CN117580468A

CN117580468A - Article for a non-combustible sol supply system

Info

Publication number: CN117580468A
Application number: CN202180096152.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 巴勃罗·哈维尔·巴列斯特罗斯·戈麦斯; 尼尼扎姆·宾·马吉宁; 迪维娅·库马兰·A/L·西瓦雷特南; 安德烈·格里先科; 詹姆斯·福肖; 马克·奥斯汀
Original assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Current assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Priority date: 2021-01-22
Filing date: 2021-12-14
Publication date: 2024-02-20
Also published as: EP4280899A1; KR20230132549A; WO2022157475A1; GB202100865D0; US20240090565A1; AU2021422510A1; IL304498A; JP2024503526A; BR112023014725A2; CA3205605A1

Abstract

An article (and a method of making the article) for use with a non-combustible sol supply system is described. The article may include a stem of aerosol-generating material and a hollow tube axially aligned with the stem of aerosol-generating material. The hollow tube may have a weight of less than 8.5mg/mm in the axial direction. The hollow tube may comprise a plurality of layers of sheet material. The hollow tube may be disposed adjacent to and contiguous with the aerosol-generating material stem, wherein the hollow tube has a length in the axial direction of 5mm or less.

Description

Article for a non-combustible sol supply system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an article for a non-combustible sol supply system, a non-combustible sol supply system comprising an article, and a method of manufacturing an article for a non-combustible sol supply system.

Background

Certain tobacco industry products produce aerosols during use that are inhaled by the user. For example, a tobacco heating device heats an aerosol-generating substrate, such as tobacco, by heating but not burning the substrate to form an aerosol. Such tobacco industry products typically include one or more hollow tubes, for example in a mouthpiece, through which the aerosol passes to the user's mouth.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect, the present description provides an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply system, the article comprising an aerosol generating material stem and a hollow tube axially aligned with the aerosol generating material stem, wherein the hollow tube has a weight in the axial direction of less than 8.5mg/mm.

According to a second aspect, the present specification provides an article for use with an aerosol provision system, the article comprising a stem of aerosol generating material and a hollow tube axially aligned with the stem of aerosol generating material, wherein the hollow tube comprises a layer of a plurality of sheets having a basis weight of less than 90 GSM.

According to a third aspect, the present specification provides an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply system, the article comprising a rod of aerosol generating material and a hollow tube axially aligned with the rod of aerosol generating material, wherein the hollow tube comprises a layer of a plurality of sheets, and wherein the hollow tube has a weight per unit length of less than 4mg/mm in an axial direction.

According to a fourth aspect, the present specification provides an article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system, the article comprising: an aerosol-generating material rod configured to generate an aerosol when heated during use, and a hollow tube axially aligned with the aerosol-generating material rod, the hollow tube being disposed adjacent to and contiguous with the aerosol-generating material rod, wherein the hollow tube has a length in an axial direction of 5mm or less.

According to a fifth aspect, the present specification provides an article for a non-combustible aerosol provision system, the article comprising a mouthpiece comprising a filter plug and a hollow tube at a mouth end of the mouthpiece, and a tubular cooling section upstream of a filter section, the filter plug being surrounded by a layer forming a sheet of wrapped cylinder, the layer of sheet extending longitudinally beyond a downstream edge of the filter plug so as to form a hollow tube at the mouth end of the mouthpiece, and the sheet extending longitudinally beyond an upstream edge of the filter plug so as to form a tubular cooling section upstream of the filter section and an aerosol generating material rod connected to the mouthpiece by a tipping paper surrounding the cooling section and the aerosol generating material rod.

According to a sixth aspect, the present specification provides a method of manufacturing an article for a non-combustible sol supply system, the method comprising: the method includes forming a mouthpiece by wrapping a filter plug with a layer of sheet material to form a wrapped cylinder, the layer of sheet material extending longitudinally beyond a downstream edge of the filter plug to form a first hollow tube at a mouth end of the mouthpiece and the layer of sheet material extending longitudinally beyond an upstream edge of the filter segment to form a tubular cooling section upstream of the filter segment, and connecting the mouthpiece to the aerosol-generating material rod by tipping paper surrounding the cooling section and the aerosol-generating material rod.

Drawings

Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1a is a side cross-sectional view of an article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system including a hollow tube and a cooling section at a mouth end of the article in accordance with aspects of the present description;

FIG. 1b shows the article of FIG. 1a, further comprising a capsule;

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of an article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system including a cellulose acetate tube in a cooling section according to aspects of the present description;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of an article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system including a cooling section including a hollow tube in accordance with aspects of the present description;

fig. 4a is a side cross-sectional view of an article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system including a recessed mouthpiece (recessed mouthpiece) and a cooling section formed from plug wrap (plug wrap) according to aspects of the present description;

FIG. 4b is a side cross-sectional view of an article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system including a recessed mouthpiece formed of molded paper and a hollow tube within a cooling section according to aspects of the present description;

FIG. 4c is a side cross-sectional view of an article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system including a recessed mouthpiece formed of molded paper and a hollow tube within a cooling section according to aspects of the present description;

FIG. 5a is a schematic illustration of a manufacturing process for manufacturing an article according to FIG. 4 a;

FIG. 5b is a schematic illustration of a manufacturing process for manufacturing an article according to FIG. 4 b;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the steps of a method for manufacturing an article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system;

FIG. 7a is a schematic diagram for making an article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system;

FIG. 7b is a schematic diagram for making an article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system;

fig. 8 is a table showing characteristics of a tube suitable for use in the article of fig. 1, 2 or 3.

Detailed Description

As used herein, the term "delivery system" is intended to include a system that delivers at least one substance to a user, and includes:

combustible sol supply systems such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars and pipes or hand-rolled tobacco, or homemade cigarettes (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, tobacco substitutes or other smokable materials); and

A non-combustible aerosol-supplying system that releases a compound from an aerosol-generating material without burning the aerosol-generating material, such as an e-cigarette, a tobacco heating product, and a mixing system that generates an aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials; and

an aerosol-free delivery system that delivers at least one substance orally, nasally, transdermally, or in another manner to a user without forming an aerosol, including but not limited to lozenges, gums, patches, inhalable powder-containing products, and oral products such as oral tobacco that include snuff or wet snuff, wherein at least one substance may or may not contain nicotine.

According to the present disclosure, a "non-combustible" aerosol supply system is a system in which the constitutive aerosol-generating material of the aerosol supply system (or components thereof) does not burn or burn out in order to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.

In some embodiments, the delivery system is a non-combustible sol supply system, such as an electric non-combustible sol supply system.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system is an electronic cigarette, also referred to as a vapor electronic cigarette device or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol generating material is not necessary.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible sol supply system is an aerosol generating material heating system, also referred to as a heated non-combustion system. One example of such a system is a tobacco heating system.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system is a hybrid system that generates an aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, one or more of which may be heated. Each aerosol-generating material may be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel, for example, and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the mixing system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. The solid aerosol-generating material may comprise, for example, a tobacco or non-tobacco product.

Typically, the non-combustible sol supply system may include a non-combustible sol supply device and a consumable for use with the non-combustible sol supply device.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a consumable comprising an aerosol-generating material and configured for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply device. Throughout this disclosure, these consumables are sometimes referred to as articles of manufacture.

The terms "upstream" and "downstream" as used herein are relative terms defined with respect to the direction of mainstream aerosol drawn through the article or device in use.

In some embodiments, a non-combustible sol supply system, such as a non-combustible sol supply device thereof, may include a power source and a controller. For example, the power source may be an electrical power source or a exothermic power source. In some embodiments, the exothermic power source comprises a carbon substrate that can be energized to distribute electrical power in the form of heat to the aerosol-generating material or the heat transfer material in the vicinity of the exothermic power source.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system comprises a region for receiving a consumable, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generating region, a housing, a mouthpiece, a filter, and/or an aerosol modifier.

In some embodiments, a consumable for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply device may include an aerosol generating material, an aerosol generating material storage region, an aerosol generating material delivery component, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generating region, a housing, a wrapper, a filter, a mouthpiece, and/or an aerosol modifier.

In some embodiments, the consumable comprises a substance to be delivered. The substance to be delivered may be an aerosol generating material or a material that is not intended to be aerosolized. Where appropriate, any material may comprise one or more active ingredients, one or more fragrances, one or more aerosol former materials and/or one or more other functional materials.

In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered comprises an active substance.

As used herein, an active substance may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. For example, the active substance may be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropic agents and psychoactive agents. The active substance may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active may include, for example, nicotine, caffeine, taurine, caffeine, vitamins (e.g., B6 or B12 or C), melatonin, or components, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The active substance may comprise one or more ingredients, derivatives or extracts of tobacco or another botanical preparation.

