Smoking articles enhanced to deliver additives incorporated within electrospun microfibers and nonofibers, and related methods
US8602036B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 26, 2007 |
| Grant date | Dec 10, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 8, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T428/2927
- WIPO fieldOther consumer goods
- WIPO sectorOther fields
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.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.