EP3949772A1 - Cooling segment, non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article, method for using non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article, and non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation system - Google Patents

Cooling segment, non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article, method for using non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article, and non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation system Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3949772A1
EP3949772A1 EP19923428.7A EP19923428A EP3949772A1 EP 3949772 A1 EP3949772 A1 EP 3949772A1 EP 19923428 A EP19923428 A EP 19923428A EP 3949772 A1 EP3949772 A1 EP 3949772A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
segment
heat
cooling
tobacco
substance
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
EP19923428.7A
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German (de)
French (fr)
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EP3949772A4 (en
Inventor
Yuki Minami
Yusuke NAGAMATSU
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Japan Tobacco Inc
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Japan Tobacco Inc
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Japan Tobacco Inc filed Critical Japan Tobacco Inc
Publication of EP3949772A1 publication Critical patent/EP3949772A1/en
Publication of EP3949772A4 publication Critical patent/EP3949772A4/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24DCIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
    • A24D1/00Cigars; Cigarettes
    • A24D1/20Cigarettes specially adapted for simulated smoking devices
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24DCIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
    • A24D3/00Tobacco smoke filters, e.g. filter-tips, filtering inserts; Filters specially adapted for simulated smoking devices; Mouthpieces for cigars or cigarettes
    • A24D3/04Tobacco smoke filters characterised by their shape or structure

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a cooling segment, a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, a method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, and a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system.
  • a common combustion smoking article (cigarette) for smoking through combustion includes a tobacco-containing segment, in which a tobacco filler of dry tobacco leaves shredded into a width of about 1 mm and added with a flavor, a humectant, an appropriate amount of moisture, and so forth is wrapped cylindrically in a paper wrapper; and a mouthpiece segment, in which a corrugated paper or fibers of cellulose acetate or the like are wrapped cylindrically in a paper wrapper.
  • the tobacco-containing segment and the mouthpiece segment are joined with a lining paper.
  • a user smokes by igniting the end of the tobacco-containing segment with a lighter or the like and inhaling from the end of the mouthpiece segment.
  • the leading end of the tobacco-containing segment burns at a temperature exceeding 800°C.
  • a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article and a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system which utilize heating in place of combustion, have been developed (Patent Literature (PTL) 1 to 6, for example).
  • the heating temperature is lower than the burning temperature in a combustion smoking article and is 400°C or lower, for example.
  • a tobacco filler of a tobacco-containing segment contains an aerosol former, such as glycerol, propylene glycol (PG), triethyl citrate (TEC), or triacetin.
  • an aerosol former is vaporized upon heating, moved to a cooling segment within a mouthpiece segment through inhalation, and cooled to generate an aerosol further reliably.
  • a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system typically includes a cylindrical heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article having a shape similar to a common combustion smoking article; and a heating device equipped with a battery, a controller, a heater, and so forth.
  • Exemplary heaters include an electric resistance heater and an induction heater.
  • Exemplary heating methods by an electric resistance heater include a method of heating a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article with a heater from the outside and a method of heating by inserting a needle-like or blade-like heater from the leading end of a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article into a tobacco-containing segment that includes a tobacco filler.
  • an aerosol former vaporized upon heating cools primarily in a cooling segment and condenses from the vapor into particles, thereby forming an aerosol.
  • a cooling segment for a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for example, PTL 5 discloses a feature that includes a polymer sheet, such as a polylactic acid sheet, as a cooling member.
  • a vaporized aerosol component is not sufficiently cooled in some cases especially in initial puffs (first and second puffs) immediately after starting use. For this reason, from a viewpoint of improving the sensation of users during use in initial puffs, it is desirable in some cases to sufficiently lower the temperature of a vaporized aerosol component even in initial puffs.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling segment that can lower the temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff, a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, a method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, and a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system.
  • a cooling segment according to the present invention is a cooling segment for a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, including a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support, where the substance has an amount of heat absorbed of 50 mJ/mg or more obtained from an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 200°C in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
  • DSC differential scanning calorimetry
  • a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention includes a tobacco-containing segment and the cooling segment according to the present invention.
  • a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system includes the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention and a heating device for heating the tobacco-containing segment.
  • a method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention is a method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article that includes
  • a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system is a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system including a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article that includes
  • a cooling segment that can lower the temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff, a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, a method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, and a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system.
  • the cooling segment according to the present invention is a cooling segment for a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, including a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support.
  • the cooling segment herein indicates a segment, in a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, that is positioned downstream (mouth end side) of a tobacco-containing segment and that cools a vaporized aerosol component.
  • the substance has an amount of heat absorbed of 50 mJ/mg or more obtained from an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 200°C in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
  • the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff before passing through a cooling segment is typically about 50°C to 200°C.
  • the substance supported on the support has the amount of heat absorbed of 50 mJ/mg or more obtained from an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 200°C in DSC. For this reason, when a vaporized aerosol component comes into contact with the substance supported on the support, sufficient cooling effects are obtained even in an initial puff due to the melting reaction of the substance. Consequently, it is possible to lower the temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff.
  • the substance preferably has a melting point obtained by DSC of 200°C or lower.
  • the substance is supported on the support in the present invention, the substance even after melting through the melting reaction remains supported on the support. Consequently, it is possible to suppress bleeding of the molten substance outside the cooling segment.
  • the details of the present invention will be described.
  • the cooling segment according to the present invention includes a cooling member.
  • the constitution of the cooling member is not particularly limited provided that a support and a substance supported on the support are included.
  • the support may be a sheet, and the substance may be supported on the sheet (hereinafter, this constitution is also referred to as "first embodiment”).
  • the support may be a filter tow, and granules of the substance may be packed into a space between fibers of the filter tow (hereinafter, this constitution is also referred to as "second embodiment").
  • the cooling member according to the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments.
  • Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary cooling member according to the first embodiment.
  • a substance layer 102 is provided on a sheet 101 as a support.
  • the substance layer 102 is provided only on one surface of the sheet 101 in Fig. 1 , the substance layer 102 may be provided on both surfaces of the sheet 101.
  • the sheet is not particularly limited and may be, for example, paper or a sheet of a polysaccharide or a synthetic polymer material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, a polyester, polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, a silicone resin, or a nylon.
  • paper is preferable.
  • the basis weight of the paper is preferably 20 g/m 2 or more and more preferably 20 to 360 g/m 2 in view of feasibility of filter making.
  • the paper preferably has a low air permeability and more preferably has an air permeability of zero.
  • the thickness of the sheet is not particularly limited and may be 50 to 200 ⁇ m, for example.
  • the substance according to the present invention has the amount of heat absorbed of 50 mJ/mg or more, preferably 60 mJ/mg or more, more preferably 70 mJ/mg or more, and further preferably 80 mJ/mg or more obtained from an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 200°C in DSC.
  • a larger amount of heat absorbed is more preferable, and the upper limit of the range is not particularly limited. Since the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff before passing through a cooling segment is typically about 50°C to 200°C as mentioned above, the amount of heat absorbed is measured for an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 200°C.
  • the amount of heat absorbed may be the amount of heat absorbed for an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 100°C.
  • the amount of heat absorbed in DSC herein is based on an endothermic peak observed using DSC7020 (trade name, from Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation).
  • An endothermic peak represents a portion in which a DSC curve leaves the baseline and returns to the baseline again (portion from the start to the end points).
  • the thermal analysis is performed by heating a measurement sample to 30°C, holding at this temperature for 30 minutes, and then heating to a predetermined temperature at a temperature rising rate of 5°C/min.
  • An endothermic peak is thus primarily attributed to melting, but a peak attributed to glass transition may be included.
  • the substance Since the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff before passing through a cooling segment is typically about 50°C to 200°C as mentioned above, the substance has a melting point obtained by DSC of preferably 200°C or lower, more preferably 25°C to 100°C, further preferably 30°C to 80°C, and particularly preferably 40°C to 75°C.
  • the melting point obtained by DSC of a substance herein is a melting peak top temperature observed when thermal analysis the same as the measurement for the amount of heat absorbed described above is performed using DSC7020 (trade name, from Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation).
  • the substance according to the present invention may be a substance to be melted and may be edible.
  • examples of the substance according to the present invention include waxes.
  • Exemplary waxes include natural waxes and synthetic waxes.
  • Exemplary natural waxes include animal or plant waxes, such as high erucic rapeseed oil, carnauba wax, rice bran wax, Japan wax, and beeswax; and petroleum waxes, such as paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, and petrolatum.
  • Exemplary synthetic waxes include Fischer-Tropsch wax and polyethylene wax. These may be used alone in combination.
  • the wax has a molecular weight of preferably 300 to 30,000 and more preferably 300 to 1,000.
  • the amount of the substance supported on the sheet is preferably 250 parts by mass or less and more preferably 20 to 250 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the sheet.
  • the amount of the substance is 250 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the sheet, it is possible to further suppress bleeding of the molten substance outside the cooling segment.
  • the amount of the substance is 20 parts by mass or more relative to 100 parts by mass of the sheet, it is possible to obtain cooling effects further due to the melting reaction of the substance.
  • the thickness of the substance layer may be 30 to 100 ⁇ m, for example, and is preferably 30 to 50 ⁇ m.
  • the substance can be supported on the sheet, for example, by applying a coating solution containing the substance to the sheet, followed by drying.
  • Figs. 2 and 3 each illustrate an exemplary cooling segment according to the first embodiment in (a) the perspective view and in (b) the cross-sectional view.
  • the cooling segments 200 and 300 illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 each include a cooling member 201 or 301 and a wrapper 202 or 302 that wraps the cooling member 201 or 301.
