Patent Application
20220183348
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to electrical smoking systems comprising aerosol generating substrates, and more specifically relate to aerosol generating substrates adapted to reduce the overall thermal mass of aerosol generating substrates or to modify an airflow through the aerosol generating substrate.
Electrical smoking systems, also known as Heat-not burn (HNB) devices, generally heat aerosol forming substrates rather than igniting and burning them. The heating process generates aerosols from aerosol-generating substrates which may be visible or invisible, and the aerosols generated may include vapors, gases, and liquid droplets. Absent combustion of the aerosol generating substrates, the levels of harmful chemicals may potentially be significantly reduced compared to aerosols created by burning and combustion, such as smoke.
As used herein, the term HNB devices refers to Heat-not-burn aerosol generating devices which generally use an electric heating element to produce aerosols from aerosol generating substrates, although there are other methods for heating the aerosol generating substrates, such as by combustion or by combining different chemicals to generate heat from exothermic chemical reactions, and the use herein of the term HNB devices generally relates to all such devices intended for heating aerosol generating substrates. HNB devices, when used with suitable aerosol generating substrates, may match some of the behavioral aspects of conventional smoking. Known HNB devices use loose-leaf tobacco in a heated chamber, others require product-specific cigarettes, or HNB cigarettes. As used herein, the term HNB cigarette refers to smoking articles that comprise at least one aerosol generating substrate designed to be heated by an HNB device, rather than ignited and combusted as a traditional cigarette.
Commonly, HNB cigarettes comprise the following sections:
1. A section containing an aerosol generating substrate, which commonly comprises a reconstituted tobacco film made from a dried tobacco suspension. Such a suspension usually comprises 70% tobacco, humectants (water and glycerin) to encourage wet steam formation, binding agents, and aroma agents;
2. A hollow tube;
3. A filter; and
4. A mouthpiece.
Prior art HNB cigarettes include an aerosol generating substrate section connected to a hollow tube, a filter, and a mouthpiece, connected in a series, or in a linear, consecutive fashion in an axial alignment. After the aerosol generating section has been sufficiently heated by the HNB device, as an operator inhales, aerosols generated from the aerosol generating substrate travel through the aerosol generating substrate section, exit the aerosol generating substrate section, then travel through a hollow tube, through a filter section, and then the aerosol exits the HNB cigarette through a mouthpiece to be inhaled by the user.
Many HNB cigarettes comprise an aerosol generating substrate section that is comprised of a reconstituted tobacco film. Reconstituted tobacco films are usually of a uniform thickness and are formed into a tubular section with the same diameter as that of the HNB cigarette. In operation, the HNB cigarette is placed into an HNB device, and the reconstituted tobacco film portion of the HNB cigarette is positioned proximally to a heating element contained within the HNB device. The heating element creates sufficient heat to heat the aerosol generating substrate, which causes the formation of aerosols within the aerosol forming substrate. In a common embodiment, the heating element of the HNB device is positioned so that upon insertion of the HNB cigarette into the HNB device, the heating element is external to the aerosol generating substrate. The heating element, being exterior to the aerosol generating substrate, heats the aerosol generating substrate from the outside, towards the inside.
A common problem of such outside heating in HNB devices is that the aerosol generating substrate within the interior or middle of the HNB cigarette is exposed to less heat than the aerosol generating substrate adjacent to its exterior surface. Accordingly, the aerosol generating substrate within the interior or middle of the HNB cigarette may not be heated to sufficient temperatures to adequately produce aerosols within the interior or the middle of the HNB cigarette, and thus the aerosol generating substrate may not be evenly heated, as aerosol generating substrates generally have a relatively high thermal mass (high heat capacity and density, with a low level of reflectivity).
Some prior art HNB devices attempt to address the above shortcomings by not heating the aerosol generating substrate by using a conventional heating oven surrounding the exterior of the HNB cigarette, but rather with an internal style heating element, that commonly is in the form of a pin or blade, which is inserted up into or stabbed into the aerosol generating substrate contained in the open end of an HNB cigarette. However, the interior style prior art heating elements generally do not overcome the high thermal mass of the aerosol generating substrates to uniformly heat the aerosol generating substrates sufficiently to uniformly produce aerosols from the aerosol producing substrates.
