Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure, specific examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below, since the embodiments of the present disclosure can be variously modified in many different forms. However, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to only the embodiments set forth herein, but should be construed as covering modifications, equivalents, or alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprise", "include", "have", etc. when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals will refer to the same or like elements or parts. Further, it is to be noted that, when the functions of conventional elements and the detailed description of elements related with the present disclosure may make the gist of the present disclosure unclear, a detailed description of those elements will be omitted. For the same reason, some components will be exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Hereinafter, an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic exposed perspective view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-section view taken along section A illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a side cross-section view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure may include a tobacco medium portion 110, a cooling portion 130, a filter portion 150, and a wrapper 170. Here, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that other general-purpose components other than those illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 may be further included in the aerosol-generating article 100.
The aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment may be heated by being inserted into an aerosol-generating device 300 (see FIGS. 22 and 23) which will be described later. In this case, when the aerosol-generating article 100 is heated, mainstream smoke may be delivered to a user. The mainstream smoke may be an airflow flowing from upstream to downstream inside the aerosol-generating article 100. Here, the term "upstream" may mean the side toward which the tobacco medium portion 110 is located, and the term "downstream" may mean the side toward which the filter portion 150 is located. The user of the aerosol-generating article 100 may inhale the mainstream smoke through a downstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100.
The aerosol-generating article 100 may have a cylindrical shape. In this case, the diameter of the aerosol-generating article 100 may be in the range of 4.7 mm to 9.9 mm. Each of the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150 may also have a cylindrical shape having a diameter of 4.7 mm to 9.9 mm.
In addition, the length of the aerosol-generating article 100 may be in the range of 31 mm and 60 mm. The length of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be in the range of 17 mm to 30 mm. The length of the cooling portion 130 may be in the range of 4 mm to 10 mm, and the length of the filter portion 150 may be in the range of 10 mm to 20 mm.
The shapes, diameters, and lengths of the aerosol-generating article 100 and the components thereof are exemplary, and the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. The shape and dimensions of the aerosol-generating article 100 may be partially modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.
The tobacco medium portion 110 is located on the upstream side of the aerosol-generating article 100 and may include a tobacco medium that generates an aerosol. The tobacco medium of the tobacco medium portion 110 contains nicotine, providing the user who inhales the mainstream smoke with a cigarette's distinctive taste and flavor.
When the aerosol-generating article 100 is heated by the aerosol-generating device 300 which will be described later and an aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating device 300 is introduced into the aerosol-generating article 100, nicotine may be adsorbed by the aerosol while the aerosol passes through the tobacco medium portion 110 and be delivered to the user.
Here, the nicotine contained in the tobacco medium may be at least one of free base nicotine or a nicotine salt, and the nicotine may be naturally-occurring nicotine or synthetic nicotine.
The nicotine salt may be formed by adding to nicotine a suitable acid, including an organic or inorganic acid. The acid for the formation of the nicotine salt may be appropriately selected in consideration of the blood nicotine absorption rate, the heating temperature of a heater, flavor, solubility, etc. For example, the acid for the formation of the nicotine salt may be one or a mixture of at least two selected from the group comprised of benzoic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, lauric acid, sorbic acid, levulinic acid, pyruvic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, citric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, phenylacetic acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, saccharic acid, malonic acid, and malic acid, but is not necessarily limited thereto.
Meanwhile, the tobacco medium of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be made in various forms. For example, the tobacco medium may be made in the form of a sheet or strand. In addition, the tobacco medium may be made in the form of tobacco shreds obtained by finely cutting a tobacco sheet. In addition, the tobacco medium may be made in the form of granules including tobacco.
The tobacco medium portion 110 may have a cylindrical shape. However, the shape of the tobacco medium portion 110 is not necessarily limited thereto, and a bar shape with various cross-sections may be employed.
In this case, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be manufactured by folding a tobacco sheet into a cylindrical shape, or by molding tobacco strands, tobacco shreds, or tobacco granules into a cylindrical shape.
When the tobacco medium portion 110 is made of a plurality of tobacco strands obtained by finely cutting a tobacco sheet, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be formed by combining the plurality of tobacco strands in the same direction (parallel to one another) or randomly. In detail, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be formed by combining the plurality of tobacco strands, and a plurality of longitudinal channels for allowing the aerosol to pass therethrough may result. In this case, depending on the sizes and arrangements of the tobacco strands, the longitudinal channels may be uniform or non-uniform.
The tobacco medium portion 110 may further include an aerosol-generating material to increase the amount of atomization. For example, the aerosol-generating material may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol, but is not necessarily limited thereto.
The tobacco medium portion 110 may further include a flavoring material to add a flavor to the aerosol. For example, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include other additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an organic acid. In addition, a flavoring liquid such as menthol or moisturizer may be added to the tobacco medium portion 110 by spraying the flavoring liquid onto the tobacco medium portion 110.