  • the cooling members 201 and 301 each include a sheet as a support and a substance layer provided on the sheet and is gathered to be disposed within the wrapper 202 or 302 of the cooling segment 200 or 300. Grooves formed through gathering extend in the axial direction of the cooling segment 200 or 300, in other words, the horizontal direction in Figs. 2 and 3 .
  • the cooling members 201 and 301 each having such a configuration inside the cooling segment 200 or 300 can increase the surface area that comes into contact with a vaporized aerosol component. Consequently, the cooling performance of a vaporized aerosol component is enhanced.
  • the number of grooves formed through gathering is not particularly limited.
  • the cooling member 201 is provided with a plurality of folds (also referred to as crimped or creped) in advance in the axial direction of the cooling segment 200 before being gathered to be disposed within the wrapper 202 of the cooling segment 200.
  • the cooling member 301 is not provided with such folds.
  • the cooling member 201 in Fig. 2 has sharp bends since a plurality of folds are provided in the axial direction of the cooling segment 200.
  • Fig. 4 illustrates another exemplary cooling segment according to the first embodiment in (a) the perspective view and in (b) the cross-sectional view.
  • a plurality of rectangular cooling members 401 are placed within a wrapper 402 of a cooling segment 400.
  • the length of the cooling member 401 in the longitudinal direction is longer than the diameter of the cooling segment 400 (diameter on the cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction of the cooling segment 400).
  • the cooling members 401 are disposed with the longitudinal direction aligned almost parallel to the axial direction of the cooling segment 400, in other words, the horizontal direction in Fig. 4 .
  • the expression "almost parallel” means a direction within ⁇ 10° of a target direction.
  • the length of the cooling member 401 in the width direction (width) is not particularly limited but is preferably 0.2 mm or more and 5 mm or less and more preferably 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less.
  • Fig. 5 illustrates another exemplary cooling segment according to the first embodiment in (a) the perspective view and in (b) the cross-sectional view.
  • a plurality of strand-shaped (string-shaped) cooling members 501 are placed within a wrapper 502 of a cooling segment 500. These cooling members 501 are packed inside the cooling segment 500.
  • the longitudinal directions of the cooling members 501 are not particularly limited and may be aligned randomly relative to the axial direction of the cooling segment 500 as illustrated in Fig. 5 (b) .
  • the cooling members 501 have such a configuration inside the cooling segment 500, it is possible, due to the short length of the cooling members 501, to increase the surface area of the cooling members 501.
  • the length of the cooling member 501 in the longitudinal direction may be shorter than the diameter of the cooling segment 500 and may be 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, for example.
  • the length of the cooling member 501 in the width direction is not particularly limited and may be 0.5 mm or more and 2 mm or less, for example.
  • a substance is supported on a filter tow by packing granules of the substance into a space between fibers of the filter tow.
  • the filter tow is not particularly limited, and examples include an acetate tow (acetate filter) formed of cellulose acetate fibers; and fibers of polysaccharides or synthetic polymer materials, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyesters, polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, silicone resins, and nylons.
  • a plurality of tows may be disposed with the longitudinal direction aligned in one direction or may be disposed with the longitudinal direction aligned randomly.
  • the average particle size of the granules of the substance is not particularly limited provided that the granules can be packed into a space between fibers of the filter tow and may be 0.1 to 10 mm, for example.
  • the average particle size here is an average obtained by measuring the maximum diameter for six granules imaged under a microscope.
  • the amount of granules of the substance packed into a space between fibers of the filter tow is preferably 100 parts by mass or less, more preferably 20 to 100 parts by mass, and further preferably 20 to 50 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the filter tow.
  • the amount of the granules is 100 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the filter tow, it is possible to further suppress bleeding of the molten substance outside the cooling segment.
  • the amount of the granules is 20 parts by mass or more relative to 100 parts by mass of the filter tow, it is possible to obtain cooling effects further due to the melting reaction of the substance.
  • the granules of the substance can be packed into a space between fibers of the filter tow, for example, by pressing the granules of the substance into the filter tow from either or both surfaces.
  • the shape of a cooling segment is not particularly limited and may be a columnar, for example.
  • the perimeter length of the cooling segment is preferably 16 to 25 mm, more preferably 20 to 24 mm, and further preferably 21 to 23 mm.
  • the length of the cooling segment in the axial direction is preferably 5 to 70 mm, more preferably 5 to 50 mm, and further preferably 5 to 30 mm.
  • the cross-sectional shape of the cooling segment is not particularly limited and may be circular, elliptic, or polygonal, for example. Further, perforations for introducing external air inside may be provided on the perimeter of the cooling segment.
  • a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention includes a tobacco-containing segment and the cooling segment according to the present invention. Since the cooling segment according to the present invention is included, the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article can lower the temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff.
  • the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention may further include other segments, in addition to the tobacco-containing segment and the cooling segment.
  • Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention.
  • the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 600 illustrated in Fig. 6 includes a tobacco-containing segment 601 and a mouthpiece segment 602.
  • the mouthpiece segment 602 includes a cooling segment 603 according to the present invention, a center hole segment 604, and a filter segment 605.
  • the tobacco-containing segment 601 is heated and inhalation takes place at the end of the filter segment 605.
  • the tobacco-containing segment 601 is heated at 100°C to 400°C, for example.
  • the positions of the cooling segment 603 and the center hole segment 604 may be switched, and the positions of the center hole segment 604 and the filter segment 605 may also be switched.
  • the mouthpiece segment 602 may lack the center hole segment 604.
  • the tobacco-containing segment 600 includes a tobacco filler 606 containing tobacco and an aerosol former; and a tubular first wrapper 607 that covers the tobacco filler 606.
  • the tobacco filler 606 may further contain a volatile flavor component and/or water.
  • the size of tobacco used as a filler or a preparation method therefor is not particularly limited. For example, dry tobacco leaves shredded into a width of 0.8 to 1.2 mm may be used. In this case, the shreds have a length of about 5 to 20 mm. Moreover, those prepared by uniformly pulverizing dry tobacco leaves into an average particle size of about 20 to 200 ⁇ m, forming into sheets, and shredding the sheets into a width of 0.8 to 1.2 mm may also be used.
  • the shreds have a length of about 5 to 20 mm.
  • the above-mentioned formed sheets may be gathered without shredding and used as a filler.
  • a plurality of cylindrically formed sheets may be disposed concentrically.
  • various types of tobacco may be employed for a tobacco filler. Flue-cured, burley, oriental, and domestic, regardless of Nicotiana tabacum varieties or Nicotiana rustica varieties, may be blended as appropriate for an intended taste and used. The details of the varieties of tobacco are disclosed in "Tobacco no Jiten (Dictionary of Tobacco), Tobacco Academic Studies Center, March 31, 2009."
  • Such sheets include a sheet made by a papermaking process; a cast sheet made by uniformly mixing with a suitable solvent, such as water, thinly casting the resulting uniform mixture on a metal sheet or a metal sheet belt, and drying; and a rolled sheet formed by extruding a uniform mixture with a suitable solvent, such as water, into a sheet shape.
  • a suitable solvent such as water
  • the filling density of the tobacco filler 606 is not particularly limited but is typically 250 mg/cm 3 or more, preferably 320 mg/cm 3 or more and typically 520 mg/cm 3 or less, preferably 420 mg/cm 3 or less from a viewpoint of ensuring the performance of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 600 and imparting a satisfactory smoking flavor.
  • the content range of the tobacco filler 606 in the tobacco-containing segment 601 is 200 to 400 mg and preferably from 250 to 320 mg per tobacco-containing segment 601.
  • the aerosol former is a material that can generate an aerosol upon heating.
  • examples include, but are not particularly limited to, glycerol, propylene glycol (PG), triethyl citrate (TEC), triacetin, and 1,3-butanediol. These may be used alone or in combination.
  • the volatile flavor component is not particularly limited and examples include, from a viewpoint of imparting a satisfactory smoking flavor, acetanisole, acetophenone, acetylpyrazine, 2-acetylthiazole, alfalfa extract, amyl alcohol, amyl butyrate, trans-anethole, star anise oil, apple juice, Peru balsam oil, beeswax absolute, benzaldehyde, benzoin resinoid, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, benzyl propionate, 2,3-butanedione, 2-butanol, butyl butyrate, butyric acid, caramel, cardamom oil, carob absolute, ⁇ -carotene, carrot juice, L-carvone, ⁇ -caryophyllene, cassia bark oil, cedarwood oil, celery seed oil, chamomile oil, cinnamaldehyde, c
  • the content of an aerosol former in the tobacco filler 606 is not particularly limited but is typically 5 to 50 mass% and preferably 10 to 20 mass% from a viewpoint of sufficiently generating an aerosol and imparting a satisfactory smoking flavor.
  • the content of the volatile flavor component in the tobacco filler 606 is not particularly limited but is typically 10,000 ppm or more, preferably 20,000 ppm or more, more preferably 25,000 ppm or more and typically 50,000 ppm or less, preferably 40,000 ppm or less, and more preferably 33,000 ppm or less relative to the mass of the tobacco filler 606.
  • a method of packing the tobacco filler 606 within the first wrapper 607 is not particularly limited.
  • the tobacco filler 606 may be wrapped in the first wrapper 607 or the tubular first wrapper 607 may be filled with the tobacco filler 606.
  • tobacco may be packed with the longitudinal direction randomly aligned within the first wrapper 607 or may be packed with the longitudinal direction aligned with the axial direction or the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the tobacco-containing segment 601.
  • a tobacco component and an aerosol former contained in the tobacco filler 606 are vaporized by heating the tobacco-containing segment 601 and moved to the mouthpiece segment 602 through inhalation.
  • the cooling segment 603 is a cooling segment according to the present invention and includes a cooling member 608 and a second wrapper 609 that wraps the cooling member 608.
