Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24D—CIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES OF CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
  • A24D1/00—Cigars; Cigarettes
  • A24D1/20—Cigarettes specially adapted for simulated smoking devices
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24B—MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
  • A24B15/00—Chemical features or treatment of tobacco; Tobacco substitutes, e.g. in liquid form
  • A24B15/10—Chemical features of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes
  • A24B15/12—Chemical features of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes of reconstituted tobacco
  • A24B15/14—Chemical features of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes of reconstituted tobacco made of tobacco and a binding agent not derived from tobacco
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24B—MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
  • A24B15/00—Chemical features or treatment of tobacco; Tobacco substitutes, e.g. in liquid form
  • A24B15/10—Chemical features of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes
  • A24B15/16—Chemical features of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes of tobacco substitutes
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24B—MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
  • A24B15/00—Chemical features or treatment of tobacco; Tobacco substitutes, e.g. in liquid form
  • A24B15/18—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes
  • A24B15/28—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes by chemical substances
  • A24B15/281—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes by chemical substances the action of the chemical substances being delayed
  • A24B15/283—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes by chemical substances the action of the chemical substances being delayed by encapsulation of the chemical substances
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24B—MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
  • A24B15/00—Chemical features or treatment of tobacco; Tobacco substitutes, e.g. in liquid form
  • A24B15/18—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes
  • A24B15/28—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes by chemical substances
  • A24B15/30—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes by chemical substances by organic substances
  • A24B15/302—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes by chemical substances by organic substances by natural substances obtained from animals or plants
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24B—MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
  • A24B15/00—Chemical features or treatment of tobacco; Tobacco substitutes, e.g. in liquid form
  • A24B15/18—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes
  • A24B15/28—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes by chemical substances
  • A24B15/30—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes by chemical substances by organic substances
  • A24B15/302—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes by chemical substances by organic substances by natural substances obtained from animals or plants
  • A24B15/303—Plant extracts other than tobacco
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24B—MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
  • A24B15/00—Chemical features or treatment of tobacco; Tobacco substitutes, e.g. in liquid form
  • A24B15/18—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes
  • A24B15/28—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes by chemical substances
  • A24B15/30—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes by chemical substances by organic substances
  • A24B15/32—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes by chemical substances by organic substances by acyclic compounds
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24B—MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
  • A24B3/00—Preparing tobacco in the factory
  • A24B3/14—Forming reconstituted tobacco products, e.g. wrapper materials, sheets, imitation leaves, rods, cakes; Forms of such products

Definitions

• Smoking consumables such as cigarettes, cigars and the like burn tobacco during use to create tobacco smoke.
• a heating device which releases compounds by heating, but not burning, a solid aerosol-generating material.
• This solid aerosol-generating material may, in some cases, contain a botanical material.
• the heating volatilises at least one component of the material, typically forming an inhalable aerosol.
• These products may be referred to as heat-not-burn devices, tobacco heating devices or tobacco heating products.
• Various different arrangements for volatilising at least one component of the solid aerosol-generating material are known.
• hybrid devices contain a liquid source (which may or may not contain nicotine) which is vaporised by heating to produce an inhalable vapour or aerosol.
• the device additionally contains a solid aerosolgenerating material (which may or may not contain a tobacco material) and components of this material are entrained in the inhalable vapour or aerosol to produce the inhaled medium.
• an aerosol-generating material in the form of one or more non-linear strands, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises: an aerosol-generating agent; a crosslinked binder; optionally one or more fillers; and optionally an active and/or flavourant and/or an acid.
• an aerosol-generating material in the form of one or more non-linear strands, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises: an aerosol-generating agent; a binder selected from the group consisting of alginate, pectin, carrageenan, (such as iota-carrageenan), gellan gum (such as high acyl gellan gum), and combinations thereof; optionally one or more fillers; and optionally an active and/or a flavourant and/or an acid.
• an aerosol-generating composition comprising the aerosol-generating material of the invention.
• a method of forming an aerosol-generating material in the form of non-linear strands comprising:
• a noncombustible aerosol provision system comprising the consumable as defined herein and a non-combustible aerosol provision device, the non-combustible aerosol provision device comprising an aerosol-generation device configured to (or arranged to) generate aerosol from the consumable when the consumable is used with the non-combustible aerosol provision device.
• an aerosol-generating material or an aerosol-generating composition as defined herein for generating an aerosol.
• the invention provides an aerosol-generating material obtainable by, or obtained by, a method of the invention.
• Figure 1 shows a section view of an example of an aerosol-generating article.
• Figure 3 shows a sectional elevation of an example of an aerosol-generating article.
• FIGS 8 and 10 show schematic diagrams of the aerosol-generating material of the invention.
• Figure 9 shows a schematic cross-section of the aerosol-generating material of Figure 8.
