EP4337040A1

EP4337040A1 - Aerosol-generating article and aerosol-generating device having same

Info

Publication number: EP4337040A1
Application number: EP22807892.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ju Hwan Lee; Jeong Hoo Kim; Min Kyu Kim; Jung Ho Kim; Ju Eon Park; Jong Sub Lee; Byung Sung Cho; Jung Ho Han
Original assignee: KT&G Corp
Current assignee: KT&G Corp
Priority date: 2021-05-14
Filing date: 2022-05-13
Publication date: 2024-03-20
Also published as: JP2024515969A; KR20220155539A; KR102632598B1; US20240188629A1; CN117202802A; WO2022240245A1

Abstract

An aerosol-generating article according to one aspect of the present disclosure may include a tobacco medium portion and a filter portion coupled to a side of the tobacco medium portion and cooling and filtering an aerosol delivered from the tobacco medium portion. The filter portion may include a first filter segment disposed to be spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion and filtering the aerosol, an inner wrapper surrounding the first filter segment and extending toward the tobacco medium portion, and a second filter segment surrounded by the tobacco medium portion, the first filter segment, and the inner wrapper so as to have a space therein.

Description

AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE AND AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE HAVING SAME

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol-generating article and an aerosol-generating device.

In general, tobacco refers to a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Solanaceae, a family of dicotyledonous plants, and recently, also collectively refers to a product manufactured for the purpose of smoking and consisting of tobacco leaves in cigarette paper and a filter at one side. There are thousands of tobacco products in the worldwide market, and they come in a variety of shapes and forms.

In the case of combustible tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, and hookah, tobacco smoke contains many components such as tar, nitroamines, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide, in addition to aerosols containing nicotine.

As an alternative to compensating for the shortcomings of such combustible tobacco products, a method of generating an aerosol by heating an aerosol-generating material in a cigarette rather than burning the cigarette, is widely used, and demand therefor is increasing. To meet this demand, research is actively being conducted on heating-type cigarettes or heating-type aerosol-generating devices.

Specifically, an aerosol-generating device has a form similar to that of a conventional combustible tobacco product, and generates mainstream smoke including aerosols by heating an aerosol-generating material in a heating-type cigarette through a means such as a heater or ultrasonic vibration. The aerosol-generating device has the advantage of minimizing emission of components such as tar while functioning to provide smokers with smoking satisfaction, and thus is attracting attention as a new market for replacing conventional combustible tobacco products.

Unlike the conventional combustible tobacco product, the heating-type cigarette (i.e., an aerosol-generating article) used in the aerosol-generating device has an interior composed of a plurality of segments causing an increase in manufacturing costs. In addition, the segments are continuously fed at high speed in the process of manufacturing the aerosol-generating article. Thus, there are often cases where production is interrupted when the segments are not properly fed during the manufacturing process.

Accordingly, the present disclosure has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and an objective of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol-generating article capable of reducing production costs.

Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol-generating article capable of increasing production efficiency.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol-generating article including a tobacco medium portion and a filter portion coupled to a side of the tobacco medium portion and cooling and filtering an aerosol delivered from the tobacco medium portion. The filter portion may include a first filter segment disposed to be spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion and filtering the aerosol, an inner wrapper surrounding the first filter segment and extending toward the tobacco medium portion, and a second filter segment surrounded by the tobacco medium portion, the first filter segment, and the inner wrapper so as to have a space therein.

An aerosol-generating article according to one aspect of the present disclosure can achieve reduced production costs.

In addition, in the process of manufacturing the aerosol-generating article, it is possible to prevent the production from being interrupted, thereby achieving increased production efficiency.

So that the present disclosure can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, a more detailed description may be had by reference to aspects of some illustrative implementations, some of which are shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an aerosol-generating article according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a state in which an outer wrapper is partially separated from the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a partial cutaway of inner and outer wrappers of the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6 to 8 are views illustrating modified examples of the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating an aerosol-generating article according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of an aerosol-generating device into which the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is inserted.

