Interior Surface Causes Particular Flow Characteristic Patents (Class 131/339)
  • Patent number: 4380241
    Abstract: A smoking article comprises a smoking material rod and, to one end thereof, a flow-impedance device comprising a rod-like element of foam or fibrous material which is or has been rendered impervious to the flow of smoke therethrough and one or more open-ended smoke-flow passages extending from one end to the other of the element, the pressure drop of the passage or passages being in the range from 40 to 200 mm, preferably 50 to 100 mm, water gauge and said device being enclosed in a wrapping permitting inward flow of ambient air into the device, which has air-conducting means whereby air flowing inwardly through the wrapping is conducted to the mouth end of the device, the device being effective to remove not more than 25%, preferably 20%, of the total particulate matter of the smoke. The passage or passages may be formed by a bore or bores in the material or by a capillary tube or tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1981
    Date of Patent: April 19, 1983
    Assignee: British-American Tobacco Company Limited
    Inventor: Henry G. Horsewell
  • Patent number: 4370988
    Abstract: The outer shell of a removable smoke filtering cartridge for fitting inside a cigarette holder is formed from two coaxially abutting tubes separated by a wall with a hole. A tubular inner lip around the hole extends into the space within the first tube, a trough being defined around this lip. A cup is mounted within the first tube remote and facing away from the wall, intercepting across the first tube except for one or more narrow spaces defined between the cup and the first tube inner wall. The parts of these narrow spaces nearer the wall communicate to the space between the cup and the wall. One or more small apertures are formed through the side wall of the cup and communicate the space within the cup to the narrow spaces. A disk is mounted across the first tube against the side of the cup remote from the wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1981
    Date of Patent: February 1, 1983
    Inventor: Masahiro Terasaki
  • Patent number: 4365641
    Abstract: A cigarette filter includes a porous filter element attached to a cigarette, the element circumscribed by ventilating air ducts with an impermeable barrier therebetween so that smoke travels down the filter element and ventilating air travels down the ducts during use. The size of the ducts, the number of ducts, and the flow rate of ventilating air is so defined that substantially all of the smoke is dispersed immediately upon exiting the filter element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1981
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1982
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: Robert R. Johnson
  • Patent number: 4357950
    Abstract: A tobacco smoke filter having an improved tar/carbon monoxide ratio is disclosed. The filter is obtained by sealing off the center portion of the filter with an inner member which is impermeable to the passage of smoke, thus directing all of the smoke to the periphery of the filter. In one embodiment, the inner member is formed as a thin walled tube of a material such as polypropylene, with the tube being crimped to seal one end of the tube. The crimped tube is then overwrapped with a smoke permeable material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1980
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1982
    Assignee: American Filtrona Corporation
    Inventor: Richard M. Berger
  • Patent number: 4343319
    Abstract: A filter for a cigarette includes a porous filter rod with at least one opening in each end thereof with at least one longitudinal groove embedded into the outer periphery of the rod intermediate the openings and in flow communication therewith. The filter rod is wrapped with non-porous plug wrap and overlaid with porous tipping material with the flow-through groove being between the plug wrap and the tipping material so that a portion of the smoke coming from a tobacco column mixes with ventilating air in the groove and the remaining portion of the tobacco smoke passes through the filter, with little or no contact with ventilating air until it reaches the smoker's mouth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 1980
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1982
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel V. Cantrell
  • Patent number: 4343320
    Abstract: A filter assembly for cigarettes and the like comprising an elongated tube with an axial bore, having a plurality of fan folded interior cross partitions each of oval outline, and extending in a plane oblique to the axis of the bore to form a succession of sealed chambers. The oval, obliqued, cross partitions have staggered perforations to allow the filtered substance to travel to the downstream end of the tube in an undulated path. At the upstream end of the tube the exterior wall of the first sealed chamber has a pattern of intake pin holes to allow fresh air to cool the smoke. At the downstream end of the tube the sealed chamber contains aromatic unburned tobacco for restoring and enriching the flavor of the smoke. The remaining chambers contain cotton batting to filter out undesirable substances such as tar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1982
    Inventor: Rudolph Muto
  • Patent number: 4342322
    Abstract: A filter for a cigarette includes a porous filter rod having a hollow tube therein extending from one end a preselected distance, the filter rod being circumscribed by a non-porous wrapper wherein the filter rod with the non-porous wrapper therearound is provided with at least one groove extending from one end thereof a preselected distance longitudinally therealong. The groove and the tube may extend from the same one end or may extend from opposite ends. Tipping material circumscribes the non-porous wrapper and is provided with flow-throgh openings therein in flow communication with the groove. The groove may be oriented to extend to the mouth end of the filter or the tobacco end when connected to a cigarette.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1980