• Figure 11 shows a photograph of aerosol-generating material of the invention (left) and an equivalent aerosol-generating material in the form of a shredded sheet (right).
• Figure 13 shows a photograph of a series of strands of the invention.
• Figure 14 shows a microscope image of a specimen of a single strand of the invention.
• the invention provides an aerosol-generating material in the form of one or more non-linear strands, wherein the aerosolgenerating material comprises: an aerosol-generating agent; and a crosslinked binder.
• the invention also provides an aerosol-generating material in the form of one or more non-linear strands, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises: an aerosol-generating agent; and a binder selected from the group consisting of alginate, pectin, carrageenan, (such as iota-carrageenan), gellan gum (such as high acyl gellan gum), and combinations thereof.
• a binder selected from the group consisting of alginate, pectin, carrageenan, (such as iota-carrageenan), gellan gum (such as high acyl gellan gum), and combinations thereof.
• the aerosol-generating material may also optionally comprise one or more fillers, an active and/or a flavourant and/or an acid.
• the aerosol-generating material is in the form of non-linear strands, which may alternatively be described as non-linear gel fibers. That is, the aerosolgenerating material is in the form of strands or gel fibers, wherein each strand or fiber is non-linear across its length.
• the strands or fibers may alternatively be described as being curly, noodle-like or kinked. Each strand may therefore be thought of as being similar in shape to a noodle, whilst a number of the strands or gel fibers together can be thought of as being similar in shape to a collection of multiple noodles, where the individual strands may overlap and interlink randomly with each other.
• non-linear strands is also intended to encompass the alternative terms described herein, such as “non-linear gel fibers”, “curly strands”, “curly gel fibers”, “noodle-like strands”, “noodle-like gel fibers”, “kinked strands”, etc.
• non-linear strand of the invention Schematic examples of a non-linear strand of the invention are shown as the solid lines in Figures 8 and 10, although it will be appreciated that these figures show a two dimensional representation of a three dimensional structure.
• each strand is three dimensional, and may also be non-linear in three dimensions.
• non-linear in three dimensions it is meant that the stands of the invention are non-linear in the x, y and z directions.
• a spring or coil is an example of a shape which is nonlinear in the x, y and z directions.
• other strands may be non-linear in two dimensions (e.g. the x and y direction), but linear or flat in the third dimension (e.g. the z direction).
• Each non-linear strand may have a diameter from about 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm or 0.5 mm to about 3 mm, 2.5 mm, 2 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.1 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.6 mm or 0.5 mm.
• each non-linear strand has a diameter of from about 0.05 mm to about 3 mm, from about 0.3 to about 2.5 mm, from about 0.5 to about 1.5 mm, or from about 0.7 to about 1.1 mm.
• each non-linear strand has a diameter of from about 0.1 to about 2 mm, from about 0.1 to about 1.0 mm, or from about 0.2 to about 0.4 mm.
• the diameter also referred to as the width, is defined as the longest dimension of the cross-section of the strand.
• the shape of the strands are determined by the way in which they are made, and therefore the skilled person would recognise that strands having other cross-sectional shapes (e.g. rectangular, substantially rectangular, triangular or substantially triangular) could also be made.
• the non-linear strands are of the invention are homogenous through the cross-section. That is, some embodiments the composition of the strands is homogeneous.
• Each non-linear strand may have a thickness of from about 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm or 0.5 mm to about 3 mm, 2.5 mm, 2 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.1 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.6 mm or 0.5 mm.
• each non-linear strand has a thickness of from about 0.05 mm to about 3 mm, from about 0.3 to about 2.5 mm, from about 0.5 to about 1.5 mm, or from about 0.7 to about 1.1 mm.
• each non-linear strand has a thickness of from about 0.1 to about 2.0 mm, from about 0.1 to about 1.0 mm, or from about 0.2 to about 0.4 mm.
• the term “thickness” is the dimension of the cross-section which is perpendicular to the diameter or width.
• each non-linear strand may have a diameter to thickness ratio of from about 1 :2 to about 2:1 , such as from about 3:2 to about 2:3, such as about 1 :1.
• Each non-linear strand may have an overall length (also referred to herein as the total length) of from about 8 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm or 30 mm to about 200 mm, 100 mm, 75 mm or 50 mm.
• the overall or total length of each strand is also referred to herein as the uncoiled length, and is defined as the theoretical length if the strand was extended to be straight.
• the overall length of the strand shown in Figure 10 is the total length of the strand, i.e. the length of the solid black line if this was straightened out.
• each non-linear strand has an overall length of from about 10 mm to about 200 mm, such as from about 20 mm to about 100 mm, or from about 30 mm to about 50 mm.
• each non-linear strand has a free or coiled length of from about 2 mm to about 35 mm, such as from about 3 mm to about 25 mm, from about 6 to about 23 mm, from about 8 mm to about 22 mm, or from about 11 mm to about 20 mm.
