TW202241282A - An aerosol generating article - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol generating article (1, 2) for use with an aerosol generating device (102) comprises a substantially planar aerosol generating substrate (14), at least one airflow channel (16) extending along the substantially planar aerosol generating substrate (14), and a wrapping member (22) surrounding the substantially planar aerosol generating substrate (14) and the at least one airflow channel (16). The at least one airflow channel (16) comprises two or more portions (16a, 16b) having different cross-sections.

Description

Aerosol Generating Products

The present disclosure relates generally to aerosol-generating articles, and more particularly to aerosol-generating articles for use with aerosol-generating devices that heat the aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user. The present disclosure is particularly applicable to aerosol-generating articles for use with portable (hand-held) aerosol-generating devices.

The popularity and use of risk-reduced or risk-modified devices (also known as aerosol-generating devices or vapor-generating devices) as an alternative to the use of traditional tobacco products has grown rapidly in recent years. Various devices and systems are available that heat or warm an aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user.

Commonly used risk-reduced or risk-modified devices are aerosol-generating devices with heated substrates or so-called heat-not-burn devices. This type of device generates an aerosol or vapor by heating an aerosol-generating substrate to a temperature typically in the range of 150°C to 300°C. Heating the aerosol-generating substrate to a temperature within this range without burning or burning the aerosol-generating substrate generates a vapor that typically cools and condenses to form an aerosol that is inhaled by the user of the device.

Currently available aerosol-generating devices can use one of several different approaches to provide heat to the aerosol-generating substrate, including resistive heating using resistive heating elements and inductive heating using induction coils and inductively heatable susceptors.

Regardless of which route is used to heat the aerosol-generating substrate, the characteristics of the aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating device depend on a number of factors, including the configuration of the aerosol-generating article used with the aerosol-generating device. It is therefore desirable to provide an aerosol-generating article which optimizes the properties of the aerosol generated during use of the article and which at the same time is easy to use in conjunction with an aerosol-generating device.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device, the aerosol-generating article comprising: a substantially planar aerosol-generating substrate; at least one gas flow channel extending along the substantially planar aerosol-generating substrate; and a wrapping member surrounding the substantially planar aerosol-generating substrate and the at least one airflow channel; Wherein, the at least one gas flow channel comprises two or more parts with different cross-sections.

The aerosol-generating article is used with an aerosol-generating device for heating the aerosol-generating substrate rather than burning the aerosol-generating substrate to volatilize at least one component of the aerosol-generating substrate and thereby generate heated vapor, The heated vapor cools and condenses to form an aerosol that is inhaled by a user of the aerosol-generating device. The aerosol generating device is a palm-type portable device.

In general, a vapor is a substance that is in the gas phase at a temperature below its critical temperature, which means that the vapor can condense into a liquid by increasing its pressure without lowering the temperature, while an aerosol is a fine solid particle or liquid droplet Suspended matter in air or another gas. It should be noted, however, that the terms "aerosol" and "vapour" may be used interchangeably in this specification, particularly in relation to the form of inhalable medium produced for inhalation by a user.

By providing the at least one gas flow channel with two or more sections having different cross-sections, improved vapor and/or aerosol delivery can be achieved. In addition, by surrounding the at least one airflow channel with a wrapping member, the vapor and/or aerosol generated during the use of the aerosol-generating article in the aerosol-generating device flows along the at least one airflow channel inside the article and is then released by the user. inhale. The formation of condensed species on the inner surfaces of the aerosol-generating device is thereby substantially eliminated or at least minimized, and this may provide numerous benefits. For example, it can be shown to reduce residue build-up within an aerosol-generating device and reduce the number of cleaning and maintenance operations that must be performed by a device user. It can also help ensure that the maximum possible amount of vapor and/or aerosol is delivered to the user, and that the vapor and/or aerosol delivered has optimal characteristics.

The at least one gas flow channel may comprise two or more sections with different cross-sectional shapes. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one gas flow channel may comprise two or more sections with different cross-sectional areas. This can aid in vapor generation and efficient delivery of the vapor and/or aerosol to the user for inhalation.

The aerosol-generating article can include a distal end, a mouthpiece end, and a longitudinal axis that can extend between the mouthpiece end and the distal end. The mouthpiece end is located at the end of the aerosol-generating article opposite the distal end. More specifically, for example during use of the aerosol-generating article in an aerosol-generating device, the mouthpiece end is located downstream of the distal end with respect to the direction of airflow through the aerosol-generating article. The at least one airflow channel may extend in a first direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. During use of the aerosol-generating article, air flows along the at least one airflow channel from the far end to the mouthpiece end, thereby ensuring that as the air flows along the airflow channel, the maximum amount of volatile components is removed from the heated air. The sol-generating matrix is released into the air. This in turn ensures that the maximum possible amount of vapor and/or aerosol is generated and delivered to the user during use of the aerosol-generating article.