In some embodiments, the active comprises nicotine. In some embodiments, the active comprises caffeine, melatonin, or vitamin B12.

As shown herein, the active substance may comprise or be derived from one or more botanical preparations or ingredients, derivatives or extracts thereof. As used herein, the term "plant preparation" includes any material derived from a plant, including but not limited to extracts, leaves, bark, fibers, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, bark, hulls, and the like. Alternatively, the material may comprise an active compound naturally present in a synthetically obtained plant preparation. The material may be in the form of a liquid, gas, solid, powder, dust, crushed particles, granules, pellets, chips, ribbons, sheets, etc. Exemplary botanical preparations are tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, fennel, lemon grass, peppermint, spearmint, loyi Bai Si, chamomile, flax, ginger, ginkgo leaf, hazelnut, hibiscus, bay, licorice (licorice root), green tea, yerba mate, orange peel, papaya, rose, sage, green tea or black tea, thyme, clove, cinnamon, coffee, fennel seed (fennel), basil, bay leaf, cardamon, caraway, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, capsicum, rosemary, saffron, lavender, lemon peel, peppermint, juniper, elder, vanilla, wintergreen, perilla, turmeric, sandalwood, coriander, bergamot, orange flower, myrtle, blackcurrant, valerian, multi-fragrant fruit, nutmeg dried skin, damiana (damianen), marjoram, olive, melissa leaf, lemon basil, vanilla, green tea, caraway, horsetail, tara, geranium, ginseng, matrine, tea, macadamia, combinations of any of them. The peppermint can be selected from the following peppermint varieties: peppermint (mantha arvensis), mint cultivars (mantha c.v.), egyptian mint (mantha nilaca), peppermint (mantha piperita), bergamot mint cultivars (Mentha piperita citrata c.v.), peppermint cultivars (mantha piperita c.v.), moromia mint (Mentha spicata crispa), peppermint (Mentha cordifolia), peppermint (Mentha longifolia), spearmint (Mentha suaveolens variegata), spearmint (mantha pulegium), spearmint cultivars (mantha spicata c.v.), and apple mint (Mentha suaveolens).

In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more botanical agents or ingredients, derivatives or extracts thereof, and the botanical agent is tobacco.

In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more botanical agents or ingredients, derivatives or extracts thereof, and the botanical agents are selected from eucalyptus, star anise and cocoa.

In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more botanical agents or ingredients, derivatives or extracts thereof, and the botanical agents are selected from the group consisting of rooibos tea and fennel.

In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered comprises a fragrance.

As used herein, the terms "fragrance" and "flavoring" refer to materials that can be used to create a desired taste, aroma, or other somatosensory in a product for an adult consumer, as permitted by local regulations. They may include natural fragrance materials, botanical preparations, botanical preparation extracts, synthetic materials or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, licorice (licorice root), hydrangea, eugenol, japanese white magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, maple, matcha, menthol, japanese mint, fennel seed (fennel), cinnamon bark, turmeric, indian spice, asian spice, herbal, wintergreen, cherry, berry, red berry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, small citrus, lemon, lime, tropical fruit, papaya, rhubarb, grape, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruit, du Linbiao wine, bourbon whiskey, scotch whiskey, juniper, tequila, rum, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, aloe, cardamom, celery, kauri, nutmeg, sandalwood, grape, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruit, du Linbiao wine, bouillon, whiskey, willow, aloe, cardamom, celery, and the like bergamot, geranium, arabian tea, nasval, betel nut, hookah, pine, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange flower, cherry blossom, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang, sage, fennel, horseradish, peppermint, ginger, coriander, coffee, peppermint oil of any mint species, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, lemon grass, red leaf tea, flax, ginkgo, hazel tree, hibiscus, bay, mate, orange peel, rose, tea (e.g., green tea or black tea), thyme, juniper, elder, basil, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, capsicum, rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, peppermint, steak, turmeric, coriander leaf, myrtle, black currant, valerian, spanish pepper, peppermint, hazel, shrub, cinnamon, pine, and mixtures thereof, nutmeg skin, damiana, marjoram, olives, lemon balm, lemon basil, chives, carvacrol, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene), odorants, bitter taste receptor site blockers or stimulants, sugar and/or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharin, cyclamate, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanical preparations, or breath fresheners. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example liquid such as oil, solid such as powder or gas.

In some embodiments, the flavor comprises menthol, spearmint, and/or peppermint. In some embodiments, the flavor includes flavor components of cucumber, blueberry, citrus fruit, and/or raspberry. In some embodiments, the perfume comprises eugenol. In some embodiments, the flavor comprises a flavor component extracted from tobacco.

In some embodiments, the fragrance may include sensates intended to achieve a somatosensory that is chemically induced and perceived, typically by stimulating the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve), in addition to or in place of the flavor or taste nerve, and these may include agents that provide a heating, cooling, stinging, numbing effect. Suitable thermal effectors may be, but are not limited to, vanillyl diethyl ether and suitable coolants may be, but are not limited to, eucalyptol, WS-3.

An aerosol-generating material is a material capable of generating an aerosol, for example, when heated, irradiated or in any other way energized. The aerosol-generating material may be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel, which may or may not contain an active substance and/or a flavouring agent. The aerosol-generating material may be incorporated into an article for an aerosol-generating system.

As used herein, the term "tobacco material" refers to any material comprising tobacco or derivatives or substitutes thereof. The tobacco material may be in any suitable form. The term "tobacco material" may include one or more of tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or tobacco substitutes. The tobacco material may include one or more of tobacco dust, tobacco fibers, cut filler, extruded tobacco, tobacco stalks, tobacco leaves, reconstituted tobacco, and/or tobacco extracts.

A consumable is an article of manufacture comprising or consisting of aerosol-generating material, some or all of which is intended to be consumed during use by a user. The consumable may comprise one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material delivery component, an aerosol-generating area, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece, a filter, and/or an aerosol modifier. The consumable may also comprise an aerosol generator, for example a heater, which emits heat to cause the aerosol-generating material to generate an aerosol in use. For example, the heater may comprise a combustible material, a material that is heatable by electrical conduction, or a susceptor.

A susceptor (susceptor) is a material that is heated by penetration of a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The susceptor may be a conductive material such that penetration thereof by a varying magnetic field causes inductive heating of the heating material. The heating material may be a magnetic material such that penetration thereof by a varying magnetic field causes hysteresis heating of the heating material. The susceptor may be either electrically conductive or magnetic such that the susceptor may be heated by two heating mechanisms. The device configured to generate a varying magnetic field is referred to herein as a magnetic field generator.

An aerosol modifier is a substance typically located downstream of the aerosol generating region that is configured to modify the aerosol generated, for example by altering the taste, flavor, acidity or another characteristic of the aerosol. The aerosol modifier may be disposed in an aerosol modifier release assembly operable to selectively release the aerosol modifier.

For example, the aerosol modifier may be an additive or an adsorbent. For example, the aerosol modifiers may include one or more of flavors, colorants, water, and carbon adsorbents. For example, the aerosol modifier may be a solid, a liquid, or a gel. The aerosol modifier may be in the form of a powder, wire or particle. The aerosol modifier may be free of filter material.

An aerosol generator is a device configured to generate an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is a heater configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to thermal energy, thereby releasing one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is configured to generate an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.

The filamentary tow material described herein may comprise cellulose acetate tow. The filament tows may also be formed using other materials for forming fibers, such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), poly (1-4 butylene succinate) (PBS), poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), starch-based materials, cotton, aliphatic polyester materials, and polysaccharide polymers, or combinations thereof. The filament strands may be plasticized with a suitable plasticizer for the strand, such as glyceryl triacetate, wherein the material is a cellulose acetate strand, or the strand may be non-plasticized. The tows may be of any suitable gauge, such as fibers having a "Y" shape or other cross-section (e.g., an "X" shape), a denier per filament of 2.5 to 15, such as 8.0 to 11.0 denier per filament, and a total denier of 5,000 to 50,000, such as 10,000 to 40,000.

In the drawings described herein, like reference numerals are used to describe equivalent features, articles or components.

Fig. 1-4 illustrate articles used in systems, such as non-combustible sol supply systems, that include components that are reduced in weight compared to conventional articles for non-combustible sol supply systems, according to aspects of the present description. Reducing the weight of the assembly can reduce the total amount of waste remaining after use of the article. Thus, the biodegradability of the article can be improved by reducing the amount of waste remaining after use of the article.

Certain aspects of the present description relate to an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply device, wherein the article comprises an aerosol generating material stem and a hollow tube axially aligned with the aerosol generating material stem, wherein the hollow tube has a weight in an axial direction of less than 8.5mg/mm. Certain other aspects of the present description relate to a hollow tube having a weight in the axial direction of less than 8.5mg/mm for use in an article of manufacture for use with a non-combustible sol supply system. Certain other aspects of the present description relate to the use of hollow tubes having a weight of less than 8.5mg/mm in articles for use with non-combustible sol supply systems.

