Patent Application
20250064109
The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0109854, filed on Aug. 22, 2023, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.
The present disclosure relates to a tobacco filter. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a tobacco filter, a smoking article including the same, and an aerosol-generating device.
Tobacco filters are divided mainly into a cellulose acetate filter, a paper filter, and a charcoal filter. A commonly manufactured cellulose acetate filter may include cellulose acetate tow.
Despite being mainly used as tobacco filters, cellulose acetate filters are poorly biodegradable, which has been problematic. To solve such a problem, paper filters have been proposed as an alternative.
When applying a crimped paper filter to the mouth end (ME) of a smoking article, irregular or uneven holes between the folds of the paper lead to deterioration in exterior appearance compared to when applying a cellulose acetate filter, which has been problematic.
The present disclosure aims to provide a tobacco filter with an excellent exterior appearance.
In addition, the present disclosure aims to provide a tobacco filter having excellent biodegradability and particulate removal ability.
In addition, the present disclosure aims to provide a method of manufacturing the tobacco filter.
In addition, the present disclosure aims to provide a smoking article including the tobacco filter.
In addition, the present disclosure aims to provide an aerosol-generating device including the smoking article.
Objectives of the present disclosure are not limited to the objectives mentioned above. Other objectives and advantages of the present disclosure not mentioned will be clearly understood from the description and embodiments of the present disclosure below. In addition, it will be readily apparent that the objectives and advantages of the present disclosure will be realized by means of the appended claims and combinations thereof.
According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, provided is a tobacco filter including a paper sheet including a pulp fiber, wherein the paper sheet has a bulk in the range of 2 to 4 cm3/g, and the pulp fiber includes at least one of a single fiber having an average coarseness of 13 mg/100 m or higher and a mixed fiber including a sub-pulp fiber and a regenerated fiber.
According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, in the first aspect, the single fiber may be included in an amount of 70 wt % or more based on the total weight of the paper sheet.
According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, in the first or second aspect, the sub-pulp fiber may include a pulp fiber derived from an evergreen.
According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in any one of the first to third aspects, a weight ratio of the sub-pulp fiber to the regenerated fiber may be in the range of 9:1 to 5:5.
According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the pulp fiber may have an average length in the range of 2 to 6 mm.
According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the paper sheet may have an air permeability in the range of 500 to 10,000 CU.
According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, provided is a smoking article including a first part including a medium and a second part including a filter element, wherein the filter element includes the tobacco filter in any one of the first to sixth aspects.
According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, in the seventh aspect, the smoking article may further include a third part interposed between the first and second parts, wherein the third part includes a first cooling element or a tube filter.
According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, in the seventh or eighth aspect, the smoking article may further include a fourth part placed on one side of the first part, wherein at least one of the second and fourth parts includes the paper sheet.
According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, in any one of the seventh to ninth aspects, the second part may include the paper sheet.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, in any one of the seventh to tenth aspects, the second and fourth parts may include the paper sheet.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, in any one of the seventh to ninth aspects, the fourth part may include a second cooling element.
The technical solutions to the problems above are not exhaustive of the features of the present disclosure. A variety of features of the present disclosure, and the resulting advantages and effects will be clearly understood in more detail with reference to the specific embodiments below.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a tobacco filter having a regular cross-sectional shape and uniform holes when a paper sheet is crimped can be provided, thus implementing a smoking article with an excellent exterior appearance.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a tobacco filter having excellent biodegradability can be provided.
According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a tobacco filter having excellent particulate removal ability can be implemented.
In addition to the effects described above, specific effects of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to specific details for carrying out the present disclosure.
As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms are intended to include the plural forms.
As used herein, the term “to” refers to a numerical range including the respective values listed before and after this term as lower and upper limits. When a plurality of numerical values is disclosed for the upper and lower limits of a numerical range, the numerical range disclosed herein may be understood as a numerical range including any one value of the plurality of lower limit values and any one value of the plurality of upper limit values as the lower limit value and the upper limit value, respectively. For example, assuming that “a to b” or “c to d” is stated herein, this may be understood as follows: a or more and b or less, a or more and d or less, c or more and d or less, or c or more and b or less.
As used herein, expressions such as “first”, “second”, “S1”, “S2”, and the like may modify various components, regardless of any order and/or order of importance, and are not intended to limit such components. Such expressions may be used to distinguish one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and a second component may also be referred to as a first component.
As used herein, “at least one of a, b, and c” may include a, b, or c alone or may include a combination of two or more selected from the group consisting of a, b, and c.
As used herein, the term “smoking article” may refer to any product that is smokable or capable of providing a smoking experience, whether or not based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or a tobacco substitute. Examples of smoking articles may include smokable products such as cigarettes, cigars, and cigarillos. Other examples of smoking articles may include combustible smoking articles and heated smoking articles.
As used herein, the term “upstream” or “upstream direction” may refer to a direction moving away from the mouth end of a smoker, and the term “downstream” or “downstream direction” may refer to a direction approaching the mouth end of a smoker. The terms “upstream” and “downstream” may be used to describe the relative positions of the elements constituting a smoking article.
