KR20240053044A - Tobacco articles in flat form including gaps and associated aerosol generating devices and assemblies - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a flat-shaped tobacco article configured for operation with an aerosol generating device, the tobacco article extending along an article axis (X) between a rostral end (20) and an abutting end (18), comprising a mouthpiece portion 16 adjacent to the end 20 and a tobacco portion 15 adjacent to the abutting end 18, said tobacco portion 15 being: - extending along the article axis X and comprising two a substrate layer (30) forming opposite sides; and - around said substrate layer (30), forming an inner surface, such that the inner surface contacts one side of said substrate layer (30) and forms a gap (32) with the other side of said substrate layer (30). It includes a wrapper 21 disposed, with a gap 30 configured to receive a heating blade of the aerosol generating device.

Description

Tobacco articles in flat form including gaps and associated aerosol generating devices and assemblies

The present invention relates to a flat form tobacco article comprising a gap. The present invention also relates to aerosol generating devices and aerosol generating assemblies associated with such articles.

In particular, the aerosol-generating device according to the invention is adapted to operate with flat-shaped tobacco articles according to the invention comprising a solid substrate capable of forming an aerosol, for example, when heated. Therefore, aerosol generating devices of that type, also known as heat-not-burn devices, heat the substrate by conduction, convection and/or radiation instead of burning the substrate to produce an aerosol for inhalation. It is configured to do so.

Reduced or improved risk devices (also known as vaporizers) as assistive devices to assist habitual smokers who wish to quit smoking conventional tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and rolling tobacco. ) has grown rapidly in popularity and use over the past few years. A variety of devices and systems are available for heating or warming vaporizable materials, as opposed to burning tobacco in conventional tobacco products.

Commonly available reduced or improved risk devices are substrate-heated aerosol generation devices or so-called heat-not-burn devices. Devices of this type produce an aerosol or vapor by heating an aerosol substrate, typically comprising moist leaf tobacco or other suitable vaporizable material, to a temperature typically in the range of 150°C to 350°C. Heating an aerosol substrate without combusting or burning releases an aerosol that contains the ingredients desired by the user but does not contain the toxic and carcinogenic by-products that occur when combusted and burned. Additionally, aerosols produced by heating a cigarette or other vaporizable material generally do not contain a burnt or bitter taste resulting from combustion and burning, which may be unpleasant to the user, so such descriptions may be more palatable to the user. It does not require the sugars and other additives commonly added to such materials to produce the right smoke and/or vapor.

Tobacco articles that can be used with this type of aerosol generating device can take a variety of forms. Some of these may represent elongated sticks, or any other suitable shape, for example a flat shape. However, the design of tobacco articles often requires a compromise between aesthetics and heating efficiency.

In particular, for flat-shaped tobacco articles, it is generally necessary to wrap the tobacco portion with paper to make the sample more attractive to consumers. However, paper acts as a thermal barrier when heated externally, thereby reducing the potential efficiency of the device. Additionally, because these tobacco articles are very thin (eg 1 mm), internal heating, for example as used in tobacco sticks, is also difficult.

One object of the present invention is to provide a flat shaped tobacco article with increased heating efficiency.

To this end, the present invention relates to a flat-shaped tobacco article configured to operate in conjunction with an abutting end and extending along the axis of the article between an abutting end, the tobacco article adjacent to the abutting end. comprising a mouthpiece portion and a tobacco portion adjacent to the bordering end;

The tobacco part is:

- a substrate layer extending along the axis of the article and forming two opposing sides; and

- a wrapper that forms an inner surface and is disposed around the substrate layer such that the inner surface contacts one side of the substrate layer and forms a gap with the other side of the substrate layer.

Includes,

The gap is configured to receive a heating blade of the aerosol generating device.

Due to this feature, the heating blades can be brought close to the substrate layer, thereby increasing the heating efficiency. In particular, in this case, no intermediate layer (such as a paper wrapper) is interposed between the heating blade and the substrate layer. Additionally, the wrapper maintains the external shape and attractive appearance of the tobacco article for the user.

