EP3908129A1

EP3908129A1 - Aerosol-generating article including first wrapper and second wrapper, and aerosol-generating system using the aerosol-generating article

Info

Publication number: EP3908129A1
Application number: EP20901640.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Young Joong Kim; Sung Jong Ki; In Su Park; John Tae Lee; Sun Hwan JUNG; Eun Mi Jeoung
Original assignee: KT&G Corp
Current assignee: KT&G Corp
Priority date: 2019-12-18
Filing date: 2020-12-08
Publication date: 2021-11-17
Also published as: KR20210078323A; EP3908129A4; CN113518562A; KR102412119B1; WO2021125668A1; JP7291242B2; JP2022528046A; US20220142233A1

Abstract

The resent disclosure relates to an aerosol-generating article including a first wrapper and a second wrapper, and an aerosol-generating system including the aerosol-generating article.

Description

AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE INCLUDING FIRST WRAPPER AND SECOND WRAPPER, AND AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEM USING THE AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol-generating article including a first wrapper and a second wrapper, and an aerosol-generating system using the aerosol-generating article.

There is growing demand for an aerosol generating device that generates an aerosol by heating an aerosol generating material in an aerosol generating article, rather than by combusting aerosol generating article. Accordingly, studies on a heating-type aerosol generating article and a heating-type aerosol generating device have been actively conducted.

A heating-type aerosol-generating article may contain a filler, such as a moisturizer, to promote the generation of an aerosol, unlike a combustion-type cigarette. When a general filter wrapping paper is used, liquid components such as the filler contained in the heating-type aerosol-generating article may leak.

In addition, the heating-type aerosol-generating article has a temperature difference between a region that is directly heated by an apparatus and a region that is not directly heated, and accordingly, there is a problem that the generation of an aerosol and/or the transfer of nicotine is not sufficiently performed.

An aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment may solve the problem of the existing technology described above.

However, the technical goal is not limited thereto, and other technical goals may be inferred from the following examples.

According to the aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment, leakage of liquid components in at least one of a first part and a second part may be reduced. Specifically, the aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment may have an oil resistance of 5 or more based on a 3M KIT method.

In addition, according to the aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment, heat may be efficiently transferred to regions of the first part and the second part which are not directly heated by a heater.

In addition, according to the aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment, the entire wrapper including a first wrapper and a second wrapper has a sufficient tensile strength (about 4.5 kgf or more), and thus, different parts of the aerosol-generating article may not be separated from each other during a manufacturing process of the aerosol-generating article.

In addition, the aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment may reduce spots (i.e., oil marks) which may occur during a manufacturing and distribution process of the aerosol-generating article, by inclusion of the first wrapper made of a metal material.

The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to those described above and may include all effects that may be inferred from a configuration that will be described later.

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an example of inserting an aerosol-generating article into an aerosol-generating device, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an example of inserting an aerosol-generating article into an aerosol-generating device, according to another embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating an example of inserting an aerosol-generating article into an aerosol-generating device, according to another embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a second part of an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating insertion of an aerosol-generating article into an aerosol-generating device, according to an embodiment ;

FIG. 7 is a graph showing temperature changes of a second part of an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 8 are photographs illustrating the degree of liquid leakage of aerosol-generating articles according to embodiments.

According to an first aspect of the present disclosure, an aerosol-generating article includes: a first part including an aerosol-generating material; a second part including a tobacco material; a third part that cools air that has passed through the first part and the second part; a fourth part including a filter material; a first wrapper that wraps at least one of the first part and the second part; and a second wrapper that wraps the first wrapper, the third part, and the fourth part, wherein the first part, the second part, the third part, and the fourth part are sequentially arranged in a length direction of the aerosol-generating article.

The first wrapper may have a thickness of about 5 μm to about 30 μm, and the second wrapper may have a thickness of about 30 μm to about 70 μm.

The first wrapper may include at least one of aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), gold (Au), silver (Ag), and iron (Fe), and the second wrapper may include cellulose.

