CN111629610A

CN111629610A - Smoking article

Info

Publication number: CN111629610A
Application number: CN201880075181.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 威廉姆·英格兰
Original assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Current assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Priority date: 2017-11-24
Filing date: 2018-11-15
Publication date: 2020-09-04
Also published as: EP3713429A1; KR20220165821A; KR20240024369A; CA3083308C; BR112020008622A2; GB201719523D0; AU2018373559B2; JP2024057072A; IL274779A; RU2021120610A; CA3083308A1; AU2018373559C1; US20210030060A1; RU2751907C1; JP2021503879A; WO2019101622A1; AU2018373559A1; KR20200072531A; JP2022105210A

Abstract

Described herein is an aerosol-generating article (101) comprising an aerosolizable material (103) and a wrapper (102) disposed about the aerosolizable material, wherein the wrapper comprises a non-flammable material and the wrapper extends from a first end of the aerosolizable material and beyond about 10% to about 85% of a distance from a second end of the aerosolizable material.

Description

Smoking article

Technical Field

The present invention relates to smoking articles and in particular, although not exclusively, to an aerosol-generating article comprising a wrapped nebulizable material and to an aerosol-generating assembly containing an aerosol-generating article comprising a wrapped nebulizable material.

Background

Smoking articles such as cigarettes, cigars and the like burn tobacco during use to produce tobacco smoke. Alternatives to these types of articles release the compound by heating without burning the nebulizable material.

Devices are known which heat an aerosolizable material without burning or consuming the aerosolizable material to volatilize at least one component of the aerosolizable material, typically to form an inhalable aerosol. Such devices are sometimes described as "heat-not-burn" devices or "tobacco heating products" (THP) or "tobacco heating apparatus" or the like. Various different devices are known for volatilizing at least one component of an aerosolizable material.

The material may be, for example, tobacco, other non-tobacco products, or combinations, such as a blend, which may or may not contain nicotine.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosolizable material and a wrapping material (wrapping material) arranged around the aerosolizable material,

and wherein the wrapping material comprises a non-flammable material and the wrapping material extends from the first end of the nebulizable material beyond about 10% to about 85% of the distance from the second end of the nebulizable material.

In some cases, the wrapping material circumscribes the nebulizable material.

In some cases, the nebulizable material comprises tobacco.

In some cases, the nebulizable material is a rod of nebulizable material.

In some cases, the non-flammable material includes a metal foil. For example, the metal foil may comprise aluminum.

In some cases, the wrapping material extends from the first end of the nebulizable material and beyond about 20% to about 70% of the distance from the second end of the nebulizable material.

In some cases, the wrapping material extends from the first end of the nebulizable material and beyond about 40% to about 65% of the distance from the second end of the nebulizable material.

In some cases, the wrapping material extends from the first end of the nebulizable material and beyond about 50% to about 60% of the distance from the second end of the nebulizable material.

In some cases, the aerosol-generating article may further comprise a filter and/or a cooling element. In some cases, a cooling element may be disposed between the nebulizable material and the filter. In some cases, a filter may be disposed between the nebulizable material and the cooling element.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides an aerosol-generating assembly comprising a heater and an aerosol-generating article according to the first aspect of the invention. In some cases, the aerosol-generating component may be a tobacco heating product (also referred to as a heated non-burning device).

A further aspect of the invention provides a system comprising an aerosol-generating device and an aerosol-generating article according to the first aspect.

A further aspect of the invention provides a process for manufacturing an aerosol-generating article comprising wrapping an aerosolizable material in a wrapping material, wherein the wrapping material comprises a non-flammable material, and the wrapping material extends from a first end of the aerosolizable material and beyond about 10% to about 85% of the distance from a second end of the aerosolizable material.

A further aspect of the invention provides a method of preventing a user from igniting or burning an aerosolizable material in an aerosol-generating article, the method comprising wrapping the aerosolizable material in a wrapper, wherein the wrapper comprises a non-flammable material, and the wrapper extends from a first end of the aerosolizable material and beyond a distance from a second end of the aerosolizable material of about 10% to about 85%.

To the extent that they are compatible, features of the invention described in the context of one aspect specifically disclosed are combined with other features.

Drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following drawings and description of examples of the invention, which are given by way of illustration only and do not set any limit to the scope of the claims.

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a side view of an aerosol-generating article according to an example of the invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a first end view of an aerosol-generating article according to an example of the invention.

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of a first end view of a different aerosol-generating article according to an example of the invention.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a side view of an aerosol-generating article according to an example of the invention.

Fig. 5 is an exploded schematic view of a wrapping material that may be used in some examples.

Fig. 6 is an exploded schematic view of a wrapping material that may be used in some examples.

Detailed Description

Figure 1 is a schematic view of an exemplary aerosol-generating article. The aerosol-generating article 101 comprises an aerosolizable material 103 surrounded by a non-flammable material 102 from a first end of the aerosolizable material. In this example, the non-flammable material 102 extends beyond the second end of the nebulizable material by a distance of about 50%.

In some cases, the wrap may extend from the first end of the nebulizable material beyond at least about 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50% of the distance from the second end of the nebulizable material.

A consideration when producing aerosol-generating articles, such as tobacco heating products, is that if the nebulizable material is caused to burn, they should not produce an acceptable smoking experience so that the user does not mind burning the nebulizable material. This is because the formulation of the nebulizable material is not configured for combustion (and the aerosol produced by combustion may be less suitable for inhalation than the aerosol produced by heating the non-combustible nebulizable material, or than the aerosol produced by burning a conventional cigarette).

In use, the second end of the nebulizable material is the mouth end and the first end is the distal end. (thus, the second end may alternatively be referred to herein as the mouth end and the first end may alternatively be referred to herein as the distal end.) wrapping the distal end of the nebulizable material (i.e. the end that the user will attempt to ignite) in a non-combustible material prevents the nebulizable material in an aerosol-generating article from burning and producing smoke like a conventional combustible cigarette. The present inventors have determined that as the proportion of nebulizable material encased in the non-flammable material increases, the propensity to burn decreases.

In some examples, the non-combustible wrapper material may be disposed around the circumference of the tobacco material. Optionally, the non-flammable wrapper may also be disposed over the first end of the nebulizable material such that the first end is completely enclosed within the wrapper. Fig. 2 shows an example in which the non-flammable material 102 is wrapped around the circumference of the nebulizable material. The first end of the aerosol-generating article 101 is not covered by a non-flammable material. Figure 3 shows an alternative example of an aerosol-generating article 101 in which the non-flammable material 102 completely encloses a first end of the aerosol-generating article.

As used herein, the phrase "non-combustible" refers to a material that will not ignite or burn at temperatures typically associated with ignition (ignition) or combustion of tobacco.

In some cases, the wrapper extends from the first end of the nebulizable material beyond less than about 85%, 80%, 75%, 70%, 65%, or 60% of the distance from the second end of the nebulizable material.

The non-combustible material may be more expensive than conventional tobacco wrapping materials, such as paper. Thus, it may be beneficial to use as little as possible while balancing the need for low propensity to burn.

Additionally, non-combustible materials are generally more difficult to manufacture than traditional tobacco wrapping materials (such as paper). For example, the present inventors have determined that non-flammable materials may be more difficult to cut than paper; this may affect the manufacturing process of the nebulizable material, wherein (a) the length of the nebulizable material can be cut from a longer body and (b) the ventilation holes are provided in the wrapping material.

The inventors have determined that a wrap extending from the first end portion that wraps 10-85% of the length of the nebulizable material meets these different conflicting requirements.

In some cases, the wrapping material may extend from the first end of the nebulizable material beyond about 20-70%, 40-65%, or 50-60% of the distance from the second end of the nebulizable material.

Examples of aerosol-generating articles may additionally comprise further comprising a filter and/or a cooling element. In some cases, these additional components are circumscribed by a paper wrap that also circumscribes the nebulizable material. In such a case, a portion of the nebulizable material is wrapped in a paper wrapper in addition to the wrapping material comprising the non-flammable material, and the paper wrapper may be located above or below the wrapping material comprising the non-flammable material.

For example, a second end (i.e., a mouth end) of the nebulizable material may be disposed adjacent to the cooling element and/or the filter. The cooling element, if present, allows the vapor component to condense to form an aerosol and/or to space a very hot portion of the device from the user. The filter (if present) may remove components from the fluid stream, thereby affecting the chemical composition of the inhalable aerosol.

