Patent Application
20250228286
This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0007532, filed on Jan. 17, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Embodiments relate to a capsule, an aerosol-generating article including the capsule, and an aerosol-generating system, and more particularly, to a capsule that releases an active material when exposed to an alternating magnetic field, an aerosol-generating-article including the capsule, and an aerosol-generating system.
Recently, the demand for alternative methods for overcoming the shortcomings of general cigarettes has increased. For example, there is an increasing demand for a system for generating aerosols by heating a cigarette (or an ‘aerosol generating article’) by using an aerosol generating device, rather than by burning cigarettes.
Examples of a method by which an aerosol-generating device heats an aerosol-generating article include an electrical resistance heating method and an induction heating method. An aerosol-generating device using an induction heating method generates heat by applying a magnetic field to a heater which is arranged around or inside an aerosol-generating article and generates heat due to an external magnetic field.
A capsule is used to prevent loss of an active material (for example, a flavoring material or the like) included in an aerosol-generating article during storage. In general, a capsule includes a core including an active material and a shell surrounding the core. The capsule is buried in an aerosol-generating article, and when using the capsule, a user presses a portion where the active material is buried to crush the capsule and release the active material. However, a user may have difficulty in crushing the capsule depending on a size of the capsule and a thickness, strength, ductility, and viscosity of a shell, and so on.
Objectives to be achieved through embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the objectives described above, and objectives not described may be clearly understood by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the embodiments belong from the present specification and the attached drawings.
Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments of the disclosure.
According to an embodiment, a capsule releases an active material when exposed to an alternating magnetic field, and includes a core including the active material and a shell surrounding the core, and at least one of the core and the shell includes at least one susceptor particle that is heated by exposure to the alternating magnetic field.
According to another embodiment, an aerosol-generating article includes a capsule and an aerosol-generating material that generates an aerosol when heated.
According to another embodiment, an aerosol-generating system includes an aerosol-generating article, and an aerosol-generating device including an accommodation space into which an aerosol-generating article is inserted, the aerosol-generating device being configured to apply an alternating magnetic field to the accommodation space.
A capsule according to embodiments may releases an active material when exposed to an alternating magnetic field, and thus, user intervention is not required to release the active material of the capsule, and the release time of the active material may be easily adjusted.
Effects of the embodiments are not limited to the effects described above, and effects that are not described may be clearly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments belong from the present specification and the attached drawings.
The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
A capsule according to an embodiment releases an active material when exposed to an alternating magnetic field, and includes a core including the active material and a shell surrounding the core, and at least one of the core and the shell includes at least one susceptor particle that is heated by exposure to the alternating magnetic field.
The active material may include at least one selected from a group including nicotine, caffeine, cannabinoids, aerosol-generating materials, and flavoring materials.
The shell may include a lipid bilayer.
At least part of a surface of the susceptor particle may be coated with at least one selected from a group including lipids, oleic acid, starch, and silica.
The capsule may have a diameter of about 1 μm to about 50 μm.
The susceptor particle may have a diameter of about 1 nm to about 100 nm.
The shell may include a plurality of susceptor particles, and the shell may include a membrane material in which the plurality of susceptor particles are dispersed.
The membrane material may include at least one selected from a group including carbon nanotubes, silica, aluminum hydroxide, titanium dioxide, and calcium carbonate.
The sum of weights of the plurality of susceptor particles may be about 5 wt % to about 10 wt % of the total weight of the membrane material.
A ratio of a weight of the active material to a weight of the shell may be about 7:3 to about 4:6.
The shell may have a thickness of about 100 nm to about 500 nm.
An aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment includes a capsule, and an aerosol-generating material that generates an aerosol when heated.
The aerosol-generating article may include a plurality of the capsule, and a difference between a diameter of each capsule and an average diameter of the plurality of capsules may be about-10% to about 10% from the average diameter of the plurality of capsules.
The aerosol-generating article may further include an aerosol-generating rod including the aerosol-generating material and the capsule, and a filter rod arranged downstream of the aerosol-generating rod.
An aerosol-generating system includes an aerosol-generating article, and an aerosol-generating device including an accommodation space into which an aerosol-generating article is inserted, the aerosol-generating device being configured to apply an alternating magnetic field to the accommodation space.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, and regardless of the drawing symbols, identical or similar components are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted.
Suffixes “module”, “unit”, and “portion” used for components in the following description are given or used interchangeably only for the sake of convenience of describing the disclosure and do not have distinct meanings or functions in themselves.
Also, in describing the embodiments disclosed in the disclosure, when it is determined that detailed descriptions of the related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in the disclosure, the detailed descriptions are omitted. Also, the attached drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in the disclosure, and the technical idea disclosed in the disclosure is not limited by the attached drawings and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the idea and technical scope of the disclosure.
Terms including ordinal numbers, such as “first”, “second”, and so on, may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms described above are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component.
When a component is described to be “connected” or “coupled” to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected or coupled to another component and may be connected or coupled thereto with other components therebetween. In addition, when it is described that a component is “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components therebetween.
Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
As described herein, when an expression, such as “at least one” precedes arranged elements, the expression modifies all of the arranged elements rather than each of the arranged elements. For example, an expression “at least one of a, b, and c” should be interpreted to include a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c.
Throughout the specification, an “aerosol-generating device” may be a device that generates an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material to generate an aerosol that is directly inhalable into a user's lung through the user's mouth.
Throughout the specification, an “aerosol-generating article” means an article used in smoking. For example, an aerosol-generating article may be a combustible cigarette used in a manner that is ignited and combusted, or may be a heating-type cigarette used in a manner that is heated by an aerosol-generating device.
Throughout the specification, an “aerosol-generating system” may include an aerosol-generating device and an aerosol-generating article. For example, an aerosol-generating system may heat an aerosol-generating article by using an aerosol-generating device and deliver the generated aerosol to a user.
Throughout the specification, a “puff” means an inhalation performed by a user. The inhalation may mean drawing an aerosol into a user's lung through the user's mouth or nose.