In this case, the flavoring agent may include licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, isosweet, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, cinnamon, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cinnamon, ylang, salvia, spearmint, ginger, coriander, or coffee. In addition, the wetting agent may include glycerin or propylene glycol.
In some embodiments, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be composed of at least one segment. For example, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include one segment or two segments. In detail, the tobacco medium portion 110 according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 may include one segment. Alternatively, in embodiments as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include two segments.
Referring to FIG. 4, the tobacco medium portion 110 according to an embodiment may include one segment. The segment of tobacco medium portion 110 may be filled with a tobacco medium. In other words, in the present embodiment, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include one segment filled with the tobacco medium.
In this case, the segment may be manufactured by folding a tobacco sheet into a cylindrical shape, or by molding tobacco strands, tobacco shreds, or tobacco granules into a cylindrical shape. In addition, the segment may further include an aerosol-generating material to increase the amount of atomization and/or a flavoring material.
In addition, the segment of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be heated by being coupled to a heater 370 (see FIG. 22) of the aerosol-generating device 300 for heating the aerosol-generating article 100. In FIG. 22, the heater 370 may be inserted into the aerosol-generating article 100 to heat the tobacco medium portion 110.
Meanwhile, in the examples illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include two segments. One of the two segments may include a tobacco medium and the other may not include a tobacco medium.
Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, each tobacco medium portion 110 may include a first tobacco segment 111 and a second tobacco segment 113. The first tobacco segment 111 is a segment that is filled with the tobacco medium and may be made of the same material as the above-described segment of the tobacco medium portion 110 illustrated in FIG. 4.
The second tobacco segment 113 may be located at an upstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100 and may prevent the first tobacco segment 111 from being separated from the aerosol-generating article 100. In other words, the tobacco medium portion 110 according to some embodiments may be configured such that the second tobacco segment 113 and the first tobacco segment 111 are arranged sequentially from the upstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100.
The second tobacco segment 113 may prevent impurities from being introduced into the first tobacco segment 111 from the outside, and may prevent a liquefied aerosol from being introduced into the aerosol-generating device 300 (see FIG. 22 or 23) during smoking.
In addition, when the aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 300, the second tobacco segment 113 may support the aerosol-generating article 100 so that the aerosol-generating article 100 is secured to the aerosol-generating device 300.
The second tobacco segment 113 may be a cellulose acetate filter. For example, the second tobacco segment 113 may be manufactured by adding a plasticizer such as triacetin to a cellulose acetate tow. In addition, an aerosol-generating material may be included in the cellulose acetate tow.
Nicotine may be excluded from the aerosol-generating material included in the second tobacco segment 113. For example, the second tobacco segment 113 may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. However, the aerosol-generating material included in the second tobacco segment 113 is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the second tobacco segment 113 may include a material in which glycerin and propylene glycol are mixed in a ratio of about 8:2. However, the above-mentioned mixing ratio is exemplary, and the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.
In addition, the second tobacco segment 113 may include other additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an organic acid. However, the material and type of the second tobacco segment 113 are not necessarily limited thereto, and may be modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.
The second tobacco segment 113 may have a through-hole for allowing an aerosol from the outside to be introduced therethrough to form mainstream smoke inside the aerosol-generating article 100. The through-hole formed in the second tobacco segment 113 may have a circular or Y-shaped cross-section. However, the cross-sectional shape of the through-hole is not necessarily limited thereto, and various forms may be employed.
Meanwhile, in some embodiments the through-hole may not be formed in the second tobacco segment 113, for example when the second tobacco segment 113 includes a crimped sheet impregnated with the aerosol-generating material.
When a portion of the aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 300 (see FIG. 23), an aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating device 300 may be introduced into the aerosol-generating article 100 through the second tobacco segment 113. The aerosol thus introduced may form mainstream smoke inside the aerosol-generating article 100 and be delivered to the user. In addition, an aerosol generated inside the second tobacco segment 113 including the aerosol-generating material may form mainstream smoke and be delivered to the user.
In this case, a heater 390 of the aerosol-generating device 300 may be disposed around the tobacco medium portion 110 and may heat the tobacco medium portion 110. In addition, the heat transfer portion 190 may surround a first cooling segment 131 of the cooling portion 130, or may surround at least a portion of a second cooling segment 133 as well as the first cooling segment 131. A detailed description thereof will be provided later.
Referring back to FIGS. 1 to 4, in the present embodiment, the filter portion 150 may be located at the downstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100 so as to be spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion 110. The filter portion 150 may filter out at least one of substances included in the mainstream smoke.
The filter portion 150 may be a cellulose acetate filter, and may be manufactured by adding a plasticizer such as triacetin to a cellulose acetate tow. However, the material and type of the filter portion 150 are not necessarily limited thereto, and may be modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.
The filter portion 150 may have a cylindrical shape. However, the shape of the filter portion 150 is not necessarily limited thereto, and various shapes conforming to the shape of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be employed.
