KR20220165821A - Smoking article - Google Patents

Abstract

Described herein is an aerosol-generating article (101) comprising an aerosolizable material (103) and a wrapping material (102) arranged around the aerosolizable material, the wrapping material comprising a non-combustible material. and the wrapping material extends from about 10% to about 85% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material.

Description

Smoking articles {SMOKING ARTICLE}

The present invention relates to smoking articles, and specifically, but not exclusively, to aerosol generating articles comprising a wrapped aerosolizable material, and wrapped aerosolization articles. To an aerosol generating assembly holding an aerosol generating article comprising the possible material.

The present invention relates to smoking articles, and specifically, but not exclusively, to aerosol generating articles comprising a wrapped aerosolizable material, and wrapped aerosolization articles. To an aerosol generating assembly holding an aerosol generating article comprising the possible material.

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides an aerosol-generating article, the aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosolizable material and a wrapping material arranged around the aerosolizable material,

The wrapping material comprises a non-combustible material, the wrapping material extending over about 10% to about 85% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material. do.

In some cases, the wrapping material surrounds the aerosolizable material.

In some cases, the aerosolizable material includes tobacco.

In some cases, the aerosolizable material is a rod of aerosolizable material.

In some cases, the non-combustible material includes metal foil. For example, the metal foil may include aluminum.

In some cases, the wrapping material extends from about 20% to about 70% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material.

In some cases, the wrapping material extends from about 40% to about 65% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material.

In some cases, the wrapping material extends over about 50% to about 60% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material.

In some cases, the aerosol-generating article may further include a filter and/or cooling element. In some cases, a cooling element may be arranged between the aerosolizable material and the filter. In some cases, a filter may be arranged between the aerosolizable material and the cooling element.

According to a second aspect, the invention provides an aerosol-generating assembly comprising a heater and an aerosol-generating article according to the first aspect of the invention. In some cases, the aerosol-generating assembly may be a tobacco heating product (also known as a non-combustion heating device).

A further aspect of the invention provides a system comprising an aerosol-generating device and an aerosol-generating article according to the first aspect.

A further aspect of the invention provides a process for making an aerosol-generating article, the process comprising wrapping an aerosolizable material with a wrapping material, the wrapping material comprising a non-combustible material, the wrapping material comprising an aerosol and extends from about 10% to about 85% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a method for preventing a user from igniting or burning an aerosolizable material in an aerosol-generating article, the method comprising wrapping the aerosolizable material with a wrapping material, the wrapping material comprising: comprises an incombustible material, and the wrapping material extends from about 10% to about 85% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material.

Features of the invention described in the context of one aspect, to the extent compatible thereof, are explicitly disclosed in combination with each other aspect.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following drawings and description of examples of the present invention, which are given by way of example only and do not place any limitations on the scope of the claims.
1 is a schematic diagram of a side view of an aerosol-generating article according to one embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic diagram of a first end view of an aerosol-generating article according to an example of the present invention.
3 is a schematic diagram of a first end view of a different aerosol-generating article according to an example of the present invention.
4 is a schematic diagram of a side view of an aerosol-generating article according to one embodiment of the present invention.
5 is an exploded schematic diagram of a wrapping material that may be used in some examples.
6 is an exploded schematic diagram of a wrapping material that may be used in some examples.

1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary aerosol-generating article. The aerosol-generating article 101 comprises an aerosolizable material 103, the aerosolizable material 103 being wrapped by a non-combustible material 102 from a first end of the aerosolizable material. In this example, the non-combustible material 102 extends over about 50% of the distance to the second end of the aerosolizable material.

In some cases, the wrapper may extend over at least about 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material. there is.

*Considerations when preparing aerosol-generating articles (eg, tobacco heating products) should not create an acceptable smoking experience when the aerosolizable material is burned, so that the user does not have to worry about burning the aerosolizable material. that it becomes This is because the formulation of aerosolizable material is not configured to be combusted (and the aerosol resulting from burning may result from heating the aerosolizable material without burning it, or from burning traditional cigarettes). may be less suitable for inhalation than an aerosol).

