WO2025150159A1 - Rod for flavor producing article, flavor producing article, and method of producing rod for flavor producing article - Google Patents

Abstract

A rod for a flavor producing article according to the present invention comprises: a sheet material that has been subjected to a folding process from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod and formed into a rod shape; and a large number of tongue pieces that are provided in the sheet material and are respectively formed by penetrating slits that do not have a circular shape.

Description

Rod for flavored product, flavored product, and method for manufacturing rod for flavored product

The present invention relates to a rod for a flavored product, a flavored product, and a method for manufacturing a rod for a flavored product.

For example, rods such as filter segments for flavor generating products are formed to adjust the performance, such as the filtration rate of the fluid that flows from the flavor generating segment through the filter segment to the user. In this case, rods such as filter segments are arranged by connecting multiple filter materials with different performance in the direction of the fluid flow, and adjust the filtration rate of the fluid, etc.

International Publication No. 2019/106625 International Publication No. 2021/246310

The present invention aims to provide a rod for a flavored product, a flavored product, and a method for manufacturing a rod for a flavored product, which can adjust the amount of fluid filtered, etc.

A rod for flavored product according to one embodiment of the present invention has a sheet material folded in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod to form a rod shape, and a number of tongues, each of which is formed by a non-annular through-cut portion provided in the sheet material.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a flavored product according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a portion of a sheet material for forming a filter assembly (rod assembly) from which the filter segments (rod segments) of the flavored product shown in FIG. 1 are derived; 3 is a schematic diagram showing a through-slit portion (tongue) formed in a part of the sheet material shown in FIG. 2 . 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a part of the tongue is deviated and raised relative to the surface of the holeless region of the sheet material shown in FIG. 2 after the sheet material has been folded; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a filter segment as viewed from the direction indicated by arrow IVB in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a filter assembly that is the source of a filter segment of the flavored product according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a sheet material is disposed between crepe rollers in the creping section (crimping section) of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 . 6B is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the distance between the rotation axes of the crepe rollers of the crepe unit is narrowed compared to the state shown in FIG. 6A . 6 is a schematic perspective view showing rollers above and below the notch portion of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 . 7B is a schematic diagram showing the flexible sheet being magnetically attached to the roller above the notch shown in FIG. 7A . FIG. 7C is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line 7C-7C shown in FIG. 7B. 7B is a schematic perspective view showing an example of rollers above and below the notch portion of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 5, different from that shown in FIG. 7A. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a cut end formed by a cutting portion relative to a through-slit portion of the sheet material shown in FIG. 2 when the rod is unfolded as a sheet material. FIG. 2 and 9B are schematic diagrams showing examples of cut ends formed by a cutting portion with respect to a through-slit portion arranged in a 90° rotated orientation with respect to the sheet material. FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of an optical inspection device of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 . 11 is a schematic diagram showing a state of the filter assembly when the light transmittance is inspected by the optical inspection device shown in FIG. 10 . 1 is a schematic diagram showing a sheet material formed as a rod being folded into an Archimedes spiral; FIG. Schematic diagram of a sheet material formed as a rod being folded into a Fermat spiral. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which through-slits of a one-stroke through-slit portion intersect with each other; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the through cut portion shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the through cut portion shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the through cut portion shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the through cut portion shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the through cut portion shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the through cut portion shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the through cut portion shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the through cut portion shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the through cut portion shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the through cut portion shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 . 3 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the sheet material shown in FIG. 2 having a through-slit portion. FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a sheet material having a through-slit portion according to a first modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a flavored product according to a second modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a flavored product according to a third modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a flavored product according to the third modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a flavored product according to a second embodiment. 28 is a schematic diagram showing a portion of a sheet material for forming a filter assembly (rod assembly) from which the filter segments (rod segments) of the flavored product shown in FIG. 27 are derived. 28B is a schematic diagram showing a through-slit portion (tongue) formed in the part of the sheet material shown in FIG. 28A. 28 is a schematic diagram of a filter segment as viewed from the direction indicated by arrow XXIX in FIG. 27 . FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a flavored product according to a third embodiment.

Below, we will explain the form for implementing this invention with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 24. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the flavor product 10 has a flavor generating segment (rod segment) 12, a mouthpiece segment (rod segment) 14 provided downstream of the flavor generating segment 12, and tipping paper 16 connecting the flavor generating segment 12 and the mouthpiece segment 14.

