JP2024515812A - Aerosol products - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol product according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a tobacco medium portion, a filter portion spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion, and a tubular cooling portion disposed between the tobacco medium portion and the filter portion, and the tobacco medium is contained within a wall surface constituting the cooling portion.

Description

The present disclosure relates to aerosol products and aerosol generating devices.

Generally, tobacco refers to a perennial plant of the Solanaceae family of the Dicotyledonous order, but nowadays it is commonly used to refer to a product made for smoking, in which tobacco leaves are wrapped in cigarette paper and a filter is installed on one side. There are thousands of varieties of such cigarettes around the world, and they are sold in various shapes and forms.

Among these, in the case of combustible tobacco products that are lit and smoked, such as cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco, the smoke contains aerosols that contain nicotine as well as large amounts of other components such as tar, nitroamines, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide.

As an alternative to compensate for the shortcomings of combustible cigarettes, a method of generating aerosol by heating the aerosol product inside a cigarette, rather than burning a cigarette to generate aerosol, has been widely used and demand for this method is increasing. As a result, research into heated cigarettes or heated aerosol generating devices is being actively conducted.

Specifically, the aerosol generator has a similar form to a conventional combustion cigarette, and generates mainstream smoke containing aerosol by heating the aerosol product quality in the heated cigarette using a heater or ultrasonic vibration, etc., which has the advantage of minimizing the emission of components such as tar while satisfying the smoker's desire to smoke, creating a new market that replaces conventional combustion cigarettes.

The heated cigarettes used in such aerosol generating devices, i.e., aerosol product, deliver a high amount of nicotine to the user in the early stages of smoking. However, the amount of nicotine delivered to the user can decrease rapidly in the later stages of smoking.

To solve the above problem, the objective of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol product that does not reduce the amount of nicotine delivered to the user during the latter half of smoking.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol product that can effectively cool high-temperature aerosol heated in the tobacco medium portion.

According to one embodiment, an aerosol product is provided that includes a tobacco medium portion, a filter portion spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion, and a tubular cooling portion disposed between the tobacco medium portion and the filter portion, with the tobacco medium contained within a wall surface constituting the cooling portion.

As described above, an aerosol product according to one aspect of the present disclosure can provide a high amount of nicotine delivered to the user even during the latter stages of smoking.

In addition, the high-temperature aerosol heated in the tobacco medium portion can be effectively cooled.

In order to enable the contents of the present disclosure to be understood by those skilled in the art, a more detailed description can be provided with reference to some exemplary embodiment forms, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the inside of region A in FIG. 2 . 1 is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a variation of a tobacco medium portion of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a variation of the tobacco medium portion of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a variation of the tobacco medium portion of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 13 is a modified filter portion of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of adding nicotine and cooling mainstream smoke by the tobacco medium in the cooling section. 1 is a graph showing nicotine transfer for an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a variation of the cooling section of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a variation of the cooling section of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a variation of the cooling section of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a variation of the cooling section of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a variation of the cooling section of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a variation of the cooling section of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a variation of the cooling section of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a variation of the cooling section of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device with an aerosol production product inserted therein according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

According to common practice, the various features illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. As such, dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. Further, some of the drawings may not depict all components of a given system, method, or apparatus. Finally, like reference numerals may be used to denote like features throughout the specification and figures.

The aerosol product according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a tobacco medium portion, a filter portion spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion, and a tubular cooling portion disposed between the tobacco medium portion and the filter portion, and the tobacco medium is contained within the wall surface constituting the cooling portion.

According to this embodiment, the tobacco medium may be uniformly distributed within the cooling section along the length of the cooling section.

According to this embodiment, the tobacco medium may be unevenly distributed within the cooling section along the length of the cooling section.

The concentration of the tobacco medium in the cooling section may be higher at the inlet side of the cooling section adjacent to the tobacco medium section than at the outlet side of the cooling section adjacent to the filter section.

According to this embodiment, the concentration of the tobacco medium in the cooling section may be lower at the inlet side of the cooling section adjacent to the tobacco medium section than at the outlet side of the cooling section adjacent to the filter section.

According to this embodiment, the concentration of the tobacco medium may be higher in the central region of the cooling section than in the end regions of the cooling section.

According to this embodiment, the concentration of the tobacco medium may be lower in the central region of the cooling section than in the end regions of the cooling section.

According to this embodiment, the cooling section may include cellulose acetate tow.

According to this embodiment, the cellulose acetate tow may be 3 to 20 denier.

According to this embodiment, a flavoring substance may further be contained inside the wall that constitutes the cooling section.

According to this embodiment, the tobacco medium in the cooling section may be in granular form.

According to this embodiment, the tobacco medium portion includes a tobacco medium in granular form, and the granules in the tobacco medium portion may be more numerous than the granules in the cooling portion.

According to this embodiment, the tobacco medium portion may include a plurality of segments.

According to this embodiment, at least one of the plurality of segments may include a tobacco medium.

An aerosol generating device according to another aspect of the present disclosure may include a heating unit that heats at least a portion of an aerosol product, a power supply unit that supplies power to the heating unit, and a control unit that controls the power supplied to the power supply unit.

