WO2024134707A1 - Flavor stick and heat-not-burn flavor inhalation system - Google Patents

Abstract

A flavor stick that, at the time of use, is inserted into a heating chamber of a flavor inhalation device and is heated from the outside by a heater, said flavor stick comprising: a flavor rod segment that includes an aerosol base material and a flavor source; a mouthpiece segment that is connected to a rear end of the flavor rod segment and has a suction opening end; a first wrapping sheet that wraps around the outermost layer of the flavor rod segment; and a second wrapping sheet that wraps around the outermost layer of the mouthpiece segment in at least one section of the mouthpiece segment, wherein the second wrapping sheet is relatively greater in basis weight and/or in thickness than the first wrapping sheet.

Description

Flavor sticks and non-combustion heat-type flavor inhalation products

The present invention relates to a flavor stick and a non-combustion heating flavor inhalation product.

　Conventionally, flavor sticks are known that are used in non-combustion flavor inhalers for inhaling flavors derived from a flavor source without combustion. One form of flavor stick is known that includes a flavor rod segment that contains a flavor source and an aerosol base material, and a mouthpiece segment that is connected to the flavor rod segment (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

This type of flavour stick is used in conjunction with a flavour inhalation device when inhaled. Typically, the flavour stick is inserted into a heating chamber of the flavour inhalation device and the flavour stick is heated by a heater.

Patent No. 7021079

However, in the past, when inserting a flavor stick into the heating chamber of a flavor inhalation device, there was an issue that the stick was prone to breaking during insertion. For example, solving such issues is particularly desirable for so-called slim-type flavor sticks that have a small diameter. This disclosure has been made in consideration of the above situation, and aims to provide a technology that makes it difficult for a flavor stick to break when inserted into the heating chamber of a flavor inhalation device.

[Aspect 1]
The flavor stick of the present disclosure for solving the above problems is a flavor stick that is inserted into a heating chamber of a flavor inhalation device during use and heated from the outer circumferential side by a heater, and includes a flavor rod segment including an aerosol base material and a flavor source, a mouthpiece segment connected to the rear end of the flavor rod segment and having a mouth end, a first winding sheet that winds up the outermost layer of the flavor rod segment, and a second winding sheet that winds up the outermost layer of the mouthpiece segment in at least a portion of the mouthpiece segment, and the second winding sheet has at least one of a basis weight and a thickness that is relatively larger than that of the first winding sheet.

[Aspect 2]
In the above-mentioned aspect 1, when the basis weight of the first wound sheet is ρ1 and the basis weight of the second wound sheet is ρ2, formula (1) may be satisfied.
0.3≦ρ1/ρ2<1...Equation (1)

[Aspect 3]
In the above-mentioned first or second aspect, when the thickness of the first wound sheet is t1 and the thickness of the second wound sheet is t2, the formula (2) may be satisfied.
0.3≦t1/t2<1...Equation (2)

[Aspect 4]
In any one of the above aspects 1 to 3, the second rolled sheet may have a basis weight ρ2 of 50 gsm or more and 80 gsm or less, and a thickness t2 of 50 μm or more and 80 μm or less.

[Aspect 5]
In any one of the above aspects 1 to 4, the mouthpiece segment may include a hollow element disposed adjacent to the rear end of the flavor rod segment, and the hollow element may include a paper tube. In this case, when the thickness of the paper tube is t3 and the diameter of the flavor stick is D1, the formula (3) may be satisfied.
0.015≦t3/D1≦0.06...Equation (3)

[Aspect 6]
In any one of the above aspects 1 to 5, the flavor source may include a reconstituted tobacco sheet, and the reconstituted tobacco sheet may be a sheet that has been subjected to a crimping process. In addition, when the crimp width of the reconstituted tobacco sheet is W and the diameter of the flavor stick is D1, formula (4) may be satisfied.
0.01≦W/D1≦0.08...Equation (4)

[Aspect 7]
In any one of the above aspects 1 to 5, the flavor source may include a reconstituted tobacco sheet, and the reconstituted tobacco sheet may be a sheet that has been subjected to a crimping process. In addition, when the crimp width of the reconstituted tobacco sheet is W and the diameter of the flavor stick is D1, formula (5) may be satisfied.
0.1≦W/D1≦0.4...Equation (5)

[Aspect 8]
In any of the above aspects 1 to 7, the overall length of the flavor stick may be 60 mm or more and 85 mm or less, and the length of the flavor rod segment may be 20 mm or more and 30 mm or less.

[Aspect 9]
In any one of the above aspects 1 to 8, the flavor rod segment may further include a front segment connected to a front end side of the flavor rod segment. The airflow resistance of the front segment may be greater than the airflow resistance of the mouthpiece segment.

[Aspect 10]
In the above-mentioned 9th aspect, when the length of the front segment is L1 and the diameter of the flavor stick is D1, formula (6) may be satisfied.
0.8≦L1/D1≦2.0...Equation (6)

[Aspect 11]
In the above-mentioned aspect 10, the length of the front segment may be 5 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

[Aspect 12]
In any of the above aspects 1 to 11, the flavor stick may have an air hole for taking air from the outside into the inside of the mouthpiece segment, and a distance L2 from the rear end of the flavor rod segment to the air hole in the longitudinal direction of the flavor stick may be smaller than a distance L3 from the mouth end to the air hole.

[Aspect 13]
In the above-mentioned aspect 12, the relationship between the distance L2 and the diameter D1 of the flavor stick may satisfy formula (7).
0.5≦L2/D1≦2.0...Equation (7)

[Aspect 14]
The non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation product according to the present disclosure may include a flavor stick according to any one of the above aspects 1 to 13, and a flavor inhalation device. The flavor inhalation device may have a housing having an insertion opening for the flavor stick, a heating chamber formed in the housing and into which the flavor stick can be inserted through the insertion opening, and a heater that heats the flavor stick inserted into the heating chamber from the outer periphery.

[Aspect 15]
In the above-mentioned aspect 14, the insertion opening is formed in the upper wall of the housing and a cleaning opening is formed in the bottom wall of the housing, the insertion opening, the heating chamber and the cleaning opening are arranged coaxially, and the device further includes an elastic sheet that partially covers the cleaning opening so as to form an air intake opening for introducing air from the outside into the heating chamber, the elastic sheet being arranged to bulge from the cleaning opening toward the heating chamber in its original shape, and when the flavor stick is inserted into the heating chamber, the front end of the flavor stick may be positioned by abutting against the elastic sheet.

[Aspect 16]
In the housing according to the fifteenth aspect, a heat insulating member may be disposed in a region located between a bottom wall of the housing and the heater.

[Aspect 17]
In any one of the above aspects 14 to 16, the housing may include an upper housing and a lower housing that are detachably connected to each other.

[Aspect 18]
In the seventeenth aspect, the upper housing may have the insertion opening, and the power supply unit may be accommodated in the lower housing such that the power supply unit is exposed to the outside from an upper opening end of the lower housing when the upper housing is detached from the lower housing.

[Aspect 19]
In the above-mentioned aspect 17 or 18, the heater may be disposed at a position retreated downward from an upper opening end of the lower housing.

[Aspect 20]
In any one of the above aspects 17 to 19, a groove may be formed on the outer surface of the housing, the groove extending along the lower opening end of the upper housing and the upper opening end of the lower housing, and a second air intake port for introducing air from the outside into the heating chamber may be formed at the bottom of the groove.

The present disclosure provides a technology that makes it difficult for a flavor stick to break when inserted into the heating chamber of a flavor inhalation device.

FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of a flavor inhalation device. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the flavor inhalation device. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the flavor inhalation device. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a flavor stick. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the elastic sheet. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the elastic sheet. FIG. 7 is a partial schematic view illustrating a second air intake port formed in a groove of the housing. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the flavor stick. FIG. 9 shows a flavor stick inserted into the heating chamber of the flavor inhalation device. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the reconstituted tobacco sheet that forms the flavor source. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the flavor stick. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the flavor inhalation device.

Embodiments of the flavor stick and non-combustion type flavor inhalation product according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described in the present embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the invention to those alone, unless otherwise specified.

The flavor stick according to the present disclosure is a flavor stick that is inserted into the heating chamber of the flavor inhalation device and has a flavor rod that is heated from the outer periphery by a heater disposed on the lateral periphery of the heating chamber.

<Embodiment 1>

FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of a flavor inhalation device 30 for non-combustion heating of a flavor stick according to embodiment 1. FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic configuration diagrams of the flavor inhalation device 30. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the internal structure of the flavor inhalation device 30. FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a flavor stick 1 according to embodiment 1. The flavor inhalation device 30 is a suction device used when inhaling the flavor stick 1, and the flavor stick 1 and the flavor inhalation device 30 constitute a non-combustion type flavor inhalation product.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the flavor inhalation device 30 has a housing 31 that houses various elements that make up the device, and a heating chamber 34 is formed inside the housing 31. Also housed inside the housing 31 are a heater 50, a power supply unit 51, a control unit 52, etc. In Figure 1, the up-down direction (height direction) of the flavor inhalation device 30 is shown as the X direction, the width direction as the Y direction, and the depth direction as the Z direction. However, these directions are merely examples for the convenience of explanation.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the housing 31 has an outer shape of a roughly rectangular parallelepiped, but the shape of the housing 31 is not particularly limited. The housing 31 is configured to include an upper housing 32 and a lower housing 33. The upper housing 32 and the lower housing 33 can be freely engaged and disengaged by an engagement means. The engagement means may be, for example, a snap-fit structure, or other known structures may be adopted. FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the state in which the upper housing 32 and the lower housing 33 are engaged together. FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the state in which the upper housing 32 is removed from the lower housing 33. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the cut surface where the upper housing 32 and the lower housing 33 are connected is located approximately in the center in the height direction (X direction) of the housing 31. However, the position of the cut surface of the housing 31 is not particularly limited. The dashed line L shown in FIG. 2 indicates the location where the upper housing 32 and the lower housing 33 are connected.

Inside the housing 31, the heating chamber 34, which is a cavity into which the flavor stick 1 can be inserted (accepted) through an insertion port 37 described later, extends along the vertical direction (X direction) of the flavor inhalation device 30 (housing 31). For example, the central axis extending along the extension direction of the heating chamber 34 extends parallel to the X direction. The heating chamber 34 is defined by an upper sleeve 35 installed in the upper housing 32 and a lower sleeve 36 installed in the lower housing 33. The upper end of the upper sleeve 35 is fixed to, for example, the upper wall 321 of the upper housing 32. The upper sleeve 35 includes a tapered tube section 351 from the upper end side and a straight tube section 352 connected to the lower end of the tapered tube section 351. The straight tube section 352 is a tubular (cylindrical) member with a constant inner diameter, and the tapered tube section 351 is a tubular member formed so that the inner diameter gradually increases from the lower end to the upper end. The lower end of the lower sleeve 36 is fixed, for example, to the bottom wall 331 of the lower housing 33. The lower sleeve 36 is a tubular member with a constant inner diameter, and has an inner diameter equal to that of the straight pipe portion 352.

When the upper housing 32 and the lower housing 33 are engaged together, the upper sleeve 35 and the lower sleeve 36 are arranged coaxially, and the lower end 35A of the upper sleeve 35 and the upper end 36A of the lower sleeve 36 are configured to abut against each other. The heating chamber 34 is formed by a cavity formed inside the upper sleeve 35 and the lower sleeve 36. In addition, reference numeral 320 in FIG. 3 indicates the lower opening end of the upper housing 32, and reference numeral 330 indicates the upper opening end of the lower housing 33. The lower end 35A of the upper sleeve 35 is arranged flush with the lower opening end 320 of the upper housing 32 so that its position in the X direction matches. In addition, the upper end 36A of the lower sleeve 36 is arranged flush with the upper opening end 330 of the lower housing 33 so that its position in the X direction matches. In addition, a protrusion 353 is provided on the inner surface of the straight pipe portion 352 of the upper sleeve 35. The protrusions 353 are intended to prevent the flavor stick 1 inserted into the heating chamber 34 from unintentionally slipping out (falling out) of the heating chamber 34. The protrusions 353 may be provided in the form of a rib protruding from the inner surface of the straight pipe portion 352 toward the heating chamber 34. The protrusions 353 may also be disposed at multiple locations along the circumferential direction of the straight pipe portion 352.

An insertion opening 37 is formed in the upper wall 321 of the upper housing 32, and the flavor stick 1 can be inserted into the heating chamber 34 through the insertion opening 37. In other words, the insertion opening 37 of the flavor inhalation device 30 is connected to the upper end of the heating chamber 34, and can also be considered the upper end opening of the heating chamber 34. In addition, a sliding shutter member 38 is provided on the upper wall 321 of the upper housing 32, and the shutter member 38 can be freely closed or opened.

Also, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, a cleaning port 39, which is an opening for cleaning, is opened in the bottom wall 331 of the lower housing 33. In the flavor inhalation device 30, the insertion port 37, the heating chamber 34, and the cleaning port 39 are arranged coaxially in a straight line. The cleaning port 39 can be used to insert and remove the cleaning head of a cleaning tool from the outside (below the device) into and from the heating chamber 34, or conversely, to insert and remove the cleaning head of a cleaning tool inserted into the heating chamber 34 from the insertion port 37 to the outside.

Also, an elastic sheet 40 having elasticity (flexibility) is attached to the bottom wall 331 of the lower housing 33 so as to partially cover the cleaning port 39. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the elastic sheet 40. (A) is a schematic diagram of a vertical section of the cleaning port 39 (bottom side) of the flavor inhalation device 30. Note that the vertical section of the flavor inhalation device 30 is a section cut along the vertical direction (X direction) of the flavor inhalation device 30. For example, (A) shows a section at a position passing through the central axis of the heating chamber 34. (B) is a plan view of the elastic sheet 40 arranged in the cleaning port 39 as viewed from the direction of the arrow A shown in (A). The elastic sheet 40 is, for example, formed integrally with the mounting portion 41 and is attached to the bottom wall 331 via the mounting portion 41. The mounting portion 41 has, for example, a ring shape. A recess 332 having a countersunk shape for mounting the mounting part 41 is formed on the edge of the cleaning port 39 on the outer surface 331A of the bottom wall 331, and the mounting part 41 is fixed to this recess 332. However, there are no particular limitations on the shape of the mounting part 41 or the manner in which it is mounted.

The elastic sheet 40 extends from the inner end of the mounting portion 41. When in its original form, the elastic sheet 40 is provided so as to bulge (rise) in a dome shape from the cleaning port 39 toward the heating chamber 34 (i.e., upward). That is, the elastic sheet 40 has a convex shape from the inner end of the mounting portion 41 toward the heating chamber 34 (i.e., upward). The original form refers to the shape of the elastic sheet 40 when it is not deformed by an external force. In addition, the elastic sheet 40 partially blocks the cleaning port 39, thereby forming a first air intake port 42 for introducing (taking in) air from the outside into the bottom of the heating chamber 34.

