U.S. patent number 3,797,644 [Application Number 05/246,364] was granted by the patent office on 1974-03-19 for filter.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Aquafilter Corporation. Invention is credited to Herman L. Shaw.
United States Patent |
3,797,644 |
Shaw |
March 19, 1974 |
FILTER
Abstract
A cigarette holder-filter includes a cigarette receiving socket
at one end and a mouthpiece at the other end. The interior of the
holder includes a fibrous filtering material impregnated with
water. The ends of the holder are sealed in a manner both to
prolong substantially the shelf life of the unit and to enable the
holder to be filled fully with water. This is achieved by forming a
minute air-escape hole in the otherwise sealed mouthpiece end of
the filter to enable the interior of the filter to be filled fully
and excessively with water before the cigarette-receiving end is
sealed. The hole is small enough to minimize evaporation of the
water.
Inventors: |
Shaw; Herman L. (Miami Beach,
FL) |
Assignee: |
Aquafilter Corporation (Miami,
FL)
|
Family
ID: |
22930353 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/246,364 |
Filed: |
April 21, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/242;
53/471 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A24F
13/06 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A24F
13/00 (20060101); A24F 13/06 (20060101); B65d
079/00 (); B65b 003/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/41R ;53/37 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Summer; Leonard
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks
Claims
Having thus described the invention what I desire to claim and
secure by letters Patent is:
1. A cigarette holder construction comprising:
a casing having a mouthpiece end and a socket end adapted to
receive a cigarette tip;
a fluid impregnable fibrous mass disposed within said casing
between said ends;
a volume of fluid disposed within said casing, said volume of fluid
being greater than that which is required to impregnate fully said
fluid impregnable fibrous mass;
a removable cap for said cigarette end receiving socket adapted to
engage and seal said socket; and
a removable covering for said mouthpiece end comprising a film of
tearable plastic material, said film having a minute hole formed
therein in communication with the interior of said casing.
2. A cigarette holder as defined in claim 1 further comprising:
said pin hole being no greater than approximately 0.040 inches in
diameter.
3. A method of fabricating a cigarette holder as defined in claim 1
comprising:
filling said casing with said fluid impregnable mass;
dipping the mouthpiece end of said casing into said plastic
material to form said film defining said removable covering;
thereafter piercing said film to define a minute hole in
communication with the interior of said casing;
introducing said volume of liquid into said casing through the
socket end thereof to enable air within said casing to escape
through said pin hole; and
thereafter placing said cap in sealed engagement with said socket
end of said casing.
4. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein said pin hole is no
greater than approximately 0.040 inches in diameter.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to improvement in cigarette filtering
devices and particularly to those devices which are prepackaged
with a water impregnated fibrous material. Among the difficulties
which have been encountered with such devices is the tendency of
the water to evaporate which results in a relatively short shelf
life. Moreover, when substantial amounts of the water have
evaporated, the filter looses its efficiency. While these
difficulties may be overcome by employing a filter of the type
described in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,375,920 by providing a special
sealing arrangement to reduce materially the loss of water, the
sealing of one end of the filter device may occasionally cause
difficulty in filling of the device with water. Occasionally, the
filter may be filled with an insufficient amount of water. It is
among the primary objects of the invention to provide an improved
filter and technique for fabricating the filter which insures that
the fibrous filter material will be impregnated fully yet which
also provides substantially increased shelf life.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention resides in providing a minute pin hole in the seal at
the mouthpiece end of the device which enables air which might
ordinarily become entrapped in the filter, to escape through the
mouthpiece end when the filter is filled with water. Because there
are no entrapped air pockets, the interior of the filter may be
filled to saturate fully the fibrous plug and may even be filled
beyond this amount. After the filter is filled with water the
cigarette-receiving end is sealed. While the existence of the
minute pin hole may permit a relatively small amount of water to
evaporate and escape, the rate of any such escape is so
insignificant in relation to the amount of water within the filter
device as to still increase substantially the shelf life of the
filtering device.