Certain other aspects of the present description relate to an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply system, wherein the article comprises an aerosol generating material stem and a hollow tube axially aligned with the aerosol generating material stem. The hollow tube comprises a plurality of layers of sheet material having a basis weight of less than 90 GSM. Certain other aspects of the present description relate to a hollow tube for use in an article of manufacture for use with a non-combustible sol supply system, the hollow tube comprising a layer of a plurality of sheets having a basis weight of less than 90 GSM.

Certain other aspects of the present description relate to an article for use with an aerosol-supply system, wherein the article comprises an aerosol-generating material stem and a hollow tube axially aligned with the aerosol-generating material stem. The hollow tube has a weight of less than 4mg/mm in the axial direction. Certain other aspects of the present description relate to a hollow tube for use in an article of manufacture for use with a non-combustible sol supply system, the hollow tube comprising a plurality of layers of sheet material.

Certain other aspects of the present description relate to an article for a non-combustible sol supply system comprising a mouthpiece comprising a filter plug and a hollow tube at a mouth end of the mouthpiece, and a tubular cooling section upstream of a filter segment, the filter plug being surrounded by a layer of sheet material forming a wrapped cylinder, the layer of sheet material extending longitudinally beyond a downstream edge of the filter plug, thereby forming the hollow tube at the mouth end of the mouthpiece, and the sheet material extending longitudinally beyond an upstream edge of the filter plug, thereby forming the tubular cooling section upstream of the filter segment and an aerosol-generating material rod connected to the mouthpiece by a tipping paper surrounding the cooling section and the aerosol-generating material rod.

Certain other aspects of the present description relate to the use of any article described herein in a non-combustible sol supply system.

Certain other aspects of the present description relate to methods of generating aerosols using systems comprising any of the articles described herein and a non-combustible sol supply device.

Certain other aspects of the present description relate to a mouthpiece that includes a filter plug and a hollow tube at a mouth end of the mouthpiece, and a tubular cooling section upstream of the filter segment, the filter plug being surrounded by a layer of sheet material that extends longitudinally beyond a downstream edge of the filter plug, thereby forming the hollow tube at the mouth end of the mouthpiece, and the sheet material extending longitudinally beyond an upstream edge of the filter plug, thereby forming the tubular cooling section upstream of the filter segment. Certain other aspects of the present description relate to the use of the above-described mouthpiece in an article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system.

Certain other aspects of the present description relate to a method of manufacturing an article for use in a non-combustible sol supply system. The method includes forming the mouthpiece by wrapping the filter plug with a layer of sheet material to form a wrapped cylinder, the layer of sheet material extending longitudinally beyond a downstream edge of the filter plug to form a first hollow tube at a mouth end of the mouthpiece, and the layer of sheet material extending longitudinally beyond an upstream edge of the filter segment to form a tubular cooling section upstream of the filter segment. The method further comprises connecting the mouthpiece to the rod of aerosol-generating material by means of a tipping paper surrounding the cooling section and the rod of aerosol-generating material. Certain other aspects of the present description relate to articles made according to the above-described methods.

Examples of articles for use with the non-combustible sol supply system according to the above aspects of the present description will be described in more detail below. The system of such a non-combustible sol supply system as described herein may comprise an article and an aerosol supply device. The aerosol provision means may be a heater for heating the aerosol.

Fig. 1a is a side cross-sectional view of an article 1 for an aerosol provision system according to an aspect of the present description. The example of fig. 1a is an article 1 for use with a system having an aerosol generator, such as a heater. The article 1 comprises a mouthpiece 14 connected to an aerosol-generating section. In the example of fig. 1a, the aerosol-generating section is a rod 10 of aerosol-generating material. However, in alternative examples, the article 1 may comprise an aerosol-generating section comprising a cavity for receiving a source of aerosol-generating material connected to the mouthpiece 14.

The article 1 shown in fig. 1a comprises a rod 10 of aerosol-generating material and one or more hollow tubes axially aligned with the rod. In the example of fig. 1a, at the mouth end of the article 1, a hollow tube 12 is provided at the mouthpiece 14. The hollow tube 12 provides a recessed mouthpiece filter segment configured to be inserted into a user's mouth to receive aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating material during use. However, the hollow tube may additionally or alternatively be provided at any other location. In the example of fig. 1a, the mouthpiece 14 further comprises a hollow tube 16, which hollow tube 16 is adjacent to and contiguous with the rod 10 of aerosol-generating material at the downstream end of the rod 10 of aerosol-generating material. The hollow tube 16 in the example of fig. 1a is a cooling section 16. The cooling section 16 is configured to cool the aerosol generated when the aerosol-generating material rod 10 is heated during use.

The hollow tube 12 and/or hollow tube 16 as described herein may be provided for use with any suitable article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system. For example, the outer diameter of the hollow tube may substantially correspond to the outer diameter of an aerosol generating material rod of an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply system. In some examples, the outer diameter of the hollow tube may substantially correspond to the outer diameter of a filter plug section of an article used with the non-combustible sol supply system. The inner diameter of the hollow tube may be configured to receive an aerosol generated during heating of the aerosol-generating material rod during use of the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol supply system.

In the example of fig. 1a, the length of the hollow tube 12 is about 6mm, the length of the filter section 18 is about 10mm, and the length of the cooling section is about 25mm. Those skilled in the art will recognize other suitable lengths for the segments. For example, the hollow tube 12 may have a length of 5mm to 15mm. The length of the filter stage 18 may be 5mm to 20mm. The length of the cooling section 16 may be 5mm to 30mm.

The mouthpiece 1 shown in fig. 1a may also comprise a filter segment 18, which may be, for example, a filter plug of cellulose acetate tow. In other examples, the filter segments may be formed from paper. Alternatively, the filter segments may be formed from polylactic acid (PLA), or other filiform strands or similar materials.

A filter segment 18 may be disposed between the hollow tube 12 and the cooling section 16 at the mouth end of the article 1. In some examples, the filter plug 18 may include an aerosol modifying material to modify the aerosol as it passes through it. Fig. 1b shows the article 1 of fig. 1a with a capsule 18a additionally included in the filter plug 18. The remaining features of the article 1 of fig. 1b otherwise correspond to the features of the article 1 of fig. 1 a. In the example of fig. 1b, the capsule is a frangible capsule comprising a housing and an aerosol modifier encapsulated within the housing. For example, the aerosol modifier may be a flavour for providing flavour to the aerosol as it passes through the mouthpiece. Examples of aerosol modifiers and flavouring agents are set out in more detail above. The capsule may be of any suitable size. For example, the capsules may be 2mm to 5mm, more preferably 2.5mm to 4.5mm, more preferably 3mm to 4mm, for example 3.5mm.

The rod 10 of aerosol-generating material may comprise a strand or ribbon of aerosol-generating material. In some examples, the aerosol-generating material comprises tobacco. However, the rod 10 may comprise any suitable aerosol-generating material, which may include, but is not limited to, any of the examples listed above. The rod 10 of aerosol-generating material may be a cylindrical rod.

The rod of aerosol-generating material 10 may be surrounded by a wrapper 11. The wrapper 11 may be a water impermeable wrapper.

The circumference of the rod 10 of aerosol-generating material in the example of fig. 1a is about 20.5mm, or more particularly 20.45mm. However, in other examples, the rod 10 of aerosol-generating material may have any suitable circumference, for example from about 20mm to about 26mm.

The hollow tube 12 may have a lower weight. For example, the weight of the hollow tube 12 may be reduced compared to standard tubular segments used in aerosol delivery systems. In the aerosol delivery system 1 according to the present description, the hollow tube 12 has a weight of less than 8.5mg/mm in the axial direction. It has been found that reduced weight can increase the biodegradability of the consumable and reduce waste generated by use of the aerosol delivery system.

The hollow tube may be formed of any suitable material as long as the weight in the axial direction is less than 8.5mg/mm in the axial direction.

For example, the hollow tube 12 may comprise a cellulose acetate tube. The cellulose acetate tube may be formed from cellulose acetate tow.

In particular, the cellulose acetate tube may be formed from cellulose acetate tow having a total fiber denier of 25000 to 40000. More preferably, the total fiber denier may be 28000 to 36000. The cellulose acetate tow forming the cellulose acetate tube may have a fiber denier per filament (dpf) of from 3dpf to 10dpf, more preferably from 5dpf to 8 dpf.