FIGS. 11 to 14 are views illustrating a process of manufacturing the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

In some implementations, an aerosol-generating article according to one aspect of the present disclosure may include a tobacco medium portion and a filter portion coupled to a side of the tobacco medium portion and cooling and filtering an aerosol delivered from the tobacco medium portion. The filter portion may include a first filter segment disposed to be spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion and filtering the aerosol, an inner wrapper surrounding the first filter segment and extending toward the tobacco medium portion, and a second filter segment surrounded by the tobacco medium portion, the first filter segment, and the inner wrapper so as to have a space therein.

In some implementations, the aerosol-generating article may further include an outer wrapper surrounding at least a portion of an outer peripheral surface of each of the tobacco medium portion and the inner wrapper.

In some implementations, the inner wrapper may have a thickness larger than that of the outer wrapper.

In some implementations, the inner wrapper may surround the entire outer peripheral surface of the first filter segment.

In some implementations, the tobacco medium portion and the inner wrapper may have the same outer diameter.

In some implementations, the inner wrapper disposed around the second filter segment may have at least one opening communicating with the space and the outside.

In some implementations, an end of the tobacco medium portion and an end of the first filter segment may face each other with respect to the second filter segment.

In some implementations, the inner wrapper may extend to the end of the tobacco medium portion.

In some implementations, the inner wrapper may further extend outwardly beyond the first filter segment.

In some implementations, the inner wrapper may have a thickness in the range of 100 μm to 350 μm.

In some implementations, the inner wrapper may have a basis weight in the range of 80 g/m² to 150 g/m².

In some implementations, the tobacco medium portion may include a plurality of tobacco segments.

In some implementations, at least one of the plurality of tobacco segments may include a tobacco medium.

In some implementations, an aerosol-generating device according to another aspect of the present disclosure may include a heater for heating at least a portion of an aerosol-generating article, a power supplier for supplying power to the heater, and a controller for controlling the power supplied to the power supplier.

In some implementations, the aerosol-generating device may further include an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol by heating a liquid composition. The aerosol generated by the aerosol generator may be introduced into the aerosol-generating article.

The present disclosure is not limited to what has been described above, and other aspects and advantages of the present disclosure not mentioned above will be understood through the following description of implementations of the present disclosure. Further, it will be understood that the aspects and advantages of the present disclosure may be achieved by the configurations described in claims and combinations thereof.

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 a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a state in which an outer wrapper is partially separated from the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a partial cutaway of inner and outer wrappers of the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a sectional 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 filter portion 130, and an outer wrapper 170. Here, the filter portion 130 coupled to the tobacco medium portion 110 may include a first filter segment 131, a second filter segment 135, and an inner wrapper 133. The inner wrapper 133 may surround the first filter segment 131 serving as a filter and may extend toward the tobacco medium portion 110 so as to form the second filter segment 135 having a space inside the inner wrapper 133.

In other words, according to the present embodiment, the filter portion 130 may have a structure in which the first filter segment 131 serving as a filter and the second filter segment 135 having the space serving as a cooling portion are integrally combined by the inner wrapper 133. The filter portion 130 may be coupled to an end of the tobacco medium portion 110.

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. 1 to 5 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 FIG. 10), which will be described in more detail below. 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 in which the tobacco medium portion 110 is located, and the term "downstream" may mean the side in which the filter portion 130 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 approximately in the range of 4.7 mm to 9.9 mm. Each of the tobacco medium portion 110 and the filter portion 130 may also have a cylindrical shape having an approximate 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 approximately in the range of 16 mm to 30 mm. The length of the filter portion 130 may be approximately in the range of 15 mm to 30 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 to provide 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 in more detail below, and an aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating device 300 is introduced into the aerosol-generating article 100, nicotine may be adsorbed to the surface of the thus introduced 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 and a nicotine salt, and the nicotine may be naturally-occurring nicotine or synthetic nicotine.

The nicotine salt may be formed by adding a suitable acid including an organic or inorganic acid to nicotine. 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 of or a mixture of at least two selected from the group consisting 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, or 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 formed 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 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 through. 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, or 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 ylang, salvia, spearmint, ginger, coriander, or coffee. In addition, the wetting agent may include glycerin or propylene glycol.

