TW202103587A - Smoking substitute consumable - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a HNB consumable comprising an aerosol-forming substrate (e.g. tobacco) dosed with a coating of flavourant.

Description

Smoking alternative supplies

The present disclosure is related to consumables used in smoking replacement systems and, in detail (but not exclusively), is related to heat-not-burn (HNB) consumables.

During the manufacturing process of tobacco products (such as cigarettes), tobacco waste is generated. Tobacco waste is generally in the form of tobacco ash, leaves, or stems. Tobacco waste can be collected and processed to provide so-called reconstituted tobacco or "recon".

Two different methods are most commonly used to manufacture reconstituted tobacco. These methods are: 1) the papermaking process (used to provide "paper reconstituted material"), and ii) slurry casting (used to provide "slurry type reconstituted material").物"). The products produced by these different processes have significantly different properties and characteristics. For example, pulp-type reorganizations generally have improved aroma/flavor and nicotine content compared to paper reorganizations, but pulp-type reorganizations are generally easier to break and generally have poorer quality uniformity.

When the slurry is cast, the tobacco waste is ground into a fine powder, mixed with an aqueous solvent (usually water) and combined with a binder. The resulting slurry can be subjected to further grinding to further reduce the particle size of the tobacco material. The slurry is then cast on one surface and dried to form a sheet. The dried sheet can be shredded for use in various tobacco products, for example as cigarette filler.

In the papermaking process, the tobacco waste is mashed in the presence of an aqueous solvent to digest and process the tobacco into processable fibers. Subsequently, the water-soluble compounds present in the tobacco are extracted into the aqueous solvent. Separate the aqueous extract and the insoluble fibrous part. The separated fibrous portion (which can also be described as "pulp") undergoes further processing through a typical papermaking process to form a base sheet. The aqueous extract is concentrated and then reapplied to the base sheet. The base sheet is then dried to form paper.

It is generally believed that smoking grass exposes smokers to potentially harmful substances. It is generally believed that a large number of potentially harmful substances are generated by the heat caused by the combustion and/or ignition of tobacco components burned in the tobacco and tobacco smoke itself.

Conventional flammable smoking articles (such as cigarettes) generally include cylindrical tobacco rods and usually also include cylindrical filters. The cylindrical tobacco rods include shredded tobacco surrounded by wrapping paper, and the filter is in shape with the wrapped tobacco rod. Aligned axially in abutting relationship. Filters generally include filter material enclosed by a plug sleeve. The wrapped tobacco rod and the filter are joined together by a wrapped tipping paper tape, which wraps around the entire length of the filter and adjacent parts of the wrapped tobacco rod. This conventional cigarette is used by igniting the end opposite to the filter and burning the tobacco rod. Smokers receive mainstream smoke into their mouths by smoking at the mouth end or filter end of the cigarette. The ignition of organic materials (such as tobacco) is known to produce tar and other potentially harmful by-products. Various smoking alternative systems (or "alternative smoking systems") have been proposed to avoid smoking grass.

Such smoking replacement systems can form part of nicotine replacement therapy, which is aimed at people who want to stop smoking and overcome their dependence on nicotine.

Smoking replacement systems include electronic systems that allow users to simulate smoking by generating smoke (also called "vapor"), which is drawn into the lungs through the mouth (inhalation) and then exhaled. Inhaled smoke generally contains nicotine and/or flavors, which have no or less odor and health risks associated with traditional smoking.

Generally speaking, the smoking substitution system aims to provide alternatives to smoking rituals, while at the same time providing similar experiences to users and providing satisfaction to those who have experience in traditional smoking and flammable tobacco products. Some smoking replacement systems use smoking replacement products that are designed to resemble traditional cigarettes and are in the form of a cylinder with a mouthpiece at one end.

In the past few years, the popularization and use of smoking alternative systems has rapidly emerged. Although originally marketed as an aid to habitual smokers who wish to quit smoking, consumers increasingly regard the smoking alternative system as a desirable lifestyle accessory.

There are many different types of smoking replacement systems, each using a different method of smoking replacement.

One method used for smoking alternative systems is the so-called "heat-not-burn" ("HNB") method, in which tobacco (rather than "e-liquid") is heated or warmed to release vapor. Tobacco can be tobacco leaf or reconstituted tobacco. The vapor may contain nicotine and/or flavoring agents. In the HNB method, the intention is that the tobacco is heated but not burned, that is, the tobacco does not experience ignition.

A typical HNB smoking replacement system can include equipment and consumables. The consumable may include tobacco material. The equipment and consumables can be configured to be physically coupled together. When in use, the heating member of the device can be used to impart heat to the tobacco material, wherein the air flow through the tobacco material causes the moisture in the tobacco material to be released as vapor. The vapor may also be formed by a carrier in the tobacco material and additional volatile compounds released from the tobacco (the carrier may, for example, include propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerin). The released vapor can be entrained in the air stream drawn through the tobacco.

