EP4775055A1

EP4775055A1 - Flavor generation article, flavor inhalation system, and flavor inhaler

Info

Publication number: EP4775055A1
Application number: EP23951520.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Manabu Yamada; Tetsuya Motodamari
Original assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc
Current assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc
Priority date: 2023-09-07
Filing date: 2023-09-07
Publication date: 2026-07-15
Also published as: JPWO2025052622A1; TW202510758A; WO2025052622A1; CN121752139A; KR20260046446A

Abstract

A flavor-generating article is provided. This flavor-generating article is at least partially accommodated in a flavor inhaler and comprises a flavor source which is heated to generate a flavor, the flavor source has a first part which overlaps a heater of the flavor inhaler in a longitudinal direction of the flavor-generating article, and a second part which does not overlap the heater of the flavor inhaler when the flavor-generating article is accommodated at the desired location in the flavor inhaler, and the longitudinal length of the first part is between 40% and 61% of the longitudinal length of the flavor source and is also 10 mm or less.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a flavor-generating article, a flavor inhalation system and a flavor inhaler.

BACKGROUND ART

Flavor inhalers for inhaling a vapor or aerosol (vapor) comprising a flavor by heating a flavor-generating article comprising a flavor source, without burning material, are conventionally known. Some such flavor inhalers comprise a heater arranged to surround the flavor source of the flavor-generating article accommodated in the flavor inhaler (see for example PTL 1).

CITATION LIST

PATENT LITERATURE

PTL 1: WO 2022/073687 A1

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

It is conceivable for the length of the heater in a flavor inhaler to be less than the length of the flavor source from the viewpoints of size reduction and reduced power consumption. Here, the structure of the flavor-generating article must be optimized in order to ensure the desired amount of vapor, even if the length of the heater is less than the length of the flavor source.
The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the abovementioned problem and aims to provide a flavor-generating article, a flavor inhalation system and a flavor inhaler that can ensure the desired amount of vapor, even if the length of the heater is less than the length of the flavor source.

SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

A first aspect of the present invention provides a flavor-generating article. This flavor-generating article is at least partially accommodated in a flavor inhaler and comprises a flavor source which is heated to generate a flavor, the flavor source has a first part which overlaps a heater of the flavor inhaler in a longitudinal direction of the flavor-generating article, and a second part which does not overlap the heater of the flavor inhaler, when the flavor-generating article is accommodated at the desired location in the flavor inhaler, and the longitudinal length of the first part is between 40% and 61% of the longitudinal length of the flavor source and is also 10 mm or less.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first part, which has a longitudinal length of between 40% and 61% of the longitudinal length of the flavor source and also of 10 mm or less, is directly heated by means of the heater to generate a vapor or aerosol, and the second part is heated by means of heat transfer from the heater to generate a vapor or aerosol. Specifically, the second part is heated by means of heat transfer from the first part which is heated first, and by means of heat transfer from members of the flavor inhaler such as a chamber which are warmed by means of the heater. For this reason, vapor or aerosol can also be generated from the second part, making it possible to ensure the desired amount of vapor, even if the length of the heater is less than the length of the flavor source. Furthermore, the second part is heated later than the first part so that the vapor or aerosol is still generated in latter-stage puffing actions, therefore making it possible to maintain stable delivery during use of the flavor inhaler.
In a second aspect of the present invention, which is in accordance with the first aspect, a hollow tube arranged on a downstream side of the flavor source is further provided.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, by arranging a hollow tube on the downstream side of the flavor source, it is possible to cool the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source.
In a third aspect of the present invention, which is in accordance with the second aspect, the hollow tube has a through-hole formed penetrating the hollow tube at a position between 2 mm and 12 mm from a downstream end portion thereof in the longitudinal direction.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, by forming a through-hole at a position between 2 mm and 12 mm from the downstream end portion of the hollow tube, adhesion of components of the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source to an inner wall of the hollow tube can be inhibited by means of a flow of air taken in from the outside via the through-hole.
In a fourth aspect of the present invention, which is in accordance with the third aspect, the through-hole is formed at a position that is not exposed from the flavor inhaler when the flavor-generating article is accommodated at the desired location in the flavor inhaler.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by forming the through-hole at a position that is not exposed from the flavor inhaler, it is possible to inhibit intake of cold air from the outside and inhibit agglomeration of vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source in the vicinity of the through-hole.
In a fifth aspect of the present invention, which is in accordance with any of the first to fourth aspects, a plug portion arranged on an upstream side of the flavor source is further provided.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, by arranging the plug portion on the upstream side of the flavor source, it is possible to inhibit leakage of vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source from the upstream side of the flavor-generating article.
In a sixth aspect of the present invention, which is in accordance with the fifth aspect, the longitudinal length of the plug portion is 5-10 mm.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, by making the length of the plug portion 5-10 mm, it is possible to construct the flavor-generating article in a compact manner and inhibit a drop in producibility due to the plug portion being excessively short.
In a seventh aspect of the present invention, which is in accordance with the fifth or sixth aspect, the airflow resistance per unit length of the plug portion is 0.3 mmH₂O/mm-2.5 mmH₂O/mm.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, by setting the airflow resistance per unit length of the plug portion at 0.3 mmH₂O/mm-2.5 mmH₂O/mm, it is possible to inhibit leakage of vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source from the upstream side of the flavor-generating article and provide ease of inhalation for the user.
An eighth aspect of the present invention provides a flavor inhalation system. The flavor inhalation system comprises: the flavor-generating article according to any of the first to seventh aspects; and a heater for heating the flavor-generating article.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the first part of the flavor source is directly heated by means of the heater to generate a vapor or aerosol and the second part of the flavor source is heated by means of heat transfer from the heater to generate a vapor or aerosol. Specifically, the second part is heated by means of heat transfer from the first part which is heated first, and by means of heat transfer from members of the flavor inhaler such as the chamber which are warmed by means of the heater. For this reason, vapor or aerosol can also be generated from the second part, making it possible to ensure the desired amount of vapor, even if the length of the heater is less than the length of the flavor source. Furthermore, the second part is heated later than the first part so that the vapor or aerosol is still generated by latter-stage puffing actions, therefore making it possible to maintain stable delivery during use of the flavor inhaler.
In a ninth aspect of the present invention, which is in accordance with the eighth aspect, the longitudinal length of the heater overlapping the first part is between 40% and 61% of the longitudinal length of the flavor source and is also 10 mm or less.
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, by making the heater shorter than the overall length of the flavor source, it is possible to reduce power consumption by the flavor inhaler.
In a tenth aspect of the present invention, which is in accordance with the eighth or ninth aspect, the first part includes a downstream end portion of the flavor source.
According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the first part includes the downstream end portion of the flavor source, which is to say that the second part is not present on the downstream side of the first part, it is possible to inhibit agglomeration of vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source in the second part that is not directly heated by means of the heater.