  • the second wrapper 609 and a mouthpiece lining paper 615 described hereinafter may be provided with a perforation passing therethrough. Due to the presence of the perforation, external air is introduced inside the cooling segment 603 during inhalation, thereby further cooling a vaporized aerosol component through contact with external air.
  • the number of the perforation is not particularly limited and may be one or two or more. For example, a plurality of perforations may be provided on the perimeter of the cooling segment 603.
  • the center hole segment 604 comprises a first filling layer 610 having a hollow portion and a first inner plug wrapper 611 that covers the first filling layer 610.
  • the center hole segment 604 acts to increase the strength of the mouthpiece segment 602.
  • the first filling layer 610 may be, for example, a rod of ⁇ 5.0 to ⁇ 1.0 mm in inner diameter formed by hardening highly densely packed cellulose acetate fibers added with 6 to 20 mass%, based on the mass of cellulose acetate, of a plasticizer including triacetin. Since the first filling layer 610 has a high filling density of fibers, a vaporized aerosol component flows only through the hollow portion and hardly flows within the first filling layer 610 during inhalation. Since the first filling layer 610 inside the center hole segment 604 is a fiber-filled layer, a user rarely feels odd by touch from the outside during use.
  • the filter segment 605 comprises a second filling layer 612 and a second inner plug wrapper 613 that covers the second filling layer 612. Since the second filling layer 612 is present all the way up to the mouth end in the filter segment 605, the mouth end exhibits an appearance similar to a common combustion smoking article.
  • the second filling layer 612 may be a filling layer of cellulose acetate fibers, for example.
  • the center hole segment 604 and the filter segment 605 are joined with an outer plug wrapper 614.
  • the outer plug wrapper 614 may be a cylindrical paper, for example.
  • the tobacco-containing segment 601, the cooling segment 603, and the connected center hole segment 604 and filter segment 605 are joined with the mouthpiece lining paper 615.
  • These three segments may be joined, for example, by applying a glue, such as a vinyl acetate-based glue, to the inner surface of the mouthpiece lining paper 615 and wrapping the lining paper around these segments.
  • the length of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention in the axial direction is not particularly limited but is preferably 40 mm to 90 mm, more preferably 50 mm to 75 mm, and further preferably 50 mm to 60 mm.
  • the perimeter length of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article is preferably 16 mm to 25 mm, more preferably 20 mm to 24 mm, and further preferably 21 mm to 23 mm.
  • the axial length of the tobacco-containing segment 601 is 20 mm
  • the axial length of the cooling segment 603 is 20 mm
  • the axial length of the center hole segment 604 is 8 mm
  • the axial length of the filter segment 605 is 7 mm.
  • the length of these individual segments may be changed appropriately depending on manufacturing feasibility, required quality, and so forth. Further, even an article in which only a filter segment is disposed downstream of the cooling segment without a center hole segment can also act as a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article.
  • the method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention is a method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article that includes a tobacco-containing segment containing tobacco and an aerosol former for generating an aerosol; and a cooling segment disposed downstream (mouth end side) of the tobacco-containing segment.
  • the cooling segment includes a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support.
  • the temperature of the aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment is higher than a melting point obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the substance.
  • DSC differential scanning calorimetry
  • the temperature of an aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment is higher than a melting point obtained by DSC of the substance. For this reason, the substance supported on the support undergoes the melting reaction when a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff comes into contact therewith. Consequently, the vaporized aerosol component is cooled sufficiently, thereby lowering the temperature of the vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff.
  • the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article to be used in the method according to the present invention may be the foregoing heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention.
  • the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention when used, by adjusting the heating temperature of the tobacco-containing segment to preferably 100°C to 400°C and more preferably 250°C to 400°C, it is possible to make the temperature of an aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment higher than a melting point obtained by DSC of the substance.
  • the temperature of an aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment herein indicates the highest temperature of an aerosol in a first puff (55 mL/2 s) detected by inserting a thermocouple into a position immediately before a portion corresponding to the cooling segment.
  • a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system includes the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention and a heating device for heating a tobacco-containing segment. Since the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention is included, the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system can lower the temperature a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff.
  • the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system according to the first embodiment is not particularly limited provided that the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention and the heating device are included and may have other configurations.
  • Fig. 7 illustrates an exemplary heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system according to the first embodiment.
  • the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system illustrated in Fig. 7 includes a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 according to the present invention and a heating device 701 for heating a tobacco-containing segment of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 from the outside.
  • Fig. 7 (a) illustrates the state before inserting the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 into the heating device 701
  • Fig. 7 (b) illustrates the state of heating the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 inserted into the heating device 701.
  • the body 702 has a tubular recess 707, and the heater 703 and the metal tube 704 are arranged on the inner side surface of the recess 707 at a position corresponding to the tobacco-containing segment of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 inserted into the recess 707.
  • the heater 703 may be an electric resistance heater, and heating by the heater 703 is performed by supplying power from the battery unit 705 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 706, which controls temperature.
  • Heat generated by the heater 703 is transferred to the tobacco-containing segment of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 through the metal tube 704 having a high thermal conductivity.
  • a gap exists between the outer perimeter of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 and the inner perimeter of the metal tube 704.
  • the heating device 701 heats the tobacco-containing segment of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 from the outside, the heating device may be a heating device for heating from the inside.
  • the heating temperature by the heating device is preferably 100°C to 400°C and more preferably 250°C to 400°C.
  • the heating temperature indicates the temperature of a tobacco-containing segment heated by the heating device.
  • a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system includes a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article that includes a tobacco-containing segment containing tobacco and an aerosol former for generating an aerosol and a cooling segment disposed downstream (mouth end side) of the tobacco-containing segment; and a heating device for heating the tobacco-containing segment.
  • the cooling segment includes a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support.
  • the tobacco-containing segment is heated by the heating device such that a temperature of the aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment is higher than a melting point obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the substance.
  • DSC differential scanning calorimetry
  • the tobacco-containing segment is heated by the heating device such that a temperature of the aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment is higher than a melting point obtained by DSC of the substance. For this reason, when a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff comes into contact with the substance supported on the support, the substance undergoes the melting reaction. Since a vaporized aerosol component is cooled sufficiently as a result, it is possible to lower the temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff.
  • the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article to be used in the second embodiment may be the foregoing heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention.
  • the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention by adjusting the heating temperature of the tobacco-containing segment to preferably 100°C to 400°C and more preferably 250°C to 400°C using the heating device, it is possible to make the temperature of an aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment higher than a melting point obtained by DSC of the substance.
  • the temperature of an aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment is the same as described above for the method of using the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention.
  • the amount of heat absorbed and the melting point of a substance were measured using a differential scanning calorimeter (trade name: DSC7020, from Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation).
  • the amount of heat absorbed of a substance was measured for an endothermic peak present within the range of 25°C to 200°C.
  • the concrete method of measuring is as follows. First, a measurement sample was heated to 30°C and held at the temperature for 30 minutes. Subsequently, the sample was subjected to thermal analysis by heating to a predetermined temperature at a temperature rising rate of 5°C/min. The data of the DSC measurement results are shown in Figs. 8 to 10 .
  • a cooling member was prepared by supporting 100 g of microcrystalline wax (trade name: HiMic-2045, from Nippon Seiro Co., Ltd.) as a substance on 40 g of paper (glassine with basis weight of 75, from Ostrichdia Co., Ltd., length of 18 mm) as a support. Specifically, the microcrystalline wax was first melted by heating to about 150°C. The glassine was completely immersed in the microcrystalline wax, taken out therefrom, solidified through drying in air, and then cut into a predetermined size. The thickness of the resulting microcrystalline wax layer formed on the paper was about 50 ⁇ m. The amount of heat absorbed was measured for the microcrystalline wax by the above method to be 82.4 mJ/mg. Moreover, the melting point of the microcrystalline wax was measured by the above method to be 54°C.
  • microcrystalline wax trade name: HiMic-2045, from Nippon Seiro Co., Ltd.
  • a commercial heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article (trade name: Marlboro HeatSticks Balanced Regular, from Philip Morris International Inc.) was prepared.
  • the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article has a segment configuration the same as the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 600 illustrated in Fig. 6 except that the order of the cooling segment 603 and the center hole segment 604 is switched in the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 600 illustrated in Fig. 6 .
  • a portion corresponding to a tobacco-containing segment of this heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article contains tobacco and glycerol as an aerosol former.
  • a crimped polylactic acid film is disposed as a cooling member.
  • the polylactic acid film was taken out from the portion corresponding to a cooling segment, and the cooling member prepared as described above was crimped and then disposed instead.
  • the second filling layer 612 illustrated in Fig. 6 was taken out. A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation was thus obtained.
  • thermocouple was inserted into a position 7 mm downstream of the mouth side end of the portion corresponding to a cooling segment of the above-described heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation.
  • a hole formed for inserting the thermocouple was sealed with an adhesive to prevent air leakage from the hole.
  • the portion corresponding to a tobacco-containing segment of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation was heated at 40°C to 140°C by using a heating device (trade name: IQOS, from Philip Morris International Inc.) designed for the commercial heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article and inhalation was performed.
  • the inhalation was performed as 12 puffs in total at 55 mL/puff for 2 seconds (30 second interval for each puff, i.e. 2 seconds for inhaling and 28 seconds for waiting).
  • Fig. 11 is a graph showing changes in temperature detected by the thermocouple relative to the time of inhalation.
  • Each cooling member was prepared in the same manner as Example 1 except for using the substance shown in Table 1. Moreover, the amount of heat absorbed and the melting point of each substance were measured in the same manner as Example 1. The measured results are shown in Table 1.
  • a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation was prepared in the same manner as Example 1 except for using the prepared cooling member, and the cooling performance in initial puffs was evaluated. The results are shown in Figs. 11 and 12 .
