Flavor monitoring system and method

• US 20040090235A1
• Filed: 11/13/2002
• Published: 05/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gill, Tejinder K., Lanier, Robert C. Jr., Dawson, John
• Granted Patent: US 6,903,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/464
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/62 by investigating the ionisation of gases, e.g. aerosols; by investigating electric discharges, e.g. emission of cathode

Abstract

A flavor monitoring system comprises a photo-ionization detector based sensor for measuring the amount of flavor in flavored cigarette filters The sensor has an intake port and an exit port open to the atmosphere. An enclosure with a removable cover is connected to the intake port of the sensor, and the enclosure is constructed and arranged to receive a flavored cigarette filter to be analyzed. The photo-ionization detector based sensor draws a gaseous sample from the flavored filter within the enclosure, ionizes the flavor sample and displays a reading representative of the amount of flavor in the filter. Subsequently the reading may be converted to a flavor amount in milligrams by multiplying the reading by a correlation factor.

Claims

1. A flavor monitoring system comprising:

a photo-ionization sensor for measuring flavor amounts;

an intake port on the sensor;

an exit port on the sensor open to the atmosphere;

an enclosure with a removable cover in fluid communication with the intake port constructed and arranged to receive a flavored filter; and

wherein the photo-ionization sensor draws a gaseous sample from a flavored filter within the enclosure, ionizes the sample and displays a reading representative of the amount of flavor in the filter.

2. A flavor monitoring system as in claim 1 wherein:

the reading representative of the amount of flavor in the filter is in milligrams of flavor.

3. A flavor monitoring system as in claim 1 wherein the enclosure includes:

an interior space constructed and arranged to receive a flavored filter;

vent openings in the enclosure; and

wherein the photo-ionization sensor is in fluid communication with the interior space of the enclosure.

4. A method for monitoring flavor amounts in a flavored filter comprising the steps of:

placing a flavored filter within an enclosure;

connecting the enclosure to an intake port of a photo-ionization sensor to provide fluid communication between the enclosure and the sensor;

venting the photo-ionization sensor to the atmosphere through an exit port on the sensor;

drawing a gaseous sample from a flavored filter within the enclosure and delivering the sample to the photo-ionization sensor;

ionizing the sample in the sensor; and

displaying a reading representative of the flavor amount in the filter.

5. A method as in claim 4 including the further steps of multiplying the reading representation of the flavor amount by a correlation factor to produce a flavor amount reading in milligrams.

6. A method for determining the amount of flavor material in a cigarette filter component or cigarette filter comprising:

drawing a gaseous sample through the filter component or cigarette filter;

ionizing the sample at a selected ionization potential;

developing a signal representative of the charge of the ionized sample; and

correlating the signal to the amount of flavor material contained in the filter.