In an eleventh aspect of the present invention, which is in accordance with the tenth aspect, a downstream end portion of the heater protrudes, in the longitudinal direction, further toward a hollow tube arranged on a downstream side of the flavor source than an end portion of the flavor source.
According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, by making the downstream end portion of the heater protrude further toward the hollow tube arranged on the downstream side of the flavor source than the end portion of the flavor source, the inner wall on the upstream side of the hollow tube is warmed, making it possible to inhibit sudden cooling and agglomeration of vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source on the upstream side of the hollow tube and inhibit adhesion of components of the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source to the inner wall of the hollow tube.
A twelfth aspect of the present invention provides a flavor inhaler. This flavor inhaler is for use with a flavor-generating article having a flavor source which is heated to generate a flavor, and comprises: an accommodating portion accommodating at least a portion of the flavor-generating article; and a heater for heating the flavor-generating article, and when the flavor-generating article is inserted into the flavor inhaler and accommodated in the accommodating portion, the length of the heater overlapping the flavor source in an insertion direction of the flavor-generating article is between 40% and 61% of the length of the flavor source in the insertion direction and is also 10 mm or less.
According to the twelfth aspect of the invention, the part of the flavor source which overlaps the heater in the insertion direction of the flavor-generating article is directly heated by means of the heater to generate a vapor or aerosol, and the part of the flavor source which does not overlap the heater is heated by means of heat transfer from the heater to generate a vapor or aerosol. Specifically, the part of the flavor source that does not overlap the heater is heated by means of heat transfer from the part of the flavor source which overlaps the heater and is heated first, and by means of heat transfer from members such as the accommodating portion which are warmed by means of the heater. For this reason, vapor or aerosol can also be generated from the part of the flavor source that does not overlap the heater, making it possible to ensure the desired amount of vapor, even if the length of the heater is less than the length of the flavor source. Furthermore, the part of the flavor source that does not overlap the heater is heated later than the part of the flavor source which overlaps the heater so that the vapor or aerosol is still generated by latter-stage puffing actions, therefore making it possible to maintain stable delivery during use of the flavor inhaler.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is an oblique view showing a flavor inhalation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is an oblique view showing a flavor inhaler according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the flavor inhaler as seen along the arrows 3-3 in fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a flavor-generating article according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is an enlargement in cross section showing an atomization unit and a control unit when the flavor-generating article is accommodated at a desired location in the flavor inhaler.
Fig. 6 is a graph showing an adhesion rate of nicotine adhering to an inner wall of a hollow tube.
Fig. 7 is a graph showing an adhesion rate of glycerol adhering to the inner wall of the hollow tube.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, identical or corresponding components are assigned the same reference symbols and duplicate descriptions will not be given.
Fig. 1 is an oblique view showing a flavor inhalation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an oblique view showing a flavor inhaler 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flavor inhalation system 1 is constructed by applying a flavor-generating article 100 to the flavor inhaler 200, which includes a heater 40 to be described later. The flavor-generating article 100 is at least partly accommodated in the flavor inhaler 200 via an opening 210.
An X-Y-Z orthogonal coordinate system may be applied to the drawings described in the present specification for convenience of description. In this coordinate system, the Z-axis is oriented vertically upward, the X-Y plane is arranged cutting across the flavor inhaler 200 in a horizontal direction, and the Y-axis is arranged extending from a front face to a rear face of the flavor inhaler 200. The Z-axis direction may also refer to a direction of insertion of the flavor-generating article 100 which is accommodated in a chamber 50 to be described later. Furthermore, the X-axis direction may also refer to a device longitudinal direction in a plane orthogonal to the insertion direction of the flavor-generating article 100. The Y-axis direction may also refer to a device short-side direction in a plane orthogonal to the insertion direction of the flavor-generating article 100.
The flavor inhaler 200 is configured to generate an aerosol containing a flavor by, for example, heating a stick-type flavor-generating article 100 including a flavor source containing an aerosol source. As an example, the flavor-generating article 100 comprises, on a tip end side in the Z-axis negative direction, a smokable material that contains a flavor source such as tobacco, and an aerosol source, and also comprises a filter in another part.
It should be noted that, in the embodiments, the flavor-generating article 100 is described as being stick-shaped, but the flavor-generating article used in the flavor inhaler 200 is not limited to that shape. For example, the flavor-generating article may also be configured to contain a cartridge accommodating a liquid aerosol source. Furthermore, this cartridge may include a heater.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the flavor inhaler 200 comprises: a housing 202 formed by an upper housing 204 and a lower housing 206; and a slide cover 208. The housing 202 forms the outermost housing of the flavor inhaler 200 and is of a size that fits in a user's hand. When the user is using the flavor inhaler 200, the user can inhale the aerosol while holding the flavor inhaler 200 in their hand.
It should be noted for the housing 202 in this case that the upper housing 204 is formed by a resin such as polycarbonate, for example, and the lower housing 206 is formed by a metal such as aluminum, for example. However, the housing 202 is not limited to the materials above and may also be made of a resin, for example, and it is possible to select any suitable material, such as, in particular, polycarbonate (PC), ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) resin, PEEK (polyether ether ketone), or a polymer alloy containing multiple types of polymers.
