WO2022216072A1

WO2022216072A1 - Aerosol-generating article and aerosol-generating device containing same

Info

Publication number: WO2022216072A1
Application number: PCT/KR2022/005010
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tae Hun Kim
Original assignee: Kt & G Corporation
Priority date: 2021-04-07
Filing date: 2022-04-07
Publication date: 2022-10-13
Also published as: CN117098465A; EP4319574A1; KR20220139055A; JP2024511812A

Abstract

An aerosol-generating article according to an aspect of the present disclosure may include a tobacco rod, a front end plug disposed at a first side of the tobacco rod, a filter rod disposed at a second side of the tobacco rod, and an aerosol transfer tube disposed inside the tobacco rod and allowing aerosols to be moved therethrough.

Description

AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE AND AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE CONTAINING SAME

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol-generating article and an aerosol-generating device containing the same.

In recent years, the demand for alternative methods of overcoming the drawbacks of conventional cigarettes has increased. As one alternative method of overcoming the drawbacks of cigarettes, there is a hybrid-type aerosol-generating system using both a cartridge and a cigarette.

The hybrid-type aerosol-generating system is a system that allows a user to simultaneously inhale both an aerosol generated by heating a cigarette and an aerosol introduced into the cigarette from the outside.

In a hybrid-type aerosol-generating system, most aerosols that a user inhales are generated mechanically directly from a cartridge. The hybrid-type aerosol-generating system may be advantageous because it hardly generates a characteristic odor during heating or steaming of a cigarette, provides a large amount of atomization, and provides the same smoking satisfaction as conventional cigarettes.

In the hybrid-type aerosol-generating system, since most aerosols that the user inhales are generated mechanically directly from the cartridge, in order to increase the amount of atomization, it is important that the mechanically generated aerosols are filtered as little as possible while passing through the inside of the cigarette.

However, the conventional hybrid-type aerosol-generating system is problematic in that a considerable amount of the mechanically generated aerosols are filtered by tobacco leaves while passing through the cigarette, resulting in a significant reduction in the amount of atomization actually generated.

Accordingly, the present disclosure has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and embodiments of the present disclosure provide an aerosol-generating article and an aerosol-generating device that can generate a rich amount of atomization.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol-generating article, including a tobacco rod, a front end plug disposed at a first side of the tobacco rod, a filter rod disposed at a second side of the tobacco rod, and an aerosol transfer tube disposed inside the tobacco rod and allowing aerosols to be moved therethrough.

As described above, an aerosol-generating article and an aerosol-generating device according to an aspect of the present disclosure can prevent the amount of atomization from being significantly reduced while aerosols pass through the inside of a tobacco rod.

Accordingly, it is possible to provide a user with a rich amount of atomization with a cigarette's distinct taste and flavor.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an aerosol-generating article according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a modified example of a front end plug of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line B-B of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating a plurality of aerosol transfer tubes disposed in a tobacco rod.

FIGS. 6 to 8 are modified examples of an aerosol transfer tube of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating an aerosol-generating article according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 10 to 12 are modified examples of an aerosol transfer tube of the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view illustrating an aerosol-generating article according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 14 to 16 are modified examples of an aerosol transfer tube of the third embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view illustrating an aerosol-generating article in which a portion of the aerosol transfer tube has a bent section.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating an aerosol-generating device into which the aerosol-generating article according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is inserted.

FIG. 19 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of the aerosol-generating device illustrated in FIG. 18.

An aerosol-generating article according to an aspect of the present disclosure may include a tobacco rod, a front end plug disposed at a first side of the tobacco rod, a filter rod disposed at a second side of the tobacco rod, and an aerosol transfer tube disposed inside the tobacco rod and allowing aerosols to pass therethrough.

The aerosol transfer tube may be disposed only inside the tobacco rod.

The aerosol transfer tube may extend into the front end plug.

The aerosol transfer tube may extend into the filter rod.

The aerosol transfer tube may extend in parallel to a lengthwise direction of the tobacco rod.

