WO2023126503A1

WO2023126503A1 - A component for a delivery system and a method and apparatus for manufacturing a component for a delivery system

Info

Publication number: WO2023126503A1
Application number: PCT/EP2022/088047
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard Hepworth; Andrei GRISHCHENKO
Original assignee: Nicoventures Trading Limited
Priority date: 2021-12-29
Filing date: 2022-12-29
Publication date: 2023-07-06
Also published as: GB202119093D0

Abstract

There is provided a component (2) for an article (1) for use in or as an aerosol provision system (100), the component (2) comprising a body (4) of fibrous material. First and second tubular elements (4a, 4b) extend through the body (4) of fibrous material, substantially along a common axis, and each of the first and second tubular elements (4a, 4b) are circumferentially surrounded by said fibrous material. Also described is a component (2) for an article (1) for use in or as an aerosol provision system, the component (2) comprising a body (4) of fibrous material and a tubular element (4a, 4b) embedded within the body (4), such that it is circumferentially and longitudinally surrounded by the fibrous material forming said body (4). An article (1) for use in or as an aerosol provision system is also described, the article (1) having a downstream end (2b), and comprising a body (4) of fibrous material and a tubular element (4a) circumferentially surrounded by said fibrous material, wherein the tubular element (4a) extends to a first longitudinal end (2a) of said body (4) and is spaced from a second longitudinal end (2b) of said body, and wherein the longitudinal end (2a) of said body to which the tubular element (4a) extends is spaced from the downstream end (2b) of the article (1). A method for forming a component (2), and apparatus configured for manufacturing a component (2) are also described.

Description

A component for a delivery system and a method and apparatus for manufacturing a component for a delivery system

Technical Field The present disclosure relates to a component for use in or as an aerosol provision system. The present disclosure also relates to an article for use in or as an aerosol provision system, and a method and apparatus for manufacturing a component for an aerosol provision system. Background

Certain tobacco industry products produce an aerosol during use, which is inhaled by a user. For example, tobacco heating devices heat an aerosol generating substrate such as tobacco to form an aerosol by heating, but not burning, the substrate. Such tobacco industry products commonly include mouthpieces through which the aerosol passes to reach the user’s mouth.

Summary

In accordance with embodiments described herein, according to a first aspect, there is provided a component for an article for use in or as an aerosol provision system, the component comprising a body of fibrous material, and first and second tubular elements extending through said body substantially along a common axis and each circumferentially surrounded by said fibrous material.

In accordance with embodiments described herein, according to a second aspect, there is provided a component for an article for use in or as an aerosol provision system, the component comprising a body of fibrous material, and a tubular element embedded within the body such that it is circumferentially and longitudinally surrounded by the fibrous material forming said body. In accordance with embodiments described herein, according to a third aspect, there is provided an article for use in or as an aerosol provision system, the article having a downstream end, and the article comprising a body of fibrous material and a tubular element circumferentially surrounded by said fibrous material, wherein the tubular element extends to a first longitudinal end of said body and is spaced from a second longitudinal end of said body, and wherein the longitudinal end of said body to which the tubular element extends is spaced from the downstream end of the article.

In accordance with embodiments described herein, according to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method for forming a component for an article for use in an aerosol provision system, the method comprising applying a crimp pattern to a sheet material, the crimp pattern comprising a series of substantially parallel ridges and grooves, providing a feed of tubular elements, and gathering said sheet material around said tubular elements to form a body of material in which at least at least one tubular element extends through said body substantially along a common axis and is circumferentially surrounded by said fibrous material.

In accordance with embodiments described herein, according to a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus configured for manufacturing a component in accordance with the fourth aspect, comprising a crimp roller for applying a crimp pattern to a sheet material, the crimp pattern comprising a series of substantially parallel ridges and grooves, a feed mechanism for tubular elements, and a garniture assembly for gathering said sheet material around said tubular elements to form a body of material in which at least at least one tubular element extends through said body substantially along a common axis and is circumferentially surrounded by said fibrous material.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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

Figure 1 is a side-on cross-sectional view of an article for use as or with a non- combustible aerosol provision device, the article including a mouthpiece;

Figure 1B - is a side-on view of the sheet material forming the first body of material of the article of Figure i.

Figure 2 is a side-on cross-sectional view of another embodiment of an article for use as or with a non-combustible aerosol provision device; Figure 3 is a side-on cross-sectional view of another embodiment of an article for use as or with a non-combustible aerosol provision device;

Figure 4 is a side-on cross-sectional view of another article for use as or with a non- combustible aerosol provision device;

Figure 5 - is a side-on cross-sectional view of another article for use as or with a non- combustible aerosol provision device; Figure 6 is a perspective illustration of a non-combustible aerosol provision device for generating aerosol from the aerosol generating material of the article of Figures i to 5;

Figure 7 illustrates the device of Figure 6 with the outer cover removed and without an article present; Figure 8 is a side view of the device of Figure 7 in partial cross-section;

Figure 9 is an exploded view of the device of Figure 7, with the outer cover omitted;

Figure 10A is a cross sectional view of a portion of the device of Figure7; and,

Figure 10B is a close-up illustration of a region of the device of Figure 10A. Detailed Description

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

Figure 1 is a side-on cross sectional view of an article 1 for use with a non-combustible aerosol provision system.

The article 1 comprises a mouthpiece 2, and a cylindrical rod of aerosol generating material 3, in the present case tobacco material, connected to the mouthpiece 2. The aerosol generating material 3 provides an aerosol when heated, for instance within a non-combustible aerosol provision device as described herein, for instance a non- combustible aerosol provision device comprising a coil, forming a system. In other embodiments the article 1 can include its own heat source, forming an aerosol provision system without requiring a separate aerosol provision device. The mouthpiece 2 of the article 1 comprises an upstream end 2a adjacent to the aerosol generating material 3 and a downstream end 2b distal from the aerosol generating material 3.

The aerosol generating material 3, also referred to herein as an aerosol generating substrate 3, comprises at least one aerosol-former material. In the present example, the aerosol-former material is glycerol. In alternative examples, the aerosol-former material can be another material as described herein or a combination thereof. The aerosol-former material has been found to improve the sensory performance of the article, by helping to transfer compounds such as flavour compounds from the aerosol generating material to the consumer. However, an issue with adding such aerosolformer materials to the aerosol generating material within an article for use in a non- combustible aerosol provision system can be that, when the aerosol-former material is aerosolised upon heating, it can increase the mass of aerosol which is delivered by the article, and this increased mass can maintain a higher temperature as it passes through the mouthpiece. As it passes through the mouthpiece, the aerosol transfers heat into the mouthpiece and this warms the outer surface of the mouthpiece, including the area which comes into contact with the consumers lips during use. The mouthpiece temperature can be significantly higher than consumers may be accustomed to when smoking, for instance, conventional cigarettes, and this can be an undesirable effect caused by the use of such aerosol-former materials.

In the present example, the mouthpiece includes a first body of material 4, embedded in which are first and second tubular elements 4a, 4b. First and second tubular elements are embedded in the body of material 4 and circumferentially surrounded by the material forming the body 4. The first body of material is wrapped in a first plug wrap 7.

In the present embodiment, the body 4 is a filter. However, it should be recognised that in other embodiments the body 4 may be provided merely to act as a carrier or support for the first and second tubular elements 4a, 4b without substantially filtering the inhalant of the article 1.

The first body of material 4 is formed from fibrous material. In the present example, the first body of material 4 is formed from a sheet material 14. The sheet material 14 may be folded to form the body of material 4. The body of material 4 may be formed from a continuous web of sheet material. In the present example, the sheet material 14 is gathered to form the body of material 4 in a similar manner to a ‘crepe filter’. First and second tubular elements 4a, 4b are embedded in and circumferentially surrounded by gathered sheet material to form the first body of material 4. In the present example, the first tubular element 4a is positioned at a longitudinal end of the body of material 4, and extends to said longitudinal end of the body. The second tubular element 4b is positioned downstream of the first tubular element 4a, and the body of material 4 extends beyond the second tubular element 4b such that the second tubular element is both circumferentially and longitudinally surrounded by the first body of material 4. Advantageously, such an arrangement can result in a simplified manufacturing process, since it is possible to form a cavity and a filter section in the same body of material 4. Alternatively, further objects maybe embedded in the body of material 4, such as an aerosol-modifying agent release component.

In the present example, first and second tubular elements 4a, 4b are separated by a gap of about 1 mm so as to form an effectively continuous tubular portion. In embodiments where the first and second tubular elements 4a, 4b are intended to form an effectively continuous tubular portion, the tubular elements may suitably be separated by a gap of between 0.5 mm and 6 mm, for example between 1 mm and 3 mm, or between 2 mm and 5 mm. In the present example, the tubular portion formed by the first and second tubular elements 4a, 4b defines an air gap within the mouthpiece, which acts as a cooling segment. In other embodiments, a single one of the tubular elements 4a, 4b may form a tubular portion for aerosol cooling and the other of the tubular elements may be positioned elsewhere in the body 4. The air gap provides a chamber through which heated volatilised components generated by the aerosol generating material 3 flow. The tubular elements 4a, 4b are hollow to provide a chamber for aerosol accumulation yet rigid enough to withstand axial compressive forces and bending moments that might arise during manufacture and whilst the article 1 is in use. The tubular portion formed by first and second tubular elements 4a, 4b provides a physical displacement between the aerosol generating material 3 and downstream portions of the mouthpiece 2. The physical displacement provided by the tubular portion will provide a thermal gradient across the length of the first body of material 4. Preferably, the combined internal volume of the tubular elements 4a, 4b is greater than too mm3. Providing a cavity of at least this volume has been found to enable the formation of an improved aerosol. Such a cavity size provides sufficient space within the mouthpiece 2 to allow heated volatilised components to cool, therefore allowing the exposure of the aerosol generating material 3 to higher temperatures than would otherwise be possible, since they may result in an aerosol which is too warm. In the present example, the cavity is formed by adjacent tubular elements 4a, 4b but in alternative arrangements it could be formed by a single tubular element 4a. More preferably, the mouthpiece 2 comprises a cavity, for instance formed by adjacent tubular elements 4a, 4b, having an internal volume greater than 120 mm3, and still more preferably greater than 150 mm3, allowing further improvement of the aerosol. In some examples, the internal cavity comprises a volume of between about 110 mm3 and about 600 mm3 and, preferably, between about 120 mm3 and about 500 mm3, in the present example, the internal cavity formed by the adjacent tubular elements 4a, 4b has a volume of about 250 mm³. Alternatively where a single one of the tubular elements is arranged to provide a cooling segment, that tubular element preferably has an internal volume as described above.

The cavity can be configured to provide a temperature differential of at least 40 degrees Celsius between a heated volatilised component entering a first, upstream end of the cavity and a heated volatilised component exiting a second, downstream end of the cavity. The cavity is preferably configured to provide a temperature differential of at least 60 degrees Celsius, preferably at least 80 degrees Celsius and more preferably at least too degrees Celsius between a heated volatilised component entering a first, upstream end of the cavity and a heated volatilised component exiting a second, downstream end of the cavity. This temperature differential across the length of the cavity can protect temperature sensitive elements of the mouthpiece downstream of the cavity from the high temperatures of the aerosol generating material 3 when it is heated.

Preferably, the length of the tubular portion is less than about 50 mm. More preferably, the length of the tubular portion is less than about 40 mm. Still more preferably, the length of the tubular portion is less than about 35 mm. In addition, or as an alternative, the length of the tubular portion is preferably at least about 10 mm.

Preferably, the length of the tubular portion is at least about 15 mm. In some preferred embodiments, the length of the tubular portion is from about 15 mm to about 35 mm, more preferably from about 16 mm to about 30 mm, even more preferably from about 18 to about 25 mm, most preferably about 23 mm. In the present example, the length of the tubular portion is 23 mm. In the present example, the tubular portion comprises first and second tubular elements 4a, 4b, each having a length of 11 mm and being separated by a gap of 1 mm. As described herein, Alternatively the tubular portion may comprise a single tubular element 4a, having a length as set out above.

In other embodiments, first and second tubular elements maybe provided in other positions in the body of material 4, or the body of material 4 itself may be provided at a different position in the article, as described hereinbelow. In the present example, first and second tubular elements 4a, 4b have the same specification, i.e. the length, wall thickness, and internal diameter of the each tubular element is the same. Alternatively, the first and second tubular elements may have different specifications, for example to provide different internal cavity volumes or ventilation at different positions in the mouthpiece.