According to this embodiment, the device further includes an aerosol generating unit that heats the liquid composition to generate an aerosol, and the aerosol generated from the aerosol generating unit may flow into the aerosol product.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above, and other aspects and advantages of the present disclosure not mentioned above will be understood from the following description of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, it will be understood that the aspects and advantages of the present disclosure can be achieved by the embodiments described in the claims and combinations thereof.

Since the present disclosure can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, a specific embodiment will be illustrated and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present disclosure to a specific embodiment, and it should be understood that the present disclosure includes all modifications, equivalents, or alternatives that fall within the spirit and technical scope of the present disclosure.

The terms used in this disclosure are merely for the purpose of describing certain embodiments and are not intended to limit the disclosure. The singular term includes the plural term unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this disclosure, the terms "include" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood not to preclude the presence or additional possibility of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, and parts, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that in the accompanying drawings, identical components are represented by the same reference numerals as much as possible. In addition, detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations that may obscure the gist of the present disclosure will be omitted. For the same reasons, some components in the accompanying drawings are exaggerated, omitted, or illustrated in a schematic manner.

The following describes an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the inside of region A in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, an aerosol product 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a tobacco medium section 110, a cooling section 130, a filter section 150, and a wrapper 170. Here, a person having ordinary skill in the art related to this embodiment can understand that the aerosol product 100 may further include other general components in addition to the components shown in Figures 1 to 4.

The aerosol product 100 according to this embodiment may be inserted into an aerosol generating device 300 (see FIG. 19) described later and heated. When the aerosol product 100 is heated, mainstream smoke is delivered to the user. The mainstream smoke is an airflow that flows from upstream to downstream inside the aerosol product 100. Here, upstream refers to the tobacco medium portion 110 side, and downstream refers to the filter portion 150 side. The user of the aerosol product 100 can inhale the mainstream smoke through the downstream end of the aerosol product 100.

The aerosol product 100 may be formed in a cylindrical shape. Here, the diameter of the aerosol product 100 may be 4.7 mm to 9.9 mm. The tobacco medium section 110, the cooling section 130 and the filter section 150 may also be cylindrical with a diameter of 4.7 mm to 9.9 mm.

The aerosol product 100 may also have a length of 31 mm to 60 mm. The tobacco medium portion 110 may have a length of 17 mm to 30 mm. The cooling portion 130 may have a length of 4 mm to 10 mm, and the filter portion 150 may have a length of 10 mm to 20 mm.

The values for the shape, diameter, and length of the aerosol product 100 and components are shown as examples, but are not necessarily limited to these. The shape and values of the aerosol product 100 may be modified to the extent that can be adopted by those skilled in the art.

The tobacco medium portion 110 is located upstream of the aerosol production product 100 and contains a tobacco medium that generates an aerosol. The tobacco medium of the tobacco medium portion 110 contains nicotine, so that a user who smokes mainstream smoke feels the taste and aroma characteristic of a cigarette.

When the aerosol product 100 according to this embodiment is heated by the aerosol generating device 300 described below, and the aerosol generated from the aerosol generating device 300 flows into the inside of the aerosol product 100, nicotine is adsorbed onto the surface of the aerosol as the aerosol passes through the tobacco medium portion 110 and is delivered to the user.

In this case, the nicotine contained in the tobacco medium may be one or more of freebase nicotine and nicotine salt, and the nicotine may be naturally occurring nicotine or synthetic nicotine.

The nicotine salt is formed by adding a suitable acid, including an organic acid or an inorganic acid, to nicotine. The acid for forming the nicotine salt is appropriately selected in consideration of the blood nicotine absorption rate, the heating temperature of the heater, the flavor or taste, solubility, etc. For example, the acid for forming the nicotine salt may be, but is not limited to, a single acid selected from the group consisting of benzoic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, lauric acid, sorbic acid, levulinic acid, pyruvic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, citric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, phenylacetic acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, saccharic acid, malonic acid, or malic acid, or a mixture of two or more acids selected from the group.

Meanwhile, the tobacco medium of the tobacco medium section 110 can be manufactured in various forms. For example, the tobacco medium may be manufactured in a sheet or a strand. The tobacco medium may also be manufactured in the form of tobacco shreds obtained by cutting a tobacco sheet. The tobacco medium may also be manufactured in the form of granules containing tobacco.

The tobacco medium portion 110 may be formed in a cylindrical shape. However, the shape of the tobacco medium portion 110 is not necessarily limited to this, and may be configured in a bar shape having a cross-section of various shapes.

Here, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be produced by folding a tobacco sheet into a cylindrical shape, or by forming tobacco strands, tobacco shreds, or tobacco granules into a cylindrical shape.

When the tobacco medium portion 110 is composed of a plurality of tobacco strands obtained by cutting a tobacco sheet into small pieces, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be formed by combining a plurality of tobacco strands in the same direction (e.g., parallel to each other) or randomly. Specifically, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be formed by combining a plurality of tobacco strands to form a plurality of longitudinal channels through which the aerosol can pass. Here, the longitudinal channels may be uniform or non-uniform depending on the size and arrangement of the tobacco strands.

The tobacco medium portion 110 may further include an aerosol product quality to increase the amount of atomization. For example, the aerosol product quality may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol, but is not limited thereto.

