Patent Application
20240215636
The present disclosure relates generally to aerosol generating articles, and more particularly to an aerosol generating article for use with an aerosol generating device for heating the aerosol generating article to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user. Embodiments of the present disclosure also relate to a method of manufacturing an aerosol generating article and/or to an aerosol generating system comprising an aerosol generating article and an aerosol generating device. The present disclosure is particularly applicable to aerosol generating articles for use with a portable (hand-held) aerosol generating device.
The popularity and use of reduced-risk or modified-risk devices (also known as aerosol generating devices or vapour generating devices) has grown rapidly in recent years as an alternative to the use of traditional tobacco products. Various devices and systems are available that heat or warm aerosol generating substances to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user.
A commonly available reduced-risk or modified-risk device is the heated substrate aerosol generating device, or so-called heat-not-burn device. Devices of this type generate an aerosol or vapour by heating an aerosol generating substrate to a temperature typically in the range 150° C. to 300° C. Heating the aerosol generating substrate to a temperature within this range, without burning or combusting the aerosol generating substrate, generates a vapour which typically cools and condenses to form an aerosol for inhalation by a user of the device.
Currently available aerosol generating devices can use one of a number of different approaches to provide heat to the aerosol generating substrate, including resistive heating which makes use of a resistive heating element and induction heating which makes use of an induction coil and a heating element in the form of an inductively heatable susceptor.
Whichever approach is used to heat the aerosol generating substrate, the characteristics of the aerosol generated by the aerosol generating device are dependent upon a number of factors, including the construction of the aerosol generating article used with the aerosol generating device. There is, therefore, a desire to provide an aerosol generating article which enables the characteristics of the aerosol generated during use of the article to be optimised, and which at the same time is easy to use in combination 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:
The aerosol generating article is for use with an aerosol generating device for heating the aerosol generating substrate, without burning the aerosol generating substrate, to volatise at least one component of the aerosol generating substrate and thereby generate a heated vapour which cools and condenses to form an aerosol for inhalation by a user of the aerosol generating device. The aerosol generating device is a hand-held, portable, device.
In general terms, a vapour is a substance in the gas phase at a temperature lower than its critical temperature, which means that the vapour can be condensed to a liquid by increasing its pressure without reducing the temperature, whereas an aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets, in air or another gas. It should, however, be noted that the terms ‘aerosol’ and ‘vapour’ may be used interchangeably in this specification, particularly with regard to the form of the inhalable medium that is generated for inhalation by a user.
According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol generating system comprising:
According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing an aerosol generating article for use with an aerosol generating device, the method comprising:
By providing a channel-forming strip comprising a meltable material, an airflow channel can be readily formed at the time of use, when the aerosol generating article is positioned in, and heated by, an aerosol generating device, thus eliminating the risk of a pre-formed airflow channel (i.e., an airflow channel formed during manufacture of the aerosol generating article) becoming obstructed during processing and/or storage and/or handling of the aerosol generating article, for example as a result of crushing or compression of the aerosol generating article. The resulting airflow channel is surrounded by the wrapping member, thus ensuring that vapour and/or aerosol generated during use of the aerosol generating article in an aerosol generating device flows internally within the article, along the airflow channel, before it is inhaled by a user. This may help to ensure that the greatest possible quantity of vapour and/or aerosol is delivered to the user, and that the delivered vapour and/or aerosol has optimal characteristics.
The meltable material is a non-toxic material that does not release toxic volatile components when heated by the aerosol generating device. For example, the meltable material may be a wax. The meltable material does not comprise any active agents that are capable of releasing volatile components into the generated aerosol that flows through the airflow channel when the meltable material is heated by the aerosol generating device, and more particularly by the heating element of the aerosol generating device. The term ‘active agent’ includes any material or substance or ingredient that may, when the meltable material is heated, release one or more volatile components that may contribute to the formation of an inhalable aerosol, for example nicotine, aerosol formers, or flavourants. Thus, the meltable material is provided in addition to, and is distinct from, the aerosol generating material that forms the aerosol generating substrate and that, when heated by the aerosol generating device, releases one or more volatile components that generate an inhalable aerosol containing one or more active agents, such as nicotine.
