US20240365861A1

US20240365861A1 - Aerosol-generating article

Info

Publication number: US20240365861A1
Application number: US18/284,264
Authority: US
Inventors: Seok Su JANG; Dae Nam HAN; Dong Sung Kim; Yong Hwan Kim; Seung Won Lee
Original assignee: KT&G Corp
Current assignee: KT&G Corp
Priority date: 2021-05-14
Filing date: 2022-05-13
Publication date: 2024-11-07
Also published as: KR20220155623A; KR102715274B1; JP7671867B2; EP4337037A1; JP2024515812A; WO2022240252A1; EP4337037A4; CN117042635A

Abstract

An aerosol-generating article according to one aspect of the present disclosure may include a tobacco medium portion, a filter portion disposed to be spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion, and a tubular cooling portion disposed between the tobacco medium portion and the filter portion. A tobacco medium may be included in a wall constituting the cooling portion.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol-generating article and an aerosol-generating device.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, tobacco refers to a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Solanaceae, a family of dicotyledonous plants, and recently, also collectively refers to a product manufactured for the purpose of smoking and consisting of tobacco leaves in cigarette paper with a filter at one side. There are thousands of tobacco products in the worldwide market, and they come in a variety of shapes and forms.
In the case of combustible tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, and hookah, tobacco smoke contains many components such as tar, nitroamines, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide in addition to aerosols containing nicotine.
As an alternative to compensating for the shortcomings of such combustible tobacco products, a method of generating an aerosol by heating an aerosol-generating material in a cigarette rather than burning the cigarette is widely used and demand therefor is increasing. To meet this demand, research is actively being conducted on heating-type cigarettes or heating-type aerosol-generating devices.
Specifically, an aerosol-generating device has a form similar to that of a conventional combustible tobacco product and generates mainstream smoke including aerosols by heating an aerosol-generating material in a heating-type cigarette through a means such as a heater or ultrasonic vibration. The aerosol-generating device has the advantage of minimizing emission of components such as tar while functioning to provide smokers with smoking satisfaction. Accordingly, the aerosol-generating device has been attracting attention as a new market for replacing conventional combustible tobacco products. In the case of the heating-type cigarette (i.e., an aerosol-generating article) used in the aerosol-generating device, the amount of nicotine delivered to a user may be high in the early stage of smoking. However, in the later stage of smoking, the amount of nicotine delivered to the user may decrease sharply.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

Accordingly, the present disclosure has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and an objective of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol-generating article that does not cause a decrease in the amount of nicotine delivered to a user in the late stage of smoking.
Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol-generating article capable of effectively cooling a high-temperature aerosol heated in a tobacco medium portion.

Solution to Problem

In order to achieve the above objectives, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol-generating article including a tobacco medium portion, a filter portion disposed to be spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion, and a tubular cooling portion disposed between the tobacco medium portion and the filter portion. A tobacco medium may be included in a wall constituting the cooling portion.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

An aerosol-generating article according to one aspect of the present disclosure can deliver a high amount of nicotine to a user even in the late stage of smoking.
In addition, it is possible to effectively cool a high-temperature aerosol heated in a tobacco medium portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

So that the present disclosure can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, a more detailed description may be had by reference to aspects of some illustrative implementations, some of which are shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the inside of section A illustrated in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5 to 7 are views illustrating modified examples of a tobacco medium portion of the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a modified example of a filter portion of the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a view schematically illustrating a process of cooling mainstream smoke by a tobacco medium of a cooling portion.

FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating the amount of nicotine delivered by the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 11 to 18 are views illustrating modified examples of the cooling portion of the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 19 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of an aerosol-generating device into which the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is inserted.

In accordance with common practice, the various features illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. In addition, some of the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given system, method, or device. Finally, like reference numerals may be used to denote like features throughout the specification and figures.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In some implementations, an aerosol-generating article according to one aspect of the present disclosure may include a tobacco medium portion, a filter portion disposed to be spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion, and a tubular cooling portion disposed between the tobacco medium portion and the filter portion. A tobacco medium may be included in a wall constituting the cooling portion.
In some implementations, the tobacco medium may be uniformly disposed in the cooling portion along a longitudinal direction of the cooling portion.
In some implementations, the tobacco medium may be non-uniformly disposed in the cooling portion along the longitudinal direction of the cooling portion.
In some implementations, the concentration of the tobacco medium in the cooling portion may be higher at an inlet side of the cooling portion adjacent to the tobacco medium portion than at an outlet side of the cooling portion adjacent to the filter portion.
In some implementations, the concentration of the tobacco medium in the cooling portion may be lower at the inlet side of the cooling portion adjacent to the tobacco medium portion than at the outlet side of the cooling portion adjacent to the filter portion.
In some implementations, the concentration of the tobacco medium may be higher in a central region of the cooling portion than in opposite end regions of the cooling portion.
In some implementations, the concentration of the tobacco medium may be lower in the central region of the cooling portion than in the opposite end regions of the cooling portion.
In some implementations, the cooling portion may include a cellulose acetate tow.
In some implementations, the cellulose acetate tow may have a denier of 3 to 20.
In some implementations, a flavoring material may be further included in the wall constituting the cooling portion.
In some implementations, the tobacco medium of the cooling portion may be in the form of granules.
In some implementations, the tobacco medium portion may include a tobacco medium in the form of granules, and the granules of the tobacco medium portion may be larger than those of the cooling portion.
In some implementations, the tobacco medium portion may include a plurality of segments.
In some implementations, at least one of the plurality of segments may include a tobacco medium.
In some implementations, an aerosol-generating device according to another aspect of the present disclosure may include a heater for heating at least a portion of an aerosol-generating article, a power supplier for supplying power to the heater, and a controller for controlling the power supplied to the power supplier.
In some implementations, the aerosol-generating device may further include an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol by heating a liquid composition. The aerosol generated by the aerosol generator may be introduced into the aerosol-generating article.
The present disclosure is not limited to what has been described above, and other aspects and advantages of the present disclosure not mentioned above will be understood through the following description of implementations of the present disclosure. Further, it will be understood that the aspects and advantages of the present disclosure may be achieved by the configurations described in claims and combinations thereof.

