Tobacco smoke filter and tobacco blend for altering mainstream smoke

Abstract

The invention relates to a cigarette for reducing a ratio of at least one constituent to tar in mainstream smoke. The cigarette comprises at least one of a low efficiency tobacco smoke filter and a tobacco blend having a lower stem content as compared to a conventional tobacco.

1 . A cigarette for reducing a ratio of at least one constituent to tar in mainstream smoke, the cigarette comprising at least one of a low efficiency tobacco smoke filter and a tobacco blend having a lower stem content as compared to a conventional tobacco wherein the cigarette is at least one of a sidestream smoke treatment cigarette and a low ignition propensity cigarette.  
   
   
       2 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the cigarette is a sidestream smoke treatment cigarette comprising a tobacco rod, a treatment wrapper/paper and a low efficiency tobacco smoke filter, the treatment wrapper/paper comprising a sidestream smoke treatment composition, wherein the treatment composition comprises in combination, an oxygen storage and donor metal oxide oxidation catalyst and an essentially non-combustible finely divided porous particulate adjunct for the catalyst.  
   
   
       3 . The cigarette of  claim 2 , wherein the cigarette is a low ignition propensity cigarette.  
   
   
       4 . A cigarette of  claim 2 , wherein said catalyst has an average particle size of less than about 1 μm.  
   
   
       5 . A cigarette of  claim 2 , wherein said adjunct is a high surface area porous material with a surface area in excess of about 20 m 2 /g.  
   
   
       6 . A cigarette of  claim 5 , wherein said adjunct is selected from the group consisting of clays, essentially non-combustible milled fibres, monolithic mineral based materials, essentially non-combustible activated carbon, zeolites and mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       7 . A cigarette of  claim 6 , wherein said adjunct is a zeolite.  
   
   
       8 . A cigarette of  claim 2 , wherein said catalyst is selected from the group consisting of a transition metal oxide selected from the group consisting of group VB, VIB, VIIB, VIII, IB metal oxides and mixtures thereof; a rare earth metal oxide and mixtures thereof; and a mixture of said transition metal oxide and said rare earth metal oxide.  
   
   
       9 . A cigarette of  claim 2 , wherein said catalyst is a mixture of a rare earth metal oxide and a transition metal oxide, said transition metal oxide being selected from the group consisting of group IVB, VB, VIB, VIIB, VIII, IB metal oxides and mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       10 . A cigarette of any one of  claim 2 , wherein said catalyst is selected from the group consisting of a transition metal oxide selected from the group consisting of group VIIB and VIII metal oxides and mixtures thereof; a rare earth metal oxide and mixtures thereof; and a mixture of said transition metal oxide and said rare earth metal oxide.  
   
   
       11 . A cigarette of  claim 2 , wherein said catalyst is a precursor of said catalyst.  
   
   
       12 . A cigarette of  claim 2 , wherein said catalyst is on and/or within the adjunct.  
   
   
       13 . The cigarette of  claim 2 , wherein the oxygen storage and donor metal oxide oxidation catalyst is ceria and the adjunct is a zeolite.  
   
   
       14 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the low ignition propensity cigarette comprises a porosity reducing composition.  
   
   
       15 . The cigarette of  claim 14 , wherein the porosity reducing composition is an alginate.  
   
   
       16 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the sidestream smoke treatment cigarette comprises a sidestream smoke treatment composition in at least one of the filter, the tobacco and the cigarette wrapper/paper.  
   
   
       17 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the cigarette comprises the low efficiency tobacco smoke filter and the tobacco blend.  
   
   
       18 . A cigarette for reducing a ratio of at least one constituent to tar in mainstream smoke, the cigarette comprising a synergistic combination of a low efficiency tobacco smoke filter and a tobacco blend having a lower stem content as compared to a conventional tobacco.  
   
   
       19 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the filter is less than about 50% efficient.  
   
   
       20 . The cigarette of  claim 19 , wherein the filter is less than about 40% efficient.  
   
   
       21 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the low efficiency tobacco smoke filter comprises an adsorbent.  
   
   
       22 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the tobacco blend comprises an amount of stem from about 0 weight % to about 20 weight % of the total weight of the tobacco blend.  
   
