FILTER MOUTHPIECE FOR SMOKING ARTICLES

Abstract: A filter mouthpiece 12 for a smoking article comprises a rod end portion 14 having a tube 24 extending axially therethrough and a mouth end portion 16. The tube is open at each end and has perforations 26 in its wall. The peripheral surface of the filter mouthpiece is rendered air permeable in at least one discrete area by means of perforations 28 in an impermeable tipping 22, to admit air to the filter. When attached to a tobacco rod 10 this filter mouthpiece provides a substantially constant dry particulate matter delivery throughout the smoking of the article.

Description: The present invention relates to an improved filter mouthpiece for a smoking article, such as a cigarette, in particular a filter mouthpiece having a hollow tube extending axially therethrough from one end towards, but not as far as, the other end, and to a cigarette provided with such a mouthpiece. In a conventional cigarette, the resistance to draw and air ventilation, if any, of the combined tobacco rod and filter mouthpiece stay substantially the same throughout the smoking of the cigarette. This has the effect of increasing the dry particulate matter (DPM) delivery with successive puffs. Particularly, although not solely, in the case of low delivery cigarettes, so-called "low-tar cigarettes", this may be undesirable, since the first puff may be rather weak in taste and "impact" and, anyway, the taste and "impact" of the cigarette to the smoker will change as the cigarette is smoked. It is known to vary the resistance to draw (RTD) of a cigarette by providing a filter mouthpiece having a hollow tube extending from the tobacco end thereof toward, but ending short of, the mouth end. When a cigarette provided with such a mouthpiece is smoked, smoke passes along the tube toward the mouth end and impinges on the filter material at the mouth end of the tube. Components of the smoke condense on the filter material adjacent the open mouth end of the tube, blocking the tube and causing at least some of the smoke to pass through the surrounding filter material, so increasing the resistance to draw of the cigarette. This has the effect of evening out to some extent the DPM delivery as smoking progresses. GB 2 166 937 discloses a filter mouthpiece having an axial passage, having smoke transmissive wall, extending therethrough, from end to end and closed at the mouth end by a closure member. The patentees claim that the wall of the passage becomes progressively blocked during smoking, giving an increase in filtration. GB 1 428 018 discloses a filter mouthpiece having a hollow tube extending from the rod end and ending short of the mouthend end of the filter. The mouthend of the tube is closed, with the exception of a small hole or holes, which become blocked at some point during smoking, resulting in a single increase in filtration efficiency. It is also known from FR 1 446 636 to provide a tube having small slits along its length. This increases the resistance to draw of the filter mouthpiece more gradually and results in more even DPM delivery than if a completely impervious tube is used. However, this arrangement still provides a cigarette in which the DPM delivery increases as the cigarette is smoked. It is now surprisingly found that if a ventilated filter mouthpiece (that is one in which ambient air is admitted to the filter by means of, for example, perforate tipping) is provided with a perforate tube open at both ends and having perforations along its length, extending from the tobacco rod end of the filter toward but not so far as the mouth end of the filter, a cigarette may be made which, when smoked, displays a substantially constant DPM (dry particulate matter) delivery. If desired, the mouthpiece can be configured to provide an initially high DPM delivery, which rapidly drops to a lower level and maintains that lower level substantially throughout the smoking of the cigarette. In one embodiment, ambient air is admitted to the filter in two separate places on the mouthpiece surface, one adjacent the tobacco rod end of the filter and one toward the mouth end, preferably adjacent the mouth end of the hollow tube. A preferred arrangement is to provide a rod end filter portion abutting a mouth end filter portion, the first portion having a hollow tube extending therethrough, the walls of which are perforate. The two filter portions are overwrapped and are attached to a wrapped tobacco rod by a tipping, the tipping being air permeable in one or more discrete areas as described above. It is particularly preferred that the lengths of the rod end and the mouth end filter portions be in the ratio of approximately 3:1. Preferred lengths are in the range of from 17 mm to 21 mm, particularly preferably 19 mm, for the rod end portion, and from 4 mm to 8 mm, particularly preferably 6 mm, for the mouth end portion. The filter portions may be of cellulose acetate, crepe paper or other suitable materials, and the tube may be of cellulose acetate, poly propylene or other suitable material. Alternatively, the tube may be formed by a bore through the first filter portion, the walls of which are partially sealed, for example by heating, or completely sealed and subsequently perforated. It is preferred that the hollow tube has about 6 or 7 pairs of holes along its length. The pairs of holes may be opposed or staggered. Alternatively, the tube may be permeable throughout its length. Smoking articles, such as cigarettes having filter mouthpieces according to the invention, are also provided. The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a cross-section through a cigarette provided with a filter mouthpiece according to a first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 shows a cross-section through a cigarette provided with a filter mouthpiece according to a second embodiment of the invention; Fig. 3 shows a plot of DPM delivery against puff number for a standard cigarette (unbroken line) and two cigarettes having filter mouthpieces according to the first embodiment of the invention (broken and chain lines respectively); Fig. 4 shows a plot of RTD against puff number for the cigarettes of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 shows a plot of air dilution against puff number for the cigarettes of Figs. 3 and 4. The cigarette of Fig. 1 comprises a wrapped tobacco rod 10 and a filter mouthpiece 12 according to the first embodiment of the invention. The filter mouthpiece 12 comprises a rod end filter portion 14 abutting and in co-axial alignment with the tobacco rod 10 and a mouth end filter portion 16 abutting and in co-axial alignment with the rod end portion 14. Both filter portions are wrapped with substantially air permeable wrapping 18. The filter portions 14, 16 are joined together by an air permeable overwrap 20 and to the tobacco rod 10 by a substantially air impermeable tipping 22. The rod end filter portion 14 has a tube 24 running down its centre, the walls of which are perforated with holes 26, and the ends of which are open. Preferably, six or seven diametrically opposed pairs of holes are provided down the length of the tube 24. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, the tipping has perforations 28 through it in the region of the mouth end of the rod end filter portion 14. The cigarette of Fig. 2 comprises a cigarette rod 10 and a filter mouthpiece 30 according to the second embodiment of the invention. This filter mouthpiece 30 is generally similar to that of Fig. 1, and like components have been indicated by like reference numerals. However, this filter has a second set of perforations 32 through the tipping 22 adjacent the rod end of the rod end filter portion 14. The following dimensions are preferred: Mouth end portion length : 4 - 8 mm, preferably 6 mm Rod end portion length : 17-21 mm, preferably 19 mm Filter diameter : 7 - 9 mm, preferably 7.85 mm Mouth end portion RTD : 15 - 30 mm, preferably 19 mm, water gauge Rod end portion RTD : 100 - 150 mm, preferably 123 mm, water gauge (when the tube is blocked by condensate) Tube internal diameter : 0.8 - 2 mm, preferably 1.1 mm Tube external diameter : 1 - 2.2 mm, preferably 1.3 mm Diameter of holes in tube : 0.2 - 0.4 mm, preferably 0.25 mm Portion of first (or only) zone of perforations : start : 9 mm from mouth end of filter end : 15 mm from mouth end of filter Portion of second zone of perforations : start : 18 mm from mouth end of filter end : 22 mm from mouth end of filter. When a cigarette provided with a filter mouthpiece according to the invention is smoked, smoke initially flows rapidly down the hollow tube 24 and impinges upon the second mouth end, filter portion 16 adjacent the opening of the tube. Some of the smoke condenses thereon, and eventually this condensate blocks the end of the tube. Smoke then flows out of the tube through the holes 26 therein nearest the mouth end, thus increasing the RTD of the filter. As the exits from those holes become blocked by condensate in the filter, the smoke leaves the tube through the next pair of holes and so on, the RTD of the filter increasing as more and more holes become blocked. The effect of this is to give a gradually increasing overall RTD, together with a gradually increasing degree of ambient air ventilation. This has the effect of giving a substantially constant DPM delivery, and thus a substantially constant taste to the smoker. This can be seen from Figs. 3, 4, and 5. In these drawings, the performance of a cigarette having a normal filter mouthpiece (unbroken line) is compared with cigarettes having filter mouthpieces according to the invention (broken and chain lines). The RTD and ventilation levels of these two mouthpieces were made different by a different choice of filter material and different porosity wrapping and overwrap, to give cigarettes having different total DPM deliveries. Fig. 3 shows the DPM delivery against the puff number. It is the DPM delivery per puff which determines the taste to the smoker. The normal filter cigarette shows an increase in DPM delivery as smoking progresses, due to the decreased filtering effect and almost constant RTD and ventilation levels, as seen from Figs. 4 and 5. The cigarettes having mouthpieces according to the invention shows a DPM delivery close to the ideal constant level (a horizontal line on the graph of Fig. 3). As is seen from Figs. 4 and 5, the dilution and the RTD increase with the puff number. The total DPM delivery can be controlled by altering the intial RTD and ventilation levels, by appropriate choice of filter materials and wrapping porosity. Total deliveries as low as 2 mg may be achieved, for example by inclusion of a second zone of perforations in the tipping, as shown in Fig. 2. In this case, the arrangement of the filter mouthpiece can be chosen to provide an initially high DPM delivery, to enhance the taste of the first one or two puffs, dropping off to a constant DPM delivery level. It has also been found that the CO : TPM (total particulate matter) ratio may be reduced from the normal level of about 1 to as low as 0.6 - 0.7 by filter mouthpieces according to the invention.

