JP6535782B2 - Smoking article with menthol filter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a smoking article provided with a filter and a method of manufacturing such a filter.

  A typical filter cigarette (cigarette) is placed on the tobacco rod in a straight rod with the filler of the chopped tobacco wrapped around the tobacco rod, and attached to the tobacco rod with tipping paper (tip paper) And a cylindrical filter. In conventional filter cigarettes, the filter may be comprised of an acetylcellulose tow plug wrapped in a porous plug package. In order to bond the filter material inside the filter, the filter material is bonded to the porous plug package. Also known are multi-component filtered cigarettes comprising two or more segments for removing particulate and gaseous constituents from mainstream smoke.

  It is known to add perfumes in filters of smoking articles to enhance the flavor and smell of mainstream smoke. Also, passive fragrance release mechanisms are known in which the scent is released without consumer action. For example, WO-A-2009 / 080604 discloses a filter for smoking articles such as cigarettes. The smoking article includes a plug of filter material and a wrapping held on the outer periphery of the filter material by a stripe adhesive. The adhesive contains a perfume, and by applying a natural color to the perfume, the outer peripheral edge of the end face of the filter can be patterned.

  GB Patent Application GB-A-2229 078 discloses a method of manufacturing a filter for cigarettes, including the step of adding a perfume to one or more sides of the packaging material in contact with the filter material.

  Also known are active fragrance release mechanisms that allow the consumer to activate the scent release function on their own. For example, it is known to introduce capsules loaded with perfume into the filter. If an additional scent is desired, the consumer can break up the capsule.

International Publication No. WO-A-2009 / 080604 British Patent Application Publication No. GB-A-2229078

  It would be desirable to provide an aroma release means within the filter of the smoking article to allow the consumer to further enjoy the aroma (especially menthol scent) during use. Furthermore, it is particularly desirable to provide such filters with standard filter making equipment and techniques.

  The invention provides a smoking article comprising a filter, wherein the filter is wound on a plug of filter material having a longitudinally extending surface and the longitudinally extending surface of the plug. A packaging material and a menthol patch are provided. The menthol patch is realized on the inner surface of the wrapper facing the longitudinally extending surface of the plug. According to the invention, the menthol patch is applied to the wrapping material and the plug is attached to the wrapping material by the menthol patch before the wrapping material is wound around the filter material and closed.

  The smoking article may be, for example, a conventional smoking article comprising a tobacco rod connected to the filter through a tipping paper, or a non-conventional item such as a smoking article used in combination with an electronic cigarette device It may be a smoking article.

As used herein, the term "filter" refers to a smoking article that at least partially removes the gas phase or particulate phase smoke component from mainstream smoke drawn through the filter, or the smoke component of the gas phase and particulate layer. Suggests a part configured to remove both.
The filter of the present invention may include only one filter segment or may include a plurality of filter segments.

  The segments of the filter may have different longitudinal lengths. The filter segments are in longitudinal contact with one another. When two or more filter segments are provided, these filter segments may be identical structures and materials to one another, but more preferably, the individual segments have different structures or contain different filter materials or additives.

  When two or more filter segments are inside the filter, at least one segment at least partially removes the gas phase or particulate phase smoke component from the mainstream smoke drawn through the filter, or the gas phase and particle layer It is configured to remove both of the smoke components. According to the invention, one or more of the remaining segments may not contribute to the removal of the smoke component, but instead, for example, affect the flavor of the mainstream smoke or change the breathability of the smoking article And may have different functions.

  In addition, additional elements, hereinafter referred to as "filter inserts" may be included inside the filter or inside the segments of the filter. The insert may include a fragrance to alter the perceptual properties of the cigarette, or it may alter some other characteristic of the tobacco smoke (eg, breathability, suction resistance).

  The objects present inside the filter may be, for example, one or more rupturable capsules of perfume, small pellets of perfume (pellets), scented or scented strands (strands), beads of exchange resin, absorbent Adsorptive particles, flow restrictors, and combinations thereof. The single segment of the filter of the invention preferably contains a single object, but in certain cases it may contain hundreds of objects, for example when beads are considered. Good.

  The packaging material can be any suitable material known in the art, such as porous plug packaging material, impervious plastic, and the like. Inner and outer surfaces are defined in the packaging material. The inner surface is the surface that mainly faces one or more plugs when the smoking article is assembled, and the outer surface generally contacts mainly the outside of the filter, depending on the structure of the filter Or a surface covered by one or more additional packaging layers.