Referring to
The active material may include a material for achieving or enhancing a physiological response. The active material may also include a material for modifying the properties of an aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating article. For example, the active material may include one or more selected from a group consisting of nicotine, caffeine, cannabinoids, aerosol-generating materials, and flavoring materials.
A term “cannabinoids” refers to any one of naturally occurring compounds found in some species of cannabis plant, Cannabis sativa, cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. The cannabinoid compounds that occur naturally from the cannabis plant include cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The term “cannabinoid” is used to describe both naturally occurring cannabinoid and synthetically produced cannabinoid.
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 limited thereto.
A flavoring material may add flavor to an aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating article described below. The flavoring material may include a natural flavoring material and/or a synthetic flavoring material. For example, the synthetic flavoring material may include one or more selected from a group consisting of ester, alcohol, aldehyde, ketone, phenol, ether, lactone, hydrocarbon, a nitrogen-containing compound, a sulfur-containing compound, and acid.
Also, the natural flavoring material may include at least one oil selected from a group consisting of, for example, star anise, basil, calamus, caraway, pepper, cascarilla, ginger, sage, clary sage, clove, coriander, eucalyptus, fennel, pimento, juniper, fenugreek, laurel, mace, almond, anise, artemisia, apricot, strawberry, fig, ylang ylang, wintergreen, plum, elder, chamomile, galanga, quince, guava, cranberry, prickly ash, sandalwood, chamomile, jasmine, ginseng, cinnamon, star fruit, cinnamon, spearmint, apple mint, peppermint, geranium, thyme, tansy, tangerine, tuberose, peppermint, passion fruit, vanilla, rose, coffee, cypress, pine, mango, beeswax, musk, maple, melon, peach, lavender, and rosemary.
The core C may include a lipophilic solvent mixed with an active material. For example, the lipophilic solvent may include triglyceride, medium-chain triglyceride (for example, triglyceride of caprylic acid and capric acid), vegetable oil (for example, olive oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, wheat germ oil, or rapeseed oil), mineral oil, silicone oil or a mixture of these with triglyceride, fatty acid (for example, polyunsaturated fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid, or so on), fatty acid ester (for example, isopropyl myristate), sucrose fatty acid ester, liquid paraffin, squalene, or so on.
Referring to
The susceptor particles P may be heated by an alternating magnetic field applied from the outside. For example, the susceptor particles P may be heated when exposed to an alternating magnetic field generated by an aerosol-generating device. The aerosol-generating device may generate an aerosol by heating an aerosol-generating article accommodated in the aerosol-generating device through an induction heating method.
Specifically, the induction heating method may refer to a method of heating a magnetic body by applying an alternating magnetic field of which direction changes periodically to the magnetic body that generates heat due to an external magnetic field.
When an alternating magnetic field is applied to a magnetic body, energy loss may occur in the magnetic body due to eddy current loss and hysteresis loss, and the lost energy may be released from the magnetic body as heat energy. The greater the amplitude or frequency of an alternating magnetic field applied to a magnetic body, the more heat energy may be released from the magnetic body.
At least some of the susceptor particles P may each be formed of a ferromagnetic material. For example, the susceptor particles P may each include a metal or carbon. The susceptor particles P may each include at least one of ferrite, a ferromagnetic alloy, stainless steel, and aluminum (Al). Also, the susceptor particles P may include at least one of graphite, molybdenum, silicon carbide, niobium, a nickel alloy, a ceramic such as zirconia, a transition metal such as nickel (Ni) or cobalt (Co), and a metalloid such as boron or phosphorus.
The susceptor particles P may be heated by an alternating magnetic field and increase permeability of the shell S. For example, the heated susceptor particles P may increase the permeability of the active material to the shell S by reversibly or irreversibly changing a structural form of the shell S. Accordingly, the active material may be released to the outside of the capsule 1.
Referring to
At least part of a surface of each of the susceptor particles P included in the core C may be coated with at least one selected from a group consisting of lipids, oleic acid, starch, and silica. The coated susceptor particles P may have improved stability in the inside of the shell S including the lipid bilayer SL.
The capsule 1 may have a diameter of about 1 μm to about 50 μm. The temperature of the capsule 1 may be easily adjusted by the heated susceptor particles P in a diameter range of the capsule 1 described above. Accordingly, the permeability of the shell S may be easily adjusted, and a point in time at which an active material is released may be adjusted. For example, the capsule 1 may have a diameter of about 2 μm to about 20 μm or a diameter of about 3 μm to about 10 μm.
Also, the susceptor particles P may each have a diameter of about 1 nm to about 100 nm. The thermal decomposition of the active material may be prevented in a diameter range of the susceptor particles P described above. Also, when the capsule 1 includes a plurality of susceptor particles P, the plurality of susceptor particles P may be uniformly dispersed inside the capsule 1, and accordingly, the temperature of the capsule 1 may be easily adjusted. For example, the plurality of susceptor particles P may each have a diameter of about 10 nm to about 80 nm, or a diameter of about 20 nm to about 60 nm.
Because the general capsule requires user intervention for crushing, the capsule may not be arranged in a heated portion of an aerosol-generating article but may be arranged only in a non-heated portion (for example, a filter). Therefore, an active ingredient included in the capsule may be limited to only volatile material that does not require heating. Also, because the capsule has to have an appropriate size for being easily crushed by a user, the capsule has a considerable volume. Accordingly, many capsules may not be included in an aerosol-generating article, and the aerosol-generating article may have regions that are relatively close to the capsules and regions that are not close to the capsule. This may result in an active material not being released uniformly inside the aerosol-generating article.
The capsule 1 according to the embodiment may release an active material by applying an alternating magnetic field, and accordingly, user intervention is not required. Also, the capsule 1 may be arranged in a portion where the aerosol-generating article is heated, and accordingly, an active material that requires heating may also be included in the core C of the capsule 1. Also, the capsule 1 has a relatively small volume, many capsules may be included in the aerosol-generating article. Accordingly, the capsule 1 may be uniformly distributed inside the aerosol-generating article, and an active material may be uniformly released inside the aerosol-generating article.
