JP2018138032A - Smoking article with menthol filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a smoking article provided with a filter. A filter (4) has a plug (5) of filter material having a longitudinally extending surface (13), a wrapping material wrapped around the longitudinally extending surface of the plug, and the longitudinal direction of the plug. A menthol patch embodied on the inner surface of the wrapping material facing the surface extending to the menthol patch, the menthol patch being applied to the wrapping material, and the plug wrapping the wrapping material around the filter material. It is attached to the packaging material with the menthol patch before being closed. [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a smoking article comprising a filter and a method for producing such a filter.

  A cigarette with a typical filter is arranged in a straight line with a rod wrapped with a cigarette filler wrapped around the cigarette, and attached to the cigarette rod with tipping paper (chip paper). And a cylindrical filter. In a conventional cigarette with a filter, the filter may be formed by wrapping a plug of acetylcellulose tow 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. Multi-component filter cigarettes with two or more segments for removing particulate and gaseous components from mainstream smoke are also known.

  In order to enhance the flavor and aroma of mainstream smoke, it is known to add a fragrance in the filter of smoking articles. In addition, a passive aroma release mechanism is known in which aroma is released without consumer action. For example, International Publication No. WO-A-2009 / 080604 discloses a filter for smoking articles such as cigarettes. The smoking article includes a filter material plug and a wrapping held on the outer periphery of the filter material by a striped adhesive. The adhesive contains a fragrance, and a pattern can be applied to the outer peripheral edge of the end face of the filter by giving a natural color to the fragrance.

  GB-A-2229078 discloses a method for producing a cigarette filter that includes a procedure for adding a fragrance to one or more surfaces of a packaging material that contacts the filter material.

  There is also known an active fragrance release mechanism in which a consumer activates the fragrance release function. For example, it is known to introduce a capsule filled with a fragrance into a filter. If an additional scent is desired, the consumer can break the capsule.

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

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

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

  The smoking article may be a conventional smoking article including, for example, a tobacco rod coupled with the filter via chip paper, or a non-conventional smoking article used in combination with an electronic cigarette device. It may be a smoking article.

In the present specification, the term “filter” means that at least part of the smoke component of the gas phase or the particle layer is removed from the mainstream smoke sucked through the filter of the smoking article, or the smoke component of the gas phase and the particle layer. Suggest 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.

  Each segment of the filter may have a different length in the longitudinal direction. The filter segments are in contact with each other in the longitudinal direction. Where more than one filter segment is provided, these filter segments may be of the same structure and material as each other, 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 of the gas phase and particle layer. Configured to remove both smoke components. According to the present invention, one or more of the remaining segments may not contribute to the removal of smoke components, but instead affect, for example, the mainstream smoke flavor or change the breathability of the smoking article. Or may have different functions.

  In addition, additional elements, hereinafter referred to as “filter inserts”, may be included within the filter or within the filter segment. The insert may contain a fragrance to alter the perceptual properties of the cigarette, or it may alter some other characteristic of cigarette smoke (eg, breathability or suction resistance).

  Objects present inside the filter include, for example, fragrant one or more ruptureable capsules, perfume granules (pellets), scented or unscented strands (strands), exchange resin beads, absorbent / Adsorptive particles, flow restrictors, and combinations thereof. A single segment of the filter of the present invention preferably contains a single object, but in certain cases, such as when beads are considered, hundreds of objects may be included. Good.

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

  The packaging material also has a “seam region”, that is, a region where the packaging material itself overlaps to form a longitudinal seam so that the packaging material is wrapped around the plug and closed. This overlapping region including a part of the inner surface and the outer surface of the packaging material is called a seam region where the inner surface and the outer surface of the packaging material are joined to each other. Further, the remaining area, that is, the area of the inner surface that is not part of the joint area is referred to as “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, compound, or mixture of substances that can induce sensory effects related to human preference. Preferably, the sensory action includes a taste action or an olfactory action. In other words, such a fragrance can be recognized by those skilled in the art as being capable of imparting, improving, or modifying the scent or taste of an article or component to which the fragrance is added in a preferred manner.

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

As is known in the art, the packaging material is affixed to the plug to form a filter, for example by bonding the packaging material to the plug. This sticking is preferably strong enough to withstand the stress applied to the filter during use of the smoking article so that the packaging material does not come off the plug.
To that end, the filter of the present invention includes a menthol patch on the inner surface of the packaging material facing the longitudinally extending surface of the plug.