MODE FOR THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure, specific examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below; since the embodiments of the present disclosure can be variously modified in many different forms. However, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to only the embodiments set forth herein, but should be construed as covering modifications, equivalents, or alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise”, “include”, “have”, etc. when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals will refer to the same or like elements or parts. Further, it is to be noted that, when the functions of conventional elements and the detailed description of elements related with the present disclosure may make the gist of the present disclosure unclear, a detailed description of those elements will be omitted. For the same reason, some components will be exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Hereinafter, an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the inside of section A illustrated in FIG. 2 . FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 , the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a tobacco medium portion 110, a cooling portion 130, a filter portion 150, and a wrapper 170. Here, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art related to the present embodiment that other general-purpose components other than those illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 may be further included in the aerosol-generating article 100.
The aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment may be heated by being inserted into an aerosol-generating device 300 (see FIG. 19 ), which will be described in more detail later. In this case, when the aerosol-generating article 100 is heated, mainstream smoke may be delivered to a user. The mainstream smoke may be an airflow flowing from upstream to downstream inside the aerosol-generating article 100. Here, the term “upstream” may mean the side in which the tobacco medium portion 110 is located, and the term “downstream” may mean the side in which the filter portion 150 is located. The user of the aerosol-generating article 100 may inhale the mainstream smoke through a downstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100.
The aerosol-generating article 100 may have a cylindrical shape. In this case, the diameter of the aerosol-generating article 100 may be in the range of 4.7 mm to 9.9 mm. Each of the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150 may also have a cylindrical shape having a diameter of 4.7 mm to 9.9 mm.
In addition, the length of the aerosol-generating article 100 may be in the range of 31 mm and 60 mm. The length of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be in the range of 17 mm to 30 mm. The length of the cooling portion 130 may be in the range of 4 mm to 10 mm, and the length of the filter portion 150 may be in the range of 10 mm to 20 mm.
The shapes, diameters, and lengths of the aerosol-generating article 100 and the components thereof are exemplary, and the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. The shape and dimensions of the aerosol-generating article 100 may be partially modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.
The tobacco medium portion 110 is located on the upstream side of the aerosol-generating article 100 and may include a tobacco medium that generates an aerosol. The tobacco medium of the tobacco medium portion 110 contains nicotine, providing the user who inhales the mainstream smoke with a distinctive taste and flavor of a cigarette.
When the aerosol-generating article 100 is heated by the aerosol-generating device 300, which will be described in greater later, and an aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating device 300 is introduced into the aerosol-generating article 100, nicotine may be adsorbed to the surface of the aerosol while the aerosol passes through the tobacco medium portion 110 and be delivered to the user.
Here, the nicotine contained in the tobacco medium may be at least one of free base nicotine and a nicotine salt, and the nicotine may be naturally-occurring nicotine or synthetic nicotine.
The nicotine salt may be formed by adding a suitable acid, including an organic or inorganic acid, to nicotine. The acid for the formation of the nicotine salt may be appropriately selected in consideration of the blood nicotine absorption rate, the heating temperature of a heater, flavor, solubility, etc. For example, the acid for the formation of the nicotine salt may be one of or a mixture of at least two selected from the group consisting of benzoic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, lauric acid, sorbic acid, levulinic acid, pyruvic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, citric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, phenylacetic acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, saccharic acid, malonic acid, or malic acid, but is not necessarily limited thereto.
Meanwhile, the tobacco medium of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be made in various forms. For example, the tobacco medium may be made in the form of a sheet or strand. In addition, the tobacco medium may be made in the form of tobacco shreds obtained by finely cutting a tobacco sheet. In addition, the tobacco medium may be made in the form of granules including tobacco.
The tobacco medium portion 110 may have a cylindrical shape. However, the shape of the tobacco medium portion 110 is not necessarily limited thereto, and a bar shape with various cross-sections may be employed.
In this case, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be manufactured by folding a tobacco sheet into a cylindrical shape, or by molding tobacco strands, tobacco shreds, or tobacco granules into a cylindrical shape.
When the tobacco medium portion 110 is made of a plurality of tobacco strands obtained by finely cutting a tobacco sheet, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be formed by combining the plurality of tobacco strands in the same direction (e.g., parallel to one another) or randomly. In detail, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be formed by combining the plurality of tobacco strands, and a plurality of longitudinal channels for allowing the aerosol to pass therethrough may result. In this case, depending on the sizes and arrangements of the tobacco strands, the longitudinal channels may be uniform or non-uniform.
The tobacco medium portion 110 may further include an aerosol-generating material to increase the amount of atomization. For example, the aerosol-generating material may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol, but is not necessarily limited thereto.
The tobacco medium portion 110 may further include a flavoring material to add a flavor to the aerosol. For example, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include other additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an organic acid. In addition, a flavoring liquid such as menthol or moisturizer may be added to the tobacco medium portion 110 by spraying the flavoring liquid onto the tobacco medium portion 110.
In this case, as a non-limiting example, the flavoring agent may include licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, isosweet, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, cinnamon, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cinnamon, ylang ylang, salvia, spearmint, ginger, coriander, or coffee. In addition, the wetting agent may include glycerin or propylene glycol.