In use, the second end of the aerosolizable material is the mouth-end and the first end is the distal-end (therefore, the second end is alternatively referred to herein as the mouth-end). - may be referred to as an end, and a first end may alternatively be referred to herein as a distal end). Wrapping the distal-end of the aerosolizable material (i.e., the end at which the user attempts to ignite) with a non-combustible material prevents the aerosolizable material within the aerosol-generating article from burning and smoking like a conventional flammable cigarette. The inventors have established that the burning tendency decreases as the proportion of aerosolizable material wrapped in non-combustible material increases.

In some examples, the non-combustible wrapping material may be arranged around the perimeter of the tobacco material. Optionally, a non-combustible wrapping material may also be arranged over the first end of the aerosolizable material, such that the first end is completely closed with the wrapping material. 2 illustrates an example in which non-combustible material 102 is wrapped around the perimeter of an aerosolizable material. The first end of the aerosol-generating article 101 is not covered with an incombustible material. 3 illustrates an alternative example of an aerosol-generating article 101 in which an incombustible material 102 completely encloses a first end of the aerosol-generating article.

As used herein, the phrase “non-combustible” refers to a material that does not ignite or burn at temperatures normally associated with lighting (igniting) or burning of tobacco.

In some cases, the wrapper spans less than about 85%, 80%, 75%, 70%, 65%, or 60% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material. is extended

Non-combustible materials can be more expensive than traditional cigarette wrapping materials such as paper. Thus, it may be beneficial to use as little as possible while balancing the need for low burning propensity.

Additionally, non-combustible materials are typically more difficult to use in manufacturing than traditional cigarette wrapping materials such as paper. For example, the inventors have established that non-combustible materials can be more difficult to cut than paper; This may affect the manufacturing method of the aerosolizable material, where (a) lengths of the aerosolizable materials may be cut from a longer body, and (b) ventilation holes are provided in the wrapping material. do.

The inventors have established that wrapping between 10% and 85% of the length of the aerosolizable material, with the wrapper extending from the first end, satisfies these various competing requirements.

In some cases, the wrapping material spans about 20% to 70%, 40% to 65%, or 50% to 60% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material. may be extended.

Additionally, examples of aerosol-generating articles may further include filters and/or cooling elements. In some cases, these additional components are surrounded by a paper wrapper that also encloses the aerosolizable material. In such cases, a portion of the aerosolizable material is wrapped in a paper wrapper in addition to the wrapping material comprising the non-combustible material, which may overlie or underlie the wrapping material comprising the non-combustible material.

For example, the second end (ie mouth-end) of the aerosolizable material may be provided adjacent to the cooling element and/or filter. The cooling element (if present) allows vapor components to condense to form an aerosol and/or keeps very hot parts of the device away from the user. Filters (if present) can remove components from the fluid flow that can affect the chemical composition of the inhaled aerosol.

4 illustrates an example of an aerosol-generating article 101 comprising a cooling element 104, a filter 105 and a mouth-end tube 106, in addition to the features of FIG. are doing The cooling element 104 and filter 105 can be arranged between the mouth-end of the aerosolizable material 103 and the mouth-end tube 106, as illustrated, so that the aerosolizable material ( The flow from 103 passes through the cooling element 104 and filter 105 before reaching the user (or vice versa, if the filter is arranged before the cooling element in the flow). box). 4 illustrates cooling element 104, filter 105 and mouth-end tube 106, in other examples one or more of these elements may be omitted.

In some examples, the mouth-end tube 106 (if present) is made of, for example, paper in the form of a spirally wound paper tube, cellulose acetate, cardboard, crimped paper, such as It may be formed from crimped heat resistant paper or crimped parchment paper, and/or polymeric materials such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), or some other suitable material. Mouth-end tube 106 may be a hollow tube. Such a hollow tube may provide a filtering function to filter out volatilized aerosolizable material. Mouth-end tube 106 may be elongated, spaced from the very hot portion(s) of a main apparatus (not shown) that heats the aerosolizable material.