  Here, “patch” refers to a layer of material covering a region of the inner surface of the packaging material. Preferably, the patch covers a region of the inner rod surface. The shape of the patch is arbitrary and can include squares, streaks, wavy lines, triangles, or combinations of these or other geometric shapes. The patch may cover most of the inner rod surface of the packaging material or may cover only a small portion of the inner rod surface of the packaging material. The patch may extend over the entire length of the packaging material, or may be only a part of the length in the longitudinal direction 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. A layer thickness between about 2 μm and about 50 μm is preferred.

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

  In general, menthol generally means the (1R, 2S, 5R) stereoisomer among the stereoisomers of 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol. 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.

  It is known that menthol has adhesiveness. That is, the menthol can adhere or join the elements to each other like the packaging material and the plug in the present application. The fact that menthol itself has adhesiveness does not mean that an adhesive is contained therein. Its adhesion is an intrinsic property of the menthol utilized in the filter of the present invention and depends on the chemical and physical structure of the menthol. Thus, a menthol patch combines the fragrance and adhesiveness of a single element with the inherent properties of menthol.

  Due to the dual functionality of the present invention, in which the menthol patch is used as a fragrance and also used for bonding the plug to the inner rod surface of the packaging material, the filter of the present invention is manufactured in comparison with the scented filter according to the prior art. Therefore, the number of processing steps required for this is small. When applying the menthol patch to the packaging material, menthol serves not only as a fragrance but also as an adhesive that glues the packaging material to the plug, reducing the additional effort of attaching the adhesive to the packaging material, It becomes completely unnecessary. Therefore, the procedure of scenting the filter with menthol and the procedure of attaching the adhesive to the packaging material are at least partially integrated.

  The menthol patch preferably contains at least 99% 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol. This means that the menthol patch consists of almost pure menthol. As described above, the packaging material and the plug can be sufficiently bonded only by the presence of the menthol.

  In order to make the scent even better, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an additional filter insert as defined above containing a fragrance may be included in the filter. The fragrance | flavor put into this insert may be the same as that of the menthol used for a patch, or may differ, and the combination of various fragrances is possible. More preferably, the scented insert includes at least one capsule. Through the use of menthol patches, multiple scent sources can be easily and advantageously combined into a single filter segment of the filter of the present invention. This increases the possibility of scenting and increases the amount of fragrance available. For example, it is not practical to use capsules and aromatic twist threads on the same filter segment. This is because they occupy the same space within the segment.

  During smoking, the filter wrapping material is exposed, for example, to heat or steam, resulting in the release of the scent contained in the menthol patch. In a preferred embodiment where the filter includes not only a menthol patch but also an aromatic insert such as a capsule, the consumer may have a scent that is automatically released from the menthol patch and, for example, consumed from a ruptured capsule. You can experience both person-induced scents.

  In addition, other objects such as uncuttable 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 becomes easier to place relatively bulky aromatic elements such as aromatic twisted yarns and uncut objects such as ruptureable capsules.

  Aromatic and non-aromatic filter inserts are all in contact with the inner rod surface of the wrapping material, but these inserts should be placed and secured in the correct position inside the filter by menthol patches. Can do. To that effect, the menthol patch is placed in an appropriate position depending on the design and structure of the filter. 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 packaging.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the inner surface of the packaging material further comprises an adhesive patch. The adhesive patch is a patch containing an adhesive, and the adhesive is a substance whose main function is to bond or bond an object to each other as understood by those skilled in the art. Adhesives are generally classified according to the bonding method. In this case, the adhesive is classified into a reactive adhesive and a non-reactive adhesive depending on whether or not the adhesive is chemically reacted and cured. Alternatively, classification based on whether the raw material is natural or synthetic, or classification based on the initial physical phase (for example, liquid or solid) is also possible.

  The adhesive patch preferably includes a hot melt adhesive such as a polyester adhesive. The adhesive patch containing the hot melt adhesive is referred to as a first adhesive patch. Alternatively or in addition, the adhesive patch includes an emulsion-type adhesive such as polyvinyl acetate (PVA) and its derivatives, commonly referred to as cold melt. The adhesive patch containing the cold melt adhesive is called a second adhesive patch.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the adhesive patch is located in the seam area of the inner surface of the packaging material, i.e. in the vicinity of the longitudinal edge of the packaging material, and the longitudinal seam of the packaging material is joined using an adhesive. The adhesive patch located in the seam region preferably includes the first adhesive patch, that is, includes a hot melt adhesive.