As used herein, the term “longitudinal direction” may refer to a direction corresponding to the longitudinal axis of a smoking article.
As used herein, the term “single fiber” may refer to a fiber made of one type of raw pulp. Specifically, the single fiber may refer to an individual fiber strand constituting a pulp fiber.
As used herein, the term “mixed fiber”, opposite to the single fiber in concept, may refer to a fiber derived from two or more types of wood or vegetation or to a fiber including a sub-pulp fiber as a raw material but further including a regenerated fiber.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, provided is a tobacco filter including a paper sheet including a pulp fiber, wherein the paper sheet has a bulk in the range of 2 to 4 cm3/g, and the pulp fiber includes at least one of a single fiber having an average coarseness of 13 mg/100 m or higher and a mixed fiber including a sub-pulp fiber and a regenerated fiber. When applying a crimped paper filter to the mouth end (ME) of a smoking article in the related art, irregular or uneven holes between the folds of the paper lead to deterioration in exterior appearance compared to when applying a cellulose acetate filter, which has been problematic. According to the aspect of the present disclosure, both the average coarseness of the single fiber and the freeness, mainly affecting the bulk of the paper sheet, are enabled to be controlled, and the regenerated fiber is enabled to be added to the mixed fiber, thus implementing the tobacco filter having a regular cross-sectional shape and uniform holes when the paper sheet is crimped. Accordingly, as a smoking article with an excellent exterior appearance is implemented, the present disclosure can make the article look visually attractive to a user.
Hereinafter, the configuration of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.
Referring to
The paper sheet 100, according to the present disclosure, includes the pulp fiber 10A. The pulp fiber 10A herein may include at least one of the single fiber and the mixed fiber.
The single fiber, according to the present disclosure, may refer to a fiber composed of one type of raw pulp selected from one or more of wood or vegetation. Specifically, the single fiber may refer to an individual fiber strand constituting a pulp fiber.
The mixed fiber, according to the present disclosure, may refer to a fiber including the sub-pulp fiber as a raw material but further including the regenerated fiber. For example, based on the total weight of the mixed fiber, the sub-pulp fiber may be included in an amount of 50 wt % or more, 51 wt % or more, 52 wt % or more, 53 wt % or more, 54 wt % or more, 55 wt % or more, 56 wt % or more, 57 wt % or more, 58 wt % or more, 59 wt % or more, 60 wt % or more, 61 wt % or more, 62 wt % or more, 63 wt % or more, 64 wt % or more, 65 wt % or more, 66 wt % or more, 67 wt % or more, 68 wt % or more, 69 wt % or more, 70 wt % or more, 71 wt % or more, 72 wt % or more, 73 wt % or more, 74 wt % or more, 75 wt % or more, 76 wt % or more, 77 wt % or more, 78 wt % or more, 79 wt % or more, or 80 wt % or more. Specifically, the sub-pulp fiber may be the same as or different from the single fiber. For example, the regenerated fiber may include one or more among rayon and Lyocell and may specifically include rayon.
On the other hand, the bulk of the paper sheet is a thickness value with respect to the basis weight of the paper sheet. Typically, the higher the air permeability of the paper sheet, the higher the bulk of the paper sheet may be. In the present disclosure, the bulk of the paper sheet may be a key factor that may lead to a change in the exterior appearance of the cross section of the filter when the paper sheet is crimped.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the bulk of the paper sheet may be: 2 cm3/g or higher, 2.1 cm3/g or higher, 2.2 cm3/g or higher, 2.3 cm3/g or higher, 2.4 cm3/g or higher, 2.5 cm3/g or higher, 2.6 cm3/g or higher, 2.7 cm3/g or higher, 2.8 cm3/g or higher, 2.9 cm3/g or higher, 3.0 cm3/g or higher, 3.1 cm3/g or higher, 3.2 cm3/g or higher, 3.3 cm3/g or higher, 3.4 cm3/g or higher, 3.5 cm3/g or higher, 3.6 cm3/g or higher, 3.7 cm3/g or higher, 3.8 cm3/g or higher, or 3.9 cm3/g or higher; 4.0 cm3/g or lower, 3.9 cm3/g or lower, 3.8 cm3/g or lower, 3.7 cm3/g or lower, 3.6 cm3/g or lower, 3.5 cm3/g or lower, 3.4 cm3/g or lower, 3.3 cm3/g or lower, 3.2 cm3/g or lower, 3.1 cm3/g or lower, 3.0 cm3/g or lower, 2.9 cm3/g or lower, 2.8 cm3/g or lower, 2.7 cm3/g or lower, 2.6 cm3/g or lower, 2.5 cm3/g or lower, 2.4 cm3/g or lower, 2.3 cm3/g or lower, 2.2 cm3/g or lower, or 2.1 cm3/g or lower; or in a range including any one value of the plurality of lower limit values above and any one value of the plurality of upper limit values above as the lower limit value and the upper limit value, respectively. Specifically, the bulk of the paper sheet may be in the range of 2 to 4 cm3/g, 2.1 to 3.0 cm3/g, 2.14 to 2.9 cm3/g, 2.14 to 2.61 cm3/g, 2.5 to 2.61 cm3/g, or 2.53 to 2.61 cm3/g. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the bulk of the paper sheet does not fall within the above numerical range, a problem with the exterior appearance of the filter becoming poor when the paper sheet is crimped may occur due to irregular or uneven holes. For example, even when the average coarseness of the single fiber is 13 mg/100 m or higher, the freeness, which will be described later, may fail to fall within the appropriate level. Thus, when the bulk of the paper sheet does not fall within the above numerical range, the problem with the exterior appearance of the cross section of the filter becoming poor occurs due to the irregular or uneven holes between the folds of the paper.