In some examples, filter 105 (if present) may be a filter plug and may be made of cellulose acetate, for example.

In some cases, the cooling element 104 (if present) is monolithic, having first and second ends and including a plurality of through holes extending between the first and second ends. It may include a monolithic rod. The through holes may extend substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the rod. The through holes of the cooling element 104 may be arranged generally radially of the element when viewed in cross section. That is, in one example, the element defines through holes and has inner walls with two main components: radial walls and central walls. The radial walls extend along the radii of the cross section of the element, and the central walls are centered at the center of the cross section of the element. In one example, the central walls are circular, but other regular or irregular cross-sectional shapes may be used. Likewise, in one example, the cross-section of the element is circular, but other regular or irregular cross-sectional shapes may be used.

In one example, most of the through holes have a hexagonal or generally hexagonal cross-sectional shape. In this example, the element may be referred to as a "honeycomb" structure when viewed from one end.

In some cases, the cooling element 104 may include a hollow tube that separates the filter 105 (if present) from the very hot portion(s) of the main apparatus that heats the aerosolizable material. The cooling element 104 may be, for example, paper in the form of a spirally wound paper tube, cellulose acetate, cardboard, crimped paper, such as crimped heat-resistant paper or crimped parchment, and/or polymeric materials, It may be formed, for example, of low density polyethylene (LDPE), or some other suitable material.

Cooling element 104 (if present) may be substantially incompressible. Cooling element 104 may be formed of a polymer, such as a thermoplastic polymer, which may be a ceramic material or an extrudable plastic material. In one example, the porosity of the element is in the range of 60% to 75%. In this respect, porosity can be a measure of the percentage of the cross-sectional area of an element occupied by through-holes. In one example, the porosity of the element is between about 69% and 70%.

Other examples of aerosol cooling elements are disclosed in PCT/GB2015/051253, the entire contents of which, particularly the description of FIGS. 1 to 8 and page 8, line 11 to page 18, line 16, are expressly incorporated herein by reference. included in

In further examples, cooling element 104 may be formed from sheet material that is folded, crimped or pleated to form through holes. The sheet material may be, for example, a metal such as aluminum; polymeric plastic materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate or polyvinyl chloride; or made of paper.

In some examples, cooling element 104 and filter 105 may be held together by a wrapper paper to form an assembly. The assembly may then be joined to the aerosolizable material by a further wrapper surrounding the mouth-end of the assembly and at least the aerosolizable material to form the aerosol-generating article 101 . In other examples, the aerosol-generating article 101 is formed by effectively wrapping the cooling element 104, the filter 105 and the aerosolizable material 103 in one operation, the cooling element and/or filter components ( If present), no separate tipping paper is provided.

In some cases, the article may be formed with one or more ventilation apertures. The ventilation openings can provide a flow of air into the article during use, the air flow forming part of the inhaled aerosol. It may be desirable to reduce the air flow through the distal end of the aerosolizable material to reduce the tendency to burn, so that apertures may be formed closer to the mouth-end than to the distal-end. For example, vent holes may be formed in the cooling element and/or filter (if present). Furthermore, vent holes may be formed in a portion of the article that is not wrapped with an incombustible material. The inventors have established that cutting non-combustible material to form vent openings may not be straightforward.

The aerosolizable material may be a rod of aerosolizable material. As used herein, the term "rod" generally refers to an elongate body which may be of any shape suitable for use in an aerosol-generating assembly. In some cases, the rod is substantially cylindrical.