The two or more sections of the at least one gas flow channel may include an upstream section and a downstream section. The upstream portion and the downstream portion correspond to the direction of airflow through the aerosol-generating article. In other words, the upstream portion is located at the distal end of the aerosol-generating article and the downstream portion is located at the mouthpiece end of the aerosol-generating article, i.e., for example during use of the aerosol-generating article in an aerosol-generating device, the The downstream portion is downstream of the upstream portion with respect to the direction of airflow through the aerosol-generating article. The downstream portion may have a larger cross-sectional area than the upstream portion. Such an arrangement may facilitate the generation of vapor, and may assist in the cooling and condensation of the generated vapor to form an aerosol with suitable properties for inhalation by the user.

The upstream portion of the at least one gas flow channel may include grooves that may be formed in the surface of the substantially planar aerosol-generating substrate. A downstream portion of the at least one airflow channel may include a slit that may be formed in one end of the substantially planar aerosol-generating substrate.

The substantially planar aerosol-generating substrate may have a planar rectangular shape and may have a pair of major surfaces. The wrapping member may include a pair of rectangular sheets respectively attachable to the pair of major surfaces. Due to the flat rectangular shape of the aerosol-generating substrate, the aerosol-generating article can have an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The aerosol-generating substrate can be easily covered by the wrapping member, thereby ensuring that the user does not come into direct contact with the aerosol-generating substrate during handling of the aerosol-generating article. The flat rectangular shape can also facilitate packaging and storage of multiple aerosol-generating articles.

The aerosol-generating article may comprise a support member which may form a mouth end portion of the article. The support member may have a tubular form, such as a rectangular tubular form, to receive the aerosol-generating substrate and the downstream end of the at least one airflow channel (eg, the portion of the at least one airflow channel with a larger cross-sectional area). The support member may be self-supporting and may eg comprise cardboard or plastic material. The support member may advantageously deliver vapors and/or aerosols generated during use of the article directly to the user's mouth. The support member may allow heated vapor generated during use of the aerosol-generating article to cool and condense to form an aerosol with optimal properties for inhalation by the user.

The wrapping member may comprise a substantially non-conductive and non-magnetic material, and may comprise, for example, a paper wrap. The use of paper wraps can facilitate the manufacture and handling of aerosol-generating articles and can enhance aerosol generation.

The wrapping member may have a porous inner surface that may face the aerosol-generating substrate to absorb condensate. The porous inner surface may further help ensure that the formation of condensation on the inner surface of the aerosol-generating device is substantially eliminated or at least minimized. The wrapping member may have a non-stick outer surface which may face away from the aerosol-generating substrate. For example, the wrapping member may include a release coating on the outer surface. The non-stick outer surface can help ensure that the wrapping member does not stick to the surface of the aerosol-generating device when the aerosol-generating device has been heated. The combination of the porous inner surface and the non-stick outer surface can be shown to reduce residue build-up within the aerosol-generating device, thereby reducing the number of cleaning and maintenance operations that a user of the device may have to perform.

The aerosol-generating substrate may comprise non-liquid aerosol-generating material, such as any type of solid or semi-solid material. Exemplary types of aerosol-generating solids include powders, granules, pellets, shreds, strands, particulates, gels, bars, loose leaves, cut leaves, cut tobacco, porous materials, foams, or sheets. The aerosol-generating substrate may include plant-derived materials, and may include tobacco in particular. The aerosol-generating material may advantageously comprise reconstituted tobacco, for example comprising tobacco and any one or more of cellulose fibers, tobacco stem fibers and inorganic fillers such as CaCO3.

Accordingly, an aerosol-generating device with which an aerosol-generating article is intended to be used may be referred to as a "heated tobacco device", a "heat-not-burn tobacco device", a "device for vaporizing tobacco products", etc., and such is construed as a means suitable for effecting such effects. The features disclosed herein are equally applicable to devices designed to vaporize any aerosol generating substrate.

