Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 03030035 2019-01-07
TOBACCO PRODUCT WITH FLUORESCENT OR PHOSPHORESCENT SUBSTANCES
The invention relates to a tobacco product in the form of a filter cigarette
with fluorescent or
phosphorescent substances.
A tobacco product with fluorescent or phosphorescent substances in the sense
of the present
.. specification is a tobacco product which exhibits at least one externally
visible or detectable
feature upon excitation of the fluorescent or phosphorescent substance. The
printing described
herein is also applicable to packaging material of tobacco products, wherein
this application is
disclosed but not claimed within this application.
US2921587A shows a filter cigarette with a luminescent or phosphorescent
material which is
.. applied on the outside of the wrapper material of the filter cigarette.
Which phosphorescent
material is applied is not disclosed, and it is not disclosed whether or
whereby a safe use of
the filter cigarette is ensured.
For the safe use of a fluorescent printing in connection with a filter
cigarette, it is proposed in
US 2015/0090274 Al to provide the fluorescent printing on an additional
wrapper or end cap
.. which must be removed before smoking the filter cigarette. The disadvantage
is that the ready-
to-use cigarette has no luminescent properties, or that additional packaging
material is
required on each individual filter cigarette.
For the safe use of a filter cigarette with luminescent coating, it is
proposed in CN203058273U
to cover the luminescent coating with a protective layer of water-based
lacquer. The
disadvantage is that compared to the substances of the luminescent coating, a
coating with
lacquer can only be produced in a dense layer in a very elaborate manner which
requires a
time-consuming coating with a relatively thick lacquer layer. In addition,
this coating with
lacquer can interact with the luminescent substances through the solvent of
the protective
lacquer, which can result in the attenuation of the luminous effect, or causes
the luminescent
substances to migrate with the solvent of the protective lacquer into deeper
layers of the filter
cigarette, or fine structures of the fluorescent coating become "washed out"
and thus blurred.
Assuming that the luminescent coating would be done with nitrocellulose
lacquer, then
applying the water-based protective lacquer might move the luminescent
substance into the
base paper or into the protective lacquer layer.
.. It is proposed in US 2016108293 Al to apply a fluorescent substance with
the glue or adhesive
with which the individual components of the filter cigarette are glued
together. In a second
embodiment, it is envisioned to provide components of smoking articles with a
printing which
contains a fluorescent substance.
1
CA 03030035 2019-01-07
It is proposed in US 2015041345 Al to provide the cigarette packaging with
fluorescent
markings. It is envisioned in one embodiment that the fluorescent substance is
contained in a
paper of the cigarette for labelling the cigarette box, or is applied thereto,
so that the cigarette
box is identifiable due to the contained cigarettes.
It is proposed in CN 105013719 A to provide products with codes to be able to
identify and
sort them, wherein the codes can be applied with fluorescent substances.
The first underlying object of the invention is to make the use of fluorescent
or phosphorescent
substances safer on the ready-to-use tobacco product, wherein even fine
structures should be
easy to represent.
To achieve this object, it is proposed to transfer such fluorescent or
phosphorescent
substances, the use of which is recognized as safe in the food sector, into
this different
technical field and/or to integrate the fluorescent or phosphorescent
substances into the layer
structure of the tobacco product in such a way that said substances are
protected against
contact and other external influences.
Another underlying object of the invention is to provide the tobacco product
with features that
are not visible in daylight and only become visible in the dark, or can only
be made visible
through excitation by light of a particular wavelength.
To achieve this object, it is proposed to apply fluorescent or phosphorescent
substances which
are colourless, or for which the colour thereof corresponds to the substrate
on which they are
applied. Preferably, such substances are applied which will emit light after
stimulation over a
longer period of time, and which will glow in the dark after removal of the
illumination and thus
are visible and easier to find, wherein this effect of prolonged afterglow is
generally achievable
through phosphorescence. The luminous intensity is preferably selected such
that the printing
with the phosphorescent substances is not visible in daylight and becomes
visible only in the
dark or in muted light. Likewise, preferably those substances are applied
which radiate only
briefly or only immediately after excitation by light so that they can be made
visible through
illumination with UV light (black light) in the dark and after removal of the
illumination with black
light have no or only insignificant afterglow and thus are not visible in the
dark, this effect of
short-term afterglow generally being achievable through fluorescence. The
luminous intensity
is preferably selected such that the printing with the fluorescent substances
is not visible in
daylight and can be made visible with black light only in the dark or in muted
light.