In the present example, the tubular elements 4a, 4b are each formed from a plurality of layers of paper which are parallel wound, with butted seams, to form a hollow tube. In the present example, first and second paper layers are provided in a two-ply tube, although in other examples 3, 4 or more paper layers can be used forming 3, 4 or more ply tubes. Other constructions can be used, such as spirally wound layers of paper, cardboard tubes, tubes formed using a papier-mache type process, moulded or extruded plastic tubes or similar.

In some embodiments, the tubular elements preferably each have a wall thickness of at least about 50 pm and up to about 1 mm, preferably between 50 pm and 500 pm and more preferably between 60 pm and 130 pm. In the present example, the tubular elements each have a wall thickness of about 130 pm. The "wall thickness" of the tubular element corresponds to the thickness of the wall of the tubular element in a radial direction, not including the surrounding material in which the tubular elements are embedded. This may be measured, for example, using a caliper.

In some embodiments, the thickness of the walls of the tubular elements 4a, 4b is at least 50 microns and, preferably, at least 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, too, or 105 microns. In some embodiments, the thickness of the walls of the tubular elements is at least too or 110 microns.

In some embodiments, the thickness of the walls of the tubular elements 4a, 4b is less than 1000 microns and, preferably, less than 500 microns.

In some examples, the tubular elements 4a, 4b are each formed from paper having a basis weight in the range 40 gsm to too gsm. For instance, paper having a basis weight between 60 gsm and 80 gsm. The combined thickness of the tubular elements 4a, 4b and the surrounding body of material 4 means that the tubular portion has a greater thermal mass, which has been found to help reduce the temperature of the aerosol passing through the tubular portion and reduce the surface temperature of the mouthpiece at locations downstream of the tubular portion. This is thought to be because the greater thermal mass of the tubular portion allows the tubular portion to absorb more heat from the aerosol in comparison to a tubular portion with a thinner wall thickness. The increased thickness of the tubular portion also channels the aerosol centrally within the mouthpiece such that less heat from the aerosol is transferred to the outer portions of the mouthpiece such as outer portions of the body of material.

In some embodiments, the permeability of the material of the wall of the tubular elements 4a, 4b is at least too Coresta Units and, preferably, at least 200, 500 or 1000 Coresta Units.

It has been found that the relatively high permeability of the tubular elements 4a, 4b increases the amount of heat that is transferred to the tubular portion from the aerosol and thus reduces the temperature of the aerosol. The permeability of the tubular elements 4a, 4b has also been found to increase the amount of moisture that is transferred from the aerosol to the tubular portion, which has been found to improve the feel of the aerosol in the user’s mouth. A high permeability of the tubular elements 4a, 4b also means that ventilation entering the portion of the body of material 4 surrounding the tubular portion can pass through the walls of the tubular elements 4a, 4b and into the aerosol stream, without the need to cut ventilation holes through all of the outer plug wrap/s and tipping paper, the material of the body 4, and the tubular element/s forming the tubular portion, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity.

In some examples, the sheet material 14 maybe provided with cut out portions, for example punched out regions, to reduce the density of the body of material 4. In some examples, the cut out portions may be provided in the portion of sheet material forming the portion of the body of material 4 surrounding the hollow tubular elements 4a, 4b . Advantageously, by providing cut out portions in the sheet material 14 forming this portion of the body, the amount of material to be perforated to provide ventilation into the tubular element 4a, 4b may be reduced. In some embodiments, the permeability of the material of the wall of the hollow tubular element 8 is provided by perforations formed in said material. In some examples, the material is a non-porous paper, and the permeability is provided by perforations formed in the material. In other examples, the material is a porous paper, which may or may not include perforations. Where perforations are provided, they may, for instance, be provided as one or more lines of perforations extending through the wall of the hollow tubular element. The perforations may be provided as a band or ring of perforations through the wall of the hollow tubular element. In this case, the perforations can be provided at a location towards the upstream end of the hollow tubular element, for instance between about 8mm and about 2mm, or between about 5mm and about 2mm, from the upstream end of the hollow tubular element.

The body of material 4 maybe manufactured using a CU-20 filter making machine manufactured by Decoufle (TM). However, a skilled person will appreciate that other machines may be used to manufacture the first body of material 4.

In some embodiments, the sheet material 14 has a width of at least 60 mm and, preferably, at least 70, 80, 90, too, 110 or 120 mm. In some embodiments, the sheet material 14 has a width of at most 240 mm and, preferably, at most 230, 220, 210, 200, 190, 180, 170, 160 or 150 mm.

In some embodiments, the sheet material 14 has a width of less than 180 mm and, preferably, less than 170, 160, 150, 140 or 130 mm.

In some embodiments, the sheet material 14 has a width in the range of 60 to 240 mm and, preferably, in the range of 80 to 240 mm, in the range of 90 to 200 mm, or in the range of too to 170 mm. In the present example, the sheet material 14 comprises cellulose. In the present example, the sheet material 14 is paper. However, the sheet material 14 may additionally or alternatively comprise a different material. For example, in some embodiments the sheet material 14 comprises reconstituted tobacco that is formed into a sheet material 14 that is arranged to form the body of material 4. The reconstituted tobacco comprises cellulose. The reconstituted tobacco may optionally be paper reconstituted tobacco. In other embodiments, the sheet material 14 comprises a different material, for example, cotton; tobacco, lyocell; polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polylactic acid (PLA), poly(c-caprolactone)(PCL), poly(i-4 butanediol succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(PBAT), starch based materials, aliphatic polyester materials, polysaccharide polymers, and/or woven or non-woven material. The sheet material 14 may be biodegradable. In one embodiment, the sheet material 14 may be non-plastic or may be plastic. In some embodiments, the sheet material 14 does not comprise cellulose acetate.

In one embodiment, the sheet material 14 comprises paper with a basis weight in the range of 15 to 80 gsm and, preferably, in the range of 20 to 50 gsm.

In some embodiments, the sheet material 14 has a basis weight of at least 15 gsm and, preferably, at least 20 gsm, 25 gsm, 30 gsm, 35 gsm, 40 gsm, 45 gsm, 50 gsm, 55 gsm or 60 gsm.

In some embodiments, the sheet material 14 has a basis weight of too gsm or less and, preferably, 90 gsm or less, 80 gsm or less, 70 gsm or less, 60 gsm or less, 50 gsm or less, or 40 gsm or less, or 30 gsm or less. In some embodiments, the basis weight of the sheet material 14 is 20 gsm or less.

In some embodiments, the sheet material 14 has a basis weight in the range of 20 to too gsm and, preferably in the range of 25 to 80 gsm or in the range of 30 to 65 gsm.

In the present example, the sheet material 14 is crimped prior to being arranged into the body of material 4. For instance, the sheet material 14 may be passed through a pair of crimping rollers. In the present example, the first body of material 4 comprises crimped sheet material 14 formed having a crimp pattern comprising a series of substantially parallel ridges and grooves. The crimping may make it easier to gather the sheet material 14 to form the body of material 4. The crimping may also increase the length of sheet material 14 that can be used to form a body of material 4 of a particular volume. Increasing the amount of sheet material 14 in the body of material 4 may increase the surface area of sheet material that is in contact with aerosol passing through the body of material 4 and thus increase the amount of moisture absorbed from the aerosol by the sheet material 14.

Biodegradability can be measured according to the procedure set out under ISO 14855. Tubular elements 4a, 4b, 4a’, 4b’, 4a”, 4b” and first and second bodies of material 4, 4’, 4”, 6 as described herein can achieve a biodegradation of greater than 50% in 30 days when exposed to either fresh or marine water. It can be desirable to form different portions of the body of material 4 from different amounts of sheet material, which can be achieved by applying different levels of crimping to the sheet material 14 from which said portions are formed. For instance, it can be desirable to form a longitudinal end of the body 4 from a greater length of sheet material, so that the sheet material is more densely arranged and the longitudinal end portion of the body 4 appears more similar to a conventional filter element to a consumer when viewed from the longitudinal end, and additionally or alternatively has a higher firmness. It can therefore be advantageous to apply a higher amount of crimping to the sheet material 14 forming a longitudinal end portion of the body than a longitudinally central portion of the body. Similarly, it can be advantageous to form a portion of the body 4 from a shorter length of sheet material where a less densely packed arrangement of sheet material is desired. For instance, where an object is embedded in the body 4, it may be desirable to apply less crimping to the sheet material 14 forming the longitudinal portion of the body where the object is embedded, in order to have a lower density of sheet material 14 around the embedded object. Such an arrangement may advantageously prevent that longitudinal portion of the body from having an undesirably high pressure drop.

The level of crimping applied to the sheet material can contribute to the hardness of the body formed from said sheet material. Advantageously, the hardness of the body of material may be varied along its length by varying the crimp factor applied to the sheet material 14 from which it is formed. For instance, a portion of the body of material formed from sheet material having a higher level of crimping may have a hardness of around 88% to 92%. A portion of the body of material having a hardness of between 88% and 92% may suitably be formed at a distal end of the body, so as to improve both the appearance of the body when viewed from that end, and provide improved stability of the longitudinal end portion of the component. Similarly, other portions of the body may be formed from sheet material having a lower level of crimping and have a hardness of at least 80%. In the present example, the average spacing between adjacent ridges of the sheet material 14 is greater than about 0.3 mm. In addition, in the present example, the crimp amplitude is less than about 0.7 mm. The crimp amplitude (also known as “crimping factor”) refers to the depth of the grooves the crimping forms in the sheet material 14 forming the body. That is, crimping the sheet material 14 produces a plurality of peaks and troughs in the sheet material 14 when viewed from a first side of the sheet material 14, as shown in Figure 1B, wherein the crimp amplitude ‘A’ is the depth of the troughs, measured from their peak. The crimping may form a ‘Zig-Zag’ formation or another shape. In some examples, adjacent grooves of the crimped sheet material 14 are spaced by a distance, or have a pitch ‘P’, in the range of 0.3 to 2 mm and, preferably, in the range of 0.4 to 1 mm. In some embodiments, adjacent grooves of the crimped sheet material are spaced by a distance in the range of 0.1 to 3 mm and, preferably, in the range of 0.2 to 2 mm. In some embodiments, adjacent grooves of the crimped sheet material 10 are spaced by a distance of at least 0.1 mm and, preferably, at least, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 or 3 mm. In some embodiments, adjacent grooves of the crimped sheet material are spaced by a distance of at most 3 mm, and preferably, at most, 2.5, 2, 1, 1.5, 0.7, 0.5, 0.2 or 0.1 mm. For instance, the sheet material 14 can have a crimp with a crimp amplitude of less than 500 pm and spacing between peaks (or troughs) of at least 300 pm, at least 400 pm or at least 500 pm.

In some embodiments, the sheet material 14 is heated as it is crimped. For example, the sheet material 14 may be passed between crimping rollers, wherein one or both of the crimping rollers is heated. For example, one or both of the rollers may be heated to a temperature of up to too degrees Celsius, for example 50 degrees Celsius or 60 degrees Celsius. The amount of pressure applied to the sheet material passing between the rollers may also be varied. Heating the roller/s or applying a higher level of pressure to the sheet material can result in a higher level of crimping.

Advantageously, sheet material 14, for instance paper, having the above crimp pitch and/ or amplitude has been found to exhibit improved performance when used in components of aerosol provision systems. In particular, these relatively low levels of crimp pitch and amplitude surprisingly result in a body of material, or portion of a body of material, having a lower pressure drop compared to bodies or portions of bodies formed from sheet material 14 with higher levels of crimping. In any of these examples, the average density of said body of material can be between about 0.1 and about 0.25 mg/mitf. The density of a body of material can be measured by separating said body from an article and surrounding plug wraps and/or tipping paper, and removing any embedded objects, but including any additives added to the sheet material 14. The density may be calculated as a bulk density based on the weight of the sheet material 14 and any additives added to the sheet material 14, and the overall volume occupied by the sheet material 14. For instance, the overall volume of the body of material 4 measured inside the plug wrap 7.

In the present example, the density of the body of material 4 is about 0.19 mg/mm3. In some embodiments, the body 4 has a density of at least 0.1 mg/mitf, 0.12 mg/mitf or 0.15 mg/ mm3. Alternatively or in addition, the body of material 4 can have a density of less than about 0.3 mg/mrtf, less than about 0.25 mg/mitf or less than about 0.22 mg/ mm3. Advantageously, the density of the body of material can be between about

0.15 mg/mm3 and about 0.25 mg/mnA As described above, different portions of the body of material 4 can have different densities, depending on the level of crimping and gathering applied to the sheet material 14 forming that portion. These values include any additives included within the body of material 4. Before being crimped and formed into the body of material, the sheet material 14 can have a density of between about 0.2 and 0.5 mg/mm3, for instance about 0.25, 0.30 or 0.35 mg/mirA

The given dimensions for sheet material 14 refer to the size of the sheet material before crimping or gathering to form a body of material. The dimensions maybe of sheet material 14 may be measured by stretching the sheet material 14 to a point where no visible crimp remains.