  In the packaging there is also a "seam area", i.e. the area where the packaging itself overlaps to form a longitudinal seam in order to wrap the packaging around the plug. This overlapping area including the inner surface and a portion of the outer surface of the wrapping material is referred to as a seam area where the inner and outer surfaces of the wrapping material are joined together. Also, the remaining area, that is, the area of the inner surface that is not part of the joint area is referred to as the "inner rod surface". The inner rod surface generally surrounds the plug in direct contact with the plug rod.

  As used herein, "perfume" refers to a substance, a compound, or a mixture of substances capable of inducing a sensory effect related to human taste. Preferably, the sensory action comprises a taste action or an olfactory action. In other words, such a perfume is recognizable to those skilled in the art as being capable of imparting, enhancing or modifying the aroma or taste of the article or composition to which the perfume is to be added in a preferable manner.

Possible flavors are preferably those for tobacco products, such as, for example, chopped tobacco, peppermint, coffee, menthol, spearmint or cognac. The fragrance is preferably a liquid, foam or gel, or a solid that changes to a liquid at a constant temperature.
The perfume may additionally contain one or more additives, such as heat stabilizers, emulsion stabilizers, additives to provide sufficient processing properties, colorants, or any combination thereof. .

As known in the art, packaging is applied to the plug to form a filter, for example by bonding the packaging to the plug. Preferably, the affixing is strong enough to withstand the stress on the filter during use of the smoking article to prevent the packaging material from disengaging from the plug.
To that end, the filter according to the invention comprises menthol patches on the inner surface of the wrapper facing the longitudinally extending surface of the plug.

  Here, "patch" refers to a layer of material covering an area of the inner surface of the packaging material. Preferably, the patch covers an area of the inner rod surface. The shape of the patch is arbitrary and can include squares, stripes, wavy lines, triangles, or combinations of these shapes or other geometric shapes. The patch may cover most of the inner rod surface of the wrapper or may cover only a small portion of the inner rod surface of the wrapper. Also, the patch may extend over the entire length of the packaging material or may be only a portion of the longitudinal length of the packaging material. The patch has a thickness sufficient to ensure that the plug and the packaging material are joined. Furthermore, the thickness of this layer may be uniform or non-uniform. Layers between about 2 μm and about 50 μm in thickness are preferred.

As used herein, "menthol" refers to a substance used in a product to produce the flavor of menthol. When commercially available menthol is used in the present invention, one containing at least 90% of 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol (chemical formula is C ₁₀ H ₂₀ O) is preferred. However, it should be understood that generally commercially available menthol additionally contains additives, stabilizers and thickeners known to those skilled in the art used in and outside the tobacco industry. An example of such a commercial menthol is that sold by Fuerst Day Lawson Ltd, headquartered in London, England.

  Moreover, generally speaking, the term "menthol" generally means (1R, 2S, 5R) stereoisomer among stereoisomers of 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol, but in the present invention, 2-isopropyl-5-methyl Cyclohexanol refers to all of its eight stereoisomers. However, the (1R, 2S, 5R) stereoisomer is preferred because it is the most stable stereoisomer of 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol.

  Menthol is known to be adhesive. That is, menthol can bond or bond elements to elements, as in the case of packaging and plugs in the present application. The fact that the menthol itself is adhesive does not mean that the adhesive is contained therein. The adhesion is an intrinsic property of menthol utilized in the filter of the present invention, due to the chemical and physical structure of menthol. Thus, the menthol patch combines both fragrance and adhesion due to the inherent properties of menthol in a single element.

  The dual functionality of the present invention, which utilizes menthol patches as a perfume and also adheres the plug to the inner rod surface of the packaging, makes the filter of the present invention more manufactured than the scented filters of the prior art. The number of processing steps required can be reduced. When applying the menthol patch to the packaging material, because the menthol acts not only as a fragrance but also as an adhesive for sticking the packaging material to the plug, the additional effort to attach the adhesive to the packaging material is reduced, It becomes completely unnecessary. Therefore, the steps of scenting the filter with menthol and attaching the adhesive to the packaging are at least partially integrated.

  Preferably, the menthol patch contains at least 99% 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol. This means that the menthol patch consists essentially of pure menthol. As mentioned above, the presence of menthol only allows sufficient adhesion between the packaging and the plug.