Referring to
The disintegrating herein refers to a process of completely separating the raw fibers by being stirred with water, and the refining herein refers to a process of applying force to the fibers in water to cut and split the same to provide paper-making properties to the disintegrated raw fibers, thereby achieving a predetermined degree of microfiberization. Due to differences in the method and the degree of disintegrating and refining, the characteristics of the pulp fiber having undergone microfiberization may vary, and the structure and physical properties of the paper sheet may be ultimately affected. The higher the degree of refining, the higher the freeness, and the lower the degree of refining, the lower the freeness. The freeness herein serves as an indicator that quantitatively determines the degree of refining the fiber. Through the pulp fiber prepared to have high freeness, the strength of the paper may increase, and the bonds of the fiber strands may increase, enabling dense paper having relatively high strength to be manufactured. On the other hand, through the pulp fiber prepared to have low freeness, the density of the fiber strands may be reduced, enabling relatively soft paper to be manufactured.
Specifically, the raw fiber in step S1 may be a fiber being a raw material for the pulp fiber, which will be described later, in a state before undergoing microfiberization. In other words, depending on the degree of raw fiber microfiberization, the bulk and air permeability of the paper sheet may vary, and the exterior appearance of the smoking article may vary when applying the paper sheet thereto. More specifically, the raw fiber may be: a fiber in a state before the single fiber derived from wood or vegetation undergoes microfiberization; or a fiber in a state before the mixed fiber including the sub-pulp fiber and the regenerated fiber undergoes microfiberization.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the freeness during the refining process of the raw fibers may be lower than 20° SR, 19° SR or lower, 18° SR or lower, 17° SR or lower, 16° SR or lower, 15° SR or lower, 14° SR or lower, or 13.5° SR or lower. Specifically, the freeness during the refining process of the raw pulp may be 10° SR or higher and lower than 20° SR, in the range of 13 to 19° SR, in the range of 13 to 18° SR, in the range of 13 to 17° SR, in the range of 13 to 16° SR, in the range of 13 to 15° SR, in the range of 13 to 14° SR, or in the range of 13 to 13.5° SR. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the freeness during the refining process of the raw fibers falls within the above numerical range, the bulk performance of the paper sheet is also improved, enabling a porous structure to be formed. In addition, the exterior appearance of the cross section of the filter may be improved when the paper sheet is crimped.
According to the present disclosure, the pulp fiber, the fiber strands distributed within the paper sheet serving as an end product, may be a fiber having undergone microfiberization through the disintegrating and refining processes.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the pulp fiber may include at least one of the single fiber having an average coarseness of 13 mg/100 m or higher and the mixed fiber including the sub-pulp fiber and the regenerated fiber. The average coarseness herein refers to the average mass per unit length of the fiber.
Specifically, the average coarseness of the single fiber may be: 13 mg/100 m or higher, 14 mg/100 m or higher, 15 mg/100 m or higher, 16 mg/100 m or higher, 17 mg/100 m or higher, 18 mg/100 m or higher, 19 mg/100 m or higher, 20 mg/100 m or higher, 21 mg/100 m or higher, 22 mg/100 m or higher, 23 mg/100 m or higher, 24 mg/100 m or higher, 25 mg/100 m or higher, 26 mg/100 m or higher, 27 mg/100 m or higher, or 28 mg/100 m or higher; 40 mg/100 m or lower, 39 mg/100 m or lower, 38 mg/100 m or lower, 37 mg/100 m or lower, 36 mg/100 m or lower, 35 mg/100 m or lower, 34 mg/100 m or lower, 33 mg/100 m or lower, 32 mg/100 m or lower, 31 mg/100 m or lower, 30 mg/100 m or lower, 29 mg/100 m or lower, or 28 mg/100 m or lower; or in a range including any one value of the plurality of lower limit values above and any one value of the plurality of upper limit values above as the lower limit value and the upper limit value, respectively. More specifically, the average coarseness of the single fiber may be 13 mg/100 m or higher, in the range of 13 to 29 mg/100 m, in the range of 14 to 29 mg/100 m, in the range of 15 to 28 mg/100 m, in the range of 16 to 28 mg/100 m, in the range of 17 to 28 mg/100 m, in the range of 18 to 28 mg/100 m, in the range of 19 to 28 mg/100 m, in the range of 20 to 28 mg/100 m, in the range of 21 to 28 mg/100 m, in the range of 22 to 28 mg/100 m, in the range of 23 to 28 mg/100 m, in the range of 24 to 28 mg/100 m, in the range of 25 to 28 mg/100 m, in the range of 26 to 28 mg/100 m, or in the range of 27 to 28 mg/100 m.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the average coarseness of the single fiber may fall within the above numerical range, thus implementing the tobacco filter having a regular cross-sectional shape and uniform holes when the paper sheet is crimped. Accordingly, as the smoking article with the excellent exterior appearance is implemented, the present disclosure can make the article look visually attractive to a user. On the other hand, the coarseness of the fiber is one of the characteristics found in natural fibers such as wood and vegetation. The higher the coarseness, the bulkier the paper sheet may be. When the coarseness is low, the number of points where the fibers come into contact with each other and form hydrogen bonds may increase, thus reducing the air permeability of the paper sheet, increasing the tensile strength, and forming an entangled structure between the fibers.