The aerosol-generating substrate may comprise an aerosol-forming agent. Examples of aerosol formers include polyols and mixtures thereof, such as glycerol or propylene glycol. Typically, the aerosol-generating substrate may comprise an aerosol-forming agent content of between about 5% and about 50% (on a dry weight basis). In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating substrate may comprise an aerosol-forming agent content of between about 10% and about 20% (dry weight basis), and possibly about 15% (dry weight basis).

The aerosol-generating substrate may be configured for use with an electrokinetic aerosol-generating device that includes a heater. The heater may be a resistive heater, or may be an induction heater. When heated, the aerosol-generating substrate can release volatile compounds. Volatile compounds may include nicotine or flavor compounds, such as tobacco flavorings.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring initially to Figures 1-3, there is shown a first example of an aerosol-generating article 1 for use with an electrokinetic aerosol-generating device 102, an example of which will be described later in this specification with reference to Figure 5 . The aerosol-generating article 1 is substantially planar and has a distal end 10 and a mouthpiece end 12 (or proximal end) at opposite ends of the aerosol-generating article 1 . As indicated by the three arrows in FIG. 1 , the mouthpiece end 12 is located downstream of the distal end 10 with respect to the direction of air flow through the aerosol-generating article 1 . A longitudinal axis extends between the distal end 10 and the mouthpiece end 12 to define the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 1 .

The aerosol-generating article 1 comprises a substantially planar aerosol-generating substrate 14 . The aerosol-generating substrate 14 comprises a volume or mass of aerosol-generating material and has a flat rectangular shape with a pair of oppositely disposed major surfaces 14a, 14b. An aerosol-generating article 1 is a consumable or disposable article in which the aerosol-generating substrate 14 may comprise tobacco or tobacco material.

The aerosol-generating article 1 includes a plurality of airflow channels 16 which, in the example shown, include a plurality of grooves 18 formed in a major surface 14a of the aerosol-generating substrate 14 . The grooves 18 are arranged side by side and parallel to each other, and the grooves 18 extend in a longitudinal direction between the distal end 10 and the mouthpiece end 12, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. The grooves 18 together form a grooved surface 20 . The grooves 18 may be formed in any suitable manner, such as by pressing the major surface 14a of the aerosol-generating substrate 14 with a suitably shaped pressing tool. In the example of Figures 1 and 2 three grooves 18 are shown, but it is understood that any suitable number of grooves 18 may be provided, eg depending on the desired resistance to draw of the aerosol-generating article 1 . It should also be noted that the groove 18 may have any suitable cross-sectional shape, including but not limited to rectangular, square, trapezoidal, or semicircular as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 .

Each gas flow channel 16 includes a first portion 16a and a second portion 16b having different cross-sections. In the example shown in Figures 1 to 3, the second portion 16b is located downstream of the first portion 16a. The first portion 16a (or upstream portion) has a first cross-sectional area, and the second portion 16b (or downstream portion) has a second cross-sectional area greater than the first cross-sectional area. The first portion 16a of each gas flow channel 16 includes a first groove portion 18a formed in the major surface 14a of the aerosol-generating substrate 14 . The second portion 16b of each gas flow channel 16 includes a second groove portion 18b formed in the major surface 14a of the aerosol-generating substrate 14 . The second groove portion 18b is wider and deeper than the first groove portion 18a, thereby obtaining the above-mentioned larger second cross-sectional area. The second groove portion 18b (ie, the second portion 16b of each gas flow channel 16 ) terminates in a slit 19 formed on one end 30 of the aerosol-generating substrate 14 .

The aerosol-generating article 1 further comprises a wrapping member 22 surrounding the aerosol-generating substrate 14 and the grooves 18 forming the airflow channels 16 . Thus, the aerosol-generating substrate 14, and recess 18 are completely surrounded by a wrapping member 22, which may comprise, for example, cigarette paper or similar material. Wrapping member 22 includes a pair of rectangular panels 24, 26 attached to major surfaces 14a, 14b of aerosol-generating substrate 14, respectively. The rectangular sheets 24, 26 are typically formed from a single piece of material that wraps the aerosol-generating substrate 14 and may have overlapping edges that are adhered to each other to wrap the wrapping member 22 around the aerosol-generating substrate 14 and the groove 18. fixed in place.

