EP4252556A1 - Unheated-type smoking article comprising semi-solid medium part - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a non-heating type smoking article comprising: a semi-solid medium part; a paper tube part; and a filter part, wherein the semi-solid medium part is a semi-solid phase which contains nicotine and an aerosol-generating material and is formed through a semi-solidifying agent, and an aerosol-generating system comprising the same. The non-heating type smoking article can effectively migrate nicotine without loss of nicotine by comprising the semi-solid medium part.

Description

Technical Field
• The following description relates to a non-heating type smoking article comprising a semi-solid medium part.
Background Art
• A large number of smoking articles have recently been proposed in which the smoking articles are heated rather than combusted. Unlike conventional smoking articles, these non-combustion type smoking articles are used by sucking an aerosol generated by heating the cigarette medium without burning a cigarette medium. As one of the types of such heating type smoking articles, there is a smoking article using electrical heating.
• The delivery of nicotine through the non-heating type electronic cigarette method is mainly used in a state in which it is dissolved in a liquid substance, or changed to a sublimable nicotine free base form and then migrated by inhalation using the property of being self-vaporized. However, nicotine in the form of a free base may have a possibility of losing components due to the nature of continuously sublimating.
Related Art Document Patent Document
• (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Publication No. 2021-0017296
Disclosure of the Invention Technical Goals
• It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a non-heating type smoking article comprising a semi-solid medium part.
• However, the problem to be solved by the present disclosure is not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.
Technical Solutions
• The present disclosure provides a non-heating type smoking article comprising:
• a semi-solid medium part;
• a paper tube part; and
• a filter part,
• wherein the semi-solid medium part is a semi-solid phase which contains nicotine and an aerosol-generating material and is formed through a semi-solidifying agent.
• In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the aerosol-generating material may be one or more selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, glycerin, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, and tetraethylene glycol.
• In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the semi-solidifying agent may be one or more selected from the group consisting of gelatin, starch, polysaccharide, pectin, cellulose, cellulose derivative, carboxymethyl cellulose, and alginate.
• In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the semi-solid medium part may be adsorbed to a porous material.
• In still another embodiment of the present disclosure, the porous material may be one or more selected from the group consisting of aerogel, zeolite, and silica.
• In yet still another embodiment of the present disclosure, the filter part may contain an acetate material.
• Furthermore, the present disclosure provides an aerosol-generating system comprising:
• an aerosol-generating device; and
• a smoking article according to the present disclosure, which is accommodated in the aerosol-generating device to generate an aerosol.
Effects
• Conventional liquid-type electronic cigarettes have had limitations in that components can be lost due to the property of nicotine to continuously sublimate. Accordingly, in the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a non-heating type smoking article capable of effectively migrating nicotine even with a non-heating type by applying a medium part that is changed to a semi-solid state and stabilized without nicotine sublimation.
Brief Description of Drawings
• FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a smoking article of an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• FIG.2 a cross-sectional view of an aerosol-generating system of an embodiment of the disclosure. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
• Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the present disclosure, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related well-known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Also, terms used in the present specification, as terms which are used so as to appropriately describe a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, may be changed depending on the user's or operator's intention or the practices of the field to which the present disclosure pertains. Therefore, the definitions of these terms should be made based on the contents throughout the present specification. The same reference numerals disclosed in each drawing represent the same members.
• Throughout the specification, when any member is said to be located "on" the other member, this not only includes a case where the any member is in contact with the other member, but also includes a case where another member exists between the two members.
• Throughout the specification, if a prescribed part "includes" a prescribed element, this means that another element can be further included instead of excluding another element.
• Throughout the specification, in the terms "upstream" and "downstream", the term "upstream" refers to a portion where air is drawn from the outside of the smoking article to the inside thereof when the user inhales outside air using the smoking article, and the term "downstream" refers to a portion where air exits from the inside of the smoking article containing a combustible heat source to the inside thereof. The terms "upstream" and "downstream" may be used in order to indicate the relative position or direction between parts or segments that make up the smoking article.