• the total or uncoiled length is greater than the free or coiled length.
• the ratio between the total length and the free length of each nonlinear strand i.e. the total length divided by the free length
• the ratio between the total length and the free length of each non-linear strand is at least about 1 .2, such as at least about 1.3, at least about 1.5 or at least about 2.
• the ratio between the total length and the free length of each non-linear strand is less than about 10, less than about 8 or less than about 6.
• the ratio between the total length and the free length of each non-linear strand is from about 1 .2 to about 10, such as from about 1 .5 to about 5, or from about 2 to about 5.
• the aspect ratio of the non-linear strands i.e. the total length divided by the diameter
• the tensile strength of each strand ranges from about 0.1 N, 0.2 N, 0.3 N or 0.4 N to about 3.0 N, 2.0 N, 1.5 N or 1.0 N. In some embodiments, the tensile strength of each strand ranges from about 0.1 N to about 3.0 N, from about 0.2 N to about 2.0 N, or from about 0.3 N to about 1.0 N.
• the uncoiled length, coiled length, aspect ratio and/or tensile strength values of each strand may be calculated as averages of measurements taken for multiple strands.
• the values may be calculated as averages of measurements taken for from about 5 to about 100 strands, such as from about 20 to about 70 strands, such as 50 strands.
• the aerosol-generating material has a fill value from about 2 cm 3 /g to about 7.5 cm 3 /g, from about 3 cm 3 /g to about 7 cm 3 /g, from about 3.5 cm 3 /g to about 6 cm 3 /g or from about 4 cm 3 /g to about 6 cm 3 /g. In other embodiments, the aerosol-generating material has a fill value of from about 3 cm 3 /g to about 10 cm 3 /g, from about 4 cm 3 /g to about 9.5 cm 3 /g, from about 4.5 cm 3 /g to about 9 cm 3 /g or from about 5 cm 3 /g to about 9 cm 3 /g.
• the fill value is measured by placing a known weight of material within a cylinder of known dimensions. It is subjected to pressure from a weighted piston for 30 seconds. The residual height of the compressed sample is measured and converted to volume. The fill value is then calculated as the volume of material over the mass.
• the fill value is then determined using the measured volume and mass of material according to Formula 2:
• the fill value can also be given in units of cm 3 /10g, with 1 cm 3 /g being equal to 10 cm 3 /10g.
• the inventors have found that the aerosol-generating material of the present invention has a higher fill value than aerosol-generating materials comprising the same components but which are formed as flat sheets (e.g. by casting), rolled sheets (e.g. by rolling flat sheets), or shredded sheets (e.g. by shredding flat sheets).
• Filling value (also referred to herein as fill value) is a measure of the volume occupied by a given mass of material when a given pressure is applied. That is, the fill value is a measure of the ability of a material to occupy a specific volume.
• a higher fill value material as an aerosol-generating material, it may be possible to provide articles and consumables having a lower overall weight than conventional articles. Reducing the overall weight can provide numerous advantages, such as reduced transportation costs as well as reduced material costs and/or taxes. Furthermore, reducing the weight of articles may also have a positive impact on the environment because less energy may be required to transport articles. In addition, consumers may prefer to carry and use a lighter-weight article. The material could also be used as a non-tobacco containing aerosol generating substrate.
• the materials of the present invention have a higher fill value than conventional aerosol-generating materials because the packing efficiency of the aerosol-generating material in the form of non-linear strands is lower than conventional aerosol-generating materials, which may be in the form of flat sheets, rolled sheets or shredded sheets. That is, if a container having a given volume were filled with the material of the invention, the percentage of the container which is occupied by material would be lower than for a conventional aerosol-generating material which may be in the form of a flat, rolled or shredded sheet. Put another way, there would be a higher volume of voids or empty space in the container containing the material of the invention. Thus, less aerosol-generating material would be needed to fill the container.
• Figure 12 shows a photograph of an aerosol-generating material of the invention in the form of a number of non-linear strands.
• the aerosol-generating material comprises 10-45wt%, 10-40wt% or 15-30wt% of aerosol-generating agent (all calculated on a dry weight basis). These amounts represent the total amount of aerosol-generating agent(s) in the aerosolgenerating material.
• the aerosol-generating agent may comprise one or more of glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate.
• the aerosol-generating agent comprises, consists essentially of or consists of glycerol.
• non-cellulosic binders examples include, but are not limited to, alginates, pectins, carrageenans, (e.g. iota-carrageenan), gellan gums (e.g. high acyl gellan gum) and combinations thereof.
• the binder comprises alginate and/or pectin.
• the binder comprises alginate and/or pectin and/or iota-carrageenan.
• the binder comprises alginate and/or iota- carrageenan.
• the binder comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of alginate and pectin.
• the binder comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of alginate and iota-carrageenan.
• the binder does not comprise alginate.
• the binder comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of iota-carrageenan.