  In order to further enhance the aroma, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the filter may include additional filter inserts as defined above, including perfumes. The perfume in the insert may be the same as or different from the menthol used in the patch, and various odor combinations are possible. More preferably, the aromatizing insert comprises at least one capsule. With the use of menthol patches, multiple odor sources can be combined easily and advantageously into a single filter segment of the filter of the invention. This opens up the possibility of aromatization and increases the amount of aroma available. For example, it is not practical to use capsules and aromatic threads in the same filter segment. Because both occupy the same space in the segment.

  During smoking, the filter wrap is exposed to, for example, heat and steam, resulting in the release of the scent contained in menthol patches. In a preferred embodiment where the filter contains not only a menthol patch but also a fragrant insert such as a capsule, the consumer is able to automatically release the odor from the menthol patch and, for example, the consumption released from the ruptured capsule It is possible to experience both of the odors induced by the person.

  Furthermore, other objects, such as non-cuttable flow restrictors, may be within a single filter segment of the filter of the present invention. Since the volume occupied by the menthol patch is almost negligible, it makes it easier to arrange relatively bulky aroma elements, such as for example aromatic threads or uncut objects such as rupturable capsules.

  Both aromatic and non-aromatic filter inserts are in contact with the inner rod surface of the packaging material, but these inserts should be placed and fixed in place inside the filter by menthol patches. Can. To that effect, menthol patches are placed at appropriate positions depending on the filter design and construction. Thus, in this preferred embodiment, the menthol patch has the additional use of affixing both the acetate tow plug and the filter insert to the wrapper.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the inner surface of the packaging further comprises an adhesive patch. An adhesive patch is a patch containing an adhesive, and an adhesive is a substance whose main function is to bond or bond objects with each other as can be understood by those skilled in the art. Adhesives are generally classified by adhesion methods. In that case, the adhesive is classified into reactive adhesive and non-reactive adhesive depending on whether the adhesive reacts and cures. Alternatively, classification according to whether the raw material is a natural product or a synthetic product, or classification according to the initial physical phase (for example, liquid or solid) is also possible.

  The adhesive patch preferably comprises a hot melt adhesive such as a polyester adhesive. An adhesive patch comprising a hot melt adhesive is referred to as a first adhesive patch. Alternatively, or additionally, the adhesive patch comprises an emulsion-type adhesive such as polyvinyl acetate (PVA) and its derivatives, commonly referred to as cold melt. An adhesive patch comprising a cold melt adhesive is referred to as a second adhesive patch.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the adhesive patch is located in the seam area of the inner surface of the wrapping material, ie near the longitudinal edge of the wrapping material, and the longitudinal seam of the wrapping material is joined using an adhesive. The adhesive patch located in this seam area preferably comprises a first adhesive patch, ie comprises a hot melt adhesive.

  It is understood that a long lasting paste effect is desired, corresponding to the seams of the packaging material, to prevent the packaging material from being unintentionally peeled off from the plug after the manufacture of the finished tobacco product. In particular, it is not desirable for part of the packaging material to be lifted corresponding to the seam, causing a so-called "flag effect". Therefore, a long lasting adhesive like a cold melt adhesive is preferred.

  However, accelerated manufacturing processes may require the use of an adhesive that can quickly bond two objects. To that end, it may be advantageous to use a hot melt adhesive. Preferably, the first adhesive patch comprises a strip of hot melt adhesive located along the edge of the inner surface of the packaging material. Hot melt adhesives can be degraded by menthol. Therefore, it is preferred that the filter of the present invention comprises a protective element for the first adhesive patch. And, more preferably, the protective element comprises an additional adhesive patch located between the first adhesive patch and the menthol patch. Furthermore, it is even more preferable that this additional adhesive patch be located in the joint area. Preferably, the additional adhesive patch comprises a second adhesive patch, such as a cold melt adhesive.

Preferably, the menthol patch is located only in the inner rod surface and does not penetrate into the seam area of the wrapping material.
According to a preferred embodiment, on the inner rod surface, i.e. in the area of the inner surface of the wrapping other than the joint area, the plug is attached to the wrapping by the menthol patch only. Thus, the menthol patch is the only binder used to adhere the packaging material to the surface of the plug. In such embodiments, one or more adhesive patches located approximately at one edge of the inner surface of the wrapper form a seam that adheres the wrapper to its own surface without contacting the plug.

  According to another embodiment, one or more menthol patches and one or more second or more menthol patches are provided on the inner rod surface of the packaging material in the filter of the invention to secure the plug to the surface of the packaging material. A combination with adhesive patches is embodied.

