Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02801198 2012-11-28
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DESCRIPTION
Title of Invention: CIGARETTE FILTER AND CIGARETTE
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a cigarette
filter including a flavor capsule, and a cigarette.
Background Art
Conventionally, a flavor capsule is incorporated
in a cigarette filter and the flavor capsule is crushed
in order to enjoy the flavor of the content liquid in
smoking or in order to mask odor of a cigarette butt
after the cigarette is extinguished (Patent Literatures
1 to 5). The details of the flavor capsule are
described in, for example, Patent Literature 6. Such
cigarette filters including the flavor capsule have
various problems.
FIG. 1(a) shows a cigarette in which a tobacco rod
10 is connected to a filter 20 with a tipping paper 30,
wherein the tobacco rod 10 is prepared by wrapping a
tobacco filler 11 with a cigarette paper 12 and the
filter 20 is prepared by wrapping a filter plug 22
having a flavor capsule 21 embedded therein with a plug
wrapping paper 23. The flavor capsule 21 has a
structure in which content liquid 21b is encapsulated
with a shell 21a. When the shell 21a of the flavor
capsule 21 is crushed in smoking of such a cigarette,
CA 02801198 2012-11-28
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the content liquid 21b flowed out of the capsule is
absorbed by the filter plug 22, and thus the fluid is
not soaked through the tipping paper 30 to the surface
thereof, as shown in FIG. 1(b). Good usability,
however, is not obtained because the flavor capsule 21
embedded in the filter plug 22 does not give a sense
that the capsule is crushed.
A filter having a structure in which filter plugs
are separated from each other and arranged through a
cavity, with a flavor capsule provided in the cavity,
can give the sense that the flavor capsule is crushed,
and thus has a good usability.
FIG. 2(a) shows a cigarette in which a tobacco rod
10 is connected to a filter 20 with a tipping paper 30,
wherein the tobacco rod 10 is prepared by wrapping a
tobacco filler 11 with a cigarette paper 12 and the
filter 20 has a structure that a flavor capsule 21 is
provided in a cavity between two filter plugs 25. A
material paper 26 is wrapped around each of the two
filter plugs 25, and a shaping paper 27 is wrapped
around the periphery where both plugs are separated
from each other and arranged through the cavity. There
is also a filter plug having either the material paper
or the shaping paper, or having no material paper or
shaping paper (in the case of FIG. 1, the plug has only
the plug wrapping paper which serves as the material
paper and the shaping paper). When a shell 21a of the
CA 02801198 2012-11-28
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flavor capsule 21 is crushed in smoking of such a
cigarette, the content liquid 21b flowed out of the
capsule is soaked through the tipping paper 30 to the
surface thereof, as shown in FIG. 2B, because the
shaping paper is generally made of a high-permeable
material.
In order to suppress the soakage of the content
liquid through the tipping paper to the surface
thereof, it may be considered to use a liquid-
impermeable tipping paper and/or filter wrapper (a
material paper, a shaping paper or a plug wrapping
paper). These materials are not limited to paper, and
may be a wrapping material made of cellophane or
plastic, or a composite material. When the shaping
paper 27 is liquid-impermeable, the content liquid 21b
flowed out of the capsule moves toward the tobacco rod
10 or the mouthpiece end along the gap between the
inside of the liquid-impermeable shaping paper 27 and
the filter plugs 25, as shown in FIG. 2(c). The liquid
is finally passed through the tobacco filler 11 in the
tobacco rod 10, and is soaked through the tipping paper
to the cigarette paper 12 of the tobacco rod 10.
The liquid which moves toward the mouthpiece end along
the gap between the inside of the shaping paper 27 and
25 the filter plug 25 is soaked to the end face of the
filter plug 25.
This disadvantage can be solved by coating the
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inside of the liquid-impermeable shaping paper 27 with wax or paste to fill
the gap
between the inside of the shaping paper 27 and the filter plug 25, thereby
preventing the migration of the content liquid 21b. However, the residue of
wax or
paste adheres to a filter making machine, and thus it is difficult to perform
mass
production.