The aerosol generating article may include a distal end, a mouth end and a longitudinal axis which may extend between the mouth end and the distal end. The mouth end is located at an opposite end of the aerosol generating article to the distal end. More particularly, the mouth end is located downstream of the distal end with respect to an airflow direction through the aerosol generating article, e.g., during use of the aerosol generating article in an aerosol generating device. The at least one channel-forming strip may extend in a first direction which may be substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. Thus, the airflow channel formed by melting the meltable material also extends in the first direction. Air flows along the airflow channel, from the distal end to the mouth end, during use of the aerosol generating article thereby ensuring that a maximum amount of volatile components are released into the air from the heated aerosol generating substrate as the air flows along the airflow channel. This in turn ensures that the greatest possible quantity of vapour and/or aerosol is generated and delivered to the user during use of the aerosol generating article.
The at least one channel-forming strip may be positioned in a groove formed in a surface of the substantially planar aerosol generating substrate. Thus, the airflow channel formed by melting the meltable material may comprise a groove formed in a surface of the substantially planar aerosol generating substrate. Manufacture of the aerosol generating article is facilitated because the at least one channel-forming strip can be easily pressed into the surface of the substantially planar aerosol generating substrate.
The aerosol generating substrate may include a plurality of said grooves which may be arranged side by side to form a fluted surface and a channel-forming strip may be positioned in each groove. Thus, a plurality of airflow channels are provided in the surface of the aerosol generating substrate after melting the meltable material. By providing a plurality of airflow channels, an increased quantity of vapour and/or aerosol may be generated and delivered to the user during use of the aerosol generating article.
The at least one channel-forming strip may be positioned in a passage formed internally within the aerosol generating substrate. Thus, the airflow channel formed after melting the meltable material may comprise at least one airflow passage formed internally within the aerosol generating substrate. The airflow passage is fully surrounded by the aerosol generating substrate. This ensures that a maximum amount of volatile components can be released into the air from the heated aerosol generating substrate as the air flows along the airflow passage, thus ensuring that the greatest possible quantity of vapour and/or aerosol is generated and delivered to the user during use of the aerosol generating article in an aerosol generating device.
In one example, a single channel-forming strip may be positioned internally within the aerosol generating substrate, for example in a substantially central position within the cross-section of the aerosol generating substrate. In another example, a plurality of channel-forming strips may be positioned internally within the aerosol generating substrate, and the channel-forming strips may be arranged side by side, e.g., in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction (longitudinal direction). By providing a plurality of channel-forming strips, and hence airflow passages formed by melting the meltable material used to form the channel-forming strips, an increased quantity of vapour and/or aerosol may be generated and delivered to the user during use of the aerosol generating article in an aerosol generating device.
The aerosol generating substrate may comprise a plurality of aerosol generating strips which may extend in a first direction, e.g., parallel to the longitudinal axis, and may be arranged intermittently in a second direction which may be substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The aerosol generating article may comprise a plurality of said channel-forming strips and one of said channel-forming strips may be positioned between each pair of intermittently arranged aerosol generating strips. With this arrangement, the channel-forming strips can be easily positioned in the aerosol generating substrate during manufacture of the aerosol generating article, for example by spacing apart the aerosol generating strips in the second direction to form spaces for positioning the channel-forming strips. By positioning the channel-forming strips in the spaces formed between the aerosol generating strips, deformation of the aerosol generating substrate can be carefully controlled, or even avoided, during manufacture of the aerosol generating article. The aerosol generating article can also be manufactured efficiently and mass produced with relative ease.