The first wrapper may have an oil resistance of 5 or more based on a 3M KIT method and may have a thermal conductivity of about 50 W·m^-1/K^-1 to about 500 W·m^-1/K^-1.

The first wrapper and the second wrapper may have a combined tensile strength of about 4.5 kgf to about 10 kgf.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, an aerosol-generating system includes: the aerosol-generating article according to the first aspect; and an aerosol-generating device that heats at least one of the first part and the second part of the aerosol-generating article.

When the aerosol-generating article is heated by using the aerosol-generating device, the second part may reach a maximum temperature in a range of about 180°C to about 250°C.

When the aerosol-generating article is heated by using the aerosol-generating device, the second part may be maintained at a temperature of about 170°C or higher after 120 seconds have passed from a start of heating.

Based on the length direction of the aerosol-generating article, each of the first part and the second part has a length of about 10 mm to about 14 mm, and the aerosol-generating device may heat both a portion of the first part and a portion of the second part.

The technical solutions are not limited to those described above and may include all matters which may be inferred throughout by one of ordinary skill in the art.

With respect to the terms in the various embodiments, the general terms which are currently and widely used are selected in consideration of functions of structural elements in the various embodiments of the present disclosure. However, meanings of the terms can be changed according to intention, a judicial precedence, the appearance of a new technology, and the like. In addition, in certain cases, a term which is not commonly used can be selected. In such a case, the meaning of the term will be described in detail at the corresponding portion in the description of the present disclosure. Therefore, the terms used in the various embodiments of the present disclosure should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the descriptions provided herein.

In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word "comprise" and variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements. In addition, the terms "-er", "-or", and "module" described in the specification mean units for processing at least one function and/or operation and can be implemented by hardware components or software components and combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art may easily implement the embodiments. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

As used herein, "A and/or B" refer to at least one of A and B.

Also, "~arranged on" indicates that a member is arranged on one surface of another member and includes both cases where a member is arranged in contact with or without contact with another member.

As used herein, expressions such as "at least one of," when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list. For example, the expression, "at least one of a, b, and c," should be understood as including only a, only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, or all of a, b, and c.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "over," "above," "on," "connected to" or "coupled to" another element or layer, it can be directly over, above, on, connected or coupled to the other element or layer or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly over," "directly above," "directly on," "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. Like numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 through 3 are diagrams showing examples in which an aerosol generating article 20000 is inserted into an aerosol generating device 10000.

Referring to FIG. 1, the aerosol generating device 10000 may include a battery 11000, a controller 12000, and a heater 13000. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the aerosol generating device 10000 may further include a vaporizer 14000. Also, the aerosol generating article 20000 may be inserted into an inner space of the aerosol generating device 10000.

FIGS. 1 through 3 illustrate components of the aerosol generating device 10000, which are related to the example embodiments. Therefore, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art related to the present embodiment that other general-purpose components may be further included in the aerosol generating device 10000, in addition to the components illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3.

Also, FIGS. 1 and 3 illustrate that the aerosol generating device 10000 includes the heater 13000. However, as necessary, the heater 13000 may be omitted.

FIG. 1 illustrates that the battery 11000, the controller 12000, and the heater 130000 are arranged in series. Also, FIG. 2 illustrates that the battery 11000, the controller 12000, the vaporizer 14000, and the heater 13000 are arranged in series. Also, FIG. 3 illustrates that the vaporizer 14000 and the heater 13000 are arranged in parallel. However, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device 10000 is not limited to the structures illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3. In other words, according to the design of the aerosol generating device 10000, the battery 11000, the controller 12000, the heater 13000, and the vaporizer 14000 may be differently arranged.

When the aerosol generating article 20000 is inserted into the aerosol generating device 10000, the aerosol generating device 10000 may operate the heater 13000 and/or the vaporizer 14000 to generate an aerosol from the aerosol generating article 20000 and/or the vaporizer 14000. The aerosol generated by the heater 13000 and/or the vaporizer 14000 is delivered to a user by passing through the aerosol generating article 20000.