The aerosol transfer tube comprises a bent section in at least a portion thereof.

The aerosol transfer tube may be disposed at the center of the tobacco rod.

The volume of the aerosol transfer tube may be in the range of 10 to 90 percent with respect to the total volume of the tobacco rod.

The aerosol transfer tube may include a plurality of aerosol transfer tubes.

The aerosol transfer tube may have a circular cross-section.

An aerosol-generating device according to another aspect of the present disclosure may include a heater for heating the aerosol-generating article, a power supply, and a controller for controlling power to be supplied to the heater by the power supply.

The aerosol-generating device may further include an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol by heating a liquid composition. The aerosol generated by the aerosol generator may be introduced into the aerosol-generating article through the front end plug.

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure, specific examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below, since the embodiments of the present disclosure can be variously modified in many different forms. However, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to only the embodiments set forth herein, but should be construed as covering modifications, equivalents, or alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprise", "include", "have", etc. when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals will refer to the same or like elements or parts. Further, it is to be noted that, when the functions of conventional elements and the detailed description of elements related with the present disclosure may make the gist of the present disclosure unclear, a detailed description of those elements will be omitted. For the same reason, some components will be exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an exposed aerosol-generating article 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a modified example of a front end plug 110 of the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a view taken along line B-B of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure may include the front end plug 110, a tobacco rod 130, a filter rod 150, and an aerosol transfer tube 160, and a wrapper 170. Here, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art related to the present embodiment that other general-purpose components other than those illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 may be further included in the aerosol-generating article 100.

The aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment may be heated by being inserted into an aerosol-generating device 300 (see FIGS. 18 and 19) which will be described later. In this case, when the aerosol-generating article 100 is heated, mainstream smoke may be delivered to a user. The mainstream smoke may be an airflow flowing from upstream to downstream inside the aerosol-generating article 100. Here, the term "upstream" may mean toward the side in which the front end plug 110 is located, and the term "downstream " may mean toward the side in which the filter rod 150 is located. The user of the aerosol-generating article 100 may inhale the mainstream smoke through a downstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100.

The aerosol-generating article 100 may have a cylindrical shape. In this case, the diameter of the aerosol-generating article 100 may be in the range of 4.7 to 9.9 mm. Each of the front end plug 110, the tobacco rod 130, and the filter rod 150 may also have a cylindrical shape having a diameter of 4.7 to 9.9 mm.

In addition, the length of the aerosol-generating article 100 may be in the range of 35 and 60 mm. The length of the front end plug 110 may be in the range of 4 to 9 mm. The length of the tobacco rod 130 may be in the range of 12 to 19 mm, and the length of the filter rod 150 may be in the range of 19 to 32 mm.

The shapes, diameters, and lengths of the aerosol-generating article 100 and the components thereof are exemplary, and the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. The shape and dimensions of the aerosol-generating article 100 may be partially modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.

The front end plug 110 may be located at an upstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100 and may prevent the tobacco rod 130 from being separated from the aerosol-generating article 100. The front end plug 110 may be located at the upstream end of the tobacco rod 130 opposite to the filter rod 150 with respect to the tobacco rod 130.

The front end plug 110 may prevent impurities from being introduced into the tobacco rod 130 from the outside, and may prevent a liquefied aerosol from being introduced into the aerosol-generating device 300 (see FIGS. 18 and 19) during smoking.

In addition, when the aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 300, the front end plug 110 may support the aerosol-generating article 100 so that the aerosol-generating article 100 is secured to the aerosol-generating device 300.

The front end plug 110 may include a crimped sheet (not depicted). In this case, the crimped sheet may be a sheet made of a polymer material. For example, the polymer material may include at least one of paper, cellulose acetate, lyocell, and polylactic acid. However, the polymer material is not necessarily limited thereto, and the crimped sheet may not be included depending on the structure of the front end plug 110.