  It has been understood that a long lasting glue effect is desired, corresponding to the seam of the packaging material, to prevent the packaging material from unintentionally coming off the plug after the finished tobacco product is manufactured. In particular, it is not desirable that a part of the packaging material is lifted corresponding to the seam and a so-called “flag effect” is generated. Therefore, long lasting adhesives such as cold melt adhesives are preferred.

  However, accelerated manufacturing processes may require the use of an adhesive that can quickly bond two objects. For this purpose, it may be advantageous to use a hot melt adhesive. Preferably, the first adhesive patch includes a streaky hot melt adhesive located along the edge of the inner surface of the packaging material. Hot melt adhesives can be broken down by menthol. Therefore, the filter of the present invention preferably includes a protective element for the first adhesive patch. More preferably, the protective element includes an additional adhesive patch positioned between the first adhesive patch and the menthol patch. Even more preferably, this additional adhesive patch is located in the seam area. Preferably, this additional adhesive patch comprises a second adhesive patch, such as a cold melt adhesive.

The menthol patch is preferably located only within the inner rod surface and does not enter the seam area of the packaging material.
According to a preferred embodiment, the plug is attached to the packaging material only by the menthol patch on the inner rod surface, that is, on the inner surface of the packaging material other than the seam region. That is, the menthol patch is the only binder used to adhere the packaging material to the surface of the plug. In such an embodiment, one or more adhesive patches located approximately at one edge of the inner surface of the packaging material form a seam that adheres the packaging material to its own surface without contacting the plug.

  According to another embodiment, one or more menthol patches and one or more second lands on the inner rod surface of the packaging material in the filter of the present invention for securing the plug to the surface of the packaging material. A combination with an adhesive patch is embodied.

  In the known technology, it is common to place some adhesive on a continuous wrapper web (web) in which the tow is laid uninterrupted during the manufacturing process of the filter. Since relatively high radial stresses occur between the tow and the packaging material, it is preferred that the adhesive used fixes the tow to the packaging material as quickly as possible. For this 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, one or more menthol patches alone or a combination of menthol and hot melt adhesive patches is used to achieve this goal. By the combination, the plug is fixed to the packaging material in a region other than the joint region.

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

  In embodiments where the filter comprises both one or more menthol patches and adhesive patches, the menthol patches and adhesive patches are preferably disposed substantially parallel to one another along the packaging. Both the menthol patch and the adhesive patch preferably have a menthol stripe and an adhesive stripe, respectively. According to this latter preferred embodiment, the filter of the present invention can be easily manufactured without significant or complicated modification of known devices for manufacturing filters at high speed.

  However, as another embodiment, the menthol patch may be arranged on the surface of the inner rod in various other forms, for example, inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the plug. Further, the menthol patch may form a predetermined selected pattern on the inner rod surface of the packaging material. For example, the menthol patch can be formed with an arbitrarily selected pattern such as an intermittent stripe, a wavy line, or a dotted line.

The various shapes described above are possible if the standard adhesive known in the art is replaced with one or more menthol patches as defined in the present invention, provided that it is at least a partial replacement. This is because the adhesive strength of the plug does not change greatly.
According to the present invention, a filter for a smoking article as described above is provided.
The present invention further includes a procedure for winding a packaging material around a surface of the filter material plug extending in the longitudinal direction, and a procedure for attaching the plug to the packaging material with a menthol patch. Provide a method.

  Preferably, the method of the present invention further comprises a step of melting the menthol crystals and a step of attaching the molten menthol to the surface of the packaging material to form the menthol patch. In general, menthol is a solid crystal at room temperature. Therefore, preferably, a liquid menthol is first obtained by melting commercially available menthol, usually sold in the form of menthol crystals.

  And the liquid menthol is made to adhere to the inner surface of a packaging material so that the menthol patch which has a desired specific shape may be formed. Then, the liquid menthol patch is brought into contact with a filter material (for example, acetate tow) before the liquid menthol is cured. When the liquid menthol is cooled, the filter material and the packaging material are firmly bonded by the menthol.