As the vapor passes through the consumable (entrained in the air stream) from the inlet to the mouthpiece (outlet), the vapor cools and condenses to form smoke for inhalation by the user. Smoke will usually contain volatile compounds.

In the HNB smoking replacement system, it is believed that heating rather than burning tobacco material results in fewer or smaller amounts of the more harmful compounds that are usually produced during smoking. Thus, the HNB method can reduce the odor and/or health risks that may be caused by the combustion, ignition, and pyrolysis deterioration of tobacco.

There is a need to improve the design of HNB consumables to enhance the user experience and improve the function of the HNB smoking replacement system.

This disclosure is designed in view of the above considerations.

In the broadest sense, the present disclosure is related to an aerosol-forming article (such as a HNB consumable) that has an increased concentration of volatile compounds.

According to the first aspect, the present invention provides an aerosol-forming product (for example, a HNB consumable), the aerosol-forming product includes: an aerosol-forming substrate coated with a flavoring agent, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate is a slurry-type reorganization Plant material, and the content of the flavoring material is as high as 20 weight percent of the aerosol-forming substrate.

Compared with the papermaking process, the designation of "slurry type" corresponds to the reconstituted plant material produced by slurry casting.

By using a fume-forming substrate with a flavoring coating (which will itself include volatile compounds), the amount/concentration of volatile compounds can be increased to provide vapor/smoke containing higher concentrations of volatile compounds for use By. This can provide the user with enhanced recreational and/or medical effects during inhalation. In detail, the user experiences an enhanced flavor. Also, the coating provides uniform application of the flavoring to the aerosol-forming substrate, thus providing a more consistent experience to the user.

The optional features will now be listed. These features are applicable individually or in any combination with any aspect.

The aerosol-forming article is preferably a heat-not-burn (HNB) consumable.

The aerosol-forming substrate can be heated to release at least one volatile compound that can form aerosol. The aerosol-forming substrate may be located at the upstream end of the article/consumable.

As used herein, the terms "upstream" and "downstream" are intended to refer to the direction of vapor/mist flow, that is, the downstream end of the product/consumable is the mouth end or the end of the smoke leaving the product/consumable for inhalation by the user The direction of flow in the case of an exit. The upstream end of the product/consumable is the opposite end of the downstream end.

In order to generate aerosol, the aerosol-forming substrate includes at least one volatile compound which is intended to be vaporized/atomized and can provide leisure and/or medical effects to the user when inhaled. Suitable chemical and/or physiologically active volatile compounds include the group consisting of: nicotine, cocaine, caffeine, opiates and opioids, norpseudoephedrine and cathinone, carfalactone , Myristyl ether, β-carboline alkaloid, salvinorin A (salvinorin A), and any combination of the foregoing items, functional equivalents, and/or synthetic substitutes.

In some embodiments, the flavoring is a non-tobacco flavoring. Advantageously, because the present invention mainly aims to provide alternative smoking consumables, non-tobacco flavors are used to provide users with unconventional flavors that are generally not experienced. Therefore, a changed and enhanced user experience is provided.

The aerosol-forming substrate includes plant material. The plant material may include at least one plant material selected from the list including the following items: Amaranthus dubius , Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (bearberry), Argemone mexicana , Amica , Artemisia vulgaris , Yellow Tees, Galea zacatechichi , Canavalia maritima (garan beans) , Cecropia mexicana (Guamura), Cestrum noctumum, Cynoglossum virginianum ( wild comfrey), Cytisus scoparius, Damiana, Entada rheedii, Eschscholzia califomica ( Hualing grass), Fittonia albivenis, Hippobroma longiflora, Humulus japonica ( Japanese hops), Humulus lupulus (hops), Lactuca virosa (poison lettuce), Laggera alata, Leonotis leonurus, Leonurus cardiaca ( motherwort), Leonurus sibiricus (honey grass (Honeyweed)), Lobelia cardinalis, Lobelia inflata ( Indian tobacco), Lobelia siphilitica, Nepeta cataria (Nepeta), Nicotiana species (tobacco), Nymphaea alba (white lily), Nymphaea caerulea (blue lily), poppy, Passiflora incamata ( passiflora) Pedicularis densiflora (Indian warrior) Pedicularis groenlandica (elephant head), Salvia divinorum , Salvia dorrii (tobacco sage), Salvia species (sage), Scutellaria galericulata , Scutellaria lateriflora , Scutellaria nana , Scutellaria species, Sida acuta (wire grass), Sida rhomb ifolia , Silene capensis , Syzygium aromaticum (Clove), Tagetes lucida (Mexican tarragon), Tarchonanthus camphoratus , Tumera diffusa (Mexican beet), Verbascum (Mulbascum), Zamia latifolia (Maconha Brava), and the aforementioned items Any combination, functional equivalent, and/or synthetic substitute.