The tobacco medium portion 110 may be surrounded by a heat-conducting material. The heat-conducting material may improve thermal conductivity applied to the tobacco medium portion 110 by evenly distributing heat transferred to the tobacco medium portion 110 for improving tobacco flavor. The heat-conducting material may be a metal foil (e.g., an aluminum foil). However, the heat-conducting material is not necessarily limited thereto, and various metal foils for use as the heat-conducting material may be employed.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be composed of at least one tobacco segment. For example, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include one tobacco segment, two tobacco segments, or three tobacco segments. In detail, the tobacco medium portion 110 according to the present embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 may include one tobacco segment. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include two tobacco segments. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include three tobacco segments.

Referring to FIG. 5, the tobacco medium portion 110 according to the present embodiment may include one tobacco segment. The tobacco 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 tobacco segment filled with the tobacco medium.

In this case, the tobacco segment may be formed 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 tobacco segment may further include an aerosol-generating material to increase the amount of atomization and/or a flavoring material.

In addition, a heater 370 (see FIG. 10) of the aerosol-generating device 300 for heating the aerosol-generating article 100 may be inserted into the tobacco segment of the tobacco medium portion 110. In FIG. 10, the heater 370 is illustrated as being disposed around the aerosol-generating article 100, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be inserted into the tobacco medium portion 110 to heat the tobacco medium portion 110.

The tobacco medium portion 110 may further include a configuration for identifying the aerosol-generating article 100. The aerosol-generating article 100 may exhibit various tastes and flavors, and may include a configuration (not illustrated) for identifying various types of aerosol-generating article 100. For example, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include a metal foil for altering the inductance of a coil for recognizing an aerosol-generating article included in the aerosol-generating device 300. In this case, the metal foil may be disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the tobacco medium portion 110.

Meanwhile, in modified examples illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include two tobacco segments. One of the two tobacco segments may include a tobacco medium and the other may not include a tobacco medium.

Referring to FIG. 6, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include a first tobacco segment 111 and a second tobacco segment 119. 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 tobacco segment of the tobacco medium portion 110 illustrated in FIG. 5.

The second tobacco segment 119 may be located at an upstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100 and may prevent the first tobacco segment 111 from being separated to the outside. In other words, the tobacco medium portion 110 according to the present modified example may be configured such that the second tobacco segment 119 and the first tobacco segment 111 are arranged sequentially from the upstream side.

The second tobacco segment 119 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. 10) during smoking.

In addition, when the aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 300, the second tobacco segment 119 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 119 may be a cellulose acetate filter. For example, the second tobacco segment 119 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 119. For example, the second tobacco segment 119 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 second tobacco segment 119 is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the second tobacco segment 119 may include a material in which glycerin and propylene glycol are mixed in a ratio of approximately 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 119 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 119 are not necessarily limited thereto, and may be modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.

Meanwhile, the second tobacco segment 119 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 119 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, when the second tobacco segment 119 includes a crimped sheet impregnated with the aerosol-generating material, the through-hole may not be formed in the second tobacco segment 119.

In this case, when a portion of the aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 300, an aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating device 300 may be introduced into the aerosol-generating article 100 through the second tobacco segment 119. The aerosol 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 119 including the aerosol-generating material may form mainstream smoke and be delivered to the user.

The second tobacco segment 119 may further include a configuration for identifying the aerosol-generating article 100. The aerosol-generating article 100 may exhibit various tastes and flavors, and may include a configuration for identifying various types of aerosol-generating article 100. For example, the second tobacco segment 119 may include a metal foil for altering the inductance of a coil for recognizing an aerosol-generating article included in the aerosol-generating device 300. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto, and the configuration for identifying the aerosol-generating article 100 may be included in the first tobacco segment 111 in addition to the second tobacco segment 119.

Referring to FIG. 7, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include a first tobacco segment 111 and a second tobacco segment 117.

The first tobacco segment 111 may be located at the upstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100. The first tobacco segment 111 is a segment that is filled with a tobacco medium and may be made of the same material as the above-described first tobacco segment 111 illustrated in FIG. 6.