The tobacco medium portion 110 may be surrounded by a heat-conducting material. The heat-conducting material may improve thermal conductivity applied to the tobacco medium portion 110 by evenly distributing heat transferred to the tobacco medium portion 110 for improving tobacco flavor. For example, the heat-conducting material may be a metal foil such as an aluminum foil. However, the heat-conducting material is not necessarily limited thereto, and various metal foils for use as the heat-conducting material may be employed.
Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be composed of at least one segment. As a non-limiting example, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include one segment, two segments, or three segments. Specifically, the tobacco medium portion 110 according to the present embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 may include one segment. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the tobacco medium portion 110 may include two segments. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 7 , the tobacco medium portion 110 may include three segments.
Referring to FIG. 4 , the tobacco medium portion 110 according to the present embodiment may include one segment. The segment of tobacco medium portion 110 may be filled with a tobacco medium. In other words, in the present embodiment, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include one segment filled with the tobacco medium.
In this case, the segment may be manufactured by folding a tobacco sheet into a cylindrical shape, or by molding tobacco strands, tobacco shreds, or tobacco granules into a cylindrical shape. In addition, the segment may further include an aerosol-generating material to increase the amount of atomization and/or a flavoring material.
In addition, the segment of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be heated by being coupled to a heater 370 (see FIG. 19 ) of the aerosol-generating device 300 for heating the aerosol-generating article 100. In FIG. 19 , the heater 370 is illustrated as being disposed around the aerosol-generating article 100, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be inserted into the tobacco medium portion 110 to heat the tobacco medium portion 110.
The tobacco medium portion 110 may further include a configuration for identifying the aerosol-generating article 100. The aerosol-generating article 100 may exhibit various tastes and flavors, and may include a configuration (not illustrated) for identifying various types of aerosol-generating article 100. For example, the tobacco medium portion 110 may include a metal foil for altering the inductance of a coil for recognizing an aerosol-generating article included in the aerosol-generating device 300. In this case, the metal foil may be disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the tobacco medium portion 110.
Meanwhile, in modified examples illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the tobacco medium portion 110 may include two segments. One of the two segments may include a tobacco medium and the other may not include a tobacco medium.
Referring to FIG. 5 , the tobacco medium portion 110 may include a first segment 111 and a second segment 119. The first segment 111 is a segment that is filled with the tobacco medium and may be made of the same material as the above-described segment of the tobacco medium portion 110 illustrated in FIG. 4 .
The second segment 119 may be located at an upstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100 and may prevent the first segment 111 from being externally separated. In other words, the tobacco medium portion 110 according to the present modified example may be configured such that the second segment 119 and the first segment 111 are arranged sequentially from the upstream side.
The second segment 119 may prevent impurities from being introduced into the first segment 111 from the outside, and may prevent a liquefied aerosol from being introduced into the aerosol-generating device 300 (see FIG. 19 ) during smoking.
In addition, when the aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 300, the second segment 119 may support the aerosol-generating article 100 so that the aerosol-generating article 100 is secured to the aerosol-generating device 300.
The second segment 119 may be a cellulose acetate filter. For example, the second segment 119 may be manufactured by adding a plasticizer such as triacetin to a cellulose acetate tow: In addition, an aerosol-generating material may be included in the cellulose acetate tow.
Nicotine may be excluded from the aerosol-generating material included in the second segment 119. For example, the second segment 119 may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, or oleyl alcohol. However, the aerosol-generating material included in the second segment 119 is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the second segment 119 may include a material in which glycerin and propylene glycol are mixed in a ratio of approximately 8:2. However, the above-mentioned mixing ratio is exemplary, and the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.
In addition, the second segment 119 may include other additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an organic acid. However, the material and type of the second segment 119 are not necessarily limited thereto, and may be modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.
The second segment 119 may have a through-hole for allowing an aerosol from the outside to be introduced therethrough to form mainstream smoke inside the aerosol-generating article 100. The through-hole formed in the second segment 119 may have a circular or Y-shaped cross-section. However, the cross-sectional shape of the through-hole is not necessarily limited thereto, and various forms may be employed.
Meanwhile, when the second segment 119 includes a crimped sheet impregnated with the aerosol-generating material, the through-hole may not be formed in the second segment 119.
When a portion of the aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 300, an aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating device 300 may be introduced into the aerosol-generating article 100 through the second segment 119. The aerosol may form mainstream smoke inside the aerosol-generating article 100 and be delivered to the user. In addition, an aerosol generated inside the second segment 119 including the aerosol-generating material may form mainstream smoke and be delivered to the user.
The second segment 119 may further include a configuration for identifying the aerosol-generating article 100. The aerosol-generating article 100 may exhibit various tastes and flavors, and may include a configuration for identifying various types of aerosol-generating article 100. For example, the second segment 119 may include a metal foil for altering the inductance of a coil for recognizing an aerosol-generating article included in the aerosol-generating device 300. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto, and the configuration for identifying the aerosol-generating article 100 may be included in the first segment 111 in addition to the second segment 119.
Referring to FIG. 6 , the tobacco medium portion 110 may include a first segment 111 and a second segment 117.
The first segment 111 may be located at the upstream end of the aerosol-generating article. The first segment 111 is a segment that is filled with a tobacco medium and may be made of the same material as the above-described first segment 111 illustrated in FIG. 5 .
The second segment 117 may prevent the tobacco medium of the first segment 111 from being separated toward the cooling portion 130, which will be described in more detail later. For example, when the heater for heating the aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into the first segment 111, the tobacco medium in the first segment 111 may be separated and moved toward the cooling portion 130. As the second segment 117 is disposed between the first segment 111 and the cooling portion 130, the tobacco medium in the first segment 111 may be prevented from being separated toward the cooling portion 130.