Referring to
The shell S may include a membrane material SM in which a plurality of susceptor particles P are dispersed. Although
The plurality of susceptor particles P arranged inside the membrane material SM generate heat by an alternating magnetic field applied from the outside and may directly affect the permeability of the membrane material SM. For example, the membrane material SM may be structurally deformed by the heat generated by the susceptor particles P. Depending on the structural deformation of the membrane material SM, the permeability of the shell S may be improved, and thus, the active material may be released to the outside of the capsule 1.
The membrane material SM may include at least one selected from a group consisting of carbon nanotubes, silica, aluminum hydroxide, titanium dioxide, and calcium carbonate. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and any material capable of safely retaining the susceptor particles P in the membrane material SM may be applied without limitation. For example, the membrane material SM may include a silica matrix, and a plurality of susceptor particles P may be dispersed inside and/or outside the silica matrix.
The sum of the weights of the plurality of susceptor particles P included in the membrane material SM may be about 5 wt % to about 10 wt % of the total weight of the membrane material SM. When the sum of the weights of the plurality of susceptor particles P included in the membrane material SM satisfies the above-described range, the capsule 1 may stably retain the active material, and the permeability of the shell S may be easily adjusted according to the heat generation of the susceptor particles P. When the weights of the susceptor particles P are about 5 wt % or less of the total weight of the membrane material SM, the active material of the core C may not be released to the outside even when the active material is exposed to an alternating magnetic field. When the weights of the susceptor particles P are more than about 10 wt % of the total weight of the membrane material SM, the stability of the membrane material SM may be reduced. For example, the sum of the weights of the plurality of susceptor particles P included in the membrane material SM may be about 6 wt % to about 9 wt %, or about 7 wt % to about 8 wt % of the total weight of the membrane material SM.
A ratio of a weight of the active material to a weight of the shell S may be about 7:3 to about 4:6. When the weight of the active material exceeds the above-described ratio, it may be difficult for the shell S to stably retain the active material. When the weight of the active material is less than the above-described ratio, the active material may not be easily released regardless of the permeability of the shell S that are changed by the susceptor particles P. For example, a ratio of the weight of the active material to the weight of the shell S may be about 7:3 to about 5:5, or about 6:4 to about 4:6.
The shell S may have a thickness of about 100 nm to about 500 nm. As the shell S has a thickness of the above-described range, the stability of the capsule 1 is improved, and the permeability of the shell S may be easily adjusted. When the thickness of the shell S is less than about 100 nm, the stability of the capsule 1 may be reduced, such as formation of holes in the shell S due to sizes of the susceptor particles P included in the shell S. When the thickness of the shell S exceeds about 500 nm, the permeability of the shell S may not be improved to a level where an active material may be released even after the susceptor particles P are heated. For example, the shell S may have a thickness of about 150 nm to about 450 nm, or a thickness of about 200 nm to about 400 nm.
Hereinafter, an aerosol-generating article, to which the capsule 1 according to the embodiment is applied, is described with reference to
Referring to
“Upstream” and “downstream” may be determined based on a direction in which air flows when a user inhales an aerosol by using the aerosol-generating article 10. For example, when a user inhales an aerosol by using the aerosol-generating article 10 illustrated in
The aerosol-generating rod 11 may be heated to generate an aerosol. The aerosol-generating rod 11 may include a tobacco material. The aerosol-generating rod 11 may be heated to generate an aerosol including nicotine. The tobacco material may have a form of a tobacco strand, a tobacco particle, a tobacco sheet, tobacco beads, tobacco granule, tobacco powder, or a tobacco extract but is not limited thereto.
For example, the aerosol-generating rod 11 may include a plurality of tobacco strands, and the plurality of tobacco strands may include flat-leaf-cut tobacco. The flat-leaf-cut tobacco may be prepared by cutting a plate-shaped leaf sheet. The flat-leaf-cut tobacco may be prepared by the following process. A tobacco raw material is pulverized to prepare a slurry obtained by mixing an aerosol-generating material (for example, glycerin, propylene glycol, or so on), a flavoring liquid, a binder (for example, guar gum, xanthan gum, carboxymethyl cellulose, or so on), water, and so on with each other. The slurry may include natural pulp or cellulose, and one or more binders may be mixed therewith to be used. The slurry may be cast to form a sheet, and then dried to prepare a flat leaf sheet. The flat-leaf-cut tobacco may be prepared by cutting, crimping, or shredding a flat leaf sheet. The tobacco raw material may be tobacco leaves, tobacco stems, and/or tobacco fines generated during tobacco processing. Also, the flat leaf sheet may also contain other additives, such as wood cellulose fiber.
Also, the aerosol-generating rod 11 may include leaf-cut tobacco prepared by mixing and processing various types of tobacco leaves, and then cutting the tobacco leaves. Also, the aerosol-generating rod 11 may include a mixture of flat-leaf-cut tobacco and leaf-cut tobacco.
In another example, the aerosol-generating rod 11 may include a plurality of tobacco granules. The tobacco granule may be a particle having a diameter of about 100 μm to about 2,000 μm. The tobacco granules may be prepared by extruding a mixture of tobacco leaf powder, a pH adjuster, and a solvent.
A plurality of tobacco granules may be arranged between filter materials. The filter materials may each include, for example, a fiber bundle of cellulose acetate fiber strands. The plurality of tobacco granules may be arranged in a uniformly dispersed form between the plurality of cellulose fibers. In another example, the filter materials may each include a crimped paper sheet. The crimped paper sheet may be arranged inside the aerosol-generating rod 11 in a wound state. The crimped paper sheet may be wound around an axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating rod 11. A plurality of tobacco granules may be dispersed inside the wound paper sheet.
The tobacco material may include an aerosol-generating material. 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 limited thereto. Also, the tobacco material may also contain other additives, such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or organic acid. Also, a flavoring liquid, such as menthol or a moisturizer, may be sprayed onto the tobacco material.