Another common problem of HNB cigarettes is that it is difficult to control the air flow through the aerosol generating substrate section, which generally results in more restrictive air flow through the aerosol generating substrate section. Some prior art HNB cigarettes attempt to address these shortcomings through the use of specially designed aerosol forming substrates, such as reconstituted tobacco films, however even those methods do not adequately address the problems associated with the restriction of airflow.
Furthermore, prior art HNB cigarettes are open bottomed, which permits contaminates (including oils and fine particulates) to fall from the open end of the HNB cigarette onto or into the heating element (for HNB devices with heating elements that are external to the HNB cigarette) or onto the heating element stabbed into the aerosol generating sections (for HNB device with heating elements such as pins or blades that are internal to the HNB cigarette) or into or onto or around the chamber enclosing the heating element. Additionally, open bottomed HNB cigarettes are generally not appropriate for loose aerosol generating substrates (such as loose-leaf tobacco or other loose materials), because the material can easily fall out of the open end of the HNB cigarette onto or into the heating element or into or onto or around the chamber enclosing the heating element.
An additional problem faced by the prior art HNB cigarettes is the high temperature of the aerosol as it exits the mouthpiece of the HNB cigarette, which can cause burning or discomfort during use to the mouth or lips of an operator. Some prior art HNB cigarettes utilize a polymer film disposed within the HNB cigarette to cool the aerosol, while other prior art HNB cigarettes utilize perforations near the mouthpiece in order to mix cooler external air with the aerosol, however such solutions are not optimal because they either increase the cost of the HNB cigarette, dilute the aerosol which can result in undesirable aerosol qualities, or necessitate the inclusion of non-biodegradable or non-recyclable components in the HNB cigarette. Most prior art HNB cigarettes require the use of specially designed aerosol forming substrates (such as reconstituted tobacco films) in order to properly function, and loose aerosol forming substrates (such as original loose-leaf tobacco) cannot generally be used in prior art HNB cigarettes.
There is a need for an HNB cigarette that: reduces the high thermal mass of the aerosol forming substrate; provides a method for controlling the airflow through the aerosol forming substrate; prevents contaminants from falling into or onto or around the heating element or heating chamber of the HNB device; provides an optimal method for cooling the aerosol prior to inhalation by an operator; and permits loose aerosol forming substrates to be used in the HNB cigarette.
An aerosol forming substrate for a smoking article including at least one air channel is disclosed. The air channel may be disposed on the outside of the aerosol forming substrate and may be comprised of least one sheet of reconstituted tobacco rolled to form a substantially cylindrical tube disposed substantially longitudinally through the aerosol forming substrate. The aerosol forming substrate may be loosely wrapped in multiple layers, thereby creating multiple air channels, with one or more hollow tubes in the aerosol forming substrate. The hollow tubes may be perforated. The smoking article may also include a hollow cone disposed within the smoking article. Air inflow access may be restricted or prevented at the distal end of the smoking article and air inflow may be provided by perforations on the side of the smoking article.
A reversible smoking article is disclosed with at least one aerosol forming substrate disposed between two mouthpieces located at opposite ends of the smoking article. The mouthpieces, filters and aerosol generating substrates may have different parameters and flavourings.
A cigarette comprising dual, open ended coaxially nested capsules for retaining aerosol generating substrates which may include original or loose leaf dried plant material such as tobacco, is disclosed. The open ended capsules may have perforations on the ends, and the ends may be flat, dome shaped, convex or concave.
