Smoking Accessory

Abstract

A device for adding a flavored agent to a cigarette filter may include a housing, a container within a housing, and an absorbent material for observing the flavored agent. The housing may include a flexible strap for detachably connecting to a package for cigarettes, and the housing may include a plurality of containers for a plurality of flavors. The flavored agent may be a flavored syrup, and the flavored syrup may include at least one from the group of: orange, grape, lemon, lime, white chocolate, dark chocolate, cinnamon, raspberry, watermelon, mint, apple, apricot, blueberry, caramel, coconut, cranberry, kiwi, vanilla, peach, chocolate, mocha, hazelnut, almond, amaretto, maple. Irish crème, cream, avocado, papaya, pumpkin, walnut, peanut, mango, passion fruit, pineapple, rum, pistachio, strawberry, banana.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to smoking articles such as cigarettes, and in particular, to cigarettes that include filter segments and treating the filter segments with a flavored agent including a flavored syrup.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Smoking articles, particularly cigarettes, generally comprise a tobacco rod of shredded tobacco (usually, in cut filler form) surrounded by a paper wrapper, and a cylindrical filter aligned in an end-to-end relationship with the tobacco rod. Typically, the filter includes a plug of cellulose acetate tow attached to the tobacco rod by tipping paper. Ventilation of mainstream smoke is achieved with a row or rows of perforations about a location along the filter. Such ventilation provides dilution of drawn mainstream smoke with ambient air to reduce the delivery of tar.

Particulate efficiency of a filter is typically resolved as the level of tar into a filter minus tar level out of the filter divided by the tar level into the filter. Ventilation tends to lower particulate efficiency of a filter.

Upon lighting a cigarette, a smoker draws mainstream smoke from the coal at the lit end of the cigarette. The drawn cigarette smoke first enters the upstream end portion of the filter and then passes through the downstream portion adjacent the buccal (mouth) end of the cigarette.

Certain cigarettes have filter segments which incorporate adsorbent materials such as activated carbon, and examples of such are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,881,770 to Tovey; U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,543 to Sproull et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,101,723 to Seligman et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,958 to Ranier et al. Certain commercially available filters have particles or granules of carbon (e.g., an activated carbon material) alone or dispersed within a cellulose acetate tow; other commercially available filters have carbon threads dispersed therein; while still other commercially available filters have so-called “plug-space-plug”, “cavity filter” or “triple filter” designs. Examples of commercially available filters are SCS IV Dual Solid Charcoal Filter and Triple Solid Charcoal Filter from Filtrona International, Ltd.; Triple Cavity Filter from Baumgartner; and ACT from Filtrona International, Ltd. See also, Clarke et al., World Tobacco, p. 55 (November 1992). Detailed discussion of the properties and composition of cigarettes and filters is found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,404,890 and 5,568,819 to Gentry et al, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Typical of prior practices with “plug-space-plug” styled cigarettes has been heretofore to locate ventilation at a location along the bed of adsorbent contained in the space, so as to achieve sufficient spacing of the ventilation holes from the buccal end of the filter. In so doing, the lips of the smoker would not occlude the ventilation holes. Such placement, however, tended to lower the filtration effectiveness of the adsorbent, because it tended to increase the velocity of the mainstream smoke in at least a portion of the absorbent bed.

Various annular configurations of filters having carbon-bearing annular filter regions are disclosed in the prior art. For example, European Patent Application No. 579,410 shows a number of cigarette embodiments having an annular carbon-bearing region surrounding either porous filtration material or an empty tubular cavity formed by a vapor phase porous membrane. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,545 to Crellin et al. shows various configurations of annular carbon-bearing regions surrounding a vapor phase porous membrane or a rod of carbon-bearing material surrounded by a vapor phase porous membrane.

Cigarette filter elements which incorporate carbon have the ability to remove constituents of mainstream smoke which passes therethrough. In particular, activated carbon has the propensity to reduce the levels of certain gas phase components present in the mainstream smoke, resulting in a change in the organoleptic properties of that smoke.

Despite these advantages of carbon bearing filters, they are not so widely employed. It has been found that mainstream smoke from carbon filters tend to have a flavor note that is contrary to consumer preferences, and that therefore their employment in commercially offered cigarettes has not been heretofore widespread.

SUMMARY

A device for adding a flavored agent to a cigarette filter may include a housing, a container within a housing, and an absorbent material for observing the flavored agent.

The housing may include a flexible strap for detachably connecting to a package for cigarettes, and the housing may include a plurality of containers for a plurality of flavors.

The flavored agent may be a flavored syrup, and the flavored syrup may include at least one from the group of: orange, grape, lemon, lime, white chocolate, dark chocolate, cinnamon, raspberry, watermelon, mint, apple, apricot, blueberry, caramel, coconut, cranberry, kiwi, vanilla, peach, chocolate, mocha, hazelnut, almond, amaretto, maple. Irish crème, cream, avocado, papaya, pumpkin, walnut, peanut, mango, passion fruit, pineapple, rum, pistachio, strawberry, banana.