The flavor generating segment 12 and the mouthpiece segment 14 are preferably each formed as a rod having a substantially cylindrical shape (a substantially circular cross section). That is, the flavor generating segment 12 and the mouthpiece segment 14 are each a rod or a rod segment. The filter segment 20, tip plug 42, flavor generating section 44, etc., described below, are also rods or rod segments.

The flavor product 10 may be a non-combustion heating type product that heats the flavor generating segment 12 without burning it, or a combustion type product that burns the flavor generating segment 12. The flavor product 10 may also be a non-combustion non-heating type product.

The flavor generating segment 12 is formed into a cylindrical rod by wrapping a suitable filling material in wrapping paper. Various filling materials can be used.

As the filling material for the non-combustion heating flavor generating segment 12, for example, tobacco shreds, tobacco sheet material, etc. can be used. Specifically, tobacco shreds obtained by cutting dried tobacco leaves to a width of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm can be filled into the cigarette paper. Alternatively, dried tobacco leaves can be crushed and homogenized to an average particle size of about 20 μm to 200 μm, processed into a sheet material, and then cut into a width of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm and filled into the cigarette paper. The sheet material can be gathered, folded, or folded into a spiral shape without being cut, and filled into the cigarette paper as a rod (rod for flavor product). The spiral of the spiral folding process can be Archimedes' spiral (see FIG. 12A) or Fermat's spiral (see FIG. 12B). The sheet material can be cut into strips and filled into the cigarette paper concentrically or so that the longitudinal direction of the strips is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the rods of the flavor generating segment 12. The flavor generating segment 12 may generate an aerosol when heated. In order to promote the generation of the aerosol, it is preferable to add an aerosol source such as a polyol such as glycerin, propylene glycol, or 1,3-butanediol as part of the filling. The amount of the aerosol source added is preferably 5% to 50% by weight, more preferably 10% to 30% by weight, based on the dry weight of the filling. In addition, the flavor generating segment 12 may contain a flavoring such as menthol.

As the filling material for the combustion flavor generation segment 12, for example, tobacco shreds, tobacco sheet material, etc. can be used, as with the filling material for the non-combustion heating flavor generation segment 12. Specifically, tobacco shreds obtained by cutting dried tobacco leaves to a width of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm may be filled into the cigarette paper. Alternatively, dried tobacco leaves may be crushed and homogenized to an average particle size of about 20 μm to 200 μm, processed into a sheet material, and then cut into a width of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm and filled into the cigarette paper. The sheet material may be gathered, folded, or spirally folded without being cut, and filled into the cigarette paper as a rod (rod for flavor product). The spiral of the spiral folding process may be an Archimedes spiral (see FIG. 12A) or a Fermat spiral (see FIG. 12B). The sheet material may be cut into strips and packed into the cigarette paper concentrically or with the longitudinal direction of the strips parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tobacco rod.

The length of the rod of the flavor generation segment 12 can be set as appropriate. The length of the rod of the flavor generation segment 12 is preferably, for example, 15 mm to 70 mm. The diameter of the rod of the flavor generation segment 12 is approximately constant from the tip face (the end face of the flavor generation segment 12 opposite the mouth end 14b) 12a to the rear end face 12b, and can be set as appropriate. The diameter of the rod of the flavor generation segment 12 is preferably, for example, 4 mm to 10 mm, and more preferably 6 mm to 8 mm.

In this embodiment, the mouthpiece segment 14 has a filter segment (rod segment) 20. In this embodiment, the sheet material 30 of the filter segment 20 can be, for example, a cylindrically processed material such as paper, nonwoven fabric, or resin. The filter segment 20 has functions such as adjusting the amount of air mixed in when the user inhales aerosol, reducing the smoking taste, and reducing nicotine and tar. The filter segment 20 does not need to have all of these functions. Furthermore, in the non-combustion heating type flavor product 10, which tends to generate fewer flavor components and has a lower tobacco filler filling rate compared to the combustion type flavor product 10, the filter segment 20 can suppress the filtering function while preventing the tobacco filler from falling.

When the mouthpiece segment 14 is formed as part of the non-combustion heating type flavor product 10, it may have a cooling segment 46. This will be described later in the third embodiment (see FIG. 30). That is, in this embodiment, the mouthpiece segment 14 and the filter segment 20 will be described as being the same thing.