The second segment 117 may be made of the same material as the above-described second segment 119 illustrated in FIG. 5 .
In addition, the second segment 117 may have a through-hole for allowing an aerosol formed in the first segment 111 or passing through the first segment 111 to be introduced therethrough. The through-hole formed in the second segment 117 may have a circular or Y-shaped cross-section. However, the cross-sectional shape of the through-hole is not necessarily limited thereto, and various forms may be employed.
As such, the first segment 111 and the second segment 117 of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be respectively made of the same materials as the above-described first segment 111 and second segment 119 of the tobacco medium portion 110 illustrated in FIG. 5 . However, the first segment 111 and the second segment 117 of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be arranged in a different order from the first segment 111 and the second segment 119 illustrated in FIG. 5 . In other words, the tobacco medium portion 110 according to the present modified example may be configured such that the first segment 111 and the second segment 117 are arranged sequentially from the upstream side.
Meanwhile, in a modified example illustrated in FIG. 7 , the tobacco medium portion 110 may include three segments. At least one of the three segments may include a tobacco medium.
Referring to FIG. 7 , the tobacco medium portion 110 may include a first segment 111, a second segment 113, and a third segment 115. In the present modified example, the first segment 111 including the tobacco medium may be centrally disposed, and the second segment 113, the first segment 111, and the third segment 115 may be arranged sequentially from the upstream side.
The first segment 111 is an intermediate segment among the three segments of the tobacco medium portion 110. The first segment 111 is a segment that is filled with the tobacco medium and may be made of the same material as the above-described first segment 111 illustrated in FIG. 5 .
The second segment 113 and the third segment 115 may be disposed oppositely with respect to the first segment 111 interposed therebetween. The second segment 113 and the third segment 115 may be made of the same material as the above-described second segment 119 illustrated in FIG. 5 .
The second segment 113 may prevent impurities from being introduced into the first segment 111 from the outside, and may prevent a liquefied aerosol from being introduced into the aerosol-generating device 300) during smoking. In addition, the second segment 113 may remain the same in structure, function, and material as the above-described second segment 119 illustrated in FIG. 5 .
The third segment 115 may prevent the tobacco medium of the first segment 111 from being separated toward the cooling portion 130. In addition, the third segment 115 may remain the same in structure, function, and material as the above-described second segment 117, as illustrated in FIG. 6 .
As such, in the present modified example, the tobacco medium portion 110 may be configured such that the second segment 113 and the third segment 115 are disposed oppositely with respect to the first segment 111 including the tobacco medium.
Referring back to FIGS. 1 to 4 , in the present embodiment, the filter portion 150 may be located at the downstream end of the aerosol-generating article to be spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion 110. The filter portion 150 may filter out at least one of substances included in the mainstream smoke.
The filter portion 150 may be a cellulose acetate filter, and may be manufactured by adding a plasticizer such as triacetin to a cellulose acetate tow: However, the material and type of the filter portion 150 are not necessarily limited thereto, and may be modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.
The filter portion 150 may have a cylindrical shape. However, the shape of the filter portion 150 is not necessarily limited thereto, and various shapes conforming to the shape of the tobacco medium portion 110 may be employed.
The filter portion 150 may be manufactured to generate a flavor. For example, a flavoring liquid may be sprayed onto the filter portion 150, or separate fibers coated with a flavoring liquid may be included inside the filter portion 150.
Alternatively, the filter portion 150 may include at least one capsule (not illustrated). The capsule may generate a flavor or an aerosol. For example, the capsule may have a structure in which a liquid containing a spice is encapsulated with a film. In this case, the capsule may have a spherical or cylindrical shape, but the shape of the capsule is not necessarily limited thereto.
In the present embodiment, the filter portion 150 is described as being formed on the most downstream side of the aerosol-generating article 100. However, as illustrated in FIG. 8 , a recess portion 190 may be formed downstream of the filter portion 150. The recess portion 190 has a structure in which the wrapper 170 surrounding the filter portion 150 further extends downstream beyond the filter portion 150. In other words, in the present embodiment, the wrapper 170 extends outwardly beyond the filter portion 150 more than in the above-described aerosol-generating article 100 according to the embodiment. With the shape of the wrapper 170, the filter portion 150 may have a recessed rod shape.
The recess portion 190 may prevent nicotine stains formed at the end of the filter portion 150 from being easily exposed externally. Thus, nicotine stains formed on the filter portion 150 of the aerosol-generating article 100 during smoking or after smoking may not be exposed externally, resulting in an improved aesthetic appearance.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , in the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment, the cooling portion 130 may be disposed between the tobacco medium portion 110 and the filter portion 150 and may cool a high-temperature aerosol passing therethrough. The high-temperature aerosol from the tobacco medium portion 110 may be cooled while moving inside the cooling portion 130, and the cooled aerosol may pass through the filter portion 150 and be delivered to the user. Thereby, the high-temperature aerosol may be prevented from being delivered directly to the user.
The cooling portion 130 may have a tubular shape for allowing an aerosol to pass therethrough. Specifically, the cooling portion 130 may include a body 135 having a through-hole 133 therein. The through-hole 133 is a space formed in the center of the cooling portion 130 and may allow the aerosol to move from the tobacco medium portion 110 to the filter portion 150 therethrough.
The high-temperature aerosol introduced into an inlet of the cooling portion 130 may be cooled while passing through the through-hole 133 of the cooling portion 130. During the process of cooling the aerosol, a portion of heat contained in the aerosol may pass through the body 135 of the cooling portion 130 and be discharged to the outside. In this case, a separate member including polylactic acid (PLA) may be disposed in the through-hole 133 of the cooling portion 130. For example, the inside of the through-hole 133 may be at least partially filled with PLA.