From another viewpoint, the present invention provides an apparatus for producing a scented filter. The filter includes a wrapping material, and the apparatus includes a feed portion for advancing a continuous web of wrapping material, a feed portion for advancing tow material to form a filter plug, and a menthol patch on the surface of the wrapping material. A discharge device configured to discharge the menthol to form a wrap around the tow so that the advancing web is wound around the tow so that the wrapping material is wrapped around the filter material and closed before the menthol And a packaging device for attaching the web to the tow by a patch. Preferably, the tow material is affixed to the packaging material at least partially by the menthol patch.
It is preferable that the apparatus also includes a cutter that cuts a tow obtained in a packaged state into segments of a predetermined length.

  Applicants have noticed that the filter of the present invention can be manufactured at high speeds with nearly standard filter manufacturing equipment. More precisely, the scented filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention does not require complex modifications to prior art devices. According to this, in order to manufacture the scented filter of the present invention, it is possible to remake a known device fairly easily and at low cost.

  According to a preferred embodiment, in order to minimize space occupancy, the menthol is configured to dispense to form a menthol patch, and further to dispense adhesive to form an adhesive patch. A single dispenser configured is provided. More preferably, the single discharge device includes two separate nozzles: a nozzle that discharges an adhesive to form an adhesive patch and a nozzle that discharges a menthol to form a menthol patch on a web. I have.

  The dispensing device may be configured to dispense a continuous menthol patch to create a continuous longitudinal menthol stripe along the web or intermittently. This makes it possible to create a plurality of 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 add a scent to the interval between the plurality of plugs.

  In additional embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of dispensing devices are provided in the apparatus of the present invention to create a plurality of separate menthol patches on the web. Alternatively, or in combination therewith, a discharge device including a plurality of nozzles for forming a plurality of stripes of the menthol in parallel with each other may be included. This additional menthol dispenser can be located downstream or upstream from the location of the adhesive dispenser. Here, “downstream” and “upstream” refer to the continuous web advance direction of the packaging material.

  According to another embodiment of the present invention, the discharge device configured to discharge menthol to form a menthol patch includes a drum having a plurality of grooves. Preferably, the groove is embodied in a predetermined pattern on the outer peripheral surface of the drum. In this embodiment, the drum is coupled with the apparatus of the invention to rotate while in contact with the web of packaging material. The groove is constantly filled with liquid menthol. The liquid menthol is discharged onto the web by the rotation of the drum. Preferably the movement of the web rotates the drum. The menthol therefore adheres to the web according to the groove pattern on the drum surface, creating a menthol pattern on the web, and thus a menthol pattern 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 dispensing device having a nozzle configured to produce a continuous or intermittent menthol patch or a continuous or intermittent adhesive patch.
The present invention also provides a filter making machine for applying at least one patch of melted menthol to the wrapping material to affix the filter element to the wrapping material before the wrapping material is wrapped and closed. It relates to a method of using an applicator nozzle.

Such a filter element may be a filter material such as acetate tow or crimped paper, or may be an uncut object such as a flow restrictor.
Further advantageous aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiments of the present 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 wrap 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. It is a top view similar to the top view of FIG. 2 which shows the packaging material which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. 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 details of the apparatus of FIG. 6, in accordance with additional embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of details of the apparatus of FIG. 6 or 7. FIG. 9 is a top view of a packaging material embodied using the apparatus according to the present invention, including the details shown in FIG. 8.

Turning first to FIG. 1, the entirety of a smoking article realized in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is indicated at 1.
The smoking article 1 includes a cigarette with a filter including a cylindrical elongated cigarette rod 2 and an elongated cylindrical filter 4 attached to the rod 2 at one end and aligned axially. The tobacco rod and the filter extend in the longitudinal direction along a common X axis. The packaged tobacco rod 2 and the filter 4 are joined together by chip paper (not visible in the attached drawing) in a conventional manner. The chip paper wraps the entire length of the filter 4 and the adjacent length portion of the packaged tobacco rod 2.

The filter 4 includes a generally cylindrical plug made of a filter material such as acetate and tau. The filter material columnar plug includes 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 includes a single plug 5 made of a filter material having first and second generally circular end faces 11 and 12, and a vertical extension substantially perpendicular to the first and second end faces 11 and 12. Surface 13 to be provided.