The crimped sheet of the front end plug 110 may be impregnated with an aerosol-generating material which will be described later. In addition, other additives, such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an organic acid, and a flavoring liquid may be included in the front end plug 110 in a state of being absorbed into the crimped sheet.

Nicotine may be excluded from the aerosol-generating material included in the front end plug 110. For example, the front end plug 110 may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. However, the aerosol-generating material included in the front end plug 110 is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the front end plug 110 may include a material in which glycerin and propylene glycol are mixed in a ratio of about 8:2. However, the above-mentioned mixing ratio is exemplary, and the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.

The front end plug 110 may be a cellulose acetate filter. For example, the front end plug 110 may be manufactured by adding a plasticizer such as triacetin to a cellulose acetate tow. In addition, the cellulose acetate tow may include the aerosol-generating material described above. In addition, the cellulose acetate tow may include other additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an organic acid. However, the material and type of the front end plug 110 are not limited thereto, and may be modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.

In some embodiments, depending on the material of the front end plug 110, the front end plug 110 may have a through-hole 111 for allowing an aerosol to be introduced into the aerosol-generating article 100 from the outside to form the mainstream smoke inside the aerosol-generating article 100. For example, when the front end plug 110 includes the cellulose acetate tow, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the through-hole 111 may be formed in the front end plug 110. In this case, the through-hole 111 may have a circular or Y-shaped cross-section. However, the cross-sectional shape of the through-hole 111 is not necessarily limited thereto, and various forms may be employed.

In some embodiments, when the front end plug 110 includes the crimped sheet impregnated with the aerosol-generating material, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the through-hole 111 may not be formed in the front end plug 110.

In this case, when a portion of the aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 300, an aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating device 300 may be introduced into the aerosol-generating article 100 through the front end plug 110. The aerosol thus introduced may form the mainstream smoke inside the aerosol-generating article 100 and be delivered to the user. In addition, an aerosol generated inside the front end plug 110 including the aerosol-generating material may form the mainstream smoke and be delivered to the user.

In addition, a heater 370 (see FIG. 19) of the aerosol-generating device 300 for heating the aerosol-generating article 100 may be inserted into the through-hole 111 of the front end plug 110. In FIG. 19, the heater 370 is illustrated as being disposed around the aerosol-generating article 100, but the disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the heater 370 may be formed in a shape conforming to the through-hole 111 of the front end plug 110 and be inserted into the through-hole 111.

The front end plug 110 may further include a configuration for identifying the aerosol-generating article 100. The aerosol-generating article 100 may exhibit various tastes and flavors, and may include a configuration for identifying various types of aerosol-generating article 100. For example, the front end plug 110 may include a metal foil which alters the inductance of a coil included in the aerosol-generating device 300 to allow identification of a type of the aerosol-generating article. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto, and the configuration for identifying the aerosol-generating article 100 may be included in the tobacco rod 130 in addition to the front end plug 110.

The tobacco rod 130 is disposed between the front end plug 110 and the filter rod 150, and may include a tobacco medium 131 for generating an aerosol. As aerosols introduced into the tobacco rod 130 pass through the tobacco rod 130, a cigarette's distinctive taste and flavor may be entrained in the aerosols. In more detail, the tobacco medium 131 of the tobacco rod 130 contains nicotine. As the aerosol passes through the tobacco rod 130, the nicotine is introduced into the aerosol, providing the user who inhales the mainstream smoke with the cigarette's distinctive taste and flavor.

For example, the nicotine may be at least one of free base nicotine or a nicotine salt, and the nicotine may be naturally-occurring nicotine or synthetic nicotine.

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

The tobacco medium 131 of the tobacco rod 130 may be manufactured in various ways. For example, the tobacco medium 131 may be made of a sheet or strands. In addition, the tobacco medium 131 may be made of tobacco shreds obtained by finely cutting a tobacco sheet. In addition, the tobacco medium 131 may be made of granules including tobacco.

The tobacco rod 130 may have a cylindrical shape. However, the shape of the tobacco rod 130 is not necessarily limited thereto, and a bar shape with various cross-sections may be employed.