  In the prior art, it is common to place some adhesive on the continuous web of wrapping material with the tow being laid uninterruptedly in the filter manufacturing process. Due to the relatively high radial stress between the tow and the wrapping, it is preferred that the adhesive used fasten the tow to the wrapping as quickly as possible. For that purpose, it is preferable to apply a hot melt adhesive. Since the adhesive properties of menthol have been found to be similar to hot melt adhesives, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, to achieve this goal, only one or more menthol patches or menthol patches and hot melt adhesive patches The combination secures the plug to the packaging material in areas other than the joint area.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the menthol patch comprises stripes (hereinafter referred to as menthol stripes) arranged along the longitudinal direction of the plug. More preferably, the menthol stripes extend over the entire longitudinal length of the filter. This is a particularly simple design that allows the menthol to be applied through the nozzle at high processing speeds.

  In embodiments where the filter comprises both one or more menthol patches and adhesive patches, the menthol patches and adhesive patches are preferably arranged generally parallel to one another along the wrapper. It is also preferred that both the menthol patch and the adhesive patch comprise a menthol stripe and an adhesive stripe, respectively. According to this latter preferred embodiment, the filters of the present invention can be easily manufactured without significant or complicated modifications of known devices for manufacturing filters at high speed.

  However, as an alternative embodiment, menthol patches may be arranged on the inner rod surface in a variety of alternative forms, such as oblique to the longitudinal direction of the plug. In addition, the menthol patch may have a predetermined selected pattern on the inner rod surface of the wrapper. For example, the menthol patch can be formed in an arbitrarily chosen pattern, such as intermittent stripes, wavy lines, dotted lines, and the like.

The various forms described above are possible if at least partial replacement of the standard adhesive known in the art, even if it is replaced by one or more menthol patches as defined in the present invention. And the adhesion of the plug does not change significantly.
According to the present invention, a filter for smoking articles as described above is provided.
The invention further relates to the manufacture of a filter for smoking articles comprising the steps of wrapping the wrapping material around the longitudinally extending surface of the plug of the filtering material and sticking the plug to the wrapping material with a menthol patch. Provide a way.

  Preferably, the method of the present invention further comprises the steps of melting crystals of menthol, and adhering the melted menthol to the surface of said packaging material to form said menthol patch. In general, menthol is in the form of solid crystals at normal temperature. Therefore, preferably, commercially available menthol, which is usually sold in the form of menthol crystals, is first melted to obtain liquid menthol.

  The liquid menthol is then attached to the inner surface of the wrapper so as to form a menthol patch having the desired specific shape. The patch of liquid menthol is then brought into contact with the filter material (e.g. acetate tow) before the liquid menthol hardens. Once the liquid menthol cools, the menthol bonds tightly between the filter material and the packaging material.

In another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing a scented filter. The filter comprises a packaging material, the device comprises a supply for advancing a continuous web of packaging material, a supply for advancing a tow material to form a filter plug, and a menthol patch on the surface of the packaging material And a discharge device configured to discharge menthol to form a menthol, and winding the advancing web around the tow so that the packing material is wound around the filter material before the menthol is closed. And a packaging device for applying the web to the tow by a patch. Preferably, the tow material is at least partially affixed to the wrapper by the menthol patch.
The apparatus preferably also includes a cutter for cutting the tow obtained in the packaged state into segments of a predetermined length.

  Applicants have realized that the filters of the present invention can be produced at high speed with nearly standard filter making equipment. More precisely, the scented filter manufacturing device of the present invention does not require complicated modifications to prior art devices. According to this, it is possible to make the known device quite simply and at low cost in order to produce the scented filter according to the invention.

  According to a preferred embodiment, in order to minimize the occupancy of the space, it is configured to dispense menthol to form a menthol patch and to dispense adhesive to form an adhesive patch. A single configured dispensing device is provided. More preferably, said single dispensing device comprises two separate nozzles, a nozzle which dispenses the adhesive to form an adhesive patch and a nozzle which dispenses a menthol to form a menthol patch on the web. Have.

  The dispensing device may be configured to dispense a continuous menthol patch to create continuous longitudinal stripes of menthol along the web or intermittently. This makes it possible to create distinct menthol patches on the web of packaging material. For example, in the case of a multi-component filter having a plurality of plugs, it may be preferable not to scent the spacing between the plurality of plugs.

  In an additional embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of dispensing devices are provided in the device of the present invention to create a plurality of separate menthol patches on the web. Alternatively, or in combination therewith, it may comprise a discharge device comprising a plurality of nozzles for forming a plurality of stripes of menthol parallel to one another. This additional menthol discharge device can be located downstream or upstream of the location of the adhesive discharge device. Here, "downstream" and "upstream" refer to the direction of advancement of the continuous web of packaging material.