The body 135 of the cooling portion 130 may be manufactured by adding a plasticizer such as triacetin to a cellulose acetate tow: Alternatively, the body 135 of the cooling portion 130 may be made of laminated paper composed of a plurality of paper layers. For example, the body 135 may be made of laminated paper composed of an outer paper layer, an intermediate paper layer, and an inner paper layer, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be made of single-layer paper. In this case, the inside of the laminated paper may be coated with a cooling material or may be attached with a cooling film. Here, the cooling material or the cooling film may include various materials having high thermal efficiency. However, the material and type of the body 135 of the cooling portion 130 are not limited thereto, and may be modified within a range that can be employed by those skilled in the art.
When the body 135 of the cooling portion 130 is made of the cellulose acetate tow; the mono denier of filaments constituting the cellulose acetate tow may be in the range of 3 to 20. Preferably, the mono denier of the filaments of the body 135 is in the range of 9 to 15.
In addition, the filaments constituting the body 135 may have a Y-shaped cross-section. Here, the term “filament” may mean a long strand of fibers constituting the cellulose acetate tow.
Meanwhile, the body 135 may include other additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an organic acid. In this case, the flavoring agent may include licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, isosweet, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, cinnamon, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cinnamon, ylang ylang, salvia, spearmint, ginger, coriander, or coffee. In addition, the wetting agent may include glycerin or propylene glycol.
The body 135 may have a donut-shaped cross-section due to the through-hole 133. In this case, the inner diameter of the body 135 may be equal to or larger than 2 mm. In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the body 135 is in the range of 3.8 mm to 4.2 mm.
Here, the body 135 may have a plurality of openings 160 for allowing external air to be introduced therethrough or internal air to be discharged therethrough. The plurality of openings 160 may be formed to be spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction of the body 135.
In the present embodiment, the plurality of openings 160 may be arranged at an outlet side (i.e., the side adjacent to the filter portion 150) of the cooling portion 130. The aerosol passing through the cooling portion 130 may be further cooled by the external air introduced through the plurality of openings 160. Thereby, the aerosol to be introduced into the filter portion 150 may be cooled again, so that the high-temperature aerosol may be prevented from being inhaled directly into a user's mouth.
In the present embodiment, although the plurality of openings 160) are arranged at the outlet side of the cooling portion 130, the position of the plurality of openings 160 is not necessarily limited thereto. The plurality of openings 160 may be arranged at another position on the cooling portion 130. For example, at an inlet side of the cooling portion 130 or in a central region of the cooling portion 130.
According to the present embodiment, a tobacco medium 131 may be included in the body 135 of the cooling portion 130. Specifically, the tobacco medium 131 may be included in a wall constituting the body 135. Here, the tobacco medium 131 may contain nicotine as in the tobacco medium included in the above-described tobacco medium portion 110.
When the tobacco medium 131 is included in the body 135, nicotine may be further contained in mainstream smoke to provide the user with abundant nicotine. Specifically, in the cooling portion 130, nicotine may be further contained in mainstream smoke that contains nicotine while passing through the tobacco medium portion 110.
Meanwhile, a nicotine salt may be further applied to an inner peripheral surface of the body 135. In other words, the nicotine salt may be applied to the inner peripheral surface of the body 135 defining the through-hole 133. Therefore, as the nicotine salt is further applied to the inner peripheral surface of the body 135 in addition to the tobacco medium 131 included in the wall of the body 135, it is possible to provide more abundant nicotine.
The tobacco medium 131 disposed in the cooling portion 130 may be made in the form of granules including tobacco. However, the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling portion 130 is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be made in various forms having a small size, such as tobacco shreds obtained by finely cutting a tobacco sheet. In this case, when the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling portion 130 is made in the form of granules, the size thereof may be smaller than that of the tobacco medium of the tobacco medium portion 110 in the form of granules.
FIG. 9 is a view schematically illustrating a process of cooling mainstream smoke by the tobacco medium of the cooling portion.
Referring to FIG. 9 , the mainstream smoke M passing through the tobacco medium portion 110 may pass through the through-hole 133 formed in the cooling portion 130. The mainstream smoke M introduced into the through-hole 133 may contain nicotine generated by the tobacco medium 110. At this time, the mainstream smoke M may be introduced into the through-hole 133 while containing nicotine in a high temperature state.
As the tobacco medium 131 included in the body 135 is heated by heat of the mainstream smoke M, nicotine N may be released from the tobacco medium 131. The nicotine N thus released from the tobacco medium 131 in the body 135 may be entrained in the mainstream smoke M. As a result, the mainstream smoke M may further contain the nicotine N from the body 135 of the cooling portion 130 as well as nicotine from the tobacco medium 110.
According to the present embodiment, as the tobacco medium 131 is included in the body 135 of the cooling portion 130, the amount of nicotine contained in the mainstream smoke M is increased, thereby providing the user with abundant nicotine.
In addition, by the tobacco medium 131 in the body 135, the cooling effect on the mainstream smoke M in the cooling portion 130 may also be increased. As the tobacco medium 131 in the body 135 releases nicotine by heat, the mainstream smoke M may be further cooled.
In addition to the case where the mainstream smoke M is subjected to natural cooling while passing through the through-hole 133 of the body 135, further cooling occurs as the heat of the mainstream smoke M is used in the process in which nicotine is released from the tobacco medium 131 of the body 135.
Meanwhile, according to the present embodiment, as the tobacco medium 131 is included in the cooling portion 130, it is possible to prevent a rapid decrease in the amount of delivered nicotine in the later stage of smoking. In other words, according to the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment, as the tobacco medium 131 of the cooling portion 130 provides additional nicotine, it is possible to compensate for the decrease in the amount of delivered nicotine in the late stage of smoking.
FIG. 10 illustrates the amount of nicotine delivered per puff during a smoking process. The horizontal axis indicates the order of puffs (e.g., first puff, second puff . . . ), and the vertical axis indicates the relative amount of nicotine delivered to the user in each puff.
Overall, the amount of delivered nicotine increases in the first several puffs during the smoking process, and then decreases when a certain number of puffs is reached.
As illustrated in FIG. 10 , when comparing the aerosol-generating article according to the present embodiment with the aerosol-generating article according to the related art that does not include a tobacco medium in a cooling portion 130, the amount of delivered nicotine decreases from the fourth puff and subsequent puffs in both the present disclosure and the related art.