In this case, the tobacco rod 130 may be manufactured by folding a tobacco sheet into a cylindrical shape, or by molding tobacco strands, tobacco shreds, or tobacco granules into a cylindrical shape.

When the tobacco rod 130 is made of a plurality of tobacco strands obtained by finely cutting a tobacco sheet, the tobacco rod 130 may be formed by combining the plurality of tobacco strands in the same direction (parallel to one another) or randomly. In detail, the tobacco rod 130 may be formed by combining the plurality of tobacco strands, and a plurality of longitudinal channels for allowing the aerosol to pass therethrough may result. In this case, depending on the sizes and arrangements of the tobacco strands, the longitudinal channels may be uniform or non-uniform.

The tobacco rod 130 may further include an aerosol-generating material to increase the amount of atomization. For example, the aerosol-generating material may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

The tobacco rod 130 may further include a flavoring material to add a flavor to the aerosol generated by the tobacco rod 130. For example, the tobacco rod 130 may include other additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an organic acid. In addition, a flavoring liquid such as menthol or moisturizer may be added to the tobacco rod 130 by spraying the flavoring liquid onto the tobacco rod 130.

In this case, the flavoring agent may include licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, isosweet, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, cinnamon, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cinnamon, ylang ylang, salvia, spearmint, ginger, coriander, or coffee. In addition, the wetting agent may include glycerin or propylene glycol.

The tobacco rod 130 may be surrounded by a heat-conducting material. The heat-conducting material may improve thermal conductivity applied to the tobacco rod 130 by evenly distributing heat transferred to the tobacco rod 130, thereby improving tobacco flavor. The heat-conducting material may be a metal foil, for example an aluminum foil. However, the heat-conducting material is not necessarily limited thereto, and various materials for use as the heat-conducting material may be employed.

The filter rod 150 may be located at a downstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100 to cool the mainstream smoke including aerosols or to filter out substances included in the mainstream smoke. The filter rod 150 may be located at a downstream end of the tobacco rod 130 opposite to the front end plug 110 with respect to the tobacco rod 130.

The filter rod 150 may be composed of a single segment or a plurality of segments. In FIGS. 1 to 4, the filter rod 150 is illustrated as being composed of a single segment, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be composed of a plurality of segments. For example, when the filter rod 150 is composed of the plurality of segments, the filter rod 150 may include a segment for cooling the aerosols and a segment for filtering out substances included in the aerosol generated by the tobacco rod 130. In addition, if necessary, the filter rod 150 may further include a segment that performs other functions.

When the filter rod 150 includes the segment for cooling the aerosols, this segment may be made of a polymer material or a biodegradable polymer material. Here, the polymer material may include gelatin, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), and a combination thereof, but is not necessarily limited thereto. In addition, the biodegradable polymer material may include polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), cellulose acetate, poly-epsilon-caprolactone (PCL), polyglycolic acid (PGA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), and starch-based thermoplastic resins, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

In addition, when the filter rod 150 includes the segment for filtering out substances included in the aerosol generated by the tobacco rod 130, this segment may have the same configuration as that of the front end plug 110 described above. For example, the filter rod 150 may be a cellulose acetate filter, and may be manufactured by adding a plasticizer such as triacetin to a cellulose acetate tow. However, the material and type of the segments are not limited thereto, and may be modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.

The filter rod 150 may have various shapes. For example, the filter rod 150 may be a cylindrical rod, and may be a tubular rod having a hollow therein. In addition, the filter rod 150 may be a recessed rod. In this case, when the filter rod 150 is composed of the plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments may have a different shape.

The filter rod 150 may be manufactured to generate a flavor. For example, a flavoring liquid may be sprayed onto the filter rod 150, or separate fibers coated with a flavoring liquid may be included inside the filter rod 150.

Alternatively, the filter rod 150 may include at least one capsule (not illustrated). The capsule may generate a flavor or an aerosol. For example, the capsule may have a structure in which a liquid containing a spice or flavor is encapsulated with a film. In this case, the capsule may have a spherical or cylindrical shape, but the shape of the capsule is not necessarily limited thereto.