The aerosol-generating rod 11 may also include another plant material instead of the tobacco material. For example, the aerosol-generating rod 11 may include an herbal material. The aerosol-generating rod 11 may also include a sheet including the herbal material. The herbal material may include at least one of mint, lemongrass, cinnamon, clover leaves, rose petals, and corn silk, but is not limited to. A sheet including the herbal material may be impregnated with the aerosol-generating material.
Also, the aerosol-generating rod 11 may include an aerosol-generating substrate impregnated with a liquid aerosol-generating composition. The aerosol-generating substrate may include a crimped sheet, and the liquid aerosol-generating composition may be included in the aerosol-generating rod 11 in the state of being impregnated in the crimped sheet. Also, other additives, such as flavoring agents, wetting agents, and/or organic acid, and a flavoring liquid may be included in the aerosol-generating rod 11 in a state of being absorbed in the crimped sheet.
The aerosol-generating substrate may be arranged inside the aerosol-generating rod 11 in a wound state. The wound aerosol-generating substrate may be wound around an axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 10 but is not limited thereto.
The crimped sheet may be a sheet composed of a polymeric material. For example, the polymeric material may include at least one of paper, cellulose acetate, lyocell, and polylactic acid. For example, the crimped sheet may be a paper sheet that does not generate an off-flavor due to heat even when heated to a high temperature.
The liquid aerosol-generating composition may include nicotine. The nicotine may include freebase nicotine and/or a nicotine salt. The freebase nicotine may refer to neutral nicotine that has not been protonated. For example, when a strong base, such as ammonia, is added to a positively charged nicotine salt, the strong base is converted into a cation, and the nicotine salt may become freebase nicotine which is in a neutral state.
The liquid aerosol-generating composition may also include an aerosol-generating agent. The description made above for the aerosol-generating material included in a tobacco material may be equally applied to the aerosol-generating agent.
The liquid aerosol-generating composition may be impregnated in the aerosol-generating substrate in an amount of about 0.05 g to about 1.0 g per 1 g of the aerosol-generating substrate. For example, the liquid aerosol-generating composition may be impregnated in the aerosol-generating substrate in an amount of about 0.1 g to about 0.8 g per 1 g of the aerosol-generating substrate.
The aerosol-generating rod 11 may include the capsule 1 of
Referring to
The plurality of capsules 1 may be distributed in a uniform size. That is, the plurality of capsules 1 may have similar sizes to each other. For example, a difference between a diameter of the capsule 1 and an average diameter of the plurality of capsules 1 may be about-10% to about 10% from the average diameter of the plurality of capsules 1. As the plurality of capsules 1 are distributed in a uniform size, active ingredients may be released from the plurality of capsules 1 at similar points in time. In another example, the difference between the diameter of the capsule 1 and the average diameter of the plurality of capsules 1 may be about-8% to about 8%, or about −7% to about 7% from the average diameter of the plurality of capsules 1.
The plurality of capsules 1 included in the aerosol-generating rod 11 may include different active materials. For example, some of the plurality of capsules 1 may each include a flavoring material as the active material, and some of the other capsules 1 may each include an aerosol-generating material as the active material. In another example, some of the plurality of capsules 1 may each include nicotine as the active material, and some of the other capsules 1 may each include a flavoring material.
Also, some of the plurality of capsules 1 included in the aerosol-generating rod 11 may be the capsules 1 illustrated in
The filter rod 12 may include a plurality of segments. The filter rod 12 may include a first segment 12-1 that cools an aerosol and a second segment 12-2 that filters a preset component included in the aerosol. Although
The filter rod 12 may filter some components included in the aerosol passing through the filter rod 12. The filter rod 12 may include a filter material. For example, the filter rod 12 may be a cellulose acetate filter. The filter rod 12 may be manufactured by adding a plasticizer (for example, triacetin) to cellulose acetate tow.
There is no limitation on a shape of the filter rod 12. For example, the filter rod 12 may be a cylindrical rod or a tube-type rod having a hollow portion therein. Also, the filter rod 12 may be a recessed rod. When the filter rod 12 includes a plurality of segments, at least one of the plurality of segments may be manufactured in a different shape.
The filter rod 12 may be manufactured to generate flavor. In an example, a flavoring liquid may be sprayed onto the filter rod 12, or a separate fiber coated with the flavoring liquid may be inserted into the filter rod 12.
The filter rod 12 may include the first segment 12-1 that cools an aerosol. The first segment 12-1 may include a polymer material or a biodegradable polymer material. For example, the first segment 12-1 may include polylactic acid but is not limited thereto. In another example, the first segment 12-1 may include a hollow cellulose acetate tube or a paper tube.
At least one hole 12-1h may be formed in an outer surface of the first segment 12-1. The at least one hole 12-1h may be formed along a circumference of the first segment 12-1 to form one or more rows. The at least one hole 12-1h may allow external air to be introduced into the first segment 12-1. The external air introduced into the first segment 12-1 may be mixed with a high temperature aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating rod 11.
An aerosol-generating article 10 may include a wrapper 14 wrapping one of the aerosol-generating rod 11 and the filter rod 12. Also, the aerosol-generating article 10 may include the wrapper 14 wrapping both the aerosol-generating rod 11 and the filter rod 12. The wrapper 14 may be located at the outermost portion of the aerosol-generating article 10. The wrapper 14 may be a single wrapper but may also be a combination of multiple wrappers.
The aerosol-generating article 10 may be wrapped in layers by two or more wrappers (14). For example, the aerosol-generating rod 11 may be wrapped by a first wrapper 14-1, the first segment 12-1 of the filter rod 12 may be wrapped by a second wrapper 14-2, and the second segment 12-2 of the filter rod 12 may be wrapped by a third wrapper 14-3. In addition, the entire aerosol-generating article 10 may be rewrapped by a fourth wrapper 14-4.
