EP4649839A1

EP4649839A1 - Aerosol-generating article and method for manufacturing the same

Info

Publication number: EP4649839A1
Application number: EP24176549.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: designation of the inventor has not yet been filed The
Original assignee: Imperial Tobacco Ltd United Kingdom
Current assignee: Imperial Tobacco Ltd United Kingdom
Priority date: 2024-05-17
Filing date: 2024-05-17
Publication date: 2025-11-19
Also published as: WO2025237907A1

Abstract

The invention refers to a method of manufacturing aerosol-generating articles (70), each article having a front-plug (104) of a target length and having one or more other constituent elements including an aerosol-generating substrate (110), the method involving the provision of a main rod (100) comprising the constituent elements of two articles (70) interconnected by a plug blank (122) having a length exceeding 2x the target length, and making two cuts through the plug blank (122) to split the main rod (100) into two articles (70), the two cuts creating end faces of the respective front-plugs (104) and removing waste material (124) from the plug blank (122) between the two cuts.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing aerosol-generating articles and to a method of manufacturing aerosol-generating article. The invention further relates to an aerosol-generating system comprising the aerosol-generating article

BACKGROUND

Smoking substitute systems include electronic aerosol generation systems that permit a user to simulate the act of smoking by producing an aerosol (also referred to as a "vapour") that is drawn into the lungs through the mouth (inhaled) and then exhaled.
One technology platform for a smoking substitute system is a class of products that use the "heated tobacco" ("HT") approach in which tobacco is heated or warmed to release vapour. In the HT approach the tobacco is heated but not burned, i.e. the tobacco does not undergo combustion. The HT approach recognises that burning tobacco is not necessary to release constituents from the tobacco leaf. Rather, release is achieved at temperatures of around 350°C or less. Because HT systems do not combust the tobacco, the lower temperatures of HT systems are expected to expose the user to emissions that have fewer chemicals and / or in smaller amounts than the smoke from a combustible cigarette. HT systems are well known in the industry. And although referred herein as HT systems, they may also be known as heated tobacco products (HTP), Heat not Burn (HNB) and smokeless systems.
The HT class of products are easily distinguishable over e-cigarettes (or vapes), which are an alternative class of smoking substitute system based on a technology platform that uses a device to heat a pod or cartridge filled with a liquid (also termed e-liquid). Here, a primary difference is that HT systems produce an aerosol from tobacco leaf, whereas in e-cigarettes, the aerosol is provided from a liquid suspension.
A typical HT system includes a HT device and a HT consumable comprising the tobacco, which is replaced at the end of a smoking session. It will be appreciated that the HT system can, herein, be interchangeably referred to as a 'system' and likewise, the HT device can be interchangeably referred to as a device, and also the HT consumable can be interchangeably referred to as a consumable. At a basic level, the consumable is inserted into the device to form a system, such that the user can operate the system to heat the consumable in a controlled manner to release flavours, aromas and other constituents whilst volatising the nicotine in the tobacco (without burning). A user can then draw on a mouthpiece of the system to draw air through the tobacco. The released constituents and volatised nicotine are entrained in the airflow to create an aerosol as it mixes and cools. The aerosol is then inhaled by the user. A known HT device is sold under the brand name Pulze^™ for use in combination with a HT consumable sold under the brand name iD^™.
Although various methods for manufacturing of such consumables are known, there is still a need to improve the manufacturing and transporting of such consumables and any method thereto. Aspects and embodiments have been devised with the foregoing in mind.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