According to the present embodiment, the aerosol transfer tube 160 may be disposed inside the tobacco rod 130, so that the aerosols introduced into the aerosol transfer tube 160 may be transferred directly from the front end plug 110 to the filter rod 150.

In detail, the aerosol transfer tube 160 may transfer a portion of an aerosol A introduced from the outside to the filter rod 150 directly from the front end plug 110 without passing the portion of the aerosol A between the tobacco medium 131 of the tobacco rod 130. Here, the term "aerosol introduced from the outside" may mean the aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating device 300 (see FIGS. 18 and 19), rather than the aerosol generated inside the aerosol-generating article 100. In addition, the aerosol transfer tube 160 may transfer a portion of the aerosol generated inside the front end plug 110 to the filter rod 150 directly from the front end plug 110 without passing the portion of the aerosol between the tobacco medium 131 of the tobacco rod 130. In other words, the aerosol transfer tube 160 may transfer the aerosol generated inside the front end plug 110 as well as the aerosol A introduced from the outside.

The aerosol transfer tube 160 is located inside the tobacco rod 130. Inside the tobacco rod 130, an inlet of the aerosol transfer tube 160 may be disposed toward the front end plug 110 and an outlet thereof may be disposed toward the filter rod 150. Here, the inlet of the aerosol transfer tube 160 means a portion into which the aerosols are introduced, and the outlet of the aerosol transfer tube 160 means a portion from which the aerosols are discharged.

In the present embodiment, when the inlet and outlet of the aerosol transfer tube 160 are disposed only in the above-described orientation, an intermediate section of the aerosol transfer tube 160 may be disposed in various forms. For example, the intermediate section of the aerosol transfer tube 160 may be disposed in a linear shape (see FIG. 3), or a bent shape (see FIG. 17), or a serpentine shape, or an oblique shape. In other words, when the inlet and outlet of the aerosol transfer tube 160 are oriented toward the front end plug 110 and the filter rod 150, respectively, the intermediate section of the aerosol transfer tube 160 may have any shape. However, preferably, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the aerosol transfer tube 160 may be formed in a linear shape extending in parallel to the extension direction of the tobacco rod 130.

In this case, an inlet of the aerosol transfer tube 160 may be located at the junction between the front end plug 110 and the tobacco rod 130, and an outlet of the aerosol transfer tube 160 may be located at the junction between the tobacco rod 130 and the filter rod 150. In more detail, the inlet and outlet of the aerosol transfer tube 160 may be located at opposite ends of the tobacco rod 130.

At least one aerosol transfer tube 160 may be disposed inside the tobacco rod 130. As illustrated in FIG. 4, one aerosol transfer tube 160 may be disposed inside the tobacco rod 130. FIG. 5 also depicts additional embodiments of a plurality of aerosol transfer tubes 160 disposed inside the tobacco rod 130. In this case, the diameters of the plurality of aerosol transfer tubes 160 may be the same or different from each other.

When one aerosol transfer tube 160 is disposed inside the tobacco rod 130, the aerosol transfer tube 160 may be disposed in the center of the tobacco rod 130 to facilitate efficient transfer of the aerosols.

The aerosol transfer tube 160 may have a cross-section of various shapes. For example, the aerosol transfer tube 160 may have a cross-section of circular, polygonal, or Y-shape.

The aerosol transfer tube 160 may be made of various materials such as paper, metal, fabric, plastic, etc. For example, in the case of the metal material, aluminum may be used, and in the case of the plastic material, a thermosetting plastic may be used. However, the material of the aerosol transfer tube 160 is not necessarily limited thereto.