The hollow tube 12 in the example of fig. 1a may have a circumference of about 20.5mm, a wall thickness of about 1.3mm, and an inner diameter of about 3.9 mm. The hollow tube may include cellulose acetate tow having a denier per filament of 7.3 and a total fiber denier of 36,000. Alternatively, the cellulose acetate tube may comprise cellulose acetate tow having a denier per filament of 5.8 and a total fiber denier of 28,000. It has been found that these examples have a weight of less than 8.5mg/mm and thus provide a reduced weight tube to help reduce the weight of the overall consumable. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any suitable combination of total fiber denier and denier per filament weight of less than 8.5mm/mg may be used.

It is desirable to maintain a relatively high level of stiffness for the hollow tube 12 so that the tube is able to withstand axial compressive forces and bending moments that may occur during manufacture and when the article 1 is used. For example, it is desirable that a cellulose acetate tube provided at the mouth end of a mouthpiece for insertion into the mouth of a user retain its shape and is not easily deformed by the pressure of the user's mouth on the tube.

It has been found that for cellulose acetate tubes having the parameters described herein, a high hardness level can be maintained. Hollow tubes according to aspects of the present description have a hardness of at least 70%. Preferably, the hollow tube has a hardness of at least 80%. More preferably, the hollow tube has a hardness of at least 90%.

The hardness of any tube described throughout the specification can be measured according to the following protocol. If throughout the specification reference is made to the hardness of a tube or tubular section, the hardness is determined by the following measurement method. Any suitable device may be used to make the measurement, such as a Borgwaldt durometer H10.

Hardness is defined as the ratio between the height h0 of an object and the height h1 of the object under a specified load, specified as a percentage of h 0. The hardness can be expressed as:

hardness = (h 1/h 0) x100

For a single tube or a tube contained in a multi-segment article, the hardness measurement is made at the longitudinal center point of the body.

The load bar is used to apply a defined load to the pipe. The length of the load bar should be significantly higher than the length of the sample to be measured. The measurement tube was conditioned for a minimum of 48 hours according to ISO 3402 prior to hardness measurement and was kept under ISO 3402 compliant environmental conditions during the measurement.

For hardness measurements, the tube was placed in a durometer H10, a 2g preload was applied to the tube, and after 1 second the initial height ho of the tube at 2g preload was recorded. The preload was then removed and the load bar carrying the 150g load was lowered onto the sample at a rate of 0.6mm/s, after 5 seconds the height h1 of the tube at 150g load was measured.

The hardness is determined as the average hardness of at least 20 pipe sections measured according to this protocol.

According to other examples of the present disclosure, the circumference of the hollow tube 12 may be any suitable value, such as about 20mm to 26mm. In particular, the circumference of the hollow tube may be 20.45mm.

The hollow tube 12 may have a wall thickness of about 1.0mm to 1.5mm, and may preferably be 1.25mm to 1.4mm. The inner diameter may be about 3.5mm to 4.2mm.

The hollow tube 12 may include less than 15wt% plasticizer. The plasticizer may be, for example, glyceryl triacetate, although any suitable plasticizer may be used.

The mouthpiece in the example according to fig. 1a comprises a cooling section. The cooling section is located downstream of the rod of aerosol-generating material 10 and immediately adjacent to the rod of aerosol-generating material 10. In this example, the cooling section 16 is also in abutting relationship with the rod of aerosol-generating material 10. The cooling section 16 includes a hollow passage. The hollow passage may provide a space into which the aerosol drawn into the cooling section 16 may expand and cool.

It is desirable that the cooling section 16 be sufficiently stiff to withstand axial compressive forces and bending moments that may occur during manufacture and while the article is in use. However, it is also desirable to reduce the weight of the cooling section to reduce the total amount of waste of the article remaining after use, thereby improving the overall biodegradability of the article 1.

The cooling section 16 may include a hollow tube 161 formed from a multi-layer sheet material. Hollow tube 161 may be formed from multiple layers of paper wrapped in parallel with butt seams to form the hollow tube. In this example, the first and second paper layers are disposed in a double pipe, although in other examples 3, 4, or more paper layers may be used to form a 3, 4, or more pipe. Other constructions may be used, such as helically wound paper layers, cardboard tubes, tubes formed using a coagulated paper process, molded or extruded plastic tubes, or the like.

The paper may be plug wrap paper and/or tipping paper. In some examples, the forming paper forming the hollow tube 161 of the cooling section 16 is impermeable or substantially non-porous forming paper.

The sheets of hollow tube 161 that make up the cooling section 16 preferably have a basis weight (basis weight) below 90 GSM. In some examples, the basis weight of the sheet forming the cooling section 16 has a basis weight below 80 GSM. In some examples, the basis weight of the sheet forming the hollow tube 161 of the cooling section 16 has a basis weight of less than 70 GSM. In the example of fig. 1a, the sheet is a forming paper with a basis weight of 82 GSM.

Preferably, the hollow tube 161 forming the cooling section 16 has a weight of 4mg/mm or less. In other examples, the weight of the cooling section 16 is 3.5mg/mm or less. In yet other examples, the cooling section 16 has a weight of 3.0mg/mm or less, or 2.5mg/mm or less. In the example of FIG. 1a, the weight of the cooling section is 3.2mg/mm.

The layers of sheet material forming the hollow tubes of the cooling section 16 are secured together with an adhesive. In the example of fig. 1a, adhesive is applied at the seams of the layers of the sheet, and anchoring lines of adhesive are additionally applied to further secure the layers together.

The hardness of the hollow tube 161 forming the cooling section 16 is preferably at least 70%. In some examples, the hardness of the cooling section 16 is at least 80%. In yet other examples, the hardness of the cooling section 16 is at least 90%. In the example of fig. 1a, the hardness of the cooling section is 94%.

In some examples, the cooling section 16 may alternatively be formed using layers of sheet material (e.g., hard forming paper and/or tipping paper), which means that no separate tubular element is required. The hard-forming paper is manufactured to have sufficient stiffness to withstand axial compressive forces and bending moments that may occur during manufacture and while the article 1 is in use. The hard forming paper and/or tipping paper may have a basis weight of 70GSM to 120GSM, more preferably 80GSM to 110 GSM. Additionally or alternatively, the hard forming paper and/or tipping paper may have a thickness of 80 μm to 200 μm, more preferably 100 μm to 160 μm or 120 μm to 150 μm. It may be desirable for both the forming paper and the tipping paper to have values within these ranges to achieve an acceptable overall stiffness level for the hollow tube of the cooling section 16.

The cooling section 16 may be formed by wrapping the hollow tube 12 and the filter segment 18 with a plug wrap 13 that extends beyond the upstream end of the filter plug 18 in the axial direction, forming a hollow tube adjacent to and axially aligned with the filter segment 18. The hollow tube may be connected to the rod of aerosol-generating material 10, for example by means of a tipping paper 11, with a cavity formed between the filter plug 18 and the rod of aerosol-generating material 10, thereby forming a cooling section 16. By forming the cooling section 16 from the stiff paper 13, the stiff paper also wraps around the remaining section of the mouthpiece, which eliminates the need to provide an additional tubular section as the cooling section 16.

In other examples, the cooling section may include cellulose acetate tubes. The cellulose acetate tube may be a reduced weight cellulose acetate tube having substantially similar properties to those described with respect to the hollow tube 12, and an article including such a cooling section will now be described in greater detail with reference to fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of an alternative example of an aerosol provision system for an article 2 according to an aspect of the present description, wherein the cooling section comprises a cellulose acetate tube. The article 2 largely corresponds to the article 1 of fig. 1 and comprises an aerosol-generating material rod 10, a mouthpiece 24 comprising a hollow cellulose acetate tube 12 and a filter material segment 18, as described in relation to fig. 1 a. The filter material segment 18 may also include an aerosol-modifying material, such as the frangible capsule described with respect to fig. 1 b.

The mouthpiece 24 further comprises a cooling section 26, which cooling section 26 is arranged adjacent to and contiguous with the rod 10 of aerosol-generating material. Similar to the example of fig. 1a, the cooling section 26 may be configured to cool the aerosol generated when the aerosol-generating material rod 10 is heated during use. In the example of fig. 2, the cooling section includes a cellulose acetate tube 261. The cellulose acetate tube may be a cellulose acetate tube substantially similar to the cellulose acetate tube 12 described with respect to fig. 1 a. For example, hollow tube 261 may have a low weight to increase the biodegradability of article 2 and reduce waste generated by use of an aerosol delivery system. In particular, the hollow tube 261 may have a weight per unit length in the axial direction of less than 8.5mg/mm.

Hollow tube 261 may be formed of any suitable material so long as the weight in the axial direction is less than 8.5mg/mm in the axial direction.

The length of the hollow tube 12 may be about 6mm. The length of the filter stage 18 may be 10mm. The length of the hollow tube 261 may be about 6mm.