As necessary, even when the aerosol generating article 20000 is not inserted into the aerosol generating device 10000, the aerosol generating device 10000 may heat the heater 13000.

The battery 11000 may supply power to be used for the aerosol generating device 10000 to operate. For example, the battery 11000 may supply power to heat the heater 13000 or the vaporizer 14000, and may also supply power to the controller 12000 for an operation thereof. Also, the battery 11000 may supply power for operations of a display, a sensor, a motor, etc. mounted in the aerosol generating device 10000.

The controller 12000 may generally control operations of the aerosol generating device 10000. In detail, the controller 12000 may control not only operations of the battery 11000, the heater 13000, and the vaporizer 14000, but also operations of other components included in the aerosol generating device 10000. Also, the controller 12000 may check a state of each of the components of the aerosol generating device 10000 to determine whether or not the aerosol generating device 10000 is able to operate.

The controller 12000 may include at least one processor. A processor can be implemented as an array of a plurality of logic gates or as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory in which a program executable in the microprocessor is stored. It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the processor can be implemented in other forms of hardware.

The heater 13000 may be heated by the power supplied from the battery 11000. For example, when the aerosol generating article 20000 is inserted into the aerosol generating device 10000, the heater 13000 may be located outside the aerosol generating article 20000. Thus, the heated heater 13000 may increase a temperature of an aerosol generating material in the cigarette 20000.

The heater 13000 may include an electro-resistive heater. For example, the heater 13000 may include an electrically conductive track, and the heater 13000 may be heated when a current flows through the electrically conductive track. However, the heater 13000 is not limited to the example described above and may include all heaters which may be heated to a desired temperature. Here, the desired temperature may be pre-set in the aerosol generating device 10000 or may be set as a temperature desired by a user.

In another example, the heater 13000 may include an induction heater. In detail, the heater 13000 may include an electrically conductive coil for heating aerosol generating article in an induction heating method, and the aerosol generating article may include a susceptor which may be heated by the induction heater.

For example, the heater 13000 may include a tube-type heating element, a plate-type heating element, a needle-type heating element, or a rod-type heating element, and may heat the inside or the outside of the aerosol generating article 20000, according to the shape of the heating element.

Also, the aerosol generating device 10000 may include a plurality of heaters 13000. Here, the plurality of heaters 13000 may be inserted into the aerosol generating article 20000 or may be arranged outside the aerosol generating article 20000. Also, some of the plurality of heaters 13000 may be inserted into the aerosol generating article 20000 and the others may be arranged outside the aerosol generating article 20000. In addition, the shape of the heater 13000 is not limited to the shapes illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3 and may include various shapes.

The vaporizer 14000 may generate an aerosol by heating a liquid composition and the generated aerosol may pass through the aerosol generating article 20000 to be delivered to a user. In other words, the aerosol generated via the vaporizer 14000 may move along an air flow passage of the aerosol generating device 10000 and the air flow passage may be configured such that the aerosol generated via the vaporizer 14000 passes through the cigarette 20000 to be delivered to the user.

For example, the vaporizer 14000 may include a liquid storage, a liquid delivery element, and a heating element, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the liquid storage, the liquid delivery element, and the heating element may be included in the aerosol generating device 10000 as independent modules.

The liquid storage may store a liquid composition. For example, the liquid composition may be a liquid including a tobacco-containing material having a volatile tobacco flavor component, or a liquid including a non-tobacco material. The liquid storage may be formed to be attached/detached to/from the vaporizer 14000 or may be formed integrally with the vaporizer 14000.

For example, the liquid composition may include water, a solvent, ethanol, plant extract, spices, flavorings, or a vitamin mixture. The spices may include menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, and various fruit-flavored ingredients, but are not limited thereto. The flavorings may include ingredients capable of providing various flavors or tastes to a user. Vitamin mixtures may be a mixture including at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but are not limited thereto. Also, the liquid composition may include an aerosol forming substance, such as glycerin and propylene glycol.