The filter portion 150 may be manufactured to generate a flavor. For example, a flavoring liquid may be sprayed onto the filter portion 150, or separate fibers coated with a flavoring liquid may be included inside the filter portion 150.
Alternatively, the filter portion 150 may include at least one capsule (not illustrated). The capsule may generate a flavor or an aerosol. For example, the capsule may have a structure in which a liquid containing a spice is encapsulated with a film. In this case, the capsule may have a spherical or cylindrical shape, but the shape of the capsule is not necessarily limited thereto.
In the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment, the cooling portion 130 may be disposed between the tobacco medium portion 110 and the filter portion 150 and may cool a high-temperature aerosol passing therethrough. The high-temperature aerosol from the tobacco medium portion 110 may be cooled while moving inside the cooling portion 130, and the cooled aerosol may pass through the filter portion 150 and be delivered to the user. Thereby, the high-temperature aerosol may be prevented from being delivered directly to the user.
In the present embodiment, the cooling portion 130 may be composed of the first cooling segment 131 and the second cooling segment 133. In other words, the cooling portion 130 may include two segments. However, the cooling portion 130 is not necessarily limited thereto, and may include at least two segments.
The first cooling segment 131 and the second cooling segment 133 may be sequentially arranged adjacent to the tobacco medium portion 110. In detail, the first cooling segment 131 may be disposed adjacent to the tobacco medium portion 110, and the second cooling segment 133 may be disposed between the first cooling segment 131 and the filter portion 150. In other words, in the present embodiment, the tobacco medium portion 110, the first cooling segment 131, the second cooling segment 133, and the filter portion 150 may be sequentially arranged from the upstream end toward the downstream end.
The first cooling segment 131 may cool the aerosol from the tobacco medium portion 110 and may prevent the tobacco medium of the tobacco medium portion 110 from being separated toward the second cooling segment 133. For example, when the heater 370 (see FIG. 22) for heating the aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into the tobacco medium portion 110, the tobacco medium in the tobacco medium portion 110 may be separated and moved toward the second cooling segment 133. As the first cooling segment 131 is disposed between the tobacco medium portion 110 and the second cooling segment 133, the tobacco medium in the tobacco medium portion 110 may be prevented from being separated toward the second cooling segment 133.
The first cooling segment 131 may be manufactured by adding a plasticizer such as triacetin to a cellulose acetate tow. In addition, an aerosol-generating material may be included in the cellulose acetate tow.
The first cooling segment 131 may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, or oleyl alcohol. However, the aerosol-generating material included in the first cooling segment 131 is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the first cooling segment 131 may include a material in which glycerin and propylene glycol are mixed in a ratio of about 8:2. However, the above-mentioned mixing ratio is exemplary, and the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.
In addition, the first cooling segment 131 may include other additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an organic acid. However, the material and type of the first cooling segment 131 are not necessarily limited thereto, and may be modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.
The first cooling segment 131 may have a through-hole for allowing the aerosol from the tobacco medium portion 110 to be introduced therethrough to form mainstream smoke inside the aerosol-generating article 100. The through-hole formed in the first cooling segment 131 may have a circular or Y-shaped cross-section. However, the cross-sectional shape of the through-hole is not necessarily limited thereto, and various forms may be employed.
The second cooling segment 133 may be disposed between the first cooling segment 131 and the filter portion 150 and may further cool the aerosol which has passed through the first cooling segment 131.
The second cooling segment 133 may have a tubular shape for allowing the aerosol to pass therethrough. In detail, the second cooling segment 133 may have a through-hole T therein. The through-hole T is a space formed in the center of the second cooling segment 133 and may allow the aerosol to move therethrough from the tobacco medium portion 110 to the filter portion 150. In the present embodiment, the diameter of the through-hole T of the second cooling segment 133 may be larger than that of the through-hole of the first cooling segment 131. However, the diameter of the through-hole T of the second cooling segment 133 is not necessarily limited thereto, and the diameter of the through-hole T of the second cooling segment 133 may be equal to or smaller than that of the through-hole of the first cooling segment 131.
The high-temperature aerosol introduced into an inlet of the second cooling segment 133 may be cooled while passing through the through-hole T of the second cooling segment 133. During the process of cooling the aerosol, a portion of heat contained in the aerosol may pass through a body of the second cooling segment 133 and be discharged to the outside. In this case, a separate member including polylactic acid (PLA) may be disposed in the through-hole T of the second cooling segment 133. For example, the inside of the through-hole T may be at least partially filled with PLA.
The body of the second cooling segment 133 may be manufactured by adding a plasticizer such as triacetin to a cellulose acetate tow. Alternatively, the body of the second cooling segment 133 may be made of laminated paper composed of a plurality of paper layers. For example, the body may be made of laminated paper composed of an outer paper layer, an intermediate paper layer, and an inner paper layer, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be made of single-layer paper. In this case, the inside of the laminated paper may be coated with a cooling material or may be attached with a cooling film. Here, the cooling material or the cooling film may include various materials having high thermal efficiency. However, the material and type of the body of the second cooling segment 133 are not necessarily limited thereto, and may be modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.