In the present example, a lower level of crimping is applied to the sheet material 14 forming the portion of the body of material 4 in which the tubular elements 4a, 4b are embedded, and a higher level of crimping is applied to the sheet material 14 forming the distal end of the body 4.

In some embodiments, the sheet material 14 is crimped to a crimp amplitude of at least 0.1 mm and, preferably, at least 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm or 0.5 mm. In some embodiments, the sheet material 14 is crimped to a crimp amplitude of at most 1 mm, and preferably, at most, 0.8 mm, 0.6 mm, or 0.5 mm.

In some embodiments, the sheet material 14 comprises at least one slit, which extends in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body 4. The at least one slit is positioned such that when the sheet material 14 is assembled into the body 4, the slit allows for the sheet material 14 on a first side (for example, a downstream side) of an object embedded in the body, for instance the second tubular element 4b, to be gathered together such that the slit forms an internal edge in the body 4 which at least partially defines a boundary of the space that contains the embedded object.

The internal edge formed by the slit allows for the sheet material 14 to be gathered together on one side of the embedded object to at least partially, or fully, define a boundary to prevent the object from moving out of a first end of the space in which it is embedded. This improves the positioning of the embedded object within the body 4. In addition, since the sheet material 14 is gathered together, it helps to obscure the embedded object, when viewed from a longitudinal end of the body 4, which may improve the aesthetics of the mouthpiece 2. Advantageously, the slit achieves these benefits without require a separate component, for example, a cellulose acetate plug, to be provided downstream of the embedded object or downstream of the body 4.

The article 1 has a ventilation level of about 75% of the aerosol drawn through the article. In alternative embodiments, the article can have a ventilation level of between 20% and 80% of aerosol drawn through the article, for instance between 65% and 75%. Ventilation at these levels helps to slow down the flow of aerosol drawn through the mouthpiece 2 and thereby enable the aerosol to cool sufficiently before it reaches a downstream end 2b of the mouthpiece 2. The ventilation is provided directly into the mouthpiece 2 of the article 1. In the present example, the ventilation is provided into the tubular portion, which has been found to be particularly beneficial in assisting with the aerosol generation process. The ventilation is provided via first and second parallel rows of ventilation holes 12, in the present case formed as laser perforations, at positions 17.925 mm and 18.625 mm respectively from the downstream, mouth-end 2b of the mouthpiece 2. In the present example, these ventilation holes 12 pass though the tipping paper 5, plug wrap 7 and the second tubular element 4b. In alternative embodiments, the ventilation can be provided into the mouthpiece at other locations. Alternatively, the ventilation can be provided via a single row of ventilation holes, for instance laser perforations, into the portion of the article in which the tubular portion is located. This has been found to result in improved aerosol formation, which is thought to result from the airflow through the ventilation holes being more uniform than with multiple rows of ventilation holes, for a given ventilation level.

Aerosol temperature has been found to generally increase with a drop in the ventilation level. However the relationship between aerosol temperature and ventilation level does not appear to be linear, with variations in ventilation, for instance due to manufacturing tolerances, having less impact at lower target ventilation levels. For instance, with a ventilation tolerance of ±15%, for a target ventilation level of 75%, the aerosol temperature could increase by approximately 6°C at the lower ventilation limit (60% ventilation). However, with a target ventilation level of 60% the aerosol temperature may only increase by approximately 3-5⁰C at the lower vent limit (45% ventilation). The target ventilation level of the article can therefore be within the range 40% to 70%, for instance, 45% to 65%. The mean ventilation level of at least 20 articles can be between 40% and 70%, for instance between 45% and 70% or between 51% and 59%- In some examples, the aerosol generating material 3 described herein is a first aerosol generating material and the first and/ or second tubular element 4a, 4b may include a second aerosol generating material. In one example, the inner wall of tubular element 4a comprises the second aerosol generating material. For example, the second aerosol generating material can be disposed on the inner surface of the tubular element 4a.

The second aerosol generating material comprises at least one aerosol former material, and may also comprise at least one aerosol modifying agent, or other sensate material. The aerosol former material and/ or aerosol modifying agent can be any aerosol former material or aerosol modifying agent as described herein, or a combination thereof.

As the aerosol generated from aerosol generating material 3, referred to herein as the first aerosol, is drawn through the first tubular element 4a of the mouthpiece, heat from the first aerosol may aerosolise the aerosol forming material of the second aerosol generating material, to form a second aerosol. The second aerosol may comprise a flavourant, which may be additional or complementary to the flavour of the first aerosol. Providing a second aerosol generating material on the first or second tubular element 4a, 4b can result in generation of a second aerosol which boosts or complements the flavour or visual appearance of the first aerosol.

In other embodiments, first and second tubular elements 4a, 4b may be embedded in the rod of aerosol generating material. In such embodiments, the tubular elements may be formed from paper as described above, or from reconstituted tobacco sheet. In the present example, the article 1 has an outer circumference of about 21 mm (i.e. the article is in the demi-slim format). Preferably, the article 1 has a rod of aerosol generating material having a circumference greater than 19mm. This has been found to provide a sufficient circumference to generate an improved and sustained aerosol over a usual aerosol generation session preferred by consumers. As the article is heated, heat transfers through the rod of aerosol generating material 3 to volatise components of the rod, and circumferences greater than 19mm have been found to be particularly effective at producing an aerosol in this way. Since the article is to be heated to release an aerosol, improved heating efficiency can be achieved using articles having circumferences of less than about 23mm. To achieve improved aerosol via heating, while maintaining a suitable product length, rod circumferences of greater than 19mm and less than 23mm are preferable. In some examples, the rod circumference can be between 20mm and 22mm, which has been found to provide a good balance between providing effective aerosol delivery while allowing for efficient heating. The outer circumference of the mouthpiece 2 is substantially the same as the outer circumference of the rod of aerosol generating material 3, such that there is a smooth transition between these components. In the present example, the outer circumference of the mouthpiece 2 is about 20.8mm. In some examples, the tipping paper 5 comprises citrate, such as sodium citrate or potassium citrate. In such examples, the tipping paper 5 may have a citrate content of 2% by weight or less, or 1% by weight or less. Reducing the citrate content of the tipping paper 5 is thought to assist with reducing the charring effect which may occur during use. In the present example, the tipping paper 5 extends 5 mm over the rod of aerosol generating material 3 but it can alternatively extend between 3 mm and 10 mm over the rod 3, or more preferably between 4 mm and 6 mm, to provide a secure attachment between the mouthpiece 2 and rod 3. The tipping paper 5 can have a basis weight which is higher than the basis weight of plug wraps used in the article 1, for instance a basis weight of 40 gsm to 80 gsm, more preferably between 50 gsm and 70 gsm, and in the present example 58 gsm. These ranges of basis weights have been found to result in tipping papers having acceptable tensile strength while being flexible enough to wrap around the article 1 and adhere to itself along a longitudinal lap seam on the paper. The outer circumference of the tipping paper 5, once wrapped around the mouthpiece 2, is about 21mm.

In some embodiments, the first plug wrap 7 has a basis weight of less than 50 gsm, more preferably between about 20 gsm and 40 gsm. However, it should be recognised that the basis weight of the first plug wrap 7 may be higher to increase the hardness of the mouthpiece. For instance, the basis weight of the first plug wrap 7 may be at least 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 or too gsm. In some embodiments, the basis weight of the first plug wrap 7 is in the range of 50 to 110 gsm, or in the range of 60 to too gsm. In some embodiments, the first plug wrap 7 has a basis weight or at least 20 gsm or at least 30 gsm.

In some embodiments, the first plug wrap 7 has a basis weight of at most 120, 110 or too gsm.

In some embodiments, the first plug wrap 7 has a basis weight in the range of 20 to 120 gsm and, preferably, in the range of 30 to too gsm.

Preferably, the first plug wrap 7 has a thickness of between 30 pm and 60 pm, more preferably between 35 pm and 45 pm. However, it should be recognised that the thickness weight of the first plug wrap 7 may be higher to increase the hardness of the mouthpiece. In some embodiments, for example, the thickness of the first plug wrap 7 maybe at least 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 or too microns. In some embodiments, the thickness of the first plug wrap 7 is in the range of 40 to 120 microns, or in the range of 50 to too microns. Preferably, the first plug wrap 7 is a non-porous plug wrap, for instance having a permeability of less than 100 Coresta units, for instance less than 50 Coresta units. However, in other embodiments, the first plug wrap 7 can be a porous plug wrap, for instance having a permeability of greater than 200 Coresta Units.

The pressure drop or difference (also referred to a resistance to draw) across the mouthpiece, for instance the part of the article 1 downstream of the aerosol generating material 3, is preferably less than about 4ommH₂O. Such pressure drops have been found to allow sufficient aerosol, including desirable compounds such as flavour compounds, to pass through the mouthpiece 2 to the consumer. More preferably, the pressure drop across the mouthpiece 2 is less than about 2ommH₂O. In some embodiments, particularly improved aerosol has been achieved using a mouthpiece 2 having a pressure drop of less than 15 mmH₂0, for instance about 6 mmH₂0, about 10 mmH₂o or about 14 mmH₂0. Alternatively or additionally, the mouthpiece pressure drop can be at least 3 mmH₂0, preferably at least 4 mmH₂0 and more preferably at least 5 mmH₂0. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece pressure drop can be between about 5 mmH₂0 and 20 mmH₂0 and, preferably, between 5 mmH₂0 and 15 mmH₂0. These values enable the mouthpiece 2 to slow down the aerosol as it passes through the mouthpiece 2 such that the temperature of the aerosol has time to reduce before reaching the downstream end 2b of the mouthpiece 2.

In the present example, the aerosol generating material 3 is wrapped in a wrapper 10.

The wrapper 10 can, for instance, be a paper or paper-backed foil wrapper. In the present example, the wrapper 10 is substantially impermeable to air. In alternative embodiments, the wrapper 10 preferably has a permeability of less than 100 Coresta

Units, more preferably less than 60 Coresta Units. It has been found that low permeability wrappers, for instance having a permeability of less than 100 Coresta Units, more preferably less than 60 Coresta Units, results in an improvement in the aerosol formation in the aerosol generating material 3. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is hypothesised that this is due to reduced loss of aerosol compounds through the wrapper 10. The permeability of the wrapper 10 can be measured in accordance with ISO 2965:2009 concerning the determination of air permeability for materials used as cigarette papers, filter plug wrap and filter joining paper. In the present embodiment, the wrapper 10 comprises aluminium foil. Aluminium foil has been found to be particularly effective at enhancing the formation of aerosol within the aerosol generating material 3. In the present example, the aluminium foil has a metal layer having a thickness of about 6 pm. In the present example, the aluminium foil has a paper backing. However, in alternative arrangements, the aluminium foil can be other thicknesses, for instance between 4 pm and 16 pm in thickness. The aluminium foil also need not have a paper backing, but could have a backing formed from other materials, for instance to help provide an appropriate tensile strength to the foil, or it could have no backing material. Metallic layers or foils other than aluminium can also be used. The total thickness of the wrapper is preferably between 20 pm and 60 pm, more preferably between 30 pm and 50 pm, which can provide a wrapper having appropriate structural integrity and heat transfer characteristics. The tensile force which can be applied to the wrapper before it breaks can be greater than 3,000 grams force, for instance between 3,000 and 10,000 grams force or between 3,000 and 4,500 grams force. In some examples, the wrapper 10 surrounding the aerosol generating material 3 has a high level of permeability, for example greater than about 1000 Coresta Units, or greater than about 1500 Coresta Units, or greater than about 2000 Coresta Units. The permeability of the wrapper 10 can be measured in accordance with ISO 2965:2009 concerning the determination of air permeability for materials used as cigarette papers, filter plug wrap and filter joining paper.

The wrapper 10 may be formed from a material with a high inherent level of permeability, an inherently porous material, or may be formed from a material with any level of inherent permeability where the final level of permeability is achieved by providing the wrapper 10 with a permeable zone or area. Providing a permeable wrapper 10 provides a route for air to enter the article. The wrapper 10 can be provided with a permeability such that the amount of air entering through the rod of aerosol generating material is relatively more than the amount of air entering the article through the ventilation holes 12 in the mouthpiece. An article having this arrangement may produce a more flavoursome aerosol which may be more satisfactory to the user.

In the present example, the aerosol-former material added to the aerosol generating substrate 3 comprises 14% by weight of the aerosol generating substrate 3. Preferably, the aerosol-former material comprises at least 5% by weight of the aerosol generating substrate, more preferably at least 10%. Preferably, the aerosol-former material comprises less than 25% by weight of the aerosol generating substrate, more preferably less than 20%, for instance between 10% and 20%, between 12% and 18% or between 13% and 16%.