• the aerosol-generating material may be substantially free of cellulosic binder. “Substantially free” means that material comprises less than 1wt%, such as less than 0.5wt% of the relevant component (dry weight basis). In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material does not comprise a cellulosic binder.
• the aerosol-generating material may be substantially free of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material does not comprise CMC.
• the binder comprises alginate, and the alginate is present in the aerosol-generating material in an amount of 5-50wt%, 8-40wt%, 10-30wt%, or 15-25wt% of the aerosol-generating material (calculated on a dry weight basis).
• alginate is the only binder present in the aerosol-generating material.
• the binder comprises alginate and at least one further non-cellulosic binder, such as pectin.
• the aerosol-generating material comprises multiple binders.
• the aerosol-generating material comprises a crosslinked binder and a non-crosslinked binder.
• the non-crosslinked binder may be a cellulosic binder.
• cellulosic binders which may be used include, but are not limited to, hydroxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, cellulose acetate (CA), cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), and cellulose acetate propionate (CAP).
• the cellulosic binder is selected from hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, and/or carboxymethylcellulose. In some embodiments, the cellulosic binder comprises carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). In some embodiments, the cellulosic binder is carboxymethylcellulose (CMC).
• an aerosol-generating material is provided in the form of one or more non-linear strands, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises an aerosol-generating agent and a binder selected from the group consisting of alginate, pectin, carrageenan, (such as iota-carrageenan), gellan gum (such as high acyl gellan gum), and combinations thereof.
• the total amount of binder may be the same as the amounts described above in relation to the crosslinked binder.
• the aerosol-generating material of this embodiment may comprise an amount of 1-60 wt%, 5-50 wt%, 6-40wt%, 7-20wt% or 15-25 wt% of binder (dry weight basis).
• the aerosol-generating material comprises a crosslinking agent.
• the crosslinking agent comprises calcium ions.
• the crosslinking agent comprises calcium lactate, calcium formate, and/or calcium acetate.
• the crosslinking agent comprises calcium lactate.
• the aerosol-generating material comprises a calcium-crosslinked alginate.
• the crosslinking agent may also be described as a setting agent.
• the aerosol-generating material may comprise about 1wt%, 10wt% or 20wt% to about 80wt%, 60wt% or 50wt% of flavour (all calculated on a dry weight basis).
• the aerosol-generating material may comprise 1-80wt%, 10-60wt%, or 20-50wt% of flavour. These amounts represent the total amount of flavour(s) in the aerosol-generating material, if a flavour is present.
• flavour and “flavourant” refer to materials which, where local regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste, aroma, or other somatosensorial sensation in a product for adult consumers. They may include naturally occurring flavour materials, botanicals, extracts of botanicals, synthetically obtained materials, or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice (liquorice), hydrangea, eugenol, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, maple, matcha, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed (anise), cinnamon, turmeric, Indian spices, Asian spices, herb, Wintergreen, cherry, berry, red berry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, clementine, lemon, lime, tropical fruit, papaya, rhubarb, grape, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruits, Drambuie, bourbon, scotch
• the flavour comprises menthol, spearmint and/or peppermint. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises, consists essentially of or consists of menthol.
• flavourant is a water-soluble flavourant.
• the flavourant may be incorporated during the formation of the aerosolgenerating material (e.g. when forming a slurry comprising the materials that form the aerosol-generating material) or it may be applied to the aerosol-generating material after its formation (e.g. by spraying it onto the aerosol-generating material after drying).
• the colour of aerosol-generating material may be, for example, white, green, red, purple, blue, brown or black. Other colours are also envisaged. Natural or synthetic colourants, such as natural or synthetic dyes, foodgrade colourants and pharmaceutical-grade colourants may be used.
• the colourant is caramel, which may confer the aerosol-generating material with a brown appearance.
• the colour of the aerosolgenerating material may be similar to the colour of other components (such as tobacco material) in an aerosol-generating composition comprising the aerosolgenerating material.
• the addition of a colourant to the aerosolgenerating material renders it visually indistinguishable from other components in the aerosol-generating composition.
• the aerosol-generating composition may comprise from about 1wt%, 2wt%, 3wt% or 4wt% to about 20wt%, 18wt%, 15wt% or 12wt% (calculated on a dry weight basis) of nicotine.
• the aerosol-generating composition may comprise 1-20wt%, 2-18wt% or 3-12wt% of nicotine.
• the mint may be chosen from the following mint varieties: Mentha Arventis, Mentha c.v., Mentha niliaca, Mentha piperita, Mentha piperita citrata c.v., Mentha piperita c.v, Mentha spicata crispa, Mentha cardifolia, Memtha longifolia, Mentha suaveolens variegata, Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata c.v. and Mentha suaveolens.
