Surface-Marked Fibers for Cigarette Filter Traceability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current anti-counterfeiting measures in the tobacco industry, such as acetate tow bands, lose supply chain information when converted into cigarette filters, making it difficult to track the origin of illicit cigarettes, and existing solutions are either overt and susceptible to counterfeiting or require chemical additives that may impact product quality.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating branded fibers with taggant surface markings into acetate tow bands that form a repeated pattern, allowing for the encoding of supply chain information, which can be decoded using imaging technology, maintaining traceability throughout the manufacturing and distribution process without affecting the product's performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If overt anti-counterfeiting measures (watermarks, colored fibers, holograms) are used, then product identification is readily observable, but these measures are susceptible to counterfeiting and destruction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the identification function from overt visual features and embeds it within the fiber structure itself through microscopic surface markings. The taggant markings are applied to individual fibers during manufacturing, creating covert identification that cannot be easily removed or replicated without detecting equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection system (imaging technology and analysis equipment) that bridges the gap between the fiber's physical form and its identification code. This intermediary allows the markings to remain invisible to consumers while providing reliable identification to authorized parties
2Loss of information
If chemical additives are used for tracking, then supply chain information can be maintained, but product quality and taste may be impacted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical tracking methods with a physical marking system applied to the fiber surface. The taggant markings are deposited or engraved on the fiber exterior, eliminating the need for chemical additives that could migrate into the tobacco or affect combustion characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The identification markings are applied locally to the fiber surface rather than incorporating chemicals throughout the bulk material. This localized approach ensures that tracking information is preserved while the core product composition and quality remain unaffected
3Loss of information
If supply chain information is encoded in acetate tow bands, then tracking is possible, but information is lost when converted into cigarette filters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the taggant markings to individual fibers during the fiber manufacturing stage, before the fibers are processed into acetate tow bands and eventually converted into cigarette filters. This preliminary encoding ensures the identification information is embedded in the raw material and persists through all subsequent processing steps
Solution Approach 2:
The fiber-level marking system serves multiple functions across the supply chain: it identifies the fiber batch during manufacturing, tracks the acetate tow band through distribution, and maintains traceability in the final cigarette filter product. This universal approach eliminates information loss during conversion between product forms
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are fibers comprising one or more branded fibers which exhibit surface markings in a repeated pattern along the length of the branded fibers. The branded fibers can be incorporated into yarns or fiber bands to represent supply chain information of the yarns, fiber bands, and/or articles made from the yards or fiber bands. In a specific example, branded fibers can be incorporated into an acetate tow band. The branded fibers can be recovered from a cigarette filter, the repeated pattern decoded, and supply chain information associated with the acetate tow used to make the cigarette filter, such as manufacturer, customer, ship to location, and even the acetate tow bale, can be obtained.