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

  Further, the plug 5 includes a filter insert 80 (here, a capsule disposed substantially at the center as depicted by a circle in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3) filled with a fragrance such as menthol. Different arrangements and types of filter inserts are 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 4 b, carbon plug 4 c, etc.) arranged coaxially along the longitudinal direction X.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a state where the packaging material 20 is detached from the smoking article 1 as a preferred embodiment. This packaging material 20 can be used for both the filters 4 and 400. Unless otherwise specified, all preferred embodiments of the packaging material 20 can be applied to both the filters 4 and 400. The packaging material 20 defines an inner surface 21 in contact with the plug 5 and an outer surface 22 in contact with the outside of the smoking article (the outer surface 22 is visible only in FIG. 3 in the drawing).

  Further, the inner surface and the outer surface overlap each other in order to form a vertically long seam 30 for fixing the packaging material 20 around the plug 5 with respect to a certain portion of the inner surface and the outer surface. Inner surface 21 is bounded by first and second longitudinal edges 25 and 26 that are substantially parallel to each other and includes a seam region 23 and an inner rod region 24. The distance between the first and second longitudinal edges 25 and 26 defines the width of the wrapping material 20, for example, between about 24 mm and about 30 mm, preferably about 27 mm. The seam region 23 is a portion including the seam 30 and an overlapping region between the inner surface 21 and the outer surface 22 of the packaging material, in the inner surface. The inner rod surface 24 is a region in contact with the vertically long surface 13 of the plug 5 in the inner surface.

  In accordance with the present invention, the filters 4 and 400 have a menthol patch 50 on the inner surface 21 of the packaging material 20 that is used to attach the packaging material 20 to the plug 5. The menthol patch 50 is applied to the packaging material 20. The shape and thickness of the menthol patch 50 is arbitrary, and some examples are given in the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiment.

The plug 5 is attached to the packaging material 20 with the menthol patch 50 before the packaging material 50 is wrapped 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 of the rectangles are arranged in a line along the longitudinal axis X of the inner surface 21. The resulting pattern is approximately equal to an intermittent stripe pattern. The menthol patch is embodied on the inner rod surface 24.

  In another embodiment, not shown, the menthol patch includes a single continuous menthol stripe 50 extending over substantially the entire length of the inner surface 21 of the wrapping material 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, there are two menthol patches (both indicated by reference numeral 50) each having a continuous menthol stripe shape extending over substantially the entire length of the inner surface 21 of the wrapping material 20. It is provided in the packaging material 20. The two menthol patches 50 are substantially parallel to each other and both are formed on the inner rod surface 24.

  In another additional preferred embodiment, not shown, the menthol patch includes a plurality of substantially parallel stripes extending over substantially the entire length of the inner surface 21 of the wrapping material 20. Preferably, the plurality of menthol stripes are also substantially all aligned in parallel along the longitudinal axis X of the inner surface 21.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the width of the menthol stripe is preferably between about 0.5 mm and about 8 mm. Furthermore, the distance D between the two separate menthol stripes is preferably at least 1 mm.

  Alternatively, the inner rod surface 24 of the wrapping material 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 wrapping material 20 includes a plurality of menthol patches on its inner rod surface 24 having a more complex design. In FIG. 9, each menthol patch is in the form of a stripe that is torn in the middle, all of which are arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the packaging material and substantially parallel to each other. The length of these various menthol stripes may vary. According to another embodiment not shown, the wrapping material includes two menthol patches, each patch extending over the entire length of the inner rod surface 24 of the wrapping material 20 and each having a generally sinusoidal shape. Yes.

  In another example, the wrapping material 20 includes a plurality of menthol patches 50 each in the form of a menthol stripe, the menthol patches on the inner surface 21 of the wrapping material 20 in the longitudinal direction of the inner rod surface 24 of the wrapping material 20. It is arranged at an angle to. Furthermore, these oblique menthol patches 50 are substantially parallel to each other.

  In an additional embodiment not described in the accompanying drawings, the inner surface 21 of the packaging material includes a plurality of menthol patches 50, each of which has a shape in which one rectangle and two dots are arranged in a specific pattern. Is defined, and the unit is regularly repeated multiple times along the X axis. This “patch unit” is preferably repeated several times over the entire length of the wrapping material 20 and can take many other various patterns.

  In the packaging material 20 of the filter 400 illustrated in FIG. 5, a plurality of rectangular menthol patches 50 are provided at positions corresponding to some (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 patches are located at the longitudinal position corresponding to the flow restrictor 4b. Absent.