The length of the rod of the mouthpiece segment 14 is preferably, for example, 10 mm to 50 mm, and more preferably, approximately 25 mm to 30 mm. The diameter of the rod of the mouthpiece segment 14 is approximately constant from the tip surface 14a to the rear end surface (mouth end) 14b, and is preferably, for example, 4 mm to 10 mm, and more preferably, 6 mm to 8 mm.

The diameter of the flavor generating segment 12 and the diameter of the mouthpiece segment 14 are the same or approximately the same, and the tipping paper 16 is wrapped around the outer circumference including the rear end surface 12b of the flavor generating segment 12 and the tip surface 14a of the mouthpiece segment 14 with the rear end surface 12b of the flavor generating segment 12 and the tip surface 14a of the mouthpiece segment 14 butted against each other. As a result, a flavor product 10 is formed in which the rods of the flavor generating segment 12 and the rods of the mouthpiece segment 14 are aligned in the axial direction.

The filter segment 20 includes a filter material 22 and a wrapper 24 that wraps around the outside of the filter material 22 to form the filter segment 20 into a rod.

As shown in FIG. 2, the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20 is formed by processing a sheet material 30 so that it has a large number of non-annular through-slits 32. In this embodiment, for simplicity of explanation, the large number of through-slits 32 are assumed to be of the same size, shape, and disposed at equal intervals.

In addition, FIG. 2 defines an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system. The direction along the X axis is the axial direction of the sheet material 30 (the longitudinal direction before being cut) and the conveying direction. The direction along the Y axis is the width direction of the sheet material 30. The direction along the Z axis is the thickness direction of the sheet material 30.

In addition, the number and size of the through-slits 32 along the X-axis direction and the number and size of the through-slits 32 along the Y-axis direction of the sheet material 30 in FIG. 2 are shown only as schematics and can be changed in various ways.

The non-annular through cuts 32 are formed while leaving portions integral with the sheet material 30, and do not form a closed figure. These through cuts 32 each form a tongue (flap) 33 integral with the sheet material 30. Although the through cuts 32 are integrally connected to the sheet material 30, they are formed so as to protrude from the surface of the sheet material 30 (holeless region 34) when the sheet material 30 is folded from a flat surface. Therefore, when the sheet material 30 is folded and formed into a rod (rod for flavored product), at least a portion of the tongue 33 does not follow the surface of the sheet material 30, and may deviate from the surface of the sheet material 30 and protrude due to the rigidity of the sheet material 30 (tongue 33) itself.

FIG. 3 shows the state in which the through cut portion 32 is surrounded by a virtual rectangular or square frame F. The virtual frame F is defined so as to circumscribe the through cut portion 32.

The through cut 32 of the sheet material 30 defines a virtual frame F so as to circumscribe the through cut 32. The frame F in this case is a virtual rectangle of minimum area circumscribing the tongue piece 33. It is preferable that a pair of sides S1 of the rectangular frame F are defined parallel to the axial direction (longitudinal direction, X-axis direction) of the sheet material 30. It is preferable that the remaining pair of sides S2 of the rectangular frame F are defined parallel to the width direction (Y-axis direction) perpendicular to the axial direction of the sheet material 30. For this reason, it is preferable that one pair of opposing sides S1 of the frame F are arranged along the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction), which is the conveying direction of the sheet material 30, and the remaining pair of opposing sides S2 are arranged along the width direction (Y-axis direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30. A part of the through cut 32 is formed along one of a pair of opposing sides S1 of the imaginary frame F, but the other of the pair of opposing sides S1 is not formed along the through cut 32. A part of the through cut 32 is formed along both of the other pair of opposing sides S2 of the imaginary frame F. Therefore, the through cut 32 of the sheet material 30 according to this embodiment has a connecting portion (non-cut portion) 33a formed so that the through cut 32 is not formed along the sheet material 30, which is connected to the sheet material 30 along the longitudinal direction (conveyance direction) of the sheet material 30. That is, the through cut 32 is formed so that the connecting portion 33a with the sheet material 30 is left as a non-cut portion, for example, along the axial direction of the rod. Of the through cut 32, the connecting portion 33a with the sheet material 30 is formed integrally with the sheet material 30 between both ends 32a, 32b along the other pair of sides S2 of the through cut 32. In other words, the connecting portion 33a corresponds to a portion where a part of the through cut 32 is connected to the sheet material 30 in the longitudinal direction. The connecting portion 33a is formed as a base when the tongue piece 33 deviates from the sheet material 30.