According to some embodiments, the gap is configured to receive a heating blade of the aerosol generating device such that the heating blade contacts a corresponding side of the substrate layer.

This feature further increases heating efficiency, as substantially all of the heat generated by the heating blades is transferred from the heating blades to the substrate layer.

According to some embodiments, the substrate layer is thicker than the gap.

In this case, the substrate layer may contain a larger amount of vaporizable material. Accordingly, the use time of the tobacco article can be extended.

According to some embodiments, the mouthpiece portion is adjacent the tobacco portion.

According to some embodiments, the mouthpiece portion includes a core and a wrapper that forms an interior surface and is disposed about the core such that its entire interior surface is in contact with the core.

Depending on these features, the core can act as a filtering element and/or a cooling element. Additionally, no gap is formed within the mouthpiece portion. Accordingly, if the mouthpiece portion forms a filter and/or cooling portion, the flow formed in the tobacco portion may be completely filtered and/or at least slightly cooled before reaching the user's mouth/lips.

According to some embodiments, the interior surface of the wrapper is defined by a single wrapping sheet. For example, a single wrapping sheet can be folded so that the inner surface contains four sections. In particular, one portion of the interior surface may contact one side of the substrate layer, and another portion of the interior surface may form a gap with the other side of the substrate layer.

According to some embodiments, the side of the substrate layer that forms a gap with the inner surface of the wrapper defines the substrate surface. The substrate surface extends, for example, in one single plane.

According to some embodiments, the substrate surface extends substantially along the entire length of the tobacco portion along the article axis and/or extends transverse to the article axis along the entire width defined by the inner surface of the wrapper.

According to some embodiments, the substrate surface has an area size equal to the portion of the inner surface of the wrapper that together with the substrate surface defines a gap.

According to an embodiment, the substrate surface extends in a first plane and a portion of the inner surface of the wrapper defining a gap with the substrate surface extends in a second plane, the first plane and the second plane being substantially adjacent to each other. parallel to

According to some embodiments, the flat-shaped tobacco article defines only one gap configured to receive a heating blade of the aerosol generating device.

According to some embodiments, the mouthpiece portion wrapper and the tobacco portion wrapper are formed from the same wrapping sheet.

Due to this feature, the tobacco portion and the mouthpiece portion can be assembled together.

According to some embodiments, the core includes corrugated paper.

Thanks to these features, it is possible to achieve a filtering effect and/or a cooling effect in the mouthpiece area.

According to some embodiments, the wrapper is made of paper.

These features allow the cost of the tobacco article to be reduced while maintaining the desired design.

The invention also relates to an aerosol generating device adapted to receive a flat shaped tobacco article as described above, said aerosol generating device comprising a heating blade configured to be received within a gap of the flat shaped tobacco article.

The invention also relates to an aerosol generating device comprising a heating chamber extending along the axis of the device between the closed end and the opening,

The heating chamber is configured to receive a flat shaped tobacco article as described above through its open end and includes a heating blade extending from its closed end and configured to be received within a gap of the flat shaped tobacco article.

Due to this feature, the heating blade can be received within a gap formed within the article.

According to some embodiments, the heating blade forms two opposing sides, one of which is designed to contact the substrate layer of the tobacco portion of the flat-shaped tobacco article, and the other side is designed to contact the tobacco portion of the flat-shaped tobacco article. It is designed to be in contact with the inner surface of the wrapper.

According to some embodiments, the heating blade includes a heating element disposed on a side of the heating blade designed to contact the inner surface of the wrapper of the tobacco portion of the tobacco article in flat form.

Due to this feature, the heating efficiency can be further increased as the heating element is disposed only on the side of the heating blade facing the substrate layer.

According to some embodiments, the heating chamber includes two parallel opposing walls extending along the device axis, the heating blade extending parallel to the opposing walls, and the distance to these opposing walls is not uniform.

According to some embodiments, a heating blade extends between one of said opposing walls and a plane disposed at an intermediate distance between these opposing walls.

Due to this feature, the heating blade can be received within the gap during insertion without additional adjustments. In particular, the walls of the heating chamber can act as guiding means for the heating blades.