In the example shown in FIG. 5B, the first air intake 42 in the elastic sheet 40 includes slits 42A and 42B that intersect in a cross shape. In addition, a circular hole 42C is formed at the intersection of the slits 42A and 42B. Of course, the form of the first air intake 42 in the elastic sheet 40 is not particularly limited. For example, the number of slits is not particularly limited, and the angle at which the slits intersect is also not particularly limited.

Also, as shown in FIG. 6, the elastic sheet 40 may include a hole 42C (air intake) and a cutout 42D. The cutout 42D is a cut formed in the elastic sheet 40. Normally, the lips 43A, 43B located on either side of the cutout 42D of the elastic sheet 40 are in contact with each other, but when a user uses a cleaning tool, for example, the elastic sheet 40 is pressed by the cleaning head, opening the cutout 42D, allowing easy cleaning with the cleaning tool.

In this embodiment, the heater 50, the power supply unit 51, and the control unit 52 are housed in the lower housing 33 as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. The heater 50 is provided, for example, in the lower sleeve 36. The lower sleeve 36 may be a metal tube, for example, stainless steel, and the planar heater 50 may be arranged to cover the outer circumferential surface of the metal tube. The heater 50 may be, for example, a flexible metal thin film heater or a film heater. In addition, an electrically insulating material, for example, polyimide, may be arranged on the outer circumferential side of the heater 50 so as to cover the heater 50. The heater 50 generates heat when operating power is supplied from the power supply unit 51. As described above, the flavor inhalation device 30 includes the heater 50 arranged on the lateral periphery of the heating chamber 34, and can heat the flavor stick 1 inserted into the heating chamber 34 from the outer periphery. The power supply unit 51 may be configured to include, for example, a lithium ion battery, a nickel battery, an alkaline battery, or the like. The control unit 52 is an electronic component that performs various controls in the flavor inhalation device 30, and is, for example, an MCU (Micro Controller Unit). The MCU is, for example, mainly composed of a processor, and may further include memory composed of storage media such as RAM (Random Access Memory) necessary for the operation of the processor and ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various information. The processor is, for example, an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements. The control unit 52 controls the power supply from the power supply unit 51 to the heater 50 when the flavor inhalation device 30 is operating.

In addition, an insulating member 306 is disposed inside the housing 31 of the flavor inhalation device 30. The insulating member 306 is disposed in a region between the bottom wall 331 of the housing 31 and the heater 50.

The housing 31 in this embodiment has the upper housing 32 and the lower housing 33 that can be freely engaged and disengaged as described above, so that by removing the upper housing 32 from the lower housing 33, the power supply unit 51 housed in the lower housing 33 can be exposed to the outside from the upper opening end 330 of the lower housing 33. This makes it easy to replace or dispose of the battery.

Also, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the heater 50 is contained inside the lower housing 33. The heater 50 is not disposed in the upper end section of the lower sleeve 36. This allows the heater 50 to be disposed in a position that is retreated downward from the upper opening end 330 of the lower housing 33. This makes it difficult for the user's fingers to directly touch the heater 50 when the upper housing 32 is removed from the lower housing 33.

The lower housing 33 may also be provided with an operation unit that can be operated by the user and a notification unit that notifies various pieces of information. The operation unit is, for example, a push button switch, but may also be composed of a switch other than a push button, a touch panel, etc. The notification unit may also be composed of, for example, a light emitting element. The notification unit may notify various pieces of information according to the color emitted by the light emitting element. The notification unit may also be composed of a vibration element.

Also, as shown in FIG. 1, a groove 300 is formed on the outer surface of the housing 31, extending along the lower opening end 320 of the upper housing 32 and the upper opening end 330 of the lower housing 33, straddling the lower opening end 320 and the upper opening end 330 of the lower housing 33. The groove 300 is formed so as to go around the housing 31 in a circumferential direction perpendicular to the height direction (X direction) of the housing 31. A second air intake port is formed at the bottom of the groove 300 to introduce air from the outside into the heating chamber 34.

FIG. 7 is a partial schematic diagram illustrating the second air intake 301 formed in the groove portion 300 of the housing 31. Specifically, it shows the schematic configuration of the portion surrounded by the dashed line B in FIG. 2. Reference numeral 302 in FIG. 7 denotes a first half-split groove portion formed on the outer surface side of the lower opening end 320 of the upper housing 32, and reference numeral 303 denotes a second half-split groove portion formed on the outer surface side of the upper opening end 330 of the lower housing 33. When the upper housing 32 and the lower housing 33 are engaged together, the first half-split groove portion 302 and the second half-split groove portion 303 are combined to form the groove portion 300.

As shown in FIG. 7, a second air intake port 301 opens at the groove bottom 304 of the groove portion 300. The second air intake port 301 communicates with the heating chamber 34 through an air flow path 305, and air taken in from the outside through the second air intake port 301 is introduced into the heating chamber 34 through the air flow path 305. In this embodiment, the air introduced through the second air intake port 301 and the air flow path 305 is introduced to the middle position in the height direction of the heating chamber 34, the details of which will be described later. In this embodiment, since the second air intake port 301 opens at the groove bottom 304 of the groove portion 300, it is possible to prevent the second air intake port 301 from being unintentionally blocked by the fingers of a user holding the housing 31.

Next, the structure of the flavor stick 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the flavor stick 1 is a so-called slim-type non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article in which multiple rod-shaped segments are interconnected, and has a diameter of, for example, 6 mm or less. In this embodiment, each segment constituting the flavor stick 1 has a cylindrical rod shape. In this specification, a flavor stick 1 having a diameter of 6 mm or less is called a slim type. In addition, in this specification, the diameter of the flavor stick 1 means the diameter of the flavor rod segment 11 described later. The diameter of the flavor stick 1 may be 4 mm or more and 6 mm or less, or 5 mm or more and 6 mm or less.

The flavor stick 1 comprises a flavor rod segment 11 and a mouthpiece segment 12 that is connected to the rear end of the flavor rod segment 11 and has a mouth end. The flavor stick 1 has a cylindrical rod shape that extends in one direction, and the symbol CL in FIG. 3 is the central axis of the flavor stick 1. The flavor rod segment 11 and the mouthpiece segment 12 are arranged coaxially, and the central axis CL can also be said to be the central axis of the flavor rod segment 11 and the mouthpiece segment 12. Hereinafter, the direction in which the central axis CL extends is also referred to as the axial direction of the flavor rod segment 11 and the mouthpiece segment 12.

In FIG. 3, reference symbol 1a denotes the mouth end 1a formed on the rear end (downstream end) side of the flavor stick 1, and reference symbol 1b denotes the front end (upstream end) of the flavor stick 1. When inhaling the flavor stick 1, the flavor stick 1 is inserted into the heating chamber 34 of the flavor inhalation device 30 from the front end 1b side. When inhaling the flavor stick 1, air supplied to the heating chamber 34 through the first air intake port 42 of the flavor inhalation device 30 is introduced into the inside of the flavor stick 1 from the front end 1b.

The flavor rod segment 11 is a segment in which a flavor source 111 is wound in a cigarette paper 112, and releases flavor components when it is inserted into the heating chamber 34 and heated from the outer periphery by the heater 50. The flavor source 111 is, for example, a tobacco filler containing an aerosol base material. The tobacco filler may contain, for example, one or more of tobacco shreds, tobacco granules, and reconstituted tobacco material.