The first wrapper 14-1 may wrap the aerosol-generating rod 11. The first wrapper 14-1 may be a combination of paper and metal foil, such as aluminum foil. For example, the first wrapper 14-1 may be a laminated sheet in which paper and metal foil are laminated. The first wrapper 14-1 may be a laminated sheet in which paper is arranged on one surface of the metal foil, or may be a laminated sheet in which paper is arranged on both surfaces of the metal foil.
The paper of the first wrapper 14-1 may include an oil-resistant material. For example, the paper of the first wrapper 14-1 may include polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) or silicone. The paper of the first wrapper 14-1 may have a surface coated with polyvinyl alcohol or silicone.
The second wrapper 14-2 may wrap the first segment 12-1 of the filter rod 12. The second wrapper 14-2 may include a paper roll. The paper roll of the second wrapper 14-2 may be a porous roll or a non-porous roll. At least one perforation 15 may be formed in the second wrapper 14-2. For example, the second wrapper 14-2 may wrap the first segment 12-1 having at least one hole 12-1h formed therein, and at least one perforation 15 formed in the second wrapper 14-2 may be formed at a position corresponding to the at least one hole 12-1h formed in the first segment 12-1.
The third wrapper 14-3 may wrap the second segment 12-2 of the filter rod 12. The third wrapper 14-3 may include a hard roll having a larger thickness and basis weight than a general paper roll. For example, a thickness of the hard roll may be about 70 μm to about 150 μm, and a basis weight of the hard roll may be about 50 g/m2 to about 100 g/m2. Also, the hard roll may include an oil-resistant material. For example, the hard roll may include a surface treatment with an oil-resistant material, such as polyvinyl alcohol or silicone.
The fourth wrapper 14-4 may collectively wrap the aerosol-generating rod 11 wrapped by the first wrapper 14-1, the first segment 12-1 of the filter rod 12 wrapped by the second wrapper 14-2, and the second segment 12-2 of the filter rod 12 wrapped by the third wrapper 14-3. The fourth wrapper 14-4 may prevent the outside of the aerosol-generating article 10 from being contaminated by the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating article 10. Liquid materials may be generated inside the aerosol-generating article 10 by a user's puff. For example, the liquid materials (for example, moisture, and so on) may be generated by cooling the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating article 10 by the external air. As the fourth wrapper 14-4 wraps the outside of the aerosol-generating article 10, the generated liquid materials may be prevented from leaking out of the aerosol-generating article 10.
Referring to
The front-end plug 13 may be arranged upstream of the aerosol-generating rod 11. The front-end plug 13 may be placed on one side of the aerosol-generating rod 11 which is opposite to the filter rod 12. The front-end plug 13 may prevent the aerosol-generating rod 11 from being separated to the outside. Also, the front-end plug 13 may prevent a liquefied aerosol from moving from the aerosol-generating rod 11 to the aerosol-generating device during smoking.
The front-end plug 13 may include cellulose acetate. For example, the front-end plug 13 may be a cellulose acetate tube including a hollow portion.
The front-end plug 13 may be wrapped by a fifth wrapper 14-5. The fifth wrapper 14-5 may be a combination of paper and metal foil, such as aluminum foil. For example, the fifth wrapper 14-5 may be a laminated sheet in which paper and metal foil are laminated. The fifth wrapper 14-5 may be a laminated sheet in which paper is arranged on one surface of the metal foil, or a laminated sheet in which paper is arranged on both surfaces of the metal foil.
Also, the front-end plug 13 may be wrapped in layers by two or more wrappers 14. For example, the front-end plug 13 may be wrapped by a fifth wrapper 14-5, the aerosol-generating rod 11 may be wrapped by a first wrapper 14-1, a first segment 12-1 of the filter rod 12 may be wrapped by a second wrapper 14-2, and a second segment 12-2 of the filter rod 12 may be wrapped by a third wrapper 14-3. In addition, the entire aerosol-generating article 10 may be rewrapped by a fourth wrapper 14-4.
The front-end plug 13 may also be heated to generate an aerosol. The front-end plug 13 may include an aerosol-generating material. Also, the front-end plug 13 may include other additives, such as a wetting agent and/or organic acid, and may include a flavoring liquid, such as menthol. 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.
The front-end plug 13 may include an aerosol-generating substrate. The aerosol-generating substrate may be impregnated with an aerosol-generating material. The aerosol-generating substrate may include a crimped sheet, and the aerosol-generating material may be included in the front-end plug 13 in a state of being impregnated in the crimped sheet. Also, other additives, such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or organic acid, may be included in the front-end plug 13 in a state of being impregnated in the crimped sheet.
The aerosol-generating substrate may be arranged inside the front-end plug 13 in a wound state. The wound aerosol-generating substrate may be wound around an axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 10 but is not limited thereto.
The crimped sheet may be a sheet composed of a polymeric material. For example, the polymeric material may include at least one of paper, cellulose acetate, lyocell, and polylactic acid. For example, the crimped sheet may be a paper sheet that does not generate an off-flavor due to heat even when heated to a high temperature.
The front-end plug 13 may have a length of about 7 mm to about 20 mm, and the aerosol-generating rod 11 may have a length of about 7 mm to about 20 mm. However, lengths of the front-end plug 13 and the aerosol-generating rod 11 may be appropriately changed.
Referring to
The front-end plug 13 and the aerosol-generating rod 11 may each include a capsule 1. Referring to
The capsule 1 included in the front-end plug 13 may include different active material from an active material of the capsule 1 included in the aerosol-generating rod 11. For example, the capsule 1 included in the front-end plug 13 may include an aerosol-generating substance as the active material, and the capsule 1 included in the aerosol-generating rod 11 may include nicotine. in another example, the capsule 1 included in the front-end plug 13 may include a flavoring material as the active material, and the capsule 1 included in the aerosol-generating rod 11 may include an aerosol-generating material. However, embodiments are not limited thereto, and the capsule 1 included in the front-end plug 13 and the capsule 1 included in the aerosol-generating rod 11 may include the same active material as each other.