Preferably, the plant material is tobacco. Any type of tobacco can be used. This includes but is not limited to flue-cured tobacco, burley tobacco, Maryland tobacco, dark-cured tobacco, oriental tobacco, dark-cured tobacco, perique tobacco, and yellow flower tobacco. This also includes blends of the aforementioned tobaccos.

Any suitable part of the tobacco plant can be used. This includes leaves, stems, roots, bark, seeds, and flowers.

Tobacco may include one or more of the following items: leaf tobacco, stem tobacco, tobacco powder, tobacco dust, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, homogenized tobacco, shredded tobacco, extruded tobacco, shredded tobacco, and/or reconstituted Tobacco (such as pulp restructuring or paper restructuring).

The aerosol-forming substrate may include agglomerated pieces of homogenized slurry reconstituted tobacco or agglomerated fragments/strips formed from such sheets.

In some embodiments, the sheet used to form the aerosol-forming substrate has a ^{grammage per square meter greater than or equal to 100 g/m 2} , such as greater than or equal to 110 g/m ² , such as greater than or equal to 120 g/m ² .

The sheet may have a grammage per square meter less than or equal to 300 g/m ² , for example, less than or equal to 250 g/m ² or less than or equal to 200 g/m ² .

The sheet may have a grammage per square meter between 120 and 190 g/m ^2.

In some embodiments, the sheet used to form the aerosol-forming substrate has a density of ^{less than 1100 mg/cm 3} , preferably less than 1000 mg/cm ³ , and more preferably less than 900 mg/cm ^3.

In some embodiments, the sheet used to form the aerosol-forming substrate has a thickness of less than mg/mm ² , preferably less than 0.085 mg/mm ² , preferably less than 0.08 mg/mm ² , and more preferably less than 0.075 mg/mm ² quality/surface area.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-forming substrate may have a thickness of less than about 1 mm, preferably less than about 0.5 mm, preferably between about 0.1 and 0.3 mm (eg, about 0.2 mm).

The aerosol-forming substrate may include at least 50 weight percent plant material, such as at least 60 weight percent plant material, such as about 65 weight percent plant material. The aerosol-forming substrate may include 80 weight percent or less plant material, for example 75 or 70 weight percent or less plant material.

The aerosol-forming substrate may include one or more additives selected from the group consisting of humectants, fillers, aqueous/non-aqueous solvents, and binders.

Humectants are provided as vapor generators-the generated vapor helps to carry volatile active compounds and increase the visible vapor. Suitable humectants include polyols (such as propylene glycol (PG), triethylene glycol, 1,2-butanediol, and vegetable glycerin (VG)) and their esters (such as glycerol monoacetate, glycerol diacetate, or Glyceryl triacetate). They can be present in the aerosol-forming substrate in an amount between 1 and 50 weight percent.

The humectant content of the aerosol-forming substrate may have a lower limit of at least 1 weight percent of the plant material, such as at least 2 weight percent, such as at least 5 weight percent, such as at least 10 weight percent, such as at least 20 weight percent, such as at least 30 weight percent, Or, for example, at least 40 weight percent.

The humectant content of the aerosol-forming substrate may have an upper limit of up to 50 weight percent of the plant material, such as up to 40 weight percent, such as up to 30 weight percent, or for example, up to 20 weight percent.

Preferably, the content of the humectant is 1 to 40 weight percent of the aerosol-forming substrate, for example, 1 to 20 weight percent.

Suitable adhesives are known in the art and can be used to bond the aerosol-forming substrate-forming ingredients together. Binders can include starch and/or cellulose binders (such as methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and carboxymethyl cellulose), gums (such as xanthan gum) , Guar gum, acacia gum, and/or carob gum), organic acids, and their salts (such as alginic acid/sodium alginate, agar, and pectin).

Preferably, the binder content is 5 to 20 weight percent of the aerosol-forming substrate, for example, about 6 to 8 weight percent. The upper limit of the binder is preferably up to 15% by weight, for example up to 10% by weight. Preferably, the binder content is greater than 5 weight percent.

Suitable fillers are known in the art and can be used to strengthen the aerosol forming substrate. Fillers may include fibrous (non-tobacco) fillers, such as cellulose fibers, lignocellulosic fibers (such as wood fibers), jute fibers, and combinations of the foregoing.

Preferably, the filler content is 5 to 10 weight percent of the aerosol-forming substrate, for example about 6 to 9 weight percent.