  • a polylactic acid film was taken out from a portion corresponding to a cooling segment of a commercial heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article (trade name: Marlboro HeatSticks Balanced Regular, from Philip Morris International Inc.). The amount of heat absorbed and the melting point were measured for the film in the same manner as Example 1. The measured results are shown in Table 1. Moreover, the second filling layer 612 illustrated in Fig. 6 was taken out from the commercial heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article (trade name: Marlboro HeatSticks Balanced Regular, from Philip Morris International Inc.), and the cooling performance in initial puffs was evaluated in the same manner as Example 1 for the resulting heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation. The results are shown in Fig. 13 .
  • a polylactic acid film and the second filling layer 612 illustrated in Fig. 6 were taken out from a portion corresponding to a cooling segment of a commercial heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article (trade name: Marlboro HeatSticks Balanced Regular, from Philip Morris International Inc.) to prepare a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation.
  • a thermocouple was inserted into a position immediately before the portion corresponding to a cooling segment of the prepared heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation. Except for these, the cooling performance in initial puffs was evaluated in the same manner as Example 1. The results are shown in Fig. 14 .
  • the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in the first puff was 70.3°C and the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in the second puff (time of inhalation of 60 s in Fig. 14 ) was 78.3°C.
  • the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component rose. Since the melting points of the substances used in Examples 1 to 6 are at least lower than the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in the second puff, it is understood that these substances melted in initial puffs. Meanwhile, since the melting point of polylactic acid used in Comparative Example 1 is higher than the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in the second puff, it is understood that polylactic acid did not melt in initial puffs.
  • acetate filter formed of cellulose acetate fibers and as a substance, 10.4 mg of granules (average particle size: 1 mm) of microcrystalline wax (trade name: HiMic-1045, from Nippon Seiro Co., Ltd.) were prepared. From one surface of the acetate filter, the granules were packed into a space between acetate tow fibers to prepare a cooling member. A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation was prepared in the same manner as Example 1 except for using the prepared cooling member, and the cooling performance in initial puffs was evaluated.
  • the cooling member was disposed in a portion corresponding to a cooling segment of the commercial heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article such that the acetate filter surface on the side filled with the granules faces the tobacco-containing segment.
  • the results are shown in Fig. 15 .
  • a support 35.6 mg of an acetate filter and as a substance, 10.3 mg of granules (average particle size: 1 mm) of polylactic acid were prepared.
  • a cooling member was prepared by packing the granules of polylactic acid into a space between acetate tow fibers of the acetate filter.
  • a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation was prepared in the same manner as Example 7 except for using the prepared cooling member, and the cooling performance in initial puffs was evaluated. The results are shown in Fig. 15 .
  • a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation was prepared in the same manner as Example 7 except for using, as a cooling member, 44.7 mg of an acetate filter that is not filled with granules of a substance, and the cooling performance in initial puffs was evaluated. The results are shown in Fig. 15 .
  • Example 7 As shown in Fig. 15 , it was found that the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component especially in the first puff (time of inhalation of 30 s in Fig. 15 ) and in the second puff (time of inhalation of 60 s in Fig. 15 ) is lower in Example 7 than in Comparative Examples 2 and 3.
  • the substance used in Comparative Example 2 has the amount of heat absorbed of less than 50 mJ/mg and granules of a substance are not packed in Comparative Example 3, whereas the substance used in Example 7 has the amount of heat absorbed of 50 mJ/mg or more. For these reasons, it is considered that a vaporized aerosol component in initial puffs was cooled sufficiently in Example 7.

Abstract

Provided is a cooling segment that can lower the temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff. A cooling segment according to the present invention is a cooling segment for a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, including a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support, where the substance has an amount of heat absorbed of 50 mJ/mg or more obtained from an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 200°C in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

Description

    TECHNICAL FIELD
  • The present invention relates to a cooling segment, a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, a method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, and a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system.
  • BACKGROUND ART
  • A common combustion smoking article (cigarette) for smoking through combustion includes a tobacco-containing segment, in which a tobacco filler of dry tobacco leaves shredded into a width of about 1 mm and added with a flavor, a humectant, an appropriate amount of moisture, and so forth is wrapped cylindrically in a paper wrapper; and a mouthpiece segment, in which a corrugated paper or fibers of cellulose acetate or the like are wrapped cylindrically in a paper wrapper. The tobacco-containing segment and the mouthpiece segment are joined with a lining paper. A user smokes by igniting the end of the tobacco-containing segment with a lighter or the like and inhaling from the end of the mouthpiece segment. The leading end of the tobacco-containing segment burns at a temperature exceeding 800°C.
  • As a substitute for such a common combustion smoking article, a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article and a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system, which utilize heating in place of combustion, have been developed (Patent Literature (PTL) 1 to 6, for example). The heating temperature is lower than the burning temperature in a combustion smoking article and is 400°C or lower, for example. In a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, a tobacco filler of a tobacco-containing segment contains an aerosol former, such as glycerol, propylene glycol (PG), triethyl citrate (TEC), or triacetin. Such an aerosol former is vaporized upon heating, moved to a cooling segment within a mouthpiece segment through inhalation, and cooled to generate an aerosol further reliably.
  • A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system typically includes a cylindrical heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article having a shape similar to a common combustion smoking article; and a heating device equipped with a battery, a controller, a heater, and so forth. Exemplary heaters include an electric resistance heater and an induction heater. Exemplary heating methods by an electric resistance heater include a method of heating a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article with a heater from the outside and a method of heating by inserting a needle-like or blade-like heater from the leading end of a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article into a tobacco-containing segment that includes a tobacco filler.
  • CITATION LIST PATENT LITERATURE
    • PTL 1: Japanese Patent No. 5292410
    • PTL 2: Japanese Patent No. 5771338
    • PTL 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2013-507906
    • PTL 4: WO 2017/198838
    • PTL 5: Japanese Patent No. 5877618
    • PTL 6: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2016-506729
    SUMMARY OF INVENTION TECHNICAL PROBLEM
  • As mentioned above, an aerosol former vaporized upon heating (hereinafter, also referred to as "vaporized aerosol component") cools primarily in a cooling segment and condenses from the vapor into particles, thereby forming an aerosol. As a cooling segment for a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, for example, PTL 5 discloses a feature that includes a polymer sheet, such as a polylactic acid sheet, as a cooling member.
  • However, in a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article including a cooling segment that contains a conventional cooling member, a vaporized aerosol component is not sufficiently cooled in some cases especially in initial puffs (first and second puffs) immediately after starting use. For this reason, from a viewpoint of improving the sensation of users during use in initial puffs, it is desirable in some cases to sufficiently lower the temperature of a vaporized aerosol component even in initial puffs.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling segment that can lower the temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff, a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, a method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, and a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system.
  • SOLUTION TO PROBLEM
  • A cooling segment according to the present invention is a cooling segment for a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, including a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support, where
    the substance has an amount of heat absorbed of 50 mJ/mg or more obtained from an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 200°C in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
  • A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention includes a tobacco-containing segment and the cooling segment according to the present invention.
  • A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system according to the present invention includes the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention and a heating device for heating the tobacco-containing segment.
  • A method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention is a method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article that includes
    • a tobacco-containing segment containing tobacco and an aerosol former for generating an aerosol; and
    • a cooling segment disposed downstream of the tobacco-containing segment, where the cooling segment includes a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support; and
    • a temperature of the aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment is higher than a melting point obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the substance.
  • A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system according to the present invention is a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system including
    a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article that includes
    • a tobacco-containing segment containing tobacco and an aerosol former for generating an aerosol and
    • a cooling segment disposed downstream of the tobacco-containing segment; and
      • a heating device for heating the tobacco-containing segment, where
      • the cooling segment includes a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support; and
      • the tobacco-containing segment is heated by the heating device such that a temperature of the aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment is higher than a melting point obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the substance.
    ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION
  • According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooling segment that can lower the temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff, a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, a method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, and a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system.
  • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
    • Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary cooling member according to the present invention.
    • Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary cooling segment according to the present invention in (a) the perspective view and in (b) the cross-sectional view.
    • Fig. 3 illustrates another exemplary cooling segment according to the present invention in (a) the perspective view and in (b) the cross-sectional view.
    • Fig. 4 illustrates another exemplary cooling segment according to the present invention in (a) the perspective view and in (b) the cross-sectional view.
    • Fig. 5 illustrates a further exemplary cooling segment according to the present invention in (a) the perspective view and in (b) the cross-sectional view.
    • Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention.
    • Fig. 7 is a schematic view of an exemplary heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system according to the present invention in (a) the state before inserting a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article into a heating device and in (b) the state of heating the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article inserted into the heating device.
    • Fig. 8 is a graph showing DSC measurement results for the substances used in Examples 1 to 3.
    • Fig. 9 is a graph showing DSC measurement results for the substances used in Examples 4 to 6.
    • Fig. 10 is a graph showing DSC measurement result for the substance used in Comparative Example 1.
    • Fig. 11 is a graph showing changes in detected temperature (vaporized aerosol component temperature) relative to the time of inhalation in Examples 1 to 3.
    • Fig. 12 is a graph showing changes in detected temperature (vaporized aerosol component temperature) relative to the time of inhalation in Examples 4 to 6.
    • Fig. 13 is a graph showing changes in detected temperature (vaporized aerosol component temperature) relative to the time of inhalation in Comparative Example 1.
    • Fig. 14 is a graph showing changes in detected temperature (vaporized aerosol component temperature) relative to the time of inhalation in Reference Example 1.
    • Fig. 15 is a graph showing changes in detected temperature (vaporized aerosol component temperature) relative to the time of inhalation in Example 7 and Comparative Examples 2 and 3.
    DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS [Cooling Segment]
  • The cooling segment according to the present invention is a cooling segment for a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, including a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support. The cooling segment herein indicates a segment, in a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, that is positioned downstream (mouth end side) of a tobacco-containing segment and that cools a vaporized aerosol component. Here, the substance has an amount of heat absorbed of 50 mJ/mg or more obtained from an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 200°C in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
  • The highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff before passing through a cooling segment is typically about 50°C to 200°C. In the present invention, the substance supported on the support has the amount of heat absorbed of 50 mJ/mg or more obtained from an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 200°C in DSC. For this reason, when a vaporized aerosol component comes into contact with the substance supported on the support, sufficient cooling effects are obtained even in an initial puff due to the melting reaction of the substance. Consequently, it is possible to lower the temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff. Moreover, from a viewpoint of inducing the melting reaction of the substance at the highest temperature or lower of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff, the substance preferably has a melting point obtained by DSC of 200°C or lower.
  • Further, since the substance is supported on the support in the present invention, the substance even after melting through the melting reaction remains supported on the support. Consequently, it is possible to suppress bleeding of the molten substance outside the cooling segment. Hereinafter, the details of the present invention will be described.
  • The cooling segment according to the present invention includes a cooling member. The constitution of the cooling member is not particularly limited provided that a support and a substance supported on the support are included. For example, the support may be a sheet, and the substance may be supported on the sheet (hereinafter, this constitution is also referred to as "first embodiment"). Moreover, the support may be a filter tow, and granules of the substance may be packed into a space between fibers of the filter tow (hereinafter, this constitution is also referred to as "second embodiment"). However, the cooling member according to the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments.
  • (First Embodiment)
  • Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary cooling member according to the first embodiment. In the cooling member 100 illustrated in Fig. 1, a substance layer 102 is provided on a sheet 101 as a support. Although the substance layer 102 is provided only on one surface of the sheet 101 in Fig. 1, the substance layer 102 may be provided on both surfaces of the sheet 101.
  • In the first embodiment, the sheet is not particularly limited and may be, for example, paper or a sheet of a polysaccharide or a synthetic polymer material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, a polyester, polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, a silicone resin, or a nylon. Among these, paper is preferable. When the sheet is paper, the basis weight of the paper is preferably 20 g/m2 or more and more preferably 20 to 360 g/m2 in view of feasibility of filter making. Moreover, the paper preferably has a low air permeability and more preferably has an air permeability of zero. The thickness of the sheet is not particularly limited and may be 50 to 200 µm, for example.
  • The substance according to the present invention has the amount of heat absorbed of 50 mJ/mg or more, preferably 60 mJ/mg or more, more preferably 70 mJ/mg or more, and further preferably 80 mJ/mg or more obtained from an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 200°C in DSC. A larger amount of heat absorbed is more preferable, and the upper limit of the range is not particularly limited. Since the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff before passing through a cooling segment is typically about 50°C to 200°C as mentioned above, the amount of heat absorbed is measured for an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 200°C. The amount of heat absorbed may be the amount of heat absorbed for an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 100°C.
  • The amount of heat absorbed in DSC herein is based on an endothermic peak observed using DSC7020 (trade name, from Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation). An endothermic peak represents a portion in which a DSC curve leaves the baseline and returns to the baseline again (portion from the start to the end points). The thermal analysis is performed by heating a measurement sample to 30°C, holding at this temperature for 30 minutes, and then heating to a predetermined temperature at a temperature rising rate of 5°C/min. An endothermic peak is thus primarily attributed to melting, but a peak attributed to glass transition may be included.
  • Since the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff before passing through a cooling segment is typically about 50°C to 200°C as mentioned above, the substance has a melting point obtained by DSC of preferably 200°C or lower, more preferably 25°C to 100°C, further preferably 30°C to 80°C, and particularly preferably 40°C to 75°C. The melting point obtained by DSC of a substance herein is a melting peak top temperature observed when thermal analysis the same as the measurement for the amount of heat absorbed described above is performed using DSC7020 (trade name, from Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation).
  • The substance according to the present invention may be a substance to be melted and may be edible. Examples of the substance according to the present invention include waxes. Exemplary waxes include natural waxes and synthetic waxes. Exemplary natural waxes include animal or plant waxes, such as high erucic rapeseed oil, carnauba wax, rice bran wax, Japan wax, and beeswax; and petroleum waxes, such as paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, and petrolatum. Exemplary synthetic waxes include Fischer-Tropsch wax and polyethylene wax. These may be used alone in combination. When the substance is a wax, the wax has a molecular weight of preferably 300 to 30,000 and more preferably 300 to 1,000.
  • The amount of the substance supported on the sheet is preferably 250 parts by mass or less and more preferably 20 to 250 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the sheet. When the amount of the substance is 250 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the sheet, it is possible to further suppress bleeding of the molten substance outside the cooling segment. Meanwhile, when the amount of the substance is 20 parts by mass or more relative to 100 parts by mass of the sheet, it is possible to obtain cooling effects further due to the melting reaction of the substance. Although not particularly limited, the thickness of the substance layer may be 30 to 100 µm, for example, and is preferably 30 to 50 µm.
  • The substance can be supported on the sheet, for example, by applying a coating solution containing the substance to the sheet, followed by drying.
  • Figs. 2 and 3 each illustrate an exemplary cooling segment according to the first embodiment in (a) the perspective view and in (b) the cross-sectional view. The cooling segments 200 and 300 illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 each include a cooling member 201 or 301 and a wrapper 202 or 302 that wraps the cooling member 201 or 301. The cooling members 201 and 301 each include a sheet as a support and a substance layer provided on the sheet and is gathered to be disposed within the wrapper 202 or 302 of the cooling segment 200 or 300. Grooves formed through gathering extend in the axial direction of the cooling segment 200 or 300, in other words, the horizontal direction in Figs. 2 and 3. The cooling members 201 and 301 each having such a configuration inside the cooling segment 200 or 300 can increase the surface area that comes into contact with a vaporized aerosol component. Consequently, the cooling performance of a vaporized aerosol component is enhanced. Here, the number of grooves formed through gathering is not particularly limited. In Fig. 2, the cooling member 201 is provided with a plurality of folds (also referred to as crimped or creped) in advance in the axial direction of the cooling segment 200 before being gathered to be disposed within the wrapper 202 of the cooling segment 200. Meanwhile, in Fig. 3, the cooling member 301 is not provided with such folds. In comparison with the cooling member 301 in Fig. 3, the cooling member 201 in Fig. 2 has sharp bends since a plurality of folds are provided in the axial direction of the cooling segment 200.
  • Fig. 4 illustrates another exemplary cooling segment according to the first embodiment in (a) the perspective view and in (b) the cross-sectional view. In Fig. 4, a plurality of rectangular cooling members 401 are placed within a wrapper 402 of a cooling segment 400. The length of the cooling member 401 in the longitudinal direction is longer than the diameter of the cooling segment 400 (diameter on the cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction of the cooling segment 400). Moreover, the cooling members 401 are disposed with the longitudinal direction aligned almost parallel to the axial direction of the cooling segment 400, in other words, the horizontal direction in Fig. 4. Herein, the expression "almost parallel" means a direction within ±10° of a target direction. When the cooling members 401 have such a configuration inside the cooling segment 400, the cooling members 401 increase the surface area and enhance the cooling performance of a vaporized aerosol component. The length of the cooling member 401 in the width direction (width) is not particularly limited but is preferably 0.2 mm or more and 5 mm or less and more preferably 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less.
  • Fig. 5 illustrates another exemplary cooling segment according to the first embodiment in (a) the perspective view and in (b) the cross-sectional view. In Fig. 5, a plurality of strand-shaped (string-shaped) cooling members 501 are placed within a wrapper 502 of a cooling segment 500. These cooling members 501 are packed inside the cooling segment 500. The longitudinal directions of the cooling members 501 are not particularly limited and may be aligned randomly relative to the axial direction of the cooling segment 500 as illustrated in Fig. 5 (b). When the cooling members 501 have such a configuration inside the cooling segment 500, it is possible, due to the short length of the cooling members 501, to increase the surface area of the cooling members 501. Consequently, the cooling performance of a vaporized aerosol component is enhanced. Although not particularly limited, the length of the cooling member 501 in the longitudinal direction may be shorter than the diameter of the cooling segment 500 and may be 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, for example. Moreover, the length of the cooling member 501 in the width direction is not particularly limited and may be 0.5 mm or more and 2 mm or less, for example.
  • (Second Embodiment)
  • In the second embodiment, a substance is supported on a filter tow by packing granules of the substance into a space between fibers of the filter tow. The filter tow is not particularly limited, and examples include an acetate tow (acetate filter) formed of cellulose acetate fibers; and fibers of polysaccharides or synthetic polymer materials, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyesters, polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, silicone resins, and nylons. A plurality of tows may be disposed with the longitudinal direction aligned in one direction or may be disposed with the longitudinal direction aligned randomly.
  • As the substance, substances the same as the first embodiment may be used. The average particle size of the granules of the substance is not particularly limited provided that the granules can be packed into a space between fibers of the filter tow and may be 0.1 to 10 mm, for example. The average particle size here is an average obtained by measuring the maximum diameter for six granules imaged under a microscope.
  • The amount of granules of the substance packed into a space between fibers of the filter tow is preferably 100 parts by mass or less, more preferably 20 to 100 parts by mass, and further preferably 20 to 50 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the filter tow. When the amount of the granules is 100 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the filter tow, it is possible to further suppress bleeding of the molten substance outside the cooling segment. Meanwhile, when the amount of the granules is 20 parts by mass or more relative to 100 parts by mass of the filter tow, it is possible to obtain cooling effects further due to the melting reaction of the substance.
  • The granules of the substance can be packed into a space between fibers of the filter tow, for example, by pressing the granules of the substance into the filter tow from either or both surfaces.
