Method of making a filter for tobacco smoke

Abstract

Abstract A HIGHLY POROUS FILTER FOR TOBACCO SMOKE MADE UP OF A DEMINERALIZED, DEFATTED, GAS-FLUFFED AND BLEACHED WOVEN COTTON FABRIC GAUZE IMPREGNATED WITH A MIXTURE OF WATER SOLUBLE CHLOROPHLL, TANNIC ACID AND GLYCERINE. THE BLEACHED FABRIC IS DEFATTED BY DIPPING IN AN AQUEOUS CAUSTIC SODA SOLUTION FOLLOWED BY RINSING AND DRYING. DEFATTING INCREASES THE POROSITY AND SURFACE AREA OF THE FABRIC, OF THE THREADS THEREOF AND OF THE FIBERS THEMSELVES, THEREBY INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF THE CHLOROPHYLL-TANNIC ACID-GLYCERINE MIXTURE WHICH CAN BE SUBSEQUENTLY ABSORBED AND/OR ADSORBED BY THE FABRIC AND INCREASING THE CAPACITY OF THE FABRIC TO RETAIN, AND THEREBY REMOVE FROM THE TOBACCO SMOKE, THE TOXIC MATERIALS IN SUCH SMOKE. THE DEFATTED FABRIC IS DEMINERALIZED BY DIPPING IN AN AQUEOUS HYDROCHLORIC ACID SOLUTION. DEMINERALIZING FURTHER INCREASES THE POROSITY AND SURFACE AREA OF THE FABRIC, THE THREADS AND THE FIBERS, THEREBY FURTHER INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF THE AFORESAID MIXTURE WHICH CAN BE ABSORBED AND/OR ADSORBED BY THE FABRIC AND THE CAPACITY OF THE FABRIC TO REMOVE THE TOXIC MATERIALS IN THE TOBACCO SMOKE. THE DEFATTED, DEMINERALIZED FABRIC IS GAS-FLUFFED BY DIPPING THE FABRIC, WHILE IT STILL CONTAINS HYDROCHLORIC ACID FROM THE DEMINERALIZING STEP, INTO A SOLUTION OF SODIUM BICARBONATE TO NEUTRALIZE THE HYDROCHLORIC ACID AND GENERATE IN THE INTERSTICES OF THE FABRIC AND THREADS CO2 GAS WHICH THINS OR SPREADS OR DISPERSES AND THEREBY FLUFFS THE FABRIC AND THREADS TO FURTHER INCREASE THE SURFACE AREA AND POROSITY THEREOF, FOLLOWED BY DRYING. THE MIXTURE OF CHLOROPHYLL, TANNIC ACID AND GLYCERINE IS APPLIED TO THE DEFATTED, DEMINERALIZED AND GAS-FLUFFED FABRIC BY DIPPING IN A SOLUTION OF SUCH MIXTURE IN WATER AND ETHYL ALCOHOL FOLLOWED BY DRYING. THE TREATED FABRIC, IS LOOSELY PACKED WITHIN A CONFINED VOLUME TO PROVIDE A HIGHLY EFFICIENT FILTER, WHICH IS EFFECTIVE TO REMOVE AS HIGH AS 85% OF THE TARS PRESENT IN CIGARETTE OR CIGAR SMOKE WITHOUT DELETERIOUSLY AFFECTING DRAW. THE FILTER MAY TAKE THE FORM OF A CIGARETTE OR CIGAR FILTER WHICH MAY BE MANUFACTURED AND SOLD AS PART OF THE CIGARETTE OR CIGAR OR IT MAY BE PACKED IN A CAPSULE FOR INSERTION IN A CIGARETTE OR CIGAR HOLDER OR IT MAY BE PACKED DIRECTLY IN A DISPENSABLE CIGARETTE OR CIGAR HOLDER.

Inventors

• 👤 Stavros Pergaminos

Bibliographic Details