The capsule 1 included in the front-end plug 13 and the capsule 1 included in the aerosol-generating rod 11 may release active materials at different points in time. For example, the capsule 1 included in the front-end plug 13 may release the active material at the beginning of a heating section, and the capsule 1 included in the aerosol-generating rod 11 may release the active material at the end of the heating section. Here, the “heating section” may refer to a time length from the time when a heater of an aerosol-generating device described below starts heating to the time when the heating ends. Also, a time length corresponding to an initial part of the entire heating section, for example, a time length corresponding to about half of the heating section may correspond to an “early part of the heating section”, and the other time length may correspond to ae “late part of the heating section”.
For example, the capsule 1 included in the front-end plug 13 may release an active material earlier than the capsule 1 included in the aerosol-generating rod 11. Because the capsule 1 arranged upstream releases the active material earlier than the capsule 1 arranged downstream, active materials included in an aerosol may be prevented from being mixed together.
For example, when the capsule 1 arranged downstream may release the active material at the beginning of a heating section and the capsule 1 arranged upstream releases the active material at the end of the heating section, the active material released at the end of the heating section may pass through the capsule 1 arranged downstream together with the aerosol. Therefore, a problem may occur in that the active material released at the end of the heating section is mixed with the active material released at the beginning of the heating section.
In contrast to this, when the capsule 1 arranged upstream releases the active material at the beginning of the heating section and the capsule 1 arranged downstream releases the active material at the end of the heating section, the active material released at the end of the heating section does not pass through the capsule 1 arranged downstream, and thus, the problem may not occur in that the active materials are mixed with each other.
Although
Referring to
The sheet-shaped aerosol-generating article 10 may include an aerosol-generating substrate 16 and a plurality of capsules 1 arranged in the aerosol-generating substrate 16. The descriptions made above for the capsule 1 of
The aerosol-generating substrate 16 may be a solid material including an aerosol-generating material. The plurality of capsules 1 may be arranged inside the solid material including the aerosol-generating material. The solid material including the aerosol-generating material may include a tobacco material. For example, the solid material including an aerosol-generating material may be an integral tobacco solid material.
For example, the tobacco solid material may be manufactured through a manufacturing method including an operation of preparing a tobacco composition including tobacco powder, a binder, and an aerosol-generating material, an operation of inserting the tobacco composition into a sheet-shaped mold, and an operation of drying the tobacco composition inserted into the sheet-shaped mold.
The aerosol-generating substrate 16 may have a porous structure including a plurality of pores. For example, the aerosol-generating substrate 16 may include a porous tobacco solid. For example, the aerosol-generating substrate 16 may have a specific surface area of 200 m2/g to 1000 m2/g. Also, the aerosol-generating substrate 16 may have a specific surface area of 300 m2/g to 800 m2/g.
A plurality of capsules 1 may be added to the aerosol-generating substrate 16 by being sprayed. Accordingly, the plurality of capsules 1 may be arranged on an outer surface of the aerosol-generating substrate 16. Also, some of the plurality of capsules 1 may be arranged on the outer surface of the aerosol-generating substrate 16, and the other of the plurality of capsules 1 may be arranged in the aerosol-generating substrate 16 by being moved into the aerosol-generating substrate 16 through a plurality of pores formed in the aerosol-generating substrate 16.
Referring to
The aerosol-generating device 100 may generate an aerosol by heating an aerosol-generating article 10 accommodated in the aerosol-generating device 100 through an induction heating method. The induction heating method may refer to a method of heating a magnetic body by applying an alternating magnetic field of which direction periodically changes to the magnetic body that generates heat by an external magnetic field.
When the alternating magnetic field is applied to the magnetic body, energy loss according to eddy current loss and hysteresis loss may occur in the magnetic body, and accordingly, the lost energy may be released from the magnetic body as heat energy. The greater the amplitude or frequency of the alternating magnetic field applied to the magnetic body, the more the thermal energy may be released from the magnetic body. The aerosol-generating device 100 may cause thermal energy to be released from a magnetic body by applying an alternating magnetic field to the magnetic body and may transfer the thermal energy released from the magnetic body to the aerosol-generating article 10.
The magnetic body that generates heat by the external magnetic field may be a susceptor. The susceptor in a shape of a piece, a thin sheet, or a strip may be provided in the aerosol-generating device 100. For example, at least part of the heater 150 arranged inside the aerosol-generating device 100 may be formed of a susceptor material.
At least part of the susceptor material may be formed of a ferromagnetic material. For example, the susceptor material may include a metal or carbon. The susceptor material may include at least one of ferrite, a ferromagnetic alloy, stainless steel, and aluminum (Al). Also, the susceptor material may also include at least one of graphite, molybdenum, silicon carbide, niobium, a nickel alloy, a metal film, a ceramic such as zirconia, a transition metal such as nickel (Ni) or cobalt (Co), and metalloid such as boron or phosphorus.
The aerosol-generating device 100 may accommodate the aerosol-generating article 10. A space may be formed in the aerosol-generating device 100 to accommodate the aerosol-generating article 10. The heater 150 may be arranged in the space for accommodating the aerosol-generating article 10. For example, the heater 150 may have a cylindrical accommodation space for accommodating the aerosol-generating article 10 therein. Therefore, when the aerosol-generating article 10 is accommodated in an aerosol-generating device 100, the aerosol-generating article 10 may be accommodated in the accommodation space of the heater 150.
The heater 150 may surround at least part of an outer surface of the aerosol-generating article 10 accommodated in the aerosol-generating device 100. For example, the heater 150 may surround an aerosol-generating rod 11 included in an aerosol-generating article 10. Accordingly, heat may be more efficiently transferred from the heater 150 to the aerosol-generating rod 11.
The heater 150 may heat the aerosol-generating article 10 accommodated in the aerosol-generating device 100. As described above, the heater 150 may heat the aerosol-generating article 10 through the induction heating method. The heater 150 may include a susceptor material that generates heat by an external magnetic field, and the aerosol-generating device 100 may apply an alternating magnetic field to the heater 150.