A method of constructing a heat not burn cigarette is also disclosed, with the steps of: Attaching a porous filter at each end of a solid filter; Attaching a hollow tobacco rod to the exposed end of each porous filter; Attaching a hollow tube to the exposed end of each hollow tobacco rod to form a longitudinally disposed assembly; Wrapping the length of the first assembly in a covering wrap (tipping paper); Perforating the covering wrap and hollow tube circumferentially on the side surface at each end; Severing the first assembly in the middle; Rotating the two halves 180 degrees in opposite directions; Inserting a filter section, at least one hollow filter section, and two hollow cones; Wrapping the second assembly in a covering wrap; and Severing the second assembly in the middle, thereby forming two heat not burn cigarettes.
An improved design for a section of aerosol forming substrate to be used in an HNB cigarette for reducing the thermal mass of the aerosol forming substrate and increasing the airflow through the mass of the aerosol forming substrate, is provided. A reduction in thermal mass and increased airflow is achieved by engineering the aerosol forming substrate 20 to provide tubes, grooves or channels disposed within, throughout, or on the surface the aerosol forming substrate 20 (“substrate”). The substrate may be constructed from a slurry, sheet, strips, plug, or block of reconstituted material, or it may be formed by rolling or otherwise assembling the substrate 20 from sheets of reconstituted aerosol forming substrate, which may be layered, mixed, or combined with other materials which provide improved airflow or thermal transfer and may or may not be aerosol forming. Some materials could include a fibreglass mat, a porous material, or a filter material, for instance.
The present inventions herein disclosed may also be used with a combination-style heater, which as herein disclosed consists of both a first internal heating element disposed within a second external heating element. The use of a combination style heater may be advantageous in order to overcome the challenge of evenly heating both the interior and exterior of the aerosol generating substrate. The combination heater, as herein disclosed, is advantageous over prior art heaters. The internal heating element, which may consist of a pin, blade, or sword, may be heated using any known method for generating heat, including but not limited; using electric resistance to generate heat, using electromagnetic induction to generate heat, using combustion to generate heat, or by combining different chemicals to generate heat from exothermic chemical reactions. The external heating element, which may consist of a bowl, chamber, tube, or any other known structure, may be heated using any known method for generating heat, including but not limited; using electric resistance to generate heat, using electromagnetic induction to generate heat, using combustion to generate heat, or by combining different chemicals to generate heat from exothermic chemical reactions. In one embodiment of the combination heater, as disclosed herein, consists of an internal heating element positioned concentrically within an external heating element. In another embodiment, the internal heating element and the external heating element may be connected to the same control circuitry (either in series or in parallel), or they may be connected to independent control circuitry. In yet another embodiment, the internal heating element and the external heating element may be heated by the same type of heating method, or they may each be heated by different types heating methods. The internal heating element and the external heating element may be heated simultaneously, or they may be heated independently or sequentially. A heating program may be used to control both of the heating elements, either simultaneously, sequentially, or independently.
The present invention HNB cigarette does not require a polymer film to cool the vapor, nor does it require the use of reconstituted tobacco film. An HNB cigarette is exemplary in this description, but it should be read to include any smoking article, such as a pipe, cigar, cigarette, or vaporizer. It provides an apparatus and method to reduce the thermal mass of the tobacco-containing section. The present invention substantially reduces contamination of the heating element or heating chamber. It provides a plug of engineered tobacco incorporating integral air channels or grooves which maximize vapor production in the HNB cigarette and optimize the resulting flavor and mouth feel of the vapor for the consumer. The invention provides features including the shape of the plug, cone structures, and one or more internal hollow tubes to achieve increased efficiency and improved results from the HNB cigarette, in variations for both internally and externally heated embodiments.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the HNB cigarette 10 has a housing or outer capsule 12, a mouthpiece 90, a hollow interior and a section for containing tobacco, including reconstituted tobacco film. As shown in
The at least one air flow channel 30 functions to introduce cooler air which is then mixed with hot tobacco vapor that is formed when the tobacco section 20 is heated to sufficient temperatures by a heating element when the tobacco section 20 is properly positioned within a heating element and an operator inhales, thereby obviating the need for a polymer film for cooling hot vapors in between the material to be vaporized and the user, as with prior art HNB cigarettes. The obviating of the polymer film provides the additional advantage over the known HNB cigarettes in that it reduces the environmental footprint of the HNB cigarette and can further be adapted to be fully recyclable and/or biodegradable.