When the body of the second cooling segment 133 is made of the cellulose acetate tow, the mono denier of filaments constituting the cellulose acetate tow may be in the range of 3 to 20. Preferably, the mono denier of the filaments of the body is in the range of 9 to 12.
In addition, the filaments constituting the body of the second cooling segment 133 may have a Y-shaped cross-section. Here, the term "filament" may mean a long strand of fibers constituting the cellulose acetate tow.
Meanwhile, the body of the second cooling segment 133 may include other additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an organic acid. In this case, the flavoring agent may include licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, isosweet, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, cinnamon, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cinnamon, ylang ylang, salvia, spearmint, ginger, coriander, or coffee. In addition, the wetting agent may include glycerin or propylene glycol.
The body of the second cooling segment 133 may have a donut-shaped cross-section due to the through-hole T. In this case, the inner diameter of the body may be equal or larger than 2 mm. Preferably, the inner diameter of the body is in the range of 3.8 mm to 4.2 mm.
Here, the body of the second cooling segment 133 may have a plurality of openings 160 for allowing external air to be introduced therethrough or internal air to be discharged therethrough. The plurality of openings 160 may be formed to be spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction of the body.
In the present embodiment, the plurality of openings 160 may be arranged toward an inlet side, i.e., the side adjacent to the first cooling segment 131, of the second cooling segment 133. The aerosol passing through the second cooling segment 133 may be further cooled by the external air introduced through the plurality of openings 160. Thereby, the aerosol to be introduced into the filter portion 150 may be cooled again, so that the high-temperature aerosol may be prevented from being inhaled directly into a user's mouth.
In the present embodiment, although it is described that the plurality of openings 160 are arranged at the inlet side of the second cooling segment 133, the position of the plurality of openings 160 is not necessarily limited thereto. The plurality of openings 160 may be arranged at another position along the second cooling segment 133, for example, toward an outlet side of the second cooling segment 133 or at a central region of the second cooling segment 133.
According to the present embodiment, the heat transfer portion 190 may be disposed to surround at least a portion of the cooling portion 130. The heat transfer portion 190 may insulate or cool the aerosol inside the aerosol-generating article 100. A specific process in which the heat transfer portion 190 insulates or cools the aerosol will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.
The heat transfer portion 190 may surround an outer peripheral surface of the cooling portion 130, and may surround only a portion of the cooling portion 130 or the entire cooling portion 130 along a longitudinal direction of the cooling portion 130.
In detail, as illustrated in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the heat transfer portion 190 may surround the entire outer peripheral surface of the first cooling segment 131 of the cooling portion 130.
Alternatively, in an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the heat transfer portion 190 may surround only a portion of the first cooling segment 131.
Alternatively, according to an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the heat transfer portion 190 may surround the entire first cooling segment 131 and a portion of the second cooling segment 133. In this case, the heat transfer portion 190 may be disposed to extend to just before the position where the openings 160 are formed so as not to cover the openings 160 of the second cooling segment 133.
Alternatively, according to another embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9, the heat transfer portion 190 may surround the entire first cooling segment 131 and the entire second cooling segment 133. In other words, the heat transfer portion 190 may be disposed to surround the entire cooling portion 130. In this case, the heat transfer portion 190 may have a plurality of openings at positions corresponding to the openings 160 of the second cooling segment 133.
In the present embodiment, the heat transfer portion 190 may extend from an inlet of the cooling portion 130 in contact with the tobacco medium portion 110. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the heat transfer portion 190 may be disposed to surround the cooling portion 130 from the position where the tobacco medium portion 110 and the cooling portion 130 are in contact with each other, i.e., from the inlet of the cooling portion 130. Thereby, the heat transfer portion 190 may insulate a downstream side of the tobacco medium portion 110 so as to be heated to a temperature equal to that of a remaining section of the tobacco medium portion 110 while the tobacco medium portion 110 is heated by the heater 370. In addition, the heat transfer portion 190 may further cool the aerosol moving inside the cooling portion 130. A detailed process thereof will be described later.
Hereinafter, a process in which the heat transfer portion 190 insulates or cools the aerosol in the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.
FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a process in which the tobacco medium portion is heated by inserting the heater into the aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a process in which a tobacco medium portion is heated by inserting the heater into an aerosol-generating article according to the related art.
The heat transfer portion 190 according to the present embodiment may insulate the aerosol while the tobacco medium portion 110 is heated before the user inhales the mainstream smoke, and may cool the aerosol while the user inhales the mainstream smoke.
The process in which the user inhales the mainstream smoke using the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment may include a process in which the tobacco medium portion 110 is initially heated by the heater 370 of the aerosol-generating device 300 (see FIG. 22) which is inserted into the tobacco medium portion 110 to generates an aerosol, and a process in which the user inhales the mainstream smoke through the mouth when the tobacco medium portion 110 reaches a predetermined temperature for generating the aerosol.