The liquid delivery element may deliver the liquid composition of the liquid storage to the heating element. For example, the liquid delivery element may be a wick such as a cotton fiber, ceramic fiber, glass fiber, or porous ceramic, but is not limited thereto.

The heating element is an element for heating the liquid composition delivered by the liquid delivery element. For example, the heating element may be a metal heating wire, a metal hot plate, a ceramic heater, or the like, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the heating element may include a conductive filament such as nichrome wire and may wound around the liquid delivery element. The heating element may be heated by current and may transfer heat to the liquid composition in contact with the heating element, thereby heating the liquid composition. As a result, an aerosol may be generated.

For example, the vaporizer 14000 may be referred to as a cartomizer or an atomizer, but it is not limited thereto.

The aerosol generating device 10000 may further include other components in addition to the battery 11000, the controller 12000, the heater 13000, and the vaporizer 14000. For example, the aerosol generating device 10000 may include a display capable of outputting visual information and/or a motor for outputting haptic information. Also, the aerosol generating device 10000 may include at least one sensor (e.g., a puff detecting sensor, a temperature detecting sensor, a cigarette insertion detecting sensor, etc.). Also, the aerosol generating device 10000 may be formed as a structure where, even when the cigarette 20000 is inserted into the aerosol generating device 10000, external air may be introduced or internal air may be discharged.

Although not illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, the aerosol generating device 10000 and an additional cradle may form together a system. For example, the cradle may be used to charge the battery 11000 of the aerosol generating device 10000. Alternatively, the heater 13000 may be heated when the cradle and the aerosol generating device 10000 are coupled to each other.

As an example, external air may be introduced through at least one air passage formed in the aerosol-generating device 10000. For example, opening and closing of the air passage formed in the aerosol-generating device 10000 and/or the size of the air passage may be adjusted by the user. Accordingly, the amount and quality of smoke may be adjusted by the user. As another example, external air may be introduced into the interior of the aerosol-generating article 20000 through at least one hole formed on the surface of the aerosol-generating article 20000.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of an aerosol-generating article 20000 according to an embodiment.

According to the embodiment, the aerosol-generating article 20000 may include a first part 21000, a second part 22000, a third part 23000, and a fourth part 24000, which are serially arranged in the length direction of the aerosol-generating article 20000. As an example, the first part 21000 may include an aerosol-generating material, the second part 22000 may include a tobacco material, the third part 23000 may cool air and aerosols that have passed through the first part 21000 and the second part 22000, and the fourth part 24000 may include a filter material.

In an embodiment, the first part 21000, the second part 22000, the third part 23000, and the fourth part 24000 may be arranged sequentially in the length direction of the aerosol-generating article 20000. Accordingly, an aerosol generated in at least one of the first part 21000 and the second part 22000 may pass through the first part 21000, the second part 22000, the third part 23000, and the fourth part 24000 sequentially, and accordingly, the user may inhale the aerosol from the fourth part 24000.

In an embodiment, the first part 21000 may have a length of about 8 mm to about 12 mm, and the second part 22000 may have a length of about 10 mm to about 14 mm. However, embodiments are not necessarily limited to this numerical range, and the length of the first part 21000 and the second part 22000 may be appropriately adjusted within a range that may be easily changed by a person skilled in the art.

Specifically, the first part 21000 may include an aerosol-generating material. In this case, the aerosol-generating material may include, for example, at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol.

The second part 22000 may include a tobacco material. In the case of a heating-type cigarette, for example, cut tobacco leaves, reconstituted tobacco, expanded tobacco, or the like may be used as the tobacco material. In addition, the second part 22000 may include a tobacco sheet having a continuously extending length. In addition, the second part 22000 may additionally include an aerosol-generating material such as a moisturizer. The component of the aerosol-generating material included in the second part 22000 may be the same as the component of the aerosol-generating material included in the first part 21000. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.