At its most general, the present invention provides an aerosol-generating article (e.g. Heated Tobacco (HT) consumable) having a thin front-plug for closing an end of the aerosol-generating article. By closing the end so that a tobacco portion of the aerosol-generating article is not exposed to the (upstream) end, advantageously, an aerosol-generating article is provided that reduces the risk or likelihood of tobacco from falling out or being pulled out from the consumable in use or during transportation and/or during the production process. Further, by making the front-plug thin, the overall length of the aerosol-generating article is not significantly increased or the length of the other components does not need to be significantly reduced (if the overall length of the aerosol-generating article is maintained compared to an overall length of the aerosol-generating article without a front-plug).
In a first aspect, there is provided a method of manufacturing aerosol-generating articles. Each aerosol-generating article has a front-plug of a target length and/or one or more other constituent elements including an aerosol-generating substrate. Optionally, the method involves the provision of a main rod comprising the constituent elements of two aerosol-generating articles interconnected by a plug blank having a length exceeding 2x the target length. A further optional step of the method is making two cuts through the plug blank to split the main rod into two aerosol-generating articles. In some examples, the two cuts create end faces of the respective front-plugs and/or remove waste material from the plug blank between the two cuts.
In this way, a thin front-plug (having the target length) can be provided. The manufacturing process can be simplified because the main rod can be assembled using the relatively large plug blank. Once the main rod is assembled, cutting the main rod in half provides the two aerosol-generating articles. With the cuts, relatively large sections of the plug blank (compared to a single conventional cut) are removed for providing thin front-plugs with each aerosol-generating article. This approach can be simpler compared to attaching a thin front-plug to each aerosol-generating article because the thin front-plug can be difficult to grip, position, and/or to glue to the other components of the aerosol-generating article. Further, this approach may also be simpler compared to providing the plug blank with 2x the target length and then cutting the plug blank in half because, again, a longer plug blank can be used which is easier to handle.
For example, high speed manufacturing requires a front-plug which length is greater than its diameter to prevent it from tipping over. Some restrictions for all ~7.2 mm diameter aerosol-generating articles (e.g. Heated Tobacco Sticks) would be an 8mm long double-filter tip (plug blank), which results into 4mm filter tip in the final aerosol-generating articles which may be considered too long.
Most heating elements (such as rods and blades) are designed for 12mm long tobacco portions at the end of the stick. If a stick had 4mm front-plug at the end, that would only allow for 8mm of the heating rod to heat tobacco. By reducing the front-plug to 1-2mm existing heating elements (e.g. heater rods/ blades) can still penetrate 10-11mm of the aerosol-generating substrate (e.g. tobacco) and give a superior consumer experience.
In a second aspect, there is provided an aerosol-generating article manufactured according to the method described herein.
In a third aspect, there is provided an aerosol-generating article comprising aerosol-generating substrate including a precursor to be aerosolised by an aerosol-generating apparatus. Optionally, the aerosol-generating article comprises a front-plug that covers an end face of the aerosol-generating substrate. The aerosol-generating article includes a longitudinal direction. Optionally, the front-plug has a length of 0.5 mm to 3 mm along the longitudinal direction. Further optionally, the aerosol-generating substrate includes a susceptor configured to produce heat when penetrated by an alternating magnetic field
In a fourth aspect, there is provided an aerosol-generating system, comprising an aerosol-generating article as described herein and an aerosol-generating apparatus which comprises a cavity for receiving the aerosol-generating article and an aerosol generating unit, wherein the aerosol generating unit is configured to heat the aerosol-generating substrate of the aerosol-generating article when fully inserted into the cavity. Optionally, the cavity includes a bottom wall, wherein the end face of the front-plug is configured to abut against the bottom wall when the aerosol-generating article is fully inserted into the cavity. Further optionally, the aerosol generating unit includes a heating zone for generating heat. In some examples, the heating zone is positioned such that a gap between the bottom wall and the heating zone has distance in an axial direction of the cavity, wherein optionally the distance is equal to the target length of the front-plug.
In the exemplary aspects and embodiments described herein, the aerosol-generating article can be a consumable, e.g. a HT consumable, and the aerosol-generating apparatus can be a HT device as described above. The aerosol-generating article can comprise an aerosol-generation substrate which may include a solid (as opposed to liquid) substrate capable of being heated to release at least one volatile compound that can form an aerosol. It will be appreciated that tobacco leaf is one such substrate, wherein an aerosol is generated by inhaling through the heated substrate. However, those skilled in the art will be aware that aerosol-generating systems might also be easily configured to heat non-tobacco organic material such as other plant material (e.g., cannabis leaf). Consequently, the aerosol-generating article (e.g. a heated tobacco consumable) is intended at its broadest to include an aerosol-generating substrate comprising at least one volatile compound that is intended to be vaporised/aerosolised and that may provide the user with a recreational and/or medicinal effect when inhaled. Suitable chemical and/or physiologically active volatile compounds include the group consisting of: nicotine, cocaine, caffeine, THC, CBD, opiates and opoids, cathine and cathinone, cannaboids, kavalactones, mysticin, beta-carboline alkaloids, salvinorin A, together with any combinations, functional equivalents to, and/or synthetic alternatives of the foregoing.
Consequently, the aerosol-generation substrate of the aerosol-generating article can suitably comprise a plant material. The plant material may comprise least one plant material selected from the list including Amaranthus dubius, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry), Argemone mexicana, Amica, Artemisia vulgaris, Yellow Tees, Galea zacatechichi, Canavalia maritima (Baybean), Cecropia mexicana (Guamura), Cestrum noctumum, Cynoglossum virginianum (wild comfrey), Cytisus scoparius, Damiana, Entada rheedii, Eschscholzia califomica (California Poppy), Fittonia albivenis, Hippobroma longiflora, Humulus japonica (Japanese Hops), Humulus lupulus (Hops), Lactuca virosa (Lettuce Opium), Laggera alata, Leonotis leonurus, Leonurus cardiaca (Motherwort), Leonurus sibiricus (Honeyweed), Lobelia cardinalis, Lobelia inflata (Indian-tobacco), Lobelia siphilitica, Nepeta cataria (Catnip), Nicotiana species (Tobacco), Nymphaea alba (White Lily), Nymphaea caerulea (Blue Lily), Opium poppy, Passiflora incamata (Passionflower), Pedicularis densiflora (Indian Warrior), Pedicularis groenlandica (Elephant's Head), Salvia divinorum, Salvia dorrii (Tobacco Sage), Salvia species (Sage), Scutellaria galericulata, Scutellaria lateriflora, Scutellaria nana, Scutellaria species (Skullcap), Sida acuta (Wireweed), Sida rhombifolia, Silene capensis, Syzygium aromaticum (Clove), Tagetes lucida (Mexican Tarragon), Tarchonanthus camphoratus, Tumera diffusa (Damiana), Verbascum (Mullein), Zamia latifolia (Maconha Brava) together with any combinations, functional equivalents to, and/or synthetic alternatives of the foregoing.
It will however be appreciated that in particularly suitable exemplary embodiments, the plant material is tobacco. Here, any type of tobacco may be used. This includes, but is not limited to, flue-cured tobacco, burley tobacco, Maryland Tobacco, dark-air cured tobacco, oriental tobacco, dark-fired tobacco, perique tobacco and rustica tobacco. This also includes blends of the above-mentioned tobaccos.
The tobacco may comprise one or more of leaf tobacco, stem tobacco, tobacco powder, tobacco dust, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, homogenised tobacco, shredded tobacco, extruded tobacco, cut rag tobacco and/or reconstituted tobacco (e.g., slurry recon or paper recon). In each case, the aerosol-generating substrate is formed into a rod of material. For instance, as termed herein, a tobacco rod. The aerosol-generating substrate (i.e., tobacco rod) is suitably formed into a substantially cylindrical shape such that the article/consumable resembles a conventional cigarette. The aerosol-generating substrate may have a diameter of between 5 and 10mm (e.g., between 6 and 9mm or 6 and 8mm e.g., around 7 mm). The aerosol-generating substrate may have an axial length of between 10 and 25mm (e.g., between 11 and 14mm such as around 12 or 13mm).
In exemplary embodiments comprising recon tobacco, the aerosol-generation substrate may comprise a gathered sheet of homogenised recon tobacco or gathered shreds/strips formed from such a sheet. Here, the plurality of strips may be substantially aligned. Moreover, the plurality of strips, parallel to one another, may be substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rod. In addition to this, the plurality of strips may be tightly packed together. The skilled person will recognise that the plurality of strips of reconstituted tobacco are prone to fracture and that the tobacco material is therefore likely to fall out of the consumables during, and particularly after, use. Therefore, whilst recon tobacco provides greater resistance to being pulled out of the consumable and therefore the problems associated with tobacco falling out of the consumable still exists and moreover the risk is increased when using other types such as cut rag tobacco. Consequently, the closed end aerosol-generating article can be beneficial to aerosol-generating articles including recon tobacco as the aerosol-generating substrate and may be particularly beneficial to HT consumables formed with an aerosol-generation substrate comprising non-recon tobacco.
In exemplary aspects and embodiments described herein, the aerosol-generating substrate may comprise one or more additives selected from humectants, flavourants, fillers, aqueous/non-aqueous solvents and binders. Here, the flavourant may be provided in solid or liquid form. It may include menthol, liquorice, chocolate, fruit flavour (including e.g., citrus, cherry etc.), vanilla, spice (e.g., ginger, cinnamon) and tobacco flavour. The flavourant may be evenly dispersed throughout the aerosol-generating substrate or may be provided in isolated locations and/or varying concentrations throughout the aerosol-generating substrate.
In some exemplary aspects and embodiments described herein, the aerosol-generating article can be specifically adapted for use with a HT device (either known devices or the HT devices described herein). In particular, a combustible cigarette is not specifically adapted for use with a HT device. Primarily, this is because insertion of a combustible cigarette into a HT device and subsequent operation of the HT device, would not generate an acceptable vapour for consumption by the user. In particular, an insufficient aerosol vapour would be generated. Consequently, in the exemplary embodiments of aerosol-generating articles (e.g. HT consumables) described and claimed herein, one specific adaption for use with a HT device is the incorporation of a carrier in the tobacco material. Here, during use, a first vapour is produced from the tobacco material volatising the nicotine (or other active substance as described above) and a second vapour is produced from vaporisation of the carrier. Any known or suitable carrier is considered. For instance, the carrier added to the aerosol-generating substrate (e.g., the plant material such as tobacco) suitably comprises polyglcol (PG), propylene glycol, and/or vegetable glycerine (VG).
In some exemplary aerosol-generating articles embodiments described herein, in addition to an aerosol-generating substrate, there may also be provided further components or elements combined with the aerosol-generating substrate as is known in the art as well as described and claimed herein. Thus, the exemplary aerosol-generating article may include an aerosol-generating substrate combined with one or more further components or elements by a wrapping paper which can include a combining paper and/or a tipping paper. The combining paper may circumscribe the aerosol-generating substrate and further components and is glued or adhered to form a homogenous component or rod as is known in the art and as explained in the background section above. Therefore, except where incompatible, the addition or combination of features of the described and claimed aspects and embodiments of the consumables is expressly considered. Furthermore, as used herein, wrapping paper in its broadest is intended to include any suitable substrate that can be used to circumscribe the components of the aerosol-generating article to join or wrap one or more of the components. It is envisaged that suitable substrates are thin and flexible, with paper or similar materials being exemplary. Thus, as used herein, wrapping substrate is used interchangeably to reference wrapping paper in its broadest form even for instance when the aerosol-generating article paper is not combining components.
As will become apparent, the described aspects and embodiments can be suitable for use with a HT system wherein the HT consumable is intended to be used as described in the background section above. That is, the aerosol-generating article (e.g. a consumable) can be inserted into the cavity at a downstream end of the HT device. Or stated alternatively, the aerosol-generating article is insertable into the cavity in a downstream to upstream direction. Herein, such arrangements can be termed 'downstream' aerosol-generating article or consumable. Here, the aerosol-generating substrate is arranged at an upstream end and a distal, downstream end of the aerosol-generating article (e.g. the HT consumable) comprises a mouthpiece, for instance, a mouthpiece filter (e.g., a terminal filter arrangement). Here, suitably, the mouthpiece filter may comprise a monoacetate filter or a hollow bore filter. In some arrangements, the hollow bore filter may be a triple bore filter e.g., with three bores arranged in an equilateral triangle around a central axis. Alternatively or additionally, the mouthpiece filter may be comprised of cellulose acetate or polypropylene tow. Further alternatively or additionally, the mouthpiece filter element (e.g., the terminal filter element) may be comprised of activated charcoal or may be comprised of paper. In each case, the mouthpiece filter element is suitably at least partly (e.g., preferably, but not necessarily entirely) circumscribed with a plug wrap e.g., a paper plug wrap. In some arrangements of the downstream aerosol-generating articles, the mouthpiece filter may include flavourant. For instance, the mouthpiece filter can be formed with a capsule able to be fractured (fractureable) that a user can fracture to release a vapour or liquid (e.g., provided with a crush ball) as is known in the art.