Referring to FIG. 5, while the heater 370 initially heats the tobacco medium portion 110, the heat transfer portion 190 may insulate the downstream side P of the tobacco medium portion 110 adjacent to the cooling portion 130. Thereby, while the tobacco medium portion 110 is heated, the heat transfer portion 190 may insulate the downstream side of the tobacco medium portion 110 such that the entire section of the tobacco medium portion 110 is heated to a uniform temperature.
The heat transfer portion 190 may be made in the form of a metal foil, so that heat generated by the heater 370 at the downstream side P of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be prevented from being dissipated to the outside through a body of the cooling portion 130. As the heat transfer portion 190 blocks heat from being dissipated to the outside, the temperature of the downstream side P of the tobacco medium portion 110 is prevented from being lowered, unlike the related art.
FIG. 6 illustrates a process in which the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the related art is heated by the heater 370. While the heater 370 initially heats a tobacco medium portion 110, heat at a downstream side P of the tobacco medium portion 110 is dissipated to the outside through an adjacent cooling portion 130 (see FIG. 6(A)). Thereby, the temperature of the downstream side P of the tobacco medium portion 110 is lower than that of a remaining section M of the tobacco medium portion 110 (see FIG. 6(B)).
The heater 370 may have a shape in which an electrical resistive heater H is surrounded by a ceramic material C, and there is a possibility that the cooling portion 130 is melted by the high-temperature heater 370. Therefore, the insertion length of the heater 370 is limited so that an end thereof is not close to the cooling portion 130. In other words, the heater 370 is inserted so that the end thereof does not reach an end of the tobacco medium portion 110. Accordingly, since the heater 370 is inserted so that the end thereof does not reach the end of the tobacco medium portion 110, the downstream side P of the tobacco medium portion 110 may not be provided with as much heat as the remaining section M. In addition, as the heat at the downstream side P is dissipated and released to the outside through the adjacent cooling portion 130, the temperature of the downstream side P of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be lower than that of the remaining section M.
When the temperature of the downstream side P of the tobacco medium portion 110 is low, an aerosol generated in the remaining section M of the tobacco medium portion 110 is liquefied at the low-temperature downstream side P of the tobacco medium portion 110, thereby impeding the flow of the aerosol at the downstream side P of the tobacco medium portion 110. In other words, the aerosol generated in the tobacco medium portion 110 fails to efficiently flow toward the cooling portion 130.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the heat transfer portion 190 insulates the downstream side of the tobacco medium portion 110 while the tobacco medium portion 110 is heated. This enables the aerosol generated in the tobacco medium portion 110 to efficiently flow toward the cooling portion 130 without being stagnant at the downstream side of the tobacco medium portion 110 due to lower temperature.
Meanwhile, in the process in which the user inhales the mainstream smoke through the mouth when the tobacco medium portion 110 reaches the predetermined temperature for generating the aerosol, the heat transfer portion 190 may further cool the high-temperature aerosol moving inside the cooling portion 130. When the high-temperature aerosol is cooled while passing through the cooling portion 130, the heat transfer portion 190 surrounding the cooling portion 130 may dissipate heat out of the cooling portion 130 to further cool the high-temperature aerosol. Thereby, the high-temperature aerosol may be prevented from being delivered directly to the user.
In this case, the heat transfer portion 190 may be in the form of a metal foil. In other words, the heat transfer portion 190 may surround the cooling portion 130 in the form of a thin metal plate. As the metal heat transfer portion 190 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the cooling portion 130 adjacent to the tobacco medium portion 110, the aerosol may be insulated or cooled during inhalation.
The heat transfer portion 190 may include a metal material. For example, the heat transfer portion 190 may include at least one of aluminum, copper, ferrite, or martensite. Preferably, the heat transfer portion 190 is in the form of a metal foil including aluminum. However, the heat transfer portion 190 is not necessarily limited thereto, and various materials with high thermal conductivity may be employed.
In some embodiments, the heat transfer portion 190 may be circumferentially disposed around the outer peripheral surface of the cooling portion 130 in the form of a metal plate (see FIG. 1). Alternatively, as illustrated in embodiments of FIGS. 12 to 14, the heat transfer portion 190 may be disposed around the outer peripheral surface of the cooling portion 130 in the form of a plurality of metal strips. The plurality of metal strips constituting the heat transfer portion 190 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other.
Referring to FIG. 12, the heat transfer portion 191 may surround the outer peripheral surface of the first cooling segment 131 of the cooling portion 130 in the form of the plurality of metal strips spaced apart from each other. In this case, the heat transfer portion 191 in the form of the plurality of metal strips may be arranged in parallel to the extending direction of the cooling portion 130. In other words, the plurality of metal strips may be arranged in parallel to the cooling portion 130.