  According to another embodiment of the present invention, the dispensing device configured to dispense menthol to form a menthol patch comprises a drum having a plurality of grooves. Preferably, the grooves are embodied in a predetermined pattern on the outer peripheral surface of the drum. In this embodiment, the drum is coupled to the device of the invention to rotate while in contact with the web of packaging material. The grooves are constantly filled with liquid menthol. The liquid menthol is then discharged onto the web by rotation of the drum. Preferably the motion of the web causes the drum to rotate. Therefore, the menthol adheres on the web according to the pattern of grooves on the surface of the drum, creating a design of menthol on the web, and thus a design of menthol on the inner rod surface of the finished filter. Thus, each groove may form one or more different menthol patches on the web of packaging material.

Also contemplated is a combination of the drum and the dispenser having a nozzle configured to create a continuous or intermittent menthol patch or a continuous or intermittent adhesive patch.
The invention also relates to a filter making machine for applying at least one patch of menthol melted to the packaging material to affix the filter element to the packaging material before the packaging material is wrapped around the filter element and closed. It relates to a method of using an applicator nozzle.

Such filter elements may be filter materials such as acetate tow or crimped paper, or may be non-cuttable objects such as flow restrictors.
Further advantageous aspects of the invention emerge from the embodiments of the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a smoking article embodied in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view of a filter wrapper for the smoking article of FIG. 1 embodied in accordance with the present invention. The front view of the cross section of the smoking article of FIG. FIG. 3 is a top view similar to the top view of FIG. 2 showing a packaging material according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multi-component filter according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic side view of the scented filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of a detail of the device of FIG. 6 according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is an enlarged view of a detail of the device of Figures 6 or 7; Fig. 9 is a top view of a packaging material embodied with the device according to the invention, including the detail shown in Fig. 8;

Turning first to FIG. 1, a smoking article generally embodied in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is indicated at 1.
The smoking article 1 comprises a filter cigarette comprising a cylindrical elongated tobacco rod 2 and an elongated cylindrical filter 4 attached to the rod 2 at one end and axially aligned. The tobacco rod and the filter extend longitudinally along a common X-axis. The wrapped tobacco rod 2 and the filter 4 are joined in a conventional manner by tipping paper (not visible in the attached drawing). The tipping paper wraps the entire length of the filter 4 and the adjacent length of the wrapped tobacco rod 2.

The filter 4 comprises a generally cylindrical plug of filter material such as acetate tau. The cylindrical plug of the filter material comprises one or more segments. Each segment may have a different material composition.
An example of the filter 4 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The filter 4 extends longitudinally substantially perpendicular to the single plug 5 of filter material having first and second generally circular end faces 11 and 12 and the first and second end faces 11 and 12. Surface 13 is provided.

  The plug 5 of filter material in the filter 4 is wrapped in a single layer of sheet material (plug wrapping material 20) in the form of a wrapping material. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the plug wrap 20 is wrapped around the longitudinally extending surface 13 of the plug 5 to leave the first and second end faces 11 and 12 of the plug 5 open. ing.

  Furthermore, the plug 5 comprises a filter insert 80 (here a capsule arranged approximately centrally as circled in the sectional view of FIG. 3) filled with a perfume such as menthol. Different arrangements and types of filter inserts are also possible.

  FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the filter of the present invention. The filter 400 includes a plurality of filter segments (white plug 5, flow restrictor 4b, carbon plug 4c, etc.) coaxially arranged along the longitudinal direction X.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a preferred embodiment of the packaging material 20 removed from the smoking article 1. This packaging material 20 can be used for either of the filters 4 and 400. It should be noted that all preferred embodiments of the packaging material 20 are applicable to any of the filters 4 and 400, unless stated otherwise. The wrapper 20 defines an inner surface 21 in contact with the plug 5 and an outer surface 22 in contact with the exterior of the smoking article (the outer surface 22 is only visible in FIG. 3 of the drawings).

  Furthermore, for certain portions of the inner and outer surfaces, the inner and outer surfaces overlap to form a longitudinal seam 30 for securing the wrapper 20 around the plug 5. The inner surface 21 is delimited by first and second longitudinal edges 25 and 26 substantially parallel to one another and comprises a joint area 23 and an inner rod area 24. The distance between the first and second longitudinal edges 25 and 26 defines the width of the wrapper 20, for example between about 24 mm and about 30 mm, preferably about 27 mm. The joint area 23 is a portion of the inner surface that includes the overlapping area between the joint 30 and the inner surface 21 and the outer surface 22 of the wrapping material. The inner rod surface 24 is an area of the inner surface in contact with the elongated surface 13 of the plug 5.