Cooler, ambient, external air is drawn into the HNB cigarette as the operator inhales. The cooler air and the hot tobacco vapor then come together, combine or are co-mingled in the hollow tube 40 which is operatively and fluidly connected to the top end 60 (the top end being more proximate to the user in operation than the bottom end 50) of the tobacco section 20 to mix and lower the temperature of the hot tobacco vapors, prior to the tobacco vapors being inhaled by the operator. The mouthpiece 90 (not shown here) is disposed at the top end of the housing 12. The inner tube or tobacco tube disposed within the tobacco or other material 20 is optimally perforated with a plurality of holes, to permit air and vapor flow through the tobacco 20 into the tobacco tube 40 and into the mouth of the user.
Advantageously, the tobacco section 20 may be comprised of a rolled-up sheet of reconstituted tobacco. The inner tube 40 is then formed with the inside rolls of the rolled sheet (the inner roll may optimally be glued to form the tube 40). The outer layers of the roll have spaces between each layer which, in operation, permits air to be drawn through the layers in order to get the vapor out of the layers. The vapor is then drawn through the HNB cigarette 10 to the mouth of the user, in operation. One advantage of the tobacco itself forming the inner tube 40 and defining the pathway for the vapor in operation, is that less components are required, which is environmentally advantageous, and simpler to manufacture. The tobacco section 20 is disposable, and may be intended for one use only, so it is better to not include plastic or other foreign materials integrally in the tobacco section 20.
Tobacco section 20 may be formed from any substance capable of being heated so as to emit an aerosol or vapour. These substances may include tobacco, medicinal herbs and any other organic material capable of vaporization.
Additionally, the loose spiral structure shown in
The outer layers of the tobacco roll 22 are not glued together, and thus they can be allowed to expand inside the cavity formed by the housing of the inner capsule (14) (see
The reconstituted sheet of tobacco, in another embodiment, is rolled using the spiral wind technique and all of the layers are glued/fused together, with the winding creating airflow grooves on the outside of the roll, thereby allowing air to pass along the grooves to efficiently remove the vapor from the heated roll and channel it to the mouth of the user.
In an additional embodiment, the grooves are spiral wound and formed by winding a thin strip of tobacco creating airflow channels (resembling a barber pole or a candy cane or screw threads) so that the air travels along the valleys between the peaks formed by the strip of reconstituted tobacco.
In an additional embodiment, the sheet is parallel wound, with a series of diagonal slits cut out of the sheet before winding, which when the sheet with the slits is wound up, the slits overlap each other, thereby forming the spiral valleys for the airflow.
In a further embodiment, the grooves are formed by rolling the sheet in a particular way. Material is loosely wrapped in multiple layers, thereby creating multiple air channels.
In a further embodiment, the grooves are cut, including, optionally, machined, into the rolls after the rolls had already been wound (much like if you took the process for making a paper straw, and then used a machining process to cut airflow grooves into the outer surface of the straw). This process permits many different patterns of types of grooves to be cut so that the airflow and tobacco surface-area for heating is optimal.
In an additional embodiment, a formed tobacco plug is used. The tobacco section 20 is formed into specific shapes with cross-sections that may be shaped in many different ways such as stars, hexagons, squares, etc. (which may have one or more hollow sections in their interior) or other shapes that may have linear or spiral grooves in their exterior (and may have one or more hollow sections in their interior). These shapes provide for both air inflow and outflow, and may be formed by using a tobacco pulp forming process (similar to how thermoformed pulp paper products are made). The tobacco plug 20 shapes define grooves, tubes, holes, perforation, columns, or other features built directly into the tobacco section in order to optimize the air inflow/outflow and vapor production from the tobacco section 20. The grooves are, optimally, longitudinal or through the entire length of the plug, to allow air or vapor to pass there through.