The tobacco medium portion 110 may further include a flavoring material to add flavor to the aerosol. For example, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include other additives such as flavorants, humectants, and/or organic acids. The tobacco medium portion 110 may also be doped by spraying a flavoring liquid such as menthol or a humectant onto the tobacco medium portion 110.

In this case, the flavoring agent may include licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, isosweet, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, cinnamon, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cinnamon, ylang-ylang, salvia, spearmint, ginger, coriander, or coffee. The humectant may include glycerin or propylene glycol. However, the flavoring agent is not necessarily limited to this and may include various materials.

The tobacco medium portion 110 may be wrapped with a thermally conductive material. The thermally conductive material evenly distributes the heat transferred to the tobacco medium portion 110, improving the thermal conductivity of the heat transferred to the tobacco medium portion 110, thereby improving the taste of the tobacco. The thermally conductive material may be a metal foil, for example, the thermally conductive material may be aluminum. However, the thermally conductive material is not necessarily limited thereto, and various metal foils used as thermally conductive materials may be applied.

Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the tobacco medium portion 110 is made up of at least one segment. For example, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be made up of one segment, two segments, or three segments. Specifically, the tobacco medium portion 110 according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is made up of one segment. Also, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be made up of two segments. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be made up of three segments.

Referring to FIG. 4, the tobacco medium portion 110 of this embodiment consists of one segment. The segment of the tobacco medium portion 110 is filled with tobacco medium. That is, in this embodiment, the tobacco medium portion 110 consists of one segment filled with tobacco medium.

Here, the segments may be manufactured by folding tobacco sheets into a cylindrical shape as described above, or by forming tobacco strands, tobacco shreds, or tobacco granules into a cylindrical shape. The segments may further include aerosol production quality and/or flavoring substances that can increase the amount of atomization.

The segment of the tobacco medium portion 110 may also be heated by being coupled to a heating portion 370 (see FIG. 19) of the aerosol generating device 300 that heats the aerosol product 100. In FIG. 19, the heating portion 370 is illustrated as being disposed around the aerosol product 100, but is not limited thereto, and the heating portion may also be inserted inside the tobacco medium portion 110 to heat the tobacco medium portion 110.

The tobacco medium portion 110 may further include a configuration for identifying the aerosol product 100. The aerosol product 100 may have a variety of flavors and aromas, and may include a configuration (not shown) for identifying such a variety of aerosol product 100 from one another. For example, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include a metal foil that changes the inductance of an aerosol product recognition coil included in the aerosol generating device 300. Here, the metal foil is disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the tobacco medium portion 110.

On the other hand, in the modified example shown in Figures 5 and 6, the tobacco medium portion 110 is made up of two segments. One of the two segments contains the tobacco medium, and the other does not contain the tobacco medium.

Referring to FIG. 5, the tobacco medium portion 110 includes a first segment 111 and a second segment 119. The first segment 111 is a segment filled with tobacco medium and may be the same as the segment of the tobacco medium portion 110 of FIG. 4 described above.

The second segment 119 is located at the upstream end of the aerosol product 100 and prevents the first segment 111, which contains the tobacco medium, from escaping to the outside. That is, the tobacco medium portion 110 of this modified example may be arranged in the order of the second segment 119 and the first segment 111 from the upstream side.

The second segment 119 prevents impurities from flowing into the first segment 111 from the outside, and prevents the aerosol liquefied during smoking from flowing into the aerosol generating device 300 (see Figure 19).

In addition, when the aerosol product 100 is inserted into the aerosol generating device 300, the second segment 119 supports the aerosol product 100 so that the aerosol product 100 is fixed to the aerosol generating device 300.

The second segment 119 may be a cellulose acetate filter. For example, the second segment 119 may be made of cellulose acetate tow to which a plasticizer such as triacetin has been added. The cellulose acetate tow may also include an aerosol-producing quality.

The aerosol product quality contained in the second segment 119 may exclude nicotine. For example, the second segment 119 may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. However, the aerosol product quality contained in the second segment 119 is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the second segment 119 may include a material in which glycerin and propylene glycol are mixed in a ratio of approximately 8:2. However, the mixture ratio is not limited to the above.

In addition, the second segment 119 may contain other additives such as flavorings, humectants, and/or organic acids. However, the material and type of the second segment 119 are not necessarily limited thereto and may be changed within the scope of what can be adopted by those skilled in the art.

The second segment 119 may have a through hole formed therein through which aerosol can flow from the outside to form mainstream smoke inside the aerosol product 100. The through hole formed in the second segment 119 has a circular or Y-shaped cross section. However, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole is not necessarily limited thereto, and may have a variety of cross-sectional shapes.

On the other hand, if the second segment 119 includes a crimped sheet impregnated with an aerosol product quality, no through holes may be formed in the second segment 119.

When a portion of the aerosol product 100 is inserted into the aerosol generating device 300, the aerosol generated in the aerosol generating device 300 flows into the aerosol product 100 through the second segment 119, and the aerosol forms mainstream smoke inside the aerosol product 100 and can be delivered to the user. In addition, the aerosol generated inside the second segment 119 including the aerosol product can form mainstream smoke and be delivered to the user.