Further, the filters 4 and 400 may include an adhesive patch on the inner surface 21 of the packaging material 20. The shape and thickness of the adhesive patch are also arbitrary.
Preferably, the filters 4 and 400 include a first adhesive patch 51 including a hot melt adhesive formed corresponding to the seam region 23 of the inner surface 21 of the packaging material 20. According to a preferred embodiment, the first adhesive patch 51 is arranged along the longitudinal edges of the inner surface of the packaging material such that the longitudinal seam 30 of the packaging material is joined with a hot melt adhesive. . Preferably, the first adhesive patch 51 is in the form of an adhesive stripe, more preferably extending over the entire length of the longitudinal edge 26 of the packaging material 20.

  A first adhesive stripe 51 arranged along the longitudinal edge 26 in the seam region 23 of the packaging material 20 is shown, for example, in FIGS. As apparent from FIG. 3, the first adhesive stripe 51 becomes the joint 30.

  In addition, the filters 4 and 400 preferably 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 packaging material 20 and the menthol patch 50. More preferably, the second adhesive patch 52 is formed in the seam region 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 packaging material 20 in the form of an adhesive stripe. 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 packaging material, both of which are between one of the longitudinal edges of the packaging material and the menthol patch 50. One of the two adhesive patches is in the seam region 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 above-described preferred embodiments, the packaging material 20 is wound around the longitudinally extending surface 13 of the plug 5, and the packaging material 20 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 there is a second adhesive patch 52, it may be used to secure the packaging material to itself. The plug 5 is affixed to the inner rod surface 24 of the wrapping material 20 by the menthol patch 50 and if there is also a second adhesive patch 52.

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

  FIG. 6 shows a part of the device 100. Reference numeral 20a denotes a long continuous web (for example, wrapping paper) made of a packaging material divided into a series of packaging materials 20. In the side view, the web is depicted as a continuous line that advances in the direction indicated by arrow 99, and the web is moved in such direction by a continuous belt 71 or other means of the art. The apparatus 100 includes a source (not shown) of a continuous strand of filter or tow material that is cut to form the filter plug 5. A continuous strand is indicated by reference numeral 5 a and is also pulled in the direction indicated by arrow 98.

Although not shown in the accompanying drawings, an object is introduced into the tow material using an apparatus for introducing the object into a continuous flow of filter material, as described, for example, in International Publication No. WO-A-2012 / 076496. Is inserted arbitrarily.
The continuous web is then brought into contact with the tow strand. Specifically, the tow strand 5a is laid on the surface of the web 20a.

  Further, the apparatus 100 dispenses menthol to form a menthol patch 50 on the surface of the continuous web 20a of packaging material upstream of the point of contact between the tow strand and the web with respect to the movement of the web or strand. The discharge device 72 configured as described above is included.

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

  Since 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 to form a liquid menthol. The melted menthol is conveyed to the discharge device 72 through the conduit 76.

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

  In the configuration of FIG. 7 according to another embodiment of the present invention, the discharge device 72 includes two or more nozzles 74 and 75 that discharge menthol as described above. A nozzle that discharges the first adhesive, the second adhesive, or both the first and second adhesives may be further provided. The discharge device 72 may include three or more nozzles. However, the nozzles are arranged so that different additive materials (for example, liquid menthol, hot melt adhesive, cold melt adhesive) are not mixed.

  In another embodiment, the discharge device 72 includes a rotating drum 78 having a plurality of grooves. This groove is formed in 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 on the apparatus 100 for rotating on the surface of the continuous web 20a and discharging menthol onto the surface of the web during the rotation. .

  Alternatively, both a drum 78 and a discharge device 72 for discharging menthol may be provided to form various patterns of menthol. Furthermore, there may be another discharge device such as the discharge device 82 that discharges either or both of the first and second adhesives. Therefore, in this embodiment, the menthol patch 50 is formed on the surface of the continuous web 20 a according to the pattern of the 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 the 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 arranged perpendicular to the rotation direction of the drum 78 are formed. Alternatively, an embodiment (not shown) having two sinusoidal menthol patches 50 in the packaging material 20 can be implemented using a drum 78 having two corresponding sinusoidal grooves 77 formed on the drum surface. . Alternatively, the oblique patches 50 are formed on the surface of the packaging material 20 by forming the oblique grooves 77 on the surface of the drum 78. For example, a “unit” pattern of a menthol patch constituted by various arrangements of dots and rectangles can be obtained by providing the drum 78 with dot-like and rectangular grooves 77 having corresponding patterns.