In some exemplary downstream aerosol-generating articles, the mouthpiece filter (at the downstream end of the aerosol-generating article) is suitably joined to the upstream elements forming the aerosol-generating article and including at least the aerosol-generating substrate by a circumscribing tipping layer e.g., a tipping paper layer (which can be a component of the wrapping paper). The tipping paper may have an axial length longer than the axial length of the terminal filter element such that the tipping paper completely circumscribes the terminal filter element plus the wrapping layer surrounding any adjacent upstream element.
As explained, the aerosol-generating article may comprise further components and elements. For instance, in some exemplary downstream aerosol-generating articles, further elements can be arranged between the aerosol-generating substrate and the mouthpiece filter. Whereas in non-downstream embodiments which might not necessarily comprise a mouthpiece filter, the further elements may be provided to either or one side of the aerosol-generating substrate. For instance, in some embodiments, the aerosol-generating article comprises an aerosol-cooling element which is adapted to cool the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating substrate (by heat exchange) before being inhaled by the user. That is, in some aerosol-generating articles, the cooling element regulates the temperature of vapour. In some exemplary arrangements, wherein the cooling element may suitably comprise a bore filter and a paper tube, each of the bore filter and the paper tube regulate the temperature of the vapour in use. In some arrangements, the bore filter may be a hollow bore filter. In some arrangements, the paper tube may be a spiral paper tube. In other words, the paper tube may be a continuous paper tube wound in a spiral or the paper tube may be a cardboard tube. In the exemplary embodiments, the paper tube itself may be impermeable to air but comprise a plurality of perforations e.g., formed by a laser. The plurality of perforations may be distributed circumferentially about the paper tube and correspond in number and location with the plurality of perforations of the tipping paper to provide ventilation into an internal cavity of the paper tube.
According to some examples, the upstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate can be closed by the front-plug. The front-plug can cover an end face of the aerosol-generating substrate. Advantageously, the front-plug inhibits egress of the aerosol generating substrate from the aerosol-generating article.
In exemplary embodiments, the front-plug is perforated to allow airflow through the front-plug and to/from the distal end of the aerosol-generating substrate (here, perforated includes mechanically puncturing the substrate, for instance by laser drilling or ablations as well as substrates that are porous). The perforations are suitably an array of holes through the front-plug. The series of holes may be laser ablated perforations as described herein and, in particular, in relation to the perforations formed through the tipping paper to allow airflow into the cooling segment. Alternatively, the array of holes may be provided by utilising a mesh material as the front-plug, where the mesh apertures are sized so as to substantially prevent aerosol-generating material from passing but to allow airflow.
In exemplary embodiments, the front-plug may have similar characteristics as a membrane, e.g. a sheet member such as paper or foil or the like. However, the front-plug may also be shaped like a disc that has a substantial thickness. Here, the substantial thickness of the disc/ front-plug corresponds to the target length. Thus, an axial direction of the disc is parallel to or coincides with a longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article.
The substantial thickness of the disc or the target length of the front-plug can allow glue to be applied between the circumferential face of the overhanging combining paper and the thickness of the disc/front-plug. Examples of suitable discs/front-plugs include bore filters (single or multiple bore filters as are known in the art) or other filter elements. For instance, the front-plug may be a disc comprised of cellulose acetate, polypropylene tow, paper, or bamboo.
In some arrangements, as described herein, the exemplary HT consumable is configured as an upstream consumable. That is, a consumable for use with a HT device having a cavity at an upstream end for receiving the consumable, an air passage through the device to a mouthpiece at a downstream end. Here, in the embodiments wherein the front-plug is a disc, the disc may comprise a filter that includes flavourant.
In some exemplary embodiments, the front-plug comprises a central hole for receiving a heating element or inside-out heater (that will be described further below). That is, in embodiments of the consumable configured for use with a HT device having a heating element configured to penetrate the consumable (and in particular the aerosol-generating substrate), the front-plug includes a hole therethrough to facilitate the entrance of the heating element into the aerosol-generating substrate. Whilst the hole is envisaged as being greater than the perforations, and therefore providing an escape route for particles to exit the consumable, heating elements are generally substantially smaller than the diameter of the aerosol-generating substrate. And therefore, the front-plug still provides an increased reduction in the risk of aerosol-generating particles being pulled or falling from the aerosol-generating article.
In some examples, the method comprises providing a width of wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper) and arranging a first aerosol-generating substrate and a second aerosol-generating substrate on the wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper), wherein optionally the respective aerosol-generating substrates are spaced apart by the plug blank. Because the first and second aerosol-generating substrates are separate components, by spacing them apart, a space or gap is created between the respective substrates in which the plug blank can be placed. The method comprises the step of wrapping the wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper) around the aerosol generating substrates and the plug blank therebetween. The method subsequently comprises cutting the wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper) through the portion of the wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper) surrounding the plug blank to form two part-processed aerosol-generating articles, wherein each aerosol-generating article includes a distal end provided by the front-plug.
In the exemplary embodiments, each aerosol-generating substrate and/or aerosol-generating article are a single-length. The length of the aerosol-generating substrate is intended to be a length suitable to form a single aerosol-generating article or HT consumable. Moreover, the step of placing the first and second aerosol-generating substrates places the respective substates in axial alignment, e.g. in direct contact with the plug blank. That is, each aerosol-generating substrate has a longitudinal axis, and when placed on the wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper), the longitudinal axes are aligned and coincident with each other and with the plug blank.
Optionally, the first aerosol-generating substrate and/or the second aerosol-generating substrate may be a cylindrical rod. Here, the cylindrical rod can have opposed end faces. Each end face may be a planar face. That is, the end face is said to be a planar face along the predominant plane of the aerosol-generating substrate, even though the end face may be formed from the termination of multiple strands at the common plane. So, in the example of a tobacco rod, the tobacco rod has a planar face on each end, even though the end face may be formed from the termination of multiple strands of tobacco with voids therebetween. The cylindrical rod has a longitudinal axis, and the end faces are suitably perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Moreover, suitably the second aerosol-generating substrate is the same type of element as the first aerosol-generating substrate. That is, the first and second aerosol-generating substrates, whilst distinct and separate components, may be otherwise substantially identical. It is understood here, that identical includes variations due to any randomness on the aerosol-generating substrate.
The main rod may be mirror-symmetrical with respect to the plug blank. The constituent elements may be mirror-symmetrical with respect to the plug blank. For example, if the aerosol-generating article includes a first filter (1F), a second filter (2F), and the aerosol-generating substrate (AGS), the main rod may include have the following ordering of elements: 1F - 2F - AGS - plug blank - AGS - 2F - 1F. Thus, cutting the main rod through the plug blank may form two identical aerosol-generating articles.
In the exemplary embodiments, the step of wrapping the wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper) around the first aerosol-generating substrate, the second aerosol-generating substrate and the plug blank comprises cutting the wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper) and gluing or adhering the wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper) as is known in the art. Suitably, the step of cutting the wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper) through the portion comprising the plug blank, comprises cutting through the plug blank so that the two part-processed aerosol-generating articles are formed with the same sized overhang of combining paper. As will be appreciated, the two cuts can be made perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper).
The plug blank may have the same features and/or characteristics as the front-plug(s). For example, no further processing steps are made to the front-plug(s) after cutting the plug blank.
The two cuts can be made using two spatially separated blades, such as rotating blades. Further, the two cuts may alternatively or additionally include laser cuts. For example, commonly used cutting techniques may be applied. The difference is that the two cuts remove more material from the plug blank compared to the material that is removed by a single conventional cut (i.e. cuts known in the prior art). For example, a "chunk" or substantial part of the plug blank is removed by using the two cuts. Conventional cuts may remove less than 3%, less than 2%, less than 1 %, less than 0.5, or less than 0.1 % of the length of the plug blank.
The plug blank may have the shape of a cylinder having a radius r and a height h. The two cuts remove at least 5% of the height h so that each front-plug has a length I ≤ (h - 0.05 h)/2. The volume V of the waste material that is removed by the two cuts is V ≥ π r² (0.05 h) = 1/20 π r² h.
In some examples, the method of manufacturing the aerosol-generating articles includes gluing the plug blank to an inside circumferential face of the wrapping paper that is wrapped around an aerosol-generating substrate and the plug blank. That is, the outside face of the aerosol-generating articles can be the wrapping paper. As will be understood, where the wrapping paper wraps around two components (i.e., the aerosol-generating substrates and the plug blanks), the wrapping paper may be termed combining paper. Whilst combining paper is used herein, except where necessary, use of the term combining paper does not have an implicit requirement for the wrapping paper to combine further components.
The method may further comprise, prior to gluing the plug blank, providing a width of wrapping paper (e.g. combining paper) and arranging a first aerosol-generating substrate and a second aerosol-generating substrate on the wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper), wherein the respective aerosol-generating substrates are spaced apart by the plug blank. The method comprises the step of wrapping the wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper)around the aerosol-generating substrates and the plug blank therebetween. The method subsequently comprises cutting the wrapping paper (e.g. the combining paper) through the portion of the wrapping paper surrounding the plug blank to form two, part-processed HT consumables, wherein each part-processed HT consumable includes a recessed distal end.
In exemplary embodiments, the plug blank and/or the front-plugs are perforated to allow airflow through the membrane and to/from the distal end of the aerosol-generating substrate (here, perforated includes mechanically puncturing the substrate, for instance by laser drilling or ablations as well as substrates that are porous). The perforations are suitably an array of holes through the plug blank and/or the front-plugs. The series of holes may be laser ablated perforations as described herein and, in particular, in relation to the perforations formed through the tipping paper to allow airflow into the cooling segment. Alternatively, the array of holes may be provided by utilising a mesh material as the membrane, where the mesh apertures are sized so as to substantially prevent aerosol-generating material from passing but to allow airflow.
At its most general, the present invention provides a Heated tobacco (HT) system comprising an aerosol-generating article (e.g. a Heated Tobacco (HT) consumable) having an end closed by a front-plug and an aerosol-generating apparatus (e.g. a Heated Tobacco (HT) device) configured with a heating zone that does not heat the end region of the consumable comprising the front-plug. By closing the end so that the tobacco portion is not exposed to a distal end, advantageously, an aerosol-generating article is provided that reduces the risk or likelihood of tobacco from falling out or being pulled out from the consumable in use or during transportation and/or during the production process. Moreover, the aerosol-generating apparatus is configured not to heat the front-plug.
The aerosol-generating apparatus may include a cavity that may be configured to receive the aerosol-generating article. The cavity may be sized and/or dimensioned to conform with the outer dimensions of the aerosol-generating article (or vice versa). For example, the cavity may have the shape of a circular bore and the aerosol-generating article has the shape of a cylinder. A diameter of the cavity may the same as or slightly larger than the diameter of the aerosol-generating article. The cavity may be a blind hole in the aerosol-generating apparatus. The cavity may be provided by a bottom wall and a side wall that connects the bottom wall to an opening or aperture of the cavity. If the aerosol-generating article is fully inserted into the cavity, all outer surfaces of the aerosol-generating article that are arranged within the cavity may contact inner walls of the cavity (e.g. the bottom wall and the side wall).