The upper housing 204 comprises an opening 210 for receiving the flavor-generating article 100, and the slide cover 208 is slidably attached to the upper housing 204 so as to close this opening 210. Specifically, the slide cover 208 is configured to be movable along an outer surface of the upper housing 204 between a closed position for closing the opening 210 of the upper housing 204, and an open position (the position shown in fig. 1 and 2) for opening the opening 210. For example, the user can manually operate the slide cover 208 to move the slide cover 208 between the closed position and the open position. By this means, the slide cover 208 can permit or restrict access to the inside of the flavor inhaler 200 by the flavor-generating article 100.
In the flavor inhalation system 1, air drawn in by the user is introduced from the opening 210 into the flavor inhaler 200, flows through the chamber 50 in the Z-axis negative direction, and is supplied to an upstream-side end face of the flavor-generating article 100. That is to say, the flavor inhalation system 1 shown in fig. 1 has what is known as a counterflow-type air flow path. It should be noted that the air flow path is not limited to a counterflow-type, and it may equally be what is known as a bottom-flow-type air flow path, where air is supplied from a bottom portion of the chamber 50 to the upstream-side end face of the flavor-generating article 100.
Here, fig. 1 and 2 show the housing 202 of the flavor inhaler 200 in such a way that joining surfaces of the upper housing 204 and the lower housing 206 obliquely cross the X-Y plane, but the housing 202 is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the housing 202 may also be formed from three or more members.
The flavor inhaler 200 may further comprise a terminal which is not depicted. The terminal may be an interface for connecting the flavor inhaler 200 to an external power source, for example. When the power source of the flavor inhaler 200 is a rechargeable battery, the external power source can be connected to the terminal so that a current is supplied from the external power source to the power source, and the power source can be charged. Furthermore, data relating to operation of the flavor inhaler 200 may also be sent to an external device by connecting a data transmission cable to the terminal.
The internal structure of the flavor inhaler 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described next. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the flavor inhaler 200 as seen along the arrows 3-3 shown in fig. 2. As shown in fig. 3, a power source unit 20, an atomization unit 30, and a control unit 80 are provided in an internal space of the housing 202 of the flavor inhaler 200.
The control unit 80 comprises a board 81. The board 81 may comprise a microprocessor, etc., for example, and may control the supply of power from the power source unit 20 to the atomization unit 30. This enables the control unit 80 to control heating of the flavor-generating article 100 by the atomization unit 30. Furthermore, the control unit 80 comprises a Bluetooth (registered trademark) interface 82. The control unit 80 can communicate with an external device via the Bluetooth interface 82.
The power source unit 20 comprises a power source 21 which is electrically connected to the board 81 of the control unit 80. The power source 21 may be a rechargeable battery or a non-rechargeable battery, for example. The power source 21 is electrically connected to the atomization unit 30 via the board 81. This allows the power source 21 to supply power to the atomization unit 30 to heat the flavor-generating article 100 appropriately.
The atomization unit 30 comprises: the chamber (accommodating portion) 50 extending in the longitudinal direction of the flavor-generating article 100; the heater 40 surrounding a portion of the chamber 50; a heat insulating portion 32; and a substantially cylindrical insertion guide member 34. The chamber 50 has a cylindrical shape for accommodating the flavor-generating article 100. It should be noted that the chamber 50 may also have what is known as an elliptical shape having a major diameter and a minor diameter in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flavor inhaler 200. The chamber 50 is preferably formed from a material that is heat resistant and has a low coefficient of thermal expansion, and may, for example, be formed from a metal such as stainless steel, a resin such as PEEK, glass, or ceramic.
The heater 40 is configured to contact an outer circumferential surface of the chamber 50 to heat the flavor-generating article 100 accommodated in the chamber 50. The heater 40 may be a sheet-like heater. The heater 40 may comprise a heat-generating portion which generates heat, and an electrode portion which is effectively responsible for conducting electricity to the heating portion. The heater 40 may be provided so as to contact the outer circumferential surface of the chamber 50, or may be provided on an inner face of the chamber 50. Here, the longitudinal length of the heater 40 is 10 mm, for example. As an example, a susceptor may be provided inside or adjacent to the flavor-generating article 100, and an induction coil for inductively heating the susceptor may be provided instead of the heater 40.
The heat insulating portion 32 is disposed surrounding the chamber 50 and the heater 40 and suppresses dissipation of heat to outside of the chamber 50. The heat insulating portion 32 may be an aerogel, for example. The insertion guide member 34 is formed by a resin material such as PEEK, PC or ABS, for example, and is provided between the slide cover 208 (closed position) and the chamber 50. The insertion guide member 34 communicates with the outside of the flavor inhaler 200 when the slide cover 208 is in the open position, guiding insertion of the flavor-generating article 100 into the chamber 50 after the flavor-generating article 100 has been inserted into the insertion guide member 34.
The structure of the flavor-generating article 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the positional relationship between the flavor-generating article 100 and the flavor inhaler 200 to which the flavor-generating article 100 is applied will be described next. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the flavor-generating article 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is an enlargement in cross section showing the atomization unit 30 and the control unit 80 when the flavor-generating article 100 is accommodated at the desired location in the flavor inhaler 200. It should be noted that the flavor-generating article 100 is shown in a simplified form in fig. 5.
As shown in fig. 4, the flavor-generating article 100 comprises: a first segment 110, a flavor-generating segment 120, a cooling segment 130, and a second segment 140. The flavor-generating article 100 comprises: a first end 101 inserted into the flavor inhaler 200, and a second end 102 on the opposite side to the first end 101. In the example depicted, the flavor-generating article 100 extends in the longitudinal direction along a center axis AX, with the first end 101 and the second end 102 being formed at each of the two ends thereof along the longitudinal direction. Hereinafter, the first end 101 side and the second end 102 side may be referred to as the "upstream side" and the "downstream side", respectively. Furthermore, in the following, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the "radial direction" and "circumferential direction" denote the radial direction and circumferential direction of a rotational coordinate system centered on the center axis AX.