Preferably the aerosol generating material 3 is provided as a cylindrical rod of aerosol generating material. Irrespective of the form of the aerosol generating material, it preferably has a length of about 10 mm to too mm. In some embodiments, the length of the aerosol generating material is preferably in the range about 25 mm to 50 mm, more preferably in the range about 30 mm to 45 mm, and still more preferably about 30 mm to 40 mm.

In some examples, the article 1 may be configured such that there is a separation (i.e. a minimum distance) between a heater of the non-combustible aerosol provision device too and the first tubular element 4a. This prevents heat from the heater from damaging the material forming the first tubular element 4a.

The minimum distance between a heater of the non-combustible aerosol provision device too and the first tubular element 4a may be 3 mm or greater. In some examples, minimum distance between the heater of the non-combustible aerosol provision device too and the first tubular element 4a may be in the range 3 mm to 10 mm, for example 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm or 10 mm.

The separation between the heater of the non-combustible aerosol provision device too and the first tubular element 4a may be achieved by, for example, adjusting the length of the rod of aerosol generating material 3.

The volume of aerosol generating material 3 provided can vary from about 200 mm3 to about 4300 mm3, preferably from about 500 mm3 to 1500 mm3, more preferably from about 1000 mm3 to about 1300 mm3. The provision of these volumes of aerosol generating material, for instance from about 1000 mm3 to about 1300 mm3, has been advantageously shown to achieve a superior aerosol, having a greater visibility and sensory performance compared to that achieved with volumes selected from the lower end of the range.

The mass of aerosol generating material 3 provided can be greater than 200 mg, for instance from about 200 mg to 400 mg, preferably from about 230 mg to 360 mg, more preferably from about 250 mg to 360 mg. It has been advantageously found that providing a higher mass of aerosol generating material results in improved sensory performance compared to aerosol generated from a lower mass of tobacco material.

Preferably the aerosol generating material or substrate is formed from tobacco material as described herein, which includes a tobacco component.

In the tobacco material described herein, the tobacco component preferably contains paper reconstituted tobacco. The tobacco component may also contain leaf tobacco, extruded tobacco, and/or bandcast tobacco.

The aerosol generating material 3 can comprise reconstituted tobacco material having a density of less than about 700 milligrams per cubic centimetre (mg/cc). Such tobacco material has been found to be particularly effective at providing an aerosol generating material which can be heated quickly to release an aerosol, as compared to denser materials. For instance, the inventors tested the properties of various aerosol generating materials, such as bandcast reconstituted tobacco material and paper reconstituted tobacco material, when heated. It was found that, for each given aerosol generating material, there is a particular zero heat flow temperature below which net heat flow is endothermic, in other words more heat enters the material than leaves the material, and above which net heat flow is exothermic, in other words more heat leaves the material than enters the material, while heat is applied to the material. Materials having a density less than 700 mg/ cc had a lower zero heat flow temperature. Since a significant portion of the heat flow out of the material is via the formation of aerosol, having a lower zero heat flow temperature has a beneficial effect on the time it takes to first release aerosol from the aerosol generating material. For instance, aerosol generating materials having a density of less than 700 mg/cc were found to have a zero heat flow temperature of less than 164°C, as compared to materials with a density over 700 mg/ cc, which had zero heat flow temperatures greater than 164°C. The density of the aerosol generating material also has an impact on the speed at which heat conducts through the material, with lower densities, for instance those below 700 mg/ cc, conducting heat more slowly through the material, and therefore enabling a more sustained release of aerosol. Preferably, the aerosol generating material 3 comprises reconstituted tobacco material having a density of less than about 700 mg/cc, for instance paper reconstituted tobacco material. More preferably, the aerosol generating material 3 comprises reconstituted tobacco material having a density of less than about 600 mg/cc. Alternatively or in addition, the aerosol generating material 3 preferably comprises reconstituted tobacco material having a density of at least 350 mg/cc, which is considered to allow for a sufficient amount of heat conduction through the material.

The tobacco material maybe provided in the form of cut rag tobacco. The cut rag tobacco can have a cut width of at least 15 cuts per inch (about 5.9 cuts per cm, equivalent to a cut width of about 1.7mm). Preferably, the cut rag tobacco has a cut width of at least 18 cuts per inch (about 7.1 cuts per cm, equivalent to a cut width of about 1.4mm), more preferably at least 20 cuts per inch (about 7.9 cuts per cm, equivalent to a cut width of about 1.27mm). In one example, the cut rag tobacco has a cut width of 22 cuts per inch (about 8.7 cuts per cm, equivalent to a cut width of about 1.15mm). Preferably, the cut rag tobacco has a cut width at or below 40 cuts per inch (about 15.7 cuts per cm, equivalent to a cut width of about 0.64mm). Cut widths between 0.5 mm and 2.0 mm, for instance between 0.6 mm and 1.5 mm, or between 0.6 mm and 1.7mm have been found to result in tobacco material which is preferably in terms of surface area to volume ratio, particularly when heated, and the overall density and pressure drop of the substrate 3. The cut rag tobacco can be formed from a mixture of forms of tobacco material, for instance a mixture of one or more of paper reconstituted tobacco, leaf tobacco, extruded tobacco and bandcast tobacco. Preferably the tobacco material comprises paper reconstituted tobacco or a mixture of paper reconstituted tobacco and leaf tobacco. In the tobacco material described herein, the tobacco material may contain a filler component. The filler component is generally a non-tobacco component, that is, a component that does not include ingredients originating from tobacco. The filler component may be a non-tobacco fibre such as wood fibre or pulp or wheat fibre. The filler component may also be an inorganic material such as chalk, perlite, vermiculite, diatomaceous earth, colloidal silica, magnesium oxide, magnesium sulphate, magnesium carbonate. The filler component may also be a non-tobacco cast material or a non-tobacco extruded material. The filler component maybe present in an amount of o to 20% by weight of the tobacco material, or in an amount of from 1 to 10% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, the filler component is absent. In the tobacco material described herein, the tobacco material contains an aerosolformer material. In this context, an "aerosol-former material" is an agent that promotes the generation of an aerosol. An aerosol-former material may promote the generation of an aerosol by promoting an initial vaporisation and/ or the condensation of a gas to an inhalable solid and/ or liquid aerosol. In some embodiments, an aerosol-former material may improve the delivery of flavour from the aerosol generating material. In general, any suitable aerosol-former material or agents may be included in the aerosol generating material of the invention, including those described herein. Other suitable aerosol-former materials include, but are not limited to: a polyol such as sorbitol, glycerol, and glycols like propylene glycol or triethylene glycol; a non-polyol such as monohydric alcohols, high boiling point hydrocarbons, acids such as lactic acid, glycerol derivatives, esters such as diacetin, triacetin, triethylene glycol diacetate, triethyl citrate or myristates including ethyl myristate and isopropyl myristate and aliphatic carboxylic acid esters such as methyl stearate, dimethyl dodecanedioate and dimethyl tetradecanedioate. In some embodiments, the aerosol-former material may be glycerol, propylene glycol, or a mixture of glycerol and propylene glycol. Glycerol may be present in an amount of from 10 to 20 % by weight of the tobacco material, for example 13 to 16 % by weight of the composition, or about 14% or 15% by weight of the composition. Propylene glycol, if present, maybe present in an amount of from 0.1 to 0.3% by weight of the composition.

The aerosol-former material may be included in any component, for example any tobacco component, of the tobacco material, and/ or in the filler component, if present. Alternatively or additionally the aerosol-former material may be added to the tobacco material separately. In either case, the total amount of the aerosol-former material in the tobacco material can be as defined herein.

The tobacco material can contain between 10% and 90% by weight tobacco leaf, wherein the aerosol-former material is provided in an amount of up to about 10% by weight of the leaf tobacco. To achieve an overall level of aerosol-former material between 10% and 20% by weight of the tobacco material, it has been advantageously found that this can be added in higher weight percentages to the another component of the tobacco material, such as reconstituted tobacco material. The tobacco material described herein contains nicotine. The nicotine content is from 0.5 to 1.75% by weight of the tobacco material, and maybe, for example, from 0.8 to 1.5% by weight of the tobacco material. Additionally or alternatively, the tobacco material contains between 10% and 90% by weight tobacco leaf having a nicotine content of greater than 1.5% by weight of the tobacco leaf. It has been advantageously found that using a tobacco leaf with nicotine content higher than 1.5% in combination with a lower nicotine base material, such as paper reconstituted tobacco, provides a tobacco material with an appropriate nicotine level but better sensory performance than the use of paper reconstituted tobacco alone. The tobacco leaf, for instance cut rag tobacco, can, for instance, have a nicotine content of between 1.5% and 5% by weight of the tobacco leaf.

The tobacco material described herein can contain an aerosol modifying agent, such as any of the flavours described herein. In one embodiment, the tobacco material contains menthol, forming a mentholated article. The tobacco material can comprise from 3mg to 2omg of menthol, preferably between 5mg and i8mg and more preferably between 8mg and i6mg of menthol. In the present example, the tobacco material comprises i6mg of menthol. The tobacco material can contain between 2% and 8% by weight of menthol, preferably between 3% and 7% by weight of menthol and more preferably between 4% and 5.5% by weight of menthol. In one embodiment, the tobacco material includes 4.7% by weight of menthol. Such high levels of menthol loading can be achieved using a high percentage of reconstituted tobacco material, for instance greater than 50% of the tobacco material by weight. Alternatively or additionally, the use of a high volume of aerosol generating material, for instance tobacco material, can increase the level of menthol loading that can be achieved, for instance where greater than about 500 mm3 _or suitably more than about 1000 mm3 _of aerosol generating material, such as tobacco material, are used.

In the compositions described herein, where amounts are given in % by weight, for the avoidance of doubt this refers to a dry weight basis, unless specifically indicated to the contrary. Thus, any water that maybe present in the tobacco material, or in any component thereof, is entirely disregarded for the purposes of the determination of the weight %. The water content of the tobacco material described herein may vary and may be, for example, from 5 to 15% by weight. The water content of the tobacco material described herein may vary according to, for example, the temperature, pressure and humidity conditions at which the compositions are maintained. The water content can be determined by Karl-Fisher analysis, as known to those skilled in the art.

On the other hand, for the avoidance of doubt, even when the aerosol-former material is a component that is in liquid phase, such as glycerol or propylene glycol, any component other than water is included in the weight of the tobacco material. However, when the aerosol-former material is provided in the tobacco component of the tobacco material, or in the filler component (if present) of the tobacco material, instead of or in addition to being added separately to the tobacco material, the aerosol-former material is not included in the weight of the tobacco component or filler component, but is included in the weight of the "aerosol-former material" in the weight % as defined herein. All other ingredients present in the tobacco component are included in the weight of the tobacco component, even if of non-tobacco origin (for example non- tobacco fibres in the case of paper reconstituted tobacco).

In an embodiment, the tobacco material comprises the tobacco component as defined herein and the aerosol-former material as defined herein. In an embodiment, the tobacco material consists essentially of the tobacco component as defined herein and the aerosol-former material as defined herein. In an embodiment, the tobacco material consists of the tobacco component as defined herein and the aerosol-former material as defined herein.

Paper reconstituted tobacco is present in the tobacco component of the tobacco material described herein in an amount of from 10% to 100% by weight of the tobacco component. In embodiments, the paper reconstituted tobacco is present in an amount of from 10% to 80% by weight, or 20% to 70% by weight, of the tobacco component. In a further embodiment, the tobacco component consists essentially of, or consists of, paper reconstituted tobacco. In preferred embodiments, leaf tobacco is present in the tobacco component of the tobacco material in an amount of from at least 10% by weight of the tobacco component. For instance, leaf tobacco can be present in an amount of at least 10% by weight of the tobacco component, while the remainder of the tobacco component comprises paper reconstituted tobacco, bandcast reconstituted tobacco, or a combination of bandcast reconstituted tobacco and another form of tobacco such as tobacco granules.

Paper reconstituted tobacco refers to tobacco material formed by a process in which tobacco feedstock is extracted with a solvent to afford an extract of solubles and a residue comprising fibrous material, and then the extract (usually after concentration, and optionally after further processing) is recombined with fibrous material from the residue (usually after refining of the fibrous material, and optionally with the addition of a portion of non-tobacco fibres) by deposition of the extract onto the fibrous material. The process of recombination resembles the process for making paper.