The aerosol-forming substrate may include aqueous and/or non-aqueous solvents. In some embodiments, the aerosol-forming substrate has a water content between 5 and 10 weight percent (eg, between 6-9 weight percent, such as between 7-9 weight percent).

The seasoning can be provided in solid or liquid form. It may include menthol, peppermint, spearmint, licorice, chocolate, fruit flavors (including, for example, citrus, cherry, etc.), vanilla, spices (for example, ginger, cinnamon), coffee, eucalyptus, and tobacco flavors. The flavoring can be uniformly dispersed on the aerosol-forming substrate as a coating, or can be provided as a coating in isolated locations and/or on the aerosol-forming substrate in varying concentrations. Preferably, the flavoring is uniformly dispersed on the aerosol-forming substrate as a coating.

The flavoring is provided as a coating on the aerosol forming article. Such coatings are provided on the aerosol-forming articles by surface coating of liquids including flavorings. For example, it is applied by brushing, spraying, or immersing in a liquid. Preferably, the coating is uniform across the surface of the aerosol-forming article.

In a preferred embodiment, a coating is provided to a slurry-type reconstituted plant material sheet, and the aerosol-forming product is formed from the slurry-type reconstituted plant material sheet. The coating can be provided to the two main faces of the sheet or only to one main face of the sheet. In a preferred embodiment, the coating is provided on the pulp-type reconstituted plant material sheet before separating (for example by chopping or cutting) the sheet to form an aerosol-forming product. In some embodiments, the coating is substantially continuous across the surface of the sheet or aerosol forming article when applied.

Although the coating is applied to the surface of the aerosol-forming article, in some cases, the flavoring also penetrates into the surface layer of the aerosol-forming article. Preferably, the flavoring is only present in the surface layer of the aerosol-forming product, that is, not in the entire aerosol-forming product. Advantageously, it has been found that these seasonings are what the user wants, and a "hit" with a satisfactory flavor is also provided to the user. In addition, a changed and enhanced flavor experience has also been achieved.

The added flavoring content of the aerosol-forming substrate may have at least 0.1 weight percent (e.g., at least 0.5 weight percent, such as at least 1 weight percent, such as at least 2 weight percent, such as at least 5 weight percent, such as at least 10% by weight, for example at least 15% by weight).

The added flavoring content of the aerosol-forming substrate may have an upper limit of up to 20 weight percent (for example, up to 15 weight percent, for example, up to 10 weight percent) of the aerosol-forming substrate.

Preferably, the concentration of the seasoning is 0.1 to 15 weight percent. Still more preferred is a flavoring concentration of 0.1 to 5 weight percent of the aerosol-forming substrate.

Preferably, the flavoring is menthol.

It is further preferred that the flavoring is synthetically derived menthol. Advantageously, this source of menthol is not naturally derived. Generally, naturally-derived menthol is provided in the form of mint or mint extract. Thus, the use of synthetic menthol eliminates the presence of undesirable ingredients present in mint or mint extract.

The aerosol-forming substrate can be formed in a substantially cylindrical shape so that the product/consumable is similar to a conventional cigarette. It may have a diameter between 5 and 10 mm (for example between 6 and 9 mm or between 6 and 8 mm, for example about 7 mm). It may have an axial length between 10 and 15 mm (for example between 11 and 14 mm, for example about 12 or 13 mm).

The aerosol-forming substrate can be surrounded by a wrapper (such as a paper wrapper). The wrapping layer may cover the inner foil layer, or may include a paper/foil laminate structure (where the foil is the innermost).

The article/consumable may include at least one filter member. There may be a terminal filtering member at the downstream/oral end of the article/consumable. There may be a plurality of filter members (for example, a terminal filter member and an upstream filter member), and the plurality of filter members may be adjacent to each other or may be spaced apart. Any upstream filter element may be at least partially (for example completely) surrounded by a (paper) wrapper.

The filter member or at least one of the filter members (for example, the terminal filter member and/or the upstream filter member) may include cellulose acetate fiber bundles. The filter member or at least one of the filter members (for example, the terminal filter member and/or the upstream filter member) may include activated carbon. The filter member or at least one of the filter members (for example, the terminal filter member and/or the upstream filter member) may include paper. The filter member or at least one of the filter members (such as a terminal filter member and/or an upstream filter member) may include plant material, such as extruded plant material. The or each filter member may be bound with a plug sleeve (for example, a paper plug sleeve).

The or each filter member may have a substantially cylindrical shape, where the diameter substantially matches the diameter of the aerosol-forming substrate (with or without its associated wrapper). The axial length of the or each filter member may be less than 20 mm, such as between 8 and 15 mm, such as between 9 and 13 mm, such as between 10 and 12 mm.