The first segment 110, the flavor-generating segment 120, the cooling segment 130, and the second segment 140 are arranged in that order from the first end 101 toward the second end 102. Here, the longitudinal lengths of the first segment 110, the flavor-generating segment 120, the cooling segment 130 and the second segment 140 are, for example, 6 mm, 14 mm, 20 mm and 20 mm respectively.
When a flavor is to be inhaled by using the flavor-generating article 100, the first end 101 is inserted into the chamber 50, and the flavor-generating article 100 is accommodated at a desired location in the chamber 50. Here, the desired location is a position where the flavor-generating segment 120 can be heated, for example a position where the heater 40 and part of the flavor-generating segment 120 are overlapping in the longitudinal direction. The flavor-generating segment 120 is then heated, and the user inhales from the second end 102.
The first segment 110 is a segment disposed on the first end 101 side of the flavor-generating segment 120. The first segment 110 preferably extends from the first end 101 as far as the end portion of the flavor-generating segment 120 on the first end 101 side. The first segment 110 has a plug portion 111 and a cylindrical first wrapper 150 covering the plug portion 111. The plug portion 111 may comprise at least one of cellulose acetate, paper and nonwoven fabric.
Paper which is used as a paper filter in the flavor-generating article 100 may be employed for the paper serving as the plug portion 111. The thickness of the paper serving as the plug portion 111 is 20 µm-1500 µm, for example, and the basis weight is 20 g/m²-50 g/m², for example. The paper serving as the plug portion 111 preferably has a rectangular shape, in which case one side thereof may have largely the same length as the length of the plug portion 111, and the other side thereof may have a length of 100 mm-300 mm. The thickness, basis weight and size of the paper used as the plug portion 111 have been described, but these values denote values for the paper prior to a shaping treatment (e.g., fluting treatment, etc.).
Here, the plug portion 111 may comprise a sheet which is shaped into a corrugated form and folded in a direction of arrangement of corrugations. This sheet is preferably paper. The plug portion 111 is formed when a corrugated sheet such as above is folded in the direction of arrangement of the corrugations so as to form a cylindrical shape overall.
Hereinafter, a segment being "solid" includes a case in which the space enabling communication between the first end 101 side and the second end 102 side of that segment is filled with a filling material to allow the passage of air. Accordingly, the filling material may be formed by a material which is fibrous or porous, etc. Furthermore, a segment being "filled" means that filling material is provided to the extent that airflow resistance is generated in the segment.
The first segment 110 is preferably solid. In the first segment 110, the plug portion 111 is arranged in the space enabling communication between the first end 101 side and the second end 102 side of the first segment 110. This makes it possible to inhibit vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121 (to be described below) contained in the flavor-generating segment 120 from leaking out from the upstream side of the flavor-generating article 100.
Furthermore, the longitudinal length of the plug portion 111 is preferably 10 mm or less, and more preferably 8 mm or less. The flavor-generating article 100 can be constructed in a compact manner when the plug portion 111 is short. Meanwhile, if the plug portion 111 is excessively short, then production of the first segment 110 or connection with other segments, etc. becomes more difficult, so the longitudinal length of the plug portion 111 is preferably 5 mm or greater. That is to say, the longitudinal length of the plug portion 111 is preferably 5-10 mm. By setting the length of the plug portion 111 at 5-10 mm, it is possible to construct the flavor-generating article 100 in a compact manner and inhibit a drop in producibility due to the plug portion 111 being excessively short.
In addition, the airflow resistance per unit length of the plug portion 111 is preferably 0.3 mmH₂O/mm-2.5 mmH₂O/mm. Here, the airflow resistance is measured by using a filter airflow resistance measurement instrument produced by Cerulean, for example, in accordance with the ISO standard method (ISO6565:2015). The airflow resistance denotes an air pressure difference between one end face (a first end face) and another end face (a second end face) when air at a predetermined air flow rate (17.5 cc/sec) flows from the first end face to the second end face in a state in which air does not pass through the side face of the relevant object. The units are generally expressed in mmH₂O. The airflow resistance varies with the length of the relevant object.
The airflow resistance per unit length of the plug portion 111 is preferably 2.5 mmH₂O/mm or less. The user can easily draw when the first airflow resistance is small. If the airflow resistance is excessively small, then there is a risk of vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121 leaking out from the upstream side of the flavor-generating article 100, and a risk of a reduction in delivery of flavor components at the start of heating, etc. because of air being introduced into a part of the first segment 110 that is not directly heated. Consequently, the airflow resistance per unit length of the plug portion 111 is preferably 0.3 mmH₂O/mm or greater.
Accordingly, the airflow resistance per unit length of the plug portion 111 is preferably 0.3 mmH₂O/mm-2.5 mmH₂O/mm. By setting the airflow resistance per unit length of the plug portion 111 at 0.3 mmH₂O/mm-2.5 mmH₂O/mm, it is possible to suppress leakage of vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121 from the upstream side of the flavor-generating article 100 and provide ease of inhalation for the user.
The flavor-generating segment 120 comprises the flavor source 121 and the cylindrical first wrapper 150 covering the flavor source 121. There is no particular limitation as to the flavor source 121 provided that it generates a flavor by means of heating, but the flavor source 121 is preferably a tobacco material. Examples of tobacco materials which may be cited include materials obtained by processing dried tobacco leaves, such as cut tobacco, or tobacco extracts (extracts obtained with water, organic solvents, or mixed solutions thereof). The flavor source 121 may be formed from one or more tobacco sheets. The tobacco sheet may be formed, for example, by processing dried tobacco leaves into a sheet which is homogenized using a well-known method such as a papermaking, slurry or rolling method (this sheet will be referred to below as a "homogenized sheet"). The flavor source 121 may comprise at least one of a flavoring, a cooling agent and a flavoring agent instead of or as well as the tobacco material.
