U.S. patent application number 15/205156 was filed with the patent office on 2017-02-16 for mint-based wrapper for smoking.
The applicant listed for this patent is Jose A. Fernandez, Paola Fernandez, Layth Samarah. Invention is credited to Jose A. Fernandez, Paola Fernandez, Layth Samarah.
Application Number | 20170042217 15/205156 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57994767 |
Filed Date | 2017-02-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170042217 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fernandez; Paola ; et
al. |
February 16, 2017 |
MINT-BASED WRAPPER FOR SMOKING
Abstract
The present invention provides a homogenized organic wrapping
sheet made from mint-based fiber pulp for smoking articles. The
wrapping sheet imparts distinctive properties to the smoking
article, including slow burning, and smooth, cool and pleasant
experience to smokers. Furthermore, the invention describes a
method to manufacture the homogenized wrapping paper and smoking
article.
Inventors: |
Fernandez; Paola; (Mayaguez,
PR) ; Samarah; Layth; (Murphy, TX) ;
Fernandez; Jose A.; (Mayaguez, PR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Fernandez; Paola
Samarah; Layth
Fernandez; Jose A. |
Mayaguez
Murphy
Mayaguez |
PR
TX
PR |
US
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57994767 |
Appl. No.: |
15/205156 |
Filed: |
July 8, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62204262 |
Aug 12, 2015 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D21B 1/063 20130101;
A24D 1/002 20130101; A24D 1/02 20130101; D21H 11/12 20130101; D21H
17/32 20130101; D21H 17/06 20130101; D21F 11/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A24D 1/02 20060101
A24D001/02; D21H 11/12 20060101 D21H011/12; D21F 11/00 20060101
D21F011/00; D21H 17/06 20060101 D21H017/06; D21B 1/06 20060101
D21B001/06; A24D 1/00 20060101 A24D001/00; D21H 17/32 20060101
D21H017/32 |
Claims
1. A homogenized sheet of organic wrapping paper, comprising: a
natural herbal mint pulp, a cellulose fiber, a methylcellulose, a
guar gum, and glycerol.
2. The homogenized sheet of organic wrapping paper of claim 1
comprises 60% of natural herbal mint pulp, 18% of cellulose fiber,
10% of methylcellulose, 10% of guar gum, and 2% of glycerol.
3. A homogenized sheet of wrapping paper having composition of
herbal mint pulp, binding agent, modifier and a thickening agent;
wherein the herbal mint in the product is in the range of
58.5%-61.5%.
4. The homogenized sheet of claim 3, wherein the herbal mint pulp
includes mint plants and/or their extracts.
5. The homogenized sheet of claim 3, wherein the binding agent in
the product is in the range of 17.5-18.5%.
6. The homogenized sheet of claim 3, wherein the thickening agent
can be naturally occurring substance and selected from the
cellulose derivative, a starch, a starch derivative, and plant
polysaccharides, or combination thereof.
7. The homogenized sheet of claim 3, wherein methylcellulose is
added in the range of 9.5-10.5% as thickner or moisture
preservative.
8. The homogenized sheet of claim 3, wherein a modifier is added to
the herbal mint pulp composition in the range of 1.5-2.5%.
9. The homogenized sheet of claim 3, wherein the modifier can be a
naturally occurring humectant substance and selected from the
glycerol, polyol, and sugar alcohols or combination thereof.
10. The homogenized sheet of claim 3, wherein the modifier is
glycerol.
11. The homogenized sheet of claim 3, wherein natural binding gum
is added and can be selected from guar gum, gellan gum, and xanthan
gum or combination thereof.
12. The homogenized sheet of claim 3, wherein guar gum is added in
the range of 9.5-10.5%.
13. A manufacturing method for preparing a homogenized sheet of
wrapping paper, comprising: triturating mint plant or parts
thereof; preparing a homogenized paste of the mint, solvent,
thickner, binding agent and modifier to form a composition; rolling
the composition through machine to prepare sheets; and cutting the
sheet to manufacture the wrapping paper for smoking articles.
14. The manufacturing method of claim 13, wherein the solvent is
selected from water, an organic solvent, and a mixture of water
and/or organic solvent.