The cavity may form the opening/aperture in a housing of the aerosol-generating apparatus. The aperture and/or the cavity may be closed by a lid, a cap, or other types of closing means if the consumable is not inserted into the cavity. If the aerosol-generating article is fully inserted into the cavity (for example by abutting against the bottom wall of the cavity), a part of the consumable (e.g. one or more filters) may protrude from the cavity. The aerosol-generating article may be sized so that the one or more filters are not arranged in the cavity so that they are not heated by the aerosol-generating unit.
The aerosol-generating article may be inserted into the cavity for aerosolising the precursor in the aerosol-generating article. For example, the tobacco portion/section of the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the cavity to be heated by the aerosol-generating unit. The aerosol-generating unit may be configured to generate heat for heating the aerosol-generating substrate when inserted into the cavity.
The components of the aerosol-generating unit that generate the heat may be arranged in and/or on the walls of the cavity so that the heat provided by the aerosol-generating unit is generated close to the aerosol-generating substrate (e.g. the precursor). A heat insulation may be provided around the cavity for reducing heat transfer from the aerosol-generating unit towards other parts of the aerosol-generating apparatus. The walls of the cavity may be made from a material with high thermal conductivity (e.g. metal) so that the heat that is generated by the aerosol-generating unit is quickly conducted along the walls of the cavity for uniformly heating the consumable.
In some examples, the front-plug is not heated. That is, either for upstream aerosol-generating articles or downstream aerosol-generating article, the aerosol-generating apparatus can be configured to not heat the distal end region of the aerosol-generating article containing the front-plug. The aerosol-generating article can comprise the aerosol-generating substrate and the front-plug assembled to a distal end of the aerosol-generating substrate intended to be inserted into the aerosol-generating apparatus. A distal end or bottom wall of the cavity comprises or acts as a stop against which the aerosol-generating article, optionally the front-plug, is pushed. Thus, abutting the aerosol-generating article against the stop indicates the aerosol-generating article is fully or correctly inserted into the cavity.
The aerosol generating unit defines a heating zone, where the heating zone is an area of the cavity over which the aerosol generating unit provides or generates heat. Here, the heating zone is arranged spaced from the stop (or bottom wall) and towards an entrance of the cavity. In this way, a gap is formed between the bottom wall and the heating zone. The gap has a length in the longitudinal direction which corresponds or is equal to the target length of the front-plug. In this way, the aerosol generating unit may only heat the aerosol-generating substrate and not the front-plug.
The longitudinal direction of the cavity may be parallel or coincides with the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating apparatus and/or the aerosol-generating article when inserted into the cavity.
In some examples, the aerosol generating unit includes an inside-out heater having a heating element configured to penetrate the aerosol-generating substrate of the aerosol-generating article. Optionally, the heating element includes the heating zone and a non-heated zone. Further optionally, the length of the non-heated zone corresponds to the target length of a front-plug of the aerosol-generating article.
Thus, the non-heated zone can be arranged between the heating zone and the bottom wall of the cavity. The non-heated zone may be free of a resistive heater track. The non-heated zone may be in contact with the front-plug.
In one exemplary embodiment, the aerosol-generating apparatus, optionally the heating element, includes a resistive heater comprising a rod or blade that extends into the cavity. Here, the rod or blade is intended to be inserted through the front-plug and into the aerosol-generating substrate. Optionally, the rod or blade includes an insulator portion and a heating portion, wherein the insulator portion may be arranged between the stop (e.g. the bottom wall) and the heating portion. Thus, here, the heating zone of the resistive heater is spaced from the stop (e.g. the bottom wall) by the insulator portion, and the insulator portion can correspond to the front-plug to prevent unnecessary heating of the front-plug.
In some examples, the aerosol generating unit includes an outside-in heater arranged in or on a side wall of the cavity for heating an outer surface of the aerosol-generating article when inserted into the cavity Thus, other embodiments of the aerosol generating unit are envisaged such as an outside-in heater. For instance, the outside-in heater may include a resistive heater and/or an infrared heater that are arranged to heat the sides of the aerosol-generating article. Here, the outside-in heater can be arranged to heat a zone spaced from the stop (e.g. the bottom wall) and not to heat a zone directly adjacent to the stop (e.g. the bottom wall) that corresponds to the non-heated zone. That is, the outside-in heater may not heat the distal end portion of the cavity corresponding to the area intended to be occupied by the front-plug.
The aerosol-generating unit may include the inside-out heater and the outside-in heater. Alternatively, embodiments are envisaged wherein the heating element is distributed in or on the consumable. For instance, the aerosol generating unit may include one or more induction heaters wherein a susceptor is provided in the aerosol-generating article. An electromagnetic source of the induction heater can be provided about the cavity. Here, the heating zone is defined by the susceptor and the susceptor in the exemplary embodiments would be arranged about the aerosol-generating substrate and not extend past or into the disc.
Optionally, the stop is formed by the closed end of the cavity. However, in some embodiments, it is envisaged that the stop is provided as a ledge or ridge within the cavity. In particular, in embodiments including an aerosol-generating apparatus (e.g. the HT device) having a cavity at an upstream end such that air is drawn through the aerosol-generating substrate and through the front-plug, the aerosol-generating apparatus can be configured to provide an airflow from the distal end of the cavity to a downstream mouthpiece on the aerosol-generating apparatus. Here, the distal end of the cavity can include a passageway. For instance, the passageway can be formed in a centre of a ledge. Here, a mesh can preferably be provided at the distal end of the cavity.
In the exemplary embodiments having the heating element on the aerosol-generating apparatus, the heating element may be a resistive heater. For instance, the heating element may include a rod or blade arranged in the cavity and for insertion into the consumable when inserted (so called inside out resistive heating). Alternatively, the heating element may comprise resistive tracks about the sides of the cavity (so called outside in resistive heating) along the heating zone which may not be present over the non-heated zone. However, it is also envisaged that the heating element may take alternative forms such as an infrared heater or an electromagnetic source (induction heater) for exciting a susceptor on the consumable.
The aerosol-generating article may have an elongate shape, and optionally a rod shape (i.e., the aerosol-generating article forms a substantially cylindrical outer shape), the upstream and downstream ends of the aerosol-generating article can be air-permeable to allow an axial airflow through the consumable. Thus, in exemplary embodiments, the closed ends are both permeable to air. Here, an upstream end can be closed by the front-plug.
In the exemplary aerosol-generating apparatuses (e.g. HT devices), and in relation to the aerosol-generating articles (e.g. HT consumables), the aerosol-generating apparatuses that the aerosol-generating articles are intended for use with, the aerosol-generating apparatus may comprise any one or more of the following exemplary features, except where those features are incompatible as apparent for the skilled person. This applies for both aerosol-generating apparatuses configured with a cavity configured to allow insertion of the aerosol-generating article in the upstream and downstream direction.
Optionally, the aerosol-generating apparatus may comprise an elongate housing (also referred to as a body). An end of the elongate body may be configured for engagement with an aerosol-generating article (e.g. a consumable). For example, the body is configured for engagement with a heated tobacco consumable. Exemplary aerosol-generating apparatuses comprise a cavity that is configured for receipt of at least a portion of the aerosol-generating article (i.e., for engagement with the consumable). As explained, the aerosol-forming article is of the type that comprises an aerosol former (e.g., carried by an aerosol-generating substrate).
In exemplary embodiments, the heating element is rigidly mounted to the body. The heating element may be elongate so as to define a longitudinal axis and may, for example, have a transverse profile (i.e., transverse to a longitudinal axis of the heating element) that is substantially circular (i.e., the heating element may be generally cylindrical). Alternatively, the heating element may have a transverse profile that is rectangular (i.e., the heating element may be a "blade heater"). The heating element may alternatively be in the shape of a tube (i.e., the heating element may be a "tube heater"). The heating element may take other forms (e.g., the heating element may have an elliptical transverse profile). The shape and/or size (e.g., diameter) of the transverse profile of the heating element may be generally consistent for the entire length (or substantially the entire length) of the heating element.
In exemplary embodiments, the heating element is between 15 mm and 25 mm long, e.g., between 18 mm and 20 mm long, e.g., around 19 mm long. The heating element may have a diameter of between 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm, e.g., a diameter between 2 mm and 2.3 mm, e.g., a diameter of around 2.15 mm.
The heating element may be formed of ceramic. The heating element may comprise a core (e.g., a ceramic core) comprising Al2O3. The core of the heating element may have a diameter of 1.8 mm to 2.1 mm, e.g., between 1.9 mm and 2 mm. The heating element may comprise an outer layer (e.g., an outer ceramic layer) comprising Al2O3. The thickness of the outer layer may be between 160 µm and 220 µm, e.g., between 170 µm and 190 µm, e.g., around 180 µm. The heating element may comprise a heating track, which may extend longitudinally along the heating element (e.g. over the heating zone but not over the non-heated zone). The heating track may be sandwiched between the outer layer and the core of the heating element. The heating track may comprise tungsten and/or rhenium. The heating track may have a thickness of around 20 µm.
In exemplary embodiments, the heating element is located in the cavity (of the aerosol-generating apparatus), and may extend (e.g., along a longitudinal axis) from an internal base (i.e., distal end) of the cavity towards an opening of the cavity. The length of the heating element (i.e., along the longitudinal axis of the heating element) may be less than the depth of the cavity. Hence, the heating element may extend for only a portion of the length of the cavity. That is, the heating element may not extend through (or beyond) the opening of the cavity.
Optionally, the heating element may be in the form of a rod or blade that extends from the body and into the cavity. That is, the heating element extends from an end of the body that is configured for engagement with the consumable. Here, the heating element is configured for insertion into an aerosol-forming article (e.g., a HT consumable) when an aerosol-forming article is received in the cavity. In that respect, a distal end (i.e., distal from a base of the heating element where it is mounted to the aerosol-generating apparatus) of the heating element may comprise a tapered portion, which may facilitate insertion of the heating element into the aerosol-forming article. The heating element may fully penetrate an aerosol-forming article when the aerosol-forming article is received in the cavity. That is, the entire length, or substantially the entire length, of the heating element may be received in the aerosol-forming article.
The heating element may have a length that is less than, or substantially the same as, an axial length of an aerosol-generating substrate forming part of an aerosol-forming article (e.g., a HT consumable). Thus, when such an aerosol-forming article is engaged with the aerosol-generating apparatus, the heating element may only penetrate the aerosol-generating substrate and the front-plug, rather than other components of the aerosol-forming article. The heating element may penetrate the aerosol-generating substrate for substantially the entire axial length of the aerosol forming-substrate of the aerosol-forming article. Thus, heat may be transferred from (e.g., an outer circumferential surface of) the heating element to the surrounding aerosol-generating substrate, when penetrated by the heating element. That is, heat may be transferred radially outwardly (in the case of a cylindrical heating element).
A length of the non-heated zone may be (approximately) equal to the target length. The length of the heating zone may be equal to or slightly shorter than a length of the aerosol-generating substrate.
Alternatively, the heating element can be configured to transfer heat radially inwardly (in the case of a tube heater). In exemplary embodiments where the heating element is a tube heater, the heating element of the tube heater may surround at least a portion of the cavity. When the portion of the aerosol-forming article (i.e., HT consumable) is received in the cavity, the heating element surrounds a portion of the aerosol-forming article (i.e., so as to heat that portion of the aerosol-forming article, for instance the aerosol-generating substrate). In particular, the heating element may surround an aerosol-generating substrate of the aerosol-forming article. That is, when an aerosol-forming article is engaged with the device, the aerosol-generating substrate of the aerosol-forming article may be located adjacent an inner surface of the (tubular) heating element. When the heating element is activated (by discharging a battery across the heating element), heat may be transferred radially inwardly from the inner surface of the heating element to heat the aerosol forming substrate.