The second tobacco segment 117 may prevent the tobacco medium of the first tobacco segment 111 from being separated toward the filter portion 130 which will be described later. For example, when the heater for heating the aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into the first tobacco segment 111, the tobacco medium in the first tobacco segment 111 may be separated and moved toward the filter portion 130. As the second tobacco segment 117 is disposed between the first tobacco segment 111 and the filter portion 130, the tobacco medium in the first tobacco segment 111 may be prevented from being separated toward the filter portion 130.

The second tobacco segment 117 may be made of the same material as the above-described second tobacco segment 119 illustrated in FIG. 6.

In addition, the second tobacco segment 117 may have a through-hole for allowing an aerosol formed in the first tobacco segment 111 or passing through the first tobacco segment 111 to be introduced therethrough. The through-hole formed in the second tobacco segment 117 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.

As such, the first tobacco segment 111 and the second tobacco segment 117 of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be respectively made of the same materials as the above-described first tobacco segment 111 and second tobacco segment 119 of the tobacco medium portion 110 illustrated in FIG. 6. However, the first tobacco segment 111 and the second tobacco segment 117 of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be arranged in a different order from the first tobacco segment 111 and the second tobacco segment 119 illustrated in FIG. 6. In other words, the tobacco medium portion 110 according to the present modified example may be configured such that the first tobacco segment 111 and the second tobacco segment 117 are arranged sequentially from the upstream side.

Meanwhile, in a modified example illustrated in FIG. 8, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include three tobacco segments. At least one of the three tobacco segments may include a tobacco medium.

Referring to FIG. 8, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include a first tobacco segment 111, a second tobacco segment 113, and a third tobacco segment 115. In the present modified example, the first tobacco segment 111 including the tobacco medium may be centrally disposed, and the second tobacco segment 113, the first tobacco segment 111, and the third tobacco segment 115 may be arranged sequentially from the upstream side.

The first tobacco segment 111 is an intermediate segment among the three segments of the tobacco medium portion 110. 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 first tobacco segment 111 illustrated in FIG. 6.

The second tobacco segment 113 and the third tobacco segment 115 may be disposed on opposite sides with respect to the first tobacco segment 111 interposed therebetween. The second tobacco segment 113 and the third tobacco segment 115 may be made of the same material as the above-described second tobacco segment 119 illustrated in FIG. 6.

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 during smoking. In addition, the second tobacco segment 113 may remain the same in structure, function, and material as the above-described second tobacco segment 119 illustrated in FIG. 6.

The third tobacco segment 115 may prevent the tobacco medium of the first tobacco segment 111 from being separated toward the filter portion 130. In addition, the third tobacco segment 115 may remain the same in structure, function, and material as the above-described second tobacco segment 117 illustrated in FIG. 7.

As such, in the present modified example, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be configured such that the second tobacco segment 113 and the third tobacco segment 115 are disposed oppositely with respect to the first tobacco segment 111 including the tobacco medium.

Referring back to FIGS. 1 to 5, in the present embodiment, the filter portion 130 may be coupled to the downstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100. The filter portion 130 may cool the substances included in the mainstream smoke or filter at least one of the substances or filter out at least one of substances.

The filter portion 130 may have the same shape as the tobacco medium portion 110, and may have the same cylindrical shape as the tobacco medium portion 110. The filter portion 130 may have the same outer diameter as the tobacco medium portion 110. However, the shape and diameter of the filter portion 130 is not necessarily limited thereto, and various shapes conforming to the shape and diameter of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be employed.

The filter portion 130 may include the first filter segment 131, the second filter segment 135, and the inner wrapper 133. In the filter portion 130, the inner wrapper 133 may surround the first filter segment 131 serving as a filter and may extend toward the tobacco medium portion 110 to form the second filter segment 135 having a space inside the inner wrapper 133. In this case, the second filter segment 135 and the first filter segment 131 may be sequentially arranged adjacent to the tobacco medium portion 110.