The coil 151 may be included in the aerosol-generating device 100. The coil 151 may apply an alternating magnetic field to the heater 150. When power is supplied to the coil 151 from the aerosol-generating device 100, a magnetic field may be formed inside the coil 151. When an alternating current is applied to the coil 151, a direction of the magnetic field formed inside the coil 151 may be continuously changed. When the heater 150 is inside the coil 151 to be exposed to an alternating magnetic field of which direction changes periodically, the heater 150 may generate heat, and the aerosol-generating article 10 accommodated in the accommodation space of the heater 150 may be heated.
The coil 151 may be wound by a wire along an outer surface of the heater 150. Also, the coil 151 may be wound by a wire along an inner surface of an outer housing of the aerosol-generating device 100. The heater 150 may be placed in an internal space formed by winding the coil 151. When power is supplied to the coil 151, an alternating magnetic field generated by the coil 151 may be applied to the heater 150.
The coil 151 may be elongated in a longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating device 100. The coil 151 may be elongated to an appropriate length in the longitudinal direction. For example, the coil 151 may be elongated to a length corresponding to a length of the heater 150, or may be elongated to a length longer than a length of the heater 150.
The coil 151 may be arranged at a position suitable for applying an alternating magnetic field to the heater 150. For example, the coil 151 may be arranged at a position corresponding to the heater 150. Due to a size and arrangement of the coil 151, efficiency of the alternating magnetic field of the coil 151 being applied to the heater 150 may be improved.
When an amplitude or frequency of the alternating magnetic field formed by the coil 151 is changed, the degree to which the heater 150 heats the aerosol-generating article 10 may also be changed. Because the amplitude or frequency of the magnetic field by the coil 151 may be changed by the power applied to the coil 151, the aerosol-generating device 100 may control the heating of the aerosol-generating article 10 by adjusting the power applied to the coil 151. For example, the aerosol-generating device 100 may control the amplitude and frequency of the alternating current applied to the coil 151.
In one example, the coil 151 may be implemented by a solenoid. The coil 151 may be a solenoid wound by a wire along an inner surface of the outer housing of the aerosol-generating device 100, and the heater 150 and the aerosol-generating article 10 may be placed in an inner space of the solenoid. A material of a conductor constituting the solenoid may be copper (Cu). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and an alloy including any one or at least one of silver (Ag), gold (Au), aluminum (Al), tungsten (W), zinc (Zn), and nickel (Ni) may be a material of a conductor constituting the solenoid.
The battery 140 may supply power to the aerosol-generating device 100. The battery 140 may supply power to the coil 151. The battery 140 may include a battery that supplies a direct current to the aerosol-generating device 100 and a converter that converts the direct current supplied from the battery into an alternating current supplied to the coil 151.
The battery 140 may supply a direct current to the aerosol-generating device 100. The battery 140 may be a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery but is not limited thereto. For example, the battery may be a lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) battery, a lithium titanate battery, a lithium polymer (LiPoly) battery, or so on.
The converter may include a low-pass filter that performs filtering on a direct current supplied from the battery and outputs an alternating current supplied to the coil 151. The converter may further include an amplifier for amplifying the direct current supplied from the battery. For example, the converter may be implemented through a low-pass filter constituting a load network of a class-D amplifier.
The controller 110 may control the power supplied to the coil 151. The controller 110 may control the battery 140 such that the power supplied to the coil 151 is adjusted. For example, the controller 110 may perform control to maintain the temperature at which the heater 150 heats the aerosol-generating article 10 at a constant level based on the temperature of the heater 150.
The aerosol generating device 100 may include a controller 110, a sensing unit 120, an output unit 130, a battery 140, a heater 150, a user input unit 160, a memory 170, and a communication unit 180. However, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device 100 is not limited to those illustrated in
The sensing unit 120 may sense a state of the aerosol generating device 100 and a state around the aerosol generating device 100, and transmit sensed information to the controller 110. Based on the sensed information, the controller 110 may control the aerosol generating device 100 to perform various functions, such as controlling an operation of the heater 150, limiting smoking, determining whether an aerosol generating article (e.g., a cigarette, a cartridge, or the like) is inserted, displaying a notification, or the like.
The sensing unit 120 may include at least one of a temperature sensor 122, an insertion detection sensor, and a puff sensor 126, but is not limited thereto.
The temperature sensor 122 may sense a temperature at which the heater 150 (or an aerosol generating material) is heated. The aerosol generating device 100 may include a separate temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the heater 150, or the heater 150 may serve as a temperature sensor. Alternatively, the temperature sensor 122 may also be arranged around the battery 140 to monitor the temperature of the battery 140.
The insertion detection sensor 124 may sense insertion and/or removal of an aerosol generating article. For example, the insertion detection sensor 124 may include at least one of a film sensor, a pressure sensor, an optical sensor, a resistive sensor, a capacitive sensor, an inductive sensor, and an infrared sensor, and may sense a signal change according to the insertion and/or removal of an aerosol generating article.
The puff sensor 126 may sense a user's puff on the basis of various physical changes in an airflow passage or an airflow channel. For example, the puff sensor 126 may sense a user's puff on the basis of any one of a temperature change, a flow change, a voltage change, and a pressure change.
The sensing unit 120 may include, in addition to the temperature sensor 122, the insertion detection sensor 124, and the puff sensor 126 described above, at least one of a temperature/humidity sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a location sensor (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS)), a proximity sensor, and a red-green-blue (RGB) sensor (illuminance sensor). Because a function of each of sensors may be intuitively inferred by one of ordinary skill in the art from the name of the sensor, a detailed description thereof may be omitted.
The output unit 130 may output information on a state of the aerosol generating device 100 and provide the information to a user. The output unit 130 may include at least one of a display unit 132, a haptic unit 134, and a sound output unit 136, but is not limited thereto. When the display unit 132 and a touch pad form a layered structure to form a touch screen, the display unit 132 may also be used as an input device in addition to an output device.