  • In the first and second embodiments, the shape of a cooling segment is not particularly limited and may be a columnar, for example. When a cooling segment is columnar, the perimeter length of the cooling segment is preferably 16 to 25 mm, more preferably 20 to 24 mm, and further preferably 21 to 23 mm. Moreover, the length of the cooling segment in the axial direction is preferably 5 to 70 mm, more preferably 5 to 50 mm, and further preferably 5 to 30 mm. The cross-sectional shape of the cooling segment is not particularly limited and may be circular, elliptic, or polygonal, for example. Further, perforations for introducing external air inside may be provided on the perimeter of the cooling segment.
  • [Heat-not-burn Flavor Inhalation Article]
  • A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention includes a tobacco-containing segment and the cooling segment according to the present invention. Since the cooling segment according to the present invention is included, the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article can lower the temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff. The heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention may further include other segments, in addition to the tobacco-containing segment and the cooling segment.
  • Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention. The heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 600 illustrated in Fig. 6 includes a tobacco-containing segment 601 and a mouthpiece segment 602. The mouthpiece segment 602 includes a cooling segment 603 according to the present invention, a center hole segment 604, and a filter segment 605. During inhalation, the tobacco-containing segment 601 is heated and inhalation takes place at the end of the filter segment 605. The tobacco-containing segment 601 is heated at 100°C to 400°C, for example. The positions of the cooling segment 603 and the center hole segment 604 may be switched, and the positions of the center hole segment 604 and the filter segment 605 may also be switched. Moreover, the mouthpiece segment 602 may lack the center hole segment 604.
  • The tobacco-containing segment 600 includes a tobacco filler 606 containing tobacco and an aerosol former; and a tubular first wrapper 607 that covers the tobacco filler 606. The tobacco filler 606 may further contain a volatile flavor component and/or water. The size of tobacco used as a filler or a preparation method therefor is not particularly limited. For example, dry tobacco leaves shredded into a width of 0.8 to 1.2 mm may be used. In this case, the shreds have a length of about 5 to 20 mm. Moreover, those prepared by uniformly pulverizing dry tobacco leaves into an average particle size of about 20 to 200 µm, forming into sheets, and shredding the sheets into a width of 0.8 to 1.2 mm may also be used. In this case, the shreds have a length of about 5 to 20 mm. Further, the above-mentioned formed sheets may be gathered without shredding and used as a filler. Furthermore, a plurality of cylindrically formed sheets may be disposed concentrically. In either case of using dry tobacco leaves as shreds or as sheets formed after uniform pulverization, various types of tobacco may be employed for a tobacco filler. Flue-cured, burley, oriental, and domestic, regardless of Nicotiana tabacum varieties or Nicotiana rustica varieties, may be blended as appropriate for an intended taste and used. The details of the varieties of tobacco are disclosed in "Tobacco no Jiten (Dictionary of Tobacco), Tobacco Academic Studies Center, March 31, 2009."
  • There are a plurality of conventional methods for pulverizing tobacco and forming into uniform sheets. Such sheets include a sheet made by a papermaking process; a cast sheet made by uniformly mixing with a suitable solvent, such as water, thinly casting the resulting uniform mixture on a metal sheet or a metal sheet belt, and drying; and a rolled sheet formed by extruding a uniform mixture with a suitable solvent, such as water, into a sheet shape. The details of the types of uniform sheets are disclosed in "Tobacco no Jiten (Dictionary of Tobacco), Tobacco Academic Studies Center, March 31, 2009."
  • The filling density of the tobacco filler 606 is not particularly limited but is typically 250 mg/cm3 or more, preferably 320 mg/cm3 or more and typically 520 mg/cm3 or less, preferably 420 mg/cm3 or less from a viewpoint of ensuring the performance of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 600 and imparting a satisfactory smoking flavor. Specifically, in the case of the tobacco-containing segment 601 of 22 mm in circumference and 20 mm in length, the content range of the tobacco filler 606 in the tobacco-containing segment 601 is 200 to 400 mg and preferably from 250 to 320 mg per tobacco-containing segment 601.
  • The aerosol former is a material that can generate an aerosol upon heating. Examples include, but are not particularly limited to, glycerol, propylene glycol (PG), triethyl citrate (TEC), triacetin, and 1,3-butanediol. These may be used alone or in combination.
  • The volatile flavor component is not particularly limited and examples include, from a viewpoint of imparting a satisfactory smoking flavor, acetanisole, acetophenone, acetylpyrazine, 2-acetylthiazole, alfalfa extract, amyl alcohol, amyl butyrate, trans-anethole, star anise oil, apple juice, Peru balsam oil, beeswax absolute, benzaldehyde, benzoin resinoid, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, benzyl propionate, 2,3-butanedione, 2-butanol, butyl butyrate, butyric acid, caramel, cardamom oil, carob absolute, β-carotene, carrot juice, L-carvone, β-caryophyllene, cassia bark oil, cedarwood oil, celery seed oil, chamomile oil, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamyl cinnamate, citronella oil, DLcitronellol, clary sage extract, cocoa, coffee, cognac oil, coriander oil, cuminaldehyde, davana oil, δ-decalactone, γ-decalactone, decanoic acid, dill oil, 3,4-dimethyl-1,2-cyclopentanedione, 4,5-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-one, 3,7-dimethyl-6-octenoic acid, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl isovalerate, ethyl lactate, ethyl laurate, ethyl levulinate, ethyl maltol, ethyl octanoate, ethyl oleate, ethyl palmitate, ethyl phenylacetate, ethyl propionate, ethyl stearate, ethyl valerate, ethyl vanillin, ethyl vanillin glucoside, 2-ethyl-3,(5 or 6)-dimethylpyrazine, 5-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2(5H)-furanone, 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine, eucalyptol, fenugreek absolute, genet absolute, gentian root infusion, geraniol, geranyl acetate, grape juice, guaiacol, guava extract, γ-heptalactone, γ-hexalactone, hexanoic acid, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, hexyl acetate, hexyl alcohol, hexyl phenylacetate, honey, 4-hydroxy-3-pentenoic acid γ-lactone, 4-hydroxy-4-(3-hydroxy-1-butenyl)-3,5,5-trimethyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one, 4-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone, 4-hydroxyundecanoic acid sodium salt, immortelle absolute, β-ionone, isoamyl acetate, isoamyl butyrate, isoamyl phenylacetate, isobutyl acetate, isobutyl phenylacetate, jasmine absolute, kola nut tincture, labdanum oil, terpeneless lemon oil, licorice extract, linalool, linalyl acetate, lovage root oil, maltol, maple syrup, menthol, menthone, L-menthyl acetate, p-methoxybenzaldehyde, methyl 2-pyrrolyl ketone, methyl anthranilate, methyl phenylacetate, methyl salicylate, 4'-methylacetophenone, methyl cyclopentenolone, 3-methylvaleric acid, mimosa absolute, molasses, myristic acid, nerol, nerolidol, γ-nonalactone, nutmeg oil, δ-octalactone, octanal, octanoic acid, orange flower oil, orange oil, oris root oil, palmitic acid, ω-pentadecalactone, peppermint oil, petitgrain Paraguay oil, phenethyl alcohol, phenethyl phenylacetate, phenylacetic acid, piperonal, plum extract, propenylguaethol, propyl acetate, 3-propylidenephthalide, prune juice, pyruvic acid, raisin extract, rose oil, rum, sage oil, sandalwood oil, spearmint oil, styrax absolute, marigold oil, tea distillate, α-terpineol, terpinyl acetate, 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoxaline, 1,5,5,9-tetramethyl-13-oxatricyclo[8.3.0.0.(4.9)]tridecane, 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, thyme oil, tomato extract, 2-tridecanone, triethyl citrate, 4-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohex-1-enyl)but-2-en-4-one, 2,6,6-trimethylcyclohex-2-ene-1,4-dione, 4-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexa-1,3-dienyl)but-2-en-4-one, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, γ-undecalactone, γ-valerolactone, vanilla extract, vanillin, veratraldehyde, violet leaf absolute, and extracts of tobacco plants (tobacco leaf, tobacco stem, tobacco flower, tobacco root, and tobacco seed). Among these, menthol is particularly preferable. These volatile flavor components may be used alone or in combination.
  • The content of an aerosol former in the tobacco filler 606 is not particularly limited but is typically 5 to 50 mass% and preferably 10 to 20 mass% from a viewpoint of sufficiently generating an aerosol and imparting a satisfactory smoking flavor. When the tobacco filler 606 contains a volatile flavor component, the content of the volatile flavor component in the tobacco filler 606 is not particularly limited but is typically 10,000 ppm or more, preferably 20,000 ppm or more, more preferably 25,000 ppm or more and typically 50,000 ppm or less, preferably 40,000 ppm or less, and more preferably 33,000 ppm or less relative to the mass of the tobacco filler 606.
  • A method of packing the tobacco filler 606 within the first wrapper 607 is not particularly limited. For example, the tobacco filler 606 may be wrapped in the first wrapper 607 or the tubular first wrapper 607 may be filled with the tobacco filler 606. When the shape of tobacco has a longitudinal direction as in a rectangle, tobacco may be packed with the longitudinal direction randomly aligned within the first wrapper 607 or may be packed with the longitudinal direction aligned with the axial direction or the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the tobacco-containing segment 601. A tobacco component and an aerosol former contained in the tobacco filler 606 are vaporized by heating the tobacco-containing segment 601 and moved to the mouthpiece segment 602 through inhalation.