In another embodiment, the tobacco section 20 is made of small pelletized tobacco (or other specially engineered tobacco) which is loaded around the inner tube 40 after the inner tube 40 had been installed inside the inner capsule 14, or during the installation process. This configuration permits a thin outer capsule 12 approximately the diameter of a conventional cigarette to house all the HNB cigarette components and to operate as a closed bottom device, where the air inflow and outflow are both at, or near, the top end 60 of the device and the inflow. The air inflow may also be on a side of the device, for instance through circumferential perforations disposed on the sides of a device. An example of a thin or skinny stick HNB device is the GLO® product.
In an alternate embodiment, and as shown in
The at least one air flow channel 30 can be manufactured or defined by any known material, including commonly known cigarette papers. In an embodiment, a porous paper material can be used, and the additional and finer control of the tobacco vapor temperature and tobacco vapor to air ratio is controlled by the porosity of the paper, and the size of the pores in the paper. This obviates the need for making perforations 70 in the tobacco section 20.
In an alternate embodiment, and as shown in
In an embodiment wherein loose tobacco leaves are heated, as opposed to a reconstituted tobacco film, a porous material 110 such as cellulose acetate, cotton fibres, hemp fibres, flax fibres, or other suitable porous materials or a blend of suitable materials (but optimally is cellulose acetate) is attached to the bottom end of the tobacco section 20 to retain the tobacco material within the tobacco section 20. With reference to
Alternatively, in order to allow manufacturers to use current manufacturing methods, an embodiment as shown in
In an embodiment, and as shown in
As shown, the second perforations 100 permit air to travel into the annular space 140 which is drawn into the tobacco section 20 and through the interior perforations 150.
In another embodiment, and as shown in
In a preferred embodiment of the HNB cigarette 10, and as shown in
In an alternate embodiment of the preferred embodiment, and as shown in
As shown in
In an alternate embodiment, the reduced cleaning HNB cigarette 10 shown in
In an embodiment shown in
With reference to
With reference to
The various components described above can be aligned as shown, and secured to one another by wrapping at least one layer of tipping paper or other suitable material around the aligned components. The tipping paper may adhere to the substrate by using a suitable adhesive or by other suitable methods.
In a further embodiment, depicted in
The closed bottom cigarette design is optimal for loose tobacco or any other material. The concentric capsules provide a way to retain the dried plant material without need for reconstitution. The material 20 to be heated to form an aerosol is then, in practice, pierced by the heating spike 170. The capsule 12 for containing the tobacco or other material such as hemp may be clear or opaque, but is advantageously clear for display purposes, ie the user can view the material to assess quality and quantity. The inner capsule 14 prevents the tobacco from exiting the tobacco-containing section in the bottom end 50 of the outer capsule 12. In another embodiment, the inner capsule 14 may consist of a screen, plug or filter 120. The inner capsule 14 or the screen 120 is secured in the cigarette by any known means, such as gluing to a ridge or side of the inner surface of the capsule 12 as the tobacco tends to press upwards on the screen section 120 when the spike 170 is inserted into it, and if the inner capsule 14 or the screen section 120 is not well secured then it can become dislodged. In one embodiment, the inner capsule 14 is secured inside the cigarette so that it doesn't become dislodged by locking nubs 16 built into the side of the outer capsule 12 and the side of the inner capsule 14 (not shown here) which permit easy assembly and serve to hold the inner capsule 14 securely in place. The dome-shaped (or similar to a dome shape—it could also be an inverted dome) end 50 on the capsule 12 section is important, as the dome functions very well for both ease of inserting the pod into the IQOS® device, and it works very well for the piercing application as the dome collapses in on itself at the pierce point, which makes small openings around the heating spike 170 that allow air to be drawn in around the heating spike 170. If the bottom end 50 to be pierced is flat, then the heating spike 170 may pierce through too neatly and doesn't permit sufficient air to enter the system for inhaling purposes. This embodiment of an HNB cigarette may optionally include one or more filter 120 sections installed in it for filtering, cooling, reducing the nicotine, flavoring, or otherwise modifying the vapor. Advantageously for certain organic material, the filtering is minimal or no filtering occurs at all, to ensure that the desirable effects from the aerosols produced by certain organic materials, are experienced by the user. The embodiment for such organic material, therefore, employs simply a permeable screen 120 rather than a filter 120. Additionally, the entire cigarette 10 (exclusive of the filter 120) is, optionally, comprised of fully biodegradable or compostable material.