However, in the later stage of smoking (e.g., after the fourth puff), the aerosol-generating article according to the present embodiment exhibits a higher amount of delivered nicotine as comparted to the aerosol-generating article according to the related art. In other words, according to the present embodiment, the amount of delivered nicotine is increased as compared to the related art by the tobacco medium 131 included in the cooling portion 130 even in the late stage of smoking, thereby providing the user with sufficient nicotine during smoking.
According to the present embodiment, the tobacco medium 131 may be uniformly disposed in the cooling portion 130. Specifically, the tobacco medium 131 may be disposed at a uniform concentration along a longitudinal direction of the body 135 of the cooling portion 130. In other words, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling portion 130 may be uniform from the tobacco medium portion 110 to the filter portion 150. Here, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 represents the amount of the tobacco medium 131 per unit length contained in the body 135.
Meanwhile, the tobacco medium 131 may be non-uniformly disposed in the cooling portion 130. Specifically, as in modified example according to the present embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 18 , the tobacco medium 131 may be disposed at a non-uniform concentration along the longitudinal direction of the body 135 of the cooling portion 130.
Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12 , the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling portion 130 may be disposed so that the concentration thereof is higher at the inlet side of the cooling portion 130 adjacent to the tobacco medium portion 110 than at remaining positions on the cooling portion 130.
In FIG. 11 , the tobacco medium 131 may be disposed throughout the body 135 along the longitudinal direction of the body 135, and the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 may be relatively high at the inlet side of the cooling portion 130. On the other hand, in FIG. 12 , the tobacco medium 131 may be disposed only at the inlet side of the cooling portion 130, and the tobacco medium 131 may not be disposed at the remaining positions on the cooling portion 130 except for the inlet side.
Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14 , the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling portion 130 may be disposed so that the concentration thereof is higher at the outlet side of the cooling portion 130 adjacent to the filter portion 150 than at remaining positions on the cooling portion 130.
In FIG. 13 , the tobacco medium 131 may be disposed throughout the body 135 along the longitudinal direction of the body 135, and the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 may be relatively high at the outlet side of the cooling portion 130. On the other hand, in FIG. 14 , the tobacco medium 131 may be disposed only at the outlet side of the cooling portion 130, and the tobacco medium 131 may not be disposed at the remaining positions on the cooling portion 130 except for the outlet side.
Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16 , the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling portion 130 may be disposed so that the concentration thereof is higher in a central region of the cooling portion 130 than at remaining positions on the cooling portion 130. In other words, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 may be higher in the central region of the cooling portion 130 than in opposite end regions of the cooling portion 130.
In FIG. 15 , the tobacco medium 131 may be disposed throughout the body 135 along the longitudinal direction of the body 135, and the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 may be relatively high in the central region of the cooling portion 130. In other words, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 may be relatively high in the central region between the inlet side and the outlet side of the cooling portion 130. On the other hand, in FIG. 16 , the tobacco medium 131 may be disposed only in the central region, and the tobacco medium 131 may not be disposed at the remaining positions on the cooling portion 130 except for the central region.
Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18 , the tobacco medium 131 in the cooling portion 130 may be disposed so that the concentration thereof is lower in the central region of the cooling portion 130 than at the remaining positions on the cooling portion 130. In other words, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 may be lower in the central region of the cooling portion 130 than in the opposite end regions of the cooling portion 130.
In FIG. 17 , the tobacco medium 131 may be disposed throughout the body 135 along the longitudinal direction of the body 135, and the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 may be relatively low in the central region of the cooling portion 130. In other words, the concentration of the tobacco medium 131 may be relatively low in the central region between the inlet side and the outlet side of the cooling portion 130. On the other hand, in FIG. 18 , the tobacco medium 131 may be disposed only in the opposite end regions of the cooling portion 130, and the tobacco medium 131 may not be disposed in the central region.
Referring back to FIG. 4 , the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment may be wrapped by the wrapper 170. The wrapper 170 may surround the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150 that are arranged in a row: As such, as the wrapper 170 surrounds the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150, the cylindrical shape, which is a unique shape of the aerosol-generating article 100, may be maintained.
The wrapper 170 may surround the entire outer peripheral surface of each of the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150.
Each of the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150 constituting the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment may be individually wrapped by a separate wrapper (not illustrated). When the tobacco medium portion 110 includes a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments may be wrapped by a separate wrapper, or the plurality of segments may be wrapped by a single wrapper. As such, when each of the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150 is individually wrapped, the individually wrapped tobacco medium portion 110, cooling portion 130, and filter portion 150 may be entirely rewrapped by the wrapper 170.
The wrapper 170 may have a plurality of openings (not illustrated) for allowing external air to be introduced into or internal air to be discharged from the aerosol-generating article 100. The plurality of openings may be formed at positions corresponding to the plurality of openings 160 of the cooling portion 130.
The wrapper 170 may be made of general wrapping paper. For example, the wrapper 170 may be porous wrapping paper or non-porous wrapping paper.
A predetermined material may be included in the wrapper 170. Here, the predetermined material may be silicon, but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, silicon exhibits characteristics such as heat resistance, oxidation resistance, resistances to various chemicals, water repellency, electrical insulation, etc. However, any material other than silicon may be applied to the wrapper 170 without limitation as long as it exhibits the above-described characteristics.
In addition, the wrapper 170 may include a non-combustible material to prevent the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment from being burned. For example, when the tobacco medium portion 110 is heated by the heater 370 of the aerosol-generating device 300, there is a possibility that the aerosol-generating article 100 is burned. In detail, when the temperature is raised to a temperature above the ignition point of any one of materials included in the tobacco medium portion 110, the aerosol-generating article 100 may be burned.