• Throughout the specification, the "aerosol-generating device" may mean a device capable of generating an aerosol. The aerosol contains volatile compounds.
• Hereinafter, the non-heating type smoking article according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to embodiments and drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments and drawings.
• As shown in FIG. 1, the present disclosure provides a non-heating type smoking article 1000 comprising: a semi-solid medium part 100; a paper tube part 200; and a filter part 300, wherein the semi-solid medium part is a semi-solid phase containing nicotine and an aerosol-generating material.
• According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the semi-solid medium part contains nicotine and an aerosol-generating material and has a semi-solid phase. The semi-solid phase may be formed through a semi-solidifying agent, and may be, for example, a water-based gel type, a paste type, an ointment type, or the like. The semi-solid phase may include, for example, a semi-solidifying agent such as gelatin, starch, polysaccharide, pectin, cellulose, cellulose derivative, carboxymethyl cellulose, alginate, or the like, but is not limited to the above-mentioned types.
• The above-mentioned "semi-solid phase" is a state in which fluidity is lost. Specifically, even if the container is tipped sideways after the medium is accommodated in a container, the above-mentioned "semi-solid phase" is a state in which the composition is not diffused to the entirety of the container side surface that becomes the lower side after being tipped sideways, and the state can be visually confirmed.
• According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the semi-solidifying agent may be contained in an amount of 5 to 40% by weight based on the total weight of the semi-solid medium part. When the semi-solidifying agent is contained in an amount of less than 5% by weight, it may be possible to have a phase close to the liquid phase while the fluidity of the semi-solid medium part increases, and when the semi-solidifying agent is contained in an amount exceeding 40% by weight, it may affect the migration of nicotine contained in the medium part. It is not limited to the above range, but more preferably, the semi-solidifying agent may be contained in an amount range of 10 to 30% by weight that can smoothly migrate nicotine while having excellent properties.
• The semi-solid medium part obtained by comprising the semi-solidifying agent may have a viscosity of 2,000 mPa·s to 90,000 mPa·s at 25°C. If the viscosity is less than 2,000 mPa·s, the fluidity of the medium part itself also increases so that materials including nicotine may be migrated to other materials of the smoking article, and if the viscosity exceeds 90,000 mPa·s, the semi-solid medium part has an excessive hardness so that there may be a concern that the migration of nicotine is affected. The viscosity was measured using a rotational viscometer, and the viscosity was measured under each temperature up to 25°C by maintaining a constant stress of 5 Pa, a constant speed of 1 Hz, and a sample injection amount of 3 mL, warming the sample to 80°C and then injecting 3 mL of the sample onto a tray, hanging a contactor, using silicone oil as a sealing system, starting the measurement when the tray temperature reached 80°C.
• In addition to the semi-solidifying agent, the semi-solid medium part may contain water as a solvent. Water may be contained in an amount of 10 to 40% by weight, and the semi-solidifying agent may be easily mixed with nicotine, an aerosol-generating material, and the like by containing water in the semi-solid medium part. Other additives (flavors, etc.) in addition to the above-described components may be further added to the semi-solid medium part.
• The "smoking article" may mean any product, which can be smoked regardless of whether or not it is based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or tobacco substitutes, or any product which can provide smoking experience. Particularly, in the present disclosure, the smoking article may refer to a smokable article capable of generating an aerosol in a non-heating manner (non-heating type). The smoking article according to the present disclosure comprises nicotine, an aerosol-generating material, and a semi-solidifying agent contained in the semi-solid medium part.
• In the present specification, the "aerosol-generating material" may mean a material capable of generating an aerosol. In the present disclosure, the aerosol-generating material may be a liquid phase.
• For example, a liquid phase aerosol-generating material may include a liquid phase composition based on a tobacco extract and/or various flavoring agents. In addition to the liquid phase aerosol-generating material, the aerosol-generating material may further include a solid phase aerosol-generating material.
• The solid phase aerosol-generating material may have a configuration that includes solid materials based on tobacco raw materials such as reconstituted tobacco leaf tobacco, cut tobacco, and reconstituted tobacco, but preferably does not include a solid phase aerosol-generating material, and includes nicotine and a liquid phase aerosol-generating material. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples listed above.
• More specific examples of the liquid phase aerosol-generating material may further include at least one of propylene glycol, glycerin, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, and tetraethylene glycol.
• Another examples of the aerosol-generating material may further comprise at least one of moisture and flavoring material.