  According to the invention, the filters 4 and 400 have a menthol patch 50 on the inner surface 21 of the packaging material 20 which is used to affix the packaging material 20 to the plug 5. The menthol patch 50 is applied to the packaging material 20. The shape and thickness of menthol patch 50 is arbitrary and several examples are given in the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiment.

The plug 5 is attached to the wrapping material 20 with the menthol patch 50 before the wrapping material 50 is wound around the filter 4 and closed.
In FIG. 2, the packaging material 20 includes a plurality of menthol patches 50 each having a rectangular shape, and all the rectangles are aligned substantially along the longitudinal axis X of the inner surface 21. The resulting pattern is approximately equal to the pattern of intermittent stripes. The menthol patch is embodied on the inner rod surface 24.

  In another embodiment not shown, the menthol patch comprises a single continuous menthol stripe 50 extending substantially the entire length of the inner surface 21 of the wrapper 20 formed on the inner rod surface 24. Preferably, this single menthol stripe is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis X of the inner surface 21.

  Instead, in the embodiment of FIG. 4, two menthol patches (both indicated by reference numeral 50) each having the shape of a continuous menthol stripe extending substantially the entire length of the inner surface 21 of the wrapping material 20 The packaging material 20 is provided. The two menthol patches 50 are substantially parallel to one another and both are formed on the inner rod surface 24.

  In another additional preferred embodiment, not shown, the menthol patch comprises a plurality of generally parallel stripes extending substantially the entire length of the inner surface 21 of the wrapper 20. Preferably, the plurality of menthol stripes are also substantially parallel aligned along the longitudinal axis X of the inner surface 21.

  Preferably, in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the width of the menthol stripes is between about 0.5 mm and about 8 mm. Furthermore, it is preferred that the spacing D of two separate menthol stripes be at least 1 mm.

  Alternatively, the inner rod surface 24 of the wrapper 20 may include a single "wide" menthol patch in the form of a wide menthol stripe. The width of this menthol stripe is preferably at least 5 mm.

  In another preferred embodiment, the wrapper 20 includes on its inner rod surface 24 a plurality of menthol patches having a more complex design. In FIG. 9, each menthol patch is in the form of a torn-off strip, all of which are arranged perpendicular to and substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the wrapping material. The length of the various menthol stripes may vary. According to another embodiment not shown, the wrapping comprises two menthol patches, each patch extending the entire length of the inner rod surface 24 of the wrapping 20 and each being in the form of a generally sinusoidal wave There is.

  In another example, the wrapper 20 comprises a plurality of menthol patches 50 each in the form of a menthol stripe, which menthol patches are on the inner surface 21 of the wrapper 20 in the longitudinal direction of the inner rod surface 24 of the wrapper 20. It is arranged diagonally to. Furthermore, these diagonal menthol patches 50 are substantially parallel to one another.

  In an additional embodiment which is not described in the attached drawings, the inner surface 21 of the wrapping material comprises a plurality of menthol patches 50, which have a shape in which one rectangle and two dots are arranged in a specific pattern Define a "unit", which is regularly repeated multiple times along the X-axis. This "patch unit" is preferably repeated several times over the entire length of the packaging material 20, and can take many other different patterns.

  In the packaging material 20 of the filter 400 described in FIG. 5, a plurality of rectangular menthol patches 50 are provided at positions corresponding to some (but not all) of the filter segments. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, two menthol patches are provided corresponding to the positions of the plug 5 and the carbon plug 4c in the longitudinal direction, but the menthol patch is provided at the longitudinal position corresponding to the flow restrictor 4b. Absent.

Additionally, the filters 4 and 400 may include adhesive patches on the inner surface 21 of the wrapper 20. The shape and thickness of the adhesive patch is also optional.
Preferably, the filters 4 and 400 include a first adhesive patch 51 comprising a hot melt adhesive formed correspondingly to the seam area 23 of the inner surface 21 of the wrapping material 20. According to a preferred embodiment, the first adhesive patch 51 is arranged along the longitudinal edge of the inner surface of the packaging material, such that the longitudinal seams 30 of the packaging material are joined with the hot melt adhesive . Preferably, the first adhesive patch 51 is in the form of an adhesive stripe, and more preferably extends the entire length of the longitudinal edge 26 of the wrapper 20.