According to the present embodiment, the filter portion 130 may have a structure in which the first filter segment 131 serving as a filter and the second filter segment 135 having the space serving as a cooling portion are integrally combined by the inner wrapper 133. The filter portion 130 may be coupled to the end of the tobacco medium portion 110. In other words, in the present embodiment, the first filter segment 131, the second filter segment 135, and the inner wrapper 133 constituting the filter portion 130 may be integrated into a single body, so that the filter portion 130 may be coupled to the tobacco medium portion 110.

The first filter segment 131 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 first filter 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 filter segment 131 may have a cylindrical shape conforming to the shape of the filter portion 130. However, the shape of the first filter segment 131 is not necessarily limited thereto, and, as in the case of the filter portion 130, various shapes conforming to the shape of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be employed.

The first filter segment 131 may have a length equal to or larger than half the length of the filter portion 130. Therefore, the length of the first filter segment 131 may be equal to or larger than that of the second filter segment 135.

The first filter segment 131 may be manufactured to generate a flavor. For example, a flavoring liquid may be sprayed onto the first filter segment 131, or separate fibers coated with a flavoring liquid may be included inside the first filter segment 131.

Alternatively, the first filter segment 131 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.

Meanwhile, the filter portion 130 according to the present embodiment may be wrapped by the inner wrapper 133. The inner wrapper 133 may surround the first filter segment 131 spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion 110 and may extend toward the tobacco medium portion 110. In this case, the space defining the second filter segment 135 may be formed inside the inner wrapper 133.

The inner wrapper 133 may surround at least a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the first filter segment 131. Preferably, the inner wrapper 133 surrounds the entire outer peripheral surface of the first filter segment 131.

In other words, the second filter segment 135 and the first filter segment 131 are sequentially arranged adjacent to the tobacco medium portion 110 inside of the inner wrapper 133, the first filter segment 131, the second filter segment 135, and the inner wrapper 133 may be integrally combined to form a single filter portion 130. As such, the filter portion 130 may integrated as a single body by the inner wrapper 133 and may be coupled to the tobacco medium portion 110. Here, the term "single body" may mean that the first filter segment 131 and the inner wrapper 133 are combined into a single configuration with an adhesive or the like.

Here, the inner wrapper 133 may have at least one opening (not illustrated) for allowing external air to be introduced therethrough or internal air to be discharged therethrough.

The inner wrapper 133 may include paper having a strength capable of maintaining the shape of the second filter segment 135 having a circular cross-section. The inner wrapper 133 may be made of laminated paper composed of a plurality of paper layers. For example, the inner wrapper 133 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. Meanwhile, when the inner wrapper 133 includes the plurality of paper layers, an inner surface of the inner paper layer may be coated with a predetermined material, for example, polylactic acid.

When the inner wrapper 133 is paper, the thickness of the inner wrapper 133 may be approximately in the range of 100 μm to 350 μm. Preferably, the thickness of the inner wrapper 133 is approximately in the range of about 110 μm to 180 μm, but is necessarily not limited thereto.

In addition, when the inner wrapper 133 is paper, the basis weight of the inner wrapper 133 may be approximately in the range of 80 g/m² to 150 g/m². Preferably, the basis weight of the inner wrapper 133 is approximately 240 g/m², but is not necessarily limited thereto.

The outer diameter of the inner wrapper 133 may be equal to that of the tobacco medium portion 110. Thereby, the outer diameters of the filter portion 130 and the tobacco medium portion 110 surrounded by the outer wrapper 170 may be uniform.

Meanwhile, at least a portion of the inner wrapper 133 may be porous paper. The porous paper may have high air permeability and permeability. Due to the fact that the porous paper has high air permeability, it may be easy for air to enter and exit through the inner wrapper 133 including the porous paper.

The second filter segment 135 may be defined as the space formed by the inner wrapper 133. Among the first filter segment 131 and the second filter segment 135 constituting the filter portion 130, the second filter segment 135 may be located adjacent to the tobacco medium portion 110. In other words, the second filter segment 135 may be located between the tobacco medium portion 110 and the first filter segment 131.

The second filter segment 135 may cool a high-temperature aerosol formed in the tobacco medium portion 110 or passing through the tobacco medium portion 110. The high-temperature aerosol may be cooled while moving inside the second filter segment 135, and the cooled aerosol may pass through the first filter segment 131 and be delivered to the user. Thereby, the high-temperature aerosol may be prevented from being delivered directly to the user.