The filter member or at least one of the filter members may be a solid filter member. The filter member or at least one of the filter members may be a hollow cavity filter member. The hollow cavity filter or each hollow cavity filter member may have a cavity diameter between 1 and 5 mm, for example between 2 and 4 mm or between 2 and 3 mm.

The final filter component (located at the downstream end of the product/consumable) can be joined to the upstream component forming the product/consumable by wrapping the tipping layer (such as a tipping paper layer). The tipping paper may have an axial length that is longer than the axial length of the terminal filter member, so that the tipping paper completely encloses the terminal filter member plus a wrapping layer surrounding any adjacent upstream members.

The filter member or at least one of the filter members (such as the terminal filter member) may include a capsule (such as a crushable capsule (crush ball)) that contains a liquid flavoring (such as those listed above) Any of the seasonings). The capsule can be crushed by the user during the smoking of the product/consumable to release the flavoring. The capsule may be located at the axial center of the terminal filter member.

In some embodiments, the article/consumable may include an aerosol cooling member that is adapted to cool the aerosol generated by the aerosol-forming substrate (generated by heat exchange) before being inhaled by the user.

The aerosol cooling member will be located downstream of the aerosol forming substrate. For example, it may be located between the aerosol-forming substrate and the upstream filter member and/or between the two filter members. The smoke cooling member may be at least partially (for example completely) surrounded by a (paper) wrapper.

The smoke cooling member can be formed of plastic materials selected from the group consisting of the following items: polylactic acid (PLA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) ). The smoke cooling member may be formed of rolled/aggregated material sheets to form a structure with a high surface area and a plurality of longitudinal channels to maximize the heat exchange and cooling of the smoke.

The article/consumable may include a spacer member that defines a space or cavity between the aerosol-forming substrate and the downstream end of the article/consumable. It can be provided between the aerosol-forming substrate and the upstream filter member and/or between the two filter members. The spacer member may include a tubular member (such as a cardboard tube). The spacing member may be at least partially (for example completely) surrounded by a (paper) wrapping layer.

The spacer member may have an outer diameter between 5 and 10 mm (for example between 6 and 9 mm or between 6 and 8 mm, for example about 7 mm). It may have an axial length between 10 and 15 mm (for example between 12 and 14 mm or between 13 and 14 mm, for example about 14 mm).

In a second aspect, a smoking replacement system is provided, which includes the aerosol-forming article as described in the first aspect, and a device including a heating member.

The device may be an HNB device, that is, a device that is adapted to heat but not cause the smoke-forming substrate to ignite.

The device may include a main body for accommodating the heating member. The heating member may include an elongated (for example, rod-shaped, tube-shaped, or blade-shaped) heating member. The heating member may protrude into the cavity in the main body or surround the cavity for receiving the above-mentioned products/consumables.

The device (such as the main body) may further include a power source (such as a (rechargeable) battery) for supplying power to the heating member. It may further include a control unit to control the power supply to the heating member.

In the third aspect, a method of using the smoking substitution system as described in the second aspect is included, and the method includes the following steps:

Insert the product/consumable into the device; and

Use the heating member to heat the product/consumable.

In some embodiments, the method includes the following steps: inserting the product/consumable into the cavity in the main body, and using a heating member to penetrate the product/consumable when the product/consumable is inserted. For example, the heating member can penetrate the aerosol forming substrate in the article/consumable.

In a fourth aspect, a method for manufacturing an aerosol-forming substrate is provided, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate is a slurry-type reconstituted plant material, and the method includes the following steps: combining the ground plant material with an aqueous medium To form a slurry; cast the slurry on the surface to form a sheet; and apply seasoning to the sheet to provide a coating.

Advantageously, by applying the flavoring as a coating to the sheet, the flavoring is provided as a separate component or component of the aerosol-forming substrate or product/consumable, or provided on the aerosol-forming substrate or product/consumable. Compared with individual ingredients or components, the flavoring can be more uniformly coated on the aerosol-forming substrate. This provides users with enhanced flavor and a more consistent flavor experience. Also, the flavoring can be applied to the sheet in a second environment away from the main manufacturing line. Therefore, the contamination of the main line device by the undesirable seasoning is avoided. Therefore, in some embodiments, it is preferable to apply the seasoning after winding the sheet onto the tube, for example by unrolling the sheet from the tube before applying the seasoning. Advantageously, such seasoning application can be carried out after transporting the sheet material (for example, winding onto a tube) to a position distal to the casting position.

Preferably, the plant material is ground to a particle size of less than 120 microns. A particle size larger than 150 microns is undesirable because it is associated with the formation of defects and inhomogeneous areas in the sheet formed by casting the slurry. In detail, a particle size of 30 to 120 microns is preferred.