By providing a method for controlling the air inflow and also a method for controlling the air outflow, the HNB cigarette manufacturer skilled in the art can controllably adjust the airflow of the HNB cigarette which allows the HNB cigarette to provide desirable vapor production characteristics to the user. Additionally, by placing a filter plug at the end of the tobacco containing section, the contamination of the heating element and heating element chamber can be reduced or eliminated.
The present invention thereby creates a structured cigarette, which may have at least one air flow channel, or multiple air flow channels, disposed in the tobacco, whether original or reconstituted, in such a way as to evenly heat the tobacco, resulting in an efficient vaporizing of the tobacco, and lowering the thermal mass of the tobacco used.
Referring again to the substrate 20, in
In an alternative embodiment, the improved aerosol forming substrate section 20 to be used in an HNB cigarette 10 further comprises one or more hollow tubes 40, disposed axially (see
In an alternative embodiment shown in
Either or both of the hollow tube section 40 and the cone section 130 may be perforated to permit air inflows or outflows or to provide an improved method for reducing the temperature of the aerosol. The perforations may also serve to reduce the pressure drop either upstream or downstream from one or more filter sections or the mouthpiece of the HNB cigarette 10.
In an alternative embodiment, the HNB cigarette may utilize a cone or other similar structure disposed within a HNB cigarette 10, where the narrow end of the cone is fluidly connected, to an hollow tube 40 within the downstream end of the aerosol forming section 20 with one or more disks or other shapes of porous 110 and/or impermeable 112 materials disposed on the upstream end of the aerosol forming section 20. The wide end of the cone 130 is sealingly attached inside the HNB cigarette 10 and fluidly connected to a filter 120 or the mouthpiece 90, with perforations 70 or other openings being disposed on the exterior of the HNB cigarette 10 that permit air to be drawn into the annular cavity 140 between the outside surface of the cone 130 and the inside surface of the HNB cigarette 10 with the air subsequently being drawn through the aerosol forming section 20 in a direction that is opposite to the mouthpiece 90 until the air (now containing aerosol from the aerosol generating substrate 20) reaches the end of the aerosol generating substrate section 20 and passes through the porous filter section 110 at the distal end 50 of the HNB cigarette 10 and subsequently the air is drawn up through the airflow pathway 40 disposed within the aerosol generating substrate 20 towards the mouthpiece of the HNB cigarette 10, where the aerosol is drawn through the interior of the cone 130 (which may have additional perforations for mixing cooler exterior air into the aerosol) and out through the filter 110 and mouthpiece 90 and is inhaled by the user.
In an alternative embodiment depicted in
As shown in
Information as herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the above-described object of the present disclosure, the presently preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, and is, thus, representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplated by the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and is to be limited accordingly, by nothing other than the appended claims, wherein any reference to an element being made in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodiment and additional embodiments as regarded by those of ordinary skill in the art are hereby expressly incorporated by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims.
Moreover, no requirement exists for a system or method to address each and every problem sought to be resolved by the present disclosure, for such to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. However, that various changes and modifications in form, material, work-piece, and fabrication material detail may be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as set forth in the appended claims, as may be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, are also encompassed by the present disclosure.
The exemplary embodiments herein described are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. They are chosen and described to explain the principles of the disclosure and its application and practical use to allow others skilled in the art to comprehend its teachings.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this disclosure without departing from the scope thereof.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CA2020/000038 | 3/11/2020 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62816770 | Mar 2019 | US |