Referring to FIG. 13, the heat transfer portion 193 may be arranged in the form of a plurality of metal strips, and the plurality of metal strips may be arranged obliquely with respect to the extending direction of the cooling portion 130. In other words, unlike the case illustrated in FIG. 12, the plurality of metal strips may be arranged to be non-parallel to the extending direction of the cooling portion 130. In detail, the plurality of metal strips may be arranged in a spiral shape around the outer peripheral surface of the cooling portion 130.
Referring to 14, the heat transfer portion 195 may be arranged in the form of a plurality of metal strips generally or substantially aligned to the extending direction of the cooling portion 130, and the plurality of metal strips may be arranged in a wavy or serpentine shape.
Referring back to FIG. 4, the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment may be wrapped by the wrapper 170.The wrapper 170 may surround the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150 that are arranged in a row. As such, as the wrapper 170 surrounds the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150, the cylindrical shape, which is a unique shape of the aerosol-generating article 100, may be maintained.
The wrapper 170 may surround the entire outer peripheral surface of each of the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150.
Each of the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150 constituting the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment may be individually wrapped by a separate wrapper (not illustrated). When the tobacco medium portion 110 includes a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments may be wrapped by a separate wrapper, or the plurality of segments may be wrapped by a single wrapper. As such, when each of the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150 is individually wrapped, the individually wrapped tobacco medium portion 110, cooling portion 130, and filter portion 150 may be entirely rewrapped by the wrapper 170.
The wrapper 170 may have a plurality of openings (not illustrated) for allowing external air to be introduced into or internal air to be discharged from the aerosol-generating article 100. The plurality of openings may be formed at positions corresponding to the plurality of openings 160 of the cooling portion 130.
The wrapper 170 may be made of general wrapping paper. For example, the wrapper 170 may be porous wrapping paper or non-porous wrapping paper.
A predetermined material may be included in the wrapper 170. Here, the predetermined material may be silicon, but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, silicon exhibits characteristics such as heat resistance, oxidation resistance, resistances to various chemicals, water repellency, electrical insulation, etc. However, any material other than silicon may be applied to the wrapper 170 without limitation as long as it exhibits the above-described characteristics.
In addition, the wrapper 170 may include a non-combustible material to prevent the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment from being burned. For example, when the tobacco medium portion 110 is heated by the heater 370 of the aerosol-generating device 300, there is a possibility that the aerosol-generating article 100 is burned. In detail, when the temperature is raised to a temperature above the ignition point of any one of materials included in the tobacco medium portion 110, the aerosol-generating article 100 may be burned.
The wrapper 170 may prevent the aerosol-generating device 300 from being contaminated by substances generated by the aerosol-generating article 100. During smoking, liquid substances may be generated in the aerosol-generating article 100. For example, as the aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating article 100 is cooled by the external air, liquid substances and moisture may be generated.
As the wrapper 170 wraps the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150, the liquid substances generated in the aerosol-generating article 100 may be prevented from leaking out of the aerosol-generating article 100. Therefore, the interior of the aerosol-generating device 300 may be prevented from being contaminated by the liquid substances generated by the aerosol-generating article 100.
The wrapper 170 may define an outermost surface of the aerosol-generating article 100, so that the shape and appearance of the aerosol-generating article 100 may be varied depending on the shape of the wrapper 170. For example, characters, patterns, symbols, images, etc. may be printed on the wrapper 170. The characters, patterns, symbols, images, etc. printed on the wrapper 170 may be varied, so that the aerosol-generating article 100 may provide various visual information.
Hereinafter, an aerosol-generating article according to another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.
FIG. 15 is a sectional view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 16 to 18 are views illustrating additional embodiments of a tobacco medium portion of the aerosol-generating article. FIG. 19 is a view illustrating another example of a filter portion of the aerosol-generating article illustrated in FIG. 15.
Referring to FIG. 15, the structure of the aerosol-generating article according to the second embodiment remains the same as that of the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the first embodiment, except for the tobacco medium portion 110 and a cooling portion 130. Thus, a duplicate description of the same configuration will be omitted.
According to the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the cooling portion 130 may composed of one segment unlike the cooling portion 130 according to the first embodiment. In other words, while the cooling portion 130 according to the first embodiment described above is composed of two segments, the cooling portion 130 according to the present embodiment is composed of one segment.
In this case, the cooling portion 130 may remain the same in shape and material as the above-described second cooling segment 133 according to the first embodiment.
The cooling portion 130 may have a tubular shape for allowing an aerosol to pass therethrough. In detail, the cooling portion 130 may have a through-hole T therein. The through-hole T is a space formed in the center of the cooling portion 130 and may allow the aerosol to move from the tobacco medium portion 110 to the filter portion 150 therethrough.
The high-temperature aerosol introduced into an inlet of the cooling portion 130 may be cooled while passing through the through-hole T of the cooling portion 130. During the process of cooling the aerosol, heat from the aerosol may pass through a body of the cooling portion 130 and be dissipated to the outside.