The reconstituted tobacco material may be a reconstituted tobacco sheet cut into small pieces or crushed into a granular or powder form, or the reconstituted tobacco sheet may be folded without being cut. The reconstituted tobacco sheet may be, for example, a homogenized tobacco to which a binder, a gelling agent, a crosslinking agent, a flavoring, a viscosity modifier, etc. is added, kneaded, and formed into a sheet by an appropriate method. The homogenized tobacco is a tobacco material obtained by crushing, grinding, and mixing leaf tobacco, dried tobacco leaves, shredded tobacco, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, etc. The reconstituted tobacco sheet may be a reconstituted tobacco slurry sheet (reconstituted tobacco cast sheet), a reconstituted tobacco paper-making sheet, or a reconstituted tobacco rolled sheet formed by an appropriate method such as a slurry method, a paper-making method, or a rolling method. For example, the reconstituted tobacco slurry sheet is a reconstituted tobacco sheet produced by drying and dehydrating a reconstituted tobacco slurry spread on a flat plate. In addition, a reconstituted tobacco paper sheet is a reconstituted tobacco sheet produced by blending pulp (cellulose fiber) with a reconstituted tobacco slurry and then papermaking the mixture. In addition, a reconstituted tobacco rolled sheet is a reconstituted tobacco sheet produced by rolling the reconstituted tobacco slurry into a sheet shape using rollers or the like and drying the sheet.

The tobacco filling may also contain a flavoring. There is no particular limitation on the type of flavoring. The flavor source 111 does not necessarily have to be a tobacco filling, so long as it is a material that releases a flavoring component when heated by the heater 50. In this case, for example, the flavor source 111 may be a plant material that does not contain tobacco components. That is, the flavor source 111 may contain one or more selected from the leaf pulp, veins, stems, roots, flowers, seeds, and pulp of a plant that does not contain tobacco components. Herb materials can be suitably used as a flavor source as a plant material that does not contain tobacco components.

The amount of the flavor source 111 packed in the flavor rod segment 11 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 140 mg to 350 mg. The amount of the flavor source 111 packed is preferably 140 mg to 280 mg, more preferably 140 mg to 250 mg, and even more preferably 140 mg to 200 mg. The volume of the flavor source 111 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 450 ^mm3 or more.

The aerosol base material is a base material that generates an aerosol when the volatile substance released when vaporized by heating with the heater 50 is cooled. The type of aerosol base material is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a liquid containing one or more substances selected from glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, and 1,3-butanediol. The content of the aerosol base material in the flavor source 111 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 8% by weight or more.

The wrapping paper 112 may be any sheet material capable of winding up the flavor source 111 in a rod shape, and may be, for example, paper or a polymer film. The wrapping paper 112 may be made of a single sheet material, or may be made of a laminate of multiple sheets of sheet material. The wrapping paper 112 may be coated on the outer or inner surface. For example, the wrapping paper 112 may be a laminated sheet of paper and a polymer film, and a water-resistant coating may be applied to either or both of the inner and outer surfaces. This configuration can suppress the formation of stains caused by the volatilization or leakage of the volatile flavor source or aerosol base material from the flavor rod segment 11 during storage or inhalation of the flavor stick 1.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the mouthpiece segment 12 has a cooling segment 121 and a filter segment 122. The cooling segment 121 is formed as a hollow element disposed adjacent to the rear end of the flavor rod segment 11. In this embodiment, the flavor rod segment 11 (hollow element) is formed of a paper tube formed by processing one or more sheets of paper pasted together into a cylindrical shape. As shown in FIG. 3, the cooling segment 121 is disposed adjacent to the rear end of the flavor rod segment 11. That is, the cooling segment 121 is disposed behind (downstream of) the flavor rod segment 11, and the filter segment 122 is disposed behind (downstream of) the cooling segment 121.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the flavor stick 1 is formed by winding the flavor rod segment 11 and the mouthpiece segment 12 together with the tipping paper 13. The tipping paper 13 is a winding sheet material that winds the flavor rod segment 11 and the mouthpiece segment 12 together. Specifically, the tipping paper 13 winds the flavor rod segment 11, the cooling segment 121, and the filter segment 122 together and connects them coaxially. The cooling segment 121 and the filter segment 122 of the mouthpiece segment 12 may be connected together by winding them up with a winding paper, and the integrated mouthpiece segment 12 may be connected to the flavor rod segment 11 with the tipping paper 13. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the entire mouthpiece segment 12 and the rear side of the flavor rod segment 11 are wound in a state where they are covered with the tipping paper 13. The length of the section of the rear side of the flavor rod segment 11 covered by the tip paper 13 (length in the stick axial direction) is preferably short to the extent that the flavor rod segment 11 and the mouthpiece segment 12 can be securely connected, for example, 5 mm or less. This makes it easier for heat to be transferred to the flavor source 111 when the flavor rod segment 11 is heated from the outer periphery by the heater 50.

The cooling segment 121 is a segment for cooling the volatile substance released from the flavor rod segment 11 (flavor source 111) when the flavor stick 1 is inhaled. The volatile substance released from the flavor rod segment 11 (flavor source 111) is cooled as it flows downstream (rear stage) along the cooling segment 121, thereby accelerating the generation of aerosol. As shown in FIG. 4, the cooling segment 121 is formed with an air hole 14 for taking in air into the mouthpiece segment 12. The air hole 14 is formed so as to penetrate the tipping paper 13 and the cooling segment 121 (paper tube) in the thickness direction. When the flavor stick 1 is inhaled, the volatile substance introduced from the flavor rod segment 11 is mixed with the air taken into the cooling segment 121 from the air hole 14, thereby accelerating the cooling of the volatile substance and the generation of aerosol. However, the flavor stick 1 does not have to have an air hole 14. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 3, the ventilation hole 14 is disposed upstream (front end side) of the cooling segment 121. In this way, by setting the position for taking in air from the ventilation hole 14 to the upstream (front end side) of the cooling segment 121, it is easy to ensure a section in which the volatile substance introduced from the flavor rod segment 11 to the cooling segment 121 can be cooled, and the effect of cooling the volatile substance and promoting the generation of aerosols can be enhanced.

The inner surface of the paper tube that constitutes the cooling segment 121 may be coated with a polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol, or a polysaccharide such as pectin. In this way, the cooling effect can be increased by utilizing the heat absorption of the coating and the heat of dissolution associated with the phase change. As another embodiment of the cooling segment 121, the inside of a cylindrical paper tube may be filled with a cooling sheet material.

The thickness of the material (paper tube) that constitutes the cooling segment 121 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 5 μm or more and 500 μm or less, or 10 μm or more and 250 μm or less.

The filter segment 122 is, for example, a segment having a filter material 1221 and a wrapping paper 1222 around which the filter material 1221 is wrapped. For example, the wrapping paper 1222 may be attached to the outer periphery of the filter material 1221 by an adhesive. The filter material 1221 may be a filter material for general smoking articles. The filter material 1221 may be, for example, a cellulose acetate filter material formed by molding cellulose acetate fibers into a cylindrical shape. The shape of the filter material 1221 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a center hole filter material. The center hole filter material is a filter material having a hollow portion in the center of the cross section along the axial direction, for example, a center hole formed along the axial direction of the cellulose acetate filter material. The filter material 1221 does not have to be wrapped with the wrapping paper 1222.

The filter segment 122 may include multiple filter materials. For example, the filter segment 122 may have a cellulose acetate filter material disposed on the mouth end 1a side, and a center hole filter material disposed in front of the cellulose acetate filter material. Of course, the shape of the filter segment 122 is not particularly limited, and other shapes may be adopted. When the filter segment 122 includes multiple filter materials, each filter material may be individually wrapped in a first wrapping paper, and these multiple filter materials may be collectively wrapped in a second wrapping paper.