With respect to the size of the aerosol transfer tube 160, a volume of the aerosol transfer tube 160 may be provided such that a percentage with respect to the volume of the tobacco rod 130 is within a predetermined percentage range. In detail, the volume of the aerosol transfer tube 160 may be in the range of 10 to 90 volume percent (%) with respect to the total volume of the tobacco rod 130. When the volume of the aerosol transfer tube 160 is less than 10 volume percent (%), the amount of aerosols transferred directly through the aerosol transfer tube 160 may not be sufficient and it may be difficult to obtain a sufficient amount of atomization. On the other hand, when the volume of the aerosol transfer tube 160 exceeds 90 volume percent (%), the amount of atomization discharged to the outside may be increased, but the cigarette's distinctive taste and flavor may not be sufficiently entrained in the aerosols passing through the tobacco rod 130.

As the aerosols introduced into the tobacco rod 130 pass through the tobacco rod 130, a significant amount of the aerosols may be filtered by the tobacco medium 131 inside the tobacco rod 130 and the amount of atomization discharged to the outside through the filter rod 150 may be significantly reduced. However, according to the present embodiment, at least a portion of the aerosols may be discharged to the outside by passing through the filter rod directly via the aerosol transfer tube 160 without passing through the tobacco medium 131. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the reduction in the amount of atomization while the aerosols pass through the aerosol-generating article 100. In addition, this provides the user who inhales the mainstream smoke with a rich amount of atomization with the cigarette's distinct taste and flavor.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the inlet and outlet of the aerosol transfer tube 160 correspond to the ends of the tobacco rod 130. With this configuration, the aerosols may be efficiently transferred through the aerosol transfer tube 160 without passing through the tobacco medium 131 of the tobacco rod 130, thereby generating a rich amount of atomization.

On the other hand, modified examples of an aerosol transfer tube 160 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, each of

aerosol transfer tubes

160A, 160B, and 160C may be located inside the tobacco rod 130 so that at least one of an inlet or an outlet of each of the aerosol transfer tubes160A, 160B, and 160C does not correspond to the respective ends of the tobacco rod 130.

Referring to FIG. 6, both the inlet and the outlet of the aerosol transfer tube 160A may be spaced apart from the end of the tobacco rod 130. Since the aerosol transfer tube 160A may be located inside the tobacco rod 130, with the inlet and outlet of the aerosol transfer tube 60A not corresponding to the ends of the tobacco rod 130, the aerosols transferred through the aerosol transfer tube 160A may pass through the tobacco medium 131 in predetermined sections.

In addition, referring to FIG. 7, the aerosol transfer tube 160B may have an outlet that does not overlap with the end of the tobacco rod 130, and referring to FIG. 8, the aerosol transfer tube 160C may have an inlet that does not overlap with the end of the tobacco rod 130. With this configuration, the aerosols transferred through the

aerosol transfer tubes

160B and 160C may pass through the tobacco medium 131 in predetermined sections.

The aerosol-generating article 100 may be wrapped by the wrapper 170. The wrapper 170 may have at least one hole (not illustrated) for allowing external air to be introduced into, or internal air to be discharged from, the aerosol-generating article 100. The aerosol-generating article 100 may be wrapped by a single wrapper or may be double-wrapped or multi-wrapped by at least two wrappers.

Each of the tobacco rod 130 and the filter rod 150 may be individually wrapped by separate wrappers. When each of the tobacco rod 130 and the filter rod 150 is individually wrapped, the wrapped tobacco rod 130 and the wrapped filter rod 150 may be collectively wrapped by another wrapper.

Hereinafter, an aerosol-generating article according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure and a modified example thereof will be described.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 10 to 12 are modified examples of an aerosol transfer tube 161 of the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 9, the structure of the aerosol-generating article according to the second embodiment remains the same as that of the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the first embodiment, except for the aerosol transfer tube 161. Thus, a duplicate description of the same configuration will be omitted.

According to the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the aerosol transfer tube 161 may be disposed inside a tobacco rod 130 and may extend into a front end plug 110. In this case, an inlet of the aerosol transfer tube 161 may correspond to an upstream end of the front end plug 110, and an outlet of the aerosol transfer tube 161 may correspond to a downstream end of the tobacco rod 130.