The substantially planar aerosol generating substrate may have a flat rectangular shape which may have a pair of main surfaces. The wrapping member may comprise a pair of rectangular sheets which may be attached, respectively, to the pair of main surfaces.
The aerosol generating article may have a pleasing aesthetic appearance due to the flat rectangular shape of the aerosol generating substrate. The aerosol generating substrate may be readily covered by the wrapping member, thereby ensuring that a user does not directly touch the aerosol generating substrate during handling of the aerosol generating article. The flat rectangular shape may 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, e.g., a rectangular tubular form, to receive a downstream end of the aerosol generating substrate and the at least one channel-forming strip. The support member may be self-supporting and may, for example, comprise cardboard or a plastics material. The support member may advantageously deliver vapour and/or aerosol generated during use of the article directly to a user's mouth. The support member may allow heated vapour generated during use of the aerosol generating article to cool and condense to form an aerosol with optimal characteristics for inhalation by a user.
The wrapping member may comprise a material which is substantially non-electrically conductive and non-magnetically permeable and may, for example, comprise a paper wrapper. The use of a paper wrapper may facilitate manufacture and handing of the aerosol generating article and may enhance aerosol generation.
The wrapping member may have a porous inner surface which may face towards the aerosol generating substrate for absorbing condensation. The porous inner surface may help to ensure that the formation of condensed matter on the internal surfaces of the aerosol generating device is substantially eliminated, or at least minimised. The wrapping member may have an anti-stick outer surface which may face away from the aerosol generating substrate. For example, the wrapping member may comprise an anti-stick coating on the outer surface. The anti-stick outer surface may help to ensure that the wrapping member does not stick to surfaces of the aerosol generating device when it has been heated. Together, the porous inner surface and the anti-stick outer surface may help to reduce residue build-up within the aerosol generating device, thus reducing the number of cleaning and maintenance operations that a user of the device may have to perform.
The aerosol generating substrate may comprise an aerosol generating material for generating an aerosol when heated by an aerosol generating device, and more particularly when heated by a heating element of an aerosol generating device. The aerosol generating substrate may comprise a non-liquid aerosol generating material, for example any type of solid or semi-solid material. Example types of aerosol generating solids include powder, granules, pellets, shreds, strands, particles, gel, strips, loose leaves, cut leaves, cut filler, porous material, foam material or sheets. The aerosol generating substrate may comprise plant derived material and in particular, may comprise a tobacco. It may advantageously comprise reconstituted tobacco, for example including tobacco and any one or more of cellulose fibres, tobacco stalk fibres and inorganic fillers such as CaCO3.
Consequently, the aerosol generating device with which the aerosol generating articles are intended for use may 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 substrate.
The aerosol generating substrate may comprise an aerosol-former. Examples of aerosol-formers include polyhydric alcohols and mixtures thereof such as glycerine or propylene glycol. Typically, the aerosol generating substrate may comprise an aerosol-former content of between approximately 5% and approximately 50% on a dry weight basis. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating substrate may comprise an aerosol-former content of between approximately 10% and approximately 20% on a dry weight basis, and possibly approximately 15% on a dry weight basis.
The heating element of the aerosol generating device may comprise a resistive heating element. The heating element may alternatively comprise an inductively heatable susceptor, and the aerosol generating device may further comprise an electromagnetic field generator, e.g., comprising an induction coil, for inductively heating the susceptor. Upon being heated by the heating element, the aerosol generating substrate may release volatile compounds. The volatile compounds may include nicotine or flavour compounds such as tobacco flavouring.