The third part 23000 may cool airflow formed by an aerosol generated in at least one of the first part 21000 and the second part 22000. The third part 23000 may be made of a polymer material or a biodegradable polymer material and may have a cooling function. For example, the third part 23000 may be made of polylactic acid (PLA) fibers, but is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the third part 23000 may be made of a cellulose acetate filter having a plurality of holes. However, the third part 23000 is not limited to the above-described example, and a material that performs a function of cooling the aerosol may correspond to the third part 23000 without limitation. For example, the third part 23000 may be a tube filter or a paper tube including a hollow.

The fourth part 24000 may include a filter material. For example, the fourth part 24000 may be a cellulose acetate filter. There is no limitation on the shape of the fourth part 24000. For example, the fourth part 24000 may be a cylindrical rod or a tube-type rod including a hollow therein. Furthermore, the fourth part 24000 may be a recess-type rod. When the fourth part 24000 includes a plurality of segments, at least one of the plurality of segments may be made in a different shape.

The fourth part 24000 may be made to generate flavor. As an example, a fragrance liquid may be sprayed on the fourth part 24000, or a separate fiber coated with the fragrance liquid may be inserted into the fourth part 24000.

In an embodiment, the aerosol-generating article 20000 may include a first wrapper 25000 and a second wrapper 26000. For example, the first wrapper 25000 may wrap at least one of the first part 21000 and the second part 22000. Also, for example, the second wrapper 26000 may wrap the first wrapper 25000, the third part 23000, and the fourth part 24000. For example, the first wrapper 25000 may wrap only the first part 21000 or the second part 22000. Alternatively, the first wrapper 25000 may wrap the entirety of the first part 21000 and a portion of the second part 22000. In any case, the second wrapper 26000 may wrap the first wrapper 25000, the third part 23000, and the fourth part 24000. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.

In an embodiment, the second wrapper 26000 may be located at the outermost part of the aerosol-generating article 20000, and the second wrapper 26000 may have at least one hole through which external air flows in or internal gas flows out. The second wrapper 26000 may be a single wrapper or a combination of a plurality of wrappers.

As an example, the first part 21000 of the aerosol-generating article 20000 may include a crimped corrugated sheet containing an aerosol-generating material, and the second part 22000 may include cut tobacco leaves. The third part 23000 may include a cooler, and the fourth part 24000 may include a filter material. The first wrapper 25000 may be formed of a silver (Ag) thin film or a copper (Cu) thin film, and the second wrapper 26000 may be formed of a cellulose wrapper. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.

When the aerosol-generating article 20000 is coupled to the aerosol-generating device 10000, the first part 21000 and the second part 22000 may be inserted in the aerosol-generating device 10000, and the third part 23000 and the fourth part 24000 may be exposed to the outside. In another example, the entire first part 21000 and a portion of the second part 22000 may be inserted in the aerosol-generating device 10000. A user may inhale the aerosol while the fourth part 24000 is put into the user's mouth. In this case, the aerosol may be generated when external air passes through the first and second parts, and the generated aerosol may pass through the third and fourth parts and be delivered to the user's mouth.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the second part 22000 of the aerosol-generating article 20000 according to an embodiment. Although not shown in FIG. 5, the first part 21000 may also be wrapped by the first wrapper 25000. Accordingly, descriptions of the first wrapper 25000 and the second wrapper 26000 to be described below may be equally applied to the first part 21000 as well as the second part 22000.

In an embodiment, the second part 22000 of the aerosol-generating article 20000 may include a tobacco material 100, the first wrapper 25000, and the second wrapper 26000, which may be sequentially arranged from the inside. The tobacco material 100 may be contained in the second part 22000 in the form of, for example, cut tobacco leaves.

In an embodiment, the first wrapper 25000 may have a cylindrical shape and may wrap the tobacco material 100. The first wrapper 25000 may have a thickness d1 of about 5 μm to about 30 μm. As such, heat may be appropriately transferred to regions of the first part 21000 and the second part 22000 which are not directly heated by the aerosol-generating device, and leakage of liquid components, such as a moisturizer included in at least one of the first part 21000 and the second part 22000 may be reduced. In addition, the tensile strength of the entire wrapper including the first wrapper 25000 and the second wrapper 26000 may be improved.

