Patent Application
20230404142
The invention relates to a smoking article, preferably a heat-not-burn product, comprising an improved taste.
In a heat-not-burn product, the tobacco or tobacco derived smokable material comprised in a tobacco segment is heated with an electrical heat source. The tobacco or tobacco derived smokable material is preferably heated up to 250° C. At these temperatures, the material evaporates a smokable aerosol which may then be inhaled by a user. However, in comparison to regular cigarettes, a heat-not-burn product still comprises taste deficits. It is therefore the objective of the invention to provide a heat-not-burn product with an improved taste.
This objective is reached by a smoking article comprising a cylindrical shape with a longitudinal axis running through respective base areas of a distal end and a mouth end of the smoking article, wherein the smoking article comprises the following segments, which are arranged subsequently the following order from the distal to the mouth end, and are at least in part wrapped in a circumferential wrapper:
The filter segment is arranged at the mouth end of the smoking article. With a tobacco product the flavor of the aerosol generated from the smoking article can be improved. The aerosol generated from the tobacco segment mainly consists of glycol residual water, vapor, air, and flavor components including nicotine. The aerosol is then passed through a cooling segment in which the aerosol temperature is cooled down for inhalation by the user. The aerosol then passes the filter segment which comprises the tobacco product. The aerosol will interact with the tobacco product and release and pick up the tobacco flavor from the tobacco particles contained in the tobacco product. This additional tobacco flavoring improves the taste experience yielded from the smoking article drastically. By positioning the tobacco product in the filter segment, production flexibility is maintained. It is for exampled conceivable to equip the same tobacco segment and cooling segment with differing filter segments comprising different tobacco product concentrations, amounts or even with filter segments without any tobacco product, if it is desired to produce other smoking articles aside from this invention on the very same machinery.
By using tobacco particles, having an average particle size of 30 micrometers in the tobacco product, an optimal taste delivery to the aerosol is achieved. It has been found, that with the average particle size of 30 micrometers, the taste delivery to the aerosol is optimized. The particles are comparably small enough to provide a large surface area for effective interaction of the aerosol with the tobacco particles. On the other hand, the particles are large enough to be maintained in the filter and not be carried away by the aerosol stream. With the average particle size of 30 micrometer, it is possible to contain the tobacco particles in the filter segment already when using a standard filter, preferably a monoacetate filter section. Therefore, no additional confinement of the tobacco particles in the filter segment is necessary.
The tobacco particles are dispersed in a dispersion medium. The dispersion medium preferably comprises water, monovalent alcohols, polyvalent alcohols, sugar alcohols, sugars and/or polyvalent alcohol esters. The term polyvalent alcohols includes (among others) glycerol and propylene glycol. The dispersion medium together with the tobacco particles forms a liquid or paste-like tobacco product before the tobacco product is arranged in the filter segment. The dispersion medium content in the tobacco product may be reduced due to drying after the tobacco product is arranged in the filter segment.
According to another embodiment, at least one part of the filter segment comprises the shape of a hollow cylinder having an inner lateral area including a through-hole, through which the second flow path is arranged, wherein the second flow path is also parallel to the longitudinal axis, and wherein the inner lateral area is at least in part coated with the tobacco product.
In this embodiment the tobacco product on at least a part of the inner lateral area is in direct contact with a second flow path. In this way, a superior interaction between the aerosol streaming along the flow path with the tobacco product arranged on the inner lateral area is achieved. The tobacco product is preferably coated on only a part of the inner lateral area of the through hole of the at least one part of the filter segment. This means that there are also other parts of the inner lateral area which remain uncoated by the tobacco product. It is also conceivable that the tobacco product is arranged on at least a part of the inner lateral area in a grated manner and/or in a pattern. In this context grated manner means that the tobacco particle concentration per area unit on the inner lateral area changes along the longitudinal axis. This enables further possibilities to modify and improve the taste profile of the smoking article.
According to another embodiment between the inner lateral area and the tobacco product, a bonding agent is arranged. The bonding agent improves the adherence of the tobacco product to the inner lateral area of the filter segment.
