Smoke Filter for Cigarettes and Other Smoking Implements

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The disclosure relates to smoke filters and more particularly pertains to a new smoke filter for filtering toxicants from smoke arising from the use of cigarettes and similar smoking implements.

Myriad filters are disclosed by the prior art for filtering toxicants from cigarette smoke. However, the prior art fails to describe such an apparatus in which the filter comprises a plurality of panels that are coupled together and fan out radially from a central axis. Such a filter could be mounted substantially aligned to a direction of flow of smoke through a smoking implement to limit the extend to which the filter blocks the smoke as it travels through the smoking implement.

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a tube sized and configured to insert into a smoking implement. The tube has a pair of ends, each of which is air permeable such that the tube is configured to permit air through the tube via the pair of ends. A filter is mounted within the tube. The filter comprises a plurality of panels which are coupled to each other at a central axis of the filter. The panels extend radially away from the central axis. Each panel comprises a filtering material configured to attract toxicants from smoke.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular tothereof, a new smoke filter embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeralwill be described.

As best illustrated in, the smoke filtering apparatusgenerally comprises a tubewhich sized and configured to insert into a smoking implementsuch as a cigarette, cigar, smoking pipe, or the like. The tubehas a pair of ends, each of which defines a plurality of openingsthat extend to an interior space of the tube. The openingsof each endare radially arranged with respect to each other. The tubehas a cylindrical shape which conforms to a shape of a casingof the smoking implement. However, the tubemay have other shapes in other embodiments which may conform to various shapes of various other smoking implements.

A filteris mounted within the tube. The filtercomprises a plurality of panelswhich are coupled to each other at a central axis of the filterand extend radially away from the central axis. The panelsare equally angularly spaced from each other around the central axis. Each panelof the plurality of panelscomprises a substrate and a filtering materialmounted to the substrate. The substrate comprises paper but may comprise any suitable material for containing the filtering material. The filtering materialcomprises activated carbon but may comprise any suitable material for filtering toxicants from smoke. The filtering materialmay be embedded in the substrate, adhered to the substrate, or otherwise suitably mounted to the substrate. The filtering materialmay be formed in a powder, granules, shavings, or the like. The filtering materialis configured to attract toxicants so that they are removed from the smoke during inhalation of the smoke through the tube. For example, in the case of the filtering materialcomprising activated carbon, it is known to the art that activated carbon reduces various toxicants from smoke through adsorption. Other filtering materialmay be used which remove toxicants from smoke through adsorption, retention of solid particles, or other suitable means.

The filterextends along its central axis from one endof the pair of endsof the tubeto another endof the pair of endsof the tube. Each openingof each endof the tubeis positioned proximate to an associated panelof the plurality of panelsof the filter. A pair of screensis mounted in the tube. Each screenis positioned between an associated endof the pair of endsof the tubeand the filterand is air permeable. The screenmay comprise a wire mesh, for example, but other suitable compositions may be used. The smoke filtering apparatusmay be insertable into the smoking implementthrough an inhalation endof the smoking implementor may be attached to the smoking implementduring manufacture.depict the smoking implementas being a cigarette. The casingof the cigarette comprises paper which combusts along with a combusting smoking materialcontained in the casing.

When smoke is drawn through the inhalation endof the smoking implementduring use, the smoke enters through the openingsof one endof the pair of endsof the tube. Each openingpermits smoke to move therethrough by both of a pair of opposing surfaces of the associated panel. The screenadjacent to the one endalso allows the smoke to be distributed adjacent to other panelsof the filterwhich are not adjacent to one of the openings. Smoke then flows generally parallel to the central axis of the filterto the other endof the tube, through the screenadjacent to the other endand through the openingsof the other end.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.