The material of the roll paper 1222 is not particularly limited, and any known material can be used. The thickness of the roll paper 1222 is not particularly limited, and is usually 20 μm or more and 140 μm or less. The basis weight of the roll paper 1222 is also not particularly limited, and is usually 20 gsm or more and 100 gsm or less. A water-resistant coating may be applied to either or both of the inner and outer surfaces of the roll paper 1222.

The material of the tipping paper 13 is not particularly limited, and may be paper made from general plant fibers (pulp), a sheet made from polymer-based chemical fibers (polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, etc.), a polymer-based sheet, metal foil, or a composite material that combines these. For example, the tipping paper 13 may be made from a composite material in which a polymer-based sheet is bonded to a paper base material. The tipping paper 13 may also be coated with a water-resistant coating on either or both of its inner and outer surfaces.

Other than that, various modified versions of the flavor stick 1 can be adopted. Figure 8 is a diagram for explaining a modified version of the flavor stick 1 according to the first embodiment. Here, the differences from the structure shown in Figure 4 will be mainly explained, and common elements will be given the same reference symbols and will not be explained in detail.

In the embodiment of the flavor stick 1 shown in FIG. 8(A), only the configuration of the mouthpiece segment 12 differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 4. The mouthpiece segment 12 shown in FIG. 8(A) is formed as a segment in which a center hole filter material 1221A is wrapped in a roll paper 1222. A center hole 1221B is provided axially through the center of the cross section of the center hole filter material 1221A. It serves both as a cooling segment and a filter segment. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8(A), an air hole 14 is formed in the mouthpiece segment 12. The air hole 14 penetrates the tipping paper 13, the roll paper 1222, and the center hole filter material 1221A in the thickness direction, allowing outside air to be introduced into the center hole 1221B.

In the embodiment of the flavor stick 1 shown in FIG. 8B, only the configuration of the mouthpiece segment 12 differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. The mouthpiece segment 12 shown in FIG. 8B includes a support segment 123, a cooling segment 121, and a filter segment 122. The support segment 123, the cooling segment 121, and the filter segment 122 are arranged in this order from the front end side (upstream side) of the mouthpiece segment 12. The support segment 123 is a hollow element segment arranged in abutment with the rear end of the flavor rod segment 11, and supports the rear end of the flavor rod segment 11 with its front end surface. The support segment 123 is formed, for example, as a segment in which a center hole filter material 1231 is wound with a winding paper 1232. In addition, a center hole 1233 is provided axially through the center of the cross section of the center hole filter material 1231. When the flavor stick 1 is inhaled, the volatile substance released from the flavor rod segment 11 (flavor molded body 22) flows through the center hole 1233 of the support segment 123.

8C shows a flavor stick 1 that is different from the flavor stick 1 shown in FIG. 4 in that a front segment 15 is connected to the front end of the flavor rod segment 11. In the flavor stick 1 shown in FIG. 8C, the front end 1b of the flavor stick 1 is formed by the front end surface of the front segment 15. The front segment 15 is a member for preventing the volatile substance released from the flavor rod segment 11 from leaking from the front end 1b side of the flavor stick 1. The front segment 15 has a plug material 151 having a cylindrical shape and a winding paper 152 for winding the plug material 151. The plug material 151 may be, for example, a member formed by molding cellulose acetate fiber into a cylindrical shape. The front segment 15 may also have other configurations, and may be, for example, a paper filter in which sheet-shaped pulp paper is filled in the winding paper 152. A paper filter is preferable because it is less likely to deform due to the heat of the heater 50. Furthermore, when cellulose acetate fibers are used for the plug material 151, it is possible to avoid the inclusion of a plasticizer such as triacetin. This makes it easier to prevent the plug material 151 from being deformed (shrinked) by the heat of the heater 50. Furthermore, instead of forming the plug material 151 from a fibrous body, the plug material 151 may be formed from a porous body.

In the example shown in FIG. 8C, the first tipping paper 16 wraps around the front segment 15, flavor rod segment 11, and cooling segment 121. The first tipping paper 16 is adhered to the outer peripheral surfaces of the front segment 15, flavor rod segment 11, and cooling segment 121, thereby connecting them together. The intermediate assembly in which the front segment 15, flavor rod segment 11, and cooling segment 121 are integrated by the first tipping paper 16, and the filter segment 122 are wound together and connected by the second tipping paper 17. The second tipping paper 17 is adhered to the first tipping paper 16, cooling segment 121, and filter segment 122.

In the example shown in FIG. 8C, the front end position of the first tipping paper 16 coincides with the front end of the front segment 15 (front end 1b of the flavor stick 1), and the rear end position of the first tipping paper 16 is located in the middle of the cooling segment 121 in the axial direction. The rear end position of the second tipping paper 17 coincides with the rear end of the filter segment 122 (mouth end 1a of the flavor stick 1). The front end position of the second tipping paper 17 is located upstream (front end side) of the cooling segment 121, and is located closer to the front end 1b of the flavor stick 1 (upstream side) than the rear end of the first tipping paper 16. Then, as shown in FIG. 8C, the first tipping paper 16 and the second tipping paper 17 are partially overlapped and bonded together so that the front end side of the second tipping paper 17 covers the rear end side of the first tipping paper 16 from the outside.

In the configuration example shown in FIG. 8C, the ventilation hole 14 is formed on the upstream side (front end side) of the cooling segment 121. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8C, only the first tip paper 16 is wound around the upstream side (front end side) of the cooling segment 121, and both the first tip paper 16 and the second tip paper 17 are wound around the downstream side (rear end side) of the cooling segment 121. The ventilation hole 14 is disposed in the upstream region of the cooling segment 121 where only the first tip paper 16 is wound. In this way, by disposing the ventilation hole 14 at a position where the first tip paper 16 and the second tip paper 17 do not overlap, the output of the laser used to form the ventilation hole 14 during the manufacture of the flavor stick 1 can be kept low.

As described above, the variations of the flavor stick 1 have been described with reference to (A) to (C) of FIG. 8, but the variations of the flavor stick 1 are not limited to these, and various embodiments can be adopted. For example, the mouthpiece segment 12 of the flavor stick 1 shown in (C) of FIG. 8 may be replaced with the mouthpiece segment 12 shown in (A) or (B) of FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 shows the state in which the flavor stick 1 is inserted into the heating chamber 34 of the flavor inhalation device 30. With the stick inserted in this state, the heater 50 is activated, heating the flavor rod segment 11 of the flavor stick 1 from the outer periphery, and volatile substances including flavor components are released from the flavor source 111.

The flavor stick 1 is positioned in the heating chamber 34 with its front end 1b inserted to a specified position (the bottom of the heating chamber 34) where it abuts against the elastic sheet 40. When the front end 1b of the flavor stick 1 inserted into the heating chamber 34 abuts against the elastic sheet 40, the elasticity of the elastic sheet 40 provides a sensation of insertion of the flavor stick 1 and allows the flavor stick 1 to be inserted in the correct position. As shown in FIG. 8, when the flavor stick 1 is inserted to the bottom of the heating chamber 34, the mouthpiece segment 12 of the flavor stick 1 is held by the protrusion 353 of the heating chamber 34 (upper sleeve 35). This prevents the flavor stick 1 from unintentionally falling out of the heating chamber 34.