Citation List
Patent Literature
Patent Literature 1: Jpn. Pat. Appin. KOKAI Publication No. 7-250665
Patent Literature 2: Jpn. Pat. Appin. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-304856
Patent Literature 3: Jpn. PCT National Publication No. 2007-520204
Patent Literature 4: Jpn. PCT National Publication No. 2008-528053
Patent Literature 5: Jpn. PCT National Publication No. 2008-539717
Patent Literature 6: Jpn. PCT National Publication No. 2008-546400
Summary of Invention
According to the present invention, there is provided a cigarette filter
comprising:
filter plugs separated from each other and arranged through a cavity;
a flavor capsule encapsulating a content liquid including a flavor in a shell
and provided in the cavity between the filter plugs; and
a liquid-impermeable tipping paper and/or filter wrapper wrapped around the
filter plugs and the flavor capsule, the liquid-impermeable tipping paper
and/or filter
wrapper being an oilproof paper,
CA 02801198 2015-01-14
characterized in that the content liquid comprises the flavor and a thickener,
the thickener being sucrose diacetate hexaisobutyrate (SAIB), the content
liquid
having a viscosity of 80 mPa.s or more at 25 C.
Preferably, the object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette
filter
including a flavor capsule, capable of preventing soakage of the content
liquid to
the surface of the tipping paper, the cigarette paper of the tobacco rod and
the filter
mouthpiece end face when it is used, without causing trouble in the filter
production; and a cigarette including this cigarette filter.
Preferably, according to the present invention, there is provided a cigarette
filter comprising: filter plugs separated from each other and arranged through
a
cavity; a flavor capsule encapsulating a content liquid including a flavor in
a shell
and provided in the cavity between the filter plugs; and a liquid-impermeable
tipping
paper and/or filter wrapper (a material paper, a shaping paper or a plug
wrapping
paper) wrapped around the filter plugs and the flavor capsule, characterized
in that
the content liquid comprises the flavor and a thickener and has a viscosity of
30 mPa.s or more.
Preferably, according to the present invention, there is also provided a
cigarette characterized by comprising: a tobacco rod; and the above cigarette.
The cigarette filter and the cigarette of the present invention can prevent
the
soakage of the content liquid to the surface of the tipping paper, the
cigarette paper
of the tobacco rod and the filter mouthpiece end face when it is used, by
adding a
thickener to the content liquid in the flavor capsule to adjust a viscosity of
the
content liquid to 30 mPa.s or more.
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Brief Description of Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing absorption of
the content liquid in a flavor capsule embedded in a
conventional cigarette filter to a filter plug.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing soakage of the
content liquid in a flavor capsule to the surface of a
tipping paper, a cigarette paper of a tobacco rod and a
filter mouthpiece end face in another conventional
cigarette filter.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a
cigarette filter of Example of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a state in
which soakage of the content liquid in a flavor capsule
to the surface of a tipping paper, a cigarette paper of
a tobacco rod and a filter mouthpiece end face can be
suppressed in a cigarette filter of Example of the
present invention.
FIG. 5 is a graph showing a relationship between a
viscosity of the content liquid in a flavor capsule and
a length of the content liquid soaked to a cigarette
paper after one week from breakage of the shell of the
flavor capsule in a cigarette filter of Example of the
present invention.
Description of Embodiments
In the cigarette filter of the present invention,
a flavor capsule provided in a cavity between filter
plugs contains a content liquid including a flavor and
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a thickener and having a viscosity of 30 mPa.s (25 C)
or more.
In the present invention, if the viscosity of the
content liquid is less than 30 mPa.s (25 C),
particularly less than 18 mPa.s (25 C), the content
liquid is soaked to a surface of a tipping paper, a
cigarette paper of a tobacco rod and a filter
mouthpiece end face when the flavor capsule is crushed.
The viscosity of the content liquid is preferably
30 mPa.s (25 C) or more, more preferably 80 mPa-s
(25 C) or more.
In the present invention, as the flavor, for
example, menthol and refined vegetable oil can be used.
In the present invention, liquid thickeners and
solid thickeners can be used as the thickener which is
added to the content liquid in the flavor capsule. Fat
and oil such as tocopherol, rapeseed oil, olive oil,
cottonseed oil and sucrose diacetate hexaisobutyrate
(SAIB) can be used as the liquid thickener. Of these,
rapeseed oil and SAIB= are more preferable.