With this configuration, a portion of an aerosol A introduced from the outside may be moved through the aerosol transfer tube 161 directly without passing through the inside of the front end plug 110. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the reduction of the aerosol A while the aerosol A passes through the front end plug 110.

On the other hand, the modified examples of the aerosol transfer tube 161 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. Referring to FIGS. 10 to 12, each of

aerosol transfer tubes

161A, 161B, and 161C may extend to the front end plug 110 so that at least one of an inlet or an outlet of the

aerosol transfer tube

161A, 161B, and 161C does not correspond to the upstream end of the front end plug 110 and the downstream end of the tobacco rod 130, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 10, the inlet of the aerosol transfer tube 161A may be spaced apart from the upstream end of the front end plug 110. Referring to FIG. 11, the inlet and the outlet of the aerosol transfer tube 161B may not correspond to the upstream end of the front end plug 110 and the downstream end of the tobacco rod 130, respectively. In addition, referring to FIG. 12, the outlet of the aerosol transfer tube 161C may be spaced apart from the downstream end of the tobacco rod 130.

Hereinafter, an aerosol-generating article according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure and a modified example thereof will be described.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 14 to 16 are modified examples of an aerosol transfer tube 166 of the third embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 13, the structure of the aerosol-generating article according to the third embodiment remains the same as that of the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the first embodiment, except for the aerosol transfer tube 166. Thus, a duplicate description of the same configuration will be omitted.

According to the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the aerosol transfer tube 161 may be disposed inside a tobacco rod 130 and may extend into a filter rod 150. In this case, an inlet of the aerosol transfer tube 166 may correspond to an upstream end of the tobacco rod 130, and an outlet of the aerosol transfer tube 166 may be disposed inside the filter rod 150. Also, the outlet of the aerosol transfer tube 166 does not correspond to a downstream end of the filter rod 150. This is to prevent aerosols from reaching the user directly without being filtered by the filter rod 150.

With this configuration, the aerosols introduced into the aerosol transfer tube 166 may be moved without passing through the tobacco rod 130 and without passing through a portion of the filter rod 150. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the reduction of the aerosols while the aerosols pass through the portion of the filter rod 150.

On the other hand, the modified examples of the aerosol transfer tube 166 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16.

Referring to FIG. 14, an inlet of an aerosol transfer tube 166A may be spaced apart from the upstream end of the tobacco rod 130. Referring to FIG. 15, an inlet of an aerosol transfer tube 166B may extend to the front end plug 110 and correspond to the upstream end of the front end plug 110. Referring to FIG. 16, an inlet of an aerosol transfer tube 166C may extend to a portion of the inside of the front end plug 110.

Hereinafter, the aerosol-generating device 300 into which the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is inserted will be described.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating the aerosol-generating device 300 into which the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is inserted. FIG. 19 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of the aerosol-generating device 300 illustrated in FIG. 18.

Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, the aerosol-generating device 300 according to the present embodiment may include the heater 370, a power supply 330, a controller 310, and an aerosol generator 350. Here, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art related to the present embodiment that other general-purpose components other than those illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19 may be further included in the aerosol-generating device 300. Meanwhile, in FIG. 19, the power supply 330, the controller 310, and the aerosol generator 350 are illustrated as being arranged in a row. However, if necessary, the arrangement of the power supply 330, the controller 310, and the aerosol generator 350 may be modified.

The aerosol-generating article 100 may be inserted into the aerosol-generating device 300. The aerosol-generating article 100 may be secured to the aerosol-generating device 300 by a fixing means. In some embodiments, the front end plug 110 of the aerosol-generating article 100 may serve as the fixing means. However, other fixing means may be further included in addition to the front end plug 110.

The heater 370 may heat the aerosol-generating article 100. When the heater 370 is heated by power supplied from the power supply 330, the heater 370 may transfer heat to the aerosol-generating article 100.