Binders can also be included in the slurry. The amount of adhesive used is selected to provide 5 to 20 weight percent (for example, 5 to 15 weight percent, for example, 5 to 10 weight percent) of the adhesive in the final sheet produced from the slurry. The ground tobacco can be combined with a binder before combining with the aqueous medium. Alternatively, the binder can be combined with the aqueous medium before combining the aqueous medium with the ground tobacco.

The slurry may also contain fillers, humectants, preservatives, and/or flavors. These can be combined with the ground plant material before combining with the aqueous medium, or can be added to the slurry separately.

Preferably, the total solid content of the slurry is between 15% and 30% by weight of the total slurry. Within this preferred range, about 50 to 90% of the total solids content of the slurry should be plant material. The plant material content of the slurry is not critical, but it is preferable to use a minimum amount of aqueous medium to avoid leaching plant material solubles into the aqueous medium.

The slurry is formed by mixing various components of the slurry. This can be achieved using high energy mixers or high shear mixers to homogenize the slurry. During mixing, the slurry can optionally be heated.

In addition, the slurry can be vibrated to assist the homogenization of the slurry. This can be achieved by vibrating the tank or silo containing the slurry inside.

After mixing, the slurry is cast onto a moving support surface (such as a dryer belt) to form a sheet. The casting of the sheet can be achieved by a roller coater system or laminator, or any other method suitable in the art. Preferably, the moisture content of the sheet during casting is between 60 and 80 percent of the total weight of the cast slurry. The cast sheet is then dried by exposure to high temperature and/or reduced pressure to remove excess moisture content from the sheet. Suitable drying methods include steam dryers and/or heated air dryers. Alternatively, the sheet can be dried under ambient conditions.

Preferably, the seasoning is applied by spraying.

Advantageously, by applying the seasoning to the cast sheet by spraying, a more uniform seasoning application is achieved to provide a more homogeneous product. As a result, a more consistent user experience is produced.

Preferably, the flavoring is a non-tobacco flavor. In detail, the flavoring is selected from menthol, peppermint, spearmint, licorice, chocolate, fruit flavor, vanilla, spice, coffee, eucalyptus, and tobacco flavor. In detail, the seasoning is synthetically derived menthol. The advantages of these seasonings are described above.

Preferably, the plant material is tobacco.

Because the present invention mainly aims to provide smoking consumables, the use of tobacco provides a slurry-type recombinant plant material with the inherent properties of tobacco (such as texture, aroma, and nicotine content).

Preferably, the method of the fourth aspect includes a step of drying the sheet, wherein the seasoning is applied to the sheet after drying.

Advantageously, because many seasonings exhibit high volatility, applying the seasoning agent after drying the sheet avoids seasoning loss caused by evaporation when drying at high temperatures or under reduced pressure.

Preferably, the method of the fourth aspect includes the step of winding the sheet on the tube, wherein the seasoning is applied to the sheet after the winding.

Advantageously, this promotes efficient storage of the sheet and allows the flavoring to be applied in a second environment separate from the main manufacturing line. This prevents the main line device from being contaminated by undesirable flavors.

Alternatively, the seasoning can be applied to the sheet before winding the sheet on the tube.

Preferably, the method of the fourth aspect includes the step of making HNB consumables from sheets.

According to the fifth aspect, an aerosol-forming substrate for HNB equipment is provided, and the aerosol-forming substrate is produced by the process described in the fourth aspect.

Preferably, the aerosol-forming substrate according to the fifth aspect has an added flavoring content of 0.1 to 20% by weight of the aerosol-forming substrate.

The skilled person will understand that the features or parameters described with respect to any one of the above aspects can be applied to any other aspects except where they are mutually exclusive. And, except where mutually exclusive, any feature or parameter described herein can be applied to any aspect and/or combined with any other feature or parameter described herein.

As shown in FIG. 1, the HNB consumable 1 includes an aerosol-forming substrate 2 at the upstream end of the consumable 1.

The aerosol-forming substrate 2 includes a reconstituted tobacco, which includes nicotine as a volatile compound and is added with a flavoring coating of up to 20% by weight, wherein the flavoring is selected from menthol, peppermint, spearmint, licorice, chocolate, fruit Flavor, vanilla, spice, coffee, eucalyptus, and tobacco flavors.

The aerosol-forming substrate 2 includes 65 weight percent tobacco, which is provided in the form of aggregate fragments produced from a pulp-type reconstituted tobacco sheet. Tobacco is added with 20 weight percent humectants (such as propylene glycol (PG) or vegetable glycerin (VG)), and has a moisture content between 7-9 weight percent. The aerosol-forming substrate further includes cellulose pulp filler and guar adhesive.

