ADDITIONAL FILTER DEVICE FOR CIGARETTES WITH FIBER FILTER

Abstract

Additional filter device for cigarettes with fiber filter to reduce the passage of tar into the smoker’s mouth, thus reducing toxicity due to the combustion of the paper/tobacco mixture of the cigarette. Includes a laminar cylindrical body coaxially located between two sections of the cigarette fiber filter. The longitudinal middle area of the cylindrical body houses a transverse laminar disc having three holes, through which the smoke generated by the tobacco combustion and wrapping paper passes. The holes of the disc are equidistant from each other and are placed in a triangular configuration. The proximal and distal ends of the cylindrical body have annular flaps, which separate the disc from the fiber filter sections, and formed between these flaps and the disc, respective first and second air chambers where a high percentage of toxic substances contained in the smoke generated during the combustion of tobacco and wrapping paper is retained.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to an additional filter device for cigarettes with fiber filter, intended to reduce the passage of tar and other harmful substances into the mouth of the smoker, thus reducing the toxicity of the smoke generated by the combustion of the paper/tobacco mixture of the cigarette.

STATE OF THE ART

As a prior art in the subject matter, it is worth mentioning, for example, that cigarettes have been known and marketed in which the wrapping paper in the area of the fiber filter had perimeter holes intended to dilute those toxins reaching the smoker’s mouth by letting outside air to enter the cigarette and mixing this pure air with the smoke generated by the combustion of paper and tobacco. However, the original flavor of the cigarette was altered as the outside air modified the composition of the smoke passing through the filter. In addition, and in particular, there has been no reliable evidence of a significant reduction in the amount of toxic substances entering the smoker’s mouth compared with the amount of such substances in cigarettes without the abovementioned perimeter holes in the fibre filter area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide an additional cigarette filter device for fiber filter cigarettes, intended to considerably reduce the passage of tar into the mouth of the smoker and thus reduce the toxicity due to the combustion of the paper/tobacco mixture of the cigarette, the device being defined by a laminar cylindrical body coaxially located between two sections of the cigarette fiber filter. The longitudinal middle area of this cylindrical body houses a transverse laminar disc having three holes, through which the smoke generated by the combustion of tobacco and wrapping paper passes. The holes of the disc are equidistant from each other and are placed in a triangular configuration. The proximal and distal ends of the cylindrical body are provided with annular flaps, which separate said disc from the fiber filter sections, and being formed between these flaps and the disc, respective first and second air chambers where a high percentage of toxic substances contained in the smoke generated during the combustion of tobacco and wrapping paper is retained.

Advantages of the Invention

Among the advantages of the present invention it should be noted that, by virtue of the structural and functional particularities of this device, the harmful substances that are transported in the smoke reach the mouth of the smoker in considerably smaller quantities than in conventional fiber filter cigarettes; the cigarette does not take air from the outside, so the temperature of the smoke is kept constant, thus guaranteeing the traditional taste of tobacco; and as the device is inside the fiber filter, its presence goes unnoticed by both the consumer and third parties.

According to the measurements performed, it is estimated that the level of toxins retained by the incorporation of the device is about 40%. The tests consisted of observing the part of the fiber filter that contacts the smoker’s mouth. Comparatively, in the case of a cigarette without the device, after the tobacco is fully consumed, the color of the fiber filter went from white to a brown tonality, while in a cigarette provided with the device of the present invention, the color of the fiber filter hardly darkened only in those sections aligned with the holes in the disc through which smoke went through. This is so because, when the smoke passes through the holes of the disc its speed accelerates considerably, leaving much of the toxic chemical agents on the interior walls of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For greater clarity and understanding of the present invention, it has been illustrated in several figures which allow to appreciate its structural particularities, where:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view and partially in transparency, schematically showing the target device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an indistinctly frontal or rear view of the device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cut view of the device illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a partial and longitudinal cut view of a cigarette with fiber filter and the device of the present invention incorporated therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In FIGS. 1 to 3 it can be seen that the device object of the present invention consists of a cylindrical laminar body 1, preferably of semi-rigid material, having in the interior of its longitudinally middle zone 2 a transverse laminar disc 3 which has a group of three holes 4 for the passage of smoke inhaled during the combustion of paper and cigarette tobacco. The opposite ends 5 of this cylindrical body 1 are finished in respective annular flaps 6 which, as will be seen in FIG. 4, separate the device from an anterior and a posterior section of the fiber filter and, mainly, from the disc 3 and these flaps 6 a first air chamber 7 and a second air chamber 8 are formed. Holes 4 are equidistant from each other and the location of each of them defines a triangular geometric configuration, where the geometric center of the imaginary triangle coincides with the longitudinal geometric axis of body 1.

FIG. 4 allows to clearly observe the way in which the device of the present invention is incorporated into a cigarette with fiber filter. Indeed, inside a cigarette 9, generically illustrated, a part of tobacco 10, a first section of fibre filter 11 and a second section of fibre filter 12 are shown, being device 1 incorporated between those sections 11 and 12 of the fibre filter.

When the smoker inhales during smoking, the first chamber 7 receives the smoke that passes through the first section of fiber filter 11, and the second chamber 8 receives the partially filtered smoke that passes through holes 4 of disc 3. When the smoke passes through holes 4 its speed accelerates considerably, leaving a high percentage of toxic chemical agents on the interior walls of the device, which was verified in the performed laboratory tests. That is, by combining air chambers first 7 and second 8, and holes 4 of disc 3, it is possible to significantly reduce the amount of toxic substances that reach the smoker’s mouth.

With regard to the dimensions of the device, after several tests it was determined that the proposed results are efficiently achieved by disc 3 with a thickness of 2 mm, holes 4 with a diameter of 0.4 mm, air chambers 7 and 8 of 2.5 mm length each, and the ring flaps 6 of 1.5 mm wide. In addition, the perimeter wall of cylindrical body 1 preferably has a thickness of 1 mm.

Having thus specially described and determined the nature of the present invention and the manner in which it will be put into practice, we hereby claim the exclusive right and ownership of:

Claims

1. An additional filter device for cigarettes with fiber filter, comprising: a cylindrical laminar body (1) in which an inner mid-section (2) there is a transverse disc (3) with holes (4) for the passage of a smoke inhaled during combustion of a cigarette paper and tobacco, being opposite ends of the cylindrical body (1) finished by respective annular flaps (6), and having between the annular flaps (6) and a disc (3) respective first and second air chambers (7;8).

2. The filter device according to claim 1, wherein disk (3) has three equidistant holes (4) forming a triangular geometric configuration, wherein a geometric center of the imaginary triangle coincides with a longitudinal geometric axis of the body (1).

3. The filter device according to claim 1, wherein these holes (4) are 0.4 mm in diameter.

4. The filter device according to claim 1, wherein said first and second air chambers (7;8) have a length of 2.5 mm each.

5. The filter device according to claim 1, wherein said annular flaps (6) have a width of 1.5 mm.

6. The filter Device according to claim 1, wherein the perimeter wall of the cylindrical body (1) has a thickness of 1 mm.

7. The filter device according to claim 1, wherein said disc (3) has a thickness of 2 mm.