Patent Application
20240049792
The present disclosure relates to aerosol generating articles for use in an aerosol generation system in which an aerosol generating substrate is heated to form an aerosol. The disclosure is particularly applicable to a portable aerosol generation device, which may be self-contained and low temperature. Such devices may heat, rather than burn, tobacco or other suitable aerosol substrate materials by conduction, convection, and/or radiation, to generate an aerosol for inhalation.
The popularity and use of reduced-risk or modified-risk devices (also known as vaporisers) has grown rapidly in the past few years as an aid to assist habitual smokers wishing to quit smoking traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, and rolling tobacco. Various devices and systems are available that heat or warm aerosolisable substances as opposed to burning tobacco in conventional tobacco products.
A commonly available reduced-risk or modified-risk device is the heated substrate aerosol generation device or heat-not-burn device. Devices of this type generate an aerosol or vapour by heating an aerosol substrate that typically comprises moist leaf tobacco or other suitable aerosolisable material to a temperature typically in the range 150° C. to 350° C. Heating an aerosol substrate, but not combusting or burning it, releases an aerosol that comprises the components sought by the user but not the by-products of combustion and burning.
In such devices, the aerosol substrate is typically included in a consumable that is held within a heating chamber and heated by a heater. The consumable contains a quantity of aerosol generating substrate and is able to generate a quantity of aerosol.
However, within such devices, a known issue is that the user experience does not entirely mimic that of a cigarette. In particular, HNB devices are known to provide a different inhalation experience to that offered by traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes.
It would be desirable to allow a consumer to adjust the pressure drop and temperature of a HNB device to suit their own taste and smoking characteristics.
According to a first aspect there is provided a vapour generating article comprising: a main body having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the body arranged to contain a vapour generating material; a filter having a first end arranged as a mouthpiece portion and a second end opposite the first end arranged for attachment to the first end of the main body; an air inlet portion located at the first end of the main body, the air inlet portion comprising at least one aperture to allow ambient air to enter the main body; wherein the filter comprises an adjuster configured to move relative to air inlet portion to adjust the cross-sectional area of the aperture to alter an airflow through the aperture; and wherein the second end of the filter is releasably attachable to the first end of the main body.
The adjustor allows the pressure drop of the vapour generating article to be adjusted as required by adjusting (e.g. increasing or decreasing) the size of the cross-sectional area of the air inlet aperture to allow greater or lesser volumes of air to enter the filter body. Altering the volume of air which is allowed to enter the filter body also adjusts the temperature of the vapour with which the ambient air mixes before being inhaled by a user. In particular, the cross-sectional size of the aperture may be adjusted over a continuous range. This avoids deficiencies with known devices in which the pressure drop is typically fixed. Thus, greater flexibility is provided with regard to the control of the aerosol generating properties of the article, and the pressure drop may be adjusted during an aerosol generating session to more closely mimic the behaviour of traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes.
Advantageously, the adjuster of the vapour generating article allows a consumer to increase the pressure drop of a vapour generating article to suit their own taste and smoking characteristics. Some users of vapour generating articles have been known to constrict the filter section by biting or squeezing the filter section to increase the pressure drop, whilst other users find that no modification of the pressure drop is necessary.
Producing a single standard configuration with a fixed pressure drop would therefore not be suitable for some consumers. However, it is not practical to produce many different variations with different pressure drops that each are preferred by a small percentage of consumers. The provision of an adjuster therefore allows each consumer to modify the pressure drop and the temperature of the vapour generating article themselves by providing a means of constricting the filter to adjust the size of the airflow passageway through the filter, and enhance the user's vaping experience.
The second end of the filter is releasably attachable to the main body of the vapour generating article. The filter may therefore be attached to a vapour generating article when the user desires to use the article, and removed from the article when the user has consumed the substrate within the article. In this way, the filter is a re-usable filter and can be used with multiple vapour generating articles.
Typically vapour generating devices comprise a consumable article housing the substrate and a filter attached to the consumable. Once the substrate has been consumed by the user, the vapour generating device is disposed of because the consumable article is no longer usable. Since the filter is attached to the consumable article, the filter is also disposed of at the same time. As a result, filters typically comprise simple technology which is not expensive to throw away.
By providing a filter that can be releasably attached to a vapour generating article (also referred to as a consumable article), the filter can be re-used with a subsequent vapour generating article instead of being disposed of each time. For example the filter may be able to be used 20-100 times, and so the filter can be used with 20-100 different vapour generating articles, before the filter needs to be changed and disposed of.
This has the effect that more complex and expensive technology can be used within the filter, in particular more efficient and more effective means of adjusting the pressure drop and temperature can be employed within the filter. As an illustration, using a re-usable filter which only needs to be changed after every 20-100 vapour generating articles means that the technology within the filter can be 20-100 times the cost of a single-use disposable filter. Thus, having a filter in which the second end of the filter is releasably attachable to a vapour generating article provides a re-usable filter including an adjuster to efficiently and effectively allow the user to adjust their vaping experience.