Fig. 4 shows an exemplary aerosol-generating article 101 comprising, in addition to the features of fig. 1, a cooling element 104, a filter 105 and a mouth end tube 106. As shown, the cooling element 104 and the filter 105 may be disposed between the mouth end of the nebulizable material 103 and the mouth end tube 106 such that the flow from the nebulizable material 103 passes through the cooling element 104 and the filter 105 before reaching the user (or vice versa if the filter is disposed in the flow before the cooling element). Although the cooling element 104, filter 105, and mouth end tube 106 are shown in the example of fig. 4, one or more of these elements may be omitted in other examples.

In some examples, the mouth end tube 106 (if present) may be formed, for example, from the following materials: paper (e.g., in the form of a spirally wound paper tube), cellulose acetate, cardboard, crimped paper (such as crimped heat-resistant paper or crimped parchment), and/or a polymeric material (such as Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)) or some other suitable material. The mouth end tube 106 may be a hollow tube. Such hollow tubes may provide a filtering function to filter volatized nebulizable material. The mouth end tube 106 may be elongated so as to be spaced apart from the very hot portions of the primary apparatus (not shown) that heat the nebulizable material.

In some examples, the filter 105 (if present) may be a filter plug, and may be made of, for example, cellulose acetate.

In some cases, the cooling element 104 (if present) may comprise a unitary rod having a first end and a second end and including a plurality of through-holes extending between the first end and the second end. The through-hole may extend substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the rod. The through holes of the cooling element 104 may be arranged generally in the radial direction of the element when viewed in cross-section. That is, in this example, the element has an inner wall defining a through-hole, and the inner wall has two main configurations, namely a radial wall and a central wall. The radial wall extends along a radius of the cross-section of the element, and the central wall is centered on the center of the cross-section of the element. In one example, the central wall is circular, but other regular or irregular cross-sectional shapes may be used. Also, in one example, the element is circular in cross-section, although other regular or irregular cross-sectional shapes may be used.

In one example, a majority of the vias have a hexagonal or substantially hexagonal cross-sectional shape. In this example, the element has a structure that may be referred to as a "honeycomb" when viewed from one end.

In some cases, the cooling element 104 may comprise a hollow tube that spaces the filter 105 (if present) from the very hot portions of the main apparatus that heat the nebulizable material. The cooling element 104 may be formed, for example, from the following materials: paper (e.g., in the form of a spirally wound paper tube), cellulose acetate, cardboard, crimped paper (such as crimped heat-resistant paper or crimped parchment), and/or a polymeric material (such as Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)) or some other suitable material.

The cooling element 104 (if present) may be substantially incompressible. It may be formed from a ceramic material or a polymer (e.g., a thermoplastic polymer, which may be an extrudable plastic material). In one example, the porosity of the element is in the range of 60% to 75%. In this sense, porosity may be a measure of the percentage of the cross-sectional area of the element that is occupied by the through-holes. In one example, the porosity of the element is about 69% to 70%.

Further examples of aerosol-cooling elements are disclosed in PCT/GB2015/051253, the entire contents of which (in particular from page 8, line 11 to page 18, line 16 in fig. 1 to 8 and in the description) are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

In further examples, the cooling element 104 may be formed from a sheet that is folded, rolled, or pleated to form the through-holes. The sheet material may for example be made of: metals (such as aluminum); polymeric plastic materials (such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate or polyvinyl chloride); or paper.

In some examples, the cooling element 104 and the filter 105 may be held together by a wrapping paper to form an assembly. The assembly may then be attached to the nebulizable material by an additional wrap circumscribing the assembly and at least the mouth end portion of the nebulizable material to form the aerosol-generating article 101. In other examples, the aerosol-generating article 101 is formed by effectively wrapping the cooling element 104, the filter 105 and the nebulizable material 103 in one operation, wherein no separate tipping paper is provided for the cooling element and/or the filter component (if present).