In some cases, the aerosolizable material includes tobacco. Tobacco includes single grades or blends, cut rag or whole leaf, ground tobacco, tobacco fiber, cut tobacco, extruded tobacco, tobacco It may be any suitable solid tobacco, such as stem and/or reconstituted tobacco. The tobacco may be of any type, including but not limited to Virginia and/or Burley and/or Oriental tobacco.

In use, in some cases, an aerosol-generating article may be arranged at least partially within a heating device to form an aerosol-generating assembly that generates an aerosol by heating the article without burning it. In some other cases, an article may be provided in an assembly having a fuel source, such as a combustible fuel source or chemical heat source, that heats the aerosolizable material without burning it.

Wrapping materials containing non-combustible materials

In some cases, the non-combustible material includes a metal foil. In some cases, the non-combustible material consists essentially of or can consist of a metal foil. Suitably, the metal foil may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of aluminum foil. Metal foils are non-combustible materials, which nonetheless, in use, can act to conduct heat to aerosolizable materials.

In some cases, the metal foil may be less than about 100 μm, 50 μm, 20 μm, 10 μm or 8 μm thick. In some cases, the metal foil may be greater than about 1 μm, 3 μm or 5 μm thick.

In some cases, an aerosolizable material may be wrapped with more than one wrapping material. That is, in addition to a wrapping material comprising a non-aerosolizable material, the aerosolizable material may be wrapped with one or more additional materials. These one or more additional wrapping material(s) may cover more or less aerosolizable material than the wrapping material including the non-combustible material.

In some cases, one or more additional wrapping material(s) may surround other components of the aerosol-generating article (in addition to the wrapping material) as noted above.

In some cases, the one or more additional wrapping material(s) may include paper that may overlie and/or underlie the non-combustible wrapping material.

In some cases, a wrapping material comprising an incombustible material may be a laminate material. In some cases, the laminate material may include two, three, four or more layers.

Suitable laminate materials may include a paper layer and a metal foil layer (eg, an aluminum foil layer). In some cases, the laminate material may consist of two layers, such as a paper layer and a metal foil layer.

As used herein, the term "laminate structure" refers to a multilayer structure in which the layers are fastened together to form a single body. The layers can be fastened together with an adhesive, for example. In other examples, the layers may be engaged by static interaction. In other examples, the laminate structure may be formed by (partially) melting a first layer, contacting the first layer with a second layer and allowing the first layer to solidify. Fastening the layers together, including but not limited to examples of the above, tying, sewing, screwing, nailing, bolting, hooking, etc. Any suitable mechanism for doing so may be used to form the laminate structure.

In some cases, an adhesive may coat the surface of each layer. In other cases, adhesive may be applied only to the periphery of the layers. In some cases, each layer of the laminate structure may be fastened to adjacent layer(s). In some exemplary laminate structures, the periphery of the two layers may be fastened together with the intermediate layers caught in the middle.

In some cases, the laminate wrapping material may include an inner layer comprising metal foil and an outer layer comprising paper. 6 shows such an example. The laminate structure (represented by dotted lines) includes an inner layer 502 and an outer layer 501 . In some cases, the laminate wrapping material may be composed of these two layers.

In some cases, the laminate wrapping material may include innermost and outermost layers comprising paper, and an intermediate metal foil layer. 5 illustrates such an example. The laminate structure (represented by dotted lines) includes peripheral layers 501 and 503 and an intermediate layer 502 . In some cases, the laminate wrapping material may be composed of these three layers.

Wrapping the aerosolizable material with both a metal foil layer and a paper layer, suitably a laminate wrapper as described above, provides the desired incombustibility. Additionally, the porosity of such wraps is low, limiting the flow of sidestream air to the cigarette, further reducing its burning tendency.

Furthermore, we find that having an outer layer comprising paper (and in some cases, having an innermost layer also comprising paper) because the laminate surface(s) then has the coefficient of friction of that paper. , established that it can be beneficial. This means that the laminate wrapper can more easily be used in known cigarette manufacturing processes and machines. Laminate surfaces having a coefficient of friction equivalent to that of cigarette paper allow a garniture belt of an aerosol-generating article manufacturing machine to drive the laminate wrapper through the garniture during the aerosol-generating article manufacturing process.