The adjustor may be arranged to reduce the cross-sectional area of the air inlet aperture to increase the pressure drop of the air flow within the filter. The adjustor may be arranged to increase the cross sectional area of the air inlet aperture to decrease the pressure drop of the air flow within the filter. Preferably, the adjuster comprises at least one aperture wherein movement of the adjuster aperture relative to movement of the air inlet portion aperture adjusts the cross sectional area of the aperture.
The adjuster may be configured to adjust the cross-sectional area of the air inlet portion aperture to an open configuration in which ambient air is able to flow into the air inlet via the air inlet portion aperture. This causes the temperature and pressure drop of the vapour to decrease.
The adjuster may be configured to adjust the cross-sectional area of the air inlet aperture to a closed configuration in which ambient air is not able to flow into the air inlet portion. This may cause the pressure drop and the temperature of the vapour to remain relatively high.
In some examples, when in the open configuration the air inlet portion aperture may be arranged to be substantially coaxially aligned with the adjuster aperture such that the air inlet portion aperture and the adjuster aperture are substantially overlapping with each other. In this way the air flow into the filter may be substantially unrestricted. Further, by arranged the two apertures such that they are substantially aligned with each other, a maximal amount of air flow may enter the filter through the air inlet portion, providing the greatest drop in pressure and temperature.
When in the closed configuration the air inlet portion aperture may be offset from the adjuster aperture, such that the air inlet portion aperture and the adjuster aperture do not overlap with each other. In this way, the air may be substantially completely prevented from entering the filter via the air inlet portion.
Preferably, the adjuster may be configured to adjust the cross-sectional area of the air inlet aperture to a partially open configuration in which the air inlet portion aperture is arranged partially overlap with the adjuster aperture. In this case, the air flow into the filter is partially restricted. Allowing the adjuster to be in a partially open configuration allows the user to make finer adjustments to the temperature and pressure drop allowing them to tailor their vaping experience more particularly.
In some examples, the adjuster may comprise a rotatable element configured to rotate relative to the air inlet portion, wherein rotation of the rotatable element adjusts the cross-sectional area of the aperture. A rotating element provides a simple but effective mechanism for adjusting the cross-sectional area of the air inlet aperture. The vapour generating article can therefore be made of relatively simple components which can be operated easily by all users.
Preferably, the adjuster may be arranged to receive the filter and surround the air inlet portion. The adjuster may have a sleeve-like or a collar-like configuration. In this way, the adjuster may be arranged to slip over the filter body to surround the outer surface of the filter.
The adjuster may be preferably arranged to rotate relative to the filter. This may allow the adjuster to cover and uncover the air inlet aperture, through rotation of the adjuster, in order to adjust the size of the air inlet aperture.
In some examples, the at least one aperture in the air inlet portion may have a substantially circular shape. In some examples, the at least one aperture in the adjuster may have a substantially circular shape. The at least one aperture in the air inlet portion may have substantially the same shape and/or size as the size and/or shape of the at least one aperture in the adjuster. This may allow to two aperture to more accurately align with each other in, for example, the open configuration.
In other examples, the adjuster may comprises at least one aperture having a size and/or shape that is different to the size and/or shape of the at least one aperture in the air inlet portion. This may allow a residual flow of air to enter the filter when in the closed position which may help ensure that the generated vapour is cooled slightly before being inhaled by the user, so that the user does not burn their mouth.
The aperture in the air inlet portion may be located in a side wall of the filter. The air inlet portion may comprises a plurality of apertures spaced around a side wall of the filter. The air inlet aperture may be circumferentially spaced around the outer surface of the filter. In some examples the plurality of apertures may be equally spaced around the filter. In other examples at least some of the plurality of air inlet apertures may be unequally spaced relative to each other.
The adjuster may comprises a plurality of apertures. Preferably, each air inlet portion aperture has a corresponding adjuster aperture. This may allow the adjust to adjust the cross-sectional area of all the air inlet apertures at substantially the same time.
The filter may be made of plastic. Plastic is a readily available material and so using plastic may help reduce manufacturing costs. Furthermore, plastic is a relatively rigid material and so using a plastic filter provides a more structurally rigid filter.
In some examples the filter of the vapour generating article may be fully disposable. The filter may be made of paper. The filter may form part of the main body of the vapour generating article which houses the consumable.
According to another aspect there is provided a vapour generating system comprising a vapour generating article and a vapour generating device configured to receive the vapour generating article and generate a vapour from the vapour generating material, where the vapour generating article is according to any of the above described vapour generating articles.