  More preferably, the device 100 is an additional dispensing device 79 that dispenses hot melt adhesive to form a first adhesive patch on the surface of the web 20a at a location downstream from the junction of the web and the tow strand. It has.

  Also included downstream of the hot melt adhesive dispenser 79 is a packaging unit 83 that wraps the web around the tow in such a way that the hot melt adhesive becomes the seam 30. Preferably, means for lowering the temperature of the hot melt after being applied to the packaging material is provided in order to accelerate the curing of the hot melt.

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

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Smoking article, 2 ... Rod, 4 ... Filter, 4b ... Flow restrictor, 4c ... Carbon plug, 5 ... Filter plug, 5a ... Strand, 11 ... End surface, 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) ), 51 ... Adhesive patch (adhesive stripe), 52 ... Adhesive patch, 71 ... Belt, 72 ... Menthol discharge device, 73 ... Applicator, 74 ... Discharge nozzle, 76 ... Pipe line, 77 ... Groove, 78 ... Rotating drum, 79, 82 ... Discharge device, 80 ... Filter insert, ... Discharge device, 83 ... Packaging unit, 400 ... Filter, 400 ... Multi-component filter.

Claims (15)

A smoking article with a filter,
The filter comprises a plug of filter material having a surface extending in the longitudinal direction;
A wrapping material wrapped around the longitudinally extending surface of the plug;
An inner surface of the packaging material facing the longitudinally extending surface of the plug, the inner surface having a menthol patch,
The menthol patch is applied to the packaging material,
The plug is attached to the packaging material by the menthol patch before the packaging material is wrapped around the filter material and closed.   2. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the menthol patch contains at least 99% 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol.   The smoking article according to claim 1, further comprising an adhesive patch formed on the inner surface of the packaging material.   The smoking according to claim 3, wherein the adhesive patch includes a hot melt adhesive forming a first adhesive patch, or the adhesive patch includes polyvinyl acetate forming a second adhesive patch. Goods. The adhesive patch is located in a seam region of the inner surface;
The smoking article according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a seam formed by one edge of the inner surface overlapping the packaging material that wraps the plug is adhesively bonded by the adhesive patch.   The smoking article according to claim 4, wherein the second adhesive patch is located in an inner rod surface of the inner surface.   The smoking article according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the first adhesive patch or the first and second adhesive patches are located in a joint region of the inner surface.   A smoking article according to any preceding claim, comprising a filter insert, the insert comprising a perfume.   The smoking article according to claim 8, wherein the insert is attached to the inner surface of the packaging material by the menthol patch. A filter for smoking articles,
A filter material plug having a longitudinally extending surface;
A wrapping material wrapped around the longitudinally extending surface of the plug;
A menthol patch embodied on the inner surface of the packaging material facing the longitudinally extending surface of the plug;
The menthol patch is applied to the packaging material, and the plug is attached to the packaging material by the menthol patch before the packaging material is wrapped around the filter material and closed. A filter characterized by A method for producing a filter for smoking articles, comprising:
A step of winding a packaging material around an outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the plug of the filter material; a procedure of attaching the plug to the packaging material by a menthol patch;
A method comprising the steps of: A procedure for melting menthol crystals;
Attaching the melted menthol to the inner surface of the packaging material;
The method of claim 11, comprising: An apparatus for producing a scented filter,
The filter includes a packaging material, and the device includes:
A supply that advances a continuous web of packaging material;
A feed section for advancing the tow material for the filter plug;
A dispensing device configured to dispense menthol to form a menthol patch on a continuous web of the packaging material;
A wrapping device for wrapping the advancing web around the tow, so that the wrapping material is wrapped around the filter material and closed at least partially on the web by the menthol patch;
A device comprising:   14. The apparatus of claim 13, comprising another dispensing device configured to dispense adhesive to form an adhesive patch on the continuous web of packaging material.   A method of using an applicator nozzle in a filter making machine to apply a menthol patch to a wrapping material to apply the at least one filter element to the wrapping material before the wrapping material is wrapped around the filter element and closed.

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