The second segment 119 may further include a configuration for identifying the aerosol product 100. The aerosol product 100 may have a variety of flavors and aromas, and may include a configuration for identifying such a variety of aerosol product 100 from one another. For example, the second segment 119 may include a metal foil that changes the inductance of an aerosol product recognition coil included in the aerosol generating device 300. However, this is not necessarily limited thereto, and the configuration for identifying the aerosol product 100 may be included in the first segment 111 in addition to the second segment 119.

Referring to FIG. 6, the tobacco medium portion 110 includes a first segment 111 and a second segment 117.

The first segment 111 is located at the upstream end, and is a segment filled with tobacco medium, and may be made of the same material as the first segment 111 in FIG. 5 described above.

The second segment 117 can prevent the tobacco medium in the first segment 111 from escaping to the cooling section 130 described below. For example, when a heating section for heating the aerosol product 100 is inserted into the first segment 111, there is a possibility that the tobacco medium in the first segment 111 will detach and move to the cooling section 130 side. By disposing the second segment 117 between the first segment 111 and the cooling section 130, it is possible to prevent the tobacco medium in the first segment 111 from escaping to the cooling section 130 side.

The second segment 117 may be made of the same material as the second segment 119 in Figure 5 described above.

The second segment 117 may also be formed with a through hole for allowing the aerosol formed in or passing through the first segment 111 to flow in. The through hole formed in the second segment 117 has a circular or Y-shaped cross section. However, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole is not necessarily limited to this, and may have a variety of cross-sectional shapes.

In this way, the first segment 111 and the second segment 117 of the tobacco medium section 110 may each be made of the same material as the first segment 111 and the second segment 119 of the tobacco medium section 110 of FIG. 5 described above. However, the first segment 111 and the second segment 117 of the tobacco medium section 110 may be arranged in a different order from the first segment 111 and the second segment 119 of FIG. 5. In other words, the tobacco medium section 110 of this modified example may be arranged in the order of the first segment 111 and the second segment 117 from the upstream side.

On the other hand, in the modified example shown in FIG. 7, the tobacco medium portion 110 is made up of three segments. At least one of the three segments may contain a tobacco medium.

Referring to FIG. 7, the tobacco medium section 110 includes a first segment 111, a second segment 113, and a third segment 115. In this modification, the first segment 111 containing the tobacco medium is disposed in the center, and the second segment 113, the first segment 111, and the third segment 115 are disposed in this order from the upstream side.

The first segment 111 is located in the center of the three segments of the tobacco medium section 110, and is a segment filled with tobacco medium, and may be made of the same material as the first segment 111 in FIG. 5 described above.

The second segment 113 and the third segment 115 are arranged on either side of the first segment 111, and the second segment 113 and the third segment 115 may be made of the same material as the second segment 119 in FIG. 5 described above.

The second segment 113 can prevent impurities from flowing into the first segment 111 from the outside and can prevent the aerosol liquefied during smoking from flowing into the aerosol generating device 300. In addition, the second segment 113 may have the same structure, function, and material as the second segment 119 of FIG. 5 described above.

The third segment 115 can prevent the tobacco medium of the first segment 111 from escaping into the cooling section 130. In addition, the third segment 115 may have the same structure, function, and material as the second segment 117 of FIG. 6 described above.

In this manner, in this modified example, the second segment 113 and the third segment 115 are arranged on either side of the first segment 111 containing the tobacco medium to form the tobacco medium section 110.

Referring again to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the filter unit 150 is located at the downstream end away from the tobacco medium unit 110. The filter unit 150 can filter at least one of the substances contained in the mainstream smoke.

The filter unit 150 may be a cellulose acetate filter, or may be made by adding a plasticizer such as triacetin to cellulose acetate tow. However, the material and type of the filter unit 150 are not necessarily limited to this, and may be changed within the scope of what can be adopted by a person skilled in the art.

The filter portion 150 may be cylindrical. However, the shape of the filter portion 150 is not necessarily limited to this, and may have a variety of shapes corresponding to the shape of the tobacco medium portion 110.

The filter unit 150 can also be manufactured to emit a flavor. For example, a flavoring liquid can be sprayed onto the filter unit 150, or separate fibers onto which the flavoring liquid is applied can be included inside the filter unit 150.

Alternatively, the filter unit 150 may include at least one capsule (not shown). The capsule may generate a flavor or generate an aerosol. For example, the capsule may have a structure in which a liquid containing a flavoring is enveloped in a membrane. Here, the capsule may have a spherical or cylindrical shape, but the shape of the capsule is not necessarily limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the filter unit 150 is described as being formed at the most downstream side of the aerosol product 100, but as shown in FIG. 8, a recessed portion 190 may be formed downstream of the filter unit 150. The recessed portion 190 has a structure in which the wrapper 170 that encases the filter unit 150 is extended downstream from the filter unit 150. That is, in this embodiment, the wrapper 170 is extended further outside the filter unit 150 than in the aerosol product 100 of the previous embodiment. Due to the shape of the wrapper 170, the filter unit 150 can have a recessed rod shape.