  The first adhesive stripes 51 arranged along the longitudinal edge 26 in the seam area 23 of the wrapping material 20 are shown, for example, in FIGS. As apparent from FIG. 3, the first adhesive stripe 51 forms a joint 30.

  In addition, preferably, the filters 4 and 400 include a second adhesive patch 52 formed of a cold melt adhesive. Preferably, the second adhesive patch 52 is formed between one of the longitudinal edges 25 and 26 of the inner surface 21 of the wrapping material 20 and the menthol patch 50. More preferably, the second adhesive patch 52 is formed in the joint area 23 between the first adhesive patch 51 and the menthol patch 50, as shown in FIGS. The second adhesive patch 52 in these preferred embodiments is formed along the entire length of the wrapper 20 in the form of adhesive stripes. Preferably, the first and second adhesive patches 51 and 52 do not intersect.

In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 4, two second adhesive patches are formed on the inner surface 21 of the wrapper, which are both between one of the longitudinal edges of the wrapper and the menthol patch 50. One of the two adhesive patches is in the joint area 23 and the other is in the inner rod surface 24.
The width of the first and second adhesive patches 51 and 52 is preferably between about 0.8 mm and about 1.8 mm. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the distance between the two second adhesive stripes is about 12 mm.

  In any of the preferred embodiments described above, the wrapping material 20 is wound around the longitudinally extending surface 13 of the plug 5, and the wrapping material 20 further forms a seam 30 where the inner surface 21 and the outer surface 22 overlap. It is fixed to itself by one adhesive patch 51. If a second adhesive patch 52 is present, it may be used to secure the wrapper to itself. The plug 5 is affixed to the inner rod surface 24 of the wrapper 20 by the menthol patch 50 and also the second adhesive patch 52, if any.

  In the case of multi-component filter 400, some of the filter segments, or filter inserts 80, can be affixed to the inner rod surface 24 of the wrapper by a menthol patch 50 as shown in FIG. According to the invention, the filters 4 and 400 are manufactured using the scented filter manufacturing device generally indicated at 100 in FIGS. 6 and 7 and schematically depicted.

  FIG. 6 shows a portion of the device 100. The reference numeral 20a designates a long continuous web (e.g. a roll) of packaging material which is divided into a series of packaging materials 20. In the side view, the web is drawn as a continuous line advancing in the direction indicated by the arrow 99, and the web is moved in such a direction by the continuous belt 71 or other means of the art. The apparatus 100 comprises a source (not shown) of continuous strands of strands of filter or tow material that is cut to form the filter plug 5. The continuous strand is shown at 5a and is also pulled in the direction indicated by the arrow 98.

Although not shown in the attached drawings, it is possible to use an apparatus for introducing an object into a continuous flow of filter material, for example as described in International Publication No. WO-A-2012 / 076496, to an object in tow material Is inserted arbitrarily.
Then contact the continuous web with the strands of tow. Specifically, the tow strand 5a is laid on the surface of the web 20a.

  Furthermore, the apparatus 100 discharges the menthol to form a menthol patch 50 on the surface of the continuous web 20a of packaging material, upstream of the contact points of the tow strands with the web or strand movement. And a discharge device 72 configured as described above.

  Dispensing device 72 includes one nozzle 74 with applicator 73. The nozzle 74 includes an orifice (not shown) that discharges the menthol and an inlet (also not shown) that receives the menthol from the conduit 76 that delivers the menthol from the reservoir.

  Since the commercially available menthol is generally in the form of menthol crystals, the apparatus 100 preferably includes a heater (not shown) to heat and melt the menthol crystals contained in the reservoir into liquid menthol. The melted menthol is conveyed to the discharge device 72 through the conduit 76.

  The device 100 can include, in addition to the dispensing device 72, an additional dispensing device that dispenses adhesive to form either or both of the first or second adhesive patches 51 or 52, as shown. In 6, all of them are denoted by a reference numeral 82 and drawn by dotted lines. The additional dispensers 82 may be located either upstream or downstream of the menthol dispensers 72.

  Also, in the configuration of FIG. 7 according to another embodiment of the present invention, the dispensing device 72 includes two or more nozzles 74 and 75 that dispense menthol as described above. There may further be provided a nozzle for discharging the first adhesive, the second adhesive, or both the first and second adhesives. The dispenser 72 may include more than two nozzles. However, the nozzles are arranged such that different additive materials (eg, liquid menthol, hot melt adhesive, cold melt adhesive) do not mix.