The body of the cooling portion 130 may be manufactured by adding a plasticizer such as triacetin to a cellulose acetate tow. Alternatively, the body of the cooling portion 130 may be made of laminated paper composed of a plurality of paper layers. The body of the cooling portion 130 may include other additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an organic acid.
In some embodiments, a heat transfer portion 190 may be disposed to surround the outer peripheral surface of the cooling portion 130. As in the first embodiment, the heat transfer portion 190 may extend from an inlet of the cooling portion 130 that is in contact with the tobacco medium portion 110. In this case, the heat transfer portion 190 may extend to a position before a plurality of openings 160 of the cooling portion 130. However, the heat transfer portion 190 is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be disposed to surround a portion or the entirety of the cooling portion 130.
Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include one segment filled with a tobacco medium, as in the first embodiment described above. Here, the tobacco medium portion 110 may remain the same in shape and material as the above-described tobacco medium portion 110 according to the first embodiment.
FIGS. 16 to 18 illustrate additional examples of the tobacco medium portion 110 according to the embodiments, in which the tobacco medium portion 110 may include two segments.
Referring to FIG. 16, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include a first tobacco segment 111 and a second tobacco segment 113. The first tobacco segment 111 may remain the same in material and shape as the above-described tobacco medium portion 110 according to the first embodiment. For example, the first tobacco segment 111 may include a tobacco medium, and the tobacco medium may be made in the form of a sheet or strand. In addition, the tobacco medium may be made in the form of tobacco shreds obtained by finely cutting a tobacco sheet. In addition, the tobacco medium may be made in the form of granules including tobacco.
In addition, when the aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 300, the second tobacco segment 113 may support the aerosol-generating article 100 so that the aerosol-generating article 100 is secured to the aerosol-generating device 300.
The second tobacco segment 113 may be a cellulose acetate filter. For example, the second tobacco segment 113 may be manufactured by adding a plasticizer such as triacetin to a cellulose acetate tow. In addition, an aerosol-generating material may be included in the cellulose acetate tow.
Nicotine may be excluded from the aerosol-generating material included in the second tobacco segment 113. For example, the second tobacco segment 113 may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. However, the aerosol-generating material included in the second tobacco segment 113 is not necessarily limited thereto.
In addition, the second tobacco segment 113 may include other additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an organic acid. However, the material and type of the second tobacco segment 113 are not necessarily limited thereto, and may be modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.
The second tobacco segment 113 may have a through-hole for allowing an aerosol from the outside to be introduced therethrough to form mainstream smoke inside the aerosol-generating article 100. The through-hole formed in the second tobacco segment 113 may have a circular or Y-shaped cross-section. However, the cross-sectional shape of the through-hole is not necessarily limited thereto, and various forms may be employed.
Referring to FIG. 17, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include a first tobacco segment 111 and a third tobacco segment 115. The first tobacco segment 111 may remain the same in material and shape as the above-described first tobacco segment 111. Meanwhile, the third tobacco segment 115 is located in front of the first tobacco segment 111, and may include a crimped sheet impregnated with an aerosol-generating material.
Referring to FIG. 18, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include a fourth tobacco segment 117 and a fifth tobacco segment 119. The fourth tobacco segment 117 and the fifth tobacco segment 119 may be in a form in which a liquid nicotine solution or a nicotine salt is impregnated into a crimped sheet.
FIG. 19 illustrates a modified example of the filter portion 150 according to the present embodiment, in which a recess portion 180 may be formed downstream of the filter portion 150. The recess portion 180 has a structure in which the wrapper 170 surrounding the filter portion 150 extends further downstream beyond the filter portion 150. In other words, in the present embodiment, the wrapper 170 extends outwardly beyond the filter portion 150 further than in the above-described aerosol-generating article 100 according to other embodiments. With the shape of the wrapper 170, the filter portion 150 may have a recessed rod shape.
The recess portion 180 may prevent nicotine stains formed at the end of the filter portion 150 from being easily exposed externally. Thus, nicotine stains formed on the filter portion 150 of the aerosol-generating article 100 during smoking or after smoking may not be exposed externally, resulting in an improved aesthetic appearance.
Hereinafter, a process in which the heat transfer portion 190 insulates or cools an aerosol in the aerosol-generating article 100 according to some embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21.
FIG. 20 is a view illustrating a process in which the aerosol-generating article according to the related art is heated by the heater of the aerosol-generating device. FIG. 21 is a view illustrating a process in which the aerosol-generating article according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure is heated by the heater of the aerosol-generating device.
Referring to FIG. 20, in the related art, one type of heater 390 is disposed to surround the entire tobacco medium portion 110 in order to uniformly heat the entire tobacco medium portion 110. As the heater 390 is disposed to extend to the top of the aerosol-generating device 300, there is a possibility that the top of the aerosol-generating device 300 is heated to a high temperature, causing burns to the user.