• the aerosol-generating material may comprise about 1 wt%, 3 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt %, 30 wt%, 35 wt% or 40 wt% to about to 30 wt%, 35 wt%, 40 wt%, 50 wt%, 60 wt%, 65 wt % or 70 wt% of particulate botanical material (all calculated on a dry weight basis).
• the aerosol-generating material comprises 1-70 wt%, 5-60 wt%, 10-50 wt%, or 30-40 wt% of particulate botanical material (all calculated on a dry weight basis).
• the aerosol-generating composition comprises the aerosol-generating material defined herein and a second aerosol-generating material, which may be tobacco.
• the aerosol-generating composition comprises the aerosol-generating material defined herein and tobacco.
• the tobacco comprises (or is) dry ice expanded tobacco (DIET).
• the aerosol-generating composition comprises a mixture of the aerosol-generating material of the invention and DIET, optionally in combination with other tobacco (e.g. cut rag tobacco).
• DIET is known to have a very high filling value (generally above 7 cm 3 /g), and is sometimes used to reduce the weight of an article or consumable for use in an aerosol provision system. However, it is also known to have a poor flavour profile.
• the presently claimed aerosol-generating material may therefore offer an improved alternative to DIET, because it has a high fill value but an improved taste profile. It may also be possible to combine DIET with the aerosol-generating material of the invention, thereby reducing the amount of DIET needed to achieve the desired fill value.
• the fill value of the aerosol-generating composition may be determined by the fill value of the aerosol-generating material, the fill value of any other material in the composition (e.g. tobacco), and the relative proportions of the materials in the composition.
• the fill value of a composition may therefore be estimated.
• the aerosol-generating composition has a fill value of at least about 2 cm 3 /g, 2.5 cm 3 /g, 3 cm 3 /g, 3.5 cm 3 /g, 4 cm 3 /g, 4.5 cm 3 /g, or 5 cm 3 /g. In some embodiments the fill value is less than about 6 cm 3 /g, 6.5 cm 3 /g, 7 cm 3 /g, 7.5 cm 3 /g, 8 cm 3 /g, 8.5 cm 3 /g, 9 cm 3 /g, 9.5 cm 3 /g or 10 cm 3 /g.
• the aerosol-generating material and/or the aerosol-generating composition may comprise an acid.
• the acid may be an organic acid.
• the acid may be at least one of a monoprotic acid, a diprotic acid and a triprotic acid.
• the acid may contain at least one carboxyl functional group.
• the acid may be at least one of an alpha-hydroxy acid, carboxylic acid, dicarboxylic acid, tricarboxylic acid and keto acid.
• the acid may be an alpha-keto acid.
• the acid may be at least one of succinic acid, lactic acid, benzoic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, levulinic acid, acetic acid, malic acid, formic acid, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, propanoic and pyruvic acid.
• the acid is lactic acid.
• the acid is benzoic acid.
• the acid may be an inorganic acid.
• the acid may be a mineral acid.
• the acid may be at least one of sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, boric acid and phosphoric acid.
• the acid is levulinic acid and/or pyruvic acid.
• the acid is selected from lactic acid, benzoic acid and levulinic acid.
• an acid is particularly preferred in embodiments in which the aerosol-generating composition comprises nicotine.
• the presence of the acid may reduce or substantially prevent evaporation of nicotine during drying of the slurry, thereby reducing loss of nicotine during manufacturing.
• the presence of the acid may also improve the flavour and impact of the aerosol when nicotine is present. For example, the perceived harshness of the nicotine may be reduced by the presence of the acid.
• the aerosol-generating material is substantially free from tobacco.
• substantially free from it is meant that the material comprises less than 1wt%, such as less than 0.5wt% tobacco (dry weight basis).
• the aerosol-generating material is free from tobacco.
• the aerosol-generating material does not comprise tobacco fibres.
• the aerosol-generating material does not comprise fibrous material.
• any tobacco present in the slurry used to form the aerosolgenerating material may cause the binder to prematurely crosslink, making formation of the non-linear strands of the invention more difficult.
• the aerosol-generating material substantially free from or free from tobacco.
• the aerosol-generating composition does not comprise tobacco fibres. In particular embodiments, the aerosol-generating composition does not comprise fibrous material.
• the aerosol-generating article does not comprise tobacco fibres. In particular embodiments, the aerosol-generating article does not comprise fibrous material.
• the aerosol-generating material may be made from a gel, and this gel may additionally comprise a solvent, included at 0.1-50wt%.
• a solvent in which the flavour is soluble may reduce the gel stability and the flavour may crystallise out of the gel.
• the gel does not include a solvent in which the flavour is soluble.
• An aspect of the present invention relates to an article (also referred to herein as a consumable).
• a consumable is an article, part or all of which is intended to be consumed during use by a user.
• a consumable may comprise or consist of aerosolgenerating composition.
• a consumable may comprise one or more other elements, such as a filter or an aerosol modifying substance.