In some cases, one or more vents may be formed in the article. The vents may provide an airflow into the article during use, which forms part of the inhalable aerosol. It may be desirable to reduce the airflow over the distal end of the nebulizable material to reduce the propensity for combustion, and therefore, the aperture may be formed closer to the mouth end than to the distal end. For example, the vents may be formed in the cooling element and/or filter (if present). Further, the vents may be formed in a portion of the article that is not encased in a non-flammable material. The inventors have determined that it may not be straightforward to cut a non-flammable material to form the vent holes.

The nebulizable material may be a rod of nebulizable material. As used herein, the term "rod" generally relates to an elongate body that may be of any suitable shape for use in an aerosol-generating assembly. In some cases, the rod is substantially cylindrical.

In some cases, the nebulizable material comprises tobacco. The tobacco may be any suitable solid tobacco, such as single or blended, cut or whole leaf, ground tobacco, tobacco fiber, cut tobacco, extruded tobacco, tobacco stems, and/or reconstituted tobacco. The tobacco may be of any type, including but not limited to, Virginia (Virginia) tobacco and/or Burley (Burley) tobacco and/or Oriental (Oriental) tobacco.

In use, in some cases, the aerosol-generating article may be arranged at least partially within a heating device to form an aerosol-generating component that heats the article to produce an aerosol without combusting. In some other cases, the article may be disposed in an assembly having a fuel source (such as a combustible fuel source or a chemical heat source) that heats but does not burn the nebulizable material.

Wrapping material comprising a non-flammable material

In some cases, the non-flammable material includes a metal foil. In some cases, it may consist essentially of or consist of a metal foil. Suitably, the metal foil may comprise, consist essentially of or consist of aluminium foil. The metal foil is a non-flammable material that still functions to conduct heat to the nebulizable material in use.

In some cases, the metal foil may be less than about 100 μm, 50 μm, 20 μm, 10 μm, or 8 μm thick. In some cases, it may be greater than about 1 μm, 3 μm, or 5 μm thick.

In some cases, the nebulizable material may be wrapped in more than one wrapping material. That is, in addition to the wrapping material comprising a non-flammable material, the nebulizable material may be wrapped in one or more other materials. These one or more other wrappers may cover more or less of the aerosolizable material than wrappers comprising non-flammable materials.

In some cases, one or more other wrapper materials may circumscribe other components of the aerosol-generating article (in addition to the wrapper material), as described above.

In some cases, the one or more other wrapping materials can include paper positioned above and/or below the non-combustible wrapping material.

In some cases, the wrapping material comprising a non-flammable material may be a laminate. In some cases, the laminate may include 2, 3, 4, or more layers.

Suitable laminates may include paper layers and metal foil layers (such as aluminum foil layers). In some cases, the laminate may be composed of two layers, such as a paper layer and a metal foil layer.

As used herein, the term "laminate structure" refers to a multi-layer structure in which the layers are secured together to form one unitary body. The layers may be secured, for example, with an adhesive. In other examples, the layers may be secured by static interaction. In other examples, the laminate structure may be formed by (partially) melting the first layer, bringing the first layer into contact with the second layer and allowing the first layer to solidify. Any suitable mechanism for securing the layers together may be employed to form the laminated structure, including but not limited to the above examples, strapping, sewing, screwing, nailing, bolting, hooking, and the like.

In some cases, the adhesive may coat the surface of each layer. In other cases, the adhesive may be applied only to the periphery of the layer. In some cases, each layer in the laminate structure may be secured to an adjacent layer. In some exemplary laminate structures, the peripheral edges of the two layers may be fastened together with the middle layer captured therebetween.

In some cases, the laminate wrap material may include an inner layer comprising a metal foil and an outer layer comprising paper. Fig. 6 shows such an example. The laminate structure (indicated by dotted lines) has an inner layer 502 and an outer layer 501. In some cases, the laminate wrap material may be composed of these two layers.

In some cases, the laminate wrap material may include innermost and outermost layers comprising paper, and an intermediate metal foil layer. Fig. 5 shows such an example. The laminated structure (indicated by dotted lines) comprises peripheral insulating

layers

501, 503 and an intermediate layer 502. In some cases, the laminate wrap material may consist of these three layers.

Suitably, as described above, the laminate wrap encases the aerosolizable material in both the metal foil layer and the paper layer, providing the desired non-flammability. Additionally, the low porosity of the wrap restricts sidestream air flow to the tobacco, further reducing the propensity for combustion.