Claims: A filter mouthpiece (12), (30) for a smoking article comprising a filter rendered generally air impermeable over its peripheral surface and a passage extending axially through the filter from the tobacco rod end thereof, the peripheral surface of the filter mouthpiece being air transmissive over at least one discrete area (28), (32) to admit air into the filter characterised in that the passage ends short of the mouth end of the filter and is lined with a tube (24) open at both ends and having a substantially air impermeable wall, the tube wall having holes (26) through it along its length for the passage of smoke. A filter mouthpiece (12) according to claim 1 in which the filter comprises a tobacco rod end filter portion (14) and a mouth end filter portion (16) in co-axial alignment with the rod end portion, the tube (24) extending axially through the rod end portion. A filter mouthpiece (12) according to claim 2 in which the peripheral surface of the filter is air transmissive only in the mouth end region (28) of the tobacco rod end filter portion (14). A filter mouthpiece (12) according to claim 2 in which the peripheral surface of the filter is air permeable only in the tobacco rod end (32) and the mouth end (28) regions of the tobacco rod end filter portion (14). A filter mouthpiece (12) according to any preceding claim in which the holes (26) in the wall of the tube (24) are arranged in opposed pairs. A filter mouthpiece according to claim 5, in which there are 6 or 7 pairs of holes (26) in the wall of the tube (24). A smoking article comprising a filter mouthpiece (12) according to any preceding claim.

Inventors: ABDELGAWAD, AHMED, BRAEM, DANIEL, NYFFELER, URS
Applicants: FABRIQUES DE TABAC REUNIES S.A.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: A24D3
IPC codes: A24D3