

There is therefore provided a relative large inlet chamber 22 for accommodating a cigarette, cigar or cigarillo which is in direct communication with narrow passage 31 directly communicating with inclined narrow bore 26 having its outlet 30 in close proximity to an innerwall of section 11 and opening into enlarged chamber 24 thereof. The inhaled tobacco smoke travels through inlet chamber 22 and is immediately compressed through the narrow passage 31 and inclined narrow bore 26 and again expanded into large chamber 24. During this travel, and consequent compression and expansion of the tobacco smoke, a relatively high percentage of the nicotine and tar is removed from the smoke.The special construction of section 11 includes the provision of an annular inner shoulder 32 for removably receiving a laterally projecting annular flange 33 formed on section 12 of the holder, section 12 being fabricated from a heat-dissipating metal such as, for example, aluminium or an aluminium alloy, and which includes a laterally extending web 34 having a restricted passage 36 therethrough adjacent to one side of the section.

By virtue of its construction, section 12 removes additional nicotine and tar from the tobacco smoke, as the smoke is compressed from the enlarged chamber 24 of section 11 into and through inclined narrow passage36 in web 34 of section 12. Web 34 carries a tapering part 37, either as an integral casting therewith or as a separate element con nected thereto by, for example, riveting, which consists of two longitudinally extending flanges, tapered on one side and defining a restricted bore 38 for guiding the tobacco smoke into an axially extending bore 39, formed in adjacent section 13 by inturned confronting flanges 41 and 42 which are parallel to each other and which project rearwardly from the base 43 of the generally u-shaped section 13.Connection between sections 12 and 13, is provided byan annular outer flange 44 on section 12 which rotatably seats on an annular inner shoulder 46 of section 13. Inner shoulder 46 has a series of radial passages 47 which are circumferentially spaced apart and which communicate with the exterior of the holder through opening 16 which extends through flange 44 of section 12. Air can thus be drawn through opening 16 into the radial pas sages 47 of inner annular shoulder 46 so as to mix with the tobacco smoke passing through bore 38 of tapering part 37 and thence into and through the axial bore 39.The restricted bore 39 opens into a slightly larger chamber 51 defined by a reduced portion 48 at the outer end of section 13 and serving as a shoulder for the attachment of a mouth-piece section 14 which defines a long tapering chamber 52 connecting chamber 51 at the inner end thereof with a restricted outlet 53 through which the inhaled smoke, from the burning tobacco held in section 11, enters the mouth of smoker. The construction of section 13 includes a relatively wide inner annular in meeting engagement with the inner wall 56 of such section for guiding some of the tobacco smoke into an expanded chamber 57 from which it also enters bores 38 and 39 thus further trapping additional amounts of nicotine and tars by the compression of the smoke.

By virtue of the dove-tail connection between the annular outer flange 44 of section 12 and annular inner shoulder 46 of section 13, it is relatively easy to detach sections 12 and 13 from one another and if it is desired to further cool the smoke, a few drops of water can be introduced into section 13 afterdiscon- nectingthesamefrom section 12.

Should it be desired to reduce further amounts of nicotine and tar from tobacco smoke, the modified embodiment of the filter also in the form of a holder as illustrated in Figure 2 and 4 can be used. This modification is similar to a large extent with the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 and Figures 5 to 11 but differs therefrom by the inclusion of section 15 which is interposed between sections 11 and 12. As illustrated in Figure 4 section 15 is so constructed as to provide a generally u-shped element extending longitudinally from a laterally extending base 29' having a through opening 31' adjacent to one wall; said opening being narrow and communicating with both chamber 24 of section 11 at one end thereof and with an inclined bore 126' at the other end thereof. Bore 126' is defined by a pair of inclined flanges 127' and 128' and terminates in an outlet 130' adjacent one horizontally extending wall of section 15.-Flanges 127' and 128' define a large chamber 124' of section 15 which connects with passage 36 of section 12. Section 15 has at one end thereof an annularflange 133' so that is can be removably mounted on the annular inner shoulder 32 of section 11, and at the other end thereof with an annular inner shoulder 132' for rotationally receiving the adjacent annularflange 33 of section 12.

With reference to Figure 11, it will be observed that section 13 can be rotated, as indicated by the small arrows, relative to section 12 to bring opening 16 into registry with any selected one of the radial passages 47 in the annnular perforated inner shoulder 46 on section 13. Thus, the amount of air admitted into the interior of the chambers and bores of sections 13 and 14 can be varied and controlled so as to maintain the same cooling effect during the smoking of the cigarette, cigar or cigarillo.

The invention is not confined to the precise details of the foregoing examples and variations may be made thereto.

Claims (7)

1. Afilterfor removing tar and nicotine from tobacco smoke, the filter being in the form of a holder for holding tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos and comprising an assembly of a detachably connected sections, said assembly consisting of a first section for holding said tobacco product comprising a u-shaped structure having a pair of inclined flanges arranged in confronting relationship to define an inclined narrow bore, said bore communicating both with a passage leading from an inlet chamber and an enlarged chamber into which the inclined narrow bore terminates adjacent a side wall of said first section, a second section removalby attached to said first section, said second section comprising two parts of which one part consists of a laterally extending web having a restricted passageway therethrough adjacent to one side thereof and communicating with the enlarged chamber of said first section, and the other part consists of a tapering part connected to said first part and having a bore therethrough for the passage of inhaled smoke, said second section having an annular flange having an opening therein leading to atmosphere, a third section detachably and rotatably connected to said second section by way of an annular inner shoulder having a series of spaced apart radially extending passages of different cross section which are adapted to be selectively placed in communication with the opening of said annular flange of said second section to allow the passage of air from the atmosphere to the bore of said tapering part of said second section, said third section having a chamberforthe reception of smoke passing from said second section and a reduced hollow portion on its outer end having a bore which communicates with the bore of said tapering part, said reduced portion having a mouth-piece section telescopically fitted thereover.

2. A filter as claimed in claim 1,wherein said second section has a longitudinally extending annu larflange at either end for removably fitting thereon an annular shoulder on said first section and said third section of said assembly.

3. A filter as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said chambers of the first section are on both sides of said narrow passage.

4. A filter as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3 wherein said inclined narrow bore lies intermediate said enlarged chamber of said first section.

5. A filter as claimed in any preceding claim in which each of the sections are tubular in cross section.

6. A filter as claimed in any preceding claim wherein compression of the smoke and consequent removal of nicotine and tar occurs upon movement of inhaled smoke between narrow passages and enlarged chambers.

7. A filter substantially as herein before described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 1 and 3 and Figures 5 to 11 or Figures 2 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.