Tobacco filters and method of producing the same

• US 5,947,127 A
• Filed: 05/16/1997
• Issued: 09/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Daicel Chemical Industries Limited, Japan Tobacco Inc.
• Original Assignee: Daicel Chemical Industries Limited, Japan Tobacco Inc.
• Inventors: Tsugaya, Hitoshi, Oji, Nobuyuki, Nishimura, Kanae, Taniguchi, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullis, Jeffrey C.
• Application Number:
  US08/858,039
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 131/332, 131/342, 131/343, 131/345
• US Class Current: 131/332
• CPC Class Codes: A24D 3/10 of cellulose or cellulose derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: A24D 3/14 of organic materials as additive of ion exchange materials A24D3/12

Abstract

A filter rod is produced by adding a water-soluble polymer in the form of an aqueous solution or dispersion, or in a particulate form, to a tow of cellulose ester fiber, with the amount of any water used being controlled within 25 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the tow, and wrapping the treated tow in wrapping paper. The water contained in the filter rod is removed or the particulate water-soluble polymer is melted by heating to bond the fiber to provide a tobacco filter. The proportion of the water-soluble polymer is 0.5 to 30 parts by weight to 100 parts by weight of the tow. To reduce the amount of water relative to the tow, a hot-melt adhesive water-soluble polymer may be employed. As the amount of water added to the tow is thus decreased, the tow can be smoothly wrapped up even at a high speed so that filter productivity is improved. This tobacco filter is highly wet-disintegratable and, hence, contributes to mitigation of the environmental pollution.

Claims

1. A method for producing a tobacco filter which comprises a step for adding or depositing a particulate hot-melt adhesive water-soluble polymer to a tow of cellulose ester fiber without the use of water and furthermore without the use of a plasticizer and a step for processing the water-soluble polymer-containing tow into a filter rod.

2. A method for producing a tobacco filter according to claim 1, wherein said hot-melt adhesive water-soluble polymer is a copolymer of vinyl alcohol and vinyl ester, said polymer having a saponification degree of not more than 80%.

3. A method for producing a tobacco filter according to claim 1, wherein said water-soluble polymer has a melting point in the range of 50 to 200°

C.

4. A method for producing a tobacco filter according to claim 1, wherein the water-soluble polymer has a mean particle diameter of 1 to 500μ

m.

5. A method for producing a tobacco filter according to claim 1, which contains 3 to 25 parts by weight of a particulate water-soluble polymer relative to 100 parts by weight of the tow.

6. A method for producing a tobacco filter according to claim 1, wherein said filter comprises a tow of cellulose ester fiber having a degree of crimping in the range of 5 to 75 crimps per linear inch and the water-soluble polymer in a proportion of 1 to 10 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of said tow.

7. A method for producing a tobacco filter according to claim 1, wherein said hot-melt adhesive water-soluble polymer is polyvinyl alcohol having a saponification degree of not more than 80%.

8. A method for producing a tobacco filter according to claim 1, wherein said water-soluble polymer has a melting point of 50 to 150°

C., a melt viscosity of 150 to 75,000 cps at 150°

C. and a mean particle diameter of 30 to 300 μ

m.

9. A method for producing a tobacco filter according to claim 1, wherein said filter comprises a tow of a crimped cellulose ester fiber having a degree of crimping in the range of 10 to 50 crimps per linear inch and the particulate hot-melt adhesive water-soluble polymer having a melt viscosity of 200 to 50,000 cps at 150°

C. and a mean particle diameter of 50 to 200/μ

m, said particulate water-soluble polymer being contained in a proportion of 5 to 17 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the tow and bonding said cellulose ester fiber.

10. A method for producing a tobacco filter according to claim 1, wherein the processing step comprises the steps of opening tow of cellulose ester fiber, wrapping the water-soluble polymer-containing tow in wrapping paper to provide a filter rod, and heating either the tow or the rod in or after the wrapping stage to melt the water-soluble polymer and cooling the melted water-soluble polymer to solidify the polymer for bonding said fiber.

11. A method for producing a tobacco filter according to claim 1, which method comprises a step for spraying a melt hot-melt adhesive water-soluble polymer onto an opened tow of cellulose ester fiber and a step for wrapping the polymer melt-containing tow in wrapping paper to provide a filter rod.

12. A method for producing a tobacco filter according to claim 1, wherein the amount of said water-soluble polymer is 0.5 to 30 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the tow.