15. The manufacturing method of claim 13, wherein the homogenized
sheet composition comprises powder mint obtained from plant
leaves.
16. The manufacturing method of claim 13, wherein the mint plant or
parts thereof are pressed between turning stones, disks or
combination thereof, to release fibers by mechanical force.
17. The manufacturing method of claim 13, wherein the powder mint
is subjected to pressure treatment, heat application, mechanical
agitation or combination thereof, to obtain the homogenized
composition.
18. The manufacturing method of claim 13, wherein the homogenized
composition is condensed on a manufacturing surface with
simultaneous application of pressure and heat to achieve uniform
thickness.
Description
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
[0001] This utility patent application is related to and claims
priority from pending U.S. Patent Application No. 62/204,262 filed
on Aug. 12, 2015 entitled Homogenized mint sheets made from mint to
create a wrapper, to common inventor Layth Samarah.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The invention generally relates to wrapping paper for
smoking.
BACKGROUND
Interpretation Considerations
[0003] This section describes technical field in detail and
discusses problems encountered in the technical field. Therefore,
statements in the section are not to be construed as prior art.
Discussion of Prior Art
[0004] The current papermaking process for smoking wrappers
comprises four main steps: pulp preparation, modulation,
papermaking, and finishing. Pulp preparation includes a collection
of non-wood fiber raw materials, including flax, hemp, sisal, rice
straw, and esparto and/or similar materials, and converting them
into pulp by a mechanical/chemical process. The pulp preparation
step separates useful fibers from rest of the raw materials. The
chemical process degrades the lignin and hemicellulose into small,
water soluble molecules, which can be further treated to yield
cellulose fibers without depolymerizing them. One drawback
associated with the chemical process includes residual solvent
impurities and derivatives that further degrade the final paper
quality and may produce undesirable compounds on combustion.
[0005] In the mechanical process, fibers are separated from each
other by mechanical energy applied to the raw material, which
causes the bonds between the fibers to break and gradually release
fiber bundles, single fibers, or fragments. The resultant mixture
of fibers and fiber fragments provides the pulp desired strength
and texture.
[0006] The second step in paper manufacturing is the modulation or
chemical treatment of pulp, which includes adding various chemical
compounds to obtain special characteristics (such as transparency,
color, porosity, and flavor) in the paper. Chemical additives such
as calcium carbonates are added to influence the permeability,
primary smoke dilution, and color of the paper. Magnesium
carbonates and titanium compounds are added to improve the ash
color. Sodium and potassium tartrate citrate are added as a
combustion regulator in cigarette paper during manufacturing.
Moreover, polyvinyl alcohols and their derivatives are used as
adhesives to enhance user experience. One limitation of the
currently available additives or flavoring chemicals is that the
chemical flavoring process increases operational complexity and
production cost. In addition, available synthetic flavoring
substances reduce the product's shelf life due to short storage
time and sublimation losses during processing pertaining to those
volatile components.
[0007] Paper making and finishing usually includes the screening of
resulting solution obtained after chemical treatment with the mesh
window, which is made from inert materials such as aluminum. The
mesh window is coated with the solution to obtain the desired
thickness and size. The excess of the water is removed using a
variety of methods, along with simultaneous pressure in a
controlled manner, to achieve a uniformly distributed sheet. The
sheet is further rolled to flatten and refine the surface finish
before undergoing the cutting process.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
[0008] For several years, various flavoring chemicals have been
used in wrapping paper. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,733,720 and
2,580,611, disclose variations in the papers to improve the burning
rate and modify ash characteristics, but such papers do not have a
significant effect on the reduction of undesirable constituents of
smoke. Also of note, the layered wrapping paper disclosed in U.S.
Pat. No. 3,395,714 has an inner layer made from a plastic sheet
material, which decreases the burning zone temperature and
lengthens the burning time, along with increase the release of
nicotine.
[0009] Multiple cigar papers have been suggested in the prior art.
For example, US Patent Publication 20030217757 describes a cigar
with a paper wrapper overlying tobacco filler, where the paper
wrapper is chemically flavored to create taste and flavor on the
tongue and palate of the user.