The recessed portion 190 prevents nicotine traces that occur on the end of the downstream filter portion 150 from being easily exposed to the outside. Therefore, nicotine traces that occur on the filter portion 150 of the aerosol product 100 during smoking or after smoking is completed are not exposed to the outside, resulting in a good appearance.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in the aerosol product 100 according to this embodiment, the cooling section 130 is disposed between the tobacco medium section 110 and the filter section 150, and can cool the high-temperature aerosol passing through the inside. The high-temperature aerosol coming out of the tobacco medium section 110 is cooled as it moves through the inside of the cooling section 130, and the cooled aerosol passes through the filter section 150 and is delivered to the user. This can prevent the high-temperature aerosol from being directly delivered to the user.

The cooling section 130 may be formed in a tubular shape through which the aerosol can pass. Specifically, the cooling section 130 includes a body 135 having a through hole 133 formed therein. The through hole 133 is a space formed in the center of the cooling section 130, through which the aerosol moves from the tobacco medium section 110 to the filter section 150.

The high-temperature aerosol that flows into the inlet of the cooling unit 130 passes through the through-hole 133 of the cooling unit 130, and the aerosol is cooled. During the aerosol cooling process, some of the heat contained in the aerosol may be discharged to the outside through the body 135 of the cooling unit 130. Here, a separate member containing PLA (polylactic acid) may be disposed inside the through-hole 133 of the cooling unit 130. For example, the inside of the through-hole 133 may be at least partially filled with PLA.

The body 135 of the cooling unit 130 may be made by adding a plasticizer such as triacetin to cellulose acetate tow. Alternatively, the body 135 of the cooling unit 130 may be made of a paper insert made of multiple papers. For example, the body 135 may be a paper insert made of an outer paper, a middle paper, and an inner paper, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be a single paper. Here, a cooling material may be coated on the inside of the insert, or a cooling film may be attached thereto. Here, the cooling material or cooling film may include various materials having high thermal efficiency. However, the material and type of the body 135 of the cooling unit 130 are not necessarily limited thereto, and may be changed within the range that can be adopted by those skilled in the art.

When the body 135 of the cooling section 130 is made of cellulose acetate tow, the mono denier of the filaments constituting the cellulose acetate tow may be 3 to 20. Preferably, the mono denier of the filaments of the body 135 may be 9 to 15.

The cross section of the filament that constitutes the body 135 may be Y-shaped. Here, the filament may refer to a single long fiber that constitutes the cellulose acetate tow.

Meanwhile, the body 135 may include other additives such as flavoring agents, humectants, and/or organic acids. Here, the flavoring agents may include licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, isosweet, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, cinnamon, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cinnamon, ylang-ylang, salvia, spearmint, ginger, coriander, or coffee. Also, the humectant may include glycerin or propylene glycol.

The body 135 may have a doughnut-shaped cross section due to the through hole 133. In this case, the inner diameter of the body 135 may be 2 mm or more. Preferably, the inner diameter of the body 135 may be 3.8 to 4.2 mm.

Here, a plurality of openings 160 may be formed in the body 135 to allow outside air to flow in or internal air to flow out. The plurality of openings 160 may be formed spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction of the body 135.

In this embodiment, a plurality of openings 160 are disposed on the outlet side of the cooling unit 130, i.e., adjacent to the filter unit 150. The aerosol passing through the cooling unit 130 can be additionally cooled by the outside air flowing in through the plurality of openings 160. This allows the aerosol flowing into the filter unit 150 to be cooled once again, thereby preventing high-temperature aerosol from being inhaled into the user's mouth.

In this embodiment, the multiple openings 160 are described as being arranged on the outlet side of the cooling section 130, but the position of the multiple openings 160 is not necessarily limited to this, and the multiple openings 160 may be arranged in other positions on the cooling section 130, for example, on the inlet side of the cooling section 130 or in the central region of the cooling section 130.

According to this embodiment, the tobacco medium 131 is contained within the body 135 of the cooling section 130. More specifically, the tobacco medium 131 is contained within the wall surface that constitutes the body 135. Here, the tobacco medium 131 may contain nicotine, similar to the tobacco medium contained in the tobacco medium section 110 described above.

When the tobacco medium 131 is contained within the body 135, nicotine is additionally contained in the mainstream smoke, so that a rich amount of nicotine can be provided to the user. More specifically, in the cooling section 130, nicotine can be additionally contained in the mainstream smoke that already contains nicotine as it passes through the tobacco medium section 110.

On the other hand, nicotine salt may be additionally applied to the inner peripheral surface of the body 135. That is, nicotine salt may be applied to the inner peripheral surface of the body 135 that defines the through hole 133. Thus, not only is the tobacco medium 131 contained inside the wall surface of the body 135, but nicotine salt may also be additionally applied to the inner peripheral surface of the body 135, providing an even richer amount of nicotine.

The tobacco medium 131 placed in the cooling unit 130 may be manufactured in a granular form containing tobacco. However, the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling unit 130 is not necessarily limited to this, and may be manufactured in various forms having small sizes, such as tobacco shreds made by cutting a tobacco sheet. In this case, if the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling unit 130 is manufactured in a granular form, it may be smaller in size than the tobacco medium of the tobacco medium unit 110, which has the same form of granular form.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of adding nicotine and cooling mainstream smoke by the tobacco medium in the cooling section.

