FILTER FOR CIGARETTE PRODUCT AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME

FILTRE POUR CIGARETTE, ET METHODE DE PRODUCTION CONNEXE

English Abstract

UNITED STATES PATENT APPLICATION
of
Kurt A. Manecke
for
FILTER FOR A CIGARETTE PRODUCT AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A filter for a cigarette product has a cylindrical
filter plug or element surrounded by a filter wrapping
material. The overlapping edges of the filter wrap are secured
together by a line of adhesive along and between the overlapping
edges. The filter wrap is anchored to the filter plug by
another line of adhesive between the filter wrap and filter plug
superimposed with the line of adhesive securing the overlapping
edges of the filter wrap.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A filter for a cigarette product, comprising:
a cylindrical filter plug;
a filter wrap surrounding the circumference of said
filter plug and having overlapped edges defining the seam of
said filter wrap;
a first line of adhesive disposed between and securing
the overlapped edges of said filter wrap together; and,
a second line of adhesive disposed between said filter
wrap and said filter plug in superimposed relationship to said
first line of adhesive and anchoring said filter wrap to said
filter plug.
2. The filter of claim 1, wherein said filter wrap is
porous.
3. The filter of claim 1, wherein:
said first line of adhesive is a hot melt adhesive;
and,
said second line of adhesive is a hot melt adhesive.
4. A method of making a cylindrical filter for a cigarette
product comprising the steps of:
applying spaced parallel lines of adhesive along
opposite longitudinal portions of and to the same surface of a
web of filter wrap material having a width slightly greater than
the circumference of the cylindrical filter;
adding a cylindrical filter plug to the web of filter
wrap material so that the surface of the web having said
adhesive lines is contiguous to the cylindrical filter plug;
and,
forming the web of filter wrap around the filter plug
and overlapping the longitudinal edges of the web whereby one of
said lines of adhesive is disposed between the overlapping

longitudinal edges of the web of filter wrap securing the
overlapping longitudinal edges of the web of filter wrap
securing the overlapping edges together and the other line of
adhesive is disposed between the web of filter wrap and the
filter plug superimposed with the first line of adhesive thereby
anchoring the filter wrap to the filter plug.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the distance between the
parallel lines of adhesive are preselected so that in a wrapped
condition the adhesive lines are superimposed in relation to
each other.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein one of the parallel lines
of adhesive is applied substantially along one of the
longitudinal edges of said filter wrap.

Description

1176940
E~CKGROUND OF THE INV~NTION
(A) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cigarette products,
and more particularly to a filter for a ciqarette product and a
method for making the filter.
(B) Descri~tion of the Prior A~t
When filter cigarettes were first introduced, it was a
common and acceptable practice to wrap the filter tow or plug
with a non-porous wrapper. The wrapper was held in place or
attached to the filter plug by a line of adhesive. However,
with the advent of a porous filter plug wrap, it was found that
the adhesive anchoring of the porous plug wrap to the filter
plug would penetrate the po~ous wrap causing an adhesive
build-up in critical areas of the filter rod making machines.
This resulted in a substantial amount of down-time to
periodically clean the filter rod making machines. In addition,
as adhesive build-up occurred, the quality of the manufacture of
filter rods was adversely affected. To solve this problem, the
line of adhesive for anchoring the porous filter wrap to the
filter plug was eliminated. However, due to the elimination of
the anchoring line of adhesive, it has become common to
experience filter cigarettes wherein the filter plug has moved
relative to the filter wrap and is recessed into the filter
wrap.
In recent yea~s, it has been suggested that a film
forming substance be first applied to the filter wrap at a
location OI locations therealong coinciding with a region
regions at which adhesives are to be applied to create an
impervious bar~ier to the adhesive. Two patents which relate to
the present problem are U.S. Patent No. 4,036,114 and U.S.
Patent ~o. 3,298,353.