The paper reconstituted tobacco may be any type of paper reconstituted tobacco that is known in the art. In a particular embodiment, the paper reconstituted tobacco is made from a feedstock comprising one or more of tobacco strips, tobacco stems, and whole leaf tobacco. In a further embodiment, the paper reconstituted tobacco is made from a feedstock consisting of tobacco strips and/or whole leaf tobacco, and tobacco stems. However, in other embodiments, scraps, fines and winnowings can alternatively or additionally be employed in the feedstock.

The paper reconstituted tobacco for use in the tobacco material described herein may be prepared by methods which are known to those skilled in the art for preparing paper reconstituted tobacco.

Figure 2 is a side-on cross-sectional view of a further article 1’, including mouthpiece 2’ including body of material 4’. The mouthpiece 2’ is substantially the same as mouthpiece 2 described above, except that the first tubular element 4a’ is provided at the upstream end of the body of material 4’, and separated from the second tubular element 4b’ by a gap which is filled by the material forming the body 4’, the second tubular element 4b’ being provided at the downstream end of the body 4’.

In the present example, the first tubular element 4a’ and the second tubular element 4b’ are separated by a gap of 10 mm. Alternatively, the first and second tubular elements 4a’, 4b’ are separated by a gap of other distances, for example between 5 mm and 15 mm, or between 6 mm and 12 mm, or about 6 mm, about 7mm, about 8 mm, or about 9 mm. The body of material 4’ extends into the gap. In the present example, the material forming the body of material 4’ extends across the full width of the body of material 4’ in the gap between the first and second tubular elements 4a’, 4b’. In the present example, the sheet material 14 forming the body 4’ comprises two slits, positioned at the downstream and upstream ends of the first and second tubular elements 4a’, 4b’ respectively. The slits are positioned such that when the sheet material 14 is assembled into the body 4’, the slits free the sheet material 14 between the slits to extend into the gap between the first and second tubular elements 4a’, 4b’ to allow the central portion of the body of material 4’ to extend fully across the gap between the two tubular elements. In the present example, the first tubular element 4a’ provides a tubular portion as described above, which acts as a cavity for aerosol cooling. In the present example, the first tubular element 4a’ has a length of about 15 mm. Alternatively, the first tubular element 4a’ may have a length as described above for the tubular portion.

The second tubular element 4b’ is embedded in the body of material 4’ at the downstream end of the body of material 4’ and extends to a longitudinal end of the body 4’. Providing a tubular element at this position has advantageously been found to significantly reduce the temperature of the outer surface of the mouthpiece 2’ at the downstream end 2b of the mouthpiece which comes into contact with a consumer’s mouth when the article 1’ is in use. In addition, the use of the tubular portion has also been found to significantly reduce the temperature of the outer surface of the mouthpiece 2’ even upstream of the tubular portion. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is hypothesised that this is due to the tubular portion channelling aerosol closer to the centre of the mouthpiece 2’, and therefore reducing the transfer of heat from the aerosol to the outer surface of the mouthpiece 2’. In addition, the body of material 4’ filling the gap between the first tubular element 4a’ and the second tubular element 4b’ has been found to remove moisture from aerosol generated by the aerosol generating material 3 as the aerosol passes through the body of material 4’ of the mouthpiece 2, which makes the aerosol feel cooler in the user’s mouth.

Forming a mouthpiece including the body of material 4’ comprising first and second tubular elements 4a’, 4b’ embedded at opposite ends of the body of material 4’ advantageously results in a mouthpiece having a recessed mouth end and a cavity for aerosol cooling at the upstream end of the mouthpiece, surrounded by fewer thicknesses of plug wrap than would typically be required for such a construction, since both cavities are provided by tubular elements embedded within the same body of material, removing the need for separate plug wraps for different components and a combining wrap. As well as simplifying the manufacture of the mouthpiece by reducing the number of components, it can be easier to form ventilation apertures into the body of material 4’ at the desired position, since there are fewer thicknesses of plug wrap to perforate. In the present example, the second tubular element 4b’ has a greater wall thickness than the first tubular element 4a’, and the second tubular element 4b’ is shorter than the first tubular element 4a’, such that the cavity at the mouth end 2b of the mouthpiece provided by the second tubular element 4b’ is smaller than the cavity formed by the tubular element 4a’. In other examples, the wall thickness of the first tubular element 4a’ may be greater than the wall thickness of the second tubular element 4b’. Advantageously, selecting a different wall thickness, internal diameter and/or length for the first and second tubular elements 4a’, 4b’ respectively allows the cavities provided at either end of the body of material 4’ to be optimised for aerosol cooling and/ or channelling of the aerosol through the mouthpiece, as desired based on their position in the mouthpiece.

Preferably, the length of the second tubular element 4b’ is less than about 20 mm. More preferably, the length of the second tubular element 4b’ is less than about 15 mm. Still more preferably, the length of the second tubular element 4b’ is less than about 10 mm. In addition, or as an alternative, the length of the second tubular element 4b’ is at least about 5 mm. Preferably, the length of the second tubular element 4b’ is at least about 6 mm. In some preferred embodiments, the length of the second tubular element 4b’ is from about 5 mm to about 20 mm, more preferably from about 6 mm to about 10 mm, even more preferably from about 6 mm to about 8 mm, most preferably about 6 mm, 7 mm or about 8 mm. In the present example, the length of the second tubular element 4b’ is 6 mm.

In the present example, each of the first and second tubular elements 4a’, 4b’ has the same external diameter, and is surrounded by the same thickness of body of material 4’. As described above, different levels of crimping can be applied to the sheet material 14 forming different portions of the body of material 4’. In the present example, a higher level of crimping is applied to the sheet material forming the mouth-end portion of the body 4’ in which the second tubular element 4b’ is embedded compared to the level of crimping applied to the sheet material 14 forming the portion of the body 4’ in which the first tubular element 4a’ is embedded, and to the sheet material 14 filling the gap in between the first and second tubular elements 4a’, 4b’. Advantageously, applying a higher level of crimping to the sheet material 14 around the second tubular element 4b’ can result in a more desirable firmness of the mouthpiece at the mouth-end 2b, and improved appearance when viewed from the mouth-end of the mouthpiece. Figure 3 is a side-on cross-sectional view of a further article 1”, including mouthpiece 2” including body of material 4”. In the present example, the body of material 4” does not extend substantially beyond the second tubular element 4b. The mouthpiece 2” in the present example, includes a second body of material 6 downstream of the first body of material 4”, in this example adjacent to and in an abutting relationship with the first body of material 4”. The first and second bodies of material 4”, 6 each define a substantially cylindrical overall outer shape and share a common longitudinal axis. In the present example, the same level of crimping is applied to the entire sheet material 14 forming the body of material 4”.

The second body of material 6 is formed from sheet material, as described in relation to the first body of material 4. The second body of material 6 may be formed from the same sheet material 14 as first body of material 4, or a sheet material having a different composition or other properties, such as crimping level. In some examples, the second body of material 6 may have the same density as the first body of material 4

Preferably, the length of the second body of material 6 is less than about 20 mm. In the present example, the length of the second body of material 6 is 16 mm. In some embodiments, the axial length of the second body of material 6 is in the range of 10 to 20 mm.

In some embodiments, an aerosol-former material is applied to the second body of material 6. For example, the aerosol-former material may be applied to the sheet material prior to the sheet material being folded to form the second body of material 6.

The aerosol-former material may be sprayed on to the sheet material or applied by a brush or by dipping the sheet material in aerosol-former material.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-former material may comprise one or more of glycerine, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate. In some embodiments, at least 0.02 mg of aerosol-former material is applied to the second body of material per 1 mm axial length of the second body of material 6.

Preferably, at least 0.03, 0.04 or 0.05 mg of aerosol-former material is applied to the second body of material per 1 mm axial length of the body of material.

In some embodiments, 0.5 mg or less of aerosol-former material is applied to the second body of material 6 per 1 mm axial length of the body of material. Preferably, 0.4 mg or less, 0.3 mg or less, 0.2 mg or less, or 0.1 mg or less of aerosol-former material is applied to the second body of material 6 per 1 mm axial length of the body of material.

At least some of the aerosol-former material is combined with the aerosol as it passes through the second body of material 6 and helps to make the aerosol feel less dry within the user’s mouth. In some embodiments, the second body of material 6 has an outer volume of at least 115 mm3, in the present example, the second body of material 6 is generally cylindrical and thus has a generally cylindrical outer volume. It should be recognised that in other embodiments the second body of material 6 may have an outer volume that is smaller than 115 mm3.

It has been found that a second body of material 6 comprising cellulose and having a volume of at least H5mm3 helps to remove moisture from aerosol generated by the aerosol generating material 3 as the aerosol passes through the second body of material 6 of the mouthpiece 2”. That is, the cellulose containing sheet material forming the second body of material 6 absorbs water from the aerosol. Removing moisture from the aerosol makes the aerosol feel cooler in the user’s mouth.

In other examples described herein, the body of material 4, 4’ extends beyond the first tubular element 4a and a portion of the body of material 4, 4’ extends across the full width of the body 4, 4’. In these examples, aerosol-former may be applied to said portion of the body 4, 4’ as described above for the second body of material 6. In these examples, said portion can provide the above described function of the body of material 6 without the need for a separate body of material to be provided. The second body of material is circumscribed by a second plug wrap 8. The second plug wrap 8 may have any specification as set out for plug wrap 7. In some embodiments, the second body of material 6 has a volume of at least 19 mm3 per mm axial length of the body of material and, preferably, at least 25 mm3 per mm axial length or at least 30 mm3 per mm. For instance, if the second body of material 6 has a volume of 19 mm³ per mm axial length, and a length of 10 mm, then the volume of the body of material would be 190 mm³.

A larger volume of second body of material 6 will generally be more effective at removing moisture from the aerosol. In some examples, the outer volume of the body of material 6 is at least 200, at least 300, at least 400, at least 500, at least 600, at least 700, at least 800, at least 900 or at least 1000 mm³.

In some embodiments, the axial length of the second body of material 6 is at least 4 mm, at least 5 mm, at least 6 mm, at least 7 mm, at least 8 mm, at least 9 mm, or at least 10 mm.

In some embodiments, the axial length of the second body of material 6 is in the range of about 5 to 20 mm and, preferably, 6 to 15 mm and, preferably, 6 to 10 mm. In some embodiments, the width of the second body of material 6 is at least 4 mm, at least 5 mm, at least 6 mm, at least 7 mm, at least 8 mm or at least 9 mm.

In some embodiments, the circumference of the second body of material 6 is at least 16 mm, at least 18 mm, at least 20 mm, at least 22 mm, at least 25 mm or at least 28 mm.

In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the second body of material 6 is at least 2 WGmm and, preferably, at least 3 mmWG and, preferably, at least 4 mmWG. The pressure drop across the body of material maybe at least 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11 mmWG.

In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the second body of material 6 is less than 20 mmWG and, probably, less than 16 mmWG and, preferably, less than 15, 14, 13 or 12 mmWG. In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the second body of material 6 is about 4.4, 8.1 or 11.9 mmWG. In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the second body of material 6 is in the range of 3 to 15 mmWG and, preferably, in the range of 4 to 12 mmWG. In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the second body of material 6 is at least 0.2 mmWG per mm axial length of the second body of material 6 and, preferably, at least 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0 or 1.1 mmWG per mm axial length of the second body of material 6. In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the second body of material 6 is less than 2 mmWG per mm axial length of the second body of material 6 and, preferably is less than 1.6, 1.5, 1.4, 1.3 or 1.2 mmWG per mm axial length of the second body of material 6. In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the second body of material 6 is in the range of 0.3 to 1.5 mmWG per mm axial length of the second body of material 6 and, preferably, is in the range of 0.4 to 1.2 mmWG per mm axial length of the second body of material 6. In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the second body of material 6 is at least 2 mmWG and, preferably, at least 3 mmWG and, preferably, at least 4 mmWG, at least 6 mmWG, at least 8 mmWG, at least 10 mmWG or at least 11 mmWG, or at least 12 mmWG, or at least 15 mmWG, or at least 20 mmWG or at least 23 mmWG. In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the second body of material 6 is less than 25 mmWG and, preferably, less than 23 mmWG, less than 20 mmWG, less than 15 mmWG, less than 14 mmWG and, preferably, less than 12 mmWG or less than 10 mmWG. In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the second body of material 6 is in the range of 10 to 25 mmWG and, preferably, is in the range of 12 to 23 mmWG or 13 to 20 mmWG.

In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the second body of material 6 is at least 0.2 mmWG per mm axial length of the body of material and, preferably, at least 0.3, 0.4, 0.6, or 0.8 mmWG per mm axial length of the body of material and, preferably, is at least 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.5, 2 or 2.33 mmWG per mm axil length of the body of material.

In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the second body of material 6 is less than 2.5 mmWG per mm axial length of the body of material and, preferably, is less than 2.3, 2, 1.5, 1.4, 1.2 or 1 mmWG per mm axial length of the second body of material.