Referring to FIG. 9, mainstream smoke M that has passed through the tobacco medium portion 110 can pass through the through holes 133 formed in the cooling portion 130. The mainstream smoke M that flows into the through holes 133 contains nicotine generated from the tobacco medium portion 110. At this time, the mainstream smoke M flows into the through holes 133 at a high temperature while still containing nicotine.

The heat of the mainstream smoke M heats the tobacco medium 131 contained in the body 135, causing nicotine N to be discharged from the tobacco medium 131. The nicotine N discharged from the tobacco medium 131 in the body 135 flows into the mainstream smoke M, and the mainstream smoke M contains not only the nicotine from the tobacco medium portion 110, but also nicotine N from the body 135 of the cooling portion 130.

In this embodiment, the tobacco medium 131 is contained in the body 135 of the cooling section 130, so that the amount of nicotine contained in the mainstream smoke M is increased, providing the user with a rich amount of nicotine.

In addition, the tobacco medium 131 in the body 135 increases the cooling effect of the mainstream smoke M in the cooling section 130. The tobacco medium 131 in the body 135 releases nicotine due to heat, which allows the mainstream smoke M to be further cooled.

In addition to the natural cooling of the mainstream smoke M as it passes through the through holes 133 of the body 135, additional cooling occurs because the heat of the mainstream smoke M is used in the process of releasing nicotine from the tobacco medium 131 of the body 135.

On the other hand, according to this embodiment, the tobacco medium 131 is included in the cooling section 130, so that it is possible to prevent a sudden decrease in the amount of nicotine transferred during the latter half of smoking. That is, according to the aerosol product 100 of this embodiment, the tobacco medium 131 of the cooling section 130 provides additional nicotine, thereby making it possible to compensate for the decrease in the amount of nicotine transferred during the latter half of smoking.

Figure 10 shows the amount of nicotine transferred at each puff during the smoking process. The horizontal axis shows the order of puffs (e.g., first puff, second puff, etc.), and the vertical axis shows the relative amount of nicotine transferred to the user at each puff.

Overall, as the number of puffs increases during the smoking process, the amount of nicotine delivered initially increases, but once a certain number of puffs is reached, the amount of nicotine delivered thereafter decreases.

As shown in FIG. 10, when comparing a conventional aerosol product that does not include a tobacco medium in the cooling section 130 with the aerosol product according to this embodiment, the amount of nicotine transferred decreases from the fourth puff onwards in both cases.

However, in the latter half of smoking (after the fourth puff), the aerosol product according to this embodiment has a higher amount of nicotine transferred than the conventional aerosol product. That is, according to this embodiment, even in the latter half of smoking, the tobacco medium 131 contained in the cooling section 130 increases the amount of nicotine transferred compared to the conventional product, and sufficient nicotine can be provided to the user until the smoking is finished.

According to this embodiment, the tobacco medium 131 may be uniformly disposed in the cooling section 130. More specifically, the tobacco medium 131 is disposed at a uniform concentration along the length direction of the body 135 of the cooling section 130. That is, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling section 130 becomes constant from the tobacco medium section 110 to the filter section 150. Here, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 indicates the amount of the tobacco medium 131 contained inside the body 135 per unit length.

On the other hand, the tobacco medium 131 may be arranged non-uniformly in the cooling section 130. More specifically, as in the modified example of this embodiment shown in Figures 11 to 18, the tobacco medium 131 is arranged at a non-uniform concentration along the length direction of the body 135 of the cooling section 130.

Referring to Figures 11 and 12, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling section 130 is higher at the inlet side of the cooling section 130 adjacent to the tobacco medium section 110 than at other positions in the cooling section 130.

In FIG. 11, the tobacco medium 131 is disposed throughout the body 135 along the length of the body 135, but the tobacco medium 131 is disposed in a higher concentration at the inlet side of the cooling section 130. On the other hand, in FIG. 12, the tobacco medium 131 is disposed only at the inlet side of the cooling section 130, and the tobacco medium 131 is not disposed in the rest of the cooling section 130 excluding the inlet side.

Referring to Figures 13 and 14, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling section 130 is higher at the outlet side of the cooling section 130 adjacent to the filter section 150 than at other locations in the cooling section 130.

In FIG. 13, the tobacco medium 131 is disposed throughout the body 135 along the length of the body 135, but the tobacco medium 131 is disposed in a higher concentration at the outlet side of the cooling section 130. On the other hand, in FIG. 14, the tobacco medium 131 is disposed only at the outlet side of the cooling section 130, and the tobacco medium 131 is not disposed in the rest of the cooling section 130 excluding the outlet side.

Referring to FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling section 130 is higher in the central region of the cooling section 130 than in other positions of the cooling section 130. That is, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 is higher in the central region of the cooling section 130 than in both end regions of the cooling section 130.

In FIG. 15, the tobacco medium 131 is disposed throughout the body 135 along the length of the body 135, but the tobacco medium 131 is disposed at a higher concentration in the central region of the cooling section 130. That is, the tobacco medium 131 is disposed at a higher concentration in the central region between the inlet side and the outlet side of the cooling section 130. On the other hand, in FIG. 16, the tobacco medium 131 is disposed only in the central region, and the tobacco medium 131 is not disposed in the rest of the cooling section 130 except for the central region.