In addition or in alternative to the bonding agent, it is also possible to arrange the tobacco product on an additional medium, preferably a paper, and then arrange the additional medium carrying the tobacco product on the inner lateral area of the hollow cylinder part of the filter segment.
According to another embodiment, at least one part of the filter segment is a filter rod having an inner volume, wherein the tobacco product is arranged in the inner volume of the filter rod. In this case the at least one part of the filter segment is a cylindrically shaped filter rod. Such a filter rod is very similar to a normal standard cigarette filter rod. By having the tobacco product distributed in the inner volume of the filter rod a very effective interaction of the aerosol and the tobacco product is possible. In particular, the aerosol flow path is distributed through the whole inner volume of the filter segment. By distributing the tobacco product in the inner volume of the filter segment, the aerosol can circulate around the tobacco particles contained in the tobacco product. Preferably, the tobacco product is distributed in the material of the filter segment in a homogeneous way. In this way, the tobacco product is arranged within the material of at least one part of the filter segment.
According to another embodiment, the tobacco product is uniformly distributed within at least one cylindrically shaped section of the filter rod, having the same diameter as the filter rod. With this uniform distribution within the material of the filter rod, the previously described circling of the aerosol around the tobacco particles contained in the tobacco product is possible. The tobacco product is preferably contained only in at least one cylindrically shaped section of the filter rod. This implies that there is another section of the filter rod in which no tobacco product is distributed. By choosing the size of the at least one cylindrically shaped section comprising the tobacco product the intensity of flavor delivered to the aerosol from the tobacco product can be selected.
According to another embodiment, a second cylindrically shaped section of the filter rod, not comprising the tobacco product and also having the same diameter as the filter rod, is arranged between the first section which comprises the tobacco product and the mouth end of the smoking article. The tobacco particles comprised in the tobacco product will give the filter section, in which it is contained, a certain coloring. Such coloring may not be preferred by the consumers. It is therefore advantageous to arrange a second cylindrically shaped section of the filter rod, which does not comprise the tobacco product, directly at the mouth end of the smoking article. In this way the second cylindrically shaped section is not colored by the tobacco product but maintains its clean optical impression. By arranging this second cylindrically shaped section with the clean visual impression directly at the mouth end and with the second cylindrically shaped section having the same diameter as the filter rod, the consumer can only see the second cylindrically shaped section, whereas the first section comprises the tobacco product and therefore the colored section is hidden from the consumers view.
According to another embodiment at least one part of the filter segment is a filter rod having an inner volume, wherein at least one thread comprising the tobacco product is arranged in the inner volume of a first cylindrically shaped section of the filter rod, wherein the first cylindrically shaped section has the same diameter as the filter rod. The at least one thread comprising the tobacco product is preferably embedded in the material of the at least one part of the filter segment. It is also conceivable to use more than one thread in the at least one part of the filter segment. By increasing the number of threads comprising the tobacco product, the intensity of the flavor impact of the tobacco product in the aerosol can be adjusted. The thread comprising the tobacco product is preferably suitable for use with the much cooler aerosol of a heat-not-burn product in comparison to a conventional cigarette. This is achieved by the temperature dependent volatility of the flavor of the tobacco product. The desired flavor is released from the tobacco product at temperatures below the temperature of the aerosol in the second flow path of the filter segment. Preferably, the flavor of the tobacco product is non-volatile at room temperature. In this way, the flavor is only released during the use of the smoking article and does not diminish during storage of the smoking article before its actual use.