The display unit 132 may visually provide information about the aerosol generating device 100 to the user. For example, information about the aerosol generating device 100 may mean various pieces of information, such as a charging/discharging state of the battery 140 of the aerosol generating device 100, a preheating state of the heater 150, an insertion/removal state of an aerosol generating article, or a state in which the use of the aerosol generating device 100 is restricted (e.g., sensing of an abnormal object), or the like, and the display unit 132 may output the information to the outside. The display unit 132 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display panel (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel, or the like. In addition, the display unit 132 may be in the form of a light-emitting diode (LED) light-emitting device.
The haptic unit 134 may tactilely provide information about the aerosol generating device 100 to the user by converting an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus or an electrical stimulus. For example, the haptic unit 134 may include a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.
The sound output unit 136 may audibly provide information about the aerosol generating device 100 to the user. For example, the sound output unit 136 may convert an electrical signal into a sound signal and output the same to the outside.
The battery 140 may supply power used to operate the aerosol generating device 100. The battery 140 may supply power such that the heater 150 may be heated. In addition, the battery 140 may supply power required for operations of other components (e.g., the sensing unit 120, the output unit 130, the user input unit 160, the memory 170, and the communication unit 180) in the aerosol generating device 100. The battery 140 may be a rechargeable battery or a disposable battery. For example, the battery 140 may be a lithium polymer (LiPoly) battery, but is not limited thereto.
The heater 150 may receive power from the battery 140 to heat an aerosol generating material. Although not illustrated in
The controller 110, the sensing unit 120, the output unit 130, the user input unit 160, the memory 170, and the communication unit 180 may each receive power from the battery 140 to perform a function. Although not illustrated in
In an embodiment, the heater 150 may be formed of any suitable electrically resistive material. For example, the suitable electrically resistive material may be a metal or a metal alloy including titanium, zirconium, tantalum, platinum, nickel, cobalt, chromium, hafnium, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, tin, gallium, manganese, iron, copper, stainless steel, nichrome, or the like, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the heater 150 may be implemented by a metal wire, a metal plate on which an electrically conductive track is arranged, a ceramic heating element, or the like, but is not limited thereto.
In another embodiment, the heater 150 may be a heater of an induction heating type. For example, the heater 150 may include a susceptor that heats an aerosol generating material by generating heat through a magnetic field applied by a coil.
The user input unit 160 may receive information input from the user or may output information to the user. For example, the user input unit 160 may include a key pad, a dome switch, a touch pad (a contact capacitive method, a pressure resistance film method, an infrared sensing method, a surface ultrasonic conduction method, an integral tension measurement method, a piezo effect method, or the like), a jog wheel, a jog switch, or the like, but is not limited thereto. In addition, although not illustrated in
The memory 170 is a hardware component that stores various types of data processed in the aerosol generating device 100, and may store data processed and data to be processed by the controller 110. The memory 170 may include at least one type of storage medium from among a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type memory, a card-type memory (for example, secure digital (SD) or extreme digital (XD) memory, etc.), random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk. The memory 170 may store operation time of the aerosol generating device 100, the maximum number of puffs, the current number of puffs, at least one temperature profile, data on a user's smoking pattern, etc.
The communication unit 180 may include at least one component for communication with another electronic device. For example, the communication unit 180 may include a short-range wireless communication unit 182 and a wireless communication unit 184.
The short-range wireless communication unit 182 may include a Bluetooth communication unit, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication unit, a near field communication unit, a wireless LAN (WLAN) (Wi-Fi) communication unit, a Zigbee communication unit, an infrared data association (IrDA) communication unit, a Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) communication unit, an ultra-wideband (UWB) communication unit, an Ant+ communication unit, or the like, but is not limited thereto.
The wireless communication unit 184 may include a cellular network communication unit, an Internet communication unit, a computer network (e.g., local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN)) communication unit, or the like, but is not limited thereto. The wireless communication unit 184 may also identify and authenticate the aerosol generating device 100 within a communication network by using subscriber information (e.g., International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI)).
The controller 110 may control general operations of the aerosol generating device 100. In an embodiment, the controller 110 may include at least one processor. The processor may be implemented as an array of a plurality of logic gates or may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory in which a program executable by the microprocessor is stored. It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the processor may be implemented in other forms of hardware.
The controller 110 may control the temperature of the heater 150 by controlling supply of power of the battery 140 to the heater 150. For example, the controller 110 may control power supply by controlling switching of a switching element between the battery 140 and the heater 150. In another example, a direct heating circuit may also control power supply to the heater 150 according to a control command of the controller 110.
The controller 110 may analyze a result sensed by the sensing unit 120 and control subsequent processes to be performed. For example, the controller 110 may control power supplied to the heater 150 to start or end an operation of the heater 150 on the basis of a result sensed by the sensing unit 120. As another example, the controller 110 may control, based on a result sensed by the sensing unit 120, an amount of power supplied to the heater 150 and the time the power is supplied, such that the heater 150 may be heated to a certain temperature or maintained at an appropriate temperature.
The controller 110 may control the output unit 130 on the basis of a result sensed by the sensing unit 120. For example, when the number of puffs counted through the puff sensor 126 reaches a preset number, the controller 110 may notify the user that the aerosol generating device 100 will soon be terminated through at least one of the display unit 132, the haptic unit 134, and the sound output unit 136.
Any of the embodiments or other embodiments of the disclosure described above are not mutually exclusive or distinct. Any of the embodiments or other embodiments of the disclosure described above may be combined or used together in respective configurations or functions thereof.
For example, a configuration A described in a certain embodiment and/or a drawing may be combined with a configuration B described in another embodiment and/or drawing. That is, even when coupling of configurations is not directly described, the coupling may be made except a case in which the coupling is described to be impossible.
The above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in all aspects and should be considered as illustrative. The scope of the disclosure should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the disclosure are included in the scope of the disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2024-0007532 | Jan 2024 | KR | national |