For example, the average coarseness of the single fiber may be analyzed on the basis of the KS M ISO 9184-6:1994 test standard.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the organic combination relationship between the freeness range and the average coarseness range of the single fiber described above may be satisfied, thus implementing the tobacco filter having a regular cross-sectional shape and uniform holes when the paper sheet is crimped. Accordingly, as the smoking article with the excellent exterior appearance is implemented, the present disclosure can make the article look visually attractive to a user.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the paper-making machine in step S3 may be a paper-making machine or paper-manufacturing machine commonly used in the related art to which the present disclosure pertains. When using the raw fibers on which steps S1 and S2 are performed, the excellent exterior appearance of the cross section when the paper sheet is crimped can be realized.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the single fiber may be included in an amount of 70 wt % or more based on the total weight of the paper sheet, which may specifically be in the range of 70 to 100 wt %, 70 to 99 wt %, 72 to 90 wt %, 73 to 86 wt %, 74 to 84 wt %, 75 to 83 wt %, 76 to 82 wt %, 77 to 81 wt %, or 78 to 80 wt %. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the amount of the single fiber may fall within the above numerical range, thus improving the workability in manufacturing the paper sheet and implementing the tobacco filter having a regular cross-sectional shape and uniform holes when the paper sheet is crimped.
As described above, the mixed fiber, according to the present disclosure, includes the sub-pulp fiber and the regenerated fiber.
Specifically, the sub-pulp fiber may be a pulp fiber derived from wood or vegetation. For example, the wood or vegetation is not particularly limited and may be a raw material capable of manufacturing paper sheets in the related art to which the present disclosure pertains. Specifically, the wood may be an evergreen, hardwood, softwood, or the like, and the vegetation may be bamboo, hemp, linen, and the like. More specifically, the wood may include one or more among southern pine, mixed softwood, Cedrus, hardwood, and softwood. However, the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and a variety of wood and/or vegetation may be usable.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sub-pulp fiber may include a pulp fiber derived from an evergreen. Specifically, the tobacco filter having a regular cross-sectional shape and uniform holes when the paper sheet is crimped may be implemented by mixing the regenerated fiber and the sub-pulp fiber derived from an evergreen. For example, the evergreen may be southern pine. In addition, the regenerated fiber may include one or more among rayon and Lyocell and may specifically include rayon. In this case, when the regenerated fiber is rayon, the bulk of the paper sheet is adjusted to an appropriate level, thus improving the exterior appearance of the tobacco filter.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the weight ratio of the sub-pulp fiber to the regenerated fiber (sub-pulp fiber:regenerated fiber) may be in the range of 9:1 to 5:5, specifically in the range of 8:2 to 6:4, and more specifically in the range of 8:2 to 7:3. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the weight ratio of the sub-pulp fiber to the regenerated fiber falls within the above numerical range, the tobacco filter having a regular cross-sectional shape and uniform holes when the paper sheet is crimped may be implemented.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the average length of the pulp fiber may be in the range of 2 to 6 mm, 3 to 5 mm, or 4 to 5 mm. Specifically, the average length of the pulp fiber may fall within the above numerical range, thus leading to a change in the freeness by adjusting the contact between the fibers within a fiber suspension to an appropriate level during the manufacturing process of the paper sheet. Accordingly, the bulk and air permeability of the paper sheet may be affected, which may thus lead to a change in the exterior appearance of the paper sheet when applying the crimped paper sheet to the filter.