When the fat and oil is used as the thickener, it
is preferably used in an amount within a range of 19.1
to 57.4% by weight of the content liquid. When SAIB is
used as the thickener, it is preferably used in an
amount within a range of 40% by weight or more of the
content liquid, preferably 60% by weight or more.
In the present invention, as a solvent for the
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flavor and the thickener contained in the content
liquid, for example, medium-chain fatty acid
triglycerides (MCTs) can be used.
In the present invention, the content liquid may
further contain other additives such as a solvent, a
dye and an emulsifier.
In the present invention, the shell of the flavor
capsule may be formed using, for example, starch,
dextrin, polysaccharides, agar, gellan gum, gelatin,
various natural gelling agents, glycerol, sorbitol,
calcium chloride, or the like, and the shell may
further contain a flavor and a coloring agent.
In the present invention, the tipping paper and/or
filter wrapper (a material paper, a shaping paper or a
plug wrapping paper) is liquid-impermeable, which means
that they are oil-resistant. It is preferable to use
an oilproof paper for the shaping paper 27, for
example, of at least the tipping paper and/or the
filter wrapper, which is directly brought into contact
with the flavor capsule 21. Of the oilproof papers,
for example, a oilproof paper manufactured by Nippon
Paper Papylia Co., Ltd. is preferable, because it does
not use a film or a fluorine-containing resin.
Properties of the oilproof paper manufactured by Nippon
Paper Papylia Co., Ltd. are shown in Table 1.
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Table 1
Basis Tensile
Thickness
weight Strength
(1-1m)
(g/m2) (kN/m)
Oilproof
35 40 3.0
paper 1
Oilproof
50 52 5.0
paper 2
In the present invention, the flavor capsule may
be provided in a cavity between filter plugs, or it may
be embedded in the filter plug as in FIG. 1.
The flavor capsule of the present invention can be
applied to chewing tobacco, SNUS, and a non-combustible
flavor inhalation pipe described in International
Application PCT/JP2010/052835.
Examples
Examples of the present invention will be
described below.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing sizes of a
cigarette filter produced in this Example. A material
paper (not shown) is wrapped around the two filter rods
made of acetate at a side of a tobacco rod and a
side of a mouthpiece. The two filter rods 25 are
= separated from each other and arranged through a
cavity, and a liquid-impermeable (oil-resistant)
20 shaping paper 27 is wrapped around the rods. A flavor
capsule 21 is put in a cavity between the two filter
rods 25. The flavor capsule 21 has a structure that a
content liquid 21b is encapsulated with a shell 21a.
CA 02801198 2012-11-28
Length Ll of the filter rod 25 at the tobacco rod side
is 11.0 mm; length L2 of the filter rod 25 at the
mouthpiece side is 10.0 mm; length S of the cavity is
6.0 mm; total length TL is 27.0 mm; and diameter D of
5 the flavor capsule 21 is 4.5 mm. In the present
invention, the content liquid 21b in the flavor capsule
21 has a viscosity of 30 mPa.s or more.
The production method of the flavor capsule is not
particularly limited, and it is preferable to use, for
10 example, a dropping method, because a flavor capsule
having a seamless shell can be produced by this method.
According to this method, the content liquid and a
liquid shell material are discharged at the same time
from an inside nozzle and an outside nozzle
respectively, using a double nozzle, whereby the
content liquid can be encapsulated seamlessly with the
shell liquid.
As shown in FIG. 4, the cigarette filter of this
Example can suppress soakage of the content liquid 21b,
which is flowed out by crushing the shell 21a of the
flavor capsule 21, to the surface of the tipping paper,
the cigarette paper of the tobacco rod, and the filter
mouthpiece end face, because the content liquid 21b in
the flavor capsule 21 has a viscosity of 30 mPa.s
(25 C) or more. In addition, a filter making machine
is not adversely affected.
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Example 1
Menthol and refined vegetable oil as a flavor, and
medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride (MCT) as a solvent
were provided (no thickener), and they were mixed in a
ratio of each sample A to C in Table 2 to prepared a
content liquid of a flavor capsule. The viscosity of
the content liquid was measured by using a rotary
viscometer (TVB-10M manufactured by Toki Sangyo Co.,
Ltd.).