In exemplary embodiments where the heating element is a tube heater, the cavity comprises a (e.g., circumferential) wall (or walls) and the (tubular) heating element extends around at least a portion of the wall(s). In this way, the wall may be located between the inner surface of the heating element and an outer surface of the aerosol-forming article. The wall (or walls) of the cavity may be formed from a thermally conductive material (e.g., a metal) to allow heat conduction from the heating element to the aerosol-forming article. Thus, heat may be conducted from the heating element, through the cavity wall (or walls), to the aerosol-generating substrate of an aerosol-forming article received in the cavity. Alternatively, here, the heating element may be an infrared (IR) heating element. A tubular IR heating element may be configured to emit more IR radiation across the wall (or walls) than is transmitted by conduction. The wall (or walls) is therefore suitably transmissive of the emitted IR radiation. The combination of the wall (or walls) with the tubular IR heating element may be referred to as an IR heating tube. That is, in exemplary embodiments, the cavity may be formed from an IR heating tube.
The aerosol-generating apparatus may further comprise a provision, preferably a mechanical means, to intrude into the cavity. For instance, o-rings or the like that are configured to slightly compress against the inserted consumable in order to grip the consumable and provide resistance to withdrawal (and in relation to the upstream configured cavities, to prevent the consumable falling out under gravity in use). In embodiments comprising electrical connections between the device and the consumable, the electrical connections may provide the resistance to withdrawal of the consumable, or additional assist in doing so.
In some exemplary embodiments, the aerosol-generating apparatus comprises a cap disposed at the end of the body that is configured for engagement with the consumable. Where the aerosol-generating apparatus comprises the heating element configured to be inserted into the consumable, the cap may at least partially enclose the heating element. The cap may be moveable between an open position in which access is provided to the heating element, and a closed position in which the cap at least partially encloses the heating element. The cap may be slidably engaged (i.e., slid to engage) with the body of the aerosol-generating apparatus, and may be slidable (i.e., able to slide) between the open and closed positions. In the alternative, rather than or additional to opening and closing the cavity, the sliding between the open and closed position may act to lift the consumable from heating element.
In exemplary embodiments, the cap defines at least a portion of the cavity of the device. That is, the cavity may be fully defined by the cap, or each of the cap and body may define a portion of the cavity. Where the cap fully defines the cavity, the cap may comprise an aperture for receipt of the heating element into the cavity (when the cap is in the closed position). The cap may comprise an opening to the cavity. The opening may be configured for receipt of at least a portion of the consumable (and preferably at least the portion including the aerosol-generating substate). That is, the consumable may be inserted through the opening and into the cavity (so as to be engaged with the device).
In exemplary embodiments, the cap is configured such that when a consumable is engaged with the device (e.g., received in the cavity), only a portion of the consumable is received in the cavity. That is, a portion of the consumable (not received in the cavity) may protrude from (i.e., extend beyond) the opening. In embodiments wherein the cavity is an upstream cavity, this (protruding) portion of the consumable is a terminal (e.g., mouth) end of the consumable, which is received in a user's mouth for the purpose of inhaling aerosol formed by the system.
In exemplary embodiments, the aerosol-generating apparatus comprises a power source or may be connectable to a power source (e.g., a power source separate to the aerosol-generating apparatus). Here, the power source is electrically connectable to the heating element. In that respect, altering (e.g., toggling) the electrical connection of the power source to the heating element may affect a state of the heating element. For example, toggling the electrical connection of the power source to the heating element may toggle the heating element between an on state and an off state (e.g., PWM control). The power source may be a power store. For example, the power source may be a battery or rechargeable battery (e.g., preferably a lithium-ion battery).
In exemplary embodiments, the aerosol-generating apparatus comprises an input connection (e.g., a USB port, Micro USB port, USB-C port, etc.). The input connection may be configured for connection to an external source of electrical power, such as a mains electrical supply outlet. The input connection may, in some cases, be used as a substitute for an internal power source (e.g., battery or rechargeable battery). That is, the input connection may be electrically connectable to the heating element (for providing power to the heating element). Hence, in some forms, the input connection may form at least part of the power source of the device. Where the power source comprises a rechargeable power source (such as a rechargeable battery), the input connection may be used to charge and recharge the power source.
In exemplary embodiments, the aerosol-generating apparatus comprises a user interface (Ul). In some embodiments the UI may include input means to receive operative commands from the user. The input means of the UI may allow the user to control at least one aspect of the operation of the device. In some embodiments the input means may comprise a power button to switch the device between an on state and an off state. In some embodiments the UI may additionally or alternatively comprise output means to convey information to the user. In some embodiments the output means may comprise a light to indicate a condition of the device (and/or the aerosol-forming article) to the user. The condition of the device (and/or aerosol-forming article) indicated to the user may comprise a condition indicative of the operation of the heating element. For example, the condition may comprise whether the heating element is in an off state or an on state. In some embodiments, the UI unit may comprise at least one of a button, a display, a touchscreen, a switch, a light, and the like. For example, the output means may comprise one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) light-emitting diodes ("LEDs") that may be located on the body of the device. In some exemplary embodiments, the device may further comprise a puff sensor (e.g., airflow sensor), which form part of the input means of the Ul. The puff sensor may be configured to detect a user drawing on an end (i.e., a terminal (mouth) end) of the system. The puff sensor may, for example, be a pressure sensor or a microphone. The puff sensor may be configured to produce a signal indicative of a puff state. The signal may be indicative of the user drawing (an aerosol from the consumable) such that it is e.g., in the form of a binary signal. Alternatively, or additionally, the signal may be indicative of a characteristic of the draw (e.g., a flow rate of the draw, length of time of the draw, etc).
In exemplary embodiments, the aerosol-generating apparatus comprises a controller, or may be connectable to a controller that may be configured to control at least one function of the device. The controller may comprise a microcontroller that may e.g., be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB). The controller may also comprise a memory, e.g., non-volatile memory. The memory may include instructions, which, when implemented, may cause the controller to perform certain tasks or steps of a method. Where the device comprises an input connection, the controller may be connected to the input connection. The controller may be configured to control the operation of the heating element. Thus, the controller may be configured to control vaporisation of an aerosol forming part of an aerosol-forming article engaged with the device. The controller may be configured to control the voltage applied by power source to the heating element. For example, the controller may be configured to toggle between applying a full output voltage (of the power source) to the heating element and applying no voltage to the heating element. Alternatively, or additionally, the control unit may implement a more complex heating element control protocol. In exemplary embodiments, the controller includes a voltage regulator to regulate the output voltage supplied by the power source to form a regulated voltage. The regulated voltage may subsequently be applied to the heating element.
In some embodiments, where the aerosol-generating apparatus comprises a Ul, the controller may be operatively connected to one or more components of the Ul. The controller may be configured to receive command signals from an input means of the Ul. The controller may be configured to control the heating element in response to the command signals. For example, the controller may be configured to receive "on" and "off" command signals from the UI and, in response, may control the heating element so as to be in a corresponding on or off state. The controller may be configured to send output signals to a component of the Ul. The UI may be configured to convey information to a user, via an output means, in response to such output signals (received from the controller). For example, where the device comprises one or more LEDs, the LEDs may be operatively connected to the controller. Hence, the controller may be configured to control the illumination of the LEDs (e.g. in response to an output signal). For example, the controller may be configured to control the illumination of the LEDs according to (e.g., an on or off) state of the heating element.
Where the aerosol-generating apparatus comprises a sensor (e.g., a puff/airflow sensor), the controller may be operatively connected to the sensor. The controller may be configured to receive a signal from the sensor (e.g., indicative of a condition of the device and/or engaged aerosol-forming article). The controller may be configured to control the heating element, or an aspect of the output means, based on the signal from the sensor.
In some exemplary embodiments, the device may comprise a wireless interface configured to communicate wirelessly (e.g., via Bluetooth (e.g., a Bluetooth low-energy connection) or WiFi) with an external device. Similarly, the input connection may be configured for wired connection to an external device so as to provide communication between the device and the external device. The external device may be a mobile device. For example, the external device may be a smart phone, tablet, smart watch, or smart car. An application (e.g., app) may be installed on the external device (e.g., mobile device). The application may facilitate communication between the device and the external device via the wired or wireless connection. The wireless or wired interface may be configured to transfer signals between the external device and the controller of the device. In this respect, the controller may control an aspect of the device in response to a signal received from an external device. Alternatively, or additionally, an external device may respond to a signal received from the device (e.g., from the controller of the device).
The two adjacent cuts can be two conventional cuts as described above. To remove a larger amount of waste material from the plug blank compared to a conventional cut, the two cuts are made in the middle of the of the plug blank so that the non-removed end portions of the plug blank form the front-plugs of the respective aerosol-generating articles.
The waste material corresponds to the material of the plug blank between the two cuts. Thus, the target length of the front-plugs can be set by setting the distance between the two cuts. The waste material that is cut away from the plug blank may drop from the main rod after cutting.
The two cuts can be made simultaneously or one after another. For example, two spaced blades can cut the plug blank. The waste material may be a non-destructed (middle) portion of the plug blank.
The combined length of the front-plug and the aerosol-generating substrate may be 12 mm.
In some examples, the removed waste material corresponds to at least 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, or 80% of the length of the plug blank. In this way, long plug blanks can be used while achieving short target lengths.
The one or more cuts may remove at least 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, or 80% of the volume of the plug blank.
In some examples, the length of the plug blank is between 6 mm to 10 mm (optionally between 7 mm to 9 mm, further optionally 8 mm) and the removed waste material corresponds to 2 mm to 8 mm of the length of the plug blank (optionally between 3 mm to 7 mm, further optionally between 4 m to 6 mm).
In some examples, the target length is between 0.5 mm to 3 mm, optionally between 0.75 mm and 2.5 mm, further optionally between 1 mm and 2 mm, for example 1.0 mm, 1.1 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.3 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.5 mm, 1,6 mm, 1.7 mm, 1.8 mm, 1.9 mm, or 2.0 mm.
Each front-plug may a length between 0.5 mm to 3 mm. These exemplary distances are often difficult to handle for robotic systems because they might tip over during handling and/or the front-plugs are more deformable or elastic when having a short target length. Thus, firstly providing plug blank and attaching the plug blank to the main rod and, then, cutting down the plug blank to the exemplary target lengths simplifies the manufacturing process.
In some examples, the front-plug is a front filter plug.
In some examples, a diameter of the front-plug is between 5 mm to 10mm, for example 5 mm, 5.5 mm, 6 mm, 6.5 mm, 7 mm, 7.5 mm, 8 mm, 8.5 mm, 9 mm, 9.5 mm, or 10 mm.
In some examples, the target length of the front-plug is less than half than a diameter of the front-plug. The aerosol-generating article may have a diameter of 7.2 mm. The plug blank and/or the front-plug may have a diameter slightly smaller than 7.2 mm, e.g. by 2x the thickness of the wrapping paper.
In some examples, the front-plug may be made a material including paper and/or bamboo.
The material of the front-plug may be entirely made from paper or bamboo. Paper and bamboo can be less susceptible to de-generation by the heat generated by the heating element compared to other commonly used materials. Thus, the front-plug may not be destroyed or damaged by the heat generated by the heating element. This may facilitate that the aerosol-generating article can be removed from the aerosol-generating apparatus without the aerosol-generating substrate falling off the aerosol-generating article because the front-plug is still in place and substantially undamaged.
In some examples, the main rod includes a wrapping paper at least wrapped around the plug blank. Optionally, the two cuts are made through the wrapping paper.
As used herein, the terms "upstream" and "downstream" are intended to refer to the flow direction of the vapour/aerosol i.e. with the downstream end of the article/consumable being the mouth end or outlet where the aerosol exits the consumable for inhalation by the user. The upstream end of the article/consumable is typically the opposing end to the downstream end. That is, where the airflow through the component or the system is substantially straight, the upstream end will be opposed to the downstream end. Where air inlets might be provided on the sides of the component, the downstream end is defined by the exit of the aerosol to the user and the upstream end is generally an opposed region including the inlets.