In an embodiment, the first wrapper 25000 may have a thermal conductivity of about 50 W·m^-1/K^-1 to about 500 W·m^-1/K^-1. Since the aerosol-generating article 20000 according to an embodiment includes the first wrapper 25000 made of a metal material, thermal conductivity in the aerosol-generating article 20000 through free electrons may be improved, and accordingly, regions that are not directly heated in the aerosol-generating article 20000 may be effectively heated.

In addition, the first wrapper 25000 may include at least one of aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), gold (Au), silver (Ag), and iron (Fe). Preferably, the first wrapper 25000 may have a cylindrical shape formed of a metal thin film. For example, the first wrapper 25000 may have a cylindrical shape made of aluminum foil, copper foil, or silver foil. Since the first wrapper 25000 has a cylindrical shape formed of a metal thin film, heat may be efficiently transferred to a region not directly heated by the apparatus from among the first part 21000 and the second part 22000, and leakage of liquid components, such as a moisturizer included in at least one of the first part 21000 and the second part 22000 may be reduced.

In an embodiment, the second wrapper 26000 may have a thickness d2 of about 30 μm to about 70 μm. The second wrapper 26000 may entirely wrap the aerosol-generating article 20000. For example, the second wrapper 26000 may wrap the first wrapper 25000, the third part 23000, and the fourth part 24000. Accordingly, the first part 21000 and the second part 22000 may be wrapped by both the first wrapper 25000 and the second wrapper 26000, and the third part 23000 and the fourth part 24000 may be wrapped only by the second wrapper 26000. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.

The second wrapper 26000 may include cellulose or dextrin. Preferably, the second wrapper 26000 may be a cellulose wrapper.

In an embodiment, the entire wrapper including both the first wrapper 25000 and the second wrapper 26000 may have a thickness (d1+d2) of about 35 μm to about 100 μm. As such, leakage of liquid components, such as moisturizers, to the outside may be reduced.

In addition, the first wrapper 25000 and the second wrapper 26000 together may have a combined tensile strength of about 4.5 kgf to about 10 kgf. As such, the different parts of the aerosol-generating article 20000 may not be detached from each other during a manufacturing process of the aerosol-generating article 20000.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a case in which an aerosol-generating article 20000 is inserted into an aerosol-generating device 10, according to the embodiment. For convenience of description, the third and fourth parts of the aerosol-generating article 20000 are omitted in FIG. 6.

Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide an aerosol-generating system including the above-described aerosol-generating article 20000 and the aerosol-generating device 10 for heating at least one of the first part 21000 and the second part 22000 of the aerosol-generating article 20000.

Referring to FIG. 6, the aerosol-generating device 10 may include an accommodation space 12 for accommodating the aerosol-generating article 20000 and a heating element 11 for heating the aerosol-generating article 20000.

In an embodiment, the aerosol-generating article 20000 may be inserted into the accommodation space 12, and the heating element 11 may receive power from a battery (not shown) of the aerosol-generating device 10 and heat the first part 21000 and the second part 22000 of the aerosol-generating article 20000. Specifically, the heating element 11 may heat a portion of the first part 21000 and a portion of the second part 22000. For example, the heating element 11 may heat a portion of the first part 21000 and a portion of the second part 22000, which are portions facing the heating element 11 as shown in FIG. 6. Accordingly, other portions of the first part 21000 and the second part 22000 may not be directly heated.

In an embodiment, the first wrapper 25000 may effectively transfer, to the first part 21000 and the second part 22000, heat transferred from the heating element 11. In particular, a measurement point M of the aerosol-generating article 20000 shown in FIG. 6 may not be directly heated because it is not facing the heating element 11. However, according to the present disclosure, since the first wrapper 25000 has excellent thermal conductivity, the first wrapper 25000 may effectively transfer heat supplied from the heating element 11 to the measurement point M in the length direction of the aerosol-generating article 20000. Accordingly, all of the first part 21000 and the second part 22000 may receive heat uniformly, and the amount of the aerosol formed by heating the first part 21000 and the second part 22000 and the amount of nicotine transfer may be increased.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing temperature changes of the second part 22000 over time when the first wrapper 25000 and the second wrapper 26000 are applied to the aerosol-generating article 20000, according to an embodiment. Specifically, after inserting the aerosol-generating article 20000 into the aerosol-generating device 10 as shown in FIG. 6 and operating the heating element 11, a temperature change at the measurement point M corresponding to the second part 22000 was measured.