[0010] Chinese Patent 101450968B, entitled Cellulose Mint
Derivates, Preparation Method and Use Thereof, mentions a
cellulosic mint derivative used in tobacco sheets and cigarette
paper. The paper uses a low-volatile perfume precursor extracted
from chemical treatments for improving the side stream smoke. Such
precursor does not have the flavor or aroma until activation
conditions are met. Furthermore, the invention describes menthol
transformations that directly react with cellulose. Thus, there is
a need to manufacture wrapping paper from natural sources and
without any chemical pre-treatment.
[0011] Chinese Patent 101831836B describes a traditional Chinese
medicine paper prepared from mint, cassia, rose, chrysanthemum,
rhizoma atractylodis, Ligusticum wallichii, and galangal. The paper
is to be used as writing paper, drawing paper, or wrapping paper.
Furthermore, the paper manufacturing process uses the semi-chemical
pulping method for other ingredients. This medicinal paper when
combusted may produces mix-flavored fumes that can cure various
health conditions, but cause taste confusion among users. Moreover,
active compounds can cross-react with each other to produce
undesired flavors.
[0012] There is no smoking article wrapping paper that is
completely made from biodegradable and natural ingredients for
flavoring purpose. Other key challenges include production of
harmful compounds on combustion, taste confusion or dysgeusia,
cross-reactivity, residual solvent impurities due to chemical
treatment, operational complexity, production cost, and reduced
shelf life.
SUMMARY
[0013] The present invention describes a wrapping paper, and method
to manufacture organic wrapping paper from pulp.
[0014] The objective of the invention is to provide an organic
wrapping paper made from mint-based fiber pulp for rolling of
narcotic or herbal substance (tobacco) in smoking articles
including cigars, cigarettes, and cigarillo. The wrapping paper of
the present invention adds flavor to smoking articles during
consumption.
[0015] The wrapping paper is a homogenized mint sheet with pulp
containing, but not limited to, herbal mint (60%), cellulose fiber
(18%), methylcellulose (10%), guar gum (10%), and glycerol
(2%).
[0016] The method to manufacture wrapping paper consists of the
following sequential steps to achieve the desired flavored wrapping
paper: acquiring of mint leaves, grinding mint leaves into the
powdered form, adding powder into the mixture to obtain a paste of
water and binding agents, smearing the said paste on the heat plate
and allowing it to dry, sending the paste through rollers to form a
sheet, rolling sheet through machines rollers to acquire desired
thickness, and cutting the desired length to manufacture the
wrapping paper for smoking articles. Alternatively, the grinding
process can be augmented through various physical processes, which
include, but are not limited to, application of pressure, heat, and
magnetic waves.
[0017] In another embodiment, the wrapping paper for smoking
articles allows user to experience the mint flavor during
consumption and burns very slowly, coolly to offer pleasure and
enhanced taste of smoking article. Additionally, the present
invention reduces the risk of toxic substance exposure and smoking
substance addiction even after prolonged use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] Various aspects of the invention and its embodiment are
better understood by referring to the following detailed
description. To understand the invention, the detailed description
should be read in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary process flow for
manufacturing a wrapper paper according to the present
invention;
[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates a pulping system as an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates a homogenized wrapping sheet made from
mint-based fiber pulp for smoking articles;
[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates the embodiment of an exemplary smoking
article with a wrapper paper according to the present invention;
and
[0023] FIG. 5 illustrates the cross-sectional view of the smoking
article with a wrapper paper of FIG. 4 taken along line 4-1 and
4-2.
DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Interpretation Considerations
[0024] While reading this section (An Exemplary Embodiment, which
describes the exemplary embodiment of the best mode of the
invention, hereinafter referred to as "exemplary embodiment"), one
should consider the exemplary embodiment as the best mode for
practicing the invention during filing of the patent in accordance
with the inventor's belief. As a person with ordinary skills in the
art may recognize substantially equivalent structures or
substantially equivalent acts to achieve the same results in the
same manner, or in a dissimilar manner, the exemplary embodiment
should not be interpreted as limiting the invention to one
embodiment.
[0025] The discussion of a species (or a specific item) invokes the
genus (the class of items) to which the species belongs as well as
related species in this genus. Similarly, the recitation of a genus
invokes the species known in the art. Furthermore, as technology
develops, numerous additional alternatives to achieve an aspect of
the invention may arise. Such advances are incorporated within
their respective genus and should be recognized as being
functionally equivalent or structurally equivalent to the aspect
shown or described.