Both of the objects according to the invention are achieved through the use of
riboflavin which
is applied as, on, in, or under the yellow imitation cork (yellow base paper
or printed) of the
2
CA 03030035 2019-01-07
mouthpiece of filter cigarettes. Riboflavin is a yellowish substance that is
used in food
technology as a yellow food colourant (E101). Preferably, a riboflavin-
containing lacquer is
applied to a finished filter cigarette or a finished mouthpiece wrapper
material as the outermost
or final layer, with the advantage that no further layer is applied over the
riboflavin printing
.. which could affect it or wash it out.
Both objects according to the invention are also achieved through the use of
quinine. Quinine
is a colourless substance which is used in food technology as a bitter
substance. Preferably,
a lacquer containing quinine or a quinine derivative is applied to a finished
filter cigarette or a
finished mouthpiece wrapper material as the outermost or final layer, with the
advantage that
no further layer is applied over the quinine printing which could affect it or
wash it out.
Both of the objects according to the invention can also be achieved by the use
of other
fluorescent or phosphorescent substances which are colourless or for which the
colour in
normal ambient light corresponds to the background thereof if said substances
are integrated
into the layer structure of the tobacco product, so that the tobacco product
is reliably protected
against contact with the substances. Preferably, strontium aluminate (also
aluminium strontium
oxide), particularly preferably strontium aluminate doped with europium, is
used. Depending
on the structure thereof, strontium aluminates, or strontium aluminates doped
with europium,
comprise colourless substances with particularly bright or particularly long-
lasting luminous
intensity.
An advantage over the prior art is the fact that the tobacco products in
question are absolutely
safe in use or consumption, and that the appearance of the tobacco product in
daylight is
unchanged compared to the conventional tobacco product.
Use according to the invention comprises the application of the fluorescent or
phosphorescent
substances to enable rapid detection of the tobacco product in the dark or for
the application
of the fluorescent or phosphorescent to increase the protection against
counterfeiting,
identifiability, or information content of the tobacco product.
In a preferred embodiment according to the invention, the fluorescent or
phosphorescent
substances are dissolved in a suitable solvent and then mixed with lacquer or
dispersed in
lacquer and subsequently applied to or printed onto the tobacco product or
onto one of the
layers thereof. The solvent and the lacquer are preferably colourless and
preferably
transparent. The lacquer could also be coloured with pigments or printing
inks, whereby,
however, the effect or luminous intensity of the fluorescent or phosphorescent
substances will
be attenuated. The application or the printing of the lacquer provided with
fluorescent or
phosphorescent substances takes place, for example, in the gravure printing
process or
3
CA 03030035 2019-01-07
another known printing method. The lacquer is preferably nitrocellulose
lacquer which has
been proven for use on mouthpiece wrapper materials.
In a further preferred embodiment according to the invention, a film having
the fluorescent or
phosphorescent substances, in particular a film doped with fluorescent or
phosphorescent
substances, is provided on or in the tobacco product. The fluorescent or
phosphorescent
substances are preferably enclosed in or integrated into the polymer framework
of a plastic
film.
In a further preferred embodiment according to the invention, a three-
dimensional object
comprising the fluorescent or phosphorescent substances is placed inside the
tobacco
product.
The claimed tobacco product is a filter cigarette according to the invention
which is embodied
according to claim 1.
Exemplary embodiments according to the invention of the claimed filter
cigarette are illustrated
below with reference to drawings:
Fig. 1: shows a first embodiment according to the invention of a smoking
article with full-surface
luminous printing.
Fig. 2: shows a second embodiment according to the invention of a smoking
article with zonal
luminous printing.
Fig. 3: shows a third embodiment according to the invention of a smoking
article with luminous
printing as a pattern on the rear side of a translucent mouthpiece wrapper
material.
Fig. 4: shows a fourth embodiment according to the invention of a smoking
article with luminous
printing on a transparent layer below the mouthpiece wrapper material.
Fig. 5: shows a fifth embodiment according to the invention of a smoking
article with luminous
printing on a transparent section of the mouthpiece wrapper material.
Fig. 6: shows a sixth embodiment according to the invention of a smoking
article with luminous
printing on a perforated mouthpiece wrapper material.
Fig. 7: shows a seventh embodiment according to the invention of a smoking
article with
luminous printing under a perforated mouthpiece wrapper material.
Fig. 8: shows an eighth embodiment according to the invention of a smoking
article with a QR
4
CA 03030035 2019-01-07
code printed with luminous printing.
Fig. 9: shows a ninth embodiment according to the invention of a smoking
article with a
luminous object in the filter.