Eight percent by weight or 20% by weight of a
mixture of starch, dextrin and polysaccharides as a
shell material was mixed with 92% by weight or 80% by
weight of the content liquid described above, and a
flavor capsule having a diameter of 4.5 mm was produced
by a dropping method. A cigarette filter shown in
FIG. 3 was produced using the flavor capsule, and
further a cigarette similar to that shown in FIG. 2(a)
was produced.
Example 2
Menthol and refined vegetable oil as a flavor,
medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride (MCT) as a
solvent, and rapeseed oil as a thickener were provided,
and they were mixed in a ratio of each sample D to H in
Table 2 to prepare a content liquid of a flavor
capsule. The viscosity of the content liquid was
measured by using a rotary viscometer (TVB-10M
manufactured by Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd.).
= CA 02801198 2012-11-28
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Eight percent by weight or 20% by weight of a
mixture of starch, dextrin and polysaccharides as a
shell material was mixed with 92% by weight or 80% by
weight of the content liquid described above to produce
a flavor capsule having a diameter of 4.5 mm by a
dropping method. A cigarette filter shown in FIG. 3
was produced using the flavor capsule, and further a
cigarette similar to that shown in FIG. 2(a) was
produced.
Example 3
Menthol and refined vegetable oil as a flavor,
medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride (MCT) as a
solvent, and sucrose diacetate hexaisobutyrate (SAIB)
as a thickener were provided, and they were mixed in a
ratio of each sample I to K in Table 2 to produce a
content liquid of a flavor capsule. The viscosity of
the content liquid was measured by using a rotary
viscometer (TVB-10M manufactured by Toki Sangyo Co.,
Ltd.).
Twenty percent by weight of a mixture of starch,
dextrin and polysaccharides as a shell material was
mixed with 80% by weight of the content liquid
described above to produce a flavor capsule having a
diameter of 4.5 mm by a dropping method. A cigarette
filter shown in FIG. 3 was produced using the flavor
capsule, and further a cigarette similar to that shown
in FIG. 2(a) was produced.
= CA 02801198 2012-11-28
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The shell of the flavor capsule of each cigarette
of samples A to K was broken, and after 10 minutes,
soakage of the content liquid to the surface of the
tipping paper, the cigarette paper of the tobacco rod
and the filter mouthpiece end face were checked. The
results are also shown in Table 2.
It can be found from the results of Table 2 that
when the content liquid in the flavor capsule had a
viscosity of 30 mPa.s (25 C) or more, the soakage of
the content liquid to the surface of the tipping paper,
the cigarette paper of the tobacco rod and the filter
mouthpiece end face can be suppressed. In addition, it
is found that when the content liquid in the flavor
capsule has a viscosity of 80 mPa.s (25 C) or more, the
soakage of the content liquid to the surface of the
tipping paper, the cigarette paper of the tobacco rod
and the filter mouthpiece end face can be more
certainly suppressed.
Table 2
Capsule formulation Test results Note
Content liquid
Number of Number of
Sample Diameter Shell
________________________________________________________________________
Viscosity cigarettes cigarettes Type of
(InT) (wt96) 'Flavor Solvent Thickner (111-Pa's)
tested soaked thickner
(wt%) (wt%) (wt)
(cigarettes) (cigarettes)
n
_
_______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________
A 4.5 8.0 15.4 76.6 0.0 16.9
10 8 0
I.)
m
Example
0
B 4.5 20.0 13.7 66.3 0.0
17.7 10 4 None H
H
1
lo
CO
C 4.5 '20.0 13.7 66.3 0.0 17.7
10 7 "
0
_______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________ - H
I--'
KJ
I
D 4.5 8.0 15.4 57.4 19.1 36.2
10 0 .1. H
H
I
E 4.5 8.0 15.4 38.3 38.3
88.1 10 0 I.)