[0026] A function or an act should be interpreted as incorporating
all modes of performing the function or act, unless otherwise
explicitly stated. For instance, sheet drying may be performed
through dry or wet heat application, or by using microwaves.
Therefore, the use of the word "paper drying" invokes "dry heating"
or "wet heating" and all other modes of this word and similar words
such as "pressure heating".
[0027] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, conjunctive words (such
as "or", "and", "including", or "comprising") should be interpreted
in the inclusive and not the exclusive sense.
[0028] As will be understood by those of the ordinary skill in the
art, various structures and devices are depicted in the block
diagram to not obscure the invention. In the following discussion,
acts with similar names are performed in similar manners, unless
otherwise stated.
[0029] The foregoing discussions and definitions are provided for
clarification purposes and are not limiting. Words and phrases are
to be accorded their ordinary, plain meaning, unless indicated
otherwise.
Embodiment Discussion
[0030] The invention can be understood better by examining the
FIGS. 1 through 5, wherein FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary process
flow diagram for manufacturing a wrapper paper according to the
teachings of the invention. FIG. 2 illustrates a pulping system
according to the present invention and FIG. 3 illustrates a
homogenized wrapping sheet made from mint-based fiber pulp for
smoking articles.
[0031] In FIG. 1, a raw material obtained from natural resources is
processed using four steps--pulp preparation 128, modulation 126,
papermaking 124, and paper finishing 122--to manufacture the
wrapping paper for the smoking article. The composition of the
resultant wrapping paper contains herbal mint to impart a pleasant
aroma to the side-stream smoke during consumption. The herbal mint
paper, as per disclosure, is a mint-based wrapping paper that burns
more slowly, coolly, and smoothly than existing papers, and reduces
the risk of harmful chemicals.
Pulp Preparation
[0032] The pulp preparation step includes a harvesting of non-wood
fiber raw materials 102 and grinding them into pulp 104 by
mechanical processes. The Pulp preparation step separates useful
fibers from the rest of the raw materials. In the mechanical
pulping process, fibers are separated from each other by mechanical
energy applied to the raw material, which causes the bonds between
the fibers to break and gradually release fiber bundles, single
fibers, or fragments. The resultant mixture of fibers and fiber
fragments provides the pulp desired strength and texture. Moreover,
it enhances resistance to ageing and discoloration.
[0033] The mechanical process can be a simple mechanical pulping
method, such as groundwood pulping (GW), pressure groundwood
pulping (PGW), or hybrid mechanical pulping, which combines two
principles such as thermo-mechanical pulping (TMP) or
chemi-thermo-mechanical pulping (CTMP), to treat raw materials. The
mechanical process yields high amount of cellulose and retains
larger proportion of lignin due to relatively less chemical
requirement and higher bond strength; this results in better
optical and surface properties of the paper. Furthermore, uniform
application of mechanical energy equally distributes the fiber
quantity and yields homogenized sheets that are biodegradable and
do not contain any chemical premixes. In a preferred embodiment of
this invention, the pulp is prepared using GW, refiner pulp method,
or a combination, where the raw material is pressed between either
turning stones or disks to release fibers.
[0034] The pulping process starts with the raw material or crop
harvesting using a pulping system 200 as shown in FIG. 2, where the
mint plants are debarked and processed to segregate the various
parts with a harvester 204, i.e. leaves, stem, or roots, and stored
in a storage device 202. Alternatively, the mint plants are dried
under direct sunlight, in shade, or in an artificial environment to
remove the water content. The segregated raw material is further
automatically transported to grinders 206 with the conveyor.
Grinders convert the raw material into chips and dry powder. In an
alternative embodiment of this invention, grinders are operatively
connected to the control unit 214, which regulates the various
parameters of the raw material, including physical size and
diameter. In one embodiment, the dried mint is crushed to a
particular granular size suitable for paper manufacturing. From the
appearance viewpoint, the particle size of the powder should be
small enough, so that it does not create any visible or functional
malfunction in the paper structure during consumption or lead to
undesired user experience. Other components of the pulping system
as described above include the power source, user handles, and
operation interface.
