U.S. patent application number 10/909398 was filed with the patent office on 2005-01-06 for cigarette.
Invention is credited to Nagao, Atsushi, Tarora, Masafumi, Yamada, Yoshiyuki.
Application Number | 20050000533 10/909398 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27677827 |
Filed Date | 2005-01-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050000533 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yamada, Yoshiyuki ; et
al. |
January 6, 2005 |
Cigarette
Abstract
A cigarette includes a tobacco portion having cut tobacco
wrapped with a cigarette paper sheet into a rod shape. The cut
tobacco has a cut width of 1.2 mm or more. Projections having a
height which corresponds to 1/3 or more of the thickness of the
cigarette paper sheet are formed from the inner surface of the
sheet in array partially or entirely on the surface of the
cigarette paper sheet, and the sheet is arranged with the
projections directed towards the cut tobacco side.
Inventors: |
Yamada, Yoshiyuki;
(Yokohama-shi, JP) ; Tarora, Masafumi;
(Yokohama-shi, JP) ; Nagao, Atsushi;
(Yokohama-shi, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Family ID: |
27677827 |
Appl. No.: |
10/909398 |
Filed: |
August 3, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10909398 |
Aug 3, 2004 |
|
|
|
PCT/JP03/01016 |
Jan 31, 2003 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
131/365 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A24D 1/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
131/365 |
International
Class: |
A24D 001/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 4, 2002 |
JP |
2002-026943 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A cigarette comprising a tobacco portion having cut tobacco
wrapped with a cigarette paper sheet into a rod shape, the cut
tobacco having a cut width of 1.2 mm or more, projections having a
height which corresponds to 1/3 or more of the thickness of the
cigarette paper sheet being formed from the inner surface of the
sheet in array partially or entirely on the surface of the
cigarette paper sheet, the sheet being arranged with the
projections directed towards the cut tobacco side.
2. The cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the cut tobacco has
a cut width of 2.0 mm or more.
3. The cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the cut tobacco has
a cut width of up to 3.0 mm.
4. The cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the projections have
a height of up to 10 times the thickness of the cigarette paper
sheet.
5. The cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the cigarette paper
sheet has a thickness of 10 to 50 .mu.m.
6. The cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the projections each
have a truncated conical shape.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a Continuation Application of PCT Application No.
PCT/JP03/01016, filed Jan. 31, 2003, which was published under PCT
Article 21(2) in Japanese.
[0002] This application is based upon and claims the benefit of
priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-026943,
filed Feb. 4, 2002, the entire contents of which are incorporated
herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The present invention relates to a cigarette, and more
specifically to a cigarette whose tobacco mainstream smoke is
reduced in carbon monoxide amount.
[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0006] Nowadays, various requirements are posed on cigarettes. One
of such requirements is to reduce the amount of carbon monoxide in
the mainstream smoke.
[0007] Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-99067 (Japanese
Patent No. 3206885), which was filed by the applicant of the
present invention, discloses that when cut tobacco is wrapped with
an embossed cigarette paper sheet, not only the falling off of cut
tobacco from the tip end of the cigarette can be prevented, but
also the mass ratio of carbon monoxide to tar (CO/T ratio) in the
mainstream smoke can be reduced.
[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette
which can further reduce the amount of carbon monoxide in the
tobacco mainstream smoke, thereby achieving a further low CO/T
ratio.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In an attempt to achieve the above-described object, the
inventors of the present invention have conducted studies in detail
on embossing made on cigarette paper sheet. As a result, they have
found that the above-described object can be achieved by embossing
cigarette paper so as to have a certain depth or more and by
setting a cut width of cutting tobacco used at a certain width or
more. The present invention is based on this finding.
[0010] Thus, according to the present invention, there is provided
a cigarette comprising a tobacco portion having cut tobacco wrapped
with a cigarette paper sheet into a rod shape, the cut tobacco
having a cut width of 1.2 mm or more, projections having a height
which corresponds to 1/3 or more of the thickness of the cigarette
paper sheet being formed from the inner surface of the sheet in
array partially or entirely on the surface of the cigarette paper
sheet, the sheet being arranged with the projections directed
towards the cut tobacco side.
[0011] In the present invention, it is preferable that the cut
tobacco has a cut width of 2.0 mm or more.
[0012] In the present invention, the cigarette paper usually has a
thickness of 10 to 50 .mu.m.
[0013] Further, in the present invention, the projections may each
have a truncated conical shape.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0014] FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing a cigarette
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2A is a plan view showing an example of a embossed
cigarette paper sheet used in the present invention; and
[0016] FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along the line IIB-IIB of
the cigarette paper sheet shown in FIG. 2A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The present invention will now be described in more
detail.
[0018] The cigarette of the present invention includes a tobacco
portion having cut tobacco wrapped with a cigarette paper sheet
into a rod shape. In the present invention, the cut tobacco has a
predetermined width, whereas the cigarette paper sheet has
projections formed in array from its inner surface side to have a
predetermined height. The cigarette paper sheet is disposed such
that the projections are directed towards the cut tobacco side.