Meanwhile, the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment may be wrapped by the outer wrapper 170. The outer wrapper 170 may surround the tobacco medium portion 110 and the filter portion 130. As such, as the outer wrapper 170 surrounds the tobacco medium portion 110 and the filter portion 130, the cylindrical rod shape, which is a unique shape of the aerosol-generating article 100, may be maintained.

The outer wrapper 170 may have at least one opening (not illustrated) for allowing external air to be introduced into or internal air to be discharged from the aerosol-generating article 100. The opening may be formed at a position corresponding to the tobacco medium portion 110, a position corresponding to the opening of the inner wrapper 133, or a position corresponding to the first filter segment 131.

The outer wrapper 170 may be paper having increased physical properties such as tensile strength, water resistance, and smoothness compared to general paper. Thereby, the strength of the aerosol-generating article 100 wrapped by the outer wrapper 170 may be increased, high water resistance may result in increased resistance to external liquids that may come into contact with the aerosol-generating article 100, and high smoothness may facilitate printing on the outer wrapper 170.

The basis weight of the outer wrapper 170 may be approximately in the range of 40 g/m² to 70 g/m², and approximately in the range of 45 g/m² to 55 g/m². The thickness of the outer wrapper 170 may approximately be in the range of 50 μm to 70 μm, and approximately in the range of 60 μm to 70 μm. In this case, the thickness of the outer wrapper 170 may be smaller than that of the inner wrapper 133.

A predetermined material may be included in the outer wrapper 170. An example of the predetermined material may be silicon. Silicon exhibits characteristics such as heat resistance, oxidation resistance, resistances to various chemicals, water repellency, electrical insulation, etc. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto, and any material may be applied to or coated on the outer wrapper 170 without limitation as long as it exhibits the above-described characteristics.

The outer wrapper 170 may define an outermost surface of the aerosol-generating article 100 such that the shape of the aerosol-generating article 100 may be varied depending on the shape of the outer wrapper 170. For example, characters, patterns, symbols, images, etc. may be printed on the outer wrapper 170. The characters, patterns, symbols, images, etc. printed on the outer wrapper 170 may be varied, so that the aerosol-generating article 100 may provide various visual information.

A conventional aerosol-generating article is manufactured in such a manner that a tobacco medium portion, a separate tubular cooling portion, and a filter portion are brought into close contact with each other and then entirely wrapped by an outer wrapper. However, in the present embodiment, a space corresponding to the conventional separate cooling portion may be formed by the inner wrapper 133 without the need for feeding a separate cooling portion. As such, according to the present embodiment, manufacturing costs may be reduced by eliminating the use of the separate cooling portion.

In addition, in the manufacturing process of the conventional aerosol-generating article, the tobacco medium portion, the tubular cooling portion, and the filter portion may be fed and placed on the unfolded outer wrapper at a high speed, and then the tobacco medium portion, the cooling portion, and the filter portion may be wrapped by the outer wrapper. However, when at least one of the tobacco medium portion, the cooling portion, and the filter portion placed on the wrapper fails to lie in its correct position, the manufacturing process of the aerosol-generating article is interrupted.

According to the present embodiment, only the tobacco medium portion 110 and the filter portion 130 are fed without the need for feeding a separate tubular cooling portion. In other words, in the present embodiment, only two parts, the tobacco medium portion 110 and the filter 130, are fed in the manufacturing process, unlike the related art in which three parts, the tobacco medium portion, the cooling portion, the filter portion are fed.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the number of parts fed in the process of manufacturing the aerosol-generating article 100 is reduced, unlike the related art. As such, due to the fact that feeding the separate tubular cooling portion in the manufacturing process of the aerosol-generating article is not necessary, this may reduce factors that cause production interruption during the manufacturing process, such as the fed cooling portion failing to lie in its correct position, thereby increasing the production efficiency of the aerosol-generating article.

Hereinafter, an aerosol-generating article according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure and a modified example thereof will be described.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 9, 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 a recess portion 190. Thus, a duplicate description of the same configuration will be omitted.