Referring to FIG. 7, in a comparative example, an aerosol-generating article without a wrapper was found to have a slow temperature rise rate, with an average temperature of about 140°C and a maximum temperature of about 170°C. On the other hand, an aerosol-generating article including a silver foil wrapper according to an embodiment was found to have a fast temperature rise rate, with an average temperature of about 170°C and a maximum temperature of about 190°C, and was evaluated to have an excellent thermal insulation effect by the silver foil wrapper.

In addition, an aerosol-generating article including a copper foil wrapper according to an embodiment was found to have the fastest temperature rise rate, with an average temperature of about 180°C and a maximum temperature of about 190°C, and showed the best thermal insulation effect due to the copper foil wrapper.

It was confirmed that, when the aerosol-generating article 20000 according to embodiments is heated by using the aerosol-generating device 10, the second part 22000 may have a maximum temperature in the range of about 180°C to about 250°C.

In addition, it was confirmed that, when the aerosol-generating article 20000 according to embodiments is heated by using the aerosol-generating device 10, the second part 22000 may be maintained at a temperature of about 170°C or higher after 120 seconds have passed from the start of heating.

The first wrapper 25000 may have an oil resistance of 5 or more based on a 3M KIT method. Oil resistance measurement by the 3M KIT method was performed as follows.

- Principle

The 3M KIT method is a method commonly used to analyze the oil resistance of paper. In the method, a solution for measuring oil resistance is prepared and dropped onto a test piece, and after a certain period of time, the oil resistance is determined by the highest solution number that does not leave any oil marks on the test piece.

- Instrument and Apparatus

As a stock bottle, a storage bottle made of a glass cap or foil lined cap to prevent evaporation was used. As a test bottle, a bottle equipped with a dropper or rod capable of dropping a solution onto the test piece was used.

- Test Method

The solution was prepared by mixing castor oil, toluene, and heptane in a ratio determined by the kit number as shown in the table above.

The test was performed from the low kit number reagent on the test piece, and after 15 seconds after dropping a prepared reagent onto the test piece, the dropped reagent was removed using a dampened cotton or tissue paper and checked for oil marks.

If no oil marks appeared, the experiment was continued while increasing the kit number, and the experiment was conducted until oil marks occurred. Oil resistance was evaluated by applying the kit number without final oil marks.

As a result of evaluating the oil resistance of the aerosol-generating article according to the present disclosure based on the 3M KIT method described above, it was confirmed that the first wrapper 25000 according to the embodiment may have an oil resistance of 5 or more based on the 3M KIT method.

FIG. 8 are photographs illustrating the degree of liquid leakage of aerosol-generating articles according to a comparative example and embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 8, as a comparative example, in an aerosol-generating article without a wrapper, it may be seen that leakage of a liquid component of a second part is relatively large. On the other hand, in an aerosol-generating article using a wrapper according to an embodiment, it may be seen that leakage of a liquid component of a second part is relatively small and does hardly occur. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, there is an advantage of improving the oil resistance of an aerosol-generating article.

Although not described through the drawings, according to an embodiment, a first wrapper may wrap only a first part of the aerosol-generating article.

Specifically, the present disclosure may provide an aerosol-generating article including: a first part including an aerosol-generating material; a second part including a tobacco material; a third part that cools air passing through the first part and the second part; and a fourth part including a filter material, wherein the first part, the second part, the third part, and the fourth part are arranged in an order based on a length direction of the aerosol-generating article, the aerosol-generating article further including: a first wrapper that wraps the first part; and a second wrapper that wraps the first wrapper, the second part, the third part, and the fourth part.