Note that the flavor source 121 may be produced by cutting homogenized sheets. In addition, the flavor source 121 may be of what is known as the "strand-type", where the first wrapper 150 is filled with a material obtained by cutting, in the longitudinal direction of the flavor source 121 and substantially horizontally, a homogenized sheet having a length similar to that of the flavor source 121 in the longitudinal direction. Also, the width of the homogenized sheet is preferably 0.5-2.0 mm in order to fill the first wrapper 150.
The flavor source 121 may comprise an aerosol source. An aerosol source is a material that is heat-vaporized and cooled to produce an aerosol, or that is atomized to produce an aerosol. Known aerosol sources can be used, examples of which include: polyhydric alcohols such as glycerol and propylene glycol (PG); and triethyl citrate (TEC) and triacetin. Furthermore, the flavor-generating segment 120 is preferably solid.
There is no particular limitation as to the amount of the aerosol source contained in the flavor source 121, and the amount is normally 5 wt% or greater and preferably 10 wt% or greater, and normally 50 wt% or less, and preferably 15 wt% or greater and 25 wt% or less, with respect to the total amount of flavor source 121, from the viewpoint of sufficient aerosol generation and imparting a good flavor.
Furthermore, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, the flavor source 121 comprises a first part 122 which overlaps the heater 40 of the flavor inhaler 200 in the longitudinal direction of the flavor-generating article 100, and a second part 123 which does not overlap the heater 40 of the flavor inhaler 200, when the flavor-generating article 100 is accommodated at the desired location in the flavor inhaler 200. Here, the first part 122 is the part where the heat-generating portion of the heater 40 and the flavor source 121 overlap. The first part 122 is directly heated by means of the heater 40 to generate the vapor or aerosol, and the second part 123 is heated by means of heat transfer from the heater 40 to generate the vapor or aerosol. Specifically, the second part 123 is heated by means of heat transfer from the first part 122 which is heated first, and by means of heat transfer from members of the flavor inhaler 200 such as the chamber 50 which are warmed by means of the heater 40.
Furthermore, the longitudinal length of the first part 122 is preferably between 40% and 61% of the longitudinal length of the flavor source 121 and is also preferably 10 mm or less. Also, the longitudinal length of the first part 122 is more preferably 8.5 mm or less. If the length of the first part 122 is less than 40% of the length of the flavor source 121, there is a risk that it will not be possible to ensure a sufficient amount of vapor. Also, if the length of the first part 122 is greater than 61% of the length of the flavor source 121, or if the length of the first part 122 is greater than 10 mm, there is a risk that it will not be possible to reduce the size of the flavor inhaler 200 or reduce power consumption.
By setting the longitudinal length of the first part 122 at between 40% and 61% of the longitudinal length of the flavor source 121 and at 10 mm or less, the vapor or aerosol can also be generated from the second part 123, making it possible to ensure the desired amount of vapor, even if the length of the heater 40 is less than the length of the flavor source 121. Furthermore, the second part 123 is heated later than the first part 122 so that the vapor or aerosol is still generated by latter-stage puffing actions, therefore making it possible to maintain stable delivery during use of the flavor inhaler 200.
Furthermore, as shown in fig. 5, the longitudinal length of the heater 40 overlapping the first part 122 is the same length as the longitudinal length of the first part 122, which is between 40% and 61% of the longitudinal length of the flavor source 121 and is also 10 mm or less. Also, the longitudinal length of the heater 40 overlapping the first part 122 is more preferably 8.5 mm or less. By making the heater 40 shorter than the overall length of the flavor source 121, it is thus possible to reduce power consumption by the flavor inhaler 200.
Furthermore, the first part 122 includes the downstream end portion of the flavor source 121, as shown in fig. 4 and 5. That is to say, the flavor source 121 does not comprise the first part 122 disposed on the upstream side and the second part 123 disposed on the downstream side, and the second part 123 is not present on the downstream side of the first part 122. It is therefore possible to inhibit agglomeration of the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121 in the second part 123 that is not directly heated by means of the heater 40.
The cooling segment 130 has a hollow tube 131 and a cylindrical second wrapper 160 covering the hollow tube 131. The hollow tube 131 may be a paper tube or the like, for example. The hollow tube 131 cools the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121. By arranging the hollow tube 131 downstream of the flavor source 121 in this way, it is possible to cool the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121.
A plurality of circular through-holes 132 that radially penetrate both wall faces of the hollow tube 131 in a concentric manner in the circumferential direction of the hollow tube 131 are formed in the hollow tube 131 and the second wrapper 160. The through-holes 132 are holes for promoting an inflow of external air produced by the user drawing, and the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121 can be further cooled by means of this inflow of air. There is no particular limitation as to the diameter (length across) of the through-holes 132, and it may be 0.5-1.5 mm, for example. Note that the through-holes 132 may be oval, in which case the major diameter of the through-holes 132 may be 0.5-1.5 mm, for example. The through-holes 132 are formed at a position, for example, 5.5 mm from the downstream end portion of the hollow tube 131.
By providing the cooling segment 130 which is disposed between the flavor-generating segment 120 and the second segment 140 and which cools the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121 in this way, the flavor-generating article 100 can deliver flavor components to the user at a suitable temperature.
Note that the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121 is cooled and agglomerated in the hollow tube 131, and the components thereof adhere to the inner wall of the hollow tube 131. The amount of vapor or aerosol components adhering to the inner wall of the hollow tube will now be described with reference to fig. 6 and 7. Fig. 6 and 7 are graphs showing the percentage of components of the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source which adhere to the inner wall of the hollow tube, where fig. 6 is a graph showing an adhesion rate of nicotine adhering to the inner wall of the hollow tube, and fig. 7 is a graph showing an adhesion rate of glycerol adhering to the inner wall of the hollow tube. A 20 mm-long hollow tube is divided into four equal portions, denoted a, b, c, and d, from the upstream side of the hollow tube, and the adhesion rate at each portion, a, b, c, and d, is shown in fig. 6 and 7.