On the other hand, the basis weight of the paper sheet, the weight per unit area of the paper sheet (g/m2=gsm), may affect the bulk value of the paper sheet, thus affecting the exterior appearance when the paper sheet is crimped.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the basis weight of the paper sheet may be: 20 gsm or more, 21 gsm or more, 22 gsm or more, 23 gsm or more, 24 gsm or more, 25 gsm or more, 26 gsm or more, 27 gsm or more, 28 gsm or more, 29 gsm or more, 30 gsm or more, 31 gsm or more, 32 gsm or more, 33 gsm or more, 34 gsm or more, 35 gsm or more, 36 gsm or more, 37 gsm or more, 38 gsm or more, 39 gsm or more, 40 gsm or more, 41 gsm or more, 42 gsm or more, 43 gsm or more, 44 gsm or more, 45 gsm or more, 46 gsm or more, 47 gsm or more, 48 gsm or more, 49 gsm or more, 50 gsm or more, 51 gsm or more, 52 gsm or more, 53 gsm or more, 54 gsm or more, 55 gsm or more, 56 gsm or more, 57 gsm or more, 58 gsm or more, or 59 gsm or more; 60 gsm or less, 59 gsm or less, 58 gsm or less, 57 gsm or less, 56 gsm or less, 55 gsm or less, 54 gsm or less, 53 gsm or less, 52 gsm or less, 51 gsm or less, 50 gsm or less, 49 gsm or less, 48 gsm or less, 47 gsm or less, 46 gsm or less, 45 gsm or less, 44 gsm or less, 43 gsm or less, 42 gsm or less, 41 gsm or less, 40 gsm or less, 39 gsm or less, 38 gsm or less, 37 gsm or less, 36 gsm or less, 35 gsm or less, 34 gsm or less, 33 gsm or less, 32 gsm or less, 31 gsm or less, 30 gsm or less, 29 gsm or less, 28 gsm or less, 27 gsm or less, 26 gsm or less, 25 gsm or less, 24 gsm or less, 23 gsm or less, 22 gsm or less, or 21 gsm or less; or in a range including any one value of the plurality of lower limit values above and any one value of the plurality of upper limit values above as the lower limit value and the upper limit value, respectively. Specifically, the basis weight of the paper sheet may be in the range of 20 to 60 gsm, 25 to 55 gsm, to 50 gsm, or 35 to 45 gsm. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the basis weight of the paper sheet falls within the above numerical range, the bulk properties of the paper sheet may be effectively controlled, thus improving the exterior appearance of the tobacco filter.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the thickness of the paper sheet may be in the range of 50 to 150 μm, 60 to 140 μm, 70 to 130 μm, 80 to 120 μm, 90 to 110 μm, or 100 to 110 μm. When the thickness of the paper sheet is smaller than the above numerical range, the level of achievable draw resistance may be significantly low, or the paper sheet may tear, leading to problems during the manufacturing process. On the contrary, when the thickness of the paper sheet is larger than the above numerical range, an explosion may occur during the manufacturing process of the filter, or the pressure drop may be excessively high, leading to an abnormal increase in the draw resistance of the smoking article. In addition, when the thickness of the paper sheet does not fall within the above numerical range, there may be a problem with paper monofilament or circumferential defect when manufacturing the tobacco filter.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the air permeability of the paper sheet may be in the range of 500 to 10,000 CU, 600 to 9,000 CU, 700 to 8,000 CU, 800 to 7,000 CU, 900 to 6,000 CU, 900 to 5,000 CU, 900 to 4,000 CU, or 925 to 3,950 CU. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the air permeability of the paper sheet falls within the above numerical range, an appropriate level of filtration performance may be met while improving the exterior appearance of the filter by forming a cross section having uniform holes when the paper sheet is crimped.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a moisturizer may be applied on at least a portion of the surface of the paper sheet to achieve a desired level of pressure drop. The pressure drop herein may refer to a perceived air resistance when a user holds a smoking article while inhaling air. User satisfaction with smoking may vary with the pressure drop, so a target pressure drop is required to be realized. For example, the moisturizer may include at least one of glycerin, gum guar, starch, methylcellulose, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), gum arabic, and propylene glycol. In addition, the moisturizer, applied on at least a portion of the surface of the paper sheet, may, for example, be included in an amount in the range of 0.5 to 5 mg/mm.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the tobacco filter may further include granules to improve the bonding strength between the moisturizer and the paper sheet. Specifically, the granules may be added and settled on the surface of the paper sheet, thus improving the bonding strength between the moisturizer and the paper sheet. For example, the granules may include a coating layer formed on the surface thereof to prevent the granules from breaking or fracturing due to external impact. According to one example, the coating layer may include at least one of microcrystalline cellulose, anhydrous lactose, Cellactose 80 (25% of lactose and 75% of microcrystalline cellulose processed simultaneously), isomalt, dibasic calcium phosphate dihydrate, calcium carbonate, calcium lactate, anhydrous dibasic calcium phosphate, tribasic calcium phosphate, calcium silicate, calcium sulfate, carbomers, calcium carboxymethylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, cellulose, silicified microcrystalline cellulose, cellulose acetate, Ceratonia, copovidone, corn starch, pregelatinized starch, dextrate, dextrin, dextrose, erythritol, ethylcellulose, fructose, fumaric acid, glyceryl monooleate, glyceryl monostearate, glyceryl palmitostearate, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl betadex, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl starch, hypromellose, hypromellose acetate succinate, kaolin, lactitol, anhydrous lactose, lactose monohydrate, magnesium carbonate, magnesium oxide, maltitol, maltodextrin, maltose, mannitol, methylcellulose, poloxamers, polycarbophil, polydextrose, poly(DL-lactic acid), polyethylene glycol, polyethylene oxide, polymethacrylate, polyoxyglyceride, polyvinyl alcohol, povidone, shellac, simethicone, sodium alginate, sodium chloride, sorbitol, starch, sucrose, sugar spheres, sulfobutylether B-cyclodextrin, titanium dioxide, trehalose, microcrystalline wax, white wax, yellow wax, xanthan gum, xylitol, beeswax, candelilla, carnauba, caraway, sugarcane wax, myrtle wax, gum arabic, locust bean wax, gum guar, alginates, carrageenans, and pectin.