In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the second body of material 6 is in the range of 1 to 2.5 mmWG per mm axial length of the second body of material and, preferably, is in the range of 1.2 to 2.3 or 1.3 to 2 mmWG per mm axial length of the second body of material.

In some embodiments having any of the above mentioned pressure drop values, the second body of material 6 has an axial length of about 10 mm.

In some of the embodiments, the mass of the second body of material 6 is at least 20 mg and, preferably, at least 30 mg, at least 40 mg, at least 50 mg, at least 55 mg, or at least 60 mg. It has been advantageously found that providing a higher mass of the second body of material 6 increases the amount of moisture that is absorbed form the aerosol. In the present example, the mass of the second body of material is about 44 mg.

In some of the embodiments, the mass of the second body of material 6 is less than 150 mg and, preferably, less than too mg, less than 75 mg, less than 55 mg, less than 50 mg or less than 45 mg.

In some embodiments, the second body of material 6 has a weight of at least 2 mg per mm axial length of the body of material and, preferably, at least 3 mg per mm axial length or at least 4 mg per mm axial length.

In the present example, the second body of material 6 has a weight of about 4.4 mg per mm. That is, if the body of material 6 has an axial length of 10 mm, as in the present example, then the mass would be about 44 mg. In some embodiments, the second body of material 6 is a solid cylindrical body of material. In the present example, the first and second bodies of material 4,6 are combined using a third plug wrap 9 which is wrapped around both sections. A tipping paper 5 is wrapped around the full length of the mouthpiece 2 and over part of the rod of aerosol generating material 3 and has an adhesive on its inner surface to connect the mouthpiece 2 and rod 3.

Preferably, the third plug wrap 9 has a basis weight of less than 50 gsm, more preferably between about 20 gsm and 45 gsm. However, it should be recognised that the basis weight of the third plug wrap 9 may be higher to increase the hardness of the mouthpiece. For instance, the basis weight of the third plug wrap 9 may be at least 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 or too gsm. In some embodiments, the basis weight of the third plug wrap 9 is in the range of 50 to 110 gsm, or in the range of 60 to too gsm. In some embodiments, the third plug wrap 9 has a basis weight of at least 10 gsm or at least 15 gsm or at least 20 gsm or at least 25 gsm.

In some embodiments, the third plug wrap 9 has a basis weight of less than 40, less than 35 or less than 30 gsm.

In some embodiments, the third plug wrap 9 has a basis weight in the range of 10 to 40 gsm and, preferably, in the range of 15 to 35 gsm, or in the range of 20 to 30 gsm, or in the range of 25 to 30 gsm. In some embodiments, the basis weight of the third plug wrap 9 is about 27 gsm.

Preferably, the third plug wrap 9 has a thickness of between 30 pm and 60 pm, more preferably between 35 pm and 45 pm. However, it should be recognised that the thickness weight of the third plug wrap 9 may be higher to increase the hardness of the mouthpiece. In some embodiments, for example, the thickness of the third plug wrap 9 maybe at least 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 or too microns. In some embodiments, the thickness of the third plug wrap 9 is in the range of 40 to 120 microns, or in the range of 50 to too microns.

The third plug wrap 9 is preferably a non-porous plug wrap having a permeability of less than too Coresta Units, for instance less than 50 Coresta Units. However, in alternative embodiments, the third plug wrap 9 can be a porous plug wrap, for instance having a permeability of greater than 200 Coresta Units.

In the present example, the second body of material 6 forms the mouth end of the component. Alternatively, a further section may be provided downstream of the second body of material 6.

Figure 4 is a side-on cross sectional view of a further article 1”’, comprising a mouthpiece 2”’. The mouthpiece 2”’ comprises a first body of material 4”’ at the mouth end of the mouthpiece, in which first and second tubular elements 4a”, 4b” are embedded. The first body of material 4”’ and first and second tubular elements 4a”, 4b” are substantially the same as the first body of material 4 and first and second tubular elements 4a, 4b except for being configured for provision at the mouth end of the mouthpiece. As described above, it can be desirable to apply a higher level of crimping to the sheet material forming a body of material or a portion of a body of material which is visible from the mouth end of the mouthpiece, so that the body of material has a desired appearance when viewed from the mouth end.

In the present example, a level of crimping is applied to the body of material 4”’ surrounding the first and second tubular elements 4a”, 4b” that results in a densely packed arrangement of sheet material around the first and second tubular elements 4a”, 4b”. Advantageously, this can result in a desirable hardness of a portion of the body formed from sheet material having that level of crimping. For example, the hardness of the body of material 4”’ in an area circumferentially surrounding the first and second tubular elements 4a”, 4b” may be more than about 82%.

In the present example, the body of material 4”’ does not extend beyond the ends of first and second tubular elements 4a”, 4b”. Alternatively, in a similar manner to the embodiment described in figure 1, the first body of material 4”’ may extend further than the first tubular element 4a” to form a portion of the body of material 4” upstream of the first tubular element 4a”, which extends across the full width of the first body of material 4”’. In such embodiments, the portion of the first body of material 4”’ which is upstream of the first tubular element 4a” may provide the function of the second body of material 6, and the second body of material 6 may be omitted. In the present example, the first and second tubular elements 4a”, 4b” have the same specification. First and second tubular elements 4a”, 4b” may have any suitable specification as described above in relation to first and second tubular elements 4a, 4b. Preferably, the length of the first body of material 4”’ is less than about 20 mm. More preferably, the length of the first body of material 4”’ is less than about 15 mm. Still more preferably, the length of the first body of material 4”’ is less than about 10 mm. In addition, or as an alternative, the length of the first body of material 4”’ is at least about 5 mm. Preferably, the length of the first body of material 4”’ is at least about 6 mm. In some preferred embodiments, the length of the first body of material 4”’ is from about 5 mm to about 20 mm, more preferably from about 6 mm to about 10 mm, even more preferably from about 6 mm to about 8 mm, most preferably about 6 mm, 7 mm or about 8 mm. In the present example, the length of the first body of material 4”’ is 6 mm. In the present example, each of first and second hollow tubular elements 4a”, 4b” has a length of about 2.5 mm and are separated by a gap of about 1 mm. Alternatively, the first and second tubular elements may be separated by a of between 0.5 mm and 5 mm, for example between 0.75 mm and 1.5 mm, or between 1 mm and 3 mm.

The first and second hollow tubular elements 4a”, 4b” preferably each have an internal diameter of greater than 3.0mm. Smaller diameters than this can result in increasing the velocity of aerosol passing though the mouthpiece 2”’ to the consumers mouth more than is desirable, such that the aerosol becomes too warm, for instance reaching temperatures greater than 4O°C or greater than 45°C. More preferably, first and second hollow tubular elements 4a”, 4b” each have an internal diameter of greater than 3.1 mm, and still more preferably greater than 3.5 mm or 3.6 mm. In one embodiment, the internal diameter of each of the first and second hollow tubular elements 4a”, 4b” is about 3.9 mm.

In the present example, the tubular portion is formed from a hollow tubular element 13. The hollow tubular element 13 may have any suitable specification as set out above for first and second tubular elements 4a, 4b.

Figure 5 is a side-on cross sectional view of a further article 1””, comprising a mouthpiece 2””. The mouthpiece 2”” comprises a first body of material 4”” in which a first tubular element 4a is embedded so as to be longitudinally and circumferentially surrounded by the material forming first body of material 4””. In the present example, the first tubular element 4a is the same as the first tubular element 4a described in relation to figure 1, but provided in a different position. In the present example, the first tubular element 4a is provided in a roughly central position in the body of material 4”” such that the body of material 4”” extends beyond both the upstream and downstream longitudinal ends of the tubular element 4a. As described above, the sheet material forming the body of material can comprise a slit positioned such that when the sheet material 14 is assembled into the body 4, the slit allows for the sheet material 14 on a first side (for example, a downstream side) of an object embedded in the body to be gathered together such that the slit forms an internal edge in the body 4 which at least partially defines a boundary of the space that contains the embedded object. In the present example, the sheet material 14 comprises two slits positioned such that when the sheet material is assembled into the body 4, the slits are adjacent the upstream and downstream ends of the tubular element 4a. Providing said slits in the sheet material 14 positioned at each end of the tubular element 4a frees the sheet material 14 to extend fully across the width of the body of material 4”” without being distorted around the embedded tubular element.

Advantageously, body of material 4”” with tubular element 4a embedded in a position whereby the tubular element is both longitudinally and circumferentially surrounded by the body of material can be provided as the sole filter component of a mouthpiece 2””, since the tubular element and body of material together provide the desired cooling and filtration of the aerosol. Providing body 4”” as the sole filter component of a mouthpiece can advantageously simplify the manufacture of the mouthpiece 2””. According to the present disclosure, an “aerosol provision system” includes both combustible aerosol provision systems and non-combustible aerosol provision systems.

According to the present disclosure, a “combustible” aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is combusted or burned during use in order to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.

In some embodiments, the delivery system is a combustible aerosol provision system, such as a system selected from the group consisting of a cigarette, a cigarillo and a cigar. In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to a component for use in a combustible aerosol provision system, such as a filter, a filter rod, a filter segment, a tobacco rod, a spill, an aerosol-modifying agent release component such as a capsule, a thread, or a bead, or a paper such as a plug wrap, a tipping paper or a cigarette paper.

According to the present disclosure, a “non-combustible” aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is not combusted or burned in order to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.

In some embodiments, the delivery system is a non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a powered non-combustible aerosol provision system.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating material is not a requirement.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an aerosol- generating material heating system, also known as a heat-not-burn system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is a hybrid system to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, one or a plurality of which may be heated. Each of the aerosol-generating materials may be, for example, in the form of a solid, liquid or gel and may or may not contain nicotine.

In some embodiments, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. The solid aerosol-generating material may comprise, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product.

Typically, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise a non- combustible aerosol provision device and a consumable for use with the non- combustible aerosol provision device. In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to consumables comprising aerosolgenerating material and configured to be used with non-combustible aerosol provision devices. These consumables are sometimes referred to as articles throughout the disclosure.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a non- combustible aerosol provision device thereof, may comprise a power source and a controller. The power source may, for example, be an electric power source or an exothermic power source. In some embodiments, the exothermic power source comprises a carbon substrate which may be energised so as to distribute power in the form of heat to an aerosol-generating material or to a heat transfer material in proximity to the exothermic power source.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise an area for receiving the consumable, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a mouthpiece, a filter and/ or an aerosol-modifying agent.

In some embodiments, the consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise aerosol-generating material, an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a filter, a mouthpiece, and/ or an aerosol-modifying agent.

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

The active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active substance may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactives. The active substance may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active substance may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, cannabis or another botanical.

In some embodiments, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin or vitamin B12. As noted herein, the active substance may comprise or be derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof. As used herein, the term "botanical" includes any material derived from plants including, but not limited to, extracts, leaves, bark, fibres, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, husk, shells or the like. Alternatively, the material may comprise an active compound naturally existing in a botanical, obtained synthetically. Example botanicals are tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise, hemp, cocoa, cannabis, fennel, lemongrass, peppermint, spearmint, rooibos, chamomile, flax, ginger, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, licorice (liquorice), matcha, mate, orange skin, papaya, rose, sage, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, clove, cinnamon, coffee, aniseed (anise), basil, bay leaves, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lavender, lemon peel, mint, juniper, elderflower, vanilla, wintergreen, beefsteak plant, curcuma, turmeric, sandalwood, cilantro, bergamot, orange blossom, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, geranium, mulberry, ginseng, theanine, theacrine, maca, ashwagandha, damiana, guarana, chlorophyll, baobab or any combination thereof. The mint maybe chosen from the following mint varieties: Mentha Arventis, Mentha c.v., Mentha niliaca, Mentha piperita, Mentha piperita citrata c.v., Mentha piperita c.v, Mentha spicata crispa, Mentha cardifolia, Memtha longifolia, Mentha suaveolens variegata, Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata c.v. and Mentha suaveolens

In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is tobacco. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa and hemp.

In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from rooibos and fennel.