The wrapper 170 may prevent the aerosol-generating device 300 from being contaminated by substances generated by the aerosol-generating article 100 according to the present embodiment. During smoking, liquid substances may be generated in the aerosol-generating article 100. For example, as the aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating article 100 is cooled by the external air, liquid substances such as moisture may be generated.
As the wrapper 170 wraps the tobacco medium portion 110, the cooling portion 130, and the filter portion 150, the liquid substances generated in the aerosol-generating article 100 may be prevented from leaking out of the aerosol-generating article 100. Therefore, the interior of the aerosol-generating device 300 may be prevented from being contaminated by the liquid substances generated by the aerosol-generating article 100.
The wrapper 170 may define an outermost surface of the aerosol-generating article 100, so that the shape of the aerosol-generating article 100 may be varied depending on the shape of the wrapper 170. For example, characters, patterns, symbols, images, etc. may be printed on the wrapper 170. The characters, patterns, symbols, images, etc. printed on the wrapper 170 may be varied, so that the aerosol-generating article 100 may provide various visual information.
Hereinafter, the aerosol-generating device into which the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is inserted will be described.
FIG. 19 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of the aerosol-generating device into which the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is inserted.
Referring to FIG. 19 , the aerosol-generating device 300 according to the present embodiment may include the heater 370, a power supplier 330, a controller 310, and an aerosol generator 350. Here, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art related to the present embodiment that other general-purpose components other than those illustrated in FIG. 19 may be further included in the aerosol-generating device 300.
Meanwhile, in FIG. 19 , the power supplier 330, the controller 310, and the aerosol generator 350 are illustrated as being arranged in a row. However, if necessary, the arrangement of the power supplier 330, the controller 310, and the aerosol generator 350 may be modified. Also, in FIG. 19 , the aerosol generator 350 is illustrated as being included, but the aerosol generator 350 may be excluded and the aerosol-generating article 100 may be operated only by being heated by the heater 370.
The aerosol-generating article 100 may be inserted into the aerosol-generating device 300. The aerosol-generating article 100 may be insertedly secured to the aerosol-generating device 300 by a fixing means. In the present embodiment, the tobacco medium portion 110 of the aerosol-generating article 100 may serve as the fixing means. However, other fixing means may be further included in addition to the tobacco medium portion 110.
The heater 370 may heat the aerosol-generating article 100. When the heater 370 is heated by power supplied from the power supplier 330, the heater 370 may transfer heat to the aerosol-generating article 100.
The heater 370 may be an electrically resistive heater. The heater 370 may include an electrically conductive track. The heater 370 may heat the aerosol-generating article 100 as a current flows through the electrically conductive track by the power supplied from the power supplier 330.
As another example, the heater 370 may be an induction heater. The heater 370 may include an electrically conductive coil for heating the aerosol-generating article 100 by an induction heating method, and the aerosol-generating article 100 may include a susceptor that may be heated by the induction heater.
In FIG. 19 , the heater 370 is illustrated as being disposed outside the aerosol-generating article 100, but is not necessarily limited thereto. The heater 370 may include at least one of a tubular heating element, a plate-shaped heating element, a needle-shaped heating element, and a rod-shaped heating element. Depending on the shape of the at least one heating element included in the heater 370, the heater 370 may heat the inside or the outside of the aerosol-generating article 100 or may heat both the inside and the outside thereof simultaneously.
The power supplier 330 may supply power for use in the aerosol-generating device 300. For example, the power supplier 330 may supply power for heating the heater 370, and may supply power for operating the controller 310. In addition, the power supplier 330 may supply power for operating a display, a sensor, a motor, etc. of the aerosol-generating device 300.
The controller 310 may control the overall operation of the aerosol-generating device 300. In detail, the controller 310 may control the operation of other components included in the power supplier 330 and the aerosol generator 350. Also, the controller 310 may determine whether the aerosol-generating device 300 is in an operable state by checking the state of each component in the aerosol-generating device 300.
The aerosol generator 350 may generate an aerosol by heating a liquid composition. The generated aerosol may pass through the aerosol-generating article 100 and be delivered to the user. In other words, the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator 350 may be introduced into the tobacco medium portion 110 of the aerosol-generating article 100.
The aerosol generator 350 may include a liquid reservoir, a liquid delivery means, and a heating element, but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the liquid reservoir, liquid delivery means, and heating element may be included in the aerosol-generating device 300 as independent modules.
The liquid reservoir may store the 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 reservoir may be manufactured to be attached to or detached from the aerosol-generating device 300 or may be manufactured integrally with the aerosol-generating device 300.
When the aerosol generator 350 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes the liquid containing the non-tobacco material, the liquid composition stored in the liquid reservoir included in the aerosol generator 350 may not contain nicotine, and the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator 350 may be introduced into the tobacco medium portion 110 without containing nicotine. In this case, the aerosol that does not contain nicotine may pass through the tobacco medium portion 110 and adsorb nicotine, and the aerosol that has passed through the tobacco medium portion 110 may contain nicotine.
The liquid composition included in the aerosol generator 350 may include water, a solvent, ethanol, a plant extract, a spice, a flavoring agent, or a vitamin mixture. The spice may include menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, and various fruit-flavored ingredients, but is not necessarily limited thereto. The flavoring agent may include ingredients that may provide the user with various flavors or tastes. The vitamin mixture may be a mixture of at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but is not necessarily limited thereto. In addition, the liquid composition may include an aerosol former, such as glycerin and propylene glycol.
While the disclosure has been illustrated and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the disclosure is defined not by the detailed description of the disclosure but by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the disclosure.