The flavor inhalation device 30 is configured as a bottom-flow type inhalation device in which air is introduced into the bottom of the heating chamber 34. That is, when the flavor stick 1 is inhaled using the flavor inhalation device 30, air is introduced into the bottom of the heating chamber 34 through a first air inlet 42 formed in the bottom wall 331 (more specifically, the elastic sheet 40 provided in the cleaning port 39) of the housing 31 (lower housing 33). The air introduced into the bottom of the heating chamber 34 from the first air inlet 42 is taken into the flavor stick 1 from the front end 1b of the flavor stick 1, and the air is mixed with the volatile substance released from the flavor source 111 by heating with the heater 50 to generate an aerosol.

Furthermore, the flavor inhalation device 30 has a second air intake 301 (see FIG. 7). The air taken into the housing 31 from the second air intake 301 in the flavor inhalation device 30 is introduced into the middle part in the height direction of the heating chamber 34 through the air flow path 305. The air introduced into the middle part of the heating chamber 34 from the second air intake 301 is introduced into the mouthpiece segment 12 through the ventilation hole 14 of the flavor stick 1, and the volatile substance or aerosol that has flowed into the mouthpiece segment 12 from the flavor rod segment 11 is cooled by the air. As shown in FIG. 9, the height of the ventilation hole 14 in the flavor stick 1 inserted to the bottom of the heating chamber 34 and the height of the second air intake 301 in the flavor inhalation device 30 may be designed to be approximately the same. This allows the air from the second air intake 301 to be efficiently guided to the ventilation hole 14 in the flavor stick 1 while shortening the flow path length of the air flow path 305.

In addition, during the use of the flavor inhalation device 30, during intervals when the user is not inhaling the flavor stick 1 (hereinafter referred to as "inhalation intervals") or during preheating of the heater 50, it is not desirable for the aerosol (smoke) leaking from the ventilation hole 14 of the flavor stick 1 to the heating chamber 34 to flow back through the air flow path 305 and leak outside the housing 31 from the second air intake port 301. Therefore, it is preferable to design the flavor inhalation device 30 so that the air flow resistance of the air flow path 305 is greater than the air flow resistance of the gap formed between the heating chamber 34 and the flavor stick 1. In this way, it is possible to preferably prevent the aerosol (smoke) from leaking outside the housing 31 through the air flow path 305 and the second air intake port 301 during the user's inhalation intervals or during preheating of the heater 50.

The elastic sheet 40 of the flavor suction device 30 is provided in a dome-shaped raised form from the cleaning port 39 toward the heating chamber 34 (i.e., upward). Therefore, even if the volatile substance released from the flavor rod segment 11 is cooled to form condensate and the condensate drips from the front end 1b of the flavor stick 1, the condensate will flow along the surface of the dome-shaped raised elastic sheet 40 and accumulate on the mounting portion 41 (i.e., accumulate at the bottom of the heating chamber 34). This makes it possible to prevent the droplets (the condensate) from leaking out of the housing 31 through the first air intake port 42.

Furthermore, the flavor inhalation device 30 is provided with a heat insulating member 306 in an area located between the bottom wall 331 of the housing 31 and the heater 50. This makes it possible to make it difficult for heat from the heater 50 to be transmitted to the bottom wall 331 of the housing 31. As a result, when using the flavor inhalation device 30, the user's fingers holding the housing 31 are unlikely to feel hot. As shown in FIG. 9, when the flavor stick 1 is inserted to a specified position in the heating chamber 34 of the flavor inhalation device 30, the mouth end 1a side of the flavor stick 1 is exposed to the outside from the insertion opening 37. The length of the portion of the flavor stick 1 exposed (protruding) to the outside from the insertion opening 37 is not particularly limited, but may protrude from about 15 mm to 20 mm.

As described above, the flavor stick 1 in this embodiment is a slim-type non-combustion heating flavor inhalation article, and the heating chamber 34 of the flavor inhalation device 30 used for inhalation is also thin in diameter. The mouthpiece segment 12 of the flavor stick 1 often includes a hollow element with a hollow interior, which tends to weaken its rigidity. This raises concerns that the mouthpiece segment 12 may be easily broken when the flavor stick 1 is inserted into the heating chamber 34 of the flavor inhalation device 30. Therefore, the flavor stick 1 in this embodiment employs a structure that makes it difficult for the mouthpiece segment 12 to break when inserted into the heating chamber 34.

Specifically, the flavor stick 1 in this embodiment comprises a first winding sheet that winds up the outermost layer of the flavor rod segment 11, and a second winding sheet that winds up the outermost layer of the mouthpiece segment 12 in at least a portion of the mouthpiece segment 12, and the second winding sheet has at least one of the basis weight and thickness relatively larger than the first winding sheet.

In the flavor stick 1 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 8 (A) and (B), the wrapping paper 112 corresponds to the first winding sheet, and the tipping paper 13 corresponds to the second winding sheet. In this case, at least one of the basis weight and thickness of the tipping paper 13 is made relatively larger than that of the wrapping paper 112. Also, in the flavor stick 1 shown in FIG. 8 (C), the first tipping paper 16 corresponds to the first winding sheet, and the second tipping paper 17 corresponds to the second winding sheet. In this case, at least one of the basis weight and thickness of the second tipping paper 17 is made relatively larger than that of the first tipping paper 16. According to this embodiment, the rigidity of the mouthpiece segment 12 can be increased. As a result, the mouthpiece segment 12 is less likely to break when the flavor stick 1 is inserted into the heating chamber 34 of the flavor inhalation device 30.

Here, when the basis weight of the first rolled sheet is ρ1 and the basis weight of the second rolled sheet is ρ2, it is preferable that the formula (1) is satisfied.
0.3≦ρ1/ρ2<1...Equation (1)

In addition, when the thickness of the first rolled sheet is t1 and the thickness of the second rolled sheet is t2, it is preferable that the formula (2) is satisfied.
0.3≦t1/t2<1...Equation (2)

The basis weight ρ1 and thickness t2 of the first winding sheet are not particularly limited, but an example is one in which the basis weight ρ1 is 20 gsm or more and less than 50 gsm, and the thickness t2 is 30 μm or more and less than 50 μm. This increases the thermal conductivity of the first winding sheet, and allows the flavor rod segment 11 to be efficiently heated from the outer periphery when the heater 50 is activated.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the basis weight ρ2 of the second rolled sheet is 50 gsm or more and 80 gsm or less, and the thickness t2 is 50 μm or more and 80 μm or less. In this way, the rigidity of the mouthpiece segment 12 can be increased, and the mouthpiece segment 12 is less likely to break when the flavor stick 1 is inserted into the heating chamber 34 of the flavor inhalation device 30.

Furthermore, when the cooling segment 121 (hollow element) adjacent to the rear end of the flavor rod segment 11 includes a paper tube, as in the flavor stick 1 shown in Figure 4 or Figure 8 (C), it is preferable to satisfy formula (3) when the thickness of the paper tube is t3 and the diameter of the flavor stick 1 is D1.
0.015≦t3/D1≦0.06...Equation (3)

By specifying the relationship between the thickness t3 of the paper tube constituting the cooling segment 121 (hollow element) and the diameter D1 of the flavor stick 1 as described above, it is possible to make the cooling segment 121 (hollow element) less likely to break when the flavor stick 1 is inserted into the heating chamber 34 of the flavor inhalation device 30.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 8 (A) and (B) , when a hollow element such as a center hole filter material 1221A, 1231, etc. is arranged adjacent to the rear end of the flavor rod segment 11, it is preferable to satisfy formula (3.1) when the inner diameter of the center hole filter material is D2 and the diameter of the flavor stick 1 is D1.
0.3≦D2/D1≦0.6 ... (3.1) formula

In this way, by defining the relationship between the inner diameter D2 of the center hole filter material and the diameter D1 of the flavor stick 1, it is possible to make the center hole filter materials 1221A, 1231 (hollow elements) less likely to break when the flavor stick 1 is inserted into the heating chamber 34 of the flavor inhalation device 30.