Using a Ploom S from Japan Tobacco Inc. to measure the adhesion rate, a flavor-generating article with a 20 mm flavor source, a 20 mm hollow tube, a 7 mm second filter, an 8 mm first filter and no through-holes was drawn at 55 ml/2 sec (an operation of drawing 55 ml over 2 seconds was performed) with draw intervals of 30 sec. The hollow tube was then cut into lengths of 5 mm, and the cut lengths of hollow tube were extracted with methanol solvent by shaking for 40 minutes, and the amount of adhesion was determined using GC-FID.
As shown in fig. 6 and 7, nicotine readily adheres on the downstream side of the hollow tube and glycerol readily adheres on the upstream side of the hollow tube. Now, by forming the through-holes 132 in the hollow tube 131, as shown in fig. 4, adhesion of components of the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121 to the inner wall of the hollow tube 131 can be inhibited by means of the flow of air taken in from the outside via the through-holes 132.
Here, the through-holes 132 are preferably formed at a position between 2 mm and 12 mm from the downstream end portion of the hollow tube 131 in the longitudinal direction, and are more preferably formed at a position between 4 mm and 8 mm from the downstream end portion of the hollow tube 131. By positioning the through-holes 132 at a position between 2 mm and 12 mm from the downstream end portion of the hollow tube 131, it is possible to inhibit adhesion of components of the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121 to the inner wall of the hollow tube 131 while balancing the components that readily adhere on the upstream side of the hollow tube 131 and those that readily adhere on the downstream side of the hollow tube 131.
Also, as shown in fig. 5, the through-holes 132 are formed at a position that is not exposed from the flavor inhaler 200 when the flavor-generating article 100 is accommodated at the desired location in the flavor inhaler 200. As a result, it is possible to inhibit intake of cold air from the outside and inhibit agglomeration of vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121 in the vicinity of the through-holes 132.
Also, as shown in fig. 5, the downstream end portion of the heater 40 protrudes, in the longitudinal direction, further toward the hollow tube 131 arranged on the downstream side of the flavor source 121 than the end portion of the flavor source 121. As a result, the inner wall on the upstream side of the hollow tube 131 is warmed, making it possible to inhibit sudden cooling and agglomeration of vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121 on the upstream side of the hollow tube 131 and inhibit adhesion of components of the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121 to the inner wall of the hollow tube 131.
Here, the downstream end portion of the heater 40 is preferably upstream of the through-holes 132, and the length of protrusion of the heater 40 is preferably 1 mm-5 mm. If the length of protrusion of the heater 40 is less than 1 mm, there is a risk that it will not be possible to sufficiently achieve the effect of inhibiting agglomeration. Also, if the length of protrusion of the heater 40 is greater than 5 mm, there is a risk that it will not be possible for the vapor or aerosol generated by the flavor source 121 to be sufficiently cooled in the hollow tube 131.
The second segment 140 is a segment disposed on the second end 102 side of the cooling segment 130. The second segment 140 comprises: a first filter 141 and a second filter 142 arranged alongside each other in the longitudinal direction; and an outer plug wrapper 350 covering the first filter 141 and the second filter 142. There is no particular restriction on the second segment 140, provided that it has the function of a filter for adjusting the flow of air during flavor inhalation and for adjusting the amount of flavor or other materials mixed in, etc. The second segment 140 may also function as a rear plug for preventing members on the first end 101 side of the second segment 140 from falling out.
It should be noted that the position of the first filter 141 is not limited to the position shown in fig. 4, and the positions of the first filter 141 and the second filter 142 may be switched, for example. Furthermore, the second filter 142 may be omitted from the flavor-generating article 100, or the second segment 140 may include three or more filters.
The first filter 141 comprises: a filler material 310, and a cylindrical first inner plug wrapper 320 wrapping the filler material 310. The first filter 141 is preferably solid. There is no particular limitation as to the filler material 310 provided that it is a filter material, and it may be a fibrous material or a porous material, etc. The filler material 310 may be, for example, cellulose acetate fibers, paper, or nonwoven fabric, etc.
The second filter 142 is formed by a filling layer 330 having a hollow portion, and a second inner plug wrapper 340 which covers the filling layer 330. The filling layer 330 may be, for example, a rod in which cellulose acetate fibers have been packed to a high density, and to which a triacetin-containing plasticizer has been added and cured. The second inner plug wrapper 340 may be omitted.
There is no particular limitation as to the diameter of the hollow portion, and it may be 1.0-5.0 mm, for example. The first filling layer 330 has a high packing density of fibers, so the air and aerosol flow only through the hollow portion during drawing, with virtually none flowing through the filling layer 330.
While embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments of the invention described above are for ease of understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and equivalents thereof are included in the present invention. Furthermore, components described in the claims and specification may be combined or omitted within a scope that enables at least some of the problems described above to be solved, or within a scope that demonstrates at least some of the advantageous effects.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1: Flavor inhalation system
20: Power source unit
21: Power source
30: Atomization unit
32: Heat insulating portion
34: Insertion guide member
40: Heater
50: Chamber
80: Control unit
81: Board
82: Bluetooth interface
100: Flavor-generating article
101: First end
102: Second end
110: First segment
111: Plug portion
120: Flavor-generating segment
121: Flavor source
122: First part
123: Second part
130: Cooling segment
131: Hollow tube
132: Through-hole
140: Second segment
141: First filter
142: Second filter
150: First wrapper
160: Second wrapper
200: Flavor inhaler
202: Housing
204: Upper housing
206: Lower housing
208: Slide cover
210: Opening
310: Filler material
320: First inner plug wrapper
330: Filling layer
340: Second inner plug wrapper
350: Outer plug wrapper