The inventors have also established that having paper in the innermost layer can be beneficial as it can act as a flavor carrier. That is, in some cases, the innermost layer of the laminate wrapping material includes paper and a flavorant that is wrapped around the aerosolizable material and transfers to the aerosolizable material when heated. In some cases, the flavoring agent is impregnated into the paper of the innermost layer. In some cases, the flavoring agent may include menthol.

The paper in the laminate wrapping materials described herein may have a weight of at least about 10 g m ² , 15 g m ² , 20 g m ² , or 25 g m ² to about 50 g m ² , It may have a basis weight of 45 g·m ⁻² , 40 g·m ⁻² , or 35 g·m ⁻² . Paper with densities in this range has a low porosity, which further reduces the burning tendency by limiting the oxygen levels of the aerosolizable material.

Paper may be treated with one or more burn-retardant substances.

The laminate material may be wound onto a bobbin core for use with standard cigarette makers, supplied from a single paper bobbin.

The laminate material may be formed using any suitable lamination technique. In one example, the layers may be adhered to each other.

The above examples should be understood as illustrative examples of the present invention. Any feature described in connection with any one example can be used alone or in combination with other features described, as well as in combination with one or more features of any other example or any combination of any other examples. It should be understood that it can be used Equivalents and variations not described above may also be used without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (17)

An aerosol generating article comprising an aerosolizable material and a wrapping material arranged around the aerosolizable material, comprising:
The wrapping material comprises a non-combustible material, the wrapping material being between about 10% and about 85% of a distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material. extending over %,
Aerosol-generating articles. According to claim 1,
wherein the wrapping material surrounds the aerosolizable material;
Aerosol-generating articles. According to claim 1 or 2,
wherein the aerosolizable material comprises tobacco;
Aerosol-generating articles. According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
wherein the aerosolizable material is a rod of aerosolizable material;
Aerosol-generating articles. According to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The incombustible material includes a metal foil,
Aerosol-generating articles. According to claim 5,
The metal foil includes aluminum,
Aerosol-generating articles. According to any one of claims 1 to 6,
wherein the wrapping material extends over about 20% to about 70% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material.
Aerosol-generating articles. According to any one of claims 1 to 7,
wherein the wrapping material extends from about 40% to about 65% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material.
Aerosol-generating articles. According to any one of claims 1 to 8,
wherein the wrapping material extends over about 50% to about 60% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material.
Aerosol-generating articles. According to any one of claims 1 to 9,
further comprising a filter and/or cooling element;
Aerosol-generating articles. According to claim 10,
wherein the aerosol-generating article comprises a filter and a cooling element, the cooling element being arranged between the aerosolizable material and the filter;
Aerosol-generating articles. An aerosol-generating assembly comprising an aerosol-generating article according to claim 1 . According to claim 12,
The assembly is a tobacco heating product,
Aerosol-generating assembly. According to claim 12 or 13,
wherein the heater is a device into which the aerosol-generating article is at least partially inserted when in use;
Aerosol-generating assembly. A system comprising an aerosol-generating device and an aerosol-generating article according to claim 1 . A process for making an aerosol-generating article comprising:
wrapping the aerosolizable material with a wrapping material;
wherein the wrapping material comprises a non-combustible material, the wrapping material extending from about 10% to about 85% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material.
A process for manufacturing an aerosol-generating article. A method for preventing a user from igniting or burning an aerosolizable material within an aerosol-generating article, the method comprising:
wrapping the aerosolizable material with a wrapping material;
wherein the wrapping material comprises a non-combustible material, the wrapping material extending from about 10% to about 85% of the distance from the first end of the aerosolizable material to the second end of the aerosolizable material.
A method of preventing a user from igniting or burning an aerosolizable material within an aerosol-generating article.

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