The invention also relates to an aerosol generating assembly,

- Tobacco articles in flat form as described above;

- Aerosol generating device as described above

Includes.

The present invention and its advantages will be better understood by reading the following description, which is given by way of non-limiting example only and made with reference to the accompanying drawings:
1 is a perspective view of an aerosol generating assembly according to the present invention, the aerosol generating assembly comprising an aerosol generating device according to the present invention and a flat shaped tobacco article according to the present invention, the flat shaped tobacco article being coupled with an aerosol generating device; can be used
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the flat form tobacco article of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is different views (A: top view, B: front view, C: bottom view) of the flat form tobacco article of Figure 2;
Figure 4 shows different views (A: front view, B: side view) of a heating chamber integrated in the aerosol generating device of Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a side view of the flat form tobacco article of Figure 2 inserted within the heating chamber of Figure 4;

Before describing the present invention, it should be understood that it is not limited to the structural details set forth in the following description. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that the present invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways.

As used herein, the term “aerosol generating device” or “device” refers to a device that delivers aerosols, including aerosols for vaping, to a user by means of a heater element, which is described in more detail below. May include a ping device. The device may be portable. “Portable” may refer to a device that is used while held by a user. The device may be configured to generate a variable amount of aerosol, for example, by activating a heater element for a variable amount of time (as opposed to a fixed amount of aerosol), which may be controlled by a trigger. Triggers may be activated by the user, such as a vaping button and/or inhalation sensor. The inhalation sensor may be sensitive to the duration of inhalation as well as the intensity of inhalation so that varying amounts of vapor can be provided (to mimic the effect of smoking a conventional combustible smoking article such as a cigarette, cigar or pipe). The device may include a heater and/or a thermostatic control that drives the temperature of the heated aerosol generating material (aerosol precursor) to a specific target temperature and then maintains the temperature at a target temperature that allows efficient generation of aerosol.

As used herein, the term “aerosol” refers to solid particles; liquid droplet; It may contain suspended solids of vaporizable substances, such as one or more of the gases. The suspended matter may be in a gas containing air. Aerosol herein may broadly refer to/include a vapor. An aerosol may contain one or more components of a vaporizable substance.

As used herein, the term “vaporizable material” or “precursor” may refer to a material suitable for smoking, which may include, for example, nicotine or tobacco and aerosol formers. Tobacco can take the form of various materials such as shredded tobacco, granulated tobacco, tobacco leaves and/or reconstituted tobacco. Suitable aerosol formers include polyols such as sorbitol, glycerol, and glycols such as propylene glycol or triethylene glycol; Non-polyols such as monohydric alcohols, acids such as lactic acid, glycerol derivatives, esters such as triacetin, triethylene glycol diacetate, triethyl citrate, glycerin or vegetable glycerin. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating agent may be glycerol, propylene glycol, or a mixture of glycerol and propylene glycol. The substrate may also include at least one of a gelling agent, binder, stabilizer, and wetting agent.

Figure 1 shows an aerosol-generating assembly 10 comprising an aerosol-generating device 11 and a flat-shaped tobacco article 12, hereinafter referred to as a tobacco article 12. The aerosol generating device 11 is intended to be operated with a flat form tobacco article 12 as shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3 .

Referring to Figure 2, the tobacco article 12 is, for example, a cube of flat shape extending along the article axis (X) and having external dimensions (LxWxD). In a typical example, the length L of the article 12 along the article axis X is substantially equal to 33 mm, while its width W and depth D are substantially equal to 12 mm and 1.2 mm, respectively. same. According to another example, the values L, W and D may be selected, for example within a range of +/- 40%. The depth D of the tobacco article 12 is formed by a pair of parallel walls 13A, 13B, hereinafter referred to as narrow walls 13A, 13B, and the width W of the substrate is defined hereinafter as It is formed by a pair of parallel walls 14A, 14B, referred to as wide walls 14A, 14B. In some embodiments, the edges between the wide and narrow walls 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B may be rounded. According to other embodiments of the invention, tobacco article 12 may have any other suitable shape and/or external dimensions.