In this embodiment, each through-cut portion 32 of the sheet material 30 is formed as a single-stroke portion, for example, in a substantially U-shape. The longest portion of the single-stroke portion of the through-cut portion 32 is formed to be longer than the length of one diagonal line of the imaginary frame F.

As shown in FIG. 2, these through cuts 32 are arranged adjacent to each other or at an appropriate distance apart in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the sheet material 30. Furthermore, these through cuts 32 are arranged adjacent to each other or at an appropriate distance apart in the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30. These through cuts 32 may be arranged, for example, in a zigzag pattern or randomly.

In this embodiment, the tongue 33 formed by the through cut 32 is formed in a shape that deviates from the surface of the sheet material 30 and rises up when the sheet material 30 is folded. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the tongue 33 deviates from the surface of the holeless region 34 of the folded sheet material 30 and rises up, an opening of the same shape as the tongue 33 is formed in the deviated and raised portion of the sheet material 30. That is, an opening is formed in the sheet material 30 in a shape formed by the through cut 32 and the connecting portion 33a. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the folded sheet material 30 is wound by the wrapper 24 and held in a cylindrical rod shape. At this time, the tongue 33 is maintained in a deviated and raised state in all or part of the curved portion of the sheet material 30.

The filter segment 20 is formed from a filter assembly (rod assembly) 18 having a length, for example, four or six times that of the filter segment 20 to be actually used, by a rod manufacturing device 50 described later. The filter segment 20 is formed by cutting the filter assembly 18 to a predetermined length at a predetermined position. That is, the filter segment 20 is formed by cutting in, for example, two stages. The first stage is a process of cutting the filter assembly 18, which is made by crimping a continuous sheet material 30 and wrapping it with a wrapper 24, to a length, for example, four or six times that of the filter segment 20 to be actually used as part of the flavor product 10. The second stage is a process of cutting the filter segment 20 having a length four or six times the desired length to the length of the filter segment 20 to be actually used as part of the flavor product 10. Therefore, by cutting the filter assembly 18 in the second stage, four or six filter segments 20 are formed from the filter assembly 18. The cutting of the filter assembly 18 in the second stage may be performed by multiple cuts.

As described above, the filter material 22 according to this embodiment is formed by processing the sheet material 30 shown in FIG. 2. The filter material 22 is formed, for example, by processing a sheet material made of paper, a sheet material made of nonwoven fabric, or a sheet material made of resin. In this embodiment, an example in which the filter material 22 is formed from a sheet material made of paper, that is, an example as a paper filter, will be described. The sheet material made of paper 30 is, for example, paper obtained by papermaking wood pulp. The paper filter is a biodegradable filter in which the filter material 22 is made of a paper sheet material 30 and the outside of the filter material 22 is wrapped with a wrapping paper 24 to form a rod shape, and is highly biodegradable.

The width of the sheet material 30 in the width direction is formed to an appropriate size, for example, between 150 mm and 250 mm. This is adjusted according to the thickness of the sheet material 30, the diameter of the filter segments 20 to be manufactured, the required density (filling degree) of the filter segments 20, etc. Furthermore, when using a tobacco sheet material or a cooling sheet material as the sheet material 30, as described below, the material, width in the width direction, and thickness of the sheet material 30 are adjusted according to the function.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the through cut portions 32 in which the tongue pieces 33 are formed and the holeless regions 34 are alternately, i.e., repeatedly, formed in the sheet material 30 along the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the sheet material 30. The sheet material 30 has segments S repeatedly formed along the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction), each of which includes one through cut portion 32 and a holeless region 34 adjacent to that through cut portion 32. The longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30 is the direction along which the through cut portions 32 and the holeless regions 34 are arranged adjacent to each other.

The width direction (Y-axis direction) of the sheet material 30 is a direction that intersects with the direction in which the through-cut portions 32 and the holeless regions 34 are arranged adjacent to each other, and is preferably a direction that is perpendicular to the direction. In the example in FIG. 2, approximately rectangular segments S are arranged along the width direction of the sheet material 30. It is also preferable that each segment S is arranged with a shift in the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30.