The heater 370 may be an electrically resistive heater. The heater 370 may include an electrically conductive track. The heater 370 may heat the aerosol-generating article 100 as a current flows through the electrically conductive track by the power supplied from the power supply 330.

As another example, the heater 370 may be an induction heater. The heater 370 may include an electrically conductive coil for heating the aerosol-generating article 100 by an induction heating method, and the aerosol-generating article 100 may include a susceptor that may be heated by the induction heater.

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

The power supply 330 may supply power for use in powering the aerosol-generating device 300. For example, the power supply 330 may supply power for heating the heater 370, and may supply power for operating the controller 310. In addition, the power supply 330 may supply power for operating a display, a sensor, a motor, etc. of the aerosol-generating device 300.

The controller 310 may control the overall operation of the aerosol-generating device 300. In detail, the controller 310 may control the operation of other components included in the power supply 330 and the aerosol generator 350. Also, the controller 310 may determine whether the aerosol-generating device 300 is in an operable state by checking the state of each component in the aerosol-generating device 300.

The aerosol generator 350 may generate an aerosol by heating a liquid composition. The generated aerosol may pass through the aerosol-generating article 100 and be delivered to the user. In other words, the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator 350 may be introduced into the front end plug 110 of the aerosol-generating article 100.

The aerosol generator 350 may include a liquid reservoir, a liquid delivery means, and a heating element, but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the liquid reservoir, liquid delivery means, and heating element may be included in the aerosol-generating device 300 as independent modules.

The liquid reservoir may store the liquid composition. For example, the liquid composition may be a liquid including a tobacco-containing material having a volatile tobacco flavor component, or a liquid including a non-tobacco material. The liquid reservoir may be manufactured to be attached to or detached from the aerosol-generating device 300 or may be manufactured integrally with the aerosol-generating device 300.

When the aerosol generator 350 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes the liquid containing the non-tobacco material, the liquid composition stored in the liquid reservoir included in the aerosol generator 350 may not contain nicotine, and the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator 350 may be introduced into the front end plug 110 without containing nicotine. In this case, the aerosol that does not contain nicotine may pass through the tobacco rod 130 and adsorb nicotine, and the aerosol that has passed through the tobacco rod 130 may contain nicotine.

The liquid composition included in the aerosol generator 350 may include water, a solvent, ethanol, a plant extract, a spice, a flavoring agent, or a vitamin mixture. The spice may include menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, and various fruit or otherwise-flavored ingredients, but is not necessarily limited thereto. The flavoring agent may include ingredients that may provide the user with various flavors or tastes. The vitamin mixture may be a mixture of at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but is not necessarily limited thereto. In addition, the liquid composition may include an aerosol former, such as glycerin and propylene glycol.

While the disclosure has been illustrated and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the disclosure is defined not by the detailed description of the disclosure but by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the disclosure.

Claims

An aerosol-generating article comprising:

a tobacco rod;

a front end plug disposed at a first side of the tobacco rod;

a filter rod disposed at a second side of the tobacco rod; and

an aerosol transfer tube disposed inside the tobacco rod and configured to allow aerosols to pass therethrough.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the aerosol transfer tube is disposed only inside the tobacco rod.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the aerosol transfer tube extends into the front end plug.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the aerosol transfer tube extends into the filter rod.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the aerosol transfer tube extends parallel to a lengthwise direction of the tobacco rod.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the aerosol transfer tube comprises a bent section.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the aerosol transfer tube is disposed at a center of the tobacco rod.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein a volume of the aerosol transfer tube is in a range of 10 to 90 percent with respect to a total volume of the tobacco rod.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the aerosol transfer tube comprises a plurality of aerosol transfer tubes.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the aerosol transfer tube has a circular cross-section.
An aerosol-generating device comprising:

a heater configured to heat the aerosol-generating article of claim 1;

a power supply; and

a controller configured to control power to be supplied to the heater by the power supply.
The aerosol-generating device of claim 11, further comprising an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol by heating a liquid composition,

wherein the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator is introduced into the aerosol-generating article through the front end plug.