11'76940
SUMM~RY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a filter for a cigarette
product, and a method of making same, having a filter plug
adhesively anchored to a surrounding porous filter plug wrap
which does not cause undue adhesive build-up in the critical
areas of the filter rod making machines and does not alter the
ventilation parameters of the porous filter wrap.
The invention provides a filter for a cigarette product
~having a cylindrical filter plug circumferentially wrapped with
a porous filter wrap wherein the overlapping edges of the filter
t0 wrap are secured together by a line of adheæive and the filter
wrap is anchored to the filter plug by another line of adhesive
superimposed to the line of adhesive securing the overlapping
edges of the filter wrap.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be more clearly understood
upon reference to the following detailed description and
drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout
the views, and wherein:
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a cigarette product
having a filter incorporating features of the present invention,
the filter wrap for the filter plug being shown in unwrapped
condition;
FIGURE 2 is an end view of the cigarette product of
Figure l; and,
FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a web of porous filter wrap
incorporating features of the present invention.
~ . . . ... ... ... ... . .. . _ _ . .

11'76940
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a cigarette product,
generally denoted as the numeral 10, comprised of a paper
wrapped tobacco column 12, a cylindrical filter plug 14 in
coaxial relationship with the tobacco column, and a porous
filter wrap 16 surrounding the filter plug. (Filter wrap 16 is
shown in unwrapped condition to best show the location of
~adhesive lines to be discussed hereinafter.) As can be best
seen in Figure 2, the edges 18 and 20 of the filter wrap 16
surrounding the filter plug 14 are overlapped with one another
forming the seam of the filter wrap. A first line of adhesive
22 is disposed along and between the overlapped edges 18 and 20
of the filter wrap and secures the overlapped edges 18 and 20
together. A second line of adhesive 24 is disposed between the
filter wrap 16 and the filter plug 14 to anchor the filter wrap
16 to the filter plug 14. The second line of adhesive prevents
the filter wrap 16 and filter plug 14 from shifting
longitudinally relative to each other which could otherwise
result in, for example, a recessed filter plug 14. The second
line of adhesive 24 is in superimposed relationship with the
first line of adhesive beneath the seam of the filter wrap 16
defined by the ovezlapped edges 18 and 20 of the filter wrap 16.
Now with reference to Figure 3; during the process of
manufacturing the cigarette product 10, the first and second
lines of adhesive 22 and 24, respectively, are applied to a web
26 of the porous filter wrap 16 generally along the opposite
parallel longitudinal edges 18 and 20 of the web 26 of filter
wrap 16. The width of the web 26 of filter wrap 16 is slightly
greater than the circumference of the cylind-ical filter plug 14
so the longitudinal edges of the web 26 will be the ove~-lapping
edges of the filter wrap 16. ~oth the first and second lines of
_ _ _ _ _ . _ . . _ . . , . . . _ . _ _ .. . . _ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . .

11'^~6940
adhesive 22 and 24, respectively, are applied to the same
surface of the web 26 of filter wrap 16. However, adhesive line
24 does not extend, widthwise, to the edge 20 so that in use, as
best shown in Figure 2, adhesives 22 and 24 are in alignment.
S Next, a cylindrical filter plug is added to the surface of the
web 26 of filter wrap 16 having the first and second lines of
adhesive. The filter plug and web are disposed in mutual
longitudinal relationship. After the filter plug is added to
the web of filter wrap, the web of filter wrap is formed around
tO the circumference of the filter plug and the longitudinal edges
18 and 20 of the web 26 are overlapped so that one of the lines
of adhesive, for example, the first line of adhesive 22 is
disposed between the overlapping edges 18 and 20 of the web 26
of filter wrap securing the overlapping edges 18 and 20
together, and the other line of adhesive, for example, the
second line of adhesive is disposed between the filter wrap and
the filter plug in superimposed relationship to the first line
of adhesive 22 thereby anchoring the filter wtap to the filter
plug.
It has been found in practice that good results can be
obtained by using a hot melt adhesive.
The foregoing detailed description is given primarily
for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations
are to be understood therefrom for modifications will become
obvious to one skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure
and may be made without departing from the spirit of the
invention and scope of the appended claims.