The aerosol generating device may include a power source and a controller. The power source and the controller may be coupled to the heating element. The aerosol generating device may also include a temperature sensor, coupled to the controller, for measuring the temperature of the heating element. The controller may be configured to control the power supplied to the heating element by the power source to heat the at least one channel-forming strip to a temperature at or above the threshold temperature, for example during a start-up phase of the aerosol generating device.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring initially to
The aerosol generating article 1 comprises a substantially planar aerosol generating substrate 14. The aerosol generating substrate 14 comprises a bulk or mass of aerosol generating material and has a flat rectangular shape with a pair of oppositely disposed main surfaces 14a, 14b. The aerosol generating article 1 is a consumable, or disposable, article in which the aerosol generating substrate 14 may comprise tobacco or a tobacco material.
The aerosol generating article 1 comprises a plurality of grooves 18 formed in a main 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 the longitudinal direction between the distal end 10 and the mouth end 12, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. Together, the grooves 18 form a fluted surface 20. The grooves 18 may be formed in any suitable manner, for example by pressing the main surface 14a of the aerosol generating substrate 14 with a suitably shaped pressing tool.
The aerosol generating article 1 comprises a plurality of channel-forming strips 40 extending along the aerosol generating substrate 14 and positioned in the grooves 18. The channel-forming strips 40 comprise a meltable material, for example a non-toxic meltable material such as a wax. As noted above, the channel-forming strips 40 initially substantially prevent airflow through the grooves 18. The meltable material is configured to melt when heated by the aerosol generating device 102 as discussed in more detail below. When the meltable material has melted, the grooves 18 act as airflow channels 16 as shown in
Three grooves 18 are shown in the example of
The aerosol generating article 1 further comprises a wrapping member 22 which surrounds the aerosol generating substrate 14 and the channel-forming strips 40. The aerosol generating substrate 14 and the channel-forming strips 40 (and, hence, the grooves 18) are, thus, fully enclosed by the wrapping member 22 which may, for example, comprise cigarette paper or a similar material. The wrapping member 22 comprises a pair of rectangular sheets 24, 26 which are attached, respectively, to the main surfaces 14a, 14b of the aerosol generating substrate 14. The rectangular sheets 24, 26 are typically formed by a single sheet of material which is wrapped around the aerosol generating substrate 14 and which may have overlapping edges that are adhered to each other to secure the wrapping member 22 in position around the aerosol generating substrate 14 and the channel-forming strips 40.
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 approximately 18.0 mm, may have a width of approximately 11.8 mm, and may have a thickness (or depth) of approximately 1.2 mm. The aerosol generating substrate 14 may be spaced inwardly from the distal end 10 of the aerosol generating article 1 by a small distance, for example approximately 3.0 mm, as shown in
In some embodiments, the wrapping member 22 comprises a porous inner surface 22a which faces towards the aerosol generating substrate 14 and which is capable of absorbing condensation that may be formed during the heating process. Alternatively or in addition, the wrapping member 22 can comprise an anti-stick outer surface 22b facing away from the aerosol generating substrate 14 to reduce the risk of the wrapping member 22 sticking to surfaces of the aerosol generating device 102 when it has been heated. The anti-stick outer surface 22b may comprise an anti-stick coating on the outer surface 22b of the wrapping member 22.
Referring now to
The aerosol generating article 2 includes a plurality of airflow channels 16 in the form of airflow passages 30 formed internally within the aerosol generating substrate 14, and prior to use of the aerosol generating article 2 in the aerosol generating device 102, a channel-forming strip 40 is positioned in each airflow passage 30 thereby preventing airflow through the airflow passages 30. Like the grooves 18, the airflow passages 30 extend in the longitudinal direction, between the distal end 10 and the mouth end 12, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. The airflow passages 30 are arranged side-by-side roughly at a mid-point between the main surfaces 14a, 14b of the aerosol generating substrate 14, although different positions could be adopted provided that each airflow passage 30 is fully surrounded by the aerosol generating material that forms the aerosol generating substrate 14. It should also be noted that the airflow passages 30 may have a variety of cross-sectional shapes including, but not limited to, square as illustrated in
Referring now to
The aerosol generating article 3 includes a support member 28 positioned at the mouth end 12 of the aerosol generating article 3 to form a mouth-end portion 34 which can be engaged by a user's lips during use of the aerosol generating article 3 in an aerosol generating device 102. The support member 28 typically comprises a self-supporting material such as cardboard or a plastics material and has a rectangular tubular form when viewed in cross-section to receive a downstream end of the aerosol generating substrate 14 and the grooves 18 formed in the surface 14a with the channel-forming strips 40 positioned therein. The wrapping member 22 also surrounds the support member 28.