[0035] Powder obtained from the grinder 206 is transported to the
screening station 208, where a batch of the powder is passed
through a sieve to obtain the uniform size of the raw material. The
process removes impurities from the powder and carries it to a
separate collection chamber 212. In the alternative embodiment, the
powder may undergo various processes, including, but not limited
to, dissolving, cooking, and repeated washing, in a predefined
sequence or random sequential manner to obtain cellulose. The
processed powder is finally stored in the pulp tank 210.
[0036] In the alternative embodiment of this invention, mint
including flavoring mint is harvested from other plants belonging
to genus Mentha and accounts for 58.5-61.5% of the composition.
Moreover, the mint obtained from the plant can be harvested from
alternative sites on the plant such as root, stem, and flower.
Harvested mint raw material is processed to extract natural
aromatic compounds, including, but not limited to, menthol,
menthone, and menthyl acetate, along with the fibers. In other
embodiments of this invention, the mint raw material is combined
with other thin and lightweight non-wood rag plant fibers such as
flax, hemp, sisal, rice straw, and esparto.
Modulation
[0037] The second step in manufacturing wrapping paper is the
modulation of pulp, which includes the addition of various
compounds to obtain special characteristics in the paper. Such
characteristics include, but are not limited to, transparency,
color, porosity, and flavor of the paper. Pulp powder from pulp
tank 210 is further added with suitable solvents, thickner, binding
agents, and modifier to prepare a homogenized mixture or paper
stock.
[0038] The solvent is utilized to increase the solubility of lignin
and hemicellulose present in the powder. Solvents used in the
preferred embodiment according to the invention include water,
which breaks down the cellulose structure by hydrolytic cleavage of
alpha aryl-ether links into fragments that are soluble in the
solvent system. In alternative embodiments, the solvent may include
solvents such as acetone, methanol, ethanol, butanol, ethylene
glycol, formic acid, and acetic acid, in combination with water and
suitable proportion. In alternative embodiment, the solvent is made
up of a mixture of water and organic solvent selected from any of
the above and concentration ranges from 40% to 80%.
[0039] Thickening agents are used as additional raw materials for
base `papers` and help in the binding of fibers. They improve the
surface properties, thickness and resistance to aging. They are
natural or synthetic products such as starch, starch derivative, or
plant polysaccharides and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), which is
used to improve water retention and rheology of the coating.
Natural thickeners are used to reduce the production cost. In
preferred embodiments, Natural thickners such as methylcellulose
thicken the solution, and also allows the paper to retain more
moisture than others. This eases the process of rolling of smoking
article by user. The proportion of thickening agent is in the
proportion of 10%.
[0040] Binding substances improve sheet formation and folding, and
provide denser surface for printing. The hydroxyl structure in the
binders forms cross-linkages, which gives high viscosity and
improves adhesiveness of fibers in the paper. Natural gum
substances (such as guar gum, gellan gum, and xanthan gum) or other
resin compounds are used as binders. Natural gum creates a fast and
strong bond due to high solubility while user is finishing rolling
by licking the paper to create a seal. Guar gum and Methylcellulose
quickly react with saliva and forms the strong bond that retains
the moisture. In preferred embodiment, gaur gum is added to the
paper stock or mixture in the proportion of up to 10%.
[0041] Other natural occurring substances are added to the mixture
to modify ignition properties; such compounds include, but are not
limited to humectants, coloring agents and flame retardants.
Compounds such as glycerol, polyol, sugar alcohols, or their
mixtures control combustion to prolong the smoking article
consumption period. Additionally, glycerol not only acts as a
humectant/freshener but also as a stable smoke thickener, similar
to electronic cigarettes, where it creates a very thick white smoke
on combustion. In preferred embodiment of this invention, the
modifier substance glycerol in the proportion of 2% is used to
modify the ignition properties.
[0042] Mixture homogenization is a common treatment method in the
paper manufacturing process. Homogenization improves
microstructural stability and the texture of wrapping paper due to
increased strength of the fiber network. According to one aspect of
the invention, the mixture in the pulp tank is subjected to
pressure treatment, heat application, or mechanical agitation, or
their combination to obtain the homogenized solution. Furthermore,
the homogenization process can be controlled in alternative
embodiments by modifying the process parameters such as pressure,
hold time, agitator speed, mixture volume, or additive compounds by
a control unit 214 to obtain the wrapping paper with desired
characteristics. Thus, a mint wrapping paper that burns slowly,
coolly, and smoothly is obtained by homogenization of mixture 112
in the pulp tank.
