Smoking articles enhanced to deliver additives incorporated within electrospun microfibers and nonofibers, and related methods
First Claim
1. A filter component of a smoking article, the filter component comprising:
- an electrospun fiber that comprisesat least one type of flavorant and/or a non-flavorant additive; and
at least one type of polymer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A large variety of electrospun fibers can be produced to encapsulate a large variety of additives within the subcompartments or substructures of the manufactured electrospun fiber. Furthermore, the manufactured electrospun fibers can be electrostatically arranged within a filter component of a smoking article during the manufacturing process. By modifying the various parameters that control the electrospinning process, a diverse set of electrospun fibers can be manufactured that vary in composition, in substructural organization, and in dimension. The electrospun fiber produced by electrospinning comprises at least one type of polymeric material that encapsulates or supports the retention of at least one type of a flavorant or a non-flavorant within the electrospun fiber. A polymeric material provides a supporting structure for encapsulating at least one type of a flavorant or a non-flavorant. The electrospun fibers that can be produced by various electrospinning processes described below include microfibers in a micro-scaled range, nanofibers in a nano-scaled range, and various mixtures of microfibers and nanofibers.
48 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A filter component of a smoking article, the filter component comprising:
an electrospun fiber that comprises at least one type of flavorant and/or a non-flavorant additive; and at least one type of polymer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for manufacturing a filter component of a smoking article, the method comprising:
incorporating at least one electrospun fiber into a filter component, wherein the electrospun fiber is produced by electrospinning at least one type of flavorant and/or a non-flavorant additive and at least one type of polymer. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An electrospun fiber comprising:
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at least one type of flavorant; and at least one type of polymer. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A method for manufacturing an electrospun fiber, the method comprising:
electrospinning at least one type of flavorant and at least one type of polymer. - View Dependent Claims (34)
Specification