Embodiments of the present invention will be now described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:
Referring to
The aerosol generating article 1 comprises a rod-shaped portion 11, and a filter 14.
The rod-shaped portion 11 comprises aerosol generating substrate 12 that extends over a portion of the length of the rod-shaped portion 11. The aerosol generating substrate 12 is arranged at an end of the aerosol generating article 1 that is within a heating chamber of the aerosol generating device 2 and furthest from an opening of the heating chamber. The aerosol generating substrate 12 is a material which, when heated, generates an aerosol. The aerosol generating substrate 12 may, for example, comprise tobacco or nicotine. The aerosol is drawn out of the aerosol generating article 1 by air flow through the filter 14.
The aerosol generating device 2 comprises a heating chamber 21 and a heater 22.
The heating chamber 21 is a tubular structure with an internal hollow in which the aerosol generating article 1, or the rod-shaped portion 11 of the aerosol generating article 1, may be received. Specifically, the heating chamber comprises a side wall extending between a first end 212 and a second end 213. The first end 212 is open, or openable in use, in order to allow the rod-shaped portion 11 to be inserted. The second end 213 may be open as shown in
The heating chamber 21 may be formed from ceramic or metal. For example, the heating chamber 21 may be formed by bending or stamping sheet metal. The heater 22 may be any heater suitable to deliver heat into the internal hollow of the heating chamber 21 through its side wall. For example, the heater may be in the form of a resistive track driven by electricity. Alternatively, other types of heater may be used such as ones in which heat is provided by a chemical reaction such as fuel combustion. The heating chamber may further be surrounded by a heat insulator such as a vacuum tube, heat insulation fibre and/or aerogel.
In use, the heater 22 is arranged to heat the heating chamber 21 to a temperature sufficient to cause the aerosol generating substrate 12 to release an aerosol, without burning the aerosol generating article 1. In particular, the heater 22 is configured to heat the aerosol generating substrate 12 to a maximum temperature between 150° C. and 350° C., more preferably to a temperature between 200° C. and 350° C.
Although the heater 22 is shown outside the heating chamber 21 in
The aerosol generating article 1 further comprises an aerosol cooling region 15. The aerosol cooling region 15 extends over a portion of the length of the aerosol generating article 1 and comprises a hollow tubular portion of the aerosol generating article 1. This hollow tubular portion allows an aerosol (generated by heating the aerosol generating substrate 12) to pass through the aerosol generating article 1 without leaking through the sides of the hollow tubular portion. The aerosol cooling region 15 does not overlap with the part of the aerosol generating article 1 that is being heated by the heater 22, which may be referred to as a heating region, so aerosol will not continue to be heated within the aerosol cooling region 15.
As mentioned, the aerosol substrate 15 is arranged at the end of the aerosol generating article 1 that is within the heating chamber 21 and furthest from the opening 212. The filter 14 is arranged at the other end that is closest to the opening 212. The aerosol cooling region 15 extends along the length of the aerosol generating article 1 between the aerosol generating substrate 12 and the filter 14. This ensures that, in use, a generated aerosol may be cooled before inhalation by a user.
Further details of the filter 14 will now be described.
As can be seen in
The filter 14 comprises an adjuster 38 (i.e. an adjustable opening member) configured to control the flow of air through the air inlet portion 36 and into the filter 14. This is achieved by the adjuster 38 being moveable relative to the air inlet portion 36 so that the adjuster 38 can adjust the cross-sectional area of the aperture of the air inlet portion 36 in order to alter the air flow through the aperture.
For example, the size of the air inlet aperture may be increased from a first size to a second size to increase the flow of air into the filter 14, thereby decreasing the pressure drop and decreasing the temperature of the vapour. Conversely, the size of the air inlet aperture may be decreased from the second size to the first size to decrease the flow of air into the filter 14, thereby increasing the pressure drop and increasing the temperature of the vapour. The skilled person will appreciate that the air inlet aperture may be controlled to vary across a continuous range of sizes, such that the pressure drop and temperature may be precisely controlled by varying the size of the air inlet aperture.
In the example illustrated in
The first size of the air inlet aperture (depicted in
In more detail, the adjuster 38 takes the form of a sleeve or elongate collar which is arranged to receive the filter 14 such that the adjuster surrounds the filter 14, as shown in
In order to allow air to enter the filter 14 via the air inlet portion 36, the adjuster comprises at least one aperture. Movement of the adjuster 38 therefore causes movement of the adjuster aperture. In particular, movement of the adjuster aperture relative to the air inlet portion aperture adjusts the cross sectional area of the aperture.
As discussed above, the adjuster 38 can be moved between an open position (as shown in
When the adjuster is in an intermediate position, between the open and closed positions, the adjuster can be said to be in a partially open configuration. Here, the air inlet portion aperture is arranged partially overlap with the adjuster aperture.