In addition, when the flavor source 111 of the flavor rod segment 11 includes a reconstituted tobacco sheet, the reconstituted tobacco sheet may be a sheet that has been subjected to a crimping process (a process in which vertical creases are made), and such a reconstituted tobacco sheet may be folded into a gathered shape and wrapped in cigarette paper 112. Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the reconstituted tobacco sheet 113 that forms the flavor source 111. Reference numeral 114 denotes the creases of the reconstituted tobacco sheet 113 that has been subjected to a crimping process. A plurality of creases 114 are formed along the vertical direction of the reconstituted tobacco sheet 113. For example, the reconstituted tobacco sheet 113 has creases 114 formed at regular intervals in its width direction. Here, the interval between the creases 114 is called the crimp width W.

It is preferable that the relationship between the crimp width W of the reconstituted tobacco sheet and the diameter D1 of the flavor stick 1 satisfies formula (4).
0.01≦W/D1≦0.08...Equation (4)

As described above, by defining the relationship between the crimp width W of the reconstituted tobacco sheet and the diameter D1 of the flavor stick 1, and reducing the crimp width W of the reconstituted tobacco sheet 113, the reconstituted tobacco sheet 113 folded in a gathered shape can be easily wound with the cigarette paper 112, making it suitable for a slim-type flavor stick 1. In this case, the crimp width W of the reconstituted tobacco sheet 113 can be, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 0.4 mm or less.

Moreover, it is preferable that the relationship between the crimp width W of the reconstituted tobacco sheet and the diameter D1 of the flavor stick 1 satisfies formula (5).
0.1≦W/D≦0.4...Equation (5)

As described above, by specifying the relationship between the crimp width W of the reconstituted tobacco sheet and the diameter D1 of the flavor stick 1 and increasing the crimp width W, the air flow resistance of the flavor rod segment 11 can be reduced. In this case, the crimp width W of the reconstituted tobacco sheet 113 can be, for example, 0.7 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.

In addition, when a reconstituted tobacco sheet cut into strips is used as the flavor source 111 of the flavor rod segment 11, the width in the short side direction can be set to 0.1 mm or more and 0.4 mm or less. This makes it easier to wind up the multiple strips of the reconstituted tobacco sheet cut into strips with the cigarette paper 112, making it suitable for a slim-type flavor stick 1.

Furthermore, as explained in FIG. 8(C), when the flavor stick 1 has a front segment 15, it is preferable that the airflow resistance of the front segment 15 is greater than the airflow resistance of the mouthpiece segment 12. In this way, by increasing the airflow resistance of the front segment 15, it is possible to suppress the leakage of smoke (aerosol) from the front end 1b of the flavor stick 1. In particular, since the flavor inhalation device 30 in this embodiment is a bottom-flow type device, it is possible to suppress the leakage of smoke (aerosol) from the first air intake port 42 (cleaning port 39) in the flavor inhalation device 30 by suppressing the leakage of smoke (aerosol) from the front end 1b of the flavor stick 1.

In addition, in a slim-type flavor stick 1 like this embodiment, the internal pressure is likely to increase when inhaled, and smoke (aerosol) is likely to leak from the front end 1b, so it is preferable to increase the axial length of the front segment 15.

Therefore, it is preferable that the relationship between the length L1 of the front segment 15 and the diameter D1 of the flavor stick 1 satisfies formula (6).
0.8≦L1/D1≦2.0...Equation (6)

The length of the front segment may be between 5 mm and 10 mm.

By doing this, it is possible to more effectively prevent the leakage of smoke (aerosol) from the front end 1b of the flavor stick 1.

Next, the position of the air vent 14 in the flavor stick 1 will be described. In the longitudinal direction of the flavor stick 1, it is preferable to specify the distance L2 from the rear end of the flavor rod segment 11 to the air vent 14 to be smaller than the distance L3 from the mouthpiece end 1a to the air vent 14. In this way, by positioning the opening position of the air vent 14 near the rear end of the flavor rod segment 11, the aerosol can be cooled from a position immediately downstream of the flavor rod segment 11.

In particular, it is preferable that the relationship between the distance L2 from the rear end of the flavor rod segment 11 to the air hole 14 and the diameter D1 of the flavor stick 1 satisfies formula (7).
0.5≦L2/D1≦2.0...Equation (7)

In this way, by specifying the relationship between the distance L2 from the rear end of the flavor rod segment 11 to the ventilation hole 14 and the diameter D1 of the flavor stick 1, the cooling effect of the aerosol by the air introduced from the ventilation hole 14 can be increased. In addition, the distance L2 from the rear end of the flavor rod segment 11 to the ventilation hole 14 may be 3 mm or more and 12 mm or less.

Furthermore, the overall length of the flavor stick 1 is not particularly limited, but for example, a long stick may be 60 mm or more and 85 mm or less, and a short stick may be 40 mm or more and 50 mm or less.

The length of the various segments constituting the flavor stick 1 can be adjusted as appropriate depending on the overall length of the flavor stick 1, the type and number of segments contained in the flavor stick 1, etc. For example, if the flavor stick 1 is a long type and its overall length is 60 mm or more and 85 mm or less, the length of the flavor rod segment 11 may be 20 mm or more and 30 mm or less. In addition, the length of the cooling segment 121 can be, but is not limited to, 10 mm or more and 25 mm or less when the flavor stick 1 is a long type, and 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less when the flavor stick 1 is a short type.

In addition, the configuration of the flavor stick 1 according to this embodiment and the flavor inhalation device 30 used for inhaling the flavor stick 1 can be appropriately changed. For example, as described in FIG. 8C, when the front segment 15 is provided at the front end of the flavor stick 1, the front segment 15 may be attached to the front stage of the flavor rod segment 11 in such a manner that the side portion (hereinafter referred to as the "front end side portion") 151A located at the front end side of the plug material 151 of the front segment 15 is exposed, as shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a partial side view of the front end 1b side of the flavor stick 1 according to the modified example. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the front end side portion 151A of the plug material 151 is not covered by the wrapping paper 152 and the first tipping paper 16, and is exposed to the outside. For example, at the front end of the plug material 151, the cellulose acetate fiber constituting the plug material 151 is exposed. The axial length of the region where the front end side portion 151A of the plug material 151 is exposed to the outside may be, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 3 mm or less. In this way, by exposing the front end side portion 151A of the plug material 151 to the outside, condensate that drips onto the bottom of the heating chamber 34 (attachment portion 41) when the flavor stick 1 is inhaled can be easily absorbed through the front end side portion 151A of the plug material 151.

In addition, the flavor inhalation device 30 shown in Figures 1 to 3 has a heating chamber 34 formed over substantially the entire section from the top to the bottom inside the housing 31, and a structure that is mainly suitable for a long type flavor stick 1 is illustrated, but the length of the section in the housing 31 where the heating chamber 34 is formed can be changed as appropriate to suit the length of the flavor stick 1 to be used.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a flavor inhalation device 30A suitable for use with a short-type flavor stick 1. FIG. 12 shows the internal structure of the flavor inhalation device 30A. Similarly to FIG. 3, FIG. 12 also shows a schematic diagram of the state in which the upper housing 32 is removed from the lower housing 33. The flavor inhalation device 30A differs from the flavor inhalation device 30 described above in the internal structure of the lower housing 33. Specifically, in the flavor inhalation device 30A, the lower sleeve 36 installed in the lower housing 33 has a bottom wall 361 that forms the bottom surface of the heating chamber 34, and an air intake port 362 is formed in the bottom wall 361. The air intake port 362 is formed as a through hole that penetrates the bottom wall 361 in the thickness direction.