• The aerosol-generating material may be contained in an amount of 5 to 60% by weight based on the total weight of the semi-solid medium part. If the aerosol-generating material is contained in an amount of less than 5% by weight, the amount of atomization may not be sufficient, and if it is contained in an amount of exceeding 60% by weight, smoke may be excessively generated, and it may be affected to maintain the semi-solid phase of the medium part.
• As another example, the aerosol-generating material may further comprise various additives such as cinnamon, capsaicin, and the like. The aerosol-generating material may comprise substances in the form of gels or solids as well as liquid substances with high fluidity. In this way, the components of the aerosol-generating material may be variously selected according to embodiments, and the composition ratio thereof may also vary according to the embodiments. In the following specification, the liquid phase may refer to a liquid phase aerosol-generating material.
• In the present disclosure, after the nicotine is dissolved in the aerosol-generating material, it may be appropriately semi-solidified (e.g., gelated) by a semi-solidifying agent. The semi-solidifying agent may be any one of gelatin, starch, polysaccharide, pectin, cellulose, cellulose derivative, carboxymethyl cellulose, and alginate, but is not limited to the above-mentioned types.
• The nicotine may be contained in an amount of 0.1 to 20% by weight based on the total weight of the semi-solid medium part, and may be adjusted and contained depending on the type of a smoking article to be manufactured. The nicotine may be contained in the smoking article in a gelated form by a semi-solidifying agent, and unlike nicotine contained in a liquid phase, it does not sublime continuously and can be stably contained.
• As one embodiment of the present disclosure, the aerosol-generating material may comprise a pH adjusting agent. For example, the pH adjusting agent may include potassium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, a mixture thereof, or the like. The pH adjusting agent can adjust the pH of the aerosol-generating material to the alkaline side, thereby enabling the release of flavor components to be facilitated from the aerosol-generating material accordingly.
• Conventional smoking articles comprising a medium part having a liquid phase contain nicotine in the form of a free base and continuously sublimate nicotine so that it is somewhat difficult to adjust the pH which can increase the volatility of nicotine. However, the smoking article according to the present disclosure is characterized in that it reduces the sublimation of nicotine due to having a semi-solid phase. That is, the smoking article according to the present disclosure can bring about a rich taste expression effect through pH control. That is, the pH of the medium part of the present disclosure may have a pH of 7 or more, more preferably 8 or more.
• According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the semi-solidified semi-solid medium part may be used by being adsorbed to a porous material. The porous material may be any one of aerogel, zeolite, or silica, and is not limited to the above-mentioned materials as long as it is a porous material having a property that the semi-solid medium part in which nicotine and aerosol-generating material as described above are gelled can be adsorbed.
• According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the porous material may include pores having an average maximum diameter value of 0.01 to 1.5 mm and have a specific surface area of 100 to 500 cm³/g. If the pores have an average maximum diameter value of less than 0.01 mm, adsorption of the semi-solid medium part may not be smooth, and if the pores have an average maximum diameter value of exceeding 1.5 mm, the medium part may be excessively adsorbed to the porous material itself. In addition, if the specific surface area is less than 100 cm³/g, the semi-solid medium part may not be well adsorbed, and if it exceeds 500 cm³/g, nicotine in the semi-solid medium part is excessively adsorbed to the porous material, which may affect nicotine migration.
• The porous material may be manufactured in a tubular shape so that it may be formed in a form in which a semi-solid medium part is injected into the tubular shaped porous material, or in a form in which the semi-solid medium part is adsorbed to a granular porous material. However, the form of the porous material is an example, and the semi-solid medium part may be adsorbed and included in other various forms of porous materials. In addition, as another example, when the porous material is in a granular form, the porous material may be prepared so that the porous material is agglomerated with the binder by including a binder so that the porous material is stably wrapped and included in a wrapping paper. The diameter of the granules may have a size of 2 mm to 10 mm, but is not limited thereto.
• As an example, the smoking article may have a diameter of 4 mm to 10 mm and a circumference of 14 mm to 29 mm. In addition, the total length thereof may be 45 mm to 100 mm, but may vary depending on the type and shape of a smoking product to be manufactured so that it is not limited thereto.
• The semi-solid medium part may have a structure wrapped with a wrapping paper. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the wrapping paper is a wrapping paper made of a material such as flax, wood pulp, or paper, and may have a thickness of about 40 µm to 80 µm and a porosity of about 5,000 CU to 50,000 CU. If the porosity is less than 5,000 CU, the amount of sublimation of nicotine in the semi-solid medium part may be reduced when the user smokes, and if the porosity exceeds 500,000 CU, nicotine may be excessively sublimated and transferred to other materials and the like. The wrapping paper may be in a form in which it is further laminated with a paper sheet, aluminum foil, or the like.