The tobacco article 12 includes a tobacco portion 15 and a mouthpiece portion 16 disposed along the article axis X. The tobacco portion 15 may for example be slightly longer than the mouthpiece portion 16. For example, the length L2 of the tobacco portion 15 along the article axis X may be substantially equal to 18 mm and the length L1 of the mouthpiece portion 16 along the article axis X may be substantially equal to 18 mm. may be equal to 15 mm. The tobacco portion 15 defines the distal end 18 of the article 12 and the mouthpiece portion 16 defines the rostral end 20 of the article 12. The tobacco portion 15 and the mouthpiece portion 16 may be secured to each other by a wrapper 21 extending around the substrate axis X. The wrapper 21 forms the narrow and wide walls 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B of the tobacco article 12. In some embodiments, wrapper 21 is formed from the same wrapping sheet. For example, the narrow and wide walls 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B are formed from the same wrapping sheet, especially folded to form these walls. In some other embodiments, the wrapper 21 is formed by separate wrapping sheets that separately surround the portions 15, 16 and are secured to each other by any other suitable means. The wrapper 21 may comprise, for example, paper and/or non-woven fabric and/or aluminum foil. Wrapper 21 may be porous or impermeable to air and defines a plurality of air flow channels extending inwardly of article 12 between abutting end 18 and rostral end 20.

The mouthpiece portion 16 includes a core 27 also shown in portion (A) of FIG. 3 , which corresponds to a top view of the tobacco article 12 . The core 27 is intended to act as a cooling element, for example to slightly cool the vapor before inhaling it by a user, and may comprise, for example, corrugated paper for this purpose. Core 27 may be formed into a stable shape through an extrusion and/or rolling process. Advantageously, the core 27 is of the mouthpiece portion 16 such that it is in overall contact with the inner surface of the wrapper 21 defining the mouthpiece portion 16, as shown in part (A) of FIG. 3 . It is placed on the inner side. In other words, no gap is formed in the mouthpiece portion 16 between the inner surface of the wrapper 21 and the core 27.

In certain embodiments of the invention (not shown), the mouthpiece portion 16 is provided with a plurality of vents disposed along two axes perpendicular to the article axis X, for example along the entire perimeter of the mouthpiece portion 16. Define the hole. In other words, according to this particular embodiment, ventilation holes are arranged on each wall of the substrate between the narrow walls 13A, 13B and the wide walls 14A, 14B. According to another example, the ventilation hole is arranged only on the wide walls 14A, 14B, or preferably only on one of the wide walls 14A, 14B. In both examples, the ventilation holes may be aligned perpendicular to the article axis The ventilation hole allows fresh air to flow into the interior of the article 12 to achieve a specific vaping/tasting effect. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, no ventilation holes are provided.

The tobacco portion 15 is intended to be heated by means of a heating blade, as explained in more detail below. As shown in part (C) of Figure 3, which corresponds to a bottom view of the tobacco article 12, the tobacco portion 15 includes a substrate layer 30 comprising a vaporizable material as described above. The substrate layer 30 extends within the tobacco portion 15 along the article axis X and forms two opposing sides. In particular, the substrate layer 30 is arranged so that one of its sides is in contact with the wrapper 21 and the other side forms a gap 32 with the wrapper 21 . For example, one of the sides of substrate layer 30 may contact wide wall 14A and the other side may form gap 32 with wide wall 14B. In other words, a gap 32 is formed between the inner surface of the wrapper 21 and the corresponding side of the substrate layer 30.

Gap 32 is configured to receive a heating blade parallel to substrate layer 30, as described in more detail below. Additionally, as shown in part (C) of FIG. 3, the base layer 30 may be thicker than the gap 32. In particular, the thickness of the substrate layer 30 may be 1.5 or 2 or 3 times thicker than the thickness of the gap 32. For example, the thickness of substrate layer 30 may be 0.7 to 1.1 mm, while the thickness of gap 32 may be 0.1 to 0.5 mm. According to another embodiment, substrate layer 30 and gap 32 have the same thickness.