According to the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the recess portion 190 may be formed downstream of a filter portion 130. In other words, the recess portion 190 may be formed at an end of the filter portion 130.

The recess portion 190 has a structure in which an outer wrapper 170 and an inner wrapper 133 surrounding a first filter segment 131 further extend downstream beyond the first filter segment 131. In other words, in the present embodiment, the outer wrapper 170 and the inner wrapper 133 extend outwardly beyond the first filter segment 131 more than in the above-described aerosol-generating article 100 according to the first embodiment.

With the shape of the outer wrapper 170 and the inner wrapper 133, the filter portion 130 may have a recessed rod shape.

The recess portion 190 may prevent nicotine stains formed at the end of the filter portion 130 from being easily exposed externally. Thus, nicotine stains formed on the filter portion 130 of the aerosol-generating article 100 during smoking or after smoking may not be exposed externally, resulting in an improved aesthetic appearance.

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. 10 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of the aerosol-generating device into which the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is inserted.

Referring to FIG. 10, the aerosol-generating device 300 according to the present embodiment may include the heater 370, 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 FIG. 10 may be further included in the aerosol-generating device 300.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 10, the power supplier 330, the controller 310, and the aerosol generator 350 are illustrated as being arranged in a row. However, if necessary, the arrangement of the power supplier 330, the controller 310, and the aerosol generator 350 may be modified. Also, in FIG. 10, the aerosol generator 350 is illustrated as being included, but 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 may heat the aerosol-generating article 100. When the heater 370 is heated by power supplied from the power supplier 330, the heater 370 may transfer heat to the aerosol-generating article 100.

The heater 370 may be an electrically resistive heater. The heater 370 may include an electrically conductive track. The heater 370 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 may be an induction heater. The heater 370 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.

In FIG. 10, the heater 370 is illustrated as being disposed outside the aerosol-generating article 100, but is not necessarily limited thereto. The heater 370 may include at least one of a tubular heating element, a plate-shaped heating element, a needle-shaped heating element, and a rod-shaped heating element. Depending on the shape of the at least one heating element included in the heater 370, the heater 370 may heat the inside or the outside of the aerosol-generating article 100 or may heat both the inside and the outside thereof simultaneously.

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 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 adsorb 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.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

Referring to FIGS. 11 to 14, the method of manufacturing the aerosol-generating article according to the present embodiment may include the steps of continuous feeding of constituent parts (see FIG. 11), wrapping with an outer wrapper (see FIG. 12), cutting (see FIG. 13), and forming of unit aerosol-generating articles (see FIG. 14).

In the method of manufacturing the aerosol-generating article according to the present embodiment, a tobacco medium rod 110L and a filter rod 130L may be continuously fed on an unfolded continuous outer wrapper 170L, and then cut into a predetermined size to obtain unit aerosol-generating articles 100.

Referring to FIG. 11, the tobacco medium rod 110L and the filter rod 130L are continuously fed alternately on the continuous outer wrapper 170L that is continuously fed. At this time, the tobacco medium rod 110L and the filter rod 130L are positioned to be in close contact with each other.

In this case, the tobacco medium rod 110L may have a length corresponding to twice that of the tobacco medium portion 110 described above. Similarly, the filter rod 130L may have a length corresponding to twice that of the filter portion 130 described above.

In the cutting process, when the tobacco medium rod 110L is cut in half, it may be divided into two tobacco medium portions 110. Also, in the cutting process, when the filter rod 130L is cut in half, it may be divided into two filter portions 130.

Referring to FIG. 12, the tobacco medium rod 110L and the filter rod 130L in close contact with each other may be wrapped by the continuous outer wrapper 170L. For example, an adhesive may be applied to an inner surface of the continuous outer wrapper 170L or outer peripheral surfaces of the tobacco medium rod 110L and the filter rod 130L, and then the tobacco medium rod 110L and the filter rod 130L may be wrapped by the continuous outer wrapper 170L. As described above, the tobacco medium rod 110L and the filter rod 130L located inside the continuous outer wrapper 170L may have twice the length of the tobacco medium portion 110 and twice the length of the filter portion 130, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 13, the tobacco medium rod 110L and the filter rod 130L wrapped by the continuous outer wrapper 170L may be cut. Each of the tobacco medium rod 110L and the filter rod 130L continuously fed on the continuous outer wrapper 170L may be cut in half.