[0043] In the alternative embodiment, the compositions can be
modified to safe and effective amounts as required and are not
limited to any specific limits. In the preferred embodiment, the
quantity of herbal mint is in the range of 58.5-61.5%, cellulose
fiber 17.5-18.5%, methylcellulose 9.5-10.5%, guar gum in 9.5-10.5%,
and glycerol 1.5-2.5%. Furthermore, the herbal mint is derived
from, but is not limited to, leaves of the plant such as stem,
root, as well as flavor paper.
Papermaking Process
[0044] The papermaking step involves manufacturing continuous
uniform sheets from homogenized mixture of paper stock obtained
from the above step. The papermaking system comprises three main
functional sections that form a base sheet, smears the base sheet
114, and dries the paper sheet 116. In the first section, the
system components agitate the homogenized mixture to prevent
clumping. The mixture is continuously spread or passed through the
rollers on a manufacturing surface at high speed using a dispensing
head or headbox. The manufacturing surface may include, but is not
limited to, screen mesh, forming screen, and plate. The homogenized
mixture is further condensed on the manufacturing surface prior to
base sheet formation. The condensed base sheet is processed at
desired parameters without damaging the fibers. The process
parameters, which include pressure, temperature, pH, and surface
patterns, are controlled by a separate control unit 214 operatively
connected to the system. Pressure is commonly applied to the
mixture during condensation and sheet formation. The pressure
applied allows the fiber to be anisotropic in the plane, i.e.,
fibers in the machine direction, which further improves tensile
strength, dimension stability, and rigidity.
[0045] After condensing and processing the base sheet as per
desired parameters, the resulting paper sheet is dried 116 in the
corresponding section to achieve uniform thickness. The paper sheet
is dried using various methods such as simple air drying, vacuum
drying, or thermal drying. These methods accelerate water
evaporation by air circulation, decreasing atmospheric pressure, or
increasing temperature, respectively. Thermal methods utilize hot
air at 105.degree. C., wet air up to 60.degree. C., or microwaves
sources to increase the temperature.
[0046] In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the mixture is
passed through the rollers on a plane plate manufacturing surface.
Furthermore, the mixture is condensed at the desired pressure to
achieve uniform thickness, and is heated either continuously or
intermittently to remove water content from the homogenized mixture
or paper stock.
Paper Finishing
[0047] After the drying process, the paper sheet 306 is
automatically transported to the reeling device, which wounds the
paper sheet and is used to smoothen it 118. In the other aspect of
the invention, the paper is coated with color pattern 302,
adhesives, or binding agents, or adhesive area 304 to improve its
surface texture. Moreover, the finishing process improves the
printing suitability of the paper. Reeled sheets are further cut at
desired lengths to yield wrapping paper for smoking articles.
Alternatively, the reeled paper can be pulled out and cut at
required lengths 120 during consumption. Thus, the paper
manufactured from this method is 100% biodegradable and
inexpensive, and contains no harmful chemicals, which allows a
smoker to taste what they are smoking. Additionally, the flavored
and homogenized wrapping paper manufactured using this method is
made from natural mint plant source and does not expose users to
toxic effects or addiction risk.
Manufacturing Smoking Article from Homogenized Mint Wrapping
Paper
[0048] FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrates the embodiment of an exemplary
smoking article with a wrapper paper and its cross sectional view
along line 4-1 and 4-2. FIG. 4 shows a smoking article 400, such as
cigarette and cigar, according to the present invention. On cross
sectional view as shown in FIG. 5, the smoking article with a
wrapping paper 504 consists of a smoking substance 506 disposed in
the central position. According to the scope of the invention, the
smoking substance 506 may consist of narcotic or herbal substance
such as tobacco, synthetic chemicals and their derivatives, or
medicinal plants or combination. The smoking article is prepared by
selecting the homogenized mint wrapping paper of desired thickness
and size; thereafter, the wrapping paper is rolled to make empty
tubes and the smoking substance is placed in the center of the
tube; finally, the tube is closed at an adhesive end 502 to
manufacture the smoking article. However, in its broader aspects,
the invention is not limited to specific smoking compositions,
articles, and methods described, but different compositions,
articles, and methods fall within the scope of the invention. The
present invention describes how a manufacturing method can be
modified to include printing the empty tubes, addition of at least
one filter 402 on the smoking article (including the additional
tube completely or partially to smoking article), breaching the
surface texture 404, and patterning the surface of the wrapping
paper 408.