• a consumable may comprise a heating element that emits heat to cause the aerosol-generating composition to generate aerosol in use.
• the heating element may, for example, comprise combustible material, or may comprise a susceptor that is heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field.
• a susceptor is material that is heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field.
• the heating material may be an electrically-conductive material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes induction heating of the heating material.
• the heating material may be magnetic material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes magnetic hysteresis heating of the heating material.
• the heating material may be both electrically-conductive and magnetic, so that the heating material is heatable by both heating mechanisms.
• the susceptor is in the form of a closed circuit. It has been found that, when the susceptor is in the form of a closed circuit, magnetic coupling between the susceptor and the electromagnet in use is enhanced, which results in greater or improved Joule heating.
• Magnetic hysteresis heating is a process in which an object made of a magnetic material is heated by penetrating the object with a varying magnetic field.
• a magnetic material can be considered to comprise many atomic-scale magnets, or magnetic dipoles. When a magnetic field penetrates such material, the magnetic dipoles align with the magnetic field.
• a varying magnetic field such as an alternating magnetic field, for example as produced by an electromagnet
• the orientation of the magnetic dipoles changes with the varying applied magnetic field.
• Such magnetic dipole reorientation causes heat to be generated in the magnetic material.
• the heater may heat, without burning, the aerosolgenerating material to a temperature equal to or less than 350 °C, such as between 120°C and 350 °C. In some cases, the heater may heat, without burning, the aerosol- generating composition to between 140 °C and 250 °C in use, or between 220 °C and 280 °C. In some cases in use, substantially all of the aerosol-generating material is less than about 4mm, 3mm, 2mm or 1mm from the heater. In some cases, the material is disposed between about 0.010mm and 2.0mm from the heater, suitably between about 0.02mm and 1.0mm, suitably 0.1mm to 0.5mm. In some cases, a surface of the aerosol-generating material may directly abut the heater.
• the heater is configured to heat not burn the aerosol-generating article, and thus the aerosol-generating composition.
• the heater may be, in some cases, a thin film, electrically resistive heater. In other cases, the heater may comprise an induction heater or the like.
• the heater may be a combustible heat source or a chemical heat source which undergoes an exothermic reaction to product heat in use.
• the aerosol generating assembly may comprise a plurality of heaters. The heater(s) may be powered by a battery.
• the aerosol-generating article may additionally comprise a cooling element and/or a filter.
• the cooling element if present, may act or function to cool gaseous or aerosol components. In some cases, it may act to cool gaseous components such that they condense to form an aerosol. It may also act to space the very hot parts of the non-combustible aerosol provision device from the user.
• the filter if present, may comprise any suitable filter known in the art such as a cellulose acetate plug.
• the aerosol generating assembly may be a heat-not-burn device. That is, it may contain a solid aerosol-generating material (and no liquid aerosol-generating material). In some cases, the aerosol-generating material may comprise the tobacco material.
• a heat-not-burn device is disclosed in WO 2015/062983 A2, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
• the aerosol-generating article (which may be referred to herein as an article, a cartridge or a consumable) may be adapted for use in a THP, an electronic tobacco hybrid device or another aerosol generating device.
• the article may additionally comprise a filter and/or cooling element (which have been described above).
• the aerosol-generating article may be circumscribed by a wrapping material such as paper.
• the ratio of the cool air to the sum of the heated volatilised components and the cool air is at least 15%.
• a ventilation ratio of 15% enables the heated volatilised components to be made visible by the method described above. The visibility of the heated volatilised components enables the user to identify that the volatilised components have been generated and adds to the sensory experience of the smoking experience.
• FIG. 1 and 2 there are shown a partially cut-away section view and a perspective view of an example of an aerosol-generating article 101 .
• the article 101 is adapted for use with a device having a power source and a heater.
• the article 101 of this embodiment is particularly suitable for use with the device 1 shown in Figures 5 to 7, described below.
• the article 101 may be removably inserted into the device shown in Figure 5 at an insertion point 20 of the device 1.
• the article 101 of one example is in the form of a substantially cylindrical rod that includes a body of aerosol-generating composition 103 and a filter assembly 105 in the form of a rod.
• the aerosol-generating composition comprises the aerosolgenerating material described herein.
• the filter segment 109 is located in between the cooling segment 107 and the mouth end segment 111.
• the mouth end segment 111 is located towards the proximal end 113 of the article 101 , adjacent the filter segment 109.
• the filter segment 109 is in an abutting relationship with the mouth end segment 111.
• the total length of the filter assembly 105 is between 37mm and 45mm, more preferably, the total length of the filter assembly 105 is 41mm.
• the rod of aerosol-generating composition 103 is between 34mm and 50mm in length, suitably between 38mm and 46mm in length, suitably 42mm in length.
• the total length of the article 101 is between 71mm and 95mm, suitably between 79mm and 87mm, suitably 83mm.