The embodiments described earlier may be equally applied to the above case. However, since the first wrapper made of metal wraps only the first part of the aerosol-generating article, thermal conductivity in the first part may be improved, and leakage of moisturizer components of an aerosol-generating material included in the first part may be reduced. In particular, in the case of the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment, since the aerosol-generating material contained in the first part may be included in a liquid form, the effect of preventing leakage may be important. By preventing or reducing leakage from the first part by the first wrapper, durability of the aerosol-generating article may be improved, and a better smoking feeling may be provided to a user.

Also, according to an embodiment, the first wrapper may wrap only the second part of the aerosol-generating article. In this case, thermal conductivity in the second part may be improved, and leakage of moisturizer components in an aerosol-generating material included in the second part may be reduced.

At least one of the components, elements, modules or units (collectively "components" in this paragraph) represented by a block in the drawings, such as the controller 12000 in FIGS. 1-3 and 6, may be embodied as various numbers of hardware, software and/or firmware structures that execute respective functions described above, according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, at least one of these components may use a direct circuit structure, such as a memory, a processor, a logic circuit, a look-up table, etc. that may execute the respective functions through controls of one or more microprocessors or other control apparatuses. Also, at least one of these components may be specifically embodied by a module, a program, or a part of code, which contains one or more executable instructions for performing specified logic functions, and executed by one or more microprocessors or other control apparatuses. Further, at least one of these components may include or may be implemented by a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) that performs the respective functions, a microprocessor, or the like. Two or more of these components may be combined into one single component which performs all operations or functions of the combined two or more components. Also, at least part of functions of at least one of these components may be performed by another of these components. Further, although a bus is not illustrated in the above block diagrams, communication between the components may be performed through the bus. Functional aspects of the above exemplary embodiments may be implemented in algorithms that execute on one or more processors. Furthermore, the components represented by a block or processing steps may employ any number of related art techniques for electronics configuration, signal processing and/or control, data processing and the like.

The descriptions of the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and equivalents thereof may be made. Therefore, the scope of the disclosure should be defined by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope equivalent to those described in the claims will be construed as being included in the scope of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

An aerosol-generating article comprising:

a first part including an aerosol-generating material;

a second part including a tobacco material;

a third part that cools air that has passed through the first part and the second part;

a fourth part including a filter material;

a first wrapper that wraps at least one of the first part and the second part; and

a second wrapper that wraps the first wrapper, the third part, and the fourth part,

wherein the first part, the second part, the third part, and the fourth part are sequentially arranged in a length direction of the aerosol-generating article.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein

the first wrapper has a thickness of about 5 μm to about 30 μm, and

the second wrapper has a thickness of about 30 μm to about 70 μm.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the first wrapper includes at least one of aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), gold (Au), silver (Ag), and iron (Fe), and the second wrapper includes cellulose.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the first wrapper has an oil resistance of 5 or more based on a 3M KIT method and has a thermal conductivity of about 50 W·m^-1/K^-1 to about 500 W·m^-1/K^-1.
The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the first wrapper and the second wrapper have a combined tensile strength of about 4.5 kgf to about 10 kgf.
An aerosol-generating system comprising:

the aerosol-generating article of claim 1; and

an aerosol-generating device configured to heat at least one of the first part and the second part of the aerosol-generating article.
The aerosol-generating system of claim 6, wherein, when the aerosol-generating article is heated by using the aerosol-generating device, the second part has a maximum temperature in a range of about 180°C to about 250°C.
The aerosol-generating system of claim 6, wherein, when the aerosol-generating article is heated by using the aerosol-generating device, the second part is maintained at a temperature of 170°C or higher after 120 seconds have passed from a start of heating.
The aerosol-generating system of claim 6, wherein,

each of the first part and the second part has a length of about 10 mm to about 14 mm, and

the aerosol-generating device is configured to heat both a portion of the first part and a portion of the second part.