Referring to FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling section 130 is lower in the central region of the cooling section 130 than in other positions of the cooling section 130. That is, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 is lower in the central region of the cooling section 130 than in both side ends of the cooling section 130.

In FIG. 17, the tobacco medium 131 is disposed throughout the body 135 along the length of the body 135, but the tobacco medium 131 is disposed at a lower concentration in the central region of the cooling section 130. That is, the tobacco medium 131 is disposed at a lower concentration in the central region between the inlet side and the outlet side of the cooling section 130. On the other hand, in FIG. 18, the tobacco medium 131 is disposed only in both side end regions of the cooling section 130, and the tobacco medium 131 is not disposed in the central region.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the aerosol product 100 according to this embodiment can be packaged by a wrapper 170. The wrapper 170 can wrap the tobacco medium section 110, the cooling section 130, and the filter section 150 arranged in a row. In this way, when the wrapper 170 wraps the tobacco medium section 110, the cooling section 130, and the filter section 150, the aerosol product 100 can maintain its inherent cylindrical shape.

The wrapper 170 can encase the entire outer circumferential surfaces of the tobacco medium section 110, the cooling section 130, and the filter section 150.

The tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150 forming the aerosol product 100 according to this embodiment may each be individually wrapped in a separate wrapper (not shown). When the tobacco medium portion 110 includes multiple segments, each of the multiple segments may be wrapped in a separate wrapper, or the multiple segments may be wrapped in a single wrapper. In this way, when the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150 are individually wrapped, the individually wrapped tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150 may be rewrapped in the wrapper 170.

The wrapper 170 may have a number of openings (not shown) formed therein to allow outside air to flow into the aerosol product 100 or allow internal air to flow out. The openings may be formed at positions corresponding to the openings 160 of the cooling section 130.

The wrapper 170 may be made of a common wrapping paper. For example, the wrapper 170 may be a porous wrapping paper or a non-porous wrapping paper.

The wrapper 170 may include a specific material. Here, the specific material may be silicon, but is not necessarily limited to this. For example, silicon may have properties such as heat resistance, which is less susceptible to change with temperature, oxidation resistance, resistance to various chemicals, water repellency, and electrical insulation. However, any material having the above-mentioned properties, other than silicon, may be applied to the wrapper 170 without restrictions.

In addition, the wrapper 170 contains a non-flammable material, which can prevent the aerosol product 100 according to this embodiment from burning. For example, when the tobacco medium portion 110 is heated by the heating portion 370 of the aerosol generating device 300, the aerosol product 100 may burn. Specifically, when the temperature of any one of the substances contained in the tobacco medium portion 110 rises above the ignition point, the aerosol product 100 may burn.

The wrapper 170 can prevent the aerosol generating device 300 from being contaminated by the substance generated from the aerosol product 100 according to this embodiment. When smoking, a liquid substance may be generated within the aerosol product 100. For example, a liquid substance such as water is generated when the aerosol generated from the aerosol product 100 is cooled by the outside air.

The wrapper 170 wraps the tobacco medium section 110, the cooling section 130, and the filter section 150, thereby preventing the liquid substance generated within the aerosol product 100 from leaking outside the aerosol product 100. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inside of the aerosol generating device 300 from being contaminated by the liquid substance generated from the aerosol product 100.

Since the wrapper 170 forms the outermost surface of the aerosol product 100, the shape of the aerosol product 100 can be changed according to the shape of the wrapper 170. For example, the wrapper 170 may be printed with letters, patterns, symbols, images, etc., and since the letters, patterns, symbols, images, etc. printed on the wrapper 170 can be changed, the aerosol product 100 can provide different visual information.

The following describes an aerosol generating device into which an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is inserted.

Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device into which an aerosol product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is inserted.

Referring to FIG. 19, the aerosol generating device 300 according to this embodiment includes a heating unit 370, a power supply unit 330, a control unit 310, and an aerosol generating unit 350. Here, a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field related to this embodiment can understand that other general-purpose components may be further included in the aerosol generating device 300 in addition to the components shown in FIG. 19.

On the other hand, in FIG. 19, the power supply unit 330, the control unit 310, and the aerosol generating unit 350 are shown arranged in a line, but the arrangement of the power supply unit 330, the control unit 310, and the aerosol generating unit 350 may be changed as necessary. Also, in FIG. 20, the aerosol generating unit 350 is shown as being included, but the aerosol generating unit 350 may be omitted, and the aerosol product 100 may be operated only by being heated by the heating unit 370.

The aerosol product 100 may be inserted into the aerosol generating device 300. The aerosol product 100 may be inserted and fixed into the aerosol generating device 300 by a fixing means. In this embodiment, the tobacco medium portion 110 of the aerosol product 100 corresponds to the fixing means. However, other fixing means may be added in addition to the tobacco medium portion 110.

The heating unit 370 heats the aerosol product 100. The heating unit 370 is heated by the power supplied from the power supply unit 330, and the heating unit 370 transfers heat to the aerosol product 100.

The heating unit 370 may be an electrically resistive heater. The heating unit 370 may include an electrically conductive track, and the power source provided by the power source unit 330 may cause an electric current to flow through the electrically conductive track, thereby enabling the heating unit 370 to heat the aerosol product 100.