[0019] FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view schematically showing a
portion of a cigarette according to an embodiment of the present
invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a cigarette 10 includes a cut
tobacco rod 12 in which cut tobacco is filled into a columnar
shape, and the circumference of the rod is wrapped with a cigarette
paper sheet 13, thus constituting a tobacco portion 11.
[0020] In the present invention, the cut tobacco pieces
constituting the cut tobacco rod 12 have a cut width of 1.2 mm or
more. When the cut width is less than 1.2 mm, the effect of
reducing carbon monoxide in the mainstream smoke cannot be
sufficiently obtained even if such cut tobacco is combined with the
cigarette paper of the present invention, which will be later
described. It is more preferable that the width of the cut tobacco
pieces is 2.0 mm or more. In the present invention, the width of
the cut tobacco pieces is usually up to 3.0 mm. It should be noted
that the cut tobacco having such a width can be obtained by a
conventionally known method (See, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln.
KOKAI Publication No. 2000-224978).
[0021] The cigarette paper sheet 13 wrapping the cut tobacco rod 12
has projections 13a formed in array in its inner surface, the
projection having a height corresponding to 1/3 or more of the
thickness of the cigarette paper sheet 13. The projections 13a are
directed towards the cut tobacco rod 12 side. If the height of the
projections taken from the inner surface of the cigarette paper
sheet is less than 1/3 of the thickness of the sheet, the effect of
reducing carbon monoxide in the mainstream smoke cannot be
sufficiently obtained even if such cigarette paper is combined with
the cut tobacco pieces having a width of 1.2 mm or more. In the
present invention the height of the projections 13a is usually not
more than 10 times the thickness of the cigarette paper sheet. The
projections 13a in the cigarette paper sheet 13 are formed usually
by an embossing process in which the sheet is embossed with use of
means such as a knurl member. It is preferable that the embossing
provides a pattern of lattice of recesses (grooves).
[0022] The cigarette paper to be embossed by the present invention
is the one that is generally used for cigarettes. Such cigarette
paper can have a basis weight of 15 to 60 g/m.sup.2, and it can
contain a filler such as calcium carbonate in an amount of 0 to 60%
by mass and a burn aid such as sodium citrate in an amount of 0 to
10% by mass. The thickness of the cigarette paper is usually 30 to
50 .mu.m. The cigarette paper can have an air permeability of 0 to
100 CORESTA Unit (C.U.) before embossing, while it can have an air
permeability of 0 to 200 C.U. after the embossing.
[0023] Needless to say, a cigarette according to the present
invention may have a filter, usually used for ordinary cigarettes,
attached to the proximal end of the tobacco portion using tipping
paper.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a part of an inner surface of
the embossed cigarette paper sheet 13, and FIG. 2B is a cross
sectional view taken along the line IIB-IIB in FIG. 2A. Both
FIGURES show enlarged views.
[0025] The emboss applied on the cigarette paper sheet 13 shown in
FIG. 2 is a rectangular lattice (a square lattice or rectangular
lattice) pattern of grooves having substantially the same shape,
and the pattern is formed entirely on the paper sheet 13 except for
the lapping portions used for gluing.
[0026] In FIGS. 2A and 2B there are shown grooves 131-a1 to 131-a4
having an inverted trapezoidal shape in cross-section, which extend
in parallel with each other in right and left directions of the
FIGURE (to be referred to as "lateral" direction hereinafter, which
may correspond to the longitudinal axis direction of the
cigarette), and grooves 131-b1 to 131-b6 having an inverted
trapezoidal shape in cross-section, which extend in parallel with
each other in a direction orthogonal to the above grooves (to be
also referred to as "orthogonal" direction hereinafter). Each of
the rectangular regions in plan defined by the grooves 131-a1 to
131-a4 and the grooves 131-b1 to 131-b6 constitutes,
three-dimensionally, a projection 132 (which corresponds to a
projection 13a in FIG. 1) projecting in the form of tetragonal
prismoid. The top surface of the tetragonal prismoid has a flat
rectangular shape. The cigarette paper sheet 13 is wrapped around
the cut tobacco rod 12 shown in FIG. 1 such that the rectangular
top surfaces of the prismoid are abutted against the tobacco
rod.
[0027] Next, preferable sizes of the embossing pattern will now be
described together with the thickness of the cigarette paper sheet
13. The preferable sizes fall within the following ranges where, as
shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, A and A' represent the length of the
substantially rectangular top surface of the projection 132 in the
orthogonal direction and in the lateral direction, respectively; B
and B' represent the length taken from the base of the projection
312 to the edge of the rectangular top surface in the orthogonal
direction and in the lateral direction, respectively; C and C'
represent the width of the bottom portion of the groove extending
in the lateral direction and in the orthogonal direction,
respectively; D is defined as an emboss pitch in the orthogonal
direction (A+2B+C); D' is defined as an emboss pitch in the lateral
direction (A'+2B'+C'); E represents the depth of each groove (which
is also the height of the projection 132 or the emboss depth ED);
and F represents the thickness of the cigarette paper sheet 13
(before being embossed):
[0028] A and A': each 5 to 1000 .mu.m (preferably, each 5 to 400
'm)
[0029] B and B': each 10 to 500 .mu.m (preferably, each 10 to 200
.mu.m)
[0030] C and C': each 0 to 400 .mu.m (preferably, each 200 to 300
.mu.m)
[0031] E: 10 to 300 .mu.m (preferably, each 40 to 150 .mu.m)
[0032] F: 10 to 50 .mu.m (preferably, each 25 to 40 .mu.m).