Fig. 10: shows a tenth embodiment according to the invention of a smoking
article with a
luminous object in the filter.
Fig. 11: shows an eleventh embodiment according to the invention of a smoking
article with
luminous printing on an opening of the mouthpiece wrapper material.
Fig. 12: shows a cigarette pack and inner liner with luminous printing.
The drawings of the figures are not to scale, in particular the layer
thicknesses in the sectional
images to illustrate the layer structure. In particular, the layer thickness
of the luminous printing
2 is shown disproportionately thick to make it recognisable. Since the
printing is usually
available with a layer thickness in the pm range, this would not be visible in
the layer structure
true to scale. The term luminescence is used in the sense of photoluminescence
as a collective
term for phosphorescence and fluorescence. The "luminous" in the terms
luminous printing,
luminescent film, and luminous object refers to illumination in the form of
luminescent light
which is exposed through excitation with light of a suitable wavelength by the
effect of
phosphorescence and/or fluorescence.
Figs. 1-7 each comprise a perspective view of the mouthpiece of a smoking
article according
to the invention with UV illumination, a reduced-scale perspective view of the
mouthpiece of a
smoking article according to the invention without UV illumination, and a
sectional view of the
layer structure.
Fig. 8 comprises a perspective view of the mouthpiece of a smoking article
according to the
invention with UV illumination, a perspective view of the mouthpiece of a
smoking article
according to the invention without UV illumination.
Figs. 9-11 each comprise a perspective view of the mouthpiece of a smoking
article according
to the invention with UV illumination and a sectional view of the layer
structure.
Fig. 12 comprises a perspective view of a cigarette pack with an inner liner
with UV illumination
and without UV illumination.
Figs. 1 through 8 and 12 show embodiments according to the invention of filter
cigarettes 1
with luminous printing 2. The filter cigarette 1 has, as is known from the
prior art, a filter 3, a
5
CA 03030035 2019-01-07
filter wrapper material 4 enwrapping the latter, and a mouthpiece wrapper
material 5
enwrapping the filter wrapper material 4, and a tobacco rod wrapper material 6
enwrapping the
tobacco rod. The wrapper materials are often also referred to as paper, for
example, filter
wrapper paper (or filter paper) and mouthpiece covering paper (or tipping
paper), even if these
are not always made of paper, but can also be present as film, e.g., plastic
or cellulose film.
Fig. 1 shows the first embodiment according to the invention, in which the
mouthpiece wrapper
material 5 is present as paper or cellulose film or tear-off strip with full-
surface luminous printing
2, wherein the luminous printing 2 is present on the outside of the filter
cigarette 1, so that it
can be contacted by the lips and/or the fingers of a person. By "tear-off
strip" is meant a
peelable region of a single-ply mouthpiece wrapper material 5, or a peelable
ply of a multi-
layer mouthpiece wrapper material 5, or a fully peelable mouthpiece wrapper
material 5. In
contrast to the known packaging material in the form of an additional wrapper
or end cap, the
tear-off strip can also remain on the filter cigarette 1 during the smoking
thereof, so that the
user can optionally decide whether or not to remove the tear-off strip. In
this first embodiment,
substances are applied which are benign when in contact with and/or absorbed
by the saliva,
such as quinine, or riboflavin, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, the
mouthpiece wrapping
material 5 can be present as a luminescent-substance-doped film, or can have a
tear-strip
present as a luminescent-substance-doped film.
Fig. 2 shows the second embodiment according to the invention, in which the
luminous printing
.. 2 is limited to one or more subregions of the mouthpiece wrapper material 5
which are located
in the front region of the mouthpiece wrapper material 5 so as not to come
into contact with
the lips of a person during the intended use of the filter cigarette 1. The
luminous printing 2
can be applied in particular in the form of one or more bands extending over
the circumference
of the filter cigarette 1, or as a pattern which is composed of printed
subregions that are
distributed throughout, contiguous with, or separated from one another.
Fig. 3 shows the third embodiment according to the invention in which the
luminous printing 2
is on the bottom, so as to be applied to the side of the mouthpiece wrapper
material 5 facing
the filter wrapper material 4, wherein the mouthpiece wrapper material 5 is at
least as so light-
transmissive or translucent that luminescent light exposed from the printing
is visible or
detectable from the outside. In this variant, the mouthpiece wrapper material
5 is preferably in
the form of a transparent film made of plastic or particularly preferably of
cellulose hydrate.