Claims

A flavor-generating article, which is at least partly accommodated in a flavor inhaler, the flavor-generating article comprising:
a flavor source which is heated to generate a flavor,

wherein the flavor source has a first part which overlaps a heater of the flavor inhaler in a longitudinal direction of the flavor-generating article, and a second part which does not overlap the heater of the flavor inhaler, when the flavor-generating article is accommodated at the desired location in the flavor inhaler, and

the longitudinal length of the first part is between 40% and 61% of the longitudinal length of the flavor source and is also 10 mm or less.
The flavor-generating article as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
a hollow tube arranged on a downstream side of the flavor source.
The flavor-generating article as claimed in claim 2, wherein
the hollow tube has a through-hole formed penetrating the hollow tube at a position between 2 mm and 12 mm from a downstream end portion thereof in the longitudinal direction.
The flavor-generating article as claimed in claim 3, wherein
the through-hole is formed at a position that is not exposed from the flavor inhaler when the flavor-generating article is accommodated at the desired location in the flavor inhaler.
The flavor-generating article as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:
a plug portion arranged on an upstream side of the flavor source.
The flavor-generating article as claimed in claim 5, wherein
the longitudinal length of the plug portion is 5-10 mm.
The flavor-generating article as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein
the airflow resistance per unit length of the plug portion is 0.3 mmH₂O/mm-2.5 mmH₂O/mm.
A flavor inhalation system, comprising:
the flavor-generating article as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7; and

a heater for heating the flavor-generating article.
The flavor inhalation system as claimed in claim 8, wherein
the longitudinal length of the heater overlapping the first part is between 40% and 61% of the longitudinal length of the flavor source and is also 10 mm or less.
The flavor inhalation system as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein
the first part includes a downstream end portion of the flavor source.
The flavor inhalation system as claimed in claim 10, wherein
a downstream end portion of the heater protrudes, in the longitudinal direction, further toward a hollow tube arranged on a downstream side of the flavor source than an end portion of the flavor source.
A flavor inhaler for use with a flavor-generating article having a flavor source which is heated to generate a flavor, the flavor inhaler comprising:
an accommodating portion accommodating at least a portion of the flavor-generating article; and

a heater for heating the flavor-generating article,

wherein when the flavor-generating article is inserted into the flavor inhaler and accommodated in the accommodating portion, the length of the heater overlapping the flavor source in an insertion direction of the flavor-generating article is between 40% and 61% of the length of the flavor source in the insertion direction and is also 10 mm or less.