In addition, the bottom wall 331 of the lower housing 33 has an air vent 334 that penetrates the bottom wall 331 in the thickness direction. The air vent 334 formed in the bottom wall 331 and the air intake 362 formed in the bottom wall 361 are connected via the air passage 333. As a result, the flavor inhalation device 30A is capable of introducing air outside the housing to the bottom of the heating chamber 34 through the air vent 334, the air passage 333, and the air intake 362. In the flavor inhalation device 30A shown in FIG. 12, the insertion port 37, the heating chamber 34, and the air vent 334 are coaxially arranged in a straight line. In addition, the flavor inhalation device 30A does not have a cleaning port 39 or an elastic sheet 40. In the flavor inhalation device 30A shown in FIG. 12, by adjusting the length of the lower sleeve 36 and the air passage 333, it is possible to provide an inhalation device that is suitable for flavor sticks 1 of various lengths, including short flavor sticks 1.

The flavor stick 1 as a product form may be contained in a package. Furthermore, when multiple flavor sticks 1 are contained in a package, each flavor stick 1 may be individually wrapped. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments and modified examples, a so-called slim type flavor stick is given as an example, and a specific form for solving the problem that the flavor stick is easily broken during insertion when the flavor stick is inserted into the heating chamber of the flavor inhalation device is described, but the present invention may be applied to flavor sticks other than the so-called slim type. For example, the flavor stick may have a diameter greater than 6 mm and less than 7.5 mm.

　Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the flavor stick and non-combustion type flavor inhalation product of the present invention are not limited to these. Furthermore, each aspect disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications can be combined with any other aspect disclosed in this specification.

1...flavor stick 11...flavor rod segment 12...mouthpiece segment 13...tipping paper 30...flavor suction device 31...housing 34...heating chamber 40...elastic sheet 50...heater

Claims (20)

A flavor stick is inserted into a heating chamber of a flavor inhalation device during use and heated from an outer periphery by a heater,
a flavor rod segment comprising an aerosol substrate and a flavor source;
a mouthpiece segment connected to a rear end of the flavor rod segment and having a mouth end;
a first winding sheet for winding the outermost layer of the flavor rod segment;
a second winding sheet that winds up an outermost layer of the mouthpiece segment in at least a portion of the mouthpiece segment;
Equipped with
The second rolled sheet has at least one of a basis weight and a thickness that is relatively larger than that of the first rolled sheet.
Flavor sticks. 2. The flavor stick according to claim 1, wherein when the basis weight of the first rolled sheet is ρ1 and the basis weight of the second rolled sheet is ρ2, formula (1) is satisfied.
0.3≦ρ1/ρ2<1...Equation (1) 3. The flavor stick according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the thickness of the first rolled sheet is t1 and the thickness of the second rolled sheet is t2, formula (2) is satisfied.
0.3≦t1/t2<1...Equation (2) The flavor stick according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second rolled sheet has a basis weight ρ2 of 50 gsm or more and 80 gsm or less, and a thickness t2 of 50 μm or more and 80 μm or less. the mouthpiece segment includes a hollow element disposed adjacent to a rear end of the flavor rod segment;
5. The flavor stick according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow element comprises a paper tube, and when the thickness of the paper tube is t3 and the diameter of the flavor stick is D1, the formula (3) is satisfied.
0.015≦t3/D1≦0.06...Equation (3) the flavor source comprises a reconstituted tobacco sheet;
The reconstituted tobacco sheet is a sheet that has been subjected to a crimping process,
6. The flavor stick according to claim 1, wherein when the crimp width of the reconstituted tobacco sheet is W and the diameter of the flavor stick is D1, formula (4) is satisfied.
0.01≦W/D1≦0.08...Equation (4) the flavor source comprises a reconstituted tobacco sheet;
the reconstituted tobacco sheet is a sheet that has been subjected to a crimping process;
6. The flavor stick according to claim 1 , wherein when the crimp width of the reconstituted tobacco sheet is W and the diameter of the flavor stick is D1, formula (5) is satisfied.
0.1≦W/D1≦0.4...Equation (5) The total length of the flavor stick is 60 mm or more and 85 mm or less, and the length of the flavor rod segment is 20 mm or more and 30 mm or less;
A flavour stick according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Further comprising a front segment connected to the front end side of the flavor rod segment,
The airflow resistance of the front segment is greater than the airflow resistance of the mouthpiece segment.
A flavour stick according to any one of claims 1 to 8. 10. A flavor stick according to claim 9, which satisfies formula (6) when the length of the front segment is L1 and the diameter of the flavor stick is D1.
0.8≦L1/D1≦2.0...Equation (6) The flavor stick according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the length of the front segment is 5 mm or more and 10 mm or less. A vent hole is provided for taking in air from the outside into the mouthpiece segment,
In the longitudinal direction of the flavor stick, a distance L2 from the rear end of the flavor rod segment to the ventilation hole is smaller than a distance L3 from the mouth end to the ventilation hole;
A flavour stick according to any one of claims 1 to 11. The flavor stick according to claim 12, wherein the relationship between the distance L2 and the diameter D1 of the flavor stick satisfies formula (7).
0.5≦L2/D1≦2.0...Equation (7) A flavour stick according to any one of claims 1 to 13;
A flavor inhalation device;
Equipped with
The flavor inhalation device comprises:
A housing having an insertion port for the flavor stick;
a heating chamber formed within the housing, the flavor stick being insertable through the insertion opening;
a heater for heating the flavor stick inserted into the heating chamber from the outer periphery;
having
A non-combustion heating flavor inhalation product. The insertion opening is formed in an upper wall of the housing, and a cleaning opening is formed in a bottom wall of the housing;
the insertion port, the heating chamber, and the cleaning port are coaxially arranged;
an elastic sheet that partially covers the cleaning port so as to form an air inlet for introducing air from the outside into the heating chamber;
the elastic sheet is provided so as to bulge from the cleaning opening toward the heating chamber in an original shape,
When the flavor stick is inserted into the heating chamber, the front end of the flavor stick is positioned by abutting against the elastic sheet.
The non-combustion heating flavor inhalation product according to claim 14. a heat insulating member is disposed inside the housing in a region between a bottom wall of the housing and the heater;
The non-combustion heating flavor inhalation product according to claim 15. The housing includes an upper housing and a lower housing which are detachable from each other.
The non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation product according to any one of claims 14 to 16. The upper housing is formed with the insertion opening,
the power supply unit is accommodated in the lower housing such that, when the upper housing is detached from the lower housing, the power supply unit is exposed to the outside from an upper opening end of the lower housing.
The non-combustion heating flavor inhalation product according to claim 17. The heater is disposed at a position retreated downward from the upper opening end of the lower housing.
The non-combustion heating flavor inhalation product according to claim 17 or 18. a groove portion is formed on an outer surface of the housing, the groove portion extending along the lower opening end and the upper opening end of the lower housing, the groove portion straddling the lower opening end and the upper opening end of the lower housing;
A second air intake port is formed at the bottom of the groove portion for introducing air from the outside into the heating chamber.
The non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation product according to any one of claims 17 to 19.

Images