According to another embodiment, a second cylindrically shaped section of the filter rod not comprising the thread and also having the same diameter as the filter rod is arranged between the first section, which comprises the thread, and a mouth end of the smoking article. The tobacco product will color the threads in a dark color. When embedded in the first section of the filter rod, the ends of the threads may be visible at the end of the first section of the filter rod. With the second cylindrically shaped section arranged between the first section and the mouth end of the smoking article, a clean and pristine optical appearance of the filter section can be achieved. With the second cylindrically shaped section having the same diameter as the filter rod, only this second cylindrically shaped section is visible for the consumer at the mouth end. In this way, the potentially unpleasant optical appearance of the thread is hidden from the consumers view. This embodiment also reduces flavor loss of the tobacco product during storage (before the actual use of the smoking article) because the thread is entirely confined in the smoking article with the tobacco segment and/or the cooling segment on one side and the second cylindrically shaped section of the filter rod on the other side and the filter material of the first cylindrically shaped section surrounding the threads circumferentially.
The objective of the invention is also reached by a method for manufacturing a smoking article, wherein a tobacco segment comprising tobacco or tobacco derived smokable material, a cooling segment comprising a first flow path and a filter segment comprising a second flow path are arranged in the given order subsequently on a longitudinal axis, and are at least in a part wrapped in a circumferential wrapper thereby forming a smoking article having a cylindrical shape with a longitudinal axis running through respective base areas of the smoking article being a distal end, at which a tobacco segment is arranged, and a mouth end, at which the filter segment is arranged, respectively, wherein the first flow path connects the tobacco segment with the filter segment and a second flow path connects the cooling segment with the mouth end. The method is characterized in that before arranging the filter segment next to the cooling segment, a tobacco product comprising tobacco particles having an average particle size of 30 micrometers and a dispersion medium for dispersing the tobacco particles is arranged in the filter segment.
In other words, the tobacco product is arranged in the filter segment before the assembly of the smoking article. This may either be carried out during the production of the filter segment or after the production of the filter segment but before arranging the filter segment in the smoking article. In this way, the manufacturing method remains fully flexible whether a filter segment with or without the tobacco product is arranged in the smoking article. Also, standard manufacturing processes, preferably for heat-not-burn smoking articles, can be used to manufacture the smoking article according to this invention, as the additional processing step of arranging the tobacco product in the filter segment is carried out in a separate step. This enables the most cost-effective way of production of the smoking article according to the invention.
According to another embodiment, at least one part of the filter segment comprises the shape of a hollow cylinder having an inner lateral area, wherein the tobacco product is arranged on at least a part of the inner lateral area by coating. Preferably, the tobacco product is coated onto the inner lateral area during the manufacturing of the at least one part of the filter segment or after the manufacture of this part of the filter segment. In the first alternative the material of the one part of the filter segment is preferably laid out flat and the surface of the material, later becoming the inner lateral area, is coated with the tobacco product. Afterwards, the coated material is shaped into the shape of a hollow cylinder, wherein the area, coated at least in part with the tobacco product, forms the inner lateral area of the hollow cylinder. In the other alternative, the one part of the filter segment comprising the shape of the hollow cylinder is firstly manufactured and secondly its inner lateral area is coated with the tobacco product.
According to another embodiment, before coating the inner lateral area with a tobacco product, the filter segment is at least in part coated with a bonding agent. By a first coating the inner lateral area with the bonding agent and subsequently coating it with a tobacco product, the bonding agent is arranged between the inner lateral area surface and the tobacco product. Again, this can be carried out during production of the filter segment itself or after the production of the filter segment but before assembly of the smoking article.
In addition or in alternative to the bonding agent, it is also possible to arrange the tobacco product on an additional medium, preferably a paper, and then arrange the additional medium carrying the tobacco product on the inner lateral area of the hollow cylinder part of the filter segment. Preferably, the tobacco product is coated onto the additional medium. This embodiment simplifies the arranging of the tobacco product on the inner lateral area of an already formed hollow cylinder part of the filter segment.
According to another embodiment, the tobacco product is arranged on the filter material of at least a part of the filter segment by spraying, wherein the filter material is afterwards formed into the filter segment, which is subsequently arranged next to the cooling segment. In this way, a uniform distribution of the tobacco product in the filter material of at least a part of the filter segment is achieved. The tobacco particle size of 30 micrometer is small enough to enable the spraying process. This is a very easy way to ensure the uniform distribution of the tobacco product in the desired part of the filter segment.