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the paper sheet may be formed by being rolled into a cylindrical shape and have a circumference in the range of 20 to 25 mm. For example, the paper sheet may be formed by crimping base paper and rolling the crimped paper or manufactured by rolling the base paper into a cylindrical shape when dried. In this case, the circumference of the paper sheet may be the circumference of the bottom surface of the cylindrical shape after being rolled.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the cavity area ratio with respect to the cross section of the tobacco filter may be 19% or less, 18% or less, 17% or less, 16% or less, 15% or less, 14% or less, 13% or less, 12% or less, 11% or less, 10% or less, 9% or less, 8% or less, 7% or less, 6% or less, 5% or less, or 4.3% or less. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the cavity area ratio in the tobacco filter may fall within the above numerical range, thus implementing the tobacco filter having a regular cross-sectional shape and uniform holes when the paper sheet is crimped. Accordingly, as the smoking article with the excellent exterior appearance is implemented, the present disclosure can make the article look visually attractive to a user. For example, assuming that the total area of the filter is 100, the cavity area ratio with respect to the cross section of the tobacco filter is a ratio of a hollow space not being occupied by the paper sheet and may be calculated by taking the surface image, shading the hollow space, and measuring the ratio of the white color area (paper) to the black color area (cavity).
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, provided is a smoking article including a first part including a medium and a second part including a filter element, wherein the filter element includes the tobacco filter according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the tobacco filter (crimped paper sheet) is included in the filter element, thus implementing the smoking article with an excellent exterior appearance and excellent biodegradability.
Referring to
The first smoking article 200A, according to the present disclosure, includes the first part 210 and the second part 220. The first smoking article 200A may further include a wrapper 250. Specifically, the first part 210 and the second part 220 may be arranged in such an order along the longitudinal direction of the first smoking article 200A. More specifically, the first part 210 may be placed upstream of the second part 220. In this case, the wrapper 250 may be wrapped around at least one of the first part 210 and the second part 220 or may specifically be wrapped around a portion of the first part 210 and all of the second part 220. For example, the first part 210 and the second part 220 may have a cylindrical shape.
The first part 210, according to the present disclosure, includes a medium capable of generating an aerosol and/or smoke as it is combusted. Specifically, the mainstream smoke generated as the first part 210 is combusted may be inhaled by a user through the second part 220, which will be described later, from the first part 210 in the longitudinal direction of the first smoking article 200A.
For example, the medium is not particularly limited and may be any substance capable of generating an aerosol and/or smoke commonly used in the related art to which the present disclosure pertains. Specifically, the medium may include tobacco raw materials, such as tobacco leaf pieces, tobacco stems, and the like, and materials processed therefrom. For a more specific example, the medium may include crushed tobacco leaves, expanded stems, tobacco shreds (for example, leaf tobacco shreds and reconstituted tobacco shreds), tobacco sheets (for example, reconstituted tobacco leaves), and the like.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the medium may further include one or more among a wetting agent and a flavoring agent. For example, the wetting agent may keep the moisture in the medium at an appropriate level to soften the inherent taste and increase the amount of atomization. Specifically, the wetting agent may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. For example, the flavoring agent may be added to enhance flavor. Specifically, the flavoring agents may include licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, ISO sweet, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, ylang-ylang, salvia, spearmint, ginger, cilantro, clove extract (or clove substance), coffee, or the like.
The second part 220, according to the present disclosure, may be a filter part performing a filtration function on the aerosol and/or smoke generated in the first part 210. Specifically, the second part 220 may be placed downstream of the first part 210 and thus connected to a downstream end of the first part 210.
The second part 220, according to the present disclosure, includes a filter element to perform the filtration function. Specifically, the filter element may include the tobacco filter according to some embodiments of the present disclosure and may specifically include the crimped paper sheet 100.
The wrapper 250, according to the present disclosure, has a cylindrical shape and may be placed on the surface of the paper sheet 100, which may specifically be wrapped around the paper sheet 100. More specifically, the wrapper 250 may be filter wrapping paper or tipping paper. For example, the paper sheet 100 may be wrapped when the wrapper 250 is the filter wrapping paper, and the filter wrapping paper may be wrapped when the wrapper 250 is the tipping paper. For example, the wrapper 250 may include cellulose or dextrin.
Referring to
The second smoking article 200B, according to the present disclosure, may further include a third part 230 interposed between the first part 210 and the second part 220. Specifically, the third part 230 may be placed on one side of the first part 210 while being placed on one side of the second part 220. More specifically, the first part 210, the third part 230, and the second part 220 may be arranged in succession in such an order along the longitudinal direction of the second smoking article 200B according to the present disclosure.