In this embodiment, the length of the rod of the filter segment 20 is formed as the length of one segment S of the sheet material 30, for example, including at least one through-slit portion 32 and at least one holeless region 34. The size of the tongue piece 33 along the longitudinal direction and the size of the tongue piece 33 along the width direction are adjusted based on the diameter and length of the rod of the desired filter segment 20.

The holeless region 34 of the sheet material 30 is formed as a closed region (partition) that has no holes penetrating in the Z-axis direction at any position in the region defined by the longitudinal and width directions of the sheet material 30.

The through cuts 32 form cuts that penetrate the sheet material 30 in the Z-axis direction. Each through cut 32 is formed, for example, with the same shape and size and spaced apart in the width direction. In this embodiment, the multiple through cuts 32 are each formed in a roughly U-shape with the same shape and size and spaced apart in the width direction. The shape of the through cut 32 will be described later, but in addition to a roughly U-shape, it can also be formed into a roughly V-shape, a roughly C-shape, a roughly L-shape, a roughly T-shape, a roughly X-shape, or any other appropriate shape (see Figures 13 to 23).

Note that, although a portion of the through cut portion 32 may be formed at both ends of the width direction of the sheet material 30, it is preferable that the through cut portion 32 is not formed at both ends of the width direction of the sheet material 30 in order to prevent the sheet material 30 from getting caught on, for example, a focusing guide 74 (see FIG. 5) of the rod manufacturing device 50 when forming the sheet material 30 into a rod. Also, a portion of the through cut portion 32 may be formed at both ends of the length direction of the sheet material 30, but when the sheet material 30 is used as a filter segment 20, random dents may occur on the end surface that becomes the mouth of the flavor product 10. For this reason, it is preferable that the both ends of the length direction of the sheet material 30 are cut and not used even if the through cut portion 32 is formed, or that the through cut portion 32 is not formed.

The range of the through cuts 32 in the sheet material 30 (the area defined by the through cuts 32 and the connecting portion 33a) is arbitrary. However, if the size of the through cuts 32 is too large or there are too many through cuts 32, the strength of the sheet material 30 may decrease, and therefore the manufacturing suitability of the sheet material 30 when it is made into a rod for the filter segment 20 may decrease.

The inner range of the through cut of the through cut portion 32 of the sheet material 30 is, for example, about 5% to 70%, and preferably about 10% to 50%, of the area of the region defined by the longitudinal direction and width direction of the sheet material 30 when the sheet material 30 is unfolded. The lower limit of the inner range of the through cut of the through cut portion 32 (whether the through cut portion 32 leaves a large area of the solid part of the sheet material 30) can vary depending on the degree of low filtration desired by the manufacturer of the filter segment 20. The upper limit of the through cut range of the through cut portion 32 (whether the through cut portion 32 reduces the area of the solid part of the sheet material 30) can vary depending on the degree of filtration desired by the manufacturer of the filter segment 20 for the filter segment 20 and on manufacturing suitability.

In the longitudinal direction of the rod of the filter segment 20, the length ratio between the holeless region 34 and the through cut portion 32 is adjusted as appropriate, for example, in the range of 1:5 to 5:1, or in the range of 2:3 to 3:2. The length ratio between the holeless region 34 and the through cut portion 32 may be 1:1, i.e., the same length. The length ratio between the holeless region 34 and the through cut portion 32 can be set as appropriate by the manufacturer of the flavored product 10.

An example of a manufacturing device 50 for the filter segment 20 and a manufacturing method using the manufacturing device 50 will be described later.

The segment S of the sheet material 30 forms the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20. One segment S of the sheet material 30 is creped (shrunk) such as gathered and folded in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the sheet material 30 so that the longitudinal direction of the rod of the filter segment 20 is aligned in the direction in which the through-cut portion 32 and the holeless region 34 are adjacently arranged, that is, a cylindrical rod is formed from the filter material 22 by the folding process. At this time, a large number of ridges 31 (valley fold portion (fold line) 31a, mountain fold portion (fold line) 31b) (see Figures 3 and 9A) are formed along the X-axis direction and in the Y-axis direction, for example, at appropriate intervals, and by performing the folding process in which these ridges 31 are actually mountain and valley folded, the width in the width direction of one segment S of the sheet material 30 becomes smaller, and a cylindrical rod is formed from the filter material 22 while maintaining the longitudinal length of one segment S. The filter segment 20 is formed as a cylindrical rod or rod segment by wrapping the outer circumference of the cylindrical filter material 22 with a wrapper 24. The spacing between the numerous creases 31 (valley folds 31a, mountain folds 31b) may be uniform or random.

