GB2236656A

GB2236656A - Flavoured cigarette filters

Info

Publication number: GB2236656A
Application number: GB8922898A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William John Irvine
Original assignee: Rothmans International Tobacco Ltd
Current assignee: Rothmans International Services Ltd
Priority date: 1989-10-11
Filing date: 1989-10-11
Publication date: 1991-04-17
Also published as: GB8922898D0

Abstract

A process for producing a flavoured cigarette filter includes incorporating a liquid flavour concentrate into flavour granules, associating a carrier with said granules and including said carrier in a cigarette filter element.

Description

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A FLAVOURED CIGARETTE FILTER AND CIGARETTES INCORPORATING SUCH FILTERS.

This invention relates to a process for producing a flavoured cigarette filter and to cigarettes incorporating such filters.

The invention can be applied to many kinds of cigarette filters, for example those that merely consist of a tow material or those with filtering members of any kind which may or may not cause the direction of flow within the filter to alter. This type of filter includes dual density filters, those incorporating an inner core with a wrapper or filters with discs of tubes incorporated in them.

According to the present invention a process for producing a flavoured cigarette filter includes incorporating a liquid flavour concentrate into liquid flavour granules, Impregnating a carrier with said granules and including said carrier in a cigarette filter element.

Thus, the carrier could be any of the items referred to above, for example filter tow material or any of the other members, tubes or discs or other shapes incorporated in a filter.

Preferably the granules are composed of a polyolefin material, for example polyethylene or polypropylene.

Granules of this type can be obtained from International Flavours and Fragrances (I.F.F.).

The carrier incorporating the granules could be a filter tow through which the smoke passes when in use, alternatively or additionally the carrier can be in the form of a carrier member which is located in a filter-element so that the smoke passes through it or across one of its surfaces when in use.

Thus, the carrier member can be in the form of a tube through or around which at least some of the smoke passes, said granules being added during the tube forming process.

The tube can be made, for example, from microfine fibres with which the granules are incorporated.

Again, the carrier member can be in the form of a disc located in the filter element made, for example, from microfine fibres in which the granules are incorporated.

Due to the fact that the granules are in contact with the smoke passing through the filter element the flavour is transferred to the smoke.

The flavour formulations may include any conventional or novel flavouring additive, typically such as natural materials such as extracts and essential oils, and flavour chemicals.

The invention also includes not only a cigarette filter made according to the process set forth above but also a cigarette incorporating such a filter.

The term cigarette used herein is intended to include not only cigarettes with paper wrappers but other smoking articles such as cigars or cigarillos and the filter can also be used, for example, in a filter for a pipe.

The invention can be performed in many ways and some embodiments will now be described by way of example.

In a first method of producing a flavoured-cigarette filter plastics material granules are prepared by impregnating them with a flavour concentrate. The granules are composed of polyolefin material such as polyethylene or polypropylene. Granules of this type can be purchased from International Flavours and Fragrances (I.F.F.).

The flavours used in the process may include any conventional or novel flavouring additives; typically such flavours would include natural materials such as extracts of essential oils and flavour chemicals. The base materials for the flavour granules can be polyethylene, polypropylene, EVA, polyvinylchloride, or other speciality resins.

In a first process using the granules they are mixed into a tow of polypropylene fibres which are then used in the well known fashion to make cigarette filters. In this process the tow is wrapped with a paper wrapper and cut to appropriate size. It will be appreciated that the tow itself acts as a carrier for the granules.

In another process according to the invention the granules are carried in a filter element on a carrier member so that the smoke passes through it or across one of its surfaces when in use. European Patent Application No.

0 310 257 shows a cigarette filter rod element incorporating a tube member 3. According to the present invention this tube member, which is made from a synthetic plastics material, can be arranged to either incorporate the flavour granules. Flavour granules can be added at a suitable point during the filter tube forming process, for example at the extrusion stage or the granules can be premixed with the resin feed.

The flavour granules may be added at levels between 0.5% and 5% depending on the quantity of flavour required in the filter to produce the desired flavour enhancement.

British Patent Applications Nos. 8823902, 8823903 and 8901119 disclose filter discs and filter tubes for use in filter elements and made from microfine fibres. The present invention can be applied to the manufacture of filter elements including such microfine discs or tubes by adding the flavour granules at the time of manufacture of the microfine material.

Filters of the dual density configuration are known which usually have an inner core of cellulose acetate fibre tow (or some other suitable filtration fibre material) wrapped with a film of impervious material, for example cellulose acetate film, polypropylene or polyethylene. The film is sealed and the wrapped core is surrounded by a ring of filtration fibre tow. The completed co-axial filter rod may then be wrapped with paper or may be steam cured to maintain non wrapped integrity. The present invention is applied to a filter of this type by incorporating the filter granules in the material of the inner or outer wrappers.

Although the wrappers themselves may be impervious the fact that they incorporate the flavour granules means that their surfaces, containing the granules, are exposed to the smoke flow through the filter.

With all the arrangements described above the filter effect of the cigarette filter is unaffected by the incorporation of the filter granules but the smoke is flavoured as desired.

Claims

1. A process for producing a flavoured cigarette filter which includes incorporating a liquid flavour concentrate into flavour granules, impregnating a carrier with said granules and including said carrier in a cigarette filter element.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the granules are composed of a polyolefin material.

3. A process as claimed in claim 2 in which the granules are composed of polyethylene or polypropylene.

4. A process as claimed in claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3 in which the carrier incorporating the granules is a filter tow through which the smoke passes when in use.

5. A process as claimed in claim 4 in which the filter tow is composed of polypropylene.

6. A process as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 4 in which the carrier is in the form of a carrier member which is located in a filter element so that the smoke passes through it or across one of its surfaces when in use.

7. A process as claimed in claim 6 in which the carrier member is in the form of a tube through or around which at least some of the smoke passes, said granules being added during the tube forming process.

8. ~ A process as claimed in claim 7 in which the-tube is made from micro fine fibres with which the granules are incorporated

9. A process as claimed in claim 6 in which the carrier member is in the form of a disc located in the filter element.

10. A process as claimed in claim 9 in which the disc is made from microfine fibres in which the granules are incorporated.

11. A process for producing a flavoured cigarette filter substantially as described herein.

12. A cigarette incorporating a filter as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.