The luminescent printing 2 can be present over the entire area on the
underside of the
mouthpiece wrapper material 5, or applied to at least one subregion, for
example, in the form
of one or more bands extending over the circumference of the filter cigarette
1, or as a pattern
which is composed of printed subregions that are distributed throughout,
contiguous with, or
6
CA 03030035 2019-01-07
separated from one another. Less preferably, the luminous printing 2 can also
be applied to
the outside of the filter wrapper material 4. Instead of the luminous printing
2, a luminescent
intermediate layer in the form of a luminescent dye-doped film can be used. An
advantage of
this embodiment is that the luminous printing or luminous film is present
under the translucent
to transparent mouthpiece wrapper material 5, and is thus protected against
contact from the
outside by fingers or lips.
Fig. 4 shows the fourth embodiment according to the invention, in which the
mouthpiece
wrapper material 5 has at least one opening 8 which is preferably made by
laser cutting (laser
die cut) and exposing the underlying layer of the layer structure. Below the
opening 8 is
.. mounted an intermediate layer 7 of translucent material which can cover
only the opening 8,
or an annular region of the mouthpiece wrapper material 5 which encloses the
opening 8, or
the entire surface of the mouthpiece wrapper material 5. The printing 4 is
preferably applied to
the underside of the intermediate layer 7, wherein this can be limited to a
subregion of the
surface of the opening 8. The intermediate layer 7 is preferably a transparent
film of plastic or
particularly cellulose hydrate.
Fig. 5 shows the fifth embodiment according to the invention, in which the
mouthpiece wrapper
material 5 has a plurality of sections, wherein at least one translucent
intermediate section 9
is present which can preferably consist of transparent film of plastic or
particularly cellulose
hydrate. The remaining sections of the mouthpiece wrapper material 5 can be
made of paper.
The intermediate section 9 is preferably present in the form of an annular
section, thus it
extends over the entire circumference of the filter cigarette 1. The
intermediate portion 9
preferably has on the underside thereof a luminous printing 2 and/or consists
of film doped
with luminescent substance.
Fig. 6 shows the sixth embodiment according to the invention, in which the
mouthpiece
.. wrapper material 5 of the first embodiment also has perforations 10. Small
perforations 10
passing through the tipping paper 4 are well known in the art, serving to
improve air
permeability, and are present as one or more bands of small holes extending
about the
circumference of the filter cigarette 1. Perforations 10 provided according to
the invention are
larger than the usual perforations, so that they are clearly visible to the
naked eye. The
perforations 10 have a size of at least 0.3 mm in diameter. Upon excitation of
the luminescent
dye, the perforations 10 become clearly visible. Fig. 6 also shows ablations
18 which are
produced according to the invention by ablating at least the material of the
luminous printing 2
from a full-surface luminous printing 2 with a laser, wherein the mouthpiece
wrapper material
5 can also be at least partially removed. A light-dark design that is not
visible in daylight can
be created through laser ablation. Conversely, it is also possible to have a
mouthpiece wrapper
7
CA 03030035 2019-01-07
material 5 which has luminescent surfaces, or that exposes the view of a
luminescent surface
through transparency, to provide an opaque printing, and to provide the
printing with ablations
18 which again expose the view of the luminescent surface.
Fig. 7 shows the seventh embodiment according to the invention, in which the
mouthpiece
wrapper material 5 has perforations 10, wherein the luminous printing 2 or a
luminescent layer
(provided with luminescent particles or doped film) is mounted below the
mouthpiece wrapper
material 5 in the layer structure of the filter cigarette 1. Upon excitation
of the luminescent
material by irradiation with light of the appropriate wavelength, luminescent
light is exposed
through the small openings of the perforation 10 to the outside. If the
perforation holes 10 are
so small that they are not or are only barely perceptible to the naked eye,
they can be made
clearly visible through stimulation.
Fig. 8 shows the eighth embodiment according to the invention, in which the
luminous printing
2 is applied as a OR code 11 or as part of a OR code 11. If the luminous
printing 2 forms the
OR code 11 itself, while not visible to the observer, it can be read in by or
visible to suitable
cameras or only after excitation. The luminous printing 2 can also, when
excited, serve to
emphasise only the contours of the OR code 11. Preferably, additional
information can be
added to a visible OR code 11 through the luminous printing 2, for example, in
that the visible
OR code 11 is overprinted with a luminous OR code 11, each of which contain
different
information. This embodiment preferably employs quinine because quinine has a
small particle
.. size, and thus a good printing resolution can be achieved. With quinine,
the high edge
sharpness required for reading a OR code can be achieved.