In an exemplary and non-limiting example, the aerosol-generating substrate 14 may have a length (in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 1 ) of about 18.0 mm, may have a width of approximately 11.8 mm, and may have a width of approximately 1.2 mm. thickness (or depth). As shown in Figure 1, the aerosol-generating substrate 14 may be spaced inwardly from the distal end 10 of the aerosol-generating article 1 by a small distance, eg approximately 3.0 mm. The aerosol-generating article 1 may have a width of approximately 12.0 mm and a thickness (or depth) of approximately 1.4 mm to accommodate the aerosol-generating substrate 14 within the wrapping member 22 . The aerosol-generating article 1 can have any suitable shape between the distal end 10 and the mouthpiece end 12 by varying the length of the portion of the wrapping member 22 extending between the downstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate 14 and the mouthpiece end 12. length. As the vapor flows through this portion of the wrapping member 22 during use of the aerosol-generating article 1 in the aerosol-generating device 102, the vapor may cool and condense to form an aerosol for inhalation by the user. Thus, the length of the portion of the wrapping member 22 extending between the downstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate 14 and the mouthpiece end 12 of the aerosol-generating article 1 may be selected at the time of manufacture to provide an aerosol with desired characteristics.

In some embodiments, wrapping member 22 includes a porous inner surface 22a that faces aerosol-generating substrate 14 and is capable of absorbing condensation that may form during the heating process. Alternatively or in addition, the wrapping member 22 may include a non-stick outer surface 22b facing away from the aerosol-generating substrate 14 to reduce the tendency of the wrapping member 22 to stick to the surface of the aerosol-generating device 102 when the aerosol-generating device 102 has been heated. risk. The release outer surface 22b may comprise a release coating on the outer surface 22b of the wrapping member 22 .

Referring now to Figure 4, a second example of an aerosol-generating article 2 is shown. The aerosol-generating article 2 is similar to the aerosol-generating article 1 described above with reference to Figures 1 to 3 and like reference numerals are used to designate corresponding features.

The aerosol-generating article 2 includes a support member 28 positioned at the mouth end 12 of the aerosol-generating article 2 to form a mouth-end portion 34 that is held during use of the aerosol-generating article 2 in the aerosol-generating device 102. The mouthpiece end portion may be engaged by the user's lips. The support member 28 typically comprises a self supporting material such as cardboard or plastic material and has a rectangular tubular form when viewed in cross-section to receive the aerosol generating substrate 14 and the downstream end of the groove 18 formed in the surface 14a. Wrap member 22 also surrounds support member 28 .

Referring now to FIG. 5 , there is shown an aerosol generating system 100 comprising an aerosol generating device 102 and a first example of an aerosol generating article 1 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 . It should be appreciated that the aerosol-generating device 102 may be used in combination with alternative aerosol-generating articles according to the present disclosure, such as the second example of aerosol-generating article 2 described above with reference to FIG. 4 .

The aerosol generating device 102 includes a receiving chamber 106 located in a device body 108 and a heater 104 for providing heat to the receiving chamber 106 . Heater 104 may be a resistive heater, or alternatively may be an induction heater comprising a susceptor and an electromagnetic field generator with an induction coil.

In use, a user inserts the aerosol-generating article 1 into the receiving chamber 106 . The aerosol-generating device 102 may include a cover 110 and a pivot mount 112 that allows the cover 110 to move between a closed position shown in FIG. 5 and an open position (not shown). As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the user must pivot the cover 110 to the open position to allow insertion of the aerosol-generating article 1 into the receiving chamber 106, and then pivot the cover back to the open position shown in FIG. The closed position, thereby holding the aerosol-generating article 1 in place in the receiving chamber 106 .

The aerosol-generating device 102 includes a power source 114 , such as a rechargeable battery, and a controller 116 , both of which are connected to the heater 104 . The heater 104 may be actuated manually, eg, via a user interface such as a button on the aerosol-generating device 102 , or may be automatically responsive to a user's actuation of suction on the mouthpiece 118 of the aerosol-generating device 102 . The aerosol-generating device 102 includes one or more air inlets 120 to allow air to flow into the aerosol-generating article 1 and through grooves 18 formed in the surface of the aerosol-generating substrate 14 . The airflow direction is shown by the arrows in Fig. 5 .

With the aerosol-generating article 1 in the receiving chamber 106, the power source 114 supplies power to the heater 104 (by manual or automatic actuation of the heater 104, as described above), thereby heating the aerosol-generating substrate 14 to It is not burned to release one or more volatile components. Volatile components are entrained in the air flowing through the groove 18, forming a vapor. The vapor cools and condenses as it flows through the groove 18 to form an aerosol, which is inhaled by the user through the mouthpiece 118 of the aerosol generating device 102 .

When the aerosol-generating substrate 14 is exhausted and no longer releases enough volatile components to generate an aerosol of acceptable quality, the aerosol-generating article 1 can be released from the receiving chamber after pivoting the cover 110 to the open position. 106, and a replacement aerosol-generating article 1 can be inserted in its place.