According to another embodiment, the tobacco product is arranged on a thread, wherein the thread is then arranged on the filter material of at least a part of the filter segment which is afterwards formed into the filter segment which is subsequently arranged next to the cooling segment. Preferably the thread comprising the tobacco product is arranged on the filter material by winding the filter material around the thread. As an alternative, the filter material may be rolled around the thread. In this way, it is very easy to arrange the thread comprising the tobacco product in the filter material. The subsequent arranging of the filter segment next to the cooling segment is not affected by the method of arranging the thread in the filter segment. In this way, the arranging of the filter segment next to the cooling segment can be carried out with standard production machinery.
According to another embodiment, the tobacco product is arranged on the thread by soaking the thread in the liquid tobacco product. Before the tobacco product is arranged on any part of the smoking particle, the tobacco product according to the invention comprises a liquid form. This liquid form is generated by the dispersion medium for dispersing the tobacco particles comprised in the tobacco product. After applying the tobacco product to any surface of the smoking article, the tobacco product may dry on the respective surface. During this process, the dispersion medium preferably partially evaporates. In other words, this means that before the tobacco product according to this invention is applied to any surface of the smoking article, it comprises a higher amount of the dispersion medium than present in the finished smoking article. Beside the previously described methods of spraying or coating material with the liquid tobacco product, it is also possible to soak material in the liquid tobacco product. This is the most advantageous version for arranging the tobacco product on the thread. It is, for example, conceivable that the thread is drawn through a bath comprising the liquid tobacco product when fed towards the production machinery in which the thread is arranged in the filter segment. In this way the machinery for arranging a thread in a filter segment does not have to be altered for arranging a tobacco product. It also denotes a very simple method to arrange a tobacco product on a thread, which is therefore most cost-effective.
According to another embodiment, the tobacco product is arranged on the thread by spraying the liquid tobacco product onto the thread. This embodiment is an alternative to the previously described embodiment. With the spraying technique, the amount of tobacco product arranged on a specific length of the thread can be adapted according to product specifications.
Further advantages, objectives and features of the present invention will be described, by way of example only, in the following description with reference to the appended figures. In the figures, like components and different embodiments can exhibit the same reference symbols.
The figures show:
The tobacco segment 5 comprises smokable material, preferably reconstituted tobacco. This smokable material is heated by an external heat source, preferably a heating blade which is inserted into the tobacco segment 5 from the distal end 1a. The smokable material comprises tobacco material and a suitable binder. When the smokable material is heated by the external heat source, preferably up to 250° C., the binder evaporates and picks up flavor substances and nicotine from the tobacco material comprised in the tobacco segment. The evaporated binder together with the flavoring material and the nicotine forms an inhalable aerosol. This inhalable aerosol is then guided along a first flow path 8 through the cooling segment 6. The first flow path 8 is arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis L. In the cooling segment 6, the inhalable aerosol is cooled down to be safe to inhale for the consumer. When leaving the cooling segment 6, the inhalable aerosol is guided along a second flow path 10 through the filter segment 9 towards the mouth end 1b of the smoking article 1. In the filter segment 9, the inhalable aerosol is filtered to improve the taste of the inhalable aerosol. When reaching the mouth end 1b of the smoking article 1, the inhalable aerosol is delivered to the consumer.
The filter segment 9 comprises the tobacco product 11. In this way the filter segment 9 serves two purposes. The first purpose is to filter any undesired flavor substances from the inhalable aerosol to improve the taste. The second purpose is to enhance the flavor of the inhalable aerosol via interaction with the tobacco product 11. The filter segment 9 comprises two different parts. The first part 12 comprises the shape of a hollow cylinder and is therefore referred to as the hollow cylinder part 12. This hollow cylinder part 12 is arranged directly adjacent to the cooling segment 6. The second part 15 comprises a filter rod and is therefore referred to as the filter rod part 15.