Referring now to
In the aerosol generating article 4, the aerosol generating substrate 14 comprises a plurality of aerosol generating strips 32 which extend in a first direction, substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article 4, between the distal end 10 and the mouth end 12. The aerosol generating strips 32 are spaced apart laterally, in other words they are arranged intermittently and spaced apart in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. This intermittent arrangement (or spacing) of the aerosol generating strips 32 allows a channel-forming strip 40 to be positioned between each adjacent pair of aerosol generating strips 32. As described above in connection with
The aerosol generating article 4 is shown without a support member 28 at the mouth end 12. A support member 28 can, however, be provided at the mouth end 12 of the aerosol generating article 4 as explained above in connection with the aerosol generating article 3 of
Referring now to
The aerosol generating device 102 comprises a receiving chamber 106 and a heater 104 positioned in the device body 108 to provide heat to the receiving chamber 106. The heater 104 may be a resistive heater comprising a resistive heating element, or may alternatively be an induction heater comprising a susceptor and an electromagnetic field generator including 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 pivotal mounting 112 that allows the cover 110 to be moved between a closed position shown in
The aerosol generating device 102 includes a power source 114, e.g., a rechargeable battery, and a controller 116, both of which are connected to the heater 104. The heater 104 may be actuated manually, e.g., via a user interface such as a button on the aerosol generating device 102, or may be actuated automatically in response to a user drawing on a mouthpiece 118 of the aerosol generating device 102. The power supplied to the heater 104 from the power source 114 is controlled by the controller 116, initially to heat the channel-forming strips 40 to a temperature at or above a threshold temperature at which the meltable material forming the channel-forming strips 40 melts. Airflow channels 16 are thereby formed by the grooves 18 in the surface of the aerosol generating substrate 14 as described above after the meltable material has melted. Melting of the channel-forming strips 40 may occur during a start-up phase of the aerosol generating device 102 and the aerosol generating device 102 may include a temperature sensor (not shown) to allow the temperature of the heater 104, and thereby the approximate temperature of the channel-forming strips 40, to be determined by the controller 116.
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 the grooves 18 formed in the surface of the aerosol generating substrate 14. The airflow direction is illustrated by the arrows in
With the continued supply of power from the power source 114 to the heater 104, the aerosol generating substrate 14 is heated without burning to release one or more volatile components. The volatile components are entrained in the air flowing through the grooves 18 thereby forming a vapour. The vapour cools and condenses as it flows through the grooves 18 to form an aerosol which is inhaled by a user through the mouthpiece 118 of the aerosol generating device 102. It is important to note that the meltable material does not itself comprise any active agents, e.g., nicotine, aerosol former, flavourants, or the like, that are capable of releasing volatile components into the generated aerosol when the meltable material is heated by the heater 104.
When the aerosol generating substrate 14 becomes depleted and no longer releases sufficient volatile components to generate an aerosol with acceptable qualities, the aerosol generating article 1 can be removed from the receiving chamber 106 after pivoting the cover 110 to the open position, and a replacement aerosol generating article 1 can be inserted in its place.
In the event that the aerosol generating device 102 is used in combination with an aerosol generating article having a support member 28, for example the third example of the aerosol generating article 3 described above with reference to
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.
Any combination of the above-described features in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the present disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise”, “comprising”, and the like, are to be construed in an inclusive as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to”.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21170085.1 | Apr 2021 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2022/060583 | 4/21/2022 | WO |