Where the aerosol-generating device 102 is used in conjunction with an aerosol-generating article having a support member 28, such as the second example of an aerosol-generating article 2 described above with reference to FIG. The open end 106a of the aerosol-generating article 3 protrudes, thereby enabling the user's lips to engage the mouthpiece end portion 34 of the aerosol-generating article 3 formed by the support member 28 .

Although exemplary embodiments have been described in the preceding paragraphs, it should be understood that various modifications may be made to those embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the breadth and scope of the claims should not be limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments.

The present disclosure encompasses any combination of the above-described features in all possible variations thereof unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the scope of the patent application, the word "comprise/comprising" will be interpreted as an inclusive meaning rather than an exclusive or exhaustive meaning; that is, "including but not limited to the meaning of ".

1, 2: Aerosol generating products 10: remote 12: Nozzle end 14: Aerosol-generating substrates 14a, 14b: main surface 16: Airflow channel 16a: Part 1 16b: Part II 18: Groove 18a: first groove part 18b: second groove part 19: Slit 20: grooved surface 22: Wrap components 22a: porous inner surface 22b: Anti-stick outer surface 24, 26: rectangular plate 28: Support member 30: end 34: nozzle end part 100: Aerosol generating system 102: Electric aerosol generating device 104: heater 106: receiving chamber 106a: Open end 108: Device body 110: Cover 112: pivot mount 114: power supply 116: Controller 118: Nozzle 120: air inlet

[Fig. 1] is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view of a first example of an aerosol-generating article;

[Fig. 2] is a diagrammatic sectional view along line A-A in Fig. 1;

[Fig. 3] is a diagrammatic sectional view along line B-B in Fig. 1;

[ FIG. 4 ] is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view of a second example of an aerosol-generating article; and

[ FIG. 5 ] is a diagrammatic sectional view of an aerosol generating system including an aerosol generating device and an aerosol generating article according to the present disclosure.

1: Aerosol generating products

10: remote

12: Nozzle end

14: Aerosol-generating substrates

14a: main surface

16: Airflow channel

16a: Part 1

16b: Part II

18: Groove

18a: first groove part

18b: second groove part

20: grooved surface

22: Wrap components

30: end

Claims (8)

An aerosol-generating article (1, 2) for use with an aerosol-generating device (102), the aerosol-generating article comprising: a substantially planar aerosol-generating substrate (14); at least one gas flow channel (16) extending along the substantially planar aerosol-generating substrate (14); and a wrapping member (22) surrounding the substantially planar aerosol-generating substrate (14) and the at least one airflow channel (16); Wherein, the at least one gas flow channel (16) comprises two or more parts (16a, 16b) with different cross-sections. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol-generating article comprises a distal end (10), a mouthpiece end (12), between the mouthpiece end (12) and the distal end (10) A longitudinal axis extends, and the at least one airflow channel (16) extends along a first direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. The aerosol-generating article of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the two or more parts (16a, 16b) include an upstream part (16a) and a downstream part (16b), the downstream part (16b) The cross-sectional area of is larger than that of the upstream part (16a). An aerosol-generating article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the two or more portions (16a, 16b) comprise an upstream portion (16a) and a downstream portion (16b), the at least one airflow channel (16) The upstream portion (16a) of the at least one airflow channel (16) includes a groove (18a) formed in the surface (14a) of the substantially planar aerosol-generating substrate (14), and the downstream portion (16b) of the at least one airflow channel (16) includes A slit (19) is formed in one end (30) of the substantially planar aerosol-generating substrate (14). An aerosol-generating article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the substantially planar aerosol-generating substrate (14) is in the shape of a flat rectangle having a pair of major surfaces (14a, 14b), and the wrapping member (22 ) includes a pair of rectangular sheets (24, 26) respectively attached to the pair of major surfaces (14a, 14b). An aerosol-generating article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the aerosol-generating article comprises a support member (28) forming a mouthpiece end portion (34) of the article, and the support member (28) has a tubular form to receive the aerosol-generating substrate (14) and the downstream end of the at least one gas flow channel (16). An aerosol-generating article as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the wrapping member (22) has a porous inner surface (22a) facing the aerosol-generating substrate (14) to absorb condensate and facing away from the aerosol-generating The anti-adhesive outer surface (22b) of the substrate (14). The aerosol-generating article according to claim 7, wherein the wrapping member (22) comprises a release coating on the outer surface (22b).

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