The filter rod part 15 is arranged directly at the mouth end 1b of the smoking article 1. Preferably the filter rod part 15 is arranged between the hollow cylinder part 12 and the mouth end 1b. The tobacco product 11 can either be arranged in the hollow cylinder part 12 and/or in the filter rod part 15. In the shown embodiment of
The filter rod part 15 comprises the tobacco product 11 in its inner volume. Preferably, the tobacco particles contained in the tobacco product 11 are distributed homogeneously in the inner volume of the filter rod part 15. In a preferred embodiment, which is here shown in
Preferably only the first cylindrically shaped section 15a comprises the tobacco product 11, whereas the second cylindrically shaped section 15b does not comprise any tobacco product 11. The first cylindrically shaped section 15a comprising the tobacco product will have a dark, brownish color due to the tobacco comprised in the tobacco product 11. In contrast to this, the second cylindrically shaped section 15b, which does not comprise any tobacco product 11, comprises no discoloration. This is advantageous as only the second cylindrically shaped section 15b is visible to the consumer from the mouth end 1b and in this way hides the discolored first cylindrically shaped section 15a from the consumers view.
Preferably, the threads 16 are arranged in a center region of the cylindrically shaped section or the first cylindrically shaped section (15a) of the filter rod part 15. The center region is defined as cylindrically shaped region having the same length as the (first) cylindrically shaped section (15a) along the longitudinal axis (L) and having a diameter equal to or smaller than the diameter of the through-hole 14 of the hollow cylinder part 12, wherein the center region is arranged concentric in the (first) cylindrically shaped section (15a) with regard to the circumference of the (first) cylindrically shaped section (15a). In this way, the aerosol streaming along the first and second flow paths (8, 10) and through the through-hole 14 of the hollow cylinder part 12 directly hits the threads 16 carrying the tobacco product 11.
For both embodiments of
The overall length l1 of the filter segment 9 measured along the longitudinal direction l is preferably 20 mm. Preferably, the length l2 of the hollow cylinder part 12 measured along the longitudinal direction L is larger than the length l3 of the filter rod part 15 also measured along the longitudinal direction L. Preferably, the length l2 is 10 to 15 mm, even more preferred 12 mm. Preferably, the length l3 is 5 to 10 mm, even more preferred 8 mm. In this embodiment, the tobacco product can either be arranged in the hollow cylinder part 12 or in the filter rod part 15 or in both of them. In order to attach the hollow cylinder part 12 and the filter rod part 15 to each other, both parts 12, 15 are preferably wrapped in a joint plug-wrap 20. The plug wrap 20 is a wrapper wrapped circumferentially around the hollow cylinder part 12 and the filter rod part 15.
The length l1 of the filter segment 9 is preferably 20 mm. The preferred length L2 of the hollow cylinder part 12 measured along the longitudinal axis L is preferably 10 to 15 mm, even more preferred 12 mm. Preferably the length l3 of the filter rod part 15 is 5 to 10 mm, even more preferred 8 mm. A length l5 of the second cylindrically shaped section 15b measured along the longitudinal axis L is preferably 1 to 2 mm, more preferred 1 mm. The length l4 of the first cylindrically shaped section 15a measured along the longitudinal axis L is preferably 4 to 9 mm, more preferred 7 mm. In this embodiment, it is preferred that the tobacco product 11 is either arranged only in the first cylindrically shaped section 15a or arranged in the first cylindrically shaped section 15a and the hollow cylinder part 12.