SUMMARY OF THE FIGURES

So that the invention may be understood, and so that further aspects and features thereof may be appreciated, embodiments illustrating the principles of the invention will now be discussed in further detail with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

Fig. 1 is a block system diagram showing an example aerosol-generating apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a block system diagram showing an example implementation of the apparatus of Fig. 1, where the aerosol-generating apparatus is configured to generate aerosol from a precursor in a solid substrate.
Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example implementation of the apparatus of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 shows a schematic plan view of a processing step of a conventional method for manufacturing a consumable.
Fig. 5 shows a cross section through a part-processed consumable having a front-plug.
Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional perspective view through an exemplary consumable.
Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional perspective view of an exemplary consumable.
Fig. 8 shows a partial cross-sectional view of an exemplary aerosol-generating apparatus with the consumable of Fig. 7.
Fig. 9 shows a partial cross-sectional view of another exemplary aerosol-generating apparatus with the consumable of Fig. 7.
Fig. 10 shows two method steps of an exemplary method for manufacturing two consumables from a main rod.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Before describing several examples implementing the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited by specific construction details or process steps set forth in the following description and accompanying drawings. Rather, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the systems, apparatuses and/or methods described herein could be embodied differently and/or be practiced or carried out in various alternative ways.
Unless otherwise defined herein, scientific and technical terms used in connection with the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) shall have the meanings that are commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, and known techniques and procedures may be performed according to conventional methods well known in the art and as described in various general and more specific references that may be cited and discussed in the present specification.
Any patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publications mentioned in the specification are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
All examples implementing the present disclosure can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While particular examples have been described, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the systems, apparatus, and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the concept, spirit, and scope of the inventive concept(s). All such similar substitutions and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the inventive concept(s) as defined by the appended claims.
The use of the term "a" or "an" in the claims and/or the specification may mean "one," as well as "one or more," "at least one," and "one or more than one." As such, the terms "a," "an," and "the," as well as all singular terms, include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Likewise, plural terms shall include the singular unless otherwise required by context.
The use of the term "or" in the present disclosure (including the claims) is used to mean an inclusive "and/or" unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or unless the alternatives are mutually exclusive. For example, a condition "A or B" is satisfied by any of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).
As used in this specification and claim(s), the words "comprising, "having," "including," or "containing" (and any forms thereof, such as "comprise" and "comprises," "have" and "has," "includes" and "include," or "contains" and "contain," respectively) are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.
Unless otherwise explicitly stated as incompatible, or the physics or otherwise of the embodiments, examples, or claims prevent such a combination, the features of examples disclosed herein, and of the claims, may be integrated together in any suitable arrangement, especially ones where there is a beneficial effect in doing so. This is not limited to only any specified benefit, and instead may arise from an "ex post facto" benefit. This is to say that the combination of features is not limited by the described forms, particularly the form (e.g. numbering) of example(s), embodiment(s), or dependency of claim(s). Moreover, this also applies to the phrase "in one embodiment," "according to an embodiment," and the like, which are merely a stylistic form of wording and are not to be construed as limiting the following features to a separate embodiment to all other instances of the same or similar wording. This is to say, a reference to 'an,' 'one,' or 'some' embodiment(s) may be a reference to any one or more, and/or all embodiments, or combination(s) thereof, disclosed. Also, similarly, the reference to "the" embodiment may not be limited to the immediately preceding embodiment. Further, all references to one or more embodiments or examples are to be construed as non-limiting to the claims.
The present disclosure may be better understood in view of the following explanations, wherein the terms used that are separated by "or" may be used interchangeably:
As used herein, an "aerosol-generating apparatus" (or "electronic(e)-cigarette") may be an apparatus configured to deliver an aerosol to a user for inhalation by the user. The apparatus may additionally/alternatively be referred to as a "smoking substitute apparatus", if it is intended to be used instead of a conventional combustible smoking article. As used herein a combustible "smoking article" may refer to a cigarette, cigar, pipe or other article, that produces smoke (an aerosol comprising solid particulates and gas) via heating above the thermal decomposition temperature (typically by combustion and/or pyrolysis). An aerosol generated by the apparatus may comprise an aerosol with particle sizes of 0.2 - 7 microns, or less than 10 microns, or less than 7 microns. This particle size may be achieved by control of one or more of: heater temperature; cooling rate as the vapour condenses to an aerosol; flow properties including turbulence and velocity. The generation of aerosol by the aerosol-generating apparatus may be controlled by an input device. The input device may be configured to be user-activated, and may for example include or take the form of an actuator (e.g. actuation button) and/or an airflow sensor.
Each occurrence of the aerosol-generating apparatus being caused to generate aerosol for a period of time (which may be variable) may be referred to as an "activation" of the aerosol-generating apparatus. The aerosol-generating apparatus may be arranged to allow an amount of aerosol delivered to a user to be varied per activation (as opposed to delivering a fixed dose of aerosol), e.g. by activating an aerosol generating unit of the apparatus for a variable amount of time, e.g. based on the strength/duration of a draw of a user through a flow path of the apparatus (to replicate an effect of smoking a conventional combustible smoking article).
The aerosol-generating apparatus may be portable. As used herein, the term "portable" may refer to the apparatus being for use when held by a user.
As used herein, an "aerosol" may include a suspension of precursor, including as one or more of: solid particles; liquid droplets; gas. Said suspension may be in a gas including air. An aerosol herein may generally refer to/include a vapour. An aerosol may include one or more components of the precursor.
As used herein, a "precursor" (or "aerosol-generating precursor") may include one or more of a: liquid; solid; gel; loose leaf material; other substance. The precursor may be processed by an aerosol generating unit of an aerosol-generating apparatus to generate an aerosol. The precursor may include one or more of: an active component; a carrier; a flavouring. The active component may include one or more of nicotine; caffeine; a cannabidiol oil; a non-pharmaceutical formulation, e.g. a formulation which is not for treatment of a disease or physiological malfunction of the human body. The active component may be carried by the carrier, which may be a liquid, including propylene glycol and/or glycerine. The term "flavouring" may refer to a component that provides a taste and/or a smell to the user. The flavouring may include one or more of: Ethylvanillin (vanilla); menthol, Isoamyl acetate (banana oil); or other. The precursor may be provided in a substrate, e.g. reconstituted tobacco to carry one or more of the active component; a carrier; a flavouring.
As used herein, a "substrate" may refer to a solid precursor (e.g. loose leaf precursor material or a "stick" of precursor material such as tobacco), or an absorbent material (e.g. fibrous non-precursor material, such as cotton or hemp) that is imbued with a precursor (e.g. liquid or gel precursor). A substrate may also be referred to as an "aerosol-generating substrate".
As used herein, a "storage portion" may be a portion of the apparatus adapted to store a precursor. It may be implemented as a carrier for a substrate.
As used herein, a "material composition" may refer to a particular composition of solid material in the substrate. A material composition may comprise a combination of different solid materials (e.g. solid precursor and absorbent material) in particular proportions, or may comprise a single solid material (e.g. solid precursor or absorbent material). As noted above, the first substrate (in the first storage portion) may be formed of a different material composition to that of the second substrate (in the second storage portion). For example, the first and second substrates may comprise one or more of the same substrate materials (solid materials) in different proportions. Alternatively, the first and second substrates may comprise entirely different substrate materials. Similarly, the third substrate (if present) may be formed of a different material composition to that of the first and/or second substrates. Further, a single substrate (e.g. tobacco) is provided which is imbued with different precursors.
As used herein, a "flow path" may refer to a path or enclosed passageway through an aerosol-generating apparatus, e.g. for delivery of an aerosol to a user. The flow path may be arranged to receive aerosol from an aerosol generating unit. When referring to the flow path, upstream and downstream may be defined in respect of a direction of flow in the flow path, e.g. with an outlet being downstream of an inlet.
As used herein, a "delivery system" may be a system operative to deliver an aerosol to a user. The delivery system may include a mouthpiece and a flow path.
As used herein, a "flow" may refer to a flow in a flow path. A flow may include aerosol generated from the precursor. The flow may include air, which may be induced into the flow path via a puff by a user.
As used herein, a "puff" (or "inhale" or "draw") by a user may refer to expansion of lungs and/or oral cavity of a user to create a pressure reduction that induces flow through the flow path.
As used herein, an "aerosol generating unit" (or "heat not burn unit") may refer to a device configured to generate an aerosol from a precursor. The aerosol generating unit may include a unit to generate a vapour directly from the precursor (e.g. a heating system or other system) or an aerosol directly from the precursor (e.g. an atomiser including an ultrasonic system, a flow expansion system operative to carry droplets of the precursor in the flow without using electrical energy or other system). A plurality of aerosol generating units to generate a plurality of aerosols (for example, from a plurality of different aerosol precursors) may be present in an aerosol-generating apparatus.
As used herein, a "heating system" may refer to an arrangement of at least one heating element, which is operable to aerosolise a precursor once heated. The at least one heating element may be electrically resistive to produce heat from the flow of electrical current therethrough. The at least one heating element may be arranged as a susceptor to produce heat when penetrated by an alternating magnetic field. The heating system may be configured to heat a precursor to below 300 or 350 degrees C, including without combustion.
As used herein, a "consumable" (an example of an aerosol-generating article) may refer to a unit that includes at least one precursor. The consumable may include an aerosol generating unit, e.g. it may be arranged as a cartomizer. The consumable may include a mouthpiece. The consumable may include an information carrying medium. With solid material implementations of the substrate (e.g. a substrate consisting of a solid precursor such as tobacco or reconstituted tobacco formulation; or a substrate comprising a solid non-precursor material carrying a liquid or gel precursor), the consumable may be referred to as a "stick" or "package" or "heat-not-burn consumable". In a heat-not-burn consumable, the mouthpiece may be implemented as a filter and the consumable may be arranged to carry the precursor. The consumable may be implemented as a dosage or pre-portioned amount of material, including a loose-leaf product. A consumable may also be referred to as an "aerosol-generating article".
As used herein, an "information carrying medium" may include one or more arrangements for storage of information on any suitable medium. Examples include: a computer readable medium; a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) transponder; codes encoding information, such as optical (e.g. a bar code or QR code) or mechanically read codes (e.g. a configuration of the absence or presents of cut-outs to encode a bit, through which pins or a reader may be inserted).
As used herein "heat-not-burn" (or "HNB" or "heated precursor") may refer to the heating of a precursor, e.g. tobacco, without combustion, or without substantial combustion (i.e. localised combustion may be experienced of limited portions of the precursor, including of less than 5% of the total volume).Referring to Figures 1 to 4 there is shown a Heated Tobacco (HT) consumable 100. Here, the consumable comprises at least an aerosol-generating substrate 110. The aerosol-generating substrate 110 is suitably formed into a cylindrical rod. The cylindrical rod has a longitudinal axis. In the exemplary embodiments, the aerosol-generating substrate 110 is a tobacco rod 110, and although herein the aerosol-generating substrate 110 will be referred to as a tobacco-rod, references to tobacco rod equally apply to the encompassing generic term aerosol-generating substrate 110.
Referring to Fig. 1, an example aerosol-generating apparatus 1 includes a power supply 2, for supply of electrical energy. The apparatus 1 includes an aerosol generating unit 4 that is driven by the power supply 2. The power supply 2 may include an electric power supply in the form of a battery and/or an electrical connection to an external power source. The apparatus 1 includes a precursor 6, which in use is aerosolised by the aerosol generating unit 4 to generate an aerosol. The apparatus 2 includes a delivery system 8 for delivery of the aerosol to a user.
Electrical circuitry (not shown in figure 1) may be implemented to control the interoperability of the power supply 2 and aerosol generating unit 4.
In variant examples, which are not illustrated, the power supply 2 may be omitted since, e.g. an aerosol generating unit implemented as an atomiser with flow expansion may not require a power supply.
Fig. 2 shows an implementation of the apparatus 1 of Fig. 1, where the aerosol-generating apparatus 1 is configured to generate aerosol by a-heat not-burn process.
In this example, the apparatus 1 includes a device body 50 and a consumable 70.
In this example, the body 50 includes the power supply 2 and a heating system 52. The heating system 52 includes at least one heating element 54. The body may additionally include any one or more of electrical circuitry 56, a memory 58, a wireless interface 60, one or more other components 62.
The electrical circuitry 56 may include a processing resource for controlling one or more operations of the body 50, e.g. based on instructions stored in the memory 58.
The wireless interface 60 may be configured to communicate wirelessly with an external (e.g. mobile) device, e.g. via Bluetooth.
The other component(s) 62 may include an actuator, one or more user interface devices configured to convey information to a user and/or a charging port, for example (see e.g. Fig. 3).