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1982
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventor: Robert A. Sanford
  • Patent number: 4338956
    Abstract: A filter for a cigarette includes a porous filter rod circumscribed by a smoke impervious wrapper wherein the filter rod with the smoke impervious wrapper therearound is provided with grooves embedded therein and extending from one end thereof a preselected distance longitudinally therealong. Tipping material circumscribes the smoke impervious wrapper and is provided with flow-through openings therein in flow communication with the grooves. Support means are provided for the tipping material at the mouth end of the filter to maintain the tipping material in circumferential equalization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1980
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1982
    Assignee: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
    Inventors: Robert A. Sanford, Robert R. Johnson
  • Patent number: 4331166
    Abstract: The sensory effect of cigarette smoke is improved by using a disc (24) to shape the flow of smoke (32) leaving smoking article (10) into a divergent pattern, thus increasing the perceived flavor of the cigarette. The effect is most useful with cigarettes having relatively low delivery of particulate matter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1980
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1982
    Assignee: Philip Morris, Incorporated
    Inventor: Robert W. Hale
  • Patent number: 4292983
    Abstract: A filter cartridge assembly for filtering tars from tobacco smoke is described, said assembly comprising a cylindrical sleeve and an inner filter core member, the inner surface of the cylindrical sleeve and the outer surface of the core member defining a smoke passageway. One end of the sleeve is formed with an obstruction having a restricted inlet passage therethrough, the other end being essentially open for receiving the filter core member therein. A pair of stand-off contacts is provided on one end of the core member, said contacts projecting from an impingement surface, and a cylindrical plug having a restricted outlet passage is formed on the opposite end. When the core member is assembled within the sleeve, the plug end thereof is positioned in sealing relating to the open end of the sleeve and supports the filter core member therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1980
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1981
    Inventor: John A. Mensik
  • Patent number: 4291712
    Abstract: A filter to be mounted to a cigarette and provided with one or more axial channels made by means of a laser beam, as well as a cigarette provided with such a filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1978
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1981
    Assignee: Sigarettenfabriek Ed. Laurens B.V.
    Inventors: Hendrikus J. Koster, Johannes T. J. Bik, Johannes G. Clardey, Dirk Smorenberg
  • Patent number: 4275746
    Abstract: An elongated rectangular box includes a removable bottom wall which carries an intermediate vertical wall running the length of the box. The intermediate wall divides the box into two compartments for storing a supply of stick incense. An incense burner is removably mounted on a pair of studs on the top of the box. With the incense burner removed, a pipe bowl may be placed over one of the studs which has a hole passing therethrough and into a passage in the box formed between the top of the intermediate wall and a channel on the underside of the top wall. Smoke may be drawn through the pipe by a mouthpiece removably attached to one end thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1979
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1981
    Inventor: Morton A. Gruber
  • Patent number: 4273141
    Abstract: A tobacco smoke filter having at least one directly ventilated cavity which provides for the formation, over a region of the filter extending inwardly of its peripheral region, of a mixture of at least the major proportion of the smoke and at least a major proportion of the ventilating air entering the said cavity or cavities. The extensive and uniform mixing of smoke and ventilation air gives a satisfying smoke with a low tar count and high nicotine/tar ratio, and can be obtained with the invention due to appropriate shaping of the cavity, or asymmetric positioning of the air ventilating vents, or by means of a flow-disturbing insert mounted in the filter, or a combination of two or more of these factors. Preferably a major part of the smoke is constrained to enter the cavity at an upstream peripheral extremity thereof and air vents are also concentrated at this extremity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1978
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1981
    Inventor: Jan Van Tilburg
  • Patent number: 4273142
    Abstract: A filter for cigarettes or the like has an elongated tubular shell one interior end portion of which may be shaped to define a seat of a diameter to frictionally receive an end portion of a cigarette and longitudinally of that seat being shaped to define a tubular wall of predetermined cross-section and partially closed by a transverse wall in which is defined a central aperture. An air inlet extends through the outer wall of the shell. A filter element is of a porous material which is inhibitive to the passage of substances such as tar and nicotine. The element is in the form of an elongated hollow sleeve one end of which is closed and the other end of which is open. A laterally projecting shoulder is defined on the sleeve to have the aforementioned predetermined cross-section so as to seat frictionally within the tubular wall and against the transverse wall with a portion of the sleeve projecting through the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1979
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1981
    Assignee: Teledyne Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerald T. Swanson, John Trenary