MXPA00008597A - A smoking device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a smoking device where heated air forms an aerosol which is conveyed to a user without significant burning or combustion of the aerosol supported substrate.

Description

DEVICE FOR SMOKING FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for smoking.

In particular, the invention relates to a smoking device that generates an aerosol in response to hot air.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Smoking has been a common pastime in many cultures probably for hundreds of years. Conventionally, the action of smoking has been carried out using various devices that involve the combustion of tobacco, such as cigars, cigars and pipes. The combustion of tobacco produces smoke, which is transmitted to a user. In the case of pipes and cigars, the smoke is typically not inhaled by the user, but in the case of cigars, the smoke is inhaled. The flavors included in the smoke caused by the combustion of tobacco produce a pleasant effect on the user. Several attempts have been made to produce a smoking device that is not tobacco based. Many of these devices are adapted to look like conventional smoking items such as cigars. An example is the simulated smoking device taught in the U.S. patent. No. 4,284,089 to Ray. The simulated smoking device includes a container having an internal source of nicotine. The nicotine source does not completely fill the air passage of the container. In this way, a restricted region of the air passage is created within the nicotine source. After a user applies suction at one end of the container, the pressure is reduced in the restricted portion of the passage, which causes the nicotine to be released from the nicotine source and enter the passing air. In another device, shown in European Patent No. 0 198 268 to Ellis et al., Another smoking device is described, which includes a housing for receiving a conventional cigarette at one end and a mouth piece at the other end for supplying cigar smoke to the user. Located between the mouth piece and the conventional cigarette is a nicotine assortment unit.

Furthermore, other devices have been developed as an alternative to conventional smoking articles. These articles generally attempt to simulate conventional cigars without the combustion of tobacco products. For example, many devices include an internal aerosol forming material that is heated through an internal heating element. The heating simulates the production of a tasty spray to be supplied to the user of the device. The internal heating element has conventionally been either a carbonaceous fuel element or an electrochemical heat source such as combinations of metal oxide, anhydrous metal sulfide, metal sulfate, inorganic salt and sugar, which generate heat upon contact with Water. In these devices, the cigar is not capable of being reused. Once the carbonaceous fuel element is ignited, it continues to burn only until all the fuel in the element is consumed. The ignited fuel element is very difficult to extinguish, either with water or with other means for extinguishing. If it is based on an electrochemical reaction, there is also a difficulty in stopping the reaction, which only ends when all the reagents are consumed. Other devices include an electrical heating element to simulate an aerosol forming substance. Although these are capable of being switched off between puffs, the electric heating element requires a battery, which is uncomfortable. It may be desirable to provide an article that closely simulates a conventional cigarette but that does not require the burning of the tobacco and that may also be reused. There is also a need for an article where the time for individual puffs is determined by the user, and not controlled by the time or type of reaction. In addition it may be desirable to minimize, if not eliminate, the combustion of by-products from the substrate, while the heating air is drawn through the device.