• Further, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the smoking article may further comprise a paper tube part. The paper tube part may collect an aerosol generated from the medium part into the center of the stick and support the semi-solid medium part so as not to be pushed downstream. The paper tube part may be made of a paper material, a polymer material, or the like, and can be included without being limited to the above-mentioned materials as long as it is a material used in non-heating type cigarettes.
• The paper tube part may have an outer diameter of approximately 14 mm to 29 mm. The paper tube part includes a hollow in the center, and an appropriate diameter of the hollow may be employed within a range of approximately 2 mm to 10 mm, but is not limited thereto.
• Further, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the smoking article comprises a filter part. For example, the filter part may be a mono filter, a double filter, or a triple filter, and the filter part may have a pressure drop value of 10 to 150 mmWG, preferably 40 to 80 mmWG, when the length is 20 to 30 mm.
• When the pressure drop value is less than 10 mmWG, satisfaction during suction may be reduced, and when it exceeds 150 mmWG, the required force during suction is excessive so that the satisfaction may be reduced. Although the pressure drop value is not limited to the above ranges, it may be preferable that a smoking article comprising a semi-solid medium part uses a filter having a pressure drop value in the range of 40 to 80 mmWG.
• The filter wrapping paper wrapping the filter part has porosity and may have a porosity of about 5,000 CU to about 50,000 CU. In the filter wrapping paper, if the porosity is less than 5,000 CU, the effect of the filter may be reduced when the user smokes, and if the porosity exceeds 500,000 CU, the taste of the smoking article may be affected.
• The filter may include a filter tow including a fibrous form, a filament form, or both thereof containing at least one of polymer, paper, acetate material, cellulose acetate, activated carbon, and carbon. However, it is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the filter material may have a flavoring agent or a flavoring agent-containing capsule added thereto, or may further include at least one filter material widely known in the art such as carbon-containing adsorbent, activated carbon, etc.
• The capsule may be, for example, a spherical or cylindrical capsule in which an internal solution containing spices is wrapped with a film. A material forming the film of the capsule may be starch and/or a gelling agent. For example, Gellan gum or gelatin may be used as the gelling agent. In addition, a gelation aid may be further used as a material for forming the film of the capsule. Here, the gelation aid may include, for example, calcium chloride. In addition, a plasticizer may be further used as a material for forming the film of the capsule. Here, the plasticizer may include glycerin and/or sorbitol. In addition, a coloring agent may be further used as a material for forming the film of the capsule.
• The internal solution of the capsule may contain spices such as menthol and plant essential oil, and the like. In some embodiments, a solvent for the spices contained in the internal solution of the capsule may include, for example, medium chain fatty acid triglyceride (MCTG). In addition, the internal solution may contain other additives such as pigments, emulsifiers, thickeners, and the like.
• In the non-heating type smoking article according to the present disclosure, spices (flavoring agent) may be contained in any one or more segments of the semi-solid medium part, the paper tube part, and the filter part. The spices may include naturally generated flavoring materials, herbal medicines, extracts of herbal medicines, synthetically obtained materials, or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice, hydrangea, eugenol, Chamomile, fenugreek, cloves, maple, matcha, menthol, mint, cinnamon, turmeric, herbs, cherries, berries, peaches, apples, oranges, mangoes, clementines, lemons, limes, grapes, blueberries, citrus fruits, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, aloe vera, sandalwood, bergamot, pine, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange blossom, cherry blossom, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage, mint oil from any species of coffee, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, lemongrass, rooibos, flax, ginkgo, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, Mate, orange peel, rose, tea (such as green or black tea), thyme, juniper, elderflower, basil, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, perilla, turmeric, coriander, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damian, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carbi, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, and camphene), flavor enhancers, sugars and/or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharin, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose sorbitol, or mannitol), and other additives, such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, herbal medicines, or breath freshening agents. They may be man-made, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof, but are not limited thereto.
• As shown in FIG. 2, the present disclosure provides an aerosol-generating system 3000 comprising: a battery 400 and an aerosol-generating device 2000 generating an aerosol by power supplied from the battery 400; and the aforementioned smoking article 1000 accommodated in the aerosol-generating device 2000 to generate an aerosol.