Claims

1. An aerosol-generating article comprising:

a tobacco medium portion;

a filter portion disposed to be spaced apart from the tobacco medium portion; and

a tubular cooling portion disposed between the tobacco medium portion and the filter portion, wherein the tubular cooling portion comprises a wall comprising a tobacco medium.

2. The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the tobacco medium is uniformly disposed in the tubular cooling portion along a longitudinal direction of the tubular cooling portion.

3. The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the tobacco medium is non-uniformly disposed in the tubular cooling portion along a longitudinal direction of the tubular cooling portion.

4. The aerosol-generating article of claim 3, wherein a concentration of the tobacco medium in the tubular cooling portion at an inlet side of the tubular cooling portion adjacent to the tobacco medium portion is greater than at an outlet side of the tubular cooling portion adjacent to the filter portion.

5. The aerosol-generating article of claim 3, wherein a concentration of the tobacco medium in the tubular cooling portion at an inlet side of the tubular cooling portion adjacent to the tobacco medium portion is less than at an outlet side of the tubular cooling portion adjacent to the filter portion.

6. The aerosol-generating article of claim 3, wherein a concentration of the tobacco medium at a central region of the tubular cooling portion is greater than at opposite end regions of the tubular cooling portion.

7. The aerosol-generating article of claim 3, wherein a concentration of the tobacco medium at a central region of the tubular cooling portion is less than at opposite end regions of the tubular cooling portion.

8. The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the tubular cooling portion comprises a cellulose acetate tow.

9. The aerosol-generating article of claim 8, wherein the cellulose acetate tow has a denier of 3 to 20.

10. The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the wall comprises a flavoring material constituting the tubular cooling portion.

11. The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the tobacco medium of the tubular cooling portion is in a form of granules.

12. The aerosol-generating article of claim 11, wherein the tobacco medium portion comprises tobacco medium in the form of granules, wherein the granules of the tobacco medium of the tobacco medium portion are larger than the granules of the tubular cooling portion.

13. The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the tobacco medium portion comprises a plurality of segments.

14. The aerosol-generating article of claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of segments comprises a tobacco medium.