As another example, the heating unit 370 may be an induction heater. The heating unit 370 may include an electrically conductive coil for inductively heating the aerosol product 100, and the aerosol product 100 may include a susceptor that can be heated by the induction heater.

The heating unit 370 in FIG. 19 is illustrated as being disposed outside the aerosol product 100, but is not necessarily limited thereto. The heating unit 370 may include at least one of a tubular heating element, a plate-shaped heating element, a needle-shaped heating element, or a rod-shaped heating element, and may heat the inside or outside of the aerosol product 100, or may heat both the inside and the outside, depending on the shape of the at least one heating element included in the heating unit 370.

The power supply unit 330 supplies the power used by the aerosol generating device 300. For example, the power supply unit 330 supplies power to heat the heating unit 370, and supplies the power necessary for the operation of the control unit 310. The power supply unit 330 also supplies the power necessary for the operation of the display, sensors, motors, etc. of the aerosol generating device 300.

The control unit 310 controls the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 300. Specifically, the control unit 310 controls the operation of the power supply unit 330 and other components included in the aerosol generating unit 350. The control unit 310 can also check the state of each component of the aerosol generating device 300 to determine whether the aerosol generating device 300 is in an operable state.

The aerosol generating unit 350 heats the liquid composition to generate an aerosol, and the generated aerosol passes through the aerosol product 100 and is delivered to the user. In other words, the aerosol generated by the aerosol generating unit 350 flows into the tobacco medium unit 110 of the aerosol product 100.

The aerosol generating unit 350 includes, but is not limited to, a liquid storage unit, a liquid transfer means, and a heating element. For example, the liquid storage unit, the liquid transfer means, and the heating element may be included in the aerosol generating device 300 as independent modules.

The liquid storage unit can store a liquid composition. For example, the liquid composition may be a liquid containing a tobacco-containing substance that contains a volatile tobacco aroma component, or a liquid containing a non-tobacco substance. The liquid storage unit may be manufactured to be detachable, or may be manufactured as an integral part of the aerosol generating device 300.

When the aerosol generating unit 350 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure contains a liquid containing a non-tobacco substance, the liquid composition stored in the liquid storage unit included in the aerosol generating unit 350 may not contain nicotine, and the aerosol generated from the aerosol generating unit 350 flows into the tobacco medium unit 110 without containing nicotine. In this case, the aerosol that does not contain nicotine passes through the tobacco medium unit 110 and adsorbs nicotine, and the aerosol that has passed through the tobacco medium unit 110 contains nicotine.

The liquid composition contained in the aerosol generating unit 350 may include water, solvent, ethanol, plant extract, fragrance, flavoring agent, or vitamin mixture. The fragrance may include, but is not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, various fruit fragrance components, etc. The flavoring agent includes components that can provide various flavors or tastes to the user. The vitamin mixture may include, but is not limited to, at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E. The liquid composition may also include an aerosol forming agent such as glycerin and propylene glycol.

Although one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, a person having ordinary skill in the art would understand that the present disclosure can be modified and altered in various ways, such as by adding, changing, deleting or adding components, without departing from the concept of the present disclosure described in the claims, and that this also falls within the scope of the rights of the present disclosure.

Claims (14)

A tobacco medium portion;
a filter portion spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion;
a tubular cooling section disposed between the tobacco medium section and the filter section;
The aerosol production article, wherein the tubular cooling section includes a wall containing a tobacco medium. The aerosol product of claim 1, wherein the tobacco medium is uniformly distributed within the tubular cooling section along the length of the tubular cooling section. The aerosol product of claim 1, wherein the tobacco medium is non-uniformly positioned within the tubular cooling section along the length of the tubular cooling section. The aerosol product of claim 3, wherein the concentration of the tobacco medium in the tubular cooling section is greater on an inlet side of the tubular cooling section adjacent to the tobacco medium section than on an outlet side of the tubular cooling section adjacent to the filter section. The aerosol product of claim 3, wherein the concentration of the tobacco medium in the tubular cooling section is lower on an inlet side of the tubular cooling section adjacent to the tobacco medium section than on an outlet side of the tubular cooling section adjacent to the filter section. The aerosol product of claim 3, wherein the central region of the tubular cooling section has a higher concentration of the tobacco medium than both end regions of the tubular cooling section. The aerosol product of claim 3, wherein the central region of the tubular cooling section has a lower concentration of the tobacco medium than both end regions of the cooling section. The aerosol product of claim 1, wherein the tubular cooling section comprises cellulose acetate tow. The aerosol product of claim 8, wherein the cellulose acetate tow is 3 to 20 denier. The aerosol product according to claim 1, further comprising a flavoring substance inside the wall that constitutes the cooling section. The aerosol product of claim 1, wherein the tobacco medium in the tubular cooling section is in granular form. the tobacco medium portion comprises a tobacco medium in granular form;
12. The aerosol product of claim 11, wherein the granules in the tobacco medium section are larger than the granules in the tubular cooling section. The aerosol product of claim 1, wherein the tobacco medium portion includes a plurality of segments. The aerosol product of claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of segments comprises a tobacco medium.