Fig. 9 shows the ninth embodiment according to the invention, in which a three-
dimensional
luminous object 12 is provided in the filter 3 of the filter cigarette 1,
preferably in the form of a
luminescent sphere. The three-dimensional luminous object 12 can consist
entirely of
.. luminescent material, or its surface can be sprayed or impregnated with a
fluorescent
substance. The three-dimensional luminous object 12 can consist of a wrapper
and a filler
medium, wherein either the wrapper or the filler medium contains luminescent
substances.
The filler medium can also contain other substances, such as liquid aromatic
or flavouring
substances, which are released when the wrapper disintegrates. Such capsules
with flavouring
in the filter are known according to the prior art, so such capsules can be
provided according
to the invention with luminescent substances. Preferably, however, the three-
dimensional
luminous object 12 is not crushable, and so is not present as an aroma capsule
but rather as
a dimensionally stable element which serves as a design or security feature.
The layer structure of Fig. 9 shows a transparent or at least translucent
filter section 13 which
8
CA 03030035 2019-01-07
contains the luminous object 12. The filter wrapper material 4 has a
transparent or at least
translucent intermediate section 9 which allows luminescent light to escape to
the outside. The
mouthpiece wrapper material 4 likewise has a transparent or at least
translucent intermediate
section 9 which allows luminescent light to escape to the outside.
Fig. 10 shows the tenth embodiment according to the invention, in which a
three-dimensional
luminous object 12 is likewise provided in the filter 3 of the filter
cigarette 1. The layer structure
of the filter cigarette comprises a transparent or at least translucent filter
section 13, which
contains the luminous object 12, the filter wrapper material 4 which itself is
transparent or at
least translucent, and the mouthpiece wrapper material 5 which has an opening
8, so that
luminescent light can escape from the luminous object 12 to the outside.
Fig. 11 shows the eleventh embodiment according to the invention, in which the
mouthpiece
wrapper material 4 has an opening 8, and the luminous coating 2 or a luminous
object 12 is
mounted on the filter wrapper material 4, or the filter wrapper material 4
itself contains
luminescent substances. The luminous coating 2 can be printed as a two-
dimensional image
of a three-dimensional object, for example a sphere, so that it only appears
that an object is
present in the filter cigarette 1.
The technical features illustrated in embodiments one through eleven according
to the
invention can be differently combined within the scope of expert practice, for
example a filter
cigarette 1 according to the invention can have both at least one luminous
object 12 and at
least one luminous printing 2. In addition, the layer structure can have at
least one or more
intermediate layers 8, and the individual wrapper materials and intermediate
layers of the layer
structure can each have openings 10 and/or intermediate sections 9. At least
one wrapper
material, one intermediate layer 8 and/or one intermediate section 9 can have
a luminous
printing 2 on one or both sides. A further embodiment according to the
invention can provide
two dense layers, i.e., layers of materials through which the luminescent
substances cannot
pass, for example, a mouthpiece wrapper material 5 and an intermediate layer 8
can be
provided, each formed of plastic film or cellophane, wherein the luminous
printing 2 or a
luminous film is arranged between the two dense layers. This layer
construction prevents a
transport or movement of the luminescent or fluorescent or phosphorescent
substances both
in the direction of the cigarette interior as well as outward in the direction
of the cigarette
surface.
Fig. 12 shows a cigarette pack 14 which has a luminous printing 15, and an
inner liner 16 which
contains a luminous printing 17. The luminous printing 15, 17 can be applied
as a symbol,
code, shape, pattern, image, area, or to highlight the contour of the
cigarette box, or other
9
CA 03030035 2019-01-07
printing, and can serve as a security feature to increase the protection
against counterfeiting
of the cigarette packaging.
The luminescent or fluorescent or phosphorescent substances or printings
mentioned herein
can be applied to mouthpiece wrapper material (tipping paper, mouthpiece
covering paper),
tear-off strips, cigarette paper, filter wrapper material (plug wrap / filter
wrapper paper), an
inner liner, feeders & inlays in cigarette packs or shoulder boxes, on or on e-
cigarettes, and on
packaging for the products or cigarette components mentioned.
The printed luminescent or fluorescent substances can be present either as
security features
or design elements, wherein each design element made of fluorescent materials
is to be
regarded as a technical security feature, since this is difficult to recognise
and imitate in
contrast to conventional printing. Security features can also be used for
sweepstakes by
printing numbers, symbols, or codes on cigarettes, or on the packaging
material thereof, that
can be made visible in the dark and the consumer can verify having won. OR
codes can also
be used so that the consumer can be forwarded to a specific homepage after
reading in the
code.