A method for adding flavor to a cigarette filter may include the steps of selecting a flavor from a container within a housing, dipping the cigarette filter in an absorbent material having the selected flavored agent and absorbing the selected flavor agent into the cigarette filter.

The method may include the step of detachably connecting the housing to a package of cigarettes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which, like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a cigarette;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the housing and container with absorbent material;

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the housing and container with absorbent material;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the housing with a flexible attachment device;

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of a cigarette pack;

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of the cigarette pack and housing;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides a cigarette having a cigarette filter incorporating a flavored agent and may include flavored syrup adapted to mask gas phase components present in mainstream cigarette smoke, while providing favorable absorption/adsorption, dilution and drawing characteristics, and adding flavor to the filtered smoke so as to enhance consumer acceptability.

Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide such a filter having the flavored agent including the flavored syrup with desirable residence time in the adsorbent/absorbent-containing region while simultaneously achieving a pressure drop downstream of the dilution region and the adsorbent/absorbent so as to provide acceptable drawing characteristics of puffs of smoke having reduced gas phase components but with acceptable taste and resistance-to-draw.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cigarette 100 which may include a cigarette filter member 131 to filter the cigarette smoke and a cigarette tobacco member to be burned and generate cigarette smoke.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the housing 101 of the flavored agent dispensing device 200 which may include a single container 103 or a multiple containers 103, and the container 103 may include an absorbent material member 105 which may absorb and retain the flavored agent member 107 which may include the flavored syrup. The housing 101 may be a rectangular container having a lid which may be opened and closed. The container 103 may be a bowl device The absorbent material member 105 may be formed from sponge, paper or other material which may hold the flavored agent member 107. In operation, the cigarette filter member 131 of the cigarette 100 may be positioned over the housing 101 and may be positioned over the container 103 which may include the absorbent material 105. The absorbent material 105 may be prepared with the flavored agent member 107 which may include the flavored syrup. The cigarette filter member 131 contacts the absorbent member 105 and the flavored agent member 107 which may include the flavored syrup is transferred from the absorbent member 105 to the cigarette filter member 131. The cigarette filter member 131 is withdrawn from the absorbent member 105 and the cigarette 100 is now ready to be used by the user. The flavored edge member 101 from the cigarette filter member 131 provides a pleasing taste to the user. The flavored syrups may include orange, grape, lemon, lime, white chocolate, dark chocolate, cinnamon, raspberry, watermelon, mint, apple, apricot, blueberry, caramel, coconut, cranberry, kiwi, vanilla, peach, chocolate, mocha, hazelnut, almond, amaretto, maple. Irish crème, cream, avocado, papaya, pumpkin, walnut, peanut, mango, passion fruit, pineapple, rum, pistachio, strawberry, banana or any other flavor.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the housing 101 which may include multiple containers 103 in order to provide the user with a choice of the flavored agent. Each of the multiple containers 103 may include a different flavored agent.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the housing 101 which may include a flexible attachment device 111 which may include an elastic strap and which may be substantially U-shaped in order to cooperate with a package of cigarettes 100.

FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of a package of cigarettes 100. The package may be substantially rectangular, triangular circular or any other appropriate shape.

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of the package of cigarettes 100 with the housing 100 detachably connected to the package of cigarettes 100 by the flexible attachment device 100 which may be elastic. The package of cigarettes 100 may be inserted through the aperture 113 which may be formed by the flexible attachment device 111 and the housing 101.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed.

Claims

1. A device for adding a flavored agent to a cigarette filter, comprising:

a housing;

a container within a housing;

an absorbent material for observing the flavored agent;

wherein the housing includes a flexible strap for detachably connecting to a package for cigarettes.

2. A device for adding a flavored agent to a cigarette filter as in claim 1, wherein the housing includes a plurality of containers for a plurality of flavors.

3. A device for adding a flavored agent to a cigarette filter as in claim 1, wherein the flavored agent is a flavored syrup.

4. A method for adding flavor to a cigarette filter, comprising:

selecting a flavor from a container within a housing;

dipping the cigarette filter in an absorbent material having the selected flavored agent;

absorbing the selected flavor agent into the cigarette filter.

5. A method for adding flavor to a cigarette filter as in claim 4, wherein the method includes the step of detachably connecting the housing to a package of cigarettes.

6. A device for adding a flavored agent to a cigarette filter as in claim 1, wherein the flavored syrup includes at least one from the group of: orange, grape, lemon, lime, white chocolate, dark chocolate, cinnamon, raspberry, watermelon, mint, apple, apricot, blueberry, caramel, coconut, cranberry, kiwi, vanilla, peach, chocolate, mocha, hazelnut, almond, amaretto, maple. Irish crème, cream, avocado, papaya, pumpkin, walnut, peanut, mango, passion fruit, pineapple, rum, pistachio, strawberry, banana.