[0033] It should be noted that the emboss depth can be measured
using a probe type three-dimensional surface roughness measurement
instrument (for example, SE-3AK of Kosaka Laboratory Ltd.).
[0034] Each embossed dot shown in FIG. 2 has a shape of tetragonal
prismoid; however, the present invention is not limited thereto.
For example, emboss dots having conical shapes (including pyramids
and circular cones) and truncated conical shapes other than a
tetragonal prismoid (for examples, a prismoid other than a
tetragonal prismoid, such as a trigonal or pentagonal prismoid, and
a circular truncated cone) can be used. Of these, emboss dots
having a shape of a truncated cone (prismoid and circular truncated
cone) are preferable, and emboss dots having a tetragonal
prismoidal shape is particularly preferable.
[0035] The cigarette of the present invention employs cut tobacco
having the predetermined width and, at the same time, a cigarette
paper sheet that has been specifically embossed. Thus, the amount
of carbon monoxide in the mainstream smoke is synergistically
reduced, and accordingly, the CO/T ratio is synergistically
reduced.
[0036] The present invention will now be descried in detail by way
of Examples; however, the present invention should not be limited
thereto.
EXAMPLES
[0037] Cigarettes having a structure similar to that of an ordinary
filter-tipped cigarette (diameter: 8 mm, length of tobacco rod: 59
mm, length of filter: 25 mm) were prepared using the cut tobacco
and cigarette paper sheets that had the specifications described
below. Tipping paper was attached to the proximal end portion of
each of the cigarettes prepared, and thus cigarette samples listed
in TABLE 1 below were prepared. Five cigarette samples were
prepared for each cigarette specification.
[0038] <Cut Tobacco>
[0039] Tar value: 5 mg per cigarette
[0040] Width of cut piece: 0.8 mm or 2 mm
[0041] <Cigarette Paper A (Not Embossed)>
[0042] Basis weight: 22 g/m.sup.2
[0043] Filler: calcium carbonate
[0044] Amount of filler used: 28% by mass
[0045] Burn aid: sodium citrate
[0046] Amount of burn aid added: 1% by mass
[0047] Thickness: 32 .mu.m
[0048] Air permeability: 24 C.U.
[0049] <Cigarette Paper B (Embossed)>
[0050] Basis weight: 22 g/m.sup.2
[0051] Filler: calcium carbonate
[0052] Amount of filler used: 28% by mass
[0053] Burn aid: sodium citrate
[0054] Amount of burn aid added: 1% by mass
[0055] Thickness: 32 .mu.m
[0056] Emboss pitch: 0.64 mm
[0057] Emboss depth: 85 .mu.m
[0058] Emboss shape: tetragonal prismoid
[0059] Emboss dot width (corresponding to A+2B in FIG. 2): 0.4
mm
[0060] Air permeability: 80 C.U.
[0061] Wrapping state: wrapping with the projections on cut tobacco
side
[0062] Each of the cigarette samples was placed vertically on a
smoking device (RGC system R26 of Borgwaldt Co.) and ignited at its
distal end. Each sample was statically burned until its char line
reaches a point 5 mm away from the distal end of the tipping paper
and at that point each sample was puffed one time (puffing time: 2
seconds; puffed volume 35 mL), in order to eliminate the effects of
dilution and diffusion from the cigarette paper sheet. The
mainstream smoke was collected in a gas bag (Tedler bag of Supelco
Co.). The collected mainstream smoke was subjected to a gas
chromatography (Micro GC M200H of Agilient Co.) to measure the
amount of carbon monoxide (CO). The results are shown also in TABLE
1 below.
1TABLE 1 CO amount in the mainstream smoke of each cigarette sample
Width CO amount of cut CO amount reduction Cigarette tobacco
(average) rate paper pieces (mg/puff) (average) Remarks Cigarette
0.8 mm 2.010 Reference Control paper A Cigarette 2 mm 1.735 14%
Comparative paper A Example Cigarette 0.8 mm 1.700 15% Comparative
paper B Example Cigarette 2 mm 1.182 41% Invention paper B
[0063] As can be seen from FIG. 1, even merely when the width of
the cut tobacco pieces employed was set to 1.2 mm or more, or
merely when the cigarette paper sheet was subjected to the
embossing process, the amount of CO generated was reduced by about
15%. However, when these conditions are combined together, the
amount of CO could be cut down even by 41%. From these results, it
is clear that when the cut tobacco having the predetermined cut
width and the cigarette paper sheet that has been subjected to the
specified embossing, which are defined by the present invention,
are used in combination, the above-described synergistic effect can
be achieved.
[0064] As described above, according to the present invention,
there is provided a cigarette that produces a further less amount
of carbon monoxide in its tobacco mainstream smoke.
* * * * *