• In the present specification, an "aerosol-generating device" may refer to a device that generates an aerosol using a semi-solid medium part in order to generate an aerosol that can be directly inhaled into the user's lungs through the mouth of a user. However, FIG. 2 shows only the components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains may know that other general-purpose components may be further included in addition to the components shown in FIG. 2. Components of the aerosol-generating device 2000 will be described below.
• The aerosol-generating device may further comprise a controller 600 and an accommodation space 700 in the battery 400 in which a smoking article is accommodated. However, this is only a preferred embodiment for achieving the object of the present disclosure, and it goes without saying that some components may be added or omitted as needed.
• Each component of the aerosol-generating device shown in FIG. 2 represents functionally separated functional elements, and a plurality of components may be implemented in a form in which the components are integrated with each other in an actual physical environment, or in a form in which a single component is separated into a plurality of detailed functional elements.
• Referring to FIG. 2, a smoking article 1000 is accommodated in an aerosol-generating system to form an aerosol, and the generated aerosol passes through the smoking article 1000 so that it may be inhaled through the user's mouth in contact with the filter part.
• The aerosol-generating system may comprise an atomizer 500 capable of generating mist from an aerosol-generating material. The atomizer may generate an aerosol by sublimating the semi-solid medium part of the smoking article accommodated in the accommodation space 700. The atomizer 500 may be disposed in a form surrounding the perimeter of the accommodation space and vaporize an aerosol-forming material of the semi-solid medium part of the smoking article accommodated in the accommodation space to generate atomization, or may be located at a sufficiently close distance capable of generating a mist to the smoking article although the atomizer 500 does not come into direct contact with the accommodation space. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such an example.
• As one embodiment of the present disclosure, the atomizer may include an ultrasonic vibrator. When the aerosol-generating device has an atomizer of a configuration including a vibrator, vibration is generated through the vibrator so that the vibration is transferred to an aerosol-generating material of the semi-solid medium part accommodated in the accommodation space, thereby enabling the vibration to be converted into a gas phase through vaporization and/or sublimation. The atomizer can generate an aerosol by discharging nicotine and the aerosol-generating material which are contained in the semi-solid medium part into fine particles.
• The controller 600 may control the overall operation of the aerosol-generating device 2000. For example, the controller 600 may control the operation of the atomizer 500 and the battery 400, and may also control the operation of other components included in the aerosol-generating device 2000. The controller 600 may control the power supplied by the battery 400, the degree of operation of the atomizer 500, and the like.
• The battery may be a rechargeable battery or a non-rechargeable battery. Examples of suitable batteries may include, for example, a lithium-ion battery, a nickel battery (e.g., a nickel-cadmium battery), an alkaline battery, and/or the like.
[Description of reference numerals]
• 100: Semi-solid medium part
• 200: Paper tube part
• 300: Filter part
• 400: Battery
• 500: Atomizer
• 600: Controller
• 700: Accommodation space
• 1000: Non-heating type smoking article
• 2000: Aerosol-generating device
• 3000: Aerosol-generating system
• Although the above-mentioned embodiments have been described by limited drawings, those skilled in the art may apply various technical modifications and alterations based on the above-mentioned description. For example, appropriate results can be achieved although described techniques are carried out in a different order from a described method, and/or described elements of a system, structure, apparatus, circuit, etc. are combined or mixed in a different form from the described method, or replaced or substituted with other elements or equivalents.
• Therefore, other embodiments, other examples, and equivalents to patent claims belong to the scope of the patent claims to be described later.

Claims (7)

1. A non-heating type smoking article comprising:

   a semi-solid medium part;

   a paper tube part; and

   a filter part,

   wherein the semi-solid medium part is a semi-solid phase which contains nicotine and an aerosol-generating material and is formed through a semi-solidifying agent.
2. The non-heating type smoking article of claim 1, wherein the aerosol-generating material is one or more selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, glycerin, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, and tetraethylene glycol.
3. The non-heating type smoking article of claim 1, wherein the semi-solid phase is formed of one or more semi-solidifying agents selected from the group consisting of gelatin, starch, polysaccharide, pectin, cellulose, cellulose derivative, carboxymethyl cellulose, and alginate.
4. The non-heating type smoking article of claim 1, wherein the semi-solid medium part is adsorbed to a porous material.
5. The non-heating type smoking article of claim 4, wherein the porous material is one or more selected from the group consisting of aerogel, zeolite, and silica.
6. The non-heating type smoking article of claim 1, wherein the filter part contains an acetate material.
7. An aerosol-generating system comprising:

   an aerosol-generating device; and

   the smoking article of claim 1, which is accommodated in the aerosol-generating device to generate an aerosol.

Images