The hollow tube 261 may be formed of cellulose acetate tow. In particular, hollow tube 261 may be formed from cellulose acetate tow having a total fiber denier of 28000 to 36000. The cellulose acetate tow forming the cellulose acetate tube may have a fiber denier per filament of from 5.8 to 7.3. For example, the hollow tube may include cellulose acetate tow having a denier per filament of 7.3 and a total fiber denier of 36,000. Alternatively, the cellulose acetate tube may comprise cellulose acetate tow having a denier per filament of 5.8 and a total fiber denier of 28,000. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any suitable combination of total fiber denier and denier per filament weight of less than 8.5mm/mg may be used.

The circumference, wall thickness, and inner diameter of hollow tube 261 may be substantially the same as hollow tube 12. However, any suitable value may be used. In some examples, the circumference of the hollow tube 261 may be about 20mm to 26mm. The hollow tube 261 may have a wall thickness of about 1.0mm to 1.5mm, and preferably may be 1.3mm to 1.4mm. The inner diameter may be about 3.5mm to 4.0mm.

It is desirable to maintain a relatively high level of stiffness for hollow tube 261 so that the tube is able to withstand axial compressive forces and bending moments that may occur during manufacture and when article 2 is used. Hollow tube 261 has a hardness of at least 70% according to aspects of the present description. Preferably, the hollow tube has a hardness of at least 80%. More preferably, the hollow tube has a hardness of at least 90%.

The hollow tube 261 may include less than 15wt% plasticizer. The plasticizer may be, for example, glyceryl triacetate, although any suitable plasticizer may be used.

Additionally or alternatively, the cooling section 26 may include at least one hollow tubular section formed from sheet material. In the example of fig. 2, the cooling section 26 also includes hollow tubular sections 262, 263 disposed at each end of the cellulose acetate tube 261. The hollow tubular sections 262, 263 are disposed adjacent to and abutting the cellulose acetate tube 261. The hollow tubular section 262 may be disposed adjacent to and contiguous with the upstream end of the filter segment 18. The hollow tubular section 263 may be disposed adjacent to and contiguous with the downstream end of the rod 10 of aerosol-generating material. The hollow tubular section 262 may be 6mm to 15mm, for example 13mm. The hollow tubular section 263 may be 4mm to 10mm, for example 6mm.

The hollow tubular sections 262, 263 may be formed, for example, from at least one layer of sheet material, such as paper. The paper may be formed paper and/or tipping paper. In the example of fig. 2, the hollow tubular sections 262, 273 are formed from plug wrap. The forming paper may be, for example, impermeable forming paper. In one example according to the present description, the forming paper may be a tube formed from a single layer of hard forming paper or tipping paper joined by a butt seam. In the example of fig. 2, the mouthpiece of the article is wrapped in a plug wrap having a basis weight of about 100 GSM. The use of plug wrap and/or tipping paper to form the mouthpiece means that the hollow tubular sections 262, 263 do not require separate tubular elements, and that the hollow tubular sections 262, 263 are cavities defined by external plug wrap formed between the filter plug 18 and the hollow tubular section 261. The hard forming paper and/or tipping paper may have a basis weight of 70GSM to 120GSM, more preferably 80GSM to 110 GSM. Additionally or alternatively, the hard forming paper and/or tipping paper may have a thickness of 80 μm to 200 μm, more preferably 100 μm to 160 μm or 120 μm to 150 μm. It may be desirable for both the forming paper and the tipping paper to have values within these ranges to achieve an acceptable overall stiffness level for the hollow tube of the cooling section 16.

In other examples according to the present description, the hollow tubular section may be formed from a paper tube formed from a multi-layer sheet. Weight savings may be provided by reducing the basis weight of the sheet. For example, the cooling section 26 may include one or more hollow tubes 262, 263 formed from a multi-ply paper having a basis weight of 90GSM or less. In some examples, the basis weight of the sheet is less than 80GSM. In some examples, the basis weight of the sheet is less than 70GSM.

In some examples, the hollow tubular sections 262, 263 have a weight per unit length of 4mg/mm or less. In other examples, the hollow tubular sections 262, 263 have a weight of 3.5mg/mm or less. In yet other examples, the hollow tubular sections 262, 263 have a weight of 3.0mg/mm or less, or 2.5mg/mm or less.

The sheets forming the hollow tubular sections 262, 263 are secured together at the seams with an adhesive. If multiple layers of sheets are used, the multiple layers are secured together with an adhesive at the seams, and an anchor line of adhesive may be further provided to secure the sheets together.

In the example of fig. 2, the cooling section 26 may be formed by wrapping the cellulose acetate tube 261 with a plug wrap, wherein the plug wrap extends beyond the end of the cellulose acetate tube 261 in the axial direction. The forming paper forming the hollow tubular sections 262, 263 may be further disposed around each section in the mouthpiece 24, including for example the cellulose acetate tube 12 and the filter segment 18, with a gap disposed between the filter segment 18 and the cellulose acetate tube 261, forming the hollow tubular section 262. Thus, the hollow tubular sections 262, 263 are formed of plug wrap and no separate tubular section is required. The tipping wrapper may connect the rod 10 of aerosol-generating material to the mouthpiece 24.

The hardness of the hollow tubular sections 262, 263 is preferably at least 70%. In some examples, the hollow tubular sections 262, 263 have a hardness of at least 80%. In yet other examples, the hollow tubular sections 262, 263 have a hardness of at least 90%.

Hollow tubes 261, 262, 263 as described herein may be provided for use with any suitable article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system. For example, the outer diameter of the hollow tube may substantially correspond to the outer diameter of an aerosol generating material rod of an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply system. In some examples, the outer diameter of the hollow tube may substantially correspond to the outer diameter of a filter plug section of an article used with the non-combustible sol supply system. The inner diameter of the hollow tube may be configured to receive an aerosol generated during heating of the aerosol-generating material rod during use of the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol supply system.

Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of an alternative example of an article 3 for use with an aerosol supply system according to an aspect of the present description. The article 3 largely corresponds to the article 1 of fig. 1 and comprises an aerosol-generating material rod 10, a mouthpiece 34 comprising a hollow cellulose acetate tube 12 and a filter material segment 18, as described in relation to fig. 1 a. The filter material segment 18 may also comprise an aerosol-modifying material, for example a frangible capsule as described with respect to fig. 1 b. The mouthpiece 34 further comprises a cooling section 36, which cooling section 36 is arranged adjacent to and contiguous with the rod 10 of aerosol-generating material. Similar to the example of fig. 1a, the cooling section 36 may be configured to cool the aerosol generated when the aerosol-generating material rod 10 is heated during use.

In the example of fig. 3, the cooling section includes a hollow tube 361 formed from a multi-layer sheet. The sheet forming the hollow tube 361 may be formed paper and/or tipping paper. For example, the hollow tube may be formed from two or more plies of forming paper wrapped in parallel with a butt seam. As described above with respect to the cooling section 16, other configurations may be used, such as helically wound paper layers, cardboard tubes, tubes formed using a coagulated paper process, molded or extruded plastic tubes, or the like. To reduce the weight of the hollow tube 361 to reduce waste generated by the product after use, the hollow tube 361 may be formed of a forming paper or other sheet having a basis weight of 90GSM or less, similar to the cooling section 16 of fig. 1. In some examples, the basis weight of the sheet is less than 80GSM. In some examples, the basis weight of the sheet is less than 70GSM. In the example of fig. 3, the hollow tube 361 is shorter than the hollow tube forming the cooling segment 16 in the example of fig. 1 a. By providing a shorter tube, the weight of the tube, and thus the cooling section 36, can be reduced. The tube 361 in the example of fig. 3 may be 5mm or less.

In some examples, hollow tube 361 may be disposed in axial alignment with filter segment 18, but spaced apart from filter segment 18. The tube 361 may be connected to the filter segment 18 and the hollow tube 12 by a stiff paper 13, thereby providing a cavity between the hollow tube 361 and the filter segment 18. Thus, the cavity surrounded by the forming paper 13 provides a hollow tubular section 362 without the need to use a separate hollow tubular element. The length of the hollow tubular section 362 may be 20mm. The hard forming paper 13 and/or the tipping paper 11 may have a basis weight of 70GSM to 120GSM, more preferably 80GSM to 110 GSM. Additionally or alternatively, the hard forming paper 13 and/or the tipping paper 11 may have a thickness of 80 μm to 200 μm, more preferably 100 μm to 160 μm, or 120 μm to 150 μm. It may be desirable for both the forming paper 13 and the tipping paper 11 to have values within these ranges to achieve an acceptable overall stiffness level for the hollow tube of the cooling section 36.

By providing hollow tube 362 between hollow tube 361 and filter segment 18, the distance of the cooling segment can be increased, which may be useful if hollow segment 361 is significantly shorter than cooling segment 16 of the example of fig. 1 a. That is, a large volume may be provided in the mouthpiece through which the aerosol generated during heating of the aerosol-generating material may expand and cool as it passes through the cooling section 36, while keeping the weight of the cooling section low. The total weight of the article 3 may be lower than the article of fig. 1a, so that the total waste of the article after use may be reduced, thereby improving the biodegradability of the article.