The smoke forming substrate 2 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, so that the consumable material is similar to a conventional cigarette. It has a diameter of about 7 mm and an axial length of about 12 mm.

The aerosol-forming substrate 2 is surrounded by the paper wrapping layer 3.

The consumable 1 includes an upstream filter member 4 and a downstream (terminal) filter member 5. The two filter members 4, 5 are separated by a cardboard tube spacer 6. The two filter members 4, 5 are formed of cellulose acetate fiber bundles, and are wrapped with a corresponding paper plug layer (not shown).

Both filter members have a substantially cylindrical shape. The diameter of the upstream filter 4 matches the diameter of the aerosol-forming substrate 2. The diameter of the terminal filter member 5 is slightly larger and matches the combined diameter of the aerosol-forming substrate 2 and the wrapping layer 3. The axial length of the upstream filter member is slightly shorter than that of the terminal filter member, and is 10 mm in axial length compared with the 12 mm of the terminal filter member.

The cardboard tube spacer is longer than each of the two filter sections and has an axial length of approximately 14 mm.

Each filter member 4, 5 is a hollow cavity filter member having a hollow, longitudinally extending cavity. The diameter of the pores in the upstream filter is slightly larger than the diameter of the cavities in the final filter and has a diameter of 3 mm compared to 2 mm of the final filter member.

The cardboard tube spacer 6 and the upstream filter part 4 are bound by the wrapping layer 3.

The terminal filter member 5 is joined to the upstream member forming the consumable by the wrapped paper tipping layer 7. The tipping layer 7 surrounds the terminal filtering part and has an axial length of about 20 mm so that it covers a part of the cardboard tube spacer 6.

Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of a consumable 1', which is the same as the consumable shown in Fig. 1, except for the following conditions: the terminal filter member 5 includes a crushable capsule 8 (crushing ball), which can be crushed The crushed capsules contain liquid menthol or cherry or vanilla flavoring. The capsule 8 is spherical and has a diameter of 3.5 mm. It is positioned in the axial center of the terminal filtering part 5.

Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of a consumable 1", which is the same as the first embodiment, except for the following conditions: the wrapping layer 3 does not completely enclose the cardboard tube spacer 6, so that the tipping layer 7 and the wrapping layer There is an annular gap 9 between the cardboard tube spacers 6 downstream of the end of 3.

FIG. 4 shows the first embodiment inserted into the HNB device 10, which includes a rod-shaped heating member (not shown). The heating member protrudes into the cavity 11 in the main body 12 of the device.

The consumable 1 is inserted into the cavity 11 of the main body 12 of the device 10 so that the heating rod penetrates the aerosol-forming substrate 2. The heating of the reconstituted tobacco in the aerosol-forming substrate 2 is achieved by supplying power to the heating member (for example, using a rechargeable battery (not shown)). As the tobacco is heated, the moisture and volatile compounds (such as nicotine) in the tobacco and the aerosol forming agent are released as vapors and are entrained in the air stream generated by the user's inhalation at the terminal filter part 5.

As the vapor cools in the upstream filter member 4 and the cardboard tube spacer 6, it condenses to form smoke containing volatile compounds for inhalation by the user.

Fig. 5 shows an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the manufacturing process. The tobacco is ground to reduce the particle size to less than 120 microns 101.

The ground tobacco 101 is then combined with guar gum binder, cellulose pulp filler, propylene glycol, and vegetable glycerin to form a mixture 102.

The mixture 102 is combined with an aqueous medium to form a slurry 103. The mixing of the mixture 102 with the aqueous medium is achieved in a high shear mixer. The tobacco content of the slurry is about 50 to 90% of the total solids content of the slurry, wherein the total solids content is 15 to 30 weight percent of the slurry.

The resulting slurry is cast onto the dryer belt to form the sheet 104. A steam drying device is used to dry the sheet to remove excess moisture content from the sheet until the sheet is self-supporting 105.

The sheet is wound onto the tube 106 for storage. The moisture content of the cast sheet during winding is about 7 to 15 percent of the dry weight of the tobacco sheet. Spraying is then used to apply the seasoning to the sheet to provide the seasoning coating 107 on the sheet.

The sheet can then be made into all or part 108 of HNB consumables suitable for HNB equipment. This is achieved by cutting the sheet to the appropriate size. The sheet may be used as all or part of the HNB consumables 109 of the HNB device. In detail, it is a slurry type reconstituted tobacco product used in HNB equipment.

In an alternative embodiment, the seasoning is applied to the dried sheet 105 before being wound onto the tube 106 for storage.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or in the following claims, or in the drawings can be used alone or in any combination of such features to implement the present invention in various forms, as appropriate, these features They are expressed in their specific forms or in terms of means for performing the disclosed functions, or methods or procedures for obtaining the disclosed results.

Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with the above exemplary embodiments, when this disclosure is given, those skilled in the art will understand many equivalent variations and modifications. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments of the invention set forth above are considered to be illustrative and non-limiting. Various changes to the described embodiments can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In order to avoid any doubt, any theoretical explanation provided in this article is provided for the purpose of improving readers' understanding. The inventor does not wish to be bound by any of these theoretical explanations.

Any section headings used in this article are for organizational purposes only and are not construed as limiting the subject matter described.

Throughout this specification (including the following claims), unless the context requires otherwise, the terms "have", "include", and "include" and their variants will be understood to imply inclusion of the stated integers or steps , Or groups of integers or steps, but do not exclude any other integers or steps, or groups of integers or steps.

It must be noted that, as used in this manual and the accompanying claims, the singular forms "one", "one", and "the" include plural referents, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. A range can be expressed herein as from "about" one specific value and/or to "about" another specific value. When expressing such a range, another embodiment includes from the one specific value and/or to the other specific value. Similarly, when a value is expressed as an approximation by using the antecedent "about", it will be understood that this particular value forms another embodiment. The term "about" with respect to numerical values is optional and means, for example, +/-10%.

The terms "preferably" and "preferably" are used herein to refer to embodiments of the present invention that can provide certain benefits in some cases. However, it is to be understood that other embodiments may also be preferred under the same or different conditions. Therefore, the description of one or more preferred embodiments does not imply or imply that other embodiments are useless, and are not intended to exclude other embodiments from the scope of the present disclosure or the scope of the claims.

1: HNB consumables 2: Smoke forming substrate 3: wrapping layer 4: Upstream filter component 5: Downstream (terminal) filter components 6: Cardboard tube spacer 7: Tipping layer 8: Capsule 9: Annular gap 10: HNB equipment 11: Cavity 12: main body 101: Step 102: Step 103: Step 104: step 105: steps 106: Step 107: Steps 108: Step 109: Steps 1': Consumables 1'': Consumables

The embodiments illustrating the principle of the present invention will now be discussed in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that the present invention can be understood and other aspects and features of the present invention can be understood. In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of HNB consumables;

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of HNB consumables;

Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of the HNB consumable; and

Fig. 4 shows a first embodiment in a device forming an HNB system.

Fig. 5 shows an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the manufacturing process.

Domestic deposit information (please note in order of deposit institution, date and number) no

Foreign hosting information (please note in the order of hosting country, institution, date, and number) no

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Claims (19)

An aerosol-forming product comprising an aerosol-forming substrate added with a flavoring coating, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate is a slurry-type recombined plant material, and wherein the content of the flavoring is as high as 20% of the aerosol-forming substrate Percent by weight. The product according to claim 1, wherein the flavoring is selected from the group consisting of menthol, peppermint, spearmint, licorice, chocolate, fruit flavor, vanilla, spice, coffee, eucalyptus, and tobacco flavor. The article of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flavor is a non-tobacco flavor. The article of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plant material is tobacco. The article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the article is a heat-not-burn (HNB) consumable. A system includes the smoking substitute article as described in any one of the foregoing claims, and a device including a heating member. The system according to claim 6, wherein the device includes a main body for accommodating the heating member, and the heating member includes an elongated heating member. A method of using the system according to claim 6 or 7, the method including the following steps: Insert the product into the device; and The heating member is used to heat the product. The method according to claim 8, comprising the following steps: inserting the article into a cavity in a main body of the device, and penetrating the article with the heating member when the article is inserted. A method for manufacturing an aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate is a slurry-type reconstituted plant material, the method includes the following steps: Combine a ground plant material with an aqueous medium to form a slurry; Casting the slurry on a surface to form a sheet; and A seasoning is applied to the sheet to provide a coating. The method according to claim 10, wherein the seasoning is applied by spraying. The method according to any one of claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the flavoring is selected from the group consisting of menthol, peppermint, spearmint, licorice, chocolate, fruit flavor, vanilla, spice, coffee, eucalyptus, tobacco flavor . The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the flavoring is a non-tobacco flavor. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the flavoring is synthetically derived menthol. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, including a step of drying the sheet, wherein the seasoning is applied to the sheet after drying. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, including a step of winding the sheet on a tube, wherein the seasoning is applied to the sheet after winding. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the plant material is tobacco. An aerosol-forming substrate for an HNB device, the aerosol-forming substrate being produced by the process described in any one of claims 10 to 17. The aerosol-forming substrate according to claim 18, wherein the added flavoring content is as high as 20% by weight of the aerosol-forming substrate.

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