WO2002078472A1

WO2002078472A1 - Cigarette filter

Info

Publication number: WO2002078472A1
Application number: PCT/TR2002/000014
Authority: WO
Inventors: R. Mehmet Pekus
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-03-30
Filing date: 2002-03-29
Publication date: 2002-10-10
Anticipated expiration: 2003-09-30

Abstract

The adsorbing surfaces (2) placed in the cigarette filter (1) form a cooling surface for the smoke that is still warm. When the smoke contacts with the adsorbing surfaces (2) which are colder than itself, it is suddenly cooled and the toxic substances laden in the smoke in the form of a suspension, bind to the surface of said adsorbing surface (2), remain on them, thus their delivery to the respiratory tract is avoided.

Description

CIGARETTE FILTER

The present invention relates to the filters provided for the cigarettes in order to prevent the harmful substances contained in tobacco, from reaching the respiratory tract.

The cigarette smoke contains up to five hundred substances which are detrimental for the human health, in the form of a suspension; and said substances are inhaled and entrained with the smoke, to the respiratory system of the smoker. Among these harmful substances are, for instance, tar and the derivatives thereof, sulphur, various radio-active substances, and the like. The irritant effects of said substances lead to various pulmonary diseases, particularly to fatal health problems such as bronchial cancer generally known as the lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Taking the above mentioned facts into consideration, cigarettes are provided with filter-tips that adsorb said harmful substances, so that at least a part of these substances will be prevented from reaching the respiratory tract. All of the filters that are used for this purpose employ the mechanical filtration techniques. The particles of harmful substances are trapped on various fibrous or porous substances, mainly cellulose, while the cigarette smoke passes between the narrow spaces between the fibres or pores.

Whereas in the pipes used in the state of art, the smoke of tobacco leaving the bowl wherein the burning takes place, which is laden with harmful substances, passes through a shank joint before reaching the pipe-smoker.

Said shank joint comprises a metallic and generally aluminium tube that connects the parts. The tobacco smoke which comes into contact at a high temperature, with said metal, condenses when it contacts with said cold metal surface and leaves an important portion of the harmful substances it contains, on this metal tube. The tar or paste formed by the accumulation of the harmful substances on this metal part, has to be removed and wiped off.

The object of the present invention is to realize a filter that prevents the harmful, toxic substances present in the cigarette, from reaching the respiratory tract of the smoker.

The cigarette filter realized in order to attain the above mentioned object of the present invention, has been illustrated in the attached drawings; wherein:

Figure la, is the cross-sectional view of the cigarette filter with spherical absorbing surfaces;

Figure lb, is the cross-sectional view of the cigarette filter with absorbing surfaces in the form of stripes.

The components shown in the drawings have been separately enumerated as follows:

1. Filter

2. Adsorbing surface

The cigarette filter (1) according to the present invention comprises adsorbing surfaces (2), placed in a conventional cigarette filter element (1), whereby the warm cigarette smoke will get cooler and condense when it comes into contact with said surfaces, which form a base (substrate) for the harmful substances laden in said smoke. In this case, physical filtration is provided by means of the cigarette filter (1) according to the present invention. The adsorbing surfaces (2) placed in the cigarette filter (1) are preferably spherical metal particles with a diameter within a range of 0.5-1 mm (Figure la). Here, the reason for preferring a spherical form as a geometrical shape, is that the spheres have larger surface areas. Furthermore, particularly aluminium is used as the material of said adsorbing surfaces (2). Said adsorbing surfaces (2) are placed homogeneously into the filter (1). The metal particles used as adsorbing surfaces may be such structures as spheres, cubes, rectangular prisms, etc., as well as in the form of stripes placed along the filter (Fig. lb).

Said adsorbing surfaces (2) with a diameter of approximately 0.5. mm, which are placed into the cigarette filter (1), form a cooling surface for the smoke that is still warm. When the smoke contacts with the adsorbing surfaces (2) which are colder than itself, it is suddenly cooled and the toxic substances laden in the smoke in the form of a suspension, bind to the surface of said adsorbing surface (2) and remains on them, thus their delivery to the respiratory tract is avoided. In the experiments, it has been determined that said adsorbing surfaces (2) change colour due to macroscopic modification.

Claims

1. A cigarette filter (1) comprising adsorbing surfaces (2) that form a base (a substrate) whereby the cigarette smoke will be cooled and condensed upon its contact with said base and leave the harmful, toxic substances on it.

2. A cigarette filter (1) as defined in Claim 1, characterized with the adsorbing surfaces (2) that are placed homogeneously.

3. A cigarette filter (1) as defined in Claims 1 and 2, characterized with spherical absorbing surfaces (2).

4. A cigarette filter (1) as defined in Claims 1 to 3, characterized with absorbing surfaces in the form of stripes.

5. A cigarette filter (1) as defined in Claims 1 to 4, characterized with aluminium absorbing surfaces.