In an alternative example, the cooling section 36 may be made entirely of a single layer of hard forming paper 13 without the tubular section 361. However, the rigidity of the cooling section 36 may be improved by including the tubular section 361 formed of a multilayer sheet.

Hollow tubes 361, 362 as described herein may be provided for use with any suitable article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system. For example, the outer diameter of the hollow tube may substantially correspond to the outer diameter of an aerosol generating material rod of an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply system. In some examples, the outer diameter of the hollow tube may substantially correspond to the outer diameter of a filter plug section of an article used with the non-combustible sol supply system. The inner diameter of the hollow tube may be configured to receive an aerosol generated during heating of the aerosol-generating material rod during use of the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol supply system.

Fig. 4a is a side cross-sectional view of an alternative example of an article 4 for use with an aerosol supply system according to an aspect of the present description. The article 4 comprises a rod 10 of aerosol generating material and a mouthpiece 44. The mouthpiece includes a cooling section 46 at the downstream end of the rod of aerosol-generating material 10. The cooling section 46 is disposed adjacent to and contiguous with the rod of aerosol-generating material. A filter plug 18 is provided downstream of the cooling section. The filter plug 18 is disposed adjacent to and contiguous with the cooling section 46. Further, a recessed mouth end segment 42 is provided at the downstream end of the mouthpiece 44.

For example, the length of the mouth end segment may be 5mm to 15mm, for example 12mm. The length of the filter stage 18 may be 5mm to 15mm, for example 13mm. The length of the cooling section may be 5mm to 30mm, for example 25mm.

Similar to the example of fig. 1, 2 and 3, the cooling section 46 is arranged to receive aerosol from the aerosol-generating material rod 10 when the aerosol-generating material rod 10 is heated during use. The generated aerosols expand within the cooling section 46 and are cooled during their passage through the cooling section 46 before being delivered to a user via the filter plug and recessed mouth end section 42.

In the example of fig. 4a, the cooling section 46 is a hollow tube 461a formed from layers of sheet material. In particular, the cooling section may comprise a channel having an inner surface defined by a layer of the sheet material. For example, the cooling section may include a hard forming paper 13 formed in a tubular shape. The basis weight of the hard forming paper 13 forming the cooling section 46 may be 70GSM to 120GSM, more preferably 80GSM to 110GSM. Additionally or alternatively, the hard forming paper 13 may have a thickness of 80 μm to 200 μm, more preferably 100 μm to 160 μm, or 120 μm to 150 μm. It may be desirable for the plug wrap to have values within these ranges to achieve an acceptable overall stiffness level for the hollow tube of the cooling section 46.

In the example of fig. 4a, the recessed mouthpiece 42 is also a hollow tube formed from layers of sheet material, for example, hard-formed paper 13 formed into a tube shape. In particular, the recessed mouthpiece may comprise a channel having an inner surface defined by a layer of sheet material. In a similar manner to the cooling section 46, the hard molded paper 13 forming the recessed mouthpiece 42 may have a basis weight of 70GSM to 120GSM, more preferably 80GSM to 110 GSM. Additionally or alternatively, the hard forming paper 13 may have a thickness of 80 μm to 200 μm, more preferably 100 μm to 160 μm, or 120 μm to 150 μm. It may be desirable for the plug wrap 13 to have values within these ranges to achieve an acceptable overall stiffness level for the hollow tube of the cooling section 46.

In the example of fig. 4a, both the cooling section 46 and the recessed mouthpiece 42 are formed by wrapping a piece of stiff plug wrap 13 around the filter plug 18. The plug wrap 13 extends longitudinally beyond the edge of the plug wrap 18 to form hollow tubes 42, 461a on each side of the plug wrap 18. In this way, the mouthpiece 44 may be simply formed without any additional tube.

However, providing additional tubes in the cooling section 46 may increase the overall stiffness of the article 4.

In the example of fig. 4b, the cooling section 46 further comprises a hollow tubular section 461b arranged adjacent to and contiguous with the rod 10 of aerosol-generating material. For example, a hollow tube 461a formed of the plug wrap 13 may be provided around the hollow tubular segment 461 b. The hollow tubular section 461 may extend the entire length of the cooling section 46, or it may be a shorter section as shown in fig. 4 c. The hollow tubular section 461c in fig. 4c may be similar to the hollow tubular section 361 shown in fig. 3.

Providing an additional hollow tubular section 461 in the cooling section 46 may increase the overall stiffness of the article 4, however it may increase the overall weight of the article 4 and the waste generated after use. Thus, providing a shortened tubular segment 461c that does not extend along the entire length of the cooling section 46 may provide some additional rigidity while keeping the weight of the article low, as compared to the example of fig. 4 a. Thus, the waste generated after use of the article 4 and the overall biodegradability of the article 4 can be improved.

In the example of fig. 4c, the hollow tubular section 461 is 5mm or less. In some examples, the hollow tubular segment 461c can be 2.5mm to 5mm. In some examples, hollow tube segment 461c may be 4mm or less, 3mm or less, or 2.5mm.

The hollow tubular segments 461b, 461c may be formed from layers of multiple sheets. The sheet material forming the hollow tubular segments 461b, 461c can have any suitable basis weight. In the case of the shortened length tubular segment 461c, the basis weight may be 60GSM to 120GSM. In some examples, the basis weight may be 90GSM to 110GSM. In some examples, the basis weight may be 100GSM. In some examples, for example when the hollow tubular segment 461b extends over at least half the length of the cooling section 46, the hollow tubular segment 461b is formed from sheet material having a basis weight of 90GSM or less. In some examples, the basis weight of the sheet is less than 80GSM. In some examples, the basis weight of the sheet is less than 70GSM. In this case, lighter forming paper may be used to compensate for the longer length of the hollow tubular section 461b, and thus the basis weight of the sheet forming the hollow tubular section 461b may be reduced in order to keep the total weight of the cooling section 46 low.

Hollow tubes 461a, 461b as described herein may be provided for use with any suitable article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system. For example, the outer diameter of the hollow tube may substantially correspond to the outer diameter of an aerosol generating material rod of an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply system. In some examples, the outer diameter of the hollow tube may substantially correspond to the outer diameter of a filter plug section of an article used with the non-combustible sol supply system. The inner diameter of the hollow tube may be configured to receive an aerosol generated during heating of the aerosol-generating material rod during use of the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol supply system.

The filter plug 18 in any of the examples of fig. 4a, 4b and 4c may also include frangible capsules. The capsule may comprise a housing containing the aerosol-modifying material described above with reference to fig. 1 b.

In the example of fig. 4a, 4b and 4c, the filter plug 18 is preferably formed of paper. Those skilled in the art will recognize paper filter plugs that may be suitable for use in articles 4 for use with non-combustible sol supply systems. Alternatively, the filter plug 18 may be formed of cellulose acetate, such as cellulose acetate tow. Those skilled in the art will recognize that any suitable filter material may be used to form filter plug 18.

According to one aspect of the present description, any of the articles described above with respect to fig. 1-4 c may alternatively be provided without a mouth-end recessed segment. Thus, the mouthpiece 14, 23, 34, 44 may have further weight savings by omitting the mouth end tube formed from layers of cellulose acetate or sheet material to reduce the overall length of the mouthpiece.

For example, the filter plug segment 18 may be provided having a length of about 12mm, and this may be combined with any of the above-described cooling sections 16, 26, 36, 46 having a length of about 25 mm. Thus, the overall length of the mouthpiece may be about 37mm as compared to a mouthpiece comprising a mouth end recess of about 41mm in length. Thus, the total amount of material forming the mouthpiece may be reduced, thereby improving the biodegradability of the article. The feel experienced by the user may vary depending on whether the article includes a mouth end recessed segment. For example, an article without a mouth-end recess may have a hotter feel on the user's lips during use than a corresponding article including a mouth-end recess. Thus, the mouth-end recess may be provided or omitted to accommodate different user preferences. The filter 18 may be provided with or without capsules containing an aerosol-modifying material.

In another example, an article provided without a mouth-end filter segment may be provided with a filter segment 18 having a length of about 20mm and a cooling section 16, 26, 36, 46 having a length of about 17 mm. Accordingly, a corresponding reduction in length and omission of the mouth-end tube may result in a reduction in the overall weight of the article. Thus, the total amount of material forming the mouthpiece may be reduced, thereby improving the overall biodegradability of the article. The filter stage 18, which may be about 20mm in length, may be provided with two or more capsules containing aerosol-modifying material. In other examples, a 20mm long filter segment 18 may be provided without a capsule, with a single capsule, or with more than two capsules.