In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered comprises a flavour. As used herein, the terms "flavour" and "flavourant" refer to materials which, where local regulations permit, maybe used to create a desired taste, aroma or other somatosensorial sensation in a product for adult consumers. They may include naturally occurring flavour materials, botanicals, extracts of botanicals, synthetically obtained materials, or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice (liquorice), hydrangea, eugenol, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, maple, matcha, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed (anise), cinnamon, turmeric, Indian spices, Asian spices, herb, wintergreen, cherry, berry, red berry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, clementine, lemon, lime, tropical fruit, papaya, rhubarb, grape, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruits, Drambuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, aloe vera, cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, khat, naswar, betel, shisha, pine, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange blossom, cherry blossom, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang- ylang, sage, fennel, wasabi, piment, ginger, coriander, coffee, hemp, a mint oil from any species of the genus Mentha, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, lemongrass, rooibos, flax, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, mate, orange skin, rose, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, juniper, elderflower, basil, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, beefsteak plant, curcuma, cilantro, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene), flavour enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site activators or stimulators, sugars and/or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath freshening agents. They maybe imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example, liquid such as an oil, solid such as a powder, or gas.

In some embodiments, the flavour comprises menthol, spearmint and/or peppermint.

In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components of cucumber, blueberry, citrus fruits and/or redberry. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises eugenol. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from tobacco. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from cannabis. In some embodiments, the flavour may comprise a sensate, which is intended to achieve a somatosensorial sensation which are usually chemically induced and perceived by the stimulation of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve), in addition to or in place of aroma or taste nerves, and these may include agents providing heating, cooling, tingling, numbing effect. A suitable heat effect agent may be, but is not limited to, vanillyl ethyl ether and a suitable cooling agent may be, but not limited to eucolyptol, WS-3.

Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. Aerosol-generating material may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain an active substance and/or flavourants. In some embodiments, the aerosolgenerating material may comprise an “amorphous solid”, which may alternatively be referred to as a “monolithic solid” (i.e. non-fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material that may retain some fluid, such as liquid, within it. In some embodiments, the aerosol- generating material may for example comprise from about 50wt%, 6owt% or 70wt% of amorphous solid, to about 90wt%, 95wt% or ioowt% of amorphous solid.

The aerosol-generating material may comprise one or more active substances and/or flavours, one or more aerosol-former materials, and optionally one or more other functional material.

The aerosol-former material may comprise one or more constituents capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol-former material may comprise one or more of glycerine, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate. The one or more other functional materials may comprise one or more of pH regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.

The material may be present on or in a support, to form a substrate. The support may, for example, be or comprise paper, card, paperboard, cardboard, reconstituted material, a plastics material, a ceramic material, a composite material, glass, a metal, or a metal alloy. In some embodiments, the support comprises a susceptor. In some embodiments, the susceptor is embedded within the material. In some alternative embodiments, the susceptor is on one or either side of the material. A consumable is an article comprising or consisting of aerosol-generating material, part or all of which is intended to be consumed during use by a user. A consumable may comprise one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece, a filter and/ or an aerosol-modifying agent. A consumable may also comprise an aerosol generator, such as a heater, that emits heat to cause the aerosol-generating material to generate aerosol in use. The heater may, for example, comprise combustible material, a material heatable by electrical conduction, or a susceptor. A susceptor is a material that is heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The susceptor may be an electrically-conductive material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes induction heating of the heating material. The heating material may be magnetic material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes magnetic hysteresis heating of the heating material. The susceptor may be both electrically-conductive and magnetic, so that the susceptor is heatable by both heating mechanisms. The device that is configured to generate the varying magnetic field is referred to as a magnetic field generator, herein. An aerosol-modifying agent is a substance that is configured to modify the aerosol generated, for example by changing the taste, flavour, acidity or another characteristic of the aerosol. The aerosol-modifying agent maybe provided in an aerosol-modifying agent release component, that is operable to selectively release the aerosol-modifying agent

The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be an additive or a sorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, comprise one or more of a flavourant, a colourant, water, and a carbon adsorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be a solid, a liquid, or a gel. The aerosol-modifying agent maybe in powder, thread or granule form. The aerosol-modifying agent may be free from filtration material. An aerosol generator is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is a heater configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to heat energy, so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator maybe configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.

Articles, for instance those in the shape of rods, are often named according to the product length: “regular” (typically in the range 68 - 75 mm, e.g. from about 68 mm to about 72 mm), “short” or “mini” (68 mm or less), “king size” (typically in the range 75 - 91 mm, e.g. from about 79 mm to about 88 mm), “long” or “super-king” (typically in the range 91 - 105 mm, e.g. from about 94 mm to about 101 mm) and “ultra-long”

(typically in the range from about 110 mm to about 121 mm).

They are also named according to the product circumference: “regular” (about 23 - 25 mm), “wide” (greater than 25 mm), “slim” (about 22 - 23 mm), “demi-slim” (about 19 - 22 mm), “super-slim” (about 16 - 19 mm), and “micro-slim” (less than about 16 mm).

Accordingly, an article in a king-size, super-slim format will, for example, have a length of about 83 mm and a circumference of about 17 mm. Each format may be produced with mouthpieces of different lengths. The mouthpiece length will be from about 30mm to 50 mm. A tipping paper connects the mouthpiece to the aerosol generating material and will usually have a greater length than the mouthpiece, for example from 3 to 10 mm longer, such that the tipping paper covers the mouthpiece and overlaps the aerosol generating material, for instance in the form of a rod of substrate material, to connect the mouthpiece to the rod.

Articles and their aerosol generating materials and mouthpieces described herein can be made in, but are not limited to, any of the above formats. The terms ‘upstream’ and ‘downstream’ used herein are relative terms defined in relation to the direction of mainstream aerosol drawn though an article or device in use. The filamentary tow material described herein can comprise cellulose acetate fibre tow.

The filamentary tow can also be formed using other materials used to form fibres, such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(i-4 butanediol succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(PBAT), starch based materials, cotton, aliphatic polyester materials and polysaccharide polymers or a combination thereof. The filamentary tow may be plasticised with a suitable plasticiser for the tow, such as triacetin where the material is cellulose acetate tow, or the tow may be non-plasticised. The tow can have any suitable specification, such as fibres having a ‘Y’ shaped or other cross section such as ‘X’ shaped, filamentary denier values between 2.5 and 15 denier per filament, for example between 8.0 and 11.0 denier per filament and total denier values of 5,000 to 50,000, for example between 10,000 and 40,000.

As used herein, the term “tobacco material” refers to any material comprising tobacco or derivatives or substitutes thereof. The term “tobacco material” may include one or more of tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes. The tobacco material may comprise one or more of ground tobacco, tobacco fibre, cut tobacco, extruded tobacco, tobacco stem, tobacco lamina, reconstituted tobacco and/or tobacco extract.

Figure 6 shows an example of a non-combustible aerosol provision device 100 for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating medium/material such as the aerosol generating material 3 of any of the articles 1, 1’, 1”, 1’”, 1”” described herein. In broad outline, the device 100 may be used to heat a replaceable article 110 comprising the aerosol generating medium, for instance the articles 1, 1’, 1”, 1’”, 1”” described herein, to generate an aerosol or other inhalable medium which is inhaled by a user of the device 100. The device 100 and replaceable article 110 together form a system.

The device too comprises a housing 102 (in the form of an outer cover) which surrounds and houses various components of the device too. The device too has an opening 104 in one end, through which the article 110 maybe inserted for heating by a heating assembly. In use, the article 110 may be fully or partially inserted into the heating assembly where it may be heated by one or more components of the heater assembly.

When the article 110 is inserted into the device too, the minimum distance between the one or more components of the heater assembly and a tubular body 4a of the article 110 may be in the range 3 mm to 10 mm, for example 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm or 10 mm.

The device too of this example comprises a first end member 106 which comprises a lid 108 which is moveable relative to the first end member 106 to close the opening 104 when no article 110 is in place. In Figure 6, the lid 108 is shown in an open configuration, however the lid 108 may move into a closed configuration. For example, a user may cause the lid 108 to slide in the direction of arrow “B”. The device too may also include a user-operable control element 112, such as a button or switch, which operates the device too when pressed. For example, a user may turn on the device too by operating the switch 112.

The device too may also comprise an electrical component, such as a socket/port 114, which can receive a cable to charge a battery of the device too. For example, the socket 114 may be a charging port, such as a USB charging port.

Figure 7 depicts the device too of Figure 6 with the outer cover 102 removed and without an article 110 present. The device too defines a longitudinal axis 134.

As shown in Figure 7, the first end member 106 is arranged at one end of the device too and a second end member 116 is arranged at an opposite end of the device too. The first and second end members 106, 116 together at least partially define end surfaces of the device too. For example, the bottom surface of the second end member 116 at least partially defines a bottom surface of the device too. Edges of the outer cover 102 may also define a portion of the end surfaces. In this example, the lid 108 also defines a portion of a top surface of the device too.

The end of the device closest to the opening 104 may be known as the proximal end (or mouth end) of the device too because, in use, it is closest to the mouth of the user. In use, a user inserts an article 110 into the opening 104, operates the user control 112 to begin heating the aerosol generating material and draws on the aerosol generated in the device. This causes the aerosol to flow through the device too along a flow path towards the proximal end of the device too. The other end of the device furthest away from the opening 104 may be known as the distal end of the device too because, in use, it is the end furthest away from the mouth of the user. As a user draws on the aerosol generated in the device, the aerosol flows away from the distal end of the device too. The device too further comprises a power source 118. The power source 118 maybe, for example, a battery, such as a rechargeable battery or a non-rechargeable battery.

Examples of suitable batteries include, for example, a lithium battery (such as a lithium-ion battery), a nickel battery (such as a nickel-cadmium battery), and an alkaline battery. The battery is electrically coupled to the heating assembly to supply electrical power when required and under control of a controller (not shown) to heat the aerosol generating material. In this example, the battery is connected to a central support 120 which holds the battery 118 in place.

The device further comprises at least one electronics module 122. The electronics module 122 may comprise, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB). The PCB 122 may support at least one controller, such as a processor, and memory. The PCB 122 may also comprise one or more electrical tracks to electrically connect together various electronic components of the device too. For example, the battery terminals maybe electrically connected to the PCB 122 so that power can be distributed throughout the device too. The socket 114 may also be electrically coupled to the battery via the electrical tracks.

In the example device too, the heating assembly is an inductive heating assembly and comprises various components to heat the aerosol generating material of the article 110 via an inductive heating process. Induction heating is a process of heating an electrically conducting object (such as a susceptor) by electromagnetic induction. An induction heating assembly may comprise an inductive element, for example, one or more inductor coils, and a device for passing a varying electric current, such as an alternating electric current, through the inductive element. The varying electric current in the inductive element produces a varying magnetic field. The varying magnetic field penetrates a susceptor suitably positioned with respect to the inductive element, and generates eddy currents inside the susceptor. The susceptor has electrical resistance to the eddy currents, and hence the flow of the eddy currents against this resistance causes the susceptor to be heated by Joule heating. In cases where the susceptor comprises ferromagnetic material such as iron, nickel or cobalt, heat may also be generated by magnetic hysteresis losses in the susceptor, i.e. by the varying orientation of magnetic dipoles in the magnetic material as a result of their alignment with the varying magnetic field. In inductive heating, as compared to heating by conduction for example, heat is generated inside the susceptor, allowing for rapid heating. Further, there need not be any physical contact between the inductive heater and the susceptor, allowing for enhanced freedom in construction and application.

The induction heating assembly of the example device too comprises a susceptor arrangement 132 (herein referred to as “a susceptor”), a first inductor coil 124 and a second inductor coil 126. The first and second inductor coils 124, 126 are made from an electrically conducting material. In this example, the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 are made from Litz wire/cable which is wound in a helical fashion to provide helical inductor coils 124, 126. Litz wire comprises a plurality of individual wires which are individually insulated and are twisted together to form a single wire. Litz wires are designed to reduce the skin effect losses in a conductor. In the example device too, the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 are made from copper Litz wire which has a rectangular cross section. In other examples the Litz wire can have other shape cross sections, such as circular.

The first inductor coil 124 is configured to generate a first varying magnetic field for heating a first section of the susceptor 132 and the second inductor coil 126 is configured to generate a second varying magnetic field for heating a second section of the susceptor 132. In this example, the first inductor coil 124 is adjacent to the second inductor coil 126 in a direction along the longitudinal axis 134 of the device too (that is, the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 to not overlap). The susceptor arrangement 132 may comprise a single susceptor, or two or more separate susceptors. Ends 130 of the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 can be connected to the PCB 122.