co
Example
F 4.5 8.0 15.4 19.1 57.4 352.8
10 0 Rapeseedoil
2
G 4.5 8.0 22.1 17.5 52.4
124.1 10 0
1
H 4.5 20.0 19.2 15.2 45.6
124.1 10 0
I 4.5 20.0 17.6 14.4 48.0 58.7
10 0
Example
J 4.5 20.0 17.6 9.6 52.8
90.0 10 0 SAIB
3
K 4.5 20.0 17.6 4.8 57.6
137.1 10 0
CA 02801198 2012-11-28
Example 4
According to the tests of Examples 1 to 3, the
soakage of the content liquid to the surface of the
tipping paper, the cigarette paper of the tobacco rod
5 and the filter mouthpiece end face was checked within
10 minutes from the breakage of the shell of the flavor
capsule, which was a usual smoking time. It is
preferable, however, that only a small amount of the
content liquid soaks to the cigarette paper of the
10 tobacco rod, even if a longer time elapses from the
breakage of the shell of the flavor capsule. The
soakage of the content liquid after a long time was
checked as described below. In the following tests,
the content liquid in the capsule did not contain any
15 flavor.
Sample L
Only medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride (MCT) as
a solvent was used for a content liquid in a capsule.
Sample M
A content liquid in a capsule was prepared by
mixing 43% by weight of medium-chain fatty acid
triglyceride (MCT) as a solvent with 57% by weight of
rapeseed oil as a thickener.
Samples N, 0 and P
A content liquid in a capsule was produced by
mixing 60% by weight, 50% by weight or 40% by weight of
medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride (MCT) as a solvent
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with 40% by weight, 50% by weight or 60% by weight of
SAIB as a thickener.
The viscosity of the content liquid was measured
by using a rotary viscometer (TVB-10M manufactured by
Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd.). The composition and the
viscosity of the content liquid in the capsule are
shown in Table 3.
Twenty percent by weight of a mixture of starch,
dextrin and polysaccharides as a shell material was
mixed with 80% by weight of the content liquid
described above to produce a capsule having a diameter
of 4.5 mm by a dropping method. A cigarette filter
shown in FIG. 3 was produced using the capsule, and
further a cigarette similar to that shown in FIG. 2(a)
was produced.
The shell of the flavor capsule of each cigarette
of samples L to P was broken, and after one week,
soakage of the content liquid to the cigarette paper of
the tobacco rod was checked. In this case, the length
of the content liquid soaked refers to a distance
measured from the end of the tobacco rod 10 in contact
with one filter plug 25, to a position in the cigarette
paper to which the soaked content liquid reached. The
results are also shown in Table 3.
FIG. 5 is a graph showing a relationship between
the viscosity of the content liquid and the length of
the content liquid soaked in samples M to P.
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As shown in Table 3, in the case of sample L
containing no thickener, the length of the content
liquid soaked was 57 mm after one week, and the content
liquid reached the cigarette paper at the tip end of
the tobacco rod in all of the 10 cigarettes checked.
On the other hand, in the case where the rapeseed oil
or SAIB was used as the thickener, the content liquid
did not reach the cigarette paper at the tip end of the
tobacco rod even after one week. In addition, it can
be seen from Table 3 and FIG. 5 that the length of the
content liquid soaked in the case where the rapeseed
oil is used is shorter than that in the case where SAIB
is used, even if the content liquid has the same
viscosity.
When the soakage length of the content liquid is
large, a problem that components of the content liquid
penetrating into the cigarette paper are separated by a
paper chromatograph phenomenon may sometimes occur.
The content liquid containing SAIB as the thickener,
however, can suppress the separation of the components
of the content liquid, which is caused by the paper
chromatograph phenomenon, even after one week, because
the soakage length is small.
.
Table 3
Content liquid Viscosity (25 C)
Length of soakage . n
Number of
Rapeseed Number of
0
I.)
Sample MCT SAIB Average cigarettes
Average co
oil samples
SD 0
H
(wt%) (wt%) (mPa.$) tested
(mm/week) H
lo
(wt%) tested
co
(cigarettes)
I.)
0
1¨
H
L 100.0 - _ 3 17.7
10 57.0 co N)
,
H
H
M 43.0 57.0 - 3 88.1 10
40.0 5.5 I:)
m
N 60.0 - 40.0 3 58.7
10 31.9 2.8
O 50.0 - 50.0 , 3 90.0
10 16.8 6.3
P 40.0 - 60.0 3 137.1
10 8.6 2.5