Fig. 5a illustrates a method of manufacturing the article 4 as illustrated in fig. 4a according to one aspect of the present description, and fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating steps of the method. Fig. 5a shows the elements of the article 4 before wrapping. In step S601, the filter plug 18 is wrapped with a layer of sheet material to form a wrapped cylinder. The layer of sheet material extends longitudinally beyond the downstream edge of the filter plug 18, forming a first hollow tube 42 at the mouth end of the mouthpiece. Further, the layers of sheet material extend longitudinally beyond the upstream edge of the filter plug, forming a tubular cooling section 46 upstream of the filter segment. The wrapped cylinder includes a filter plug 18, a hollow tube 42, and a hollow tube 461a that form the mouthpiece 44 of the article.

For example, the sheet material used to wrap filter plug 18 is a hard-formed paper as described with respect to the article of fig. 4 a.

Thus, the recessed mouthpiece can be manufactured with a simple manufacturing process at low cost, since the mouthpiece does not require an additional tube.

Filter plug 18 may be formed from paper. Alternatively, cellulose acetate, PLA, or any other suitable filter material may be used to form filter plug 18.

In step S602, the method further comprises connecting the mouthpiece 44 to the rod of aerosol-generating material by tipping paper surrounding the cooling section 46 and the rod of aerosol-generating material 10.

In some examples, the method at step S601 further comprises wrapping a layer of sheet material around the hollow tubular section 461b or 461 c. In the example of fig. 5b, the hollow tubular segment 461c is longitudinally spaced from the filter plug 18, and the layers of sheet material wrap around the filter plug 18 and hollow tubular segment 461c such that there is a gap between the filter plug 18 and hollow tubular segment 461 c. The filter plug may include a frangible capsule comprising a housing containing an aerosol-modifying material.

In other examples, the method at step S601 includes wrapping a layer of sheet material around tubular segment 461b such that hollow tubular segment 461b is disposed adjacent an upstream end of filter plug 18. The filter plug 18 and hollow tubular segment 461b are wrapped with layers of sheet material to form the article 4b as shown in fig. 4b.

Fig. 7 shows an example of forming two upward tipping rods that may be cut into two tipping for subsequent combination with an aerosol-generating material rod.

In the example of fig. 7, the filter plugs 18 are separated by a gap of about 50mm and are wrapped with a plug wrap 11 having a length of about 100 mm. For filter segments of about 13mm in length, the plug wrap extends about 12mm beyond the edge of each filter segment. The filter plugs 18 are wrapped with the plug wrap 11 to form a hollow tube having a cavity of about 12mm at each end and about 50mm between the filter plugs 18. The hollow tube may then be cut from the middle down by a cutter to form two mouthpieces. Each mouthpiece includes a 12mm mouth end cavity, a 13mm filter plug and a 25mm upstream cavity forming a cooling section. The mouthpiece may then be combined with the rod of aerosol-generating material to form an article for use with an aerosol-supplying system by wrapping the cooling section and the rod of aerosol-generating material with tipping paper to secure them together.

In some examples, as shown in fig. 7b, a hollow tube may be inserted into the cooling section. A hollow tubular section may be provided between the filter plugs 18. For example, the length of the hollow tubular section may be 10mm. Each filter plug 18 may be separated from the hollow tubular section by a 15mm gap. The filter plug 18 and hollow tubular section may be wrapped with plug wrap to form a wrapped rod. The wrapped rod may be cut down the middle, i.e., through the hollow tubular section, by a cutter to form two mouthpieces. Each mouthpiece comprises a mouth end cavity of 12mm, a filter plug of 13mm, a cavity of 15mm and a hollow tubular section of 5 mm. The hollow tubular section may provide additional rigidity to the mouthpiece. For example, the hollow tubular section may help to improve roundness of the mouthpiece.

The hollow tube may be of any suitable length. In some examples, a hollow tube may extend between filter plugs 18. However, a reduced weight can be obtained by reducing the length of the hollow tube. Preferably, the hollow tube in the resulting mouthpiece is 5mm or less to keep the total weight of the article low, thereby reducing the waste remaining after use of the article.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the manufacturing method may also be adapted to include a mouth end tube, such as the cellulose acetate tube 12 of fig. 1, 2 and 3, or the cellulose acetate tube 261 of fig. 2. Alternatively or additionally, additional filter segments or components may be included in the mouthpiece by being wrapped with the sheet material along with the filter segment 18 and cooling segments 16, 26, 36, 46.

The following examples describe in more detail hollow tubes that may be used in the mouthpieces 14, 24, 34, 44 of the above-described articles 1, 2, 3, 4 according to aspects of the present description.

Examples

Fig. 8 is a table showing some example hollow tubes for use in articles according to embodiments of the present disclosure (e.g., articles 1, 2, and 3). The embodiment shown in fig. 8 is a hollow tube formed from cellulose acetate tow. In these embodiments, the length of the tube is about 96.6mm. During manufacture, it is contemplated that the tube be cut to a desired length prior to introduction into the aerosol-generating article.

The parameters given include the initial values of the post-production parameters (i.e., the "operation" column in fig. 8), and the subsequent values of the tube after a 5-day aging period from the start of production.

Comparative examples of cellulose acetate tubes currently used in some aerosol supply systems are provided. In the comparative example, the tube had an initial length of 96.6mm, an initial weight of 1028.4mg, an initial wall thickness of 1.3mm, and a circumference of 20.53mm. The initial hardness of the tube of the comparative example was 96.1%. After the aging period, the tube had a length of 96.4mm, a weight of 1020.7mg, a wall thickness of 1.3mm and a circumference of 20.50mm. The hardness after the aging period was increased to 96.7%.

In example 1, which relates to a hollow tube 12 according to an embodiment of the present description, the tube is formed from cellulose acetate tow having a denier per filament of 7.3 and a total denier of 36000. The initial length of the tube was 96.44mm, the initial weight was 933.18mg, the initial wall thickness was 1.27mm, and the circumference was 20.52mm. The initial hardness was 95.68%.

After the aging process, the circumference of the hollow tube was 20.45mm and the wall thickness was 1.3mm. The length of the tube 12 is 96.35mm. The tube weight was 925.72mg. It has been found that this weight is less than the weight of the cellulose acetate tube of the comparative example, corresponding to a weight reduction of 9.3%. It can thus be seen that by reducing the denier per filament and the total denier of the cellulose acetate tube, a significant weight reduction can be achieved while still maintaining substantially the same physical dimensional characteristics. It can be seen that the length, circumference and wall thickness are substantially the same as those of the comparative example, while providing the weight saving described.

Further, it has been found that the hardness of the hollow tube according to the first embodiment is not substantially lower than that of the hollow tube of the comparative example. As can be seen from fig. 8, the hardness of the tube was increased to 96.40% after the aging treatment. Thus, the reduced weight tube hardness of example 1 is substantially similar to the hardness of the comparative example.

In example 2, the tube was formed from a cellulose acetate tow having a denier per filament of 5.8 and having a total denier of 28000. The initial length of the tube was 96.43mm, the initial weight was 839.6mg, the initial wall thickness was 1.37mm, and the circumference was 20.48mm. The initial hardness was 95.51%.

After the aging treatment, the hollow tube had a circumference of 20.39mm and a wall thickness of 1.3mm. The length of the tube 12 is 96.5mm. The tube weight was 834.76mg. It has been found that this weight is less than the weight of the cellulose acetate tube of the comparative example, corresponding to a weight reduction of 17.7%. It can thus be seen that by reducing the denier per filament and the total denier of the cellulose acetate tube, a significant weight reduction can be achieved while still maintaining substantially the same physical dimensional characteristics. It can be seen that the length, circumference and wall thickness are substantially the same as those of the comparative example, while providing the weight saving described.

Further, it has been found that the hardness of the hollow tube according to the first embodiment is not substantially lower than that of the hollow tube of the comparative example. As can be seen from fig. 8, the hardness of the tube was increased to 96.66% after the aging treatment. Thus, the reduced weight tube hardness of example 2 is substantially similar to the hardness of the comparative example.

Thus, it can be seen that significant weight savings in the article can be achieved by reducing the fiber denier per filament and total denier of the cellulose acetate tow comprising the hollow tube, while maintaining the stiffness of the tube greater than 90%.

Thus, the tubes of embodiments 1 and 2 may provide a base rod that is cut into a plurality of hollow tubes 12 for inclusion in an aerosol-generating article.

The hollow tubes (e.g., hollow tubes 161, 362, 461b, 461 c) are formed from layers of multiple sheets, such as the forming papers shown with respect to fig. 1, 3, and 4. Such hollow tubes will be described in more detail herein. In the embodiments described below, the hollow tube is about 100mm in length and may be cut to size before being included in the mouthpiece of the article.