It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved
water impregnated cigarette filtering device which has a
substantially extended shelf life.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved
cigarette filtering device and technique for manufacturing the
device which provides a high degree of reliability in impregnation
of the device with water while reducing the likelihood of
entrapping air within the filter.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention
will be understood more fully from the following detailed
description thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings
wherein:
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a cigarette filter of the type
described;
FIG. 2 is an illustration of the filter in section as seen along
the line 2--2 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is an end view of the sealed mouthpiece of the filter.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows, for example, one of a variety of disposable cigarette
filters of the type with which the invention may be employed. Such
filters are described generally in U.S. Pat. No. 3,137,303 and my
aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,375,920. These filters contain a
fibrous material preimpregnated with water. Generally, the filter
includes an elongated casing 10 formed from a plastic material. The
casing has a tapered mouthpiece 12 formed at one end and an annular
cigarette-receiving socket 14 at the other end. In the embodiment
shown, a cylindrical metal sleeve 16 having an outwardly flared lip
18 is fitted firmly into the cigarette receiving end of the casing
10, with the lip 18 engaging a lip 20 formed on the casing. The
sleeve 16 defines the cigarette receiving socket 14 and is
proportioned to receive a cigarette in a snug fit. A fibrous
material 21 is disposed within the casing rearwardly of the sleeve
16.
The completed filter is closed at its socket end with a cap 22
having a continuous sidewall 24 which is closed at the bottom by an
integral and continuous dome-like bottom 26. The upper edge of the
sidewall 24 is outwardly and arcuately flared to define a lip 28.
This lip 28 is spaced from the lip 18 on the sleeve 16 to define a
recess 30 of sufficient dimension to permit one to insert a
fingernail between these two lips for removal of the cap 22. The
cap is formed of a suitable substantially gas impervious plastic
material having sufficient flexibility and resilience to permit
insertion and removal of the cap with relative ease. For example,
polyethylene may be an appropriate plastic material.
The mouthpiece end 12 of the device is covered with a removable
covering 32 formed of a film of tearable plastic material. The
covering 32 may be formed by dipping the mouthpiece end of the
casing into a fluid plastic bath a sufficient distance to form the
film over the mouthpiece end to enclose fully the mouthpiece. An
appropriate material for the covering 32 should be non-toxic easily
tearable or removable from the mouthpiece end in ordinary use. For
example, the covering may be formed from a commercially available
material known as "Thermi Cote N4" which is principally a mixture
of cellulose acetate butyrate and dioctyl phthalate material.
In fabricating the filter, the fibrous material and sleeve 16 may
be inserted into the casing 10. The mouthpiece end of the casing 10
then is dipped into the plastic film forming material to form the
covering 32. After the covering film 32 has been formed but before
the water is introduced into the filter, a minute pin hole 34 is
formed through the covering 32 in communication with the internal
passage 36 within the mouthpiece 12. After the pin hole 34 has been
formed the casing may be filled to the desired extent with water.
There is no tendency for air to become entrapped in the filter as
the air may escape through the minute pin hole. As a result, it is
insured that a sufficient quantity of water will be received in the
device. After the device has been filled with water the cap 22 is
inserted into the sleeve 16 to seal effectively the interior of the
device. I have found that the single minute pin hole has no
noticeable adverse effect on the shelf life of the filter. In shelf
life tests which were conducted, there did not appear to be any
adverse effect on the quantity of water retained within the filter.
I have found that a pin hole approximately 0.030-0.040 inch
diameter gives quite satisfactory results.
When one of the filters embodying the above construction is used
the user unseals the ends and then blows through one end of the
holder to discharge the excess water contained therein. The
cigarette holder then is ready for use with the assurance that the
filter material is properly wetted.
It should be understood that the foregoing description of the
invention is intended merely to be illustrative thereof and that
other embodiments and modifications may be apparent to those
skilled in the art without departing from its spirit.
* * * * *