In the depicted embodiment in which the filter rod part 15 comprises a first and a second cylindrically shaped section 15a, 15b, the length l4 of the first cylindrically shaped section 15b is preferably 6 mm and the length l5 of the second cylindrically shaped section 15b is preferably 1 mm. Although it is possible for this embodiment to arrange the tobacco product 11 in the hollow cylinder part 12, it is preferred to arrange the tobacco product 11 in the filter rod part 15. In the filter rod part 15, the tobacco product 11 is arranged downstream of the charcoal filter 19. This arrangement is preferred, as the charcoal filter 19 is able to remove any harsh flavors from the aerosol travelling along the second flow path 10. After the harsh flavor has been removed from the aerosol by the charcoal filter 19, the aerosol can then interact with the tobacco product 11 arranged in the filter rod part 15 and thereby pick up a more pleasing flavor from the tobacco particles. Preferably, all parts of the filter segment 9 i.e. the hollow cylinder part 12, the charcoal filter 19 and the filter rod part 15, are wrapped together in a plug wrap 20. This embodiment comprising the charcoal filter 19 is preferably combined with the homogenously distributed tobacco product in the filter rod part 15 or the first cylindrically shaped section 15a shown in
The arranging 100 of the tobacco product 11 in the filter segment 9 can be carried out in basically three different embodiments of the method. The chosen embodiment depends on the desired arrangement of the tobacco product 11 in the filter segment 9. In a first embodiment of the method, the tobacco product 11 is arranged in the filter segment 9 by coating 102 the filter segment 9 with the tobacco product 11. Preferably, this embodiment of the method is combined with an embodiment of the smoking article 1, in which the tobacco product 11 is arranged in the inner lateral area 13 of the hollow cylinder part 12 of the filter segment 9. The coating 102 can either be carried out by coating the inner lateral area 13 of the hollow cylinder part 12 after the hollow cylinder part 12 has been manufactured. In alternative to that it is also possible to coat a surface of a filter material 17 with the tobacco product 11 and afterwards form the filter material 17 into a hollow cylinder part 12, wherein the coated surface is arranged to be the inner lateral area 13 of the hollow cylinder part 12. Before the coating 102 with the tobacco product 11 takes place, it is possible to coat 101, the very same surface on which the tobacco product 11 is afterwards applied with a bonding agent 18.
In alternative or in addition to arranging the tobacco product 11 in the hollow cylinder part 12, the tobacco product 11 can be arranged in the filter segment 9 by spraying 103 the tobacco product 11 onto the filter material 17 before forming the filter rod part 15 and eventually also the hollow cylinder part 12 from the filter material 17. In this embodiment of the method, it is also conceivable that before the tobacco product 11 is sprayed 103 onto the filter material 17 of the filter rod part 15, the filter material 17 is coated or pretreated 101 with a bonding agent 18. However, the coating 101 with a bonding agent 18 is an optional step.
In alternative or in addition to the previously described methods to arrange 100, the tobacco product 11 in the filter segment 9, it is also possible to arrange 107 threads 16 comprising the tobacco product 11 in the filter material 17 before the filter segment 9 is formed 104. Before arranging the threads or also one thread 16, in the filter material 17, the tobacco product 11 is arranged on the thread 16 either by soaking 105 the thread 16 with the tobacco product 11 or by spraying 106 the thread 16 with a tobacco product 11. Both alternatives, soaking 105 and spraying 106, may be preceded by coating 101 the thread 16 with a bonding agent 18.
All of the described methods to arrange 100 the tobacco product 11 in the filter segment 9 may be carried out separately or in combination.
After arranging 100 the tobacco product 11 in the filter segment 9, the individual parts of the filter segment 9, i.e. the hollow cylinder part 12, the filter rod part 15, preferably comprising a first and second cylindrically shaped section 15a, 15b, and preferably a charcoal filter 19, are arranged 108 in the order described in the previous embodiments along the longitudinal axis L. Afterwards the filter parts are preferably wrapped 109 in a plug wrap 20. At this point, the filter segment 9 is arranged 110 together with the other segments 3 sequentially along the longitudinal axis L to be subsequently wrapped 120 by the wrapper 4.
The applicant reserves his right to claim all features disclosed in the application document is being an essential feature of the invention, as long as they are new, individually or in combination, in view of the prior art. Furthermore, it is noted that in the figures features are described, which can be advantageous individually. Someone skilled in the art will directly recognize that a specific feature being disclosed in a figure can be advantageous also without the adoption of further features from this figure. Furthermore, someone skilled in the art will recognize that advantages can evolve from a combination of diverse features being disclosed in one or various figures.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20202049.1 | Oct 2020 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2021/078600 | 10/15/2021 | WO |