[0049] In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the smoking
article is manufactured by disposing the smoking substance in the
central position and positioning the wrapping paper, as covered
under the scope of this invention, in such a way that it is
substantially around and overlies the smoking substance.
[0050] The nature of the present invention will be clear from the
following examples, which, although specific, are merely
illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the
invention, except as such limitation may appear in the claims.
EXAMPLE 1
[0051] The homogenized pulp mixture is prepared from the following
ingredients:
[0052] Herbal mint leaves--60%
[0053] Cellulose fiber--18%
[0054] Methylcellulose--10%
[0055] Guar gum--10%
[0056] Glycerol--2%
[0057] The herbal mint is harvested from the leaves of the plant
and dried to remove water from them. Using a grinder, the leaves
are powdered to granular form. The mint powder is added to the
water solution (which acts as a solvent), methylcellulose (acts as
a thickening agent), gaur gum (binding agent), and glycerol
(modifier and humectant) to prepare the homogenized mixture.
[0058] The mixture is passed through machine rollers to form a base
sheet with the desired thickness, and the said base sheet is dried
on a heat plate to obtain the paper sheet. Thereafter, the paper
sheet is cut into the desired length to manufacture the wrapping
paper for smoking articles.
EXAMPLE 2
[0059] The homogenized pulp mixture is prepared from the following
ingredients:
[0060] Flavoring agent from a plant belonging to genus Mentha and
contributing 58.5-61.5% to the composition; it enhances the flavor
of the side smoke in the smoking article during consumption.
[0061] Cellulose fiber sourced from any fibrous leaf in the range
of 17.5-18.5; it binds fiber with glue to reduce combustion
speed.
[0062] Naturally occurring fiber thickening agent in the range of
9.5-10.5%; it binds fibers to hold paper.
[0063] Naturally occurring binding substances in the range of
9.5-10.5%; they provide strength and slow combustion.
[0064] Naturally occurring modifier and humectant substance in the
range of 1.5-2.5%; it controls the combustion properties.
[0065] The flavoring agent is harvested from the leaves, roots, and
stems, and dried in shadow places to yield higher amount of mint.
The dried mint is powered by the mechanical pulping apparatus. The
mixture is added with the water solution and other ingredients as
mentioned above to prepare a homogenized paste.
[0066] The mixture is smeared uniformly on the hot plate, and the
sheet is obtained by water condensation. The sheet is further
processed into rollers and cut into the desired shape and
length.
EXAMPLE 3
[0067] Sample smoking cigarettes were prepared from mint-flavored
wrapping paper containing the following composition:
[0068] Mint flavor extracted from dried leaves, and contains
menthol, menthone, and menthyl acetate--60%
[0069] Cellulose fiber from tobacco plant--18%
[0070] Starch as natural thickening agent--10%
[0071] Natural gum as binder--10%
[0072] Natural sugar alcohols as modifiers and humectant--2%
[0073] The above ingredients are mixed in a solvent to obtain a
homogenized mixture, which is further spread on the hot plate. The
base sheet is prepared after condensing the mixture and dry
heating. The sheet is cut into the desired shape and length for the
smoking substance. The sheet is printed on the external surface and
a filtering means is added at one end.
[0074] The invention discloses a homogenized mint wrapping paper,
different compositions for the paper, and a method for
manufacturing the paper that provide the advantages mentioned
above. Although the invention has been described and illustrated
with specific illustrative embodiments, it is not intended that the
invention be limited to those illustrative embodiments. Those
skilled in the art will recognize that variations and modifications
can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Therefore, it is intended to include within the invention, all such
variations and departures that fall within the scope of the
appended claims and equivalents thereof.
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