In the example shown in
For each air inlet portion aperture located in a side wall at the second end of the filter 14, there is a corresponding adjuster aperture located in a side wall of the adjuster 38. Thus, when the adjuster 38 is rotated relative to the filter, the cross-sectional area of all the air inlet portion apertures is adjusted at substantially the same time.
In summary, using a filter with an air inlet adjuster that can be tuned by the user allows for a variation of air to mix with the generated vapour before reaching the user's mouth. With the adjuster 38 opened wider more external air is mixed with that of the vapour which has the effect of reducing the bulk temperature of the vapour and decreasing the pressure drop, and vice versa when the adjuster 38 is closed. The adjuster 38 functions in a manner similar to that of a valve. The adjuster 38 is opened and closed by twisting a rotatable element the central part of the filter which either covers or uncovers holes in an outer portion of the filter.
The filter 14 is re-usable filter 14 because it can be detached from one rod-shaped portion 11 of a first aerosol generating article 1, at the second end 104, and then re-attached to another rod-shaped portion 11 of a second aerosol generating article 1 via the second end 104. In particular, the filter 14 may slot into or onto the rod-shaped portion 11 using any suitable temporary attachment mechanism. The filter 14 can therefore be considered as being releasably attachable and able to be used with multiple aerosol generating articles. In other words, the filter 14 can be said to be semi-disposable.
The filter is made from plastic, which may be the same type of plastic as the rod-shaped portion 11. A benefit of using a plastic filter is that it allows for a rigid structure which can be twisted and reused by the user in multiple aerosol-generating articles 1. As the filter 14 is reusable it is cost-effective to use a plastic body for the filter.
When the filter 14 is attached to the rod-shaped portion 11, a vapour generating article 1 is formed. In particular, the vapour generating article 1 includes a first end and a second end, and the filter 14 attaches to the second end of the vapour generating article 1. The first end of the vapour generating article 1 may be used to connect with a vapour generating device 2. In this case, a vapour generating system is formed comprising the a vapour generating article 1 and the vapour generating device 2 which receives the vapour generating article 1.
It should be understood that the aerosol generation device is an electronic cigarette which could equally be referred to as a “heated tobacco device”, a “heat-not-burn tobacco device”, a “device for vaporising tobacco products”, and the like, with this being interpreted as a device suitable for achieving these effects. The features disclosed herein are equally applicable to devices which are designed to vaporise any aerosol generating medium.
The aerosol generating substrate 12 may include tobacco, for example in dried or cured form, in some cases with additional ingredients for flavouring or producing a smoother or otherwise more pleasurable experience. In some examples, the aerosol generating substrate 12 such as tobacco may be treated with a vaporising agent. The vaporing agent may improve the generation of vapour from the aerosol generating substrate 12. The vaporising agent may include, for example, a polyol such as glycerol, or a glycol such as propylene glycol. In some cases, the aerosol generating substrate 12 may contain no tobacco, or even no nicotine, but instead may contain naturally or artificially derived ingredients for flavouring, volatilisation, improving smoothness, and/or providing other pleasurable effects.
The aerosol generating substrate 12 may be provided as a solid or paste type material in shredded, pelletised, powdered, granulated, strip or sheet form, optionally a combination of these. Equally, the aerosol generating substrate 12 may be a liquid or gel. Indeed, some examples may include both solid and liquid/gel parts. Indeed, some examples may include both solid and liquid/gel parts. In some examples, the substrate 12 may be a solid block, or may be loose material packed in a wrapper 13. Preferably the substrate comprises randomly oriented tobacco strands containing tobacco powder and an aerosol former. Suitable aerosol formers include: a polyol such as sorbitol, glycerol, and glycols like propylene glycol or triethylene glycol; a non-polyol such as monohydric alcohols, acids such as lactic acid, glycerol derivatives, and esters such as triacetin, triethylene glycol diacetate, triethyl citrate, glycerin or vegetable glycerin. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating agent may be glycerol, propylene glycol, or a mixture of glycerol and propylene glycol.
Whilst the aerosol generating substrate 12 will typically produce a gas or a solid and/or liquid suspension in gas when heated, it will be appreciated that the terms ‘vapour’ and ‘aerosol’ are generally used interchangeably here, and refer generally to the substance which is produced when the aerosol generating substrate 12 is heated, to produce a suspension of particles or droplets of any size.
As used herein, the term “fluid” shall be construed as generically describing non-solid materials of the type that are capable of flowing, including, but not limited to, liquids, pastes, gels, powders and the like. “Fluidized materials” shall be construed accordingly as materials which are inherently, or have been modified to behave as, fluids. Fluidization may include, but is not limited to, powdering, dissolving in a solvent, gelling, thickening, thinning and the like.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21151824.6 | Jan 2021 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2022/050441 | 1/11/2022 | WO |