Furthermore, the inventors have determined that it may be beneficial to have an outer layer comprising paper (and in some cases also an innermost layer comprising paper) because the laminated surface then has the coefficient of friction of the paper. This means that the laminate wrap can be more easily used in known cigarette manufacturing processes and machines. A laminate surface having a coefficient of friction equal to that of the cigarette paper allows a garniture belt of an aerosol-generating article manufacturing machine to drive a laminate wrap through the decoration during the manufacturing process of the aerosol-generating article.

The inventors have further determined that it may be beneficial to have paper in the innermost layer, as it may act as a carrier for the fragrance ingredient. That is, in some cases, the innermost layer of the laminate wrap material includes paper and a fragrance component that is transferred into the aerosolizable material when wrapped around the aerosolizable material and heated. In some cases, the aroma components are impregnated into the innermost paper. In some cases, the aroma component can include menthol.

The paper in the laminate wrap described herein can have at least about 10g.m^-2、15g.m^-2、20g.m^-2Or 25g.m^-2To about 50g.m^-2、45g.m^-2、40g.m^-2Or 35g.m^-2Basis weight of (c). Papers having densities in this range have low porosity, which further reduces the propensity for burning by limiting the oxygen content at the nebulizable material.

The paper may be treated with one or more flame retardant substances.

The laminate may be wound onto a roll core for use with a standard cigarette making machine fed from a single paper roll.

Any suitable lamination technique may be used to form the laminate. In one example, the layers may be adhered together.

The above examples are to be understood as illustrative examples of the invention. It is to be understood that any feature described in relation to any one example may be used alone, or in combination with other features described, and may also be used in combination with one or more features of any other of the examples, or any combination of any other of the examples. Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not described above may also be employed without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. An aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosolizable material and a wrapper disposed around the aerosolizable material,

wherein the wrapping material comprises a non-flammable material and the wrapping material extends from the first end of the aerosolizable material beyond about 10% to about 85% of the distance from the second end of the aerosolizable material.

2. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the wrapper circumscribes the nebulizable material.

3. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the nebulizable material comprises tobacco.

4. An aerosol-generating article according to any preceding claim, wherein the nebulizable material is a rod of nebulizable material.

5. An aerosol-generating article according to any preceding claim, wherein the non-flammable material comprises a metal foil.

6. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 5, wherein the metal foil comprises aluminium.

7. An aerosol-generating article according to any preceding claim, wherein the wrapper extends from the first end of the aerosolizable material beyond about 20% to about 70% of the distance from the second end of the aerosolizable material.

8. An aerosol-generating article according to any preceding claim, wherein the wrapper extends from the first end of the aerosolizable material beyond about 40% to about 65% of the distance from the second end of the aerosolizable material.

9. An aerosol-generating article according to any preceding claim, wherein the wrapper extends from the first end of the aerosolizable material beyond about 50% to about 60% of the distance from the second end of the aerosolizable material.

10. An aerosol-generating article according to any preceding claim, further comprising a filter and/or a cooling element.

11. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 10, wherein the aerosol-generating article comprises a filter and a cooling element, and wherein the cooling element is arranged between the nebulizable material and the filter.

12. An aerosol-generating component comprising a container containing an aerosol-generating article according to any preceding claim.

13. An aerosol-generating component according to claim 12, wherein the aerosol-generating component is a tobacco heating product.

14. An aerosol-generating assembly according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the heater is a device into which, in use, the aerosol-generating article is at least partially inserted.

15. A system comprising an aerosol-generating device and an aerosol-generating article according to any of claims 1 to 11.

16. A process for manufacturing an aerosol-generating article, the process comprising wrapping an aerosolizable material in a wrapping material, wherein the wrapping material comprises a non-flammable material, and the wrapping material extends from a first end of the aerosolizable material and beyond about 10% to about 85% of the distance from a second end of the aerosolizable material.

17. A method of preventing a user from igniting or burning an aerosolizable material in an aerosol-generating article, the method comprising wrapping the aerosolizable material in a wrapper, wherein the wrapper comprises a non-flammable material and the wrapper extends from a first end of the aerosolizable material and beyond about 10% to about 85% of the distance from a second end of the aerosolizable material.