In more detail, as illustrated in FIG. 13, each tobacco medium rod 110L may be cut in half, and each filter rod 130L may be cut in half. As a result, one tobacco medium rod 110L may be divided into two tobacco medium portions 110, and one filter rod 130L may be divided into two filter portions 130.

Referring to FIG. 14, the tobacco medium rod 110L and the filter rod 130L may be cut and divided into a plurality of unit aerosol-generating articles 100A, 100B, 100C, and 100D. Here, each of the unit aerosol-generating articles 100A, 100B, 100C, and 100D may correspond to the above-described aerosol-generating article 100 according to the embodiment. As such, in the present embodiment, the tobacco medium rod 110L and the filter rod 130L fed on the continuous outer wrapper 170L may be cut into halves, respectively, to thereby yield the plurality of unit aerosol-generating articles 100A, 100B, 100C, and 100D.

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.

Claims

An aerosol-generating article comprising:

a tobacco medium portion; and

a filter portion coupled to a side of the tobacco medium portion and configured to cool and filter an aerosol delivered from the tobacco medium portion, wherein the filter portion comprises:

a first filter segment disposed to be spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion and configured to filter the aerosol;

an inner wrapper surrounding the first filter segment and extending toward the tobacco medium portion; and

a second filter segment surrounded by the tobacco medium portion, the first filter segment, and the inner wrapper and configured to provide a space in the filter portion.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, further comprising an outer wrapper surrounding at least a portion of an outer peripheral surface of each of the tobacco medium portion and the inner wrapper.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 2, wherein the inner wrapper has a thickness greater than the thickness of the outer wrapper.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the inner wrapper surrounds an outer peripheral surface of the first filter segment.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the tobacco medium portion and the inner wrapper have a same outer diameter.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the inner wrapper disposed around the second filter segment has at least one opening in communication with the space and exterior of the aerosol-generating article.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein an end of the tobacco medium portion and an end of the first filter segment are configured to face each other with respect to the second filter segment.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the inner wrapper extends to an end of the tobacco medium portion.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the inner wrapper further extends outwardly beyond the first filter segment.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the inner wrapper has a thickness in a range of 100 μm to 350 μm.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the inner wrapper has a weight in a range of 80 g/m² to 150 g/m².
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the tobacco medium portion comprises a plurality of tobacco segments.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of tobacco segments includes a tobacco medium.
An aerosol-generating device comprising:

a heater configured to heat at least a portion of an aerosol-generating article comprising a tobacco medium portion and a filter portion coupled to a side of the tobacco medium portion and configured to cool and filter an aerosol delivered from the tobacco medium portion, wherein the filter portion comprises:

a first filter segment disposed to be spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion and configured to filter the aerosol,

an inner wrapper surrounding the first filter segment and extending toward the tobacco medium portion, and

a second filter segment surrounded by the tobacco medium portion, the first filter segment, and the inner wrapper and configured to provide a space in the filter portion,

a power supplier configured to supply power to the heater; and

a controller configured to control the power supplied to the power supplier.
The aerosol-generating device of claim 14, further comprising an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol by heating a liquid composition,

wherein the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator is introduced into the aerosol-generating article.
The aerosol-generating device of claim 14, wherein the aerosol-generating article further comprises an outer wrapper surrounding at least a portion of an outer peripheral surface of each of the tobacco medium portion and the inner wrapper.
The aerosol-generating device of claim 16, wherein the inner wrapper has a thickness greater than the thickness of the outer wrapper.
The aerosol-generating device of claim 14, wherein the inner wrapper surrounds an outer peripheral surface of the first filter segment.
The aerosol-generating device of claim 14, wherein the tobacco medium portion and the inner wrapper have a same outer diameter.
The aerosol-generating device of claim 14, wherein the inner wrapper disposed around the second filter segment has at least one opening in communication with the space and exterior of the aerosol-generating article.