The third part 230, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, may cool an airflow passing through the first part 210 from the outside of the second smoking article 200B. Specifically, the third part 230 may include a first cooling element.
According to some embodiment of the present disclosure, the first cooling element may be a paper tube formed from paper material and having a hollow cylindrical shape. Specifically, the inner surface of the paper tube may be coated with polylactic acid. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the inner surface of the paper tube may be coated with polylactic acid, thus more effectively cooling the tobacco mainstream smoke and/or aerosol generated by igniting the first part 210.
According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the first cooling element may be formed from a biodegradable polymeric material and may specifically be formed from a polylactic acid fiber.
According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the first cooling element may be a cellulose acetate filter.
The wrapper 250, according to the present disclosure, may be wrapped around at least one of the first part 210, the second part 220, and the third part 230.
Referring to
The third smoking article 200C, according to the present disclosure, may further include a fourth part 240 placed on one side of the first part 210. Specifically, the fourth part 240, the first part 210, the third part 230, and the second part 220 may be arranged in succession in such an order along the longitudinal direction of the third smoking article 200C according to the present disclosure. In other words, the first part 210 may be interposed between the third part 230 and the fourth part 240, and the third part 230 may be interposed between the first part 210 and the second part 220.
The third smoking article 200C, according to the present disclosure, may include the wrapper 250 wrapped around at least one of the first part 210, the second part 220, the third part 230, and the fourth part 240.
The fourth part 240, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, may be an aerosol-generating substrate. Specifically, the fourth part 240 may include an aerosol-generating substance. For example, the aerosol-generating substance may include at least one among glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol.
According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one of the second part 220 and the fourth part 240 may include the paper sheet according to some embodiments. Specifically, the paper sheet, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, may be included in at least one of the second part 220 and the fourth part 240, thus improving the exterior appearance of the smoking article filled with the crimped paper sheet while improving biodegradability.
According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, either the second part 220 or the fourth part 240 may include the paper sheet, and the other may include a cellulose acetate filter. Specifically, the second part 220 may include the paper sheet. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second part, the mouth end of the smoking article, may include the paper sheet, thus providing the smoking article having a regular cross-sectional shape and uniform holes when being filled with the crimped paper filter. Accordingly, the exterior appearance of the filter may be improved, thus making the article look visually attractive to a user.
According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the second part 220 and the fourth part 240 may include the paper sheet. Specifically, the paper sheet, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, may be included in the second part 220 and the fourth part 240, thus improving the exterior appearance of the smoking article filled with the crimped paper sheet while providing the smoking article having excellent biodegradability.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fourth part 240 may be impregnated with the aerosol-generating substance described above. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fourth part 240 may include the paper sheet impregnated with the aerosol-generating substance, thus further improving the impregnation rate of the paper sheet with the aerosol-generating substance and better realizing an atomization function.
According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the fourth part 240 may include a second cooling element configured to cool the atomization supplied by a liquid cartridge. In this case, the second part 220 may include the paper sheet according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the second cooling element may be the same as or different from the first cooling element. Specifically, the second cooling element may be a paper tube formed from paper material and having a hollow cylindrical shape. According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the inner surface of the paper tube may be coated with polylactic acid. The inner surface of the paper tube may be coated with polylactic acid, thus further effectively cooling the atomization supplied by the liquid cartridge.
The third part 230, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, may include a tube filter. The tube filter through which the atomization moves may be a hollow-structured cellulose acetate filter.
The aerosol-generating device 300, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, may be a first aerosol-generating device 300A.
Referring to
The housing, according to the present disclosure, may form the exterior of the first aerosol-generating device 300A and may form a receiving space configured to receive the third smoking article 200C according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
The heater 330, according to the present disclosure, may be configured to heat the third smoking article 200C received in the receiving space, thus generating an aerosol and/or smoke. As being heated, the third smoking article 200C received in the receiving space, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, may enable the aerosol and/or smoke to be generated. The generated aerosol and/or smoke may be inhaled through the mouth end (ME) of a user.
Despite illustrating the heater 330 implemented as an internally heated type in
The control part 320, according to the present disclosure, may be configured to control the overall operation of the first aerosol-generating device 300A. For example, the control part 320 may be configured to control the operation of the heater 330 and the battery 310 or to control the operation of other components included in the first aerosol-generating device 300A. Specifically, the control part 320 may control the power supplied by the battery 310, the heating temperature of the heater 330, and the like. In addition, the control part 320 may check the status of each configuration of the first aerosol-generating device 300A to determine whether the first aerosol-generating device 300A is operable or inoperable.
The control part 320, according to the present disclosure, may be implemented by at least one processor. The processor may be implemented as an array of multiple logic gates or as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and memory in which programs enabled to be executed on this microprocessor are stored.