  • The cooling segment 603 is a cooling segment according to the present invention and includes a cooling member 608 and a second wrapper 609 that wraps the cooling member 608. Although not provided in Fig. 6, the second wrapper 609 and a mouthpiece lining paper 615 described hereinafter may be provided with a perforation passing therethrough. Due to the presence of the perforation, external air is introduced inside the cooling segment 603 during inhalation, thereby further cooling a vaporized aerosol component through contact with external air. The number of the perforation is not particularly limited and may be one or two or more. For example, a plurality of perforations may be provided on the perimeter of the cooling segment 603.
  • The center hole segment 604 comprises a first filling layer 610 having a hollow portion and a first inner plug wrapper 611 that covers the first filling layer 610. The center hole segment 604 acts to increase the strength of the mouthpiece segment 602. The first filling layer 610 may be, for example, a rod of ø5.0 to ø1.0 mm in inner diameter formed by hardening highly densely packed cellulose acetate fibers added with 6 to 20 mass%, based on the mass of cellulose acetate, of a plasticizer including triacetin. Since the first filling layer 610 has a high filling density of fibers, a vaporized aerosol component flows only through the hollow portion and hardly flows within the first filling layer 610 during inhalation. Since the first filling layer 610 inside the center hole segment 604 is a fiber-filled layer, a user rarely feels odd by touch from the outside during use.
  • The filter segment 605 comprises a second filling layer 612 and a second inner plug wrapper 613 that covers the second filling layer 612. Since the second filling layer 612 is present all the way up to the mouth end in the filter segment 605, the mouth end exhibits an appearance similar to a common combustion smoking article. The second filling layer 612 may be a filling layer of cellulose acetate fibers, for example.
  • The center hole segment 604 and the filter segment 605 are joined with an outer plug wrapper 614. The outer plug wrapper 614 may be a cylindrical paper, for example. Moreover, the tobacco-containing segment 601, the cooling segment 603, and the connected center hole segment 604 and filter segment 605 are joined with the mouthpiece lining paper 615. These three segments may be joined, for example, by applying a glue, such as a vinyl acetate-based glue, to the inner surface of the mouthpiece lining paper 615 and wrapping the lining paper around these segments.
  • The length of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention in the axial direction, in other words, the horizontal direction in Fig. 6 is not particularly limited but is preferably 40 mm to 90 mm, more preferably 50 mm to 75 mm, and further preferably 50 mm to 60 mm. The perimeter length of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article is preferably 16 mm to 25 mm, more preferably 20 mm to 24 mm, and further preferably 21 mm to 23 mm. In an exemplary embodiment, the axial length of the tobacco-containing segment 601 is 20 mm, the axial length of the cooling segment 603 is 20 mm, the axial length of the center hole segment 604 is 8 mm, and the axial length of the filter segment 605 is 7 mm. The length of these individual segments may be changed appropriately depending on manufacturing feasibility, required quality, and so forth. Further, even an article in which only a filter segment is disposed downstream of the cooling segment without a center hole segment can also act as a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article.
  • [Method of Using Heat-not-burn Flavor Inhalation Article]
  • The method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention is a method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article that includes a tobacco-containing segment containing tobacco and an aerosol former for generating an aerosol; and a cooling segment disposed downstream (mouth end side) of the tobacco-containing segment. Here, the cooling segment includes a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support. Moreover, the temperature of the aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment is higher than a melting point obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the substance.
  • In the method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention, the temperature of an aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment (cooling segment end opposite to the mouth end side) is higher than a melting point obtained by DSC of the substance. For this reason, the substance supported on the support undergoes the melting reaction when a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff comes into contact therewith. Consequently, the vaporized aerosol component is cooled sufficiently, thereby lowering the temperature of the vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff.
  • The heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article to be used in the method according to the present invention may be the foregoing heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention. Moreover, by appropriately adjusting the heating temperature of the tobacco-containing segment or appropriately selecting the substance, for example, it is possible to make the temperature of an aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment higher than a melting point obtained by DSC of the substance. For example, when the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention is used, by adjusting the heating temperature of the tobacco-containing segment to preferably 100°C to 400°C and more preferably 250°C to 400°C, it is possible to make the temperature of an aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment higher than a melting point obtained by DSC of the substance. The temperature of an aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment herein indicates the highest temperature of an aerosol in a first puff (55 mL/2 s) detected by inserting a thermocouple into a position immediately before a portion corresponding to the cooling segment.
  • [Heat-not-burn Flavor Inhalation System] (First Embodiment)
  • A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention and a heating device for heating a tobacco-containing segment. Since the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention is included, the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system can lower the temperature a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff. The heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system according to the first embodiment is not particularly limited provided that the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention and the heating device are included and may have other configurations.
  • Fig. 7 illustrates an exemplary heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system according to the first embodiment. The heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system illustrated in Fig. 7 includes a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 according to the present invention and a heating device 701 for heating a tobacco-containing segment of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 from the outside. Fig. 7 (a) illustrates the state before inserting the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 into the heating device 701, and Fig. 7 (b) illustrates the state of heating the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 inserted into the heating device 701. The heating device 701 illustrated in Fig. 7 includes a body 702, a heater 703, a metal tube 704, a battery unit 705, and a control unit 706. The body 702 has a tubular recess 707, and the heater 703 and the metal tube 704 are arranged on the inner side surface of the recess 707 at a position corresponding to the tobacco-containing segment of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 inserted into the recess 707. The heater 703 may be an electric resistance heater, and heating by the heater 703 is performed by supplying power from the battery unit 705 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 706, which controls temperature. Heat generated by the heater 703 is transferred to the tobacco-containing segment of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 through the metal tube 704 having a high thermal conductivity. In the schematic view of Fig. 7 (b), a gap exists between the outer perimeter of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 and the inner perimeter of the metal tube 704. However, such a gap between the outer perimeter of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 and the inner perimeter of the metal tube 704 is actually and desirably absent for the purpose of efficient heat transfer. Although the heating device 701 heats the tobacco-containing segment of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 700 from the outside, the heating device may be a heating device for heating from the inside.
  • The heating temperature by the heating device is preferably 100°C to 400°C and more preferably 250°C to 400°C. Herein, the heating temperature indicates the temperature of a tobacco-containing segment heated by the heating device.
  • (Second Embodiment)
  • A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article that includes a tobacco-containing segment containing tobacco and an aerosol former for generating an aerosol and a cooling segment disposed downstream (mouth end side) of the tobacco-containing segment; and a heating device for heating the tobacco-containing segment. Here, the cooling segment includes a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support. Moreover, the tobacco-containing segment is heated by the heating device such that a temperature of the aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment is higher than a melting point obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the substance.
  • In the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system according to the second embodiment, the tobacco-containing segment is heated by the heating device such that a temperature of the aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment is higher than a melting point obtained by DSC of the substance. For this reason, when a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff comes into contact with the substance supported on the support, the substance undergoes the melting reaction. Since a vaporized aerosol component is cooled sufficiently as a result, it is possible to lower the temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in an initial puff.
  • The heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article to be used in the second embodiment may be the foregoing heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention. For example, when the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention is used, by adjusting the heating temperature of the tobacco-containing segment to preferably 100°C to 400°C and more preferably 250°C to 400°C using the heating device, it is possible to make the temperature of an aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment higher than a melting point obtained by DSC of the substance. Here, the temperature of an aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment is the same as described above for the method of using the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to the present invention.
  • EXAMPLES
  • Hereinafter, the present invention will be described further specifically by means of working examples. However, the present invention is by no means limited by these working examples. The amount of heat absorbed and the melting point of a substance were measured by the following method.
  • [Measurement of Amount of Heat Absorbed and Melting Point for Substances]
  • The amount of heat absorbed and the melting point of a substance were measured using a differential scanning calorimeter (trade name: DSC7020, from Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation). The amount of heat absorbed of a substance was measured for an endothermic peak present within the range of 25°C to 200°C. The concrete method of measuring is as follows. First, a measurement sample was heated to 30°C and held at the temperature for 30 minutes. Subsequently, the sample was subjected to thermal analysis by heating to a predetermined temperature at a temperature rising rate of 5°C/min. The data of the DSC measurement results are shown in Figs. 8 to 10.
  • [Example 1] (Preparation of Cooling Member)
  • A cooling member was prepared by supporting 100 g of microcrystalline wax (trade name: HiMic-2045, from Nippon Seiro Co., Ltd.) as a substance on 40 g of paper (glassine with basis weight of 75, from Ostrichdia Co., Ltd., length of 18 mm) as a support. Specifically, the microcrystalline wax was first melted by heating to about 150°C. The glassine was completely immersed in the microcrystalline wax, taken out therefrom, solidified through drying in air, and then cut into a predetermined size. The thickness of the resulting microcrystalline wax layer formed on the paper was about 50 µm. The amount of heat absorbed was measured for the microcrystalline wax by the above method to be 82.4 mJ/mg. Moreover, the melting point of the microcrystalline wax was measured by the above method to be 54°C.
  • (Preparation of Heat-not-burn Flavor Inhalation Article for Evaluation)
  • A commercial heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article (trade name: Marlboro HeatSticks Balanced Regular, from Philip Morris International Inc.) was prepared. The heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article has a segment configuration the same as the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 600 illustrated in Fig. 6 except that the order of the cooling segment 603 and the center hole segment 604 is switched in the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 600 illustrated in Fig. 6. A portion corresponding to a tobacco-containing segment of this heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article contains tobacco and glycerol as an aerosol former.
  • In a portion corresponding to a cooling segment of this heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, a crimped polylactic acid film is disposed as a cooling member. The polylactic acid film was taken out from the portion corresponding to a cooling segment, and the cooling member prepared as described above was crimped and then disposed instead. Moreover, the second filling layer 612 illustrated in Fig. 6 was taken out. A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation was thus obtained.