• An axial end of the body of aerosol-generating composition 103 is visible at the distal end 115 of the article 101.
• the distal end 115 of the article 101 may comprise an end member (not shown) covering the axial end of the body of aerosol-generating composition 103.
• the body of aerosol-generating composition 103 is joined to the filter assembly 105 by annular tipping paper (not shown), which is located substantially around the circumference of the filter assembly 105 to surround the filter assembly 105 and extends partially along the length of the body of aerosol-generating composition 103.
• the tipping paper is made of 58GSM standard tipping base paper.
• the tipping paper has a length of between 42mm and 50mm, suitably of 46mm.
• the length of the cooling segment 107 is at least 15mm. In one example, the length of the cooling segment 107 is between 20mm and 30mm, more particularly 23mm to 27mm, more particularly 25mm to 27mm, suitably 25mm.
• the cooling segment 107 is made of paper, which means that it is comprised of a material that does not generate compounds of concern, for example, toxic compounds when in use adjacent to the heater of the device 1.
• the cooling segment 107 is manufactured from a spirally wound paper tube which provides a hollow internal chamber yet maintains mechanical rigidity. Spirally wound paper tubes are able to meet the tight dimensional accuracy requirements of highspeed manufacturing processes with respect to tube length, outer diameter, roundness and straightness.
• the cooling segment 107 is a recess created from stiff plug wrap or tipping paper.
• the stiff plug wrap or tipping paper is manufactured to have a rigidity that is sufficient to withstand the axial compressive forces and bending moments that might arise during manufacture and whilst the article 101 is in use during insertion into the device 1.
• the filter segment 109 may be formed of any filter material sufficient to remove one or more volatilised compounds from heated volatilised components from the aerosol-generating material.
• the filter segment 109 is made of a mono-acetate material, such as cellulose acetate.
• the filter segment 109 provides cooling and irritation-reduction from the heated volatilised components without depleting the quantity of the heated volatilised components to an unsatisfactory level for a user.
• the density of the cellulose acetate tow material of the filter segment 109 controls the pressure drop across the filter segment 109, which in turn controls the draw resistance of the article 101. Therefore the selection of the material of the filter segment 109 is important in controlling the resistance to draw of the article 101. In addition, the filter segment performs a filtration function in the article 101.
• the filter segment 109 is made of a 8Y15 grade of filter tow material, which provides a filtration effect on the heated volatilised material, whilst also reducing the size of condensed aerosol droplets which result from the heated volatilised material.
• the presence of the filter segment 109 provides an insulating effect by providing further cooling to the heated volatilised components that exit the cooling segment 107. This further cooling effect reduces the contact temperature of the user’s lips on the surface of the filter segment 109.
• the solution in step (c) further comprises another component of the aerosol-generating material, which may then diffuse into the aerosol-generating material in the same way as the botanical extract.
• the solution may further comprise a flavourant, such as a water-soluble flavourant, and/or active in addition to a botanical extract and/or an aerosol generating agent (e.g. glycerol).
• the process described hereby may be continuous or batch process, but is generally a continuous process.
• the drying step (e) may comprise any suitable drying methods, including but not limited to, infrared (IR) heating, convention heating, air impingement, conductive heating and microwave heating.
• Conductive heating may comprise heating a surface on which the material is placed.
• the surface may be, for example, a metal or metal alloy (e.g. stainless steel) band.
• the surface may itself heat up (e.g. it is the surface of a heater) or be indirectly heated.
• the surface may be heated from below, for example using steam.
• the drying step (e) is performed using a belt dryer.
• the non-linear strands may be arranged to form a net or mesh-like structure. In some embodiments, the non-linear strands may be joined or woven together to form sheets of aerosol-generating material. Such structures may be formed by arranging the strands into the shape of a net or mesh (e.g. a grid formation) before, during and/or after drying.
• a net or mesh e.g. a grid formation
• Said session may have a duration less than 7 minutes, or 6 minutes, or 5 minutes, or 4 minutes and 30 seconds, or 4 minutes, or 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
• the session of use may have a duration of from 2 to 5 minutes, or from 3 to 4.5 minutes, or 3.5 to 4.5 minutes, or suitably 4 minutes.
• a session may be initiated by the user actuating a button or switch on the device, causing at least one heating element to begin rising in temperature.
• Embodiment 1a An aerosol-generating material in the form of one or more non-linear strands, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises: an aerosol-generating agent; and a binder selected from the group consisting of alginate, pectin, carrageenan, (such as iota-carrageenan), gellan gum (such as high acyl gellan gum), and combinations thereof.
• a binder selected from the group consisting of alginate, pectin, carrageenan, (such as iota-carrageenan), gellan gum (such as high acyl gellan gum), and combinations thereof.
• Embodiment 2 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein each of the non-linear strands has a diameter of from about 0.05 mm to about 3 mm.