The body 50 is configured to engage with the consumable 70 such that the at least one heating element 54 of the heating system 52 is in thermal contact with the solid precursor 6 of the consumable, e.g. by penetrating the solid precursor 6 or by receiving the solid precursor 6 into a tubular cavity defined by the heating element.
In use, a user may activate the aerosol-generating apparatus 1 to cause the heating system 52 of the body 50 to cause the at least one heating element 54 to heat the solid precursor 6 of the consumable (without combusting it) by conductive heat transfer, to generate an aerosol which is inhaled by the user.
Fig. 3 shows an example implementation of the aerosol generating device 1 of Fig. 2.
As depicted in Fig. 3, the consumable 70 is implemented as a stick, which is engaged with the body 50 by inserting the stick into an aperture at a top end 53 of the body 50, to enable thermal interaction between the solid precursor 6 and the at least one heating element 54 of the heating system 52.
The consumable 70 includes the solid precursor 6 proximal to the body 50, and a filter distal to the body 50. The filter serves as the mouthpiece of the consumable 70 and thus the apparatus 1 as a whole. The solid precursor 6 may comprise a reconstituted tobacco formulation.
In this example, the at least one heating element 54 is a rod-shaped element with a circular transverse profile. Other heating element shapes are possible, e.g. the at least one heating element may be blade-shaped (with a rectangular transverse profile), tube-shaped (e.g. with a hollow transverse profile), or substantially planar (for thermal contact with a substantially planar end surface of the consumable).
In this example, the body 50 includes a cap 51. In use the cap 51 is engaged at a top end 53 of the body 50. Although not apparent from Fig. 5, the cap 51 is moveable relative to the body 50. In particular, the cap 51 is slidable and can slide along a longitudinal axis of the body 50.
The body 50 also includes an actuator 55 on an outer surface of the body 50. In this example, the actuator 55 has the form of a button.
The body 50 also includes a user interface device configured to convey information to a user. Here, the user interface device is implemented as a plurality of lights 57, which may e.g. be configured to illuminate when the apparatus 1 is activated and/or to indicate a charging state of the power supply 4. Other user interface devices are possible, e.g. to convey information haptically or audibly to a user.
The body may also include an airflow sensor which detects airflow in the aerosol-generating apparatus 1 (e.g. caused by a user inhaling through the consumable 70). This may be used to count puffs, for example.
In this example, the consumable 70 includes a flow path along which aerosol generated by the at least one heating element 54 is conveyed to the mouthpiece of the consumable.
In this example, the aerosol generating unit 4 is provided by the above-described heating system 52, and the delivery system 8 is provided by the above-described flow path and mouthpiece of the consumable 70.
Fig. 4 refers to a conventional method for manufacturing a conventional consumable 70. In Fig. 4, a main rod 100 including two part-processed consumables 102a, 102b is shown. Each part-processed consumable 102a, 102b includes a tobacco rod 110a, 110b, respectively, and has been wrapped by a combining paper 120. The tobacco rods 110a, 110b are examples of an aerosol-generating substrate 110. Whilst the combining paper 120 may in some embodiments also wrap and combine further elements to the main rod 100, it is only shown in Fig. 4 circumscribing the tobacco rods 110a, 110b and a plug blank 122. As shown, the part-processed consumables 102a, 102b are connected to each other via the common plug blank 122. In Fig. 4, end faces 114 of the tobacco rods 110a, 110b each contact opposing side faces of the plug blank 122, respectively.
Still referring to Fig 4, a conventional method of manufacturing the two part-processed consumables 102a, 102b includes providing the combining paper 120 and placing the first tobacco rod 110a, the second tobacco rod 110b, and the plug blank 122 on the combining paper 120. The first tobacco rod 110a, the second tobacco rod 110b, and the plug blank 122 are coaxially aligned. That is, the end face 114 of one tobacco rod 110a is spaced in a longitudinal direction from the end 114 of the other tobacco rod 110b to allow the plug gap 122 to be positioned between the respective end face 114. In the exemplary embodiments, each of the tobacco rods 110a, 110b is a single length, that is a length of tobacco rod intended for a single consumable 70.
The conventional method further comprises wrapping the combining paper 120 around the two tobacco rods 110a, 110b and the plug blank 122 as is known in the art for wrapping a double length tobacco rod. For instance, the wrapping step may include a gluing and curing step to secure the combining paper 120. There is therefore formed main rod 100 comprising the combining paper 120, the two tobacco rods 110a, 110b, and the plug blank 122. By cutting the combining paper 120 and the plug blank 122 in the middle (see dashed line in Fig. 4), the main rod 100 is turned into two part-processed consumables 102a, 102b (and suitably, two identical part-processed consumables 102a, 102b).
One exemplary embodiment of closing the part-processed consumable 102 shown in Fig. 5. The plug plank 122 cut in half provides a front-plug 104 which closes the end face 114 of the tobacco portion 110. Thus, the part-processed consumable 102 and the final consumable 70 have a closed end so that tobacco from the tobacco rod 110 is prevented from falling off the tobacco rod 110. Further, the combining paper 120 may be flush with an end face of the front-plug 104.
The tobacco rod 110 can be formed from reconstituted tobacco as shown in Fig. 6. The processing of tobacco material in the preparation of reconstituted tobacco (recon) by means of a paper-making process is well known in the art as exemplified by Canadian Pat. No. 862,497 which has been incorporated herein by reference. The processes therein described are particularly advantageous with the paper-making process for preparing reconstituted tobacco material ("recon") sheets. A carrier is added to the recon to assist in the aerosol formation to allow the consumable 70 to be specifically adapted to operate as a HT consumable 70. The recon is prepared in a strip maker and gathered into a rod. As shown in Fig. 6, the tobacco rod therefore comprises multiple parallel strips 112 of the cut recon running parallel to the longitudinal axis. Consequently, in Fig. 6, only the cut tips of the strips 112 are seen. Although the strips can be tightly packed, voids 114 are left between adjacent strips. As will be appreciated, the voids provide air flow passages through the tobacco rod 110.
Fig. 5 shows a portion of an exemplary heated tobacco consumable 70. The consumable 70 is intended to be inserted into a cavity in a downstream to upstream direction such that a mouthpiece 150 is provided at a downstream end of the consumable 70 with a spacer 160 and bore filter 170 arranged between the mouthpiece filter 190 and tobacco rod 110. As is known, the elements can be variously circumscribed by combining paper 120 and tipping paper 152 which are exemplary components of a wrapping paper.
In an example shown in Fig. 7, the front-plug 104 is attached to the end face 114 of the tobacco rod 114. Suitably, the front-plug 104 can be made from an air-transmissible material such as cellulose acetate or polypropylene tow. For instance, the front-plug 104 may be a mesh or a bore filter or the like and/or the front-plug 104 includes one or more perforations (as visible in Fig. 7). In this case, the front-plug can be made from paper and/or bamboo which are less air-transmissible than cellulose acetate or polypropylene tow. The front-plug 104 has sufficient edge thickness or a target length for glue to be applied directly.
The front-plug 104 can be a filter such as a monoacetate filter or a bore filter or the like. Suitably here, the consumable 70 is configured for use with a heated tobacco device, wherein the device is configured not to directly heat the front-plug 104. In these exemplary embodiments, the front-plug 104 comprises a cavity 66 (see also Fig. 8) for receiving the consumable 70. The consumable 70 is inserted with the front-plug 104 first and in either an upstream to downstream direction or in the downstream to upstream direction. The front-plug 104 is pushed against a stop in the cavity 66. For instance, the stop may be a bottom of the cavity 66 or maybe a ledge or the like against which the front-plug 104 is pushed. Consequently, the stop acts a register point within the cavity 66 to determine where end of the consumable 70 is. Here, the cavity 66 includes a heating element 54, having a heating zone 54b (see also Fig. 8). That is a zone in which heat is transferred to the consumable 70. Since the stop provides a register to determine where the front-plug 104 is located, the heating zone is configured to not heat the end of the cavity 66 in which the front-plug 104 is located.
The front-plug 104 has a short target length which corresponds to the thickness of the front-plug 104 in the longitudinal direction of the consumable 70. With the conventional method, achieving such a short target length is difficult because this would require using plug blanks 122 having a short length as well.
Fig. 8 is a front-end view of the consumable 70 when engaged with the heating element 54 of the aerosol-generating apparatus 1 which includes a cavity 66 for receiving the consumable 70 and the heating element 54 arranged in the cavity 66. The heating element 54, which may have a blade shaped cross-section, has been inserted through the front-plug 104. The heating element 54 has penetrated and slightly deformed the material forming the front-plug 2. The front-plug 104 abuts against a bottom wall 66a of the cavity 66. The bottom wall of the cavity 66 provides a stopper for the insertion of the consumable 70. The heating element 54 of Fig. 8 may be considered an inside-out heater.
As the consumable 70 is pushed into the cavity 66, the tip of the heating element 54 engages with the front-plug 104. The heating element 54 can be blade-shaped, its width being greater than its thickness. By applying a force to the consumable 70, once the blade is engaged with a front-plug 104, the heating element 54 penetrates the front-plug 104. Material forming the front-plug 104 deforms to allow the heating element 54 to be inserted, and contact is maintained between the front-plug 104 and a surface of the heating element 54.
The application of further pressure causes the heating element 54 to penetrate into the aerosol-generating substrate 110. Once the optimum engagement position has been reached, further penetration is prevented as the distal end of the consumable 70 abuts the bottom wall of the cavity 66, which acts as a stop.
When the consumable 70 is properly engaged with the aerosol-generating apparatus 1, the heating element 54 has been inserted through the front-plug 104 and is located within the aerosol-generating substrate 110 in contact with aerosol-forming material. A non-heated zone 54a (e.g. including insulating collar surrounding a portion of the heating element 54) may be provided which is in contact with the front-plug 104. The non-heated zone 54a may be a cool zone provided on the length of the heating element 54. Such a collar may prevent the heating element 54 from burning or melting the front-plug 104. The remainder of the heating element 54 may be considered a heating zone 54b where the heat is generated. A length of the non-heated zone 54a may be equal to the length of the front-plug 104.
After use, the user withdraws the consumable 70 from the aerosol-generating apparatus 1. The consumable 70 is withdrawn from the cavity 66 and the heating element 54 slides out of the front-plug 104. Because the adherence between the heating element 54 and the aerosol-generating substrate 110 can be greater than the adherence between the aerosol-generating substrate 110 and the wrapping paper, the aerosol-generating substrate 110 moves towards the distal end with the heating element 54. However, the front-plug 110 blocks the path of the aerosol- generating substrate 110. This allows the heating element 54 to be withdrawn from the aerosol- generating substrate 110 without removing the aerosol- generating substrate 110 from the consumable 70.
Fig. 9 shows another embodiment of the aerosol generating system which includes the same features, characteristics, and/or optional embodiments as the aerosol generating system of Fig. 8 except for the following differences.
The aerosol generating unit 4 of the example of Fig. 8 includes an outside-in heater instead of an inside-out heater. The outside-in heater includes one or more heating elements 54 that are arranged on a side wall 66b of the cavity 66. For example, the heating element 54 has a tubular shape heating the sidewall 66b along the entire circumference of the cavity 66. The heating element 54 of the outside-in heater is configured to heat the side of the consumable 70. Similar to the inside-out heater of Fig. 8, the heating element 54 of the outside-in heater is configured not heat to the front-plug 104. This means that the heating element 54 of the outside-in heater forms a gap with respect to the bottom wall 66a. The length of the gap is equal to the thickness of the front-plug 104.
Fig. 10 shows two exemplary method steps of a method for manufacturing two consumables 70a, 70b having thin front-plugs 104 while using the plug blank 122 having a long length. In a first step, the main rod 100 is provided which corresponds to the two consumables 70a, 70b which are connected by the plug blank 122. Each consumable 70a, 70b includes a part of the plug blank 122, the tobacco rod 110, the bore filter 170, the spacer 160, and the mouthpiece filter 190. Of course, the consumables 70a, 70b are not limited to this configuration. Some components can be omitted and/or further components can be added. Further, the order of the components can be changed. The consumable 70a may be mirror-symmetric to the consumable 72a with respect to the plug blank 122.
In a second step, two adjacent cuts through the plug blank 122 are made which are indicated by the dashed lines in the upper drawing of Fig. 10. The cuts may be made such that they are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main rod 100. For example, the cuts may be provided by two adjacent blades having a thickness that is negligible compared to the distance by which the cuts are spaced apart. In this way, the main rod 100 is separated into the consumables 70a, 70b (each having a front-plug 104) and a substantial amount of the plug blank 122 is removed by the two cuts. This substantial amount corresponds to a waste material 124. For example, the plug blank 122 has a length of 8 mm while each front-plug 104 has a target length (thickness) of 1 mm to 2 mm. Thus, the waste material 124 can have a length between 4 mm to 6 mm. In other words, the two cuts may be spaced by 4 mm to 6 mm.
The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or in the following claims, or in the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for obtaining the disclosed results, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments described above, many equivalent modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art when given this disclosure. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention set forth above are considered to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
For the avoidance of any doubt, any theoretical explanations provided herein are provided for the purposes of improving the understanding of a reader. The inventors do not wish to be bound by any of these theoretical explanations.
Any section headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the subject matter described.
Throughout this specification, including the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the words "have", "comprise", and "include", and variations such as "having", "comprises", "comprising", and "including" will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.
It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from "about" one particular value, and/or to "about" another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by the use of the antecedent "about," it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. The term "about" in relation to a numerical value is optional and means, for example, +/- 10%.
The words "preferred" and "preferably" are used herein refer to embodiments of the invention that may provide certain benefits under some circumstances. It is to be appreciated, however, that other embodiments may also be preferred under the same or different circumstances. The recitation of one or more preferred embodiments therefore does not mean or imply that other embodiments are not useful, and is not intended to exclude other embodiments from the scope of the disclosure, or from the scope of the claims.

