Tobacco filter for smoking articles

Claim 2

A tobacco filter for smoking articles comprising a holder for a filter medium, said holder having a substantially tubular configuration defining a substantially cylindrical chamber with openings at opposite end portions thereof, a solid unitary compressible filter medium disposed in said cylindrical chamber of said holder for removing harmful constituents from tobacco smoke that flows therethrough, said filter medium having a diameter as least as large as the diameter of said cylindrical chamber to effect engagement of said filter medium with the wall of said cylindrical chamber along substantially the entire length of said filter medium to fill said cylindrical chamber along at least a major portion of the longitudinal axis thereof, and a plurality of ridge means integrally formed with said wall of said cylindrical chamber for radially compressing said filter medium at all points throughout each of a plurality of spaced apart cross sectional planes at locations which are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of said holder and disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said filter medium to provide alternate cross sectional portions of compressed and noncompressed filter medium along the longitudinal axis of said filter medium.

Claim 3

A tobacco filter as defined in claim 1 wherein said plurality of ridge means form a baffle means disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said holder for compressing said filter medium throughout said spaced apart cross sectional planes at said spaced apart locations and for trapping harmful constituents of the smoke from burning tobacco, said baffle means extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the flow of smoke from the tobacco article through said holder and said filter medium.

Claim 4

A tobacco filter as defined in claim 1 wherein said ridge means for compressing said filter medium comprises an interior surface of said holder having threads formed thereon, which engage with said filter medium at said spaced apart locations to compress said filter medium at said locations which are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of said holder.

Claim 5

A tobacco filter as defined in claim 1 wherein said filter means comprises a 2 × 2 twill woven cotton fabric which is napped on both sides thereof, said napping increasing the surface area of said cotton fabric which engages with the smoke as it flows through said cotton fabric to increase said cotton fabric's ability to absorb and adsorb harmful constituents from the tobacco smoke prior to the smoke reaching a user of the tobacco article.

Claim 6

A tobacco filter for smoking articles comprising a holder for a filter medium, said holder having a substantially tubular configuration defining a substantially cylindrical chamber with openings at opposite end portions thereof, a unitary filter medium disposed in said cylindrical chamber of said holder for removing harmful constituents from tobacco smoke that flows therethrough, and a plurality of ridge means integrally formed with said wall of said cylindrical chamber for radially compressing said filter medium at all points throughout a plurality of cross sectional planes disposed at locations which are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of said holder to provide alternate cross sectional portions of compressed filter medium having a first density and noncompressed filter medium having a second density which is less than said first density along the longitudinal axis of said filter medium, said ridge means for compressing said filter medium including a plurality of projections disposed on the wall of said cylindrical chamber of said holder and spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of said holder, said projections engaging with the filter medium at spaced apart locations along the length of the filter medium to form said portions of compressed filter medium.

Claim 7

A tobacco filter for smoking articles comprising a holder for a filter medium, said holder having a substantially tubular configuration defining a substantially cylindrical chamber with openings at opposite end portions thereof, a unitary filter medium disposed in said cylindrical chamber of said holder for removing harmful constituents from tobacco smoke that flows therethrough, and a plurality of ridge means integrally formed with said wall of said cylindrical chamber for radially compressing said filter medium at all points throughout a plurality of cross sectional planes disposed at locations which are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of said holder to provide alternate cross sectional portions of compressed filter medium having a first density and noncompressed filter medium having a second density which is less than said first density along the longitudinal axis of said filter medium, said ridge means for compressing said filter medium including a plurality of projections disposed on the wall of said cylindrical chamber of said holder and spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of said holder, said projections engaging with the filter medium at spaced apart locations along the length of the filter medium to form said portions of compressed filter medium.

Claim 8

A tobacco filter for smoking articles comprising a holder for a filter medium, said holder having a substantially tubular configuration defining a substantially cylindrical chamber with openings at opposite end portions thereof, a solid compressible filter medium disposed in said cylindrical chamber of said holder for removing harmful constituents from tobacco smoke that flows therethrough, said filter medium having a diameter at least as large as the diameter of said cylindrical chamber to effect engagement of said filter medium with the wall of said cylindrical chamber along substantially the entire length of said filter medium to fill said cylindrical chamber along at least a major portion of the longitudinal axis thereof, and means for compressing said filter medium throughout spaced apart cross-sectional planes at locations which are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of said holder and disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said filter medium to provide alternate cross-sectional portions of compressed and noncompressed filter medium along the longitudinal axis of said filter medium, said filter medium comprising a material having a plurality of ridges spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of said filter medium, said filter medium having a diameter at said ridges which is greater than the diameter of said cylindrical chamber to enable said ridges to cooperate with the wall of the cylindrical chamber of said holder when said filter medium is disposed therein to compress said filter medium throughout said spaced apart cross-sectional planes at said spaced apart locations along the longitudinal axis of said filter medium where said ridges engage with the wall of said cylindrical chamber of said holder.

Claim 9

A tobacco filter for smoking articles comprising a holder for a filter medium, said holder having a substantially tubular configuration defining a substantially cylindrical chamber with openings at opposite end portions thereof, a solid compressible filter medium disposed in said cylindrical chamber of said holder for removing harmful constituents from tobacco smoke that flows therethrough, said filter medium having a diameter at least as large as the diameter of said cylindrical chamber to effect engagement of said filter medium with the wall of said cylindrical chamber along substantially the entire length of said filter medium to fill said cylindrical chamber along at least a major portion of the longitudinal axis thereof, and means for compressing said filter medium throughout spaced apart cross-sectional planes at locations which are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of said holder and disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said filter medium to provide alternate cross-sectional portions of compressed and noncompressed filter medium along the longitudinal axis of said filter medium, said filter medium comprising a material having a plurality of ridges spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of said filter medium, said filter medium having a diameter at said ridges which is greater than the diameter of said cylindrical chamber to enable said ridges to cooperate with the wall of the cylindrical chamber of said holder when said filter medium is disposed therein to compress said filter medium throughout said spaced apart cross-sectional planes at said spaced apart locations along the longitudinal axis of said filter medium where said ridges engage with the wall of said cylindrical chamber of said holder.