The through cut portion 32 has a portion that intersects with an imaginary line segment along the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the rod at at least two points.

Note that, among the many tongue pieces 33, the tongue pieces 33 that are provided to protrude from the sheet material 30 in a direction intersecting the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the rod define a closed figure by an imaginary fold line (mountain fold line 31b in FIG. 3) and a through cut portion 32. When a virtual rectangle (frame F) that circumscribes the tongue pieces 33 that include the closed figure is defined, one side S1 of the rectangle (frame F) is parallel to the fold line and is parallel or approximately parallel to the axial direction of the rod.

The rod of the filter segment 20 is formed as a region of low airflow resistance along the axial direction because the through cut portion 32 increases the flow path in the rod compared to the holeless region 34. In other words, the rod of the filter segment 20 is formed as a region of high airflow resistance along the axial direction because the flow path in the rod is restricted in the holeless region 34 compared to the through cut portion 32. Therefore, by arranging the through cut portion 32 and the holeless region 34 adjacently along the axial direction of the rod of the filter segment 20, a region of relatively low airflow resistance and a region of relatively high airflow resistance are formed in the filter material 22 of one segment S of one sheet material 30. Therefore, it is possible to form a plurality of regions having different filtering performances, such as two, along the axial direction of the rod of the filter segment 20 using one filter material 22, while wrapping the outer periphery of the sheet material 30 with one wrapper 24 to maintain the rod shape of the filter segment 20. Therefore, when forming the rod of filter segment 20, it is possible to omit connecting multiple filter segments, each wrapped in a wrapping paper, to form areas with different filtering performance, and further omit the manufacturing step of wrapping the outer circumference of multiple filter segments in a wrapper (wrapping paper).

The filter segment 20 adjusts the airflow resistance along the longitudinal direction with one member (the filter material 22 of one segment S of the sheet material 30), and the presence of the through-slits 32 allows the formation of an area of low airflow resistance. According to this embodiment, a flavored product 10 equipped with such a filter segment 20 can be provided.

The airflow resistance of the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20 not only depends on the selection of the sheet material 30, but is also adjusted by, for example, setting the crepe depth (see Figures 6 and 6B) of a pair of crepe rollers 64a, 64b in the crepe section (crimping section) 64 of the manufacturing device 50 (see Figure 5), which will be described later.

The difference in air flow resistance per mm of the rod of the filter segment 20 between the first segment (through cut portion) 32 and the second segment (holeless region) 34 is 0.5 mmH ₂ O/mm to 10 mmH ₂ O/mm, and preferably 1 mmH ₂ O/mm to 5 mmH ₂ O/mm.

The wrapper 24 may be any wrapping paper. To maintain the appropriate stiffness of the filter segment 20, wrapping paper with a larger basis weight (thick paper) may be used. The basis weight of the wrapper 24 is preferably 30 gsm or more, more preferably 50 gsm, and even more preferably 100 gsm or less. To maintain the stiffness of the filter segment 20 of the flavored product 10, the tipping paper 16 may be thicker.

The manufacturing device 50 for such a filter segment 20 will be described below with reference to Figures 5 to 8.

5 defines an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system, similar to the sheet material 30 shown in FIG. 2. The X-axis direction is the direction in which the sheet material 30 is transported from the feed section 62 to the cutting section 58, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 5, the manufacturing apparatus 50 for the rods for the flavor product 10 has a supply section 52 for the sheet material 30, a processing section 54 for the sheet material 30, a rod forming section (rod winding section) 56, a rod cutting section 58, and a rod optical inspection device (inspection unit) 60. The supply section 52, processing section 54, rod forming section 56, rod cutting section 58, and optical inspection device 60 are controlled by a control device (not shown). It is preferable that the control device of the manufacturing apparatus 50 appropriately controls the supply section 52, processing section 54, rod forming section 56, and rod cutting section 58, for example by feedback control, based on information from a control section 60c of the optical inspection device 60, which will be described later. In addition, the control device of the manufacturing device 50 preferably controls at least one of the following based on information from the control unit 60c of the optical inspection device 60, which will be described later: the supply of the sheet material 30 by the supply unit 52, the crimping