Example 3

In example 3, the hollow tube is formed from a plurality of formed paper layers. The basis weight of the forming paper was 82GSM. The circumference of the tube is about 20.15mm to 20.51mm, preferably about 20.33mm. The hollow tube has a pore size of about 19.56mm.

As described above, the weight of the forming paper used to form the 100mm tube was about 304mg. The forming paper layers are secured together by an adhesive at the seam and adjacent layers are secured together by an anchor line of adhesive such that the forming paper forms a hollow tube. The seam was secured using an adhesive applied at a rate of about 0.08 mg/mm. The adhesive is applied to the seams of a 100mm tube such that the total weight of adhesive at each seam is about 6.4mg to 9.6mg by weight, for example 8mg by weight. The anchor line for the adhesive is applied at a rate of about 0.2 mg/mm. The adhesive is applied on the anchor line such that the total weight of the adhesive on the anchor line is 16mg to 24mg, e.g. 18mg to 22mg, and preferably 20mg.

After the adhesive was applied to the forming paper to form the tube, the tube was cured for about 1 hour. The total weight of the cured tube is 300mg to 340mg, preferably 310mg to 330mg, more preferably about 320mg.

The tube has a hardness of at least 70% so as to maintain a suitable stiffness to withstand axial and compressive forces during use of the tube article. Preferably, the hardness of the tube is at least 80%, or at least 90%. More preferably, the hardness of the tube is about 94%.

The roundness of the tube is at least 92%. Preferably, the roundness of the tube is 94%.

Example 4

In example 4, a hollow tube was formed from a plurality of formed paper layers similarly to the description in example 3, except that a formed paper having a basis weight of 60GSM was used. The circumference of the tube is about 20.15mm to 20.51mm, preferably about 20.33mm. The hollow tube has a pore size of about 19.56mm.

As described above, the weight of the forming paper used to form the 100mm tube was about 324mg. The forming paper layers are secured together by an adhesive at the seam and adjacent layers are secured together by an anchor line of adhesive such that the forming paper forms a hollow tube. The seam was secured using an adhesive applied at a rate of about 0.08 mg/mm. The adhesive is applied to the seams of a 100mm tube such that the total weight of adhesive at each seam is about 6.4mg to 9.6mg by weight, for example 8mg by weight. The anchor line for the adhesive is applied at a rate of about 0.2 mg/mm. The adhesive is applied on the anchor line such that the total weight of the adhesive on the anchor line is 16mg to 24mg, e.g. 18mg to 22mg, and preferably 20mg.

After the adhesive was applied to the forming paper to form the tube, the tube was cured for about 1 hour. The total weight of the cured tube is 226mg to 266mg, preferably 236mg to 256mg, more preferably about 246mg.

The hardness of the tube, measured using the H10 hardness method, is at least 70% in order to maintain adequate stiffness to withstand axial and compressive forces during use of the tube article. Preferably, the hardness of the tube is at least 80%, or at least 90%. More preferably, the hardness of the tube is about 94%.

The tubes of examples 3 and 4 may be cut to the appropriate length and introduced into the cooling section and/or mouth end of any of the articles 1, 2, 3 and 4 as described above. The weight of the tube may be lower than conventional paper tubes used in the cooling section of articles used with non-combustible sol supply systems.

The various embodiments described herein are only used to aid in understanding and teaching the claimed features. These embodiments are provided as representative examples of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. It is to be understood that the advantages, implementations, examples, functions, features, structures and/or other aspects described herein are not to be taken as limiting the scope of the invention as defined by the claims or the equivalents of the claims, and that other implementations may be used and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. Various embodiments of the invention may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of the appropriate combination of the disclosed elements, assemblies, features, components, steps, means, etc. other than those specifically described herein. Furthermore, the present disclosure may include other inventions not presently claimed but which may be claimed in the future.

Claims

1. An article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system, the article comprising:

a rod of aerosol-generating material; and a hollow tube axially aligned with the aerosol-generating material shaft, wherein the hollow tube has a weight in the axial direction of less than 8.5 mg/mm.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein the hollow tube comprises a cellulose acetate tube or a tube formed from layers of multiple sheets.

3. The article of claim 1, wherein the hollow tube is a cellulose acetate tube formed from cellulose acetate tow.

4. The article of claim 3, wherein the cellulose acetate tow forming the cellulose acetate tube has a total fiber denier of between 25000 and 40000.

5. The article of claim 3 or 4, wherein the cellulose acetate tow forming the cellulose acetate tube has a fiber denier per filament of between 3dpf and 10dpf, or between 5dpf and 8 dpf.

6. The article of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the hollow tube comprises 15wt% or less plasticizer.

7. An article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system, the article comprising:

A rod of aerosol-generating material; and

a hollow tube axially aligned with the aerosol-generating material shaft, wherein the hollow tube comprises a layer of a plurality of sheets having a basis weight of less than 90 GSM.

8. An article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system, comprising:

a rod of aerosol-generating material; and

a hollow tube axially aligned with the aerosol-generating material shaft, wherein the hollow tube comprises a layer of a plurality of sheets, and wherein the hollow tube has a weight per unit length in the axial direction of less than 4mg/mm.

9. The article of claim 7 or 8, wherein the sheet has a basis weight of less than 80GSM, or less than 70 GSM.

10. An article according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the hollow tube is disposed adjacent to and contiguous with the rod of aerosol-generating material.

11. The article of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the hollow tube is disposed at a mouth end of the article.

12. An article for use with a non-combustible sol supply system, comprising:

a rod of aerosol-generating material configured to generate an aerosol when heated during use; and

A hollow tube axially aligned with the aerosol-generating material stem, the hollow tube being disposed adjacent to and contiguous with the aerosol-generating material stem, wherein the hollow tube has a length in an axial direction of 5mm or less.

13. An article according to claim 12, wherein the hollow tube is provided in a cooling section of the article, the cooling section being configured to cool aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating material rod when the aerosol-generating material rod is heated during use.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein the cooling section further comprises a cavity between the hollow tube and a downstream filter plug.

15. The article of any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the hollow tube comprises a layer of a plurality of sheets.

16. The article of claim 15, wherein the sheet has a basis weight of less than 90GSM, less than 80GSM, or less than 70 GSM.

17. An article for use in a non-combustible sol supply system, the article comprising:

a mouthpiece comprising a filter plug and a hollow tube at a mouth end of the mouthpiece, and a tubular cooling section upstream of a filter segment, the filter plug being surrounded by a layer of sheet material that extends longitudinally beyond a downstream edge of the filter plug to form the hollow tube at the mouth end of the mouthpiece, and the sheet material extending longitudinally beyond an upstream edge of the filter plug to form the tubular cooling section upstream of the filter segment; and

An aerosol-generating material rod connected to the mouthpiece by a tipping paper surrounding the cooling section and the aerosol-generating material rod, the cooling section being disposed adjacent to and contiguous with the aerosol-generating material rod.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein the hollow tube at the mouth end comprises a channel having an inner surface defined by the layer of sheet material.

19. The article of claim 17 or 18, wherein the cooling section comprises a channel having an inner surface defined by a layer of the sheet.

20. The article of any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the cooling section further comprises a hollow tubular section surrounded by the layer of sheet material, wherein the hollow tubular section defines an inner surface of a channel through the cooling section.

21. The article of claim 19, wherein hollow tubular section is longitudinally spaced from the filter plug such that the cooling section comprises a cavity between the hollow tubular section and the filter plug.

22. An article according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises tobacco material.

23. Use of an article according to any one of claims 1 to 22 in a non-combustible sol supply system.

24. A system comprising an article according to any one of claims 1 to 22, and a non-combustible sol supply means for heating the aerosol-generating material of the article.

25. A method of manufacturing an article for use in a non-combustible sol supply apparatus, the method comprising:

forming a mouthpiece by wrapping a filter plug with a layer of sheet material, the layer of sheet material extending longitudinally beyond a downstream edge of the filter plug, thereby forming a first hollow tube at a mouth end of the mouthpiece, and the layer of sheet material extending longitudinally beyond an upstream edge of a filter segment, thereby forming a tubular cooling section upstream of the filter segment; and

the mouthpiece is connected to the aerosol-generating material rod by means of a tipping paper surrounding the cooling section and the aerosol-generating material rod, the cooling section being disposed adjacent to and contiguous with the aerosol-generating material rod.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein forming the mouthpiece further comprises wrapping a layer of the sheet around a hollow tubular section upstream of the filter plug such that the cooling section comprises a portion of the layer of the sheet surrounding the hollow tubular section.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the hollow tubular section is longitudinally spaced from the filter plug such that the cooling section further comprises a channel having an inner surface defined by the layer of sheet material.

28. An article for use in a non-combustible sol supply system, the article manufactured by the method of any one of claims 25 to 27.