Referring back to Figure 1, aerosol generating device 11 includes a device body 40 extending along device axis Y. The device body 40 includes a mouthpiece 42 and a housing 44 disposed sequentially along the device axis Y. According to the example of Figure 1, mouthpiece 42 and housing 44 form two different pieces. In particular, according to this example, the mouthpiece 42 is designed to be secured on or received within an insertion opening formed in one of the ends of the housing 44. In this case, when the mouthpiece 42 is removed from the housing 44, a tobacco article can be inserted into the device 11. According to another example (not shown), mouthpiece 42 and housing 44 form one distinct piece. In this case, the tobacco article 12 can be inserted into the device 11 , for example through a flow outlet. According to both examples, mouthpiece 42 defines a through hole configured to at least partially receive tobacco article 12. In particular, the through hole may be configured to receive at least a portion of the mouthpiece portion 16 of the tobacco article 12, as shown in FIG. 1 .

Housing 44 defines the internal space of device 11 housing various elements designed to perform different functions of device 11 . This internal space may include, for example, a battery for powering the device 11, a control module for controlling the operation of the device 11, a heating chamber for heating the tobacco portion 15 of the tobacco article 12 ( 50) etc. can be accepted. Among these elements, only the heating chamber 50 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

In particular, as shown in these figures, the heating chamber 50 can heat at least the tobacco portion 15 of the tobacco article 12 and, in some cases, the mouthpiece portion 16 as shown in the example of FIG. 5 . It may form a cup shape configured to accommodate at least a portion of. Like the tobacco article 12, the heating chamber 50 also includes a pair of parallel narrow walls 53A, 53B extending along the device axis Y, and extending along the device axis Y. A cubic shape comprising a pair of parallel wide walls 54A, 54B extending along (Y), and a bottom wall 58 adjacent each of the walls and extending at right angles to the device axis Y. can be formed. Bottom wall 58 thus forms the closed end of chamber 50 . Opposite the bottom wall 58, the heating chamber 50 is configured such that the corresponding wide walls 14A, 14B of the tobacco article 12 face the corresponding wide walls 54A, 54B of the heating chamber 50. , so that the corresponding narrow walls 13A, 13B of the tobacco article 12 face the corresponding narrow walls 53A, 53B of the heating chamber 50, and the abutting end 18 of the tobacco article 12 is at the bottom. Abutting the wall 58 or, at least, a rib extending from this bottom wall 58 defines an opening 60 configured to receive the tobacco article 12 . In particular, the heating chamber 50 is configured such that the narrow wall 13A (or 13B) of the tobacco article 12 faces the narrow wall 53B (or 53A) of the heating chamber 50 and the wide wall of the tobacco article 12 The wall 14A (or 14B) is configured to receive the tobacco article 12, with the wall 14A (or 14B) facing the wide wall 54B (or 54A) of the heating chamber 50. The facing wide walls 14A, 14B, 54A, 54B and the facing narrow walls 13A, 13B, 53A, 53B may be in contact with each other or may be spaced apart from each other.

Heating chamber 50 further includes heating blades 62 extending from bottom wall 58 along device axis Y. For example, the heating blades 62 may extend along the device axis Y along at least half, advantageously three quarters, of the total length of the heating chamber 50 . As shown in part (B) of FIG. 4, the heating blades 62 may be disposed at uneven distances to the wide walls 54A and 54B of the heating chamber 50. For example, the heating blade 62 may extend between the wide wall 54A of the heating chamber and a plane disposed at an intermediate distance between the wide walls 54A and 54B. In other words, the heating blades 62 may be placed closer to wide wall 54A than to wide wall 54B. This arrangement allows the heating blade 62 to be received within the gap 32 of the tobacco article 12. These respective positions of heating blade 62 and tobacco article 12 are shown in Figure 5.