• Embodiment s The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein each of the non-linear strands has a diameter of from about 0.3 mm to about 2.5 mm.
• Embodiment 6 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein each of the non-linear strands has a thickness of from about 0.05 mm to about 3 mm.
• Embodiment ? The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein each of the non-linear strands has a thickness of from about 0.3 mm to about 2.5 mm.
• Embodiment s The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein each of the non-linear strands has a thickness of from about 0.5 to about 1.5 mm.
• Embodiment 9 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein each of the non-linear strands has a thickness of from about 0.7 to about 1.1 mm.
• Embodiment 10 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the ratio of the diameter to the thickness of each of the nonlinear strands is from about 1:2 to about 2:1.
• Embodiment 13a The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein each of the non-linear strands has an uncoiled length of from about 10 mm to about 200 mm.
• Embodiment 14 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein each of the non-linear strands has an uncoiled length of from about 20 mm to about 100 mm.
• Embodiment 15 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein each of the non-linear strands has an uncoiled length of from about 30 mm to about 50 mm.
• Embodiment 19 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein each of the non-linear strands has a coiled length of from about 8 mm to about 22 mm.
• Embodiment 24 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the ratio between the uncoiled length and the coiled length of each non-linear strand is at least about 1.5.
• Embodiment 28 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the ratio between the uncoiled length and the coiled length of each non-linear strand is from about 1.2 to about 10.
• Embodiment 30 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the ratio between the uncoiled length and the coiled length of each non-linear strand is from about 2 to about 5.
• Embodiment 31 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the ratio between the uncoiled length and the diameter of each of the non-linear strands is from about 5 to about 200.
• Embodiment 33 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the ratio between the uncoiled length and the diameter of each of the non-linear strands is from about 20 to about 50.
• Embodiment 34 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the tensile strength of each strand ranges from about 0.1 N to about 3.0 N.
• Embodiment 35 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the tensile strength of each strand ranges from about 0.2 N to about 2.0 N.
• Embodiment 36 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the tensile strength of each strand ranges from about 0.3 N to about 1.0 N.
• Embodiment 37 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material has a fill value of from about 2 cm 3 /g to about 7.5 cm 3 /g.
• Embodiment 36 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material has a fill value of from about 3 cm 3 /g to about 7 cm 3 /g.
• Embodiment 36 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material has a fill value of from about
• Embodiment 37b The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material has a fill value of from about 4 cm 3 /g to about 9.5 cm 3 /g.
• Embodiment 37c The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material has a fill value of from about
• Embodiment 43 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 30 to about 40 wt% aerosol-generating agent.
• Embodiment 48 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 6 to about 40 wt% binder.
• Embodiment 49 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 7 to about 20 wt% binder.
• Embodiment 50 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the binder comprises crosslinked alginate and/or pectin.
• Embodiment 50a The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the binder comprises alginate and/or pectin and/or iota- carrageenan.
• Embodiment 50b The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the binder comprises alginate and/or iota-carrageenan.
• Embodiment 51 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material is substantially free of cellulosic binder.
• Embodiment 52 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material is substantially free of carboxymethylcellulose.
• Embodiment 52a The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises a crosslinked binder and a non-crosslinked binder.
• Embodiment 53 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises one or more fillers.
• Embodiment 53a The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 1 to about 60 wt% filler.
• Embodiment 54 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 1 to about 50 wt% filler.
• Embodiment 56 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 10 to about 40 wt% filler.
• Embodiment 60 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises less than about 50 wt% filler.
• Embodiment 61 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises less than about 30 wt% filler.
• Embodiment 63 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises less than about 10 wt% filler.
• Embodiment 64 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the filler is a fibrous organic filler material selected from wood pulp, hemp fibre, cellulose or cellulose derivatives, such as microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), nanocrystalline cellulose and/or ground cellulose.
• the filler is a fibrous organic filler material selected from wood pulp, hemp fibre, cellulose or cellulose derivatives, such as microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), nanocrystalline cellulose and/or ground cellulose.
• Embodiment 65f The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 30-40 wt% particulate botanical material.
• Embodiment 66 The aerosol-generating material of any preceding embodiment, wherein the aerosol-generating material is substantially free from tobacco.
• Embodiment 76 The aerosol-generating composition of any of Embodiments 67-75, comprising from about 50-100 wt% (WWB) of the aerosol-generating material.
• the slurry was pumped into a 0.06 M calcium formate solution also comprising varying amounts of glycerol, using a 0.5 mm nozzle (Example 5a) or 0.6 mm nozzle (Examples 5b, 5c and 5d).

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• 2023
  • 2023-10-20 US US19/122,283 patent/US20250359587A1/en active Pending
  • 2023-10-20 EP EP23793838.6A patent/EP4604751A1/de active Pending
  • 2023-10-20 JP JP2025518509A patent/JP2025535009A/ja active Pending
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