  • (Evaluation of Cooling Performance in Initial Puffs)
  • A thermocouple was inserted into a position 7 mm downstream of the mouth side end of the portion corresponding to a cooling segment of the above-described heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation. A hole formed for inserting the thermocouple was sealed with an adhesive to prevent air leakage from the hole. The portion corresponding to a tobacco-containing segment of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation was heated at 40°C to 140°C by using a heating device (trade name: IQOS, from Philip Morris International Inc.) designed for the commercial heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article and inhalation was performed. The inhalation was performed as 12 puffs in total at 55 mL/puff for 2 seconds (30 second interval for each puff, i.e. 2 seconds for inhaling and 28 seconds for waiting). Fig. 11 is a graph showing changes in temperature detected by the thermocouple relative to the time of inhalation.
  • [Examples 2 to 6]
  • Each cooling member was prepared in the same manner as Example 1 except for using the substance shown in Table 1. Moreover, the amount of heat absorbed and the melting point of each substance were measured in the same manner as Example 1. The measured results are shown in Table 1. A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation was prepared in the same manner as Example 1 except for using the prepared cooling member, and the cooling performance in initial puffs was evaluated. The results are shown in Figs. 11 and 12.
  • [Comparative Example 1]
  • A polylactic acid film was taken out from a portion corresponding to a cooling segment of a commercial heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article (trade name: Marlboro HeatSticks Balanced Regular, from Philip Morris International Inc.). The amount of heat absorbed and the melting point were measured for the film in the same manner as Example 1. The measured results are shown in Table 1. Moreover, the second filling layer 612 illustrated in Fig. 6 was taken out from the commercial heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article (trade name: Marlboro HeatSticks Balanced Regular, from Philip Morris International Inc.), and the cooling performance in initial puffs was evaluated in the same manner as Example 1 for the resulting heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation. The results are shown in Fig. 13. [Table 1]
    Substance Trade name Manufacturer Amount of heat absorbed (mJ/mg) Melting point (°C)
    Ex. 1 Microcrystalline wax HiMic-2045 Nippon Seiro Co., Ltd. 82.4 54
    Ex. 2 Microcrystalline wax HiMic-1045 Nippon Seiro Co., Ltd. 66.2 45
    Ex. 3 Microcrystalline wax HiMic-1090 Nippon Seiro Co., Ltd. 152.0 75
    Ex. 4 Paraffin wax Paraffin (m.p. 58°C to 60°C) FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation 133.0 53
    Ex. 5 Paraffin wax Paraffin (m.p. 68°C to 70°C) FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation 128.0 70
    Ex. 6 High erucic rapeseed oil Hydrogenated rapeseed oil Yamakei Sangyo 131.5 60
    Comp. Ex. 1 Polylactic acid - - 38.2 167
  • As shown in Figs. 11 to 13, it was found that the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in the first puff (time of inhalation of 30 s in Figs. 11 to 13) and in the second puff (time of inhalation of 60 s in Figs. 11 to 13) is lower in Examples 1 to 6 than in Comparative Example 1. The substance used in Comparative Example 1 has the amount of heat absorbed of less than 50 mJ/mg, whereas the substances used in Examples 1 to 6 have the amount of heat absorbed of 50 mJ/mg or more. For this reason, it is presumed that a vaporized aerosol component in initial puffs was cooled sufficiently in Examples 1 to 6.
  • [Reference Example 1]
  • A polylactic acid film and the second filling layer 612 illustrated in Fig. 6 were taken out from a portion corresponding to a cooling segment of a commercial heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article (trade name: Marlboro HeatSticks Balanced Regular, from Philip Morris International Inc.) to prepare a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation. A thermocouple was inserted into a position immediately before the portion corresponding to a cooling segment of the prepared heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation. Except for these, the cooling performance in initial puffs was evaluated in the same manner as Example 1. The results are shown in Fig. 14.
  • As shown in Fig. 14, the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in the first puff (time of inhalation of 30 s in Fig. 14) was 70.3°C and the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in the second puff (time of inhalation of 60 s in Fig. 14) was 78.3°C. As the number of puffs increased, the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component rose. Since the melting points of the substances used in Examples 1 to 6 are at least lower than the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in the second puff, it is understood that these substances melted in initial puffs. Meanwhile, since the melting point of polylactic acid used in Comparative Example 1 is higher than the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component in the second puff, it is understood that polylactic acid did not melt in initial puffs.
  • [Example 7]
  • As a support, 34.3 mg of an acetate filter formed of cellulose acetate fibers and as a substance, 10.4 mg of granules (average particle size: 1 mm) of microcrystalline wax (trade name: HiMic-1045, from Nippon Seiro Co., Ltd.) were prepared. From one surface of the acetate filter, the granules were packed into a space between acetate tow fibers to prepare a cooling member. A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation was prepared in the same manner as Example 1 except for using the prepared cooling member, and the cooling performance in initial puffs was evaluated. Here, the cooling member was disposed in a portion corresponding to a cooling segment of the commercial heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article such that the acetate filter surface on the side filled with the granules faces the tobacco-containing segment. The results are shown in Fig. 15.
  • [Comparative Example 2]
  • As a support, 35.6 mg of an acetate filter and as a substance, 10.3 mg of granules (average particle size: 1 mm) of polylactic acid were prepared. A cooling member was prepared by packing the granules of polylactic acid into a space between acetate tow fibers of the acetate filter. A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation was prepared in the same manner as Example 7 except for using the prepared cooling member, and the cooling performance in initial puffs was evaluated. The results are shown in Fig. 15.
  • [Comparative Example 3]
  • A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article for evaluation was prepared in the same manner as Example 7 except for using, as a cooling member, 44.7 mg of an acetate filter that is not filled with granules of a substance, and the cooling performance in initial puffs was evaluated. The results are shown in Fig. 15.
  • As shown in Fig. 15, it was found that the highest temperature of a vaporized aerosol component especially in the first puff (time of inhalation of 30 s in Fig. 15) and in the second puff (time of inhalation of 60 s in Fig. 15) is lower in Example 7 than in Comparative Examples 2 and 3. The substance used in Comparative Example 2 has the amount of heat absorbed of less than 50 mJ/mg and granules of a substance are not packed in Comparative Example 3, whereas the substance used in Example 7 has the amount of heat absorbed of 50 mJ/mg or more. For these reasons, it is considered that a vaporized aerosol component in initial puffs was cooled sufficiently in Example 7.
  • REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
  • 100
    Cooling member
    101
    Sheet
    102
    Substance layer
    200, 300, 400, 500
    Cooling segment
    201, 301, 401, 501
    Cooling member
    202, 302, 402, 502
    Wrapper
    600
    Heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article
    601
    Tobacco-containing segment
    602
    Mouthpiece segment
    603
    Cooling segment
    604
    Center hole segment
    605
    Filter segment
    606
    Tobacco filler
    607
    First wrapper
    608
    Cooling member
    609
    Second wrapper
    610
    First filling layer
    611
    First inner plug wrapper
    612
    Second filling layer
    613
    Second inner plug wrapper
    614
    Outer plug wrapper
    615
    Mouthpiece lining paper
    700
    Heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article
    701
    Heating device
    702
    Body
    703
    Heater
    704
    Metal tube
    705
    Battery unit
    706
    Control unit
    707
    Recess

Claims (11)

  1. A cooling segment for a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article, comprising a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support, wherein
    the substance has an amount of heat absorbed of 50 mJ/mg or more obtained from an endothermic peak present within a range of 25°C to 200°C in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
  2. The cooling segment according to Claim 1, wherein the substance has a melting point obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of 200°C or lower.
  3. The cooling segment according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the support is a sheet.
  4. The cooling segment according to Claim 3, wherein an amount of the substance supported on the sheet is 250 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the sheet.
  5. The cooling segment according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the support is a filter tow; and granules of the substance are packed into a space between fibers of the filter tow.
  6. The cooling segment according to Claim 5, wherein an amount of the granules of the substance packed into a space between fibers of the filter tow is 100 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the filter tow.
  7. A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article comprising a tobacco-containing segment and the cooling segment according to any one of Claims 1 to 6.
  8. A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system comprising the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article according to Claim 7 and a heating device for heating the tobacco-containing segment.
  9. The heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system according to Claim 8, wherein a heating temperature of the tobacco-containing segment by the heating device is 50°C to 400°C.
  10. A method of using a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article that includes
    a tobacco-containing segment containing tobacco and an aerosol former for generating an aerosol; and
    a cooling segment disposed downstream of the tobacco-containing segment, wherein
    the cooling segment includes a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support; and
    a temperature of the aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment is higher than a melting point obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the substance.
  11. A heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system comprising
    a heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article that includes
    a tobacco-containing segment containing tobacco and an aerosol former for generating an aerosol and
    a cooling segment disposed downstream of the tobacco-containing segment; and
    a heating device for heating the tobacco-containing segment, wherein
    the cooling segment includes a cooling member containing a support and a substance supported on the support; and
    the tobacco-containing segment is heated by the heating device such that a temperature of the aerosol in a first puff immediately before the cooling segment is higher than a melting point obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the substance.
EP19923428.7A 2019-03-29 2019-03-29 Cooling segment, non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article, method for using non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article, and non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation system Pending EP3949772A4 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/JP2019/014012 WO2020202257A1 (en) 2019-03-29 2019-03-29 Cooling segment, non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article, method for using non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article, and non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation system

Publications (2)

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EP3949772A1 true EP3949772A1 (en) 2022-02-09
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CN215583157U (en) * 2021-04-21 2022-01-21 湖南吉首市民族烟材有限公司 Cooling element for heating non-combustible tobacco rods and non-combustible tobacco rods
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TW202034798A (en) 2020-10-01
WO2020202257A1 (en) 2020-10-08
JP7150977B2 (en) 2022-10-11
EP3949772A4 (en) 2022-11-16
JPWO2020202257A1 (en) 2021-11-25

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