The heating blade 62 forms two opposing sides and includes a heating element 64 disposed on one of the sides. In particular, as shown in part (B) of FIG. 4, the heating element 64 is arranged to face the wide wall 54B of the heating chamber 50. In other words, the heating element 64 is positioned between the heating blades 62 and the corresponding wide wall of the heating chamber 50 relative to the volume formed between the heating blades 62 and the other wide wall of the heating chamber 50. The formed volume is arranged to face the larger one. Accordingly, as shown in Figure 5, the heating element 64 is configured to contact the substrate layer 30 and heat the substrate layer 30 by conduction. The heating element 64 may form a heating track or polyimide film heater extending substantially along the entire area of the corresponding side of the heating blade 62 or, for example, only along the central part of this side. Heating blades 62 may be formed of ceramic or metal. The thickness can for example be between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm, and advantageously 0.3 mm.

Claims (15)

A tobacco article (12) of flat form, configured to operate in conjunction with an aerosol generating device (11) and extending along an article axis (X) between a mouthful end (20) and an abutting end (18), said tobacco article (12) comprising: 12) comprises a mouthpiece portion (16) adjacent to the rostral end (20) and a tobacco portion (15) adjacent to the abutment end (18),
The tobacco portion 15 is:
- a substrate layer (30) extending along the article axis (X) and forming two opposing sides; and
- forming an inner surface and arranged around the substrate layer 30 so that the inner surface contacts one side of the substrate layer 30 and forms a gap 32 with the other side of the substrate layer 30 Rapper (21)
Includes,
The gap (30) is configured to receive the heating blade (62) of the aerosol generating device (11). According to paragraph 1,
The gap (32) is configured to receive the heating blade (62) of the aerosol generating device (11) such that the heating blade (62) is in contact with the corresponding side of the substrate layer (30). Goods (12). According to claim 1 or 2,
Tobacco article (12) in a flat form, wherein the substrate layer (30) is thicker than the gap (32). According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A tobacco article (12) in a flat shape, wherein the mouthpiece portion (16) is adjacent to the tobacco portion (15). According to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The mouthpiece portion (16) is flat, comprising a core (27) and a wrapper (21) forming an inner surface and disposed around the core (27) such that its entire inner surface is in contact with the core (27). Tobacco articles in the form (12). According to clause 5,
Tobacco article (12) in flat form, wherein the wrapper (21) of the mouthpiece portion (16) and the wrapper (21) of the tobacco portion are formed from the same wrapping sheet. According to claim 5 or 6,
A tobacco article (12) in a flat form, wherein the core (27) comprises corrugated paper. According to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Tobacco article (12) in a flat form, wherein the wrapper (21) is made of paper. According to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Tobacco article (12) in a flat form, defining only one gap (32), the gap (32) being configured to receive the heating blade (62) of the aerosol generating device (11). An aerosol generating device (11) comprising a heating chamber (50) extending along the device axis (Y) between the closed end and the opening (60),
The heating chamber (50) is configured to receive, through its open end, a flat-shaped tobacco article (12) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, extends from its closed end and holds the flat-shaped tobacco article (12). An aerosol generating device (11) comprising a heating blade (62) configured to be received within a gap (32) of an article (12). According to clause 10,
The heating blade 62 forms two opposing sides, one of which is designed to contact the substrate layer 30 of the tobacco portion 15 of the flat-shaped tobacco article 12, the other side The aerosol generating device (11) is designed to be in contact with the inner surface of the wrapper (21) of the tobacco portion (15) of the flat-shaped tobacco article (12). According to clause 11,
The heating blades 62 include heating elements 64 disposed on the sides of the heating blades 62 designed to contact the inner surface of the wrapper 21 of the tobacco portion 15 of the flat-shaped tobacco article 12. Aerosol generating device (11), including. According to any one of claims 10 to 12,
The heating chamber 50 includes two parallel opposing walls 54A, 54B extending along the device axis Y, and the heating blade 62 is parallel to the opposing walls 54A, 54B. The aerosol generating device (11) is extended and the distance to these opposing walls is not uniform. According to clause 13,
The heating blade (62) extends between one of the opposing walls (54A, 54B) and a plane disposed at a mid-distance between these opposing walls (54A, 54B). An aerosol generating assembly (10), comprising:
- a tobacco article (12) in a flat form according to any one of claims 1 to 9;
- Aerosol generating device (11) according to any one of claims 10 to 14.
An aerosol generating assembly (10) comprising.