It will be appreciated that the first and second inductor coils 124, 126, in some examples, may have at least one characteristic different from each other. For example, the first inductor coil 124 may have at least one characteristic different from the second inductor coil 126. More specifically, in one example, the first inductor coil 124 may have a different value of inductance than the second inductor coil 126. In Figure 8, the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 are of different lengths such that the first inductor coil 124 is wound over a smaller section of the susceptor 132 than the second inductor coil 126. Thus, the first inductor coil 124 may comprise a different number of turns than the second inductor coil 126 (assuming that the spacing between individual turns is substantially the same). In yet another example, the first inductor coil 124 may be made from a different material to the second inductor coil 126. In some examples, the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 may be substantially identical. In this example, the first inductor coil 124 and the second inductor coil 126 are wound in opposite directions. This can be useful when the inductor coils are active at different times. For example, initially, the first inductor coil 124 may be operating to heat a first section/portion of the article 110, and at a later time, the second inductor coil 126 may be operating to heat a second section/portion of the article 110. Winding the coils in opposite directions helps reduce the current induced in the inactive coil when used in conjunction with a particular type of control circuit. In Figure 7, the first inductor coil 124 is a right-hand helix and the second inductor coil 126 is a left-hand helix. However, in another embodiment, the inductor coils 124, 126 may be wound in the same direction, or the first inductor coil 124 may be a left-hand helix and the second inductor coil 126 may be a right-hand helix.

The susceptor 132 of this example is hollow and therefore defines a receptacle within which aerosol generating material is received. For example, the article 110 can be inserted into the susceptor 132. In this example the susceptor 120 is tubular, with a circular cross section.

The susceptor 132 maybe made from one or more materials. Preferably the susceptor 132 comprises carbon steel having a coating of nickel or cobalt. In some examples, the susceptor 132 may comprise at least two materials capable of being heated at two different frequencies for selective aerosolization of the at least two materials. For example, a first section of the susceptor 132 (which is heated by the first inductor coil 124) may comprise a first material, and a second section of the susceptor 132 which is heated by the second inductor coil 126 may comprise a second, different material. In another example, the first section may comprise first and second materials, where the first and second materials can be heated differently based upon operation of the first inductor coil 124. The first and second materials maybe adjacent along an axis defined by the susceptor 132, or may form different layers within the susceptor 132.

Similarly, the second section may comprise third and fourth materials, where the third and fourth materials can be heated differently based upon operation of the second inductor coil 126. The third and fourth materials may be adjacent along an axis defined by the susceptor 132, or may form different layers within the susceptor 132. Third material may the same as the first material, and the fourth material may be the same as the second material, for example. Alternatively, each of the materials may be different. The susceptor may comprise carbon steel or aluminium for example.

The device too of Figure 7 further comprises an insulating member 128 which may be generally tubular and at least partially surround the susceptor 132. The insulating member 128 may be constructed from any insulating material, such as plastic for example. In this particular example, the insulating member is constructed from polyether ether ketone (PEEK). The insulating member 128 may help insulate the various components of the device too from the heat generated in the susceptor 132.

The insulating member 128 can also fully or partially support the first and second inductor coils 124, 126. For example, as shown in Figure 8, the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 are positioned around the insulating member 128 and are in contact with a radially outward surface of the insulating member 128. In some examples the insulating member 128 does not abut the first and second inductor coils 124, 126. For example, a small gap may be present between the outer surface of the insulating member 128 and the inner surface of the first and second inductor coils 124, 126.

In a specific example, the susceptor 132, the insulating member 128, and the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 are coaxial around a central longitudinal axis of the susceptor 132.

Figure 8 shows a side view of device too in partial cross-section. The outer cover 102 is present in this example. The rectangular cross-sectional shape of the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 is more clearly visible. The device 100 further comprises a support 136 which engages one end of the susceptor 132 to hold the susceptor 132 in place. The support 136 is connected to the second end member 116. The device may also comprise a second printed circuit board 138 associated within the control element 112.

The device 100 further comprises a second lid/cap 140 and a spring 142, arranged towards the distal end of the device 100. The spring 142 allows the second lid 140 to be opened, to provide access to the susceptor 132. A user may open the second lid 140 to clean the susceptor 132 and/or the support 136.

The device 100 further comprises an expansion chamber 144 which extends away from a proximal end of the susceptor 132 towards the opening 104 of the device. Located at least partially within the expansion chamber 144 is a retention clip 146 to abut and hold the article 110 when received within the device 100. The expansion chamber 144 is connected to the end member 106.

Figure 9 is an exploded view of the device 100 of Figure 8, with the outer cover 102 omitted.

Figure 10A depicts a cross section of a portion of the device 100 of Figure 9. Figure 10B depicts a close-up of a region of Figure 10A. Figures 10A and 10B show the article 110 received within the susceptor 132, where the article 110 is dimensioned so that the outer surface of the article 110 abuts the inner surface of the susceptor 132. This ensures that the heating is most efficient. The article 110 of this example comprises aerosol generating material 110a. The aerosol generating material 110a is positioned within the susceptor 132. The article 110 may also comprise other components such as a filter, wrapping materials and/ or a cooling structure.

Figure 10B shows that the outer surface of the susceptor 132 is spaced apart from the inner surface of the inductor coils 124, 126 by a distance 150, measured in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis 158 of the susceptor 132. In one particular example, the distance 150 is about 3mm to 4mm, about 3-3.5mm, or about 3.25mm. Figure 10B further shows that the outer surface of the insulating member 128 is spaced apart from the inner surface of the inductor coils 124, 126 by a distance 152, measured in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis 158 of the susceptor 132. In one particular example, the distance 152 is about 0.05mm. In another example, the distance 152 is substantially omm, such that the inductor coils 124, 126 abut and touch the insulating member 128.

In one example, the susceptor 132 has a wall thickness 154 of about 0.025mm to imm, or about 0.05mm.

In one example, the susceptor 132 has a length of about 40mm to 60mm, about 40mm to 45mm, or about 44.5mm.

In one example, the insulating member 128 has a wall thickness 156 of about 0.25mm to 2mm, 0.25mm to imm, or about 0.5mm.

In use, the articles 1, 1’, 1”, 1”’, 1”” described herein can be inserted into a noncombustible aerosol provision device such as the device 100 described with reference to Figures 6 to 10B. At least a portion of the mouthpiece 2, 2’, 2”, 2”’, 2”” of the article 1, 1’, 1”, 1”’, 1”” protrudes from the non-combustible aerosol provision device 100 and can be placed into a user’s mouth. An aerosol is produced by heating the aerosol generating material 3 using the device 100. The aerosol produced by the aerosol generating material 3 passes through the mouthpiece 2 to the user’s mouth. A method for forming a mouthpiece 2, 2’, 2”, 2’”, 2”” as described herein may suitably comprise the steps of applying a crimp pattern to a sheet material, the crimp pattern comprising a series of substantially parallel ridges and grooves; providing a feed of tubular elements; and gathering said sheet of fibrous material around said tubular elements to form a body of material in which at least at least one tubular element extends through said body substantially along a common axis and is circumferentially surrounded by said sheet of fibrous material. In some examples, the method further comprises positioning the at least one tubular element such that the at least one tubular element is embedded within the body such that it is both circumferentially and longitudinally surrounded by the fibrous material forming said body. An apparatus configured for manufacturing a component as described herein may suitably comprise a crimp roller for applying a crimp pattern to a sheet of fibrous material, the crimp pattern comprising a series of substantially parallel ridges and grooves; a feed mechanism for tubular elements; and a garniture assembly for gathering said sheet of fibrous material around said tubular elements to form a body of material in which at least at least one tubular element extends through said body substantially along a common axis and is circumferentially surrounded by the fibrous material.

Claims

- 54 - Claims

1. A component for an article for use in or as an aerosol provision system, the component comprising: a body of fibrous material; and first and second tubular elements extending through said body substantially along a common axis and each circumferentially surrounded by said fibrous material.

2. A component according to claim 1, wherein the component forms the mouthpiece of a single article.

3. A component according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fibrous material is a first cellulose-based material.

4. A component according to claim 3, wherein the first cellulose-based material is paper.

5. A component according to claim 4, wherein said paper is formed from wood- pulp.

6. A component according to claim 3, wherein the first cellulose-based material is reconstituted tobacco sheet.

7. A component according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first and second tubular elements are separated by a gap between 0.5 mm and 5 mm, or between 0.75 mm and 1.5 mm, or between 1 mm and 3 mm.

8. A component according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first and second tubular elements are separated by a gap of between 5 mm and 15 mm, or between 6 mm and 12 mm, or between 8 mm and 11 mm.

9. A component according to claim 8, wherein the body of fibrous material extends into said gap.

10. A component according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first and/ or second tubular elements extend to a longitudinal end of the component. - 55 -

11. A component according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a first crimping factor is applied to a first longitudinal region of the body of fibrous material and a second crimping factor is applied to a second longitudinal region of the body of fibrous material.

12. A component according to claim 11, wherein the first and second crimping factors are one of depth, spacing, pressure or temperature.

13. A component according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the first and/or second tubular elements are formed from a second cellulose-based material.

14. A component according to claim 13, wherein the second cellulose-based material is paper.

15. A component according to claim 14, wherein said paper is formed from wood- pulp.

16. A component according to claim 15, wherein the second cellulose-based material is reconstituted tobacco sheet.

17. A component according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the body of fibrous material is formed from one or more sections of sheet material.

18. A component for an article for use in or as an aerosol provision system, the component comprising: a body of fibrous material; and a tubular element embedded within the body such that it is circumferentially and longitudinally surrounded by the fibrous material forming said body.

19. A component according to claim 18, wherein the component forms the mouthpiece of a single article.

20. A component according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the fibrous material is a first cellulose-based material. - 56 -

21. A component according to claim 20, wherein the first cellulose-based material is paper.

22. A component according to claim 21, wherein said paper is formed from wood- pulp.

23. A component according to claim 20, wherein the first cellulose-based material is reconstituted tobacco sheet.

24. A component according to any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein a proximal end of the tubular element is spaced from a longitudinal end of the component by at least 5mm, or at least 8mm, or at least 10 mm.

25. A component according to any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein the tubular element extends to a longitudinal end of the component.

26. A component according to any one of claims 18 to 25, wherein a first crimping factor is applied to a first longitudinal region of the body of fibrous material and a second crimping factor is applied to a second longitudinal region of the body of fibrous material.

27. A component according to claim 26 wherein the first and second crimping factors are one of depth, spacing, pressure or temperature.

28. A component according to any one of claims 18 to 27, wherein the tubular element is formed from a second cellulose-based material.

29. A component according to any one of claims 18 to 28, wherein the body of fibrous material is formed from one or more sections of sheet material.

30. An article for use in or as an aerosol provision system, the article having a downstream end, the article comprising: a body of fibrous material; and a tubular element circumferentially surrounded by said fibrous material, wherein the tubular element extends to a first longitudinal end of said body and is spaced from a - 57 - second longitudinal end of said body, and wherein the longitudinal end of said body to which the tubular element extends is spaced from the downstream end of the article.

31. An article according to claim 30, wherein the fibrous material is a third cellulose-based material.

32. An article according to claim 31, wherein the third cellulose-based material is paper.

33. An article according to claim 32, wherein said paper is formed from wood-pulp.

34. An article according to claim 33, wherein the third cellulose-based material is reconstituted tobacco sheet.

35- An article according to any one of claims 30 to 34, wherein a proximal end of the tubular element is spaced from a longitudinal end of the article by at least 5mm, or at least 8mm, or at least 10 mm.

36. An article according to any one of claims 30 to 35, wherein the tubular element extends to a longitudinal end of the article.

37. An article according to any one of claims 30 to 36, wherein a first crimping factor is applied to a first longitudinal region of the body of fibrous material and a second crimping factor is applied to a second longitudinal region of the body of fibrous material.

38. An article according to claim 37 wherein the first and second crimping factors are one of depth, spacing, pressure or temperature.

39. An article according to any one of claims 30 to 38, wherein the tubular element is formed from a second cellulose-based material.

40. An article according to any one of claims 30 to 39, wherein the body of fibrous material is formed from one or more sections of sheet material.

41. An article comprising a component according to any one of claims 1 to 29.

41. A method for forming a component for an article for use in an aerosol provision system, the method comprising: applying a crimp pattern to a sheet of fibrous material, the crimp pattern comprising a series of substantially parallel ridges and grooves; providing a feed of tubular elements; and gathering said sheet of fibrous material around said tubular elements to form a body of material in which at least at least one tubular element extends through said body substantially along a common axis and is circumferentially surrounded by said sheet of fibrous material.

42. A method according to claim 41, further comprising positioning the at least one tubular element such that the at least one tubular element is embedded within the body of material such that it is both circumferentially and longitudinally surrounded by the sheet of fibrous material forming said body of material.

43. An apparatus configured for manufacturing a component in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 39, comprising: a crimp roller for applying a crimp pattern to a sheet of fibrous material, the crimp pattern comprising a series of substantially parallel ridges and grooves; a feed mechanism for tubular elements; and a garniture assembly for gathering said sheet of fibrous material around said tubular elements to form a body of material in which at least at least one tubular element extends through said body substantially along a common axis and is circumferentially surrounded by said fibrous material.