The battery 310, according to the present disclosure, may supply power usable in operating the first aerosol-generating device 300A. For example, the battery 310 may supply power to the heater 330 or may supply the power necessary for the control part 320 to operate. In addition, the battery 310 may supply the power necessary for electrical components such as a display, a sensor, a motor, and the like installed in the first aerosol-generating device 300A to operate.
Referring to
The second aerosol-generating device 300B, according to the present disclosure, may further include a vaporizer 340.
The vaporizer 340, according to the present disclosure, may be configured to generate an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. For example, the vaporizer 340 may include a liquid reservoir configured to store the liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a wick configured to absorb the stored liquid, and a liquid vaporization element configured to vaporize the absorbed liquid. In this case, the liquid vaporization element may be implemented as a heating element, a vibration element to vaporize liquid through ultrasonic vibration, or other forms. For another example, the vaporizer 340 may be wick-free. The liquid vaporization element of the vaporizer 340 may be controlled by the control part 320.
The aerosol generated in the vaporizer 340 may pass through the third smoking article 200C and be inhaled through the mouth end of a user.
The heater 330, according to the present disclosure, may be placed in an appropriate position to implement an external heating method.
Hereinafter, exemplary examples of the present disclosure will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present disclosure. However, the following examples are only examples, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
Raw fibers of various origins were disintegrated and refined. In this case, the freeness during the refining process of the raw fibers was adjusted to the values shown in Table 1 below. The disintegrated and refined raw fibers were dried through a typical drying process and then formed into a paper sheet using a paper-making machine. Then, filter wrapping paper wrapped around the paper sheet was used to manufacture a tobacco filter.
A difference test, an attribute difference test, a ranking test, and a scaling test were applied to perform a sensory evaluation on 13 sensory panels using the 5-point scale method, thereby evaluating the excellence of the cross-sectional appearance of the tobacco filter. Specifically, the filter appearance was evaluated as “excellent” when the average score was 4 points or more and less than 5 points, as “good” when the average score was 3 points or more and less than 4 points, as “fair” when the average score was more than 2 points and less than 3 points, or as “poor” when the average score was 2 points or less, respectively.
1)Paper sheet bulk = (paper sheet thickness/paper sheet basis weight)
Referring to Table 1 above, it is confirmed that the average coarseness of the single fiber varies with the origin of the pulp fiber. Both the freeness (degree of refining) and the origin of the pulp fiber may be influential in achieving the excellent bulk performance of the paper sheet. It is confirmed through the above experimental results that the exterior appearance of the cross section of the filter varies by controlling both the freeness and the average coarseness of the single fiber during the manufacturing process of the paper sheet.
Specifically, when comparing Comparative Example 1 and Example 1 from the viewpoint of the freeness under the condition where the average coarseness of the single fiber is the same, it is confirmed that even when the average coarseness of the single fiber is 13 mg/100 m or higher, the coarseness becomes higher than 20° SR, so the bulk of the paper sheet does not fall within the range of 2 to 4 cm3/g. On this basis, it is confirmed that in the case of Comparative Example 1, the appearance performance is poor due to irregular or uneven holes between the paper folds when the paper sheet is crimped. On the other hand, it is confirmed that in the case of Example 1, the average coarseness of the single fiber is 13 mg/100 m or higher, and the freeness is adjusted to be lower than 20° SR, thus significantly improving the exterior appearance of the cross section of the filter.
In the case of Comparative Example 2, the average coarseness of the single fiber is lower than 13 mg/100 m, and the freeness is adjusted to be high, so the bulk and air permeability of the paper sheet may be significantly reduced, leading to significant deterioration in appearance performance of the filter.
On the other hand, in the case of Examples 1 to 4, it is confirmed that the bulk of the paper sheet falls within the range of 2 to 4 cm3/g, and the average coarseness of the single fiber is 13 mg/100 m or higher, thus improving the exterior appearance performance of the cross section of the filter. The bulk of the paper sheet herein may vary with the freeness.
When comparing Examples 1 to 3 from the viewpoint of the appearance of the filter depending on the average coarseness of the single fiber under the condition where the freeness is the same, it is confirmed that the higher the average coarseness of the single fiber, the higher the bulk and air permeability of the paper sheet. In light of such a tendency, it is confirmed that the filter appearance is further improved when the average coarseness of the single fiber falls within the range of 18 to 28 mg/100 m. [Experimental Example 2: Cavity area ratio with respect to cross section of tobacco filter]
Referring to
The removal ability was derived through the following steps: 1) measuring the delivery of smoke components in tobacco filter-free tobacco; 2) measuring the delivery of smoke components in tobacco filter-attached tobacco under the same conditions; 3) calculating the smoke components removed from the filter being a difference in the delivery between the smoke components in step 1) and the smoke components in step 2); and 4) calculating a removal ability by calculating the ratio of the components in step 3) to the components step 1)
Referring to Table 2 above, it is confirmed that the removal ability of the paper sheet for the particulate matter, tar, and nicotine is significantly better than that of the cellulose acetate tow filter.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail hereinabove, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. That is, several modifications and alternatives made by those skilled in the art using a basic concept of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2023-0109854 | Aug 2023 | KR | national |