   
       23 . The cigarette of  claim 22 , wherein the tobacco blend comprises an amount of stem of about 0 weight % of the total weight of the tobacco blend.  
   
   
       24 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the low efficiency tobacco smoke filter is a tobacco smoke coaxial core filter.  
   
   
       25 . The cigarette of  claim 24 , wherein the tobacco smoke coaxial core filter comprises a filtering material forming a layer around a less dense filtering material core, the filter further comprising a ventilated tipping paper.  
   
   
       26 . The cigarette of  claim 25 , wherein the less dense filtering material core comprises conventional material of low filtering efficiency.  
   
   
       27 . The cigarette of  claim 26 , wherein the conventional material of low filtering efficiency is cellulose acetate tow or other fibre of 8 dpf or more.  
   
   
       28 . The cigarette of  claim 25 , wherein the filtering material comprises cellulose acetate tow less than 8 dpf.  
   
   
       29 . The cigarette of  claim 25 , wherein the filter further comprises one of a wrap, sleeve and integral skin around the core.  
   
   
       30 . The cigarette of  claim 25 , wherein the filter comprises adjacent cores.  
   
   
       31 . The cigarette of  claim 25 , wherein the ventilated tipping paper provides about 10% to 90% air dilution of the smoke.  
   
   
       32 . The cigarette of  claim 31 , wherein the ventilated tipping paper provides about 35% to about 50% air dilution of the smoke.  
   
   
       33 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the filter has the properties of a low efficiency tobacco smoke filter having a range of ventilation.  
   
   
       34 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one constituent is carbon monoxide and/or a carbonyl selected from the group consisting of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, acrolein, propionaldehyde, crotonaldehyde, butyraldehyde, and methyl ethyl ketone.  
   
   
       35 . A method for reducing a ratio of at least one constituent to tar in mainstream smoke from a burning cigarette comprising using a cigarette comprising at least one of a low efficiency tobacco smoke filter and a tobacco blend having a lower stem content as compared to a conventional tobacco, wherein the cigarette is a sidestream smoke treatment cigarette and/or a low ignition propensity cigarette.  
   
   
       36 . A method for reducing a ratio of at least one constituent to tar in mainstream smoke from a burning cigarette comprising using a cigarette comprising a synergistic combination of a low efficiency tobacco smoke filter and a tobacco blend having a lower stem content as compared to a conventional tobacco.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 35 , the low efficiency tobacco smoke filter is a tobacco smoke coaxial core filter.  
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 36 , the low efficiency tobacco smoke filter is a tobacco smoke coaxial core filter.  
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the tobacco smoke coaxial core filter comprises a filtering material forming a layer around a less dense filtering material core, the filter further comprising a ventilated tipping paper.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the tobacco smoke coaxial core filter comprises a filtering material forming a layer around a less dense filtering material core, the filter further comprising a ventilated tipping paper.  
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the tobacco blend comprises an amount of stem from about 0 weight % to about 20 weight % of the total weight of the tobacco blend.  
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the tobacco blend comprises an amount of stem from about 0 weight % to about 20 weight % of the total weight of the tobacco blend.  
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the tobacco blend comprises an amount of stem of about 0 weight % of the total weight of the tobacco blend.  
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the tobacco blend comprises an amount of stem of about 0 weight % of the total weight of the tobacco blend.  
   
   
       45 . A cigarette for reducing a ratio of at least one constituent to tar in mainstream smoke, the cigarette comprising at least one of a low efficiency tobacco smoke filter and a tobacco blend having a lower stem content as compared to a conventional tobacco, in combination with at least one of a cigarette wrapper/paper, tobacco additive and tobacco smoke filter additive.  
   
   
       46 . The cigarette of  claim 45 , wherein said at least one of the cigarette wrapper/paper, tobacco additive and tobacco smoke filter additive that reduces the amount of at least one constituent in mainstream smoke and sidestream smoke.  
   
   
       47 . The cigarette of  claim 45 , wherein at least one of the cigarette wrapper/paper, tobacco additive and the tobacco smoke filter additive comprises at least one metal oxide.  
   
   
       48 . The cigarette of  claim 45 , wherein at least one of the cigarette wrapper/paper, tobacco additive and the tobacco smoke filter additive comprises at least one metal oxide and at least one adjunct.