Claims

A method of manufacturing aerosol-generating articles (70), each article having a front-plug (104) of a target length and having one or more other constituent elements including an aerosol-generating substrate (110), the method involving the provision of a main rod (100) comprising the constituent elements of two articles (70) interconnected by a plug blank (122) having a length exceeding 2x the target length, and making two cuts through the plug blank (122) to split the main rod (100) into two articles (70), the two cuts creating end faces of the respective front-plugs (104) and removing waste material (124) from the plug blank (122) between the two cuts.
The method of claim 1, wherein the removed waste material (124) corresponds to at least 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50% of the length of the plug blank (122).
The method of any claim 1 or 2, wherein the length of the plug blank (122) is between 6 mm to 10 mm and the removed waste material (124) corresponds to 2 mm to 8 mm of the length of the plug blank (122).
The method of any preceding claim, wherein the target length is between 0.5 mm to 3 mm.
The method of any preceding claim, wherein a diameter of the front-plug (104) is between 5 mm to 10mm.
The method of any preceding claim, wherein the target length of the front-plug (104) is less than half than a diameter of the front-plug (104).
The method of any preceding claim, wherein the plug blank (122) is deformable.
The method of any preceding claim, wherein the front-plug (104) is made from a material including paper and/or bamboo.
The method of any preceding claim, wherein the main rod (100) includes a wrapping paper at least wrapped around the plug blank (122),
wherein the one or more cuts are made through the wrapping paper.
An aerosol-generating article manufactured according to the method of any preceding claim.
The aerosol-generating article according to claim 10, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate (110) includes a susceptor configured to produce heat when penetrated by an alternating magnetic field.
An aerosol-generating system, comprising
an aerosol-generating article (70) of claim 10, and

an aerosol-generating apparatus (1) comprising a cavity (66) for receiving the aerosol-generating article (70) and an aerosol generating unit (4) configured to heat the aerosol-generating substrate (110) of the aerosol-generating article (70) when fully inserted into the cavity (66),

wherein the cavity (66) includes a bottom wall (66a), the end face of the respective front-plug (104) being configured to abut against the bottom wall (66a) when the aerosol-generating article (70) is fully inserted into the cavity (66),

wherein the aerosol generating unit (4) includes a heating zone (54b) for generating heat,

wherein the heating zone (54b) is positioned such that a gap between the bottom wall (66a) and the heating zone (54b) has a length in a longitudinal direction of the cavity (66), the distance being equal to the target length of the front-plug (104).
The aerosol-generating system of claim 12, wherein the aerosol generating unit (4) includes an inside-out heater having a heating element (54) configured to penetrate the aerosol-generating substrate (110) of the aerosol-generating article (70),
wherein the heating element (54) includes the heating zone (54b) and a non-heated zone (54a), and

wherein a length of the non-heated zone (54a) in the longitudinal direction of the cavity (66) is equal to the target length of a front-plug (104) of the aerosol-generating article (70).
The aerosol-generating system of claim 12 or 13, wherein the aerosol generating unit (4) includes an outside-in heater arranged in or on a side wall (66b) of the cavity (66) for heating a side of the aerosol-generating article (70) when inserted into the cavity (66).