  In another embodiment, the dispensing device 72 includes a rotating drum 78 having a plurality of grooves. The groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the drum, and the menthol is placed there. The drum 78 depicted in FIG. 8 replaces the discharge nozzle 74 and is mounted to the apparatus 100 for rotating on the surface of the continuous web 20a and discharging menthol on the surface of the web during its rotation. .

  Alternatively, both drum 78 and dispenser 72 for dispensing menthol may be provided to form various patterns of menthol. Additionally, there may be other dispensing devices, such as dispensing device 82 that dispenses either or both of the first and second adhesives. Thus, in this embodiment, menthol patches 50 are formed on the surface of the continuous web 20a according to the pattern of grooves 77.

  For example, referring to the packaging material 20 of the embodiment of FIG. 9, the drawing pattern of the menthol patch 50 on its inner surface 21 can be realized using the drum 78 of FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of stripe-shaped grooves 77 disposed perpendicularly to the rotational direction of the drum 78 are formed. Alternatively, an embodiment (not shown) in which there are two sinusoidal Mensol patches 50 in the packaging material 20 can be implemented using a drum 78 in which the corresponding two sinusoidal grooves 77 are formed on the drum surface . Alternatively, by forming the oblique grooves 77 on the surface of the drum 78, the oblique patch 50 is formed on the surface of the packaging material 20. For example, a pattern of "units" of menthol patches composed of various arrangements of dots and rectangles can be obtained by providing the drum 78 with dot-like and rectangular-like grooves 77 of the corresponding pattern.

  More preferably, the apparatus 100 further discharges the hot melt adhesive to form a first adhesive patch on the surface of the web 20a at a position downstream of the junction of the web and the tow strands. Is equipped.

  Also included downstream of the hot melt adhesive dispensing apparatus 79 is a packaging unit 83 that wraps the web around the tow in such a way that the hot melt adhesive forms a seam 30. Preferably, means are provided to reduce the temperature of the hot melt after it has been applied to the packaging material in order to accelerate the curing of the hot melt.

  Preferably, a cutter (not shown) then divides the wound continuous tow of packaging material into one, two or more of the filter rods 4 or 400.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... smoking article, 2 ... rod, 4 ... filter, 4b ... flow restriction, 4c ... carbon plug, 5 ... filter plug, 5a ... strand, 11 ... end face, 13 ... surface packaging material, 20 ... plug packaging material, 20a ... web, 21 ... inner surface, 22 ... outer surface, 23 ... eye area, 24 ... inner rod surface (inner rod area), 25, 26 ... edge, 30 ... eye, 50 ... patch, 50 ... menthol patch (menthol stripe (menthol stripe) 51: adhesive patch (adhesive stripe) 52: adhesive patch 71: belt 72: menthol discharge device 73: applicator 54: discharge nozzle 76: conduit 77: groove 78: rotating drum 79, 82 ... discharge device, 80 ... filter insert, ... discharge device, 83 ... packaging unit, 400 ... filter, 400 ... multi-component filter.

Claims (5)

A method of manufacturing a filter for smoking articles, comprising:
Providing a packaging material;
Applying a menthol patch to the first surface of the wrapper, wherein the menthol patch comprises at least 99% 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol.
The wrapping material is wound around the longitudinally extending outer surface of the plug of filter material such that the first surface of the wrapping material faces the longitudinally extending outer surface of the plug The process to
Affixing the plug to the packaging material by the menthol patch;
A method characterized by comprising. The process of applying the menthol patch comprises
Melting the crystals of menthol to obtain liquid menthol;
Adhering the liquid menthol to the first surface of the packaging material;
The method of claim 1, comprising: An apparatus for producing a scented filter, said apparatus comprising
A feeder for advancing a continuous web of packaging material;
A feed section for advancing tow material for the filter plug;
A dispensing device configured to dispense menthol to form a menthol patch comprising at least 99% 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol on the continuous web of packaging material;
A packaging wherein the advancing web is wrapped around the tow so that the web of packaging material is at least partially affixed to the web of packaging material by the menthol patch before the web is wrapped around the tow material and closed. A device,
An apparatus comprising:   The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising another dispensing device configured to dispense adhesive to form an adhesive patch on the continuous web of packaging material.   Apply a menthol patch comprising at least 99% of 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol to the packaging material to affix at least one filter element to the packaging material before the packaging material is wrapped around the filter element and closed. Of using an applicator nozzle in a filter making machine to do this.

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