Referring to FIG. 21, the heat transfer portion 190 is disposed at the inlet side of the cooling portion 130 adjacent to the tobacco medium portion 110, so that the heater 390 of the aerosol-generating device 300 may be disposed to have a predetermined gap G with the downstream side of the tobacco medium portion 110. Thereby, the top of the aerosol-generating device 300 is not heated to a high temperature by the heater 390, preventing the user who is in contact with the top of the aerosol-generating device 300 from getting burned.
Hereinafter, the aerosol-generating device into which the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is inserted will be described.
FIG. 22 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of an embodiment of an aerosol-generating device into which an aerosol-generating article is inserted. FIG. 23 is a view illustrating another embodiment of the aerosol-generating device.
Referring to FIGS. 22 and 23, the aerosol-generating device 300 according to the present embodiment may include the heater 370 and 390, a power supplier 330, a controller 310, and an aerosol generator 350. Here, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art related to the present embodiment that other general-purpose components other than those illustrated in FIGS. 22 and 23 may be further included in the aerosol-generating device 300.
Meanwhile, in FIG. 23, the power supplier 330, the controller 310, and the aerosol generator 350 are illustrated as being arranged adjacently in a row or column. However, if necessary, the arrangement of the power supplier 330, the controller 310, and the aerosol generator 350 may be modified. Also, as illustrated in FIG. 22, the aerosol generator 350 may be excluded and the aerosol-generating article 100 may be operated only by being heated by the heater 370.
The aerosol-generating article 100 may be inserted into the aerosol-generating device 300. The aerosol-generating article 100 may be insertedly secured to the aerosol-generating device 300 by a fixing means. In the present embodiment, the tobacco medium portion 110 of the aerosol-generating article 100 may serve as the fixing means. However, other fixing means may be further included in addition to the tobacco medium portion 110.
The heater 370 and 390 may heat the aerosol-generating article 100. When the heater 370 and 390 is heated by power supplied from the power supplier 330, the heater 370 and 390 may transfer heat to the aerosol-generating article 100.
The heater 370 and 390 may be an electrically resistive heater. The heater 370 and 390 may include an electrically conductive track. The heater 370 and 390 may heat the aerosol-generating article 100 as a current flows through the electrically conductive track by the power supplied from the power supplier 330.
As another example, the heater 370 and 390 may be an induction heater. The heater 370 and 390 may include an electrically conductive coil for heating the aerosol-generating article 100 by an induction heating method, and the aerosol-generating article 100 may include a susceptor that may be heated by the induction heater.
The power supplier 330 may supply power for use in the aerosol-generating device 300. For example, the power supplier 330 may supply power for heating the heater 370 and 390, and may supply power for operating the controller 310. In addition, the power supplier 330 may supply power for operating a display, a sensor, a motor, etc. of the aerosol-generating device 300.
The controller 310 may control the overall operation of the aerosol-generating device 300. In detail, the controller 310 may control the operation of other components included in the power supplier 330 and the aerosol generator 350. Also, the controller 310 may determine whether the aerosol-generating device 300 is in an operable state by checking the state of each component in the aerosol-generating device 300.
The aerosol generator 350 may generate an aerosol by heating a liquid composition. The generated aerosol may pass through the aerosol-generating article 100 and be delivered to the user. In other words, the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator 350 may be introduced into the tobacco medium portion 110 of the aerosol-generating article 100.
The aerosol generator 350 may include a liquid reservoir, a liquid delivery means, and a heating element, but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the liquid reservoir, liquid delivery means, and heating element may be included in the aerosol-generating device 300 as independent modules.
The liquid reservoir may store the liquid composition. For example, the liquid composition may be a liquid including a tobacco-containing material having a volatile tobacco flavor component, or a liquid including a non-tobacco material. The liquid reservoir may be manufactured to be attached to or detached from the aerosol-generating device 300 or may be manufactured integrally with the aerosol-generating device 300.
When the aerosol generator 350 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes the liquid containing the non-tobacco material, the liquid composition stored in the liquid reservoir included in the aerosol generator 350 may not contain nicotine, and the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator 350 may be introduced into the tobacco medium portion 110 without containing nicotine. In this case, the aerosol that does not contain nicotine may pass through the tobacco medium portion 110 and absorb nicotine, and the aerosol that has passed through the tobacco medium portion 110 may contain nicotine.
The liquid composition included in the aerosol generator 350 may include water, a solvent, ethanol, a plant extract, a spice, a flavoring agent, or a vitamin mixture. The spice may include menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, and various fruit-flavored ingredients, but is not necessarily limited thereto. The flavoring agent may include ingredients that may provide the user with various flavors or tastes. The vitamin mixture may be a mixture of at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but is not necessarily limited thereto. In addition, the liquid composition may include an aerosol former, such as glycerin and propylene glycol.
While the disclosure has been illustrated and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the disclosure is defined not by the detailed description of the disclosure but by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the disclosure.