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a smoking device (article) delivers an aerosol to a user through air at an elevated temperature which passes through the article to make contact with an aerosol forming component, without burning or combustion significant of the substrate. The article includes a hollow tube defining an air passage extending between a heating end and a user end (mouth) of the tube. The tube is resistant to burning after the application of a flame or any other suitable heating element. An aerosol forming substrate fills and is positioned within the passage so that the substrate is depressed from the heating end of the tube. As a result, an air gap of a predetermined length is defined between the distal end of the substrate and the heating end of the tube to supply hot gases from the heat source, for example, the flame, to the substrate without the ignition of the substrate. The hot gases form and transport the aerosol, which is typically flavored, towards the mouth end of the tube after applying suction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages described above and the dominant aspects of the present invention will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates an article according to the present invention. Figure 2 illustrates an article having both an internal filter and an aerosol forming substrate. Figure 3 illustrates an article according to the present invention having an aerosol forming substrate and an internal filter partially positioned. Figure 4 illustrates an article according to the present invention, including a heat diffuser. Figure 5 illustrates an article according to the present invention, including a heat diffuser in the form of a perforated diffuser tube. Figures 6A and 6B illustrate a housing for the article of the present invention. Figure 7 illustrates the operation of the present invention by a user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 illustrates an article 10 that includes a tube 12 surrounding an aerosol forming substrate 14. As used herein, the aerosol forming substrate 14 is a substrate that contains an aerosol forming component. The tube 12 is hollow and defines an air passage between a heating end 18 and a user / mouth end 20. the tube 12 is heat resistant and will not burn after applying a flame 21 to the heating end 18. Suitable materials for use as tube 12 will be set forth in more detail below. The aerosol forming substrate 14 is placed inside the tube to fill the inner diameter of the tube. In addition, the aerosol forming substrate 14 is placed inside the tube, so that its distal end 15 is depressed from the heating end 18 of the tube 12. The tube has an internal diameter "d" of between 3 and 16 mm. The gap 16 is of sufficient length to avoid direct contact of a flame with the distal end of the aerosol supported substrate. The distal end of the substrate 14 is preferably depressed from the heating end of the tube at a distance between 2 and 10 times the diameter "d" of the gap. Therefore, the gap is at least 6 mm. This forms an air gap or conduit 16 between the heating end 18 and the distal end of the substrate 14. The air conduit 16 provides a path for the hot gases to enter article 10 from the flame 21 to heat the substrate. 14 without substantial ignition or burning of the substrate 14. the aerosol forming substrate is an air transmitter, thereby creating an air transmission path from the mouth end 20 of the tube 12 to the heating end 18. The substrate aerosol formation 14 also contributes an aerosol to the hot air so that it passes through it. During the use of article 10, as seen in Figure 7, a user applies a flame 21 to the heating end 18 of the pipe 12. This causes hot air and hot gases, from the flame 21, to enter the air duct 16 inside the pipe 12 , when the user applies suction with his mouth at the mouth end 20 of the tube 12. This causes the hot gases produced by the flame 21 to enter the air passage inside the tube 12. As the user applies a suction, the Hot gases travel through the aerosol forming substrate 14, which delivers an aerosol to the hot gases. Then, the hot air with the aerosol passes to the user's mouth producing a pleasant effect. The air duct 16 typically has a length of approximately two centimeters and preferably between two and six centimeters in length. The length of the gap is selected in order to transport the hot gases from the flame 21 to the substrate 14 without burning or substantial ignition of the substrate 14. The length of the air duct 16, in order to achieve this objective, depends on the diameter of the tube 12. Two to six centimeters are preferred for a tube of conventional dimensions of the cigar. If the diameter of the tube 12 is different, the distal end 15 can be depressed more or less than the previous scale, in order to preserve the aspect ratio between the length of the depression and the diameter of the tube 12. The forming substrate in aerosol 14 is composed of a support material having one or more substances that can be distilled impregnated therein. Suitable support materials include virtually anything that is porous enough to transmit air and sufficiently absorbent to retain the substances that can be distilled. Preferred support materials include a fibrous cellulosic material such as paper, cotton, wood pulp and combinations thereof. In addition, the support material can be reconstituted tobacco or tobacco, carbonized cellulosic material, metal wool, ceramic wool and porous ceramic. In addition, polymeric materials having sufficient porosity and absorbency can be used. Substances that can be distilled to imbibe in the support material are selected to provide a pleasant feeling to the user. The substances that can be distilled should be volatilized in response to heating by the hot gases of the flame 21. Suitable distillable substances include water, polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin, propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, glycerol triacetate, glycol diacetate. triethylene and combinations thereof. Other examples are tobacco extract, tobacco pyrolysatides, aliphatic esters of mono-, di- or polycarboxylic acids, such as methyl stearate, dimethyl dodecandioate, dimethyl tetradecanedioate, and mixtures thereof. In addition, flavors can be added to the substances that can be distilled to produce a desired flavor effect. Examples of flavors include cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, waxes, oils and combinations thereof. In addition, a menthol flavor can be added to simulate sensations produced by conventional menthol cigars. The substances that can be distilled can be impregnated in the support material by immersing the support material in a mixture of substances that can be distilled or by spraying the substances that can be distilled onto the support material. Alternatively, the mixture of the substance that can be distilled can be forced into the support material under pressure. The aerosol forming substrate 14 can be inserted into a preformed tube 12, or the tube 12 can be wrapped around the aerosol forming substrate 14, or the substrate 14 can be wrapped in a combustion-resistant envelope and the resulting article it is inserted into the tube 12. The tube 12 remains without fuel after the application of a flame or at least it is not easily ignited. The materials suitable for tube 12 are ceramic, magnesite, metal, paper, cardboard, reconstituted tobacco, wood, bamboo, glass, metal sheet, and combinations thereof. Any of the aforementioned materials can be treated to prevent combustion. Chemical treatments to reduce the propensity to combustion are well known in the art. In addition, suitable plastics such as Bakelite can be used for the tube 12. The tube 12 can be formed in any convenient form such as, for example, conventional injection, extrusion and molding blow molding. When the tube is preformed, the aerosol forming substrate 14 is typically inserted into the tube 12 formed. Alternatively, the tube 14 can be formed from a flat member or sheet, for example, a piece of chemically treated paper. When the article 10 is made using a sheet for the material of the tube 12, the sheet is typically wound around the aerosol forming substrate 14 during manufacture. Although the particular examples have been established to form the article 10, it will be understood that any convenient method for the manufacture of the article 10 can be used. For example, the tube 12 can be made from a group of composite materials. In addition, the tube 12 may be integral or monolithic, or may include a plurality of sections or may be layered. Figure 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention, wherein the article 10 further comprises a filter 22. The filter 22 is disposed between the aerosol forming substrate 14 and the mouth end 20 of the tube 12. The filter 22 can simply be Give article 10 a more similar appearance with a conventional cigar. Alternatively, the filter 22 can perform a useful filtration function of the gas supplied to the user. Figure 3 illustrates another embodiment of article 10 wherein the filter 22 is partially inside the mouth end 20 of the tube 12 and partially outside. In this configuration, a user can hold the filter to facilitate removal. This design also limits the insertion depth of the article and controls the gap better. In yet another embodiment, shown in Figure 4, a heat diffuser 24 is inserted into the air duct between the distal end of the aerosol forming substrate 14 and the heating end 18. The heating diffuser serves to supply the gases hot from the flame 21 to the aerosol forming substrate 14 through holes contained within the diffuser 24. In addition, the heat diffuser 24 blocks contact of the flame with the aerosol forming substrate 14 after applying suction on mouth end 20 by the user. This facilitates the prevention of ignition and substantial burning of the aerosol forming substrate 14. The heat diffuser 24 can also be treated with a catalyst to transport the carbon monoxide to the carbon dioxide. The heating diffuser 24 can also be treated with other catalysts to remove certain hydrocarbons produced by various types of flames and heating elements. The flame 21 can be produced, for example, through a match, a butane lighter, or a gaseous lighter, incorporating any type of gas for controlled combustion. It is also within the scope of the invention to permanently or removably attach the lighter to the end of the tube 10. Conversely, a non-flaming heating element can be used to introduce the hot gases into the tube 12. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the heat diffuser 24 is a wire cloth. Figure 5 illustrates another alternative embodiment of the invention, wherein the heat diffuser is in the form of a perforated, hollow diffuser tube 26. The perforated, hollow diffuser tube 26 is inserted into the aerosol forming substrate 14 said diffuser tube facilitates the transmission of the hot gases from the flame 21 towards the larger surface area of the aerosol forming substrate 14., the diffuser tube can reduce the pressure drop through the aerosol forming substrate 14, thus making it easier for a user to suction the gases from the heating end 18 towards the mouth end 20. In this configuration, the close end of the diffuser tube 26, which is adjacent to mouth end 20 of tube 12 does not extend completely beyond the aerosol forming substrate 14. Therefore, there is no direct path for air at the heating end 18 to arrive at the mouth end 20 without going through the aerosol generation substrate 14. As indicated above, the filter 22 may or may not be used. When the filter 22 is used, it typically abuts the near end of the aerosol forming substrate 14 toward one end. When not in use, the near end of the aerosol forming substrate 14 is almost coincident with the mouth end of the tube 12. In Figures 6A and 6B, the article 10 includes a tube 100 having a thickness 102, an internal diameter 104. which also includes openings 106 and an outlet 108. The user of the openings 106 ensures proper use of the article. If the user does not place the load in the tube 100 to form the distal gap (gap 16 in Figure 1), the air will be drawn into the support through the holes 106 instead of the end 112 of the holder 100. the tube 100 it is also provided with a cut 104, which allows easy removal of a substrate carrying a filter. Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described, those skilled in the art will understand that changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the article has the dimensions of a conventional cigar. However, the dimensions, including the diameter, length and shape of the tube, can be changed without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (16)

1. - An article for supplying an aerosol to a user, comprising: a hollow tube defining an air passage between the heat receiving end and a mouth end thereof, the tube being resistant to burning after applying a flame; and a substrate containing an aerosol forming component, said substrate having a distal end and placed inside the tube, the distal end being spaced from the heat receiving end to form a continuous air gap of sufficient length to prevent combustion of said substance when the flame is disposed adjacent to the heat receiving end.

2. The article according to claim 1, wherein the tube is substantially non-porous.

3. The article according to claim 1, wherein the tube is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of ceramic, metals, papers, cartons, reconstituted tobacco, wood, bamboo, glass, bakelite, and leaves. metallic and combinations thereof.

4. The article according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a support material having at least one substance, which can be distilled, impregnated therein.

5. The article according to claim 4, wherein the support material is selected from the group consisting of tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, fibrous cellulosic material, carbonized cellulosic material, metallic wood, ceramic wool and porous ceramic.

6. - The article according to claim 5, wherein the fibrous cellulosic material is selected from the group consisting of paper, cotton, and wood pulp, and combinations thereof.

7. - The article according to claim 4, wherein at least one substance that can be distilled is selected from the group consisting of glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, triethylene glycol diacetate, tobacco extract, tobacco pyrolysates, butter of cocoa, chocolate liquor, wax and oil and combinations thereof.

8. The article according to claim 1, further comprising: a division arranged within the air gap of the tube, the division having a plurality of holes that allow the transmission of hot gases and block the flame.

9. The article according to claim 8, wherein the division comprises a metal network.

10. The article according to claim 8, wherein the division includes a catalyst to promote the oxidation of carbon monoxide.

11. The article according to claim 8, wherein the division is substantially tubular and has a back portion embedded within the aerosol forming material.

12. The article according to claim 1, further comprising: a filter that is disposed within the air passage between the mouth end and the tube and the aerosol forming substrate.

13. The article according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol forming substrate has a near end adjacent to the mouth end of the tube, further comprising: a filter that is disposed within the air passage adjacent to the near end of the aerosol formation substrate.

14. The article according to claim 13, wherein the filter abuts the near end of the aerosol forming substrate.

15. The article according to claim 1, further including a matching fluid hydrocarbon heater associated with the far end of the tube.

16. The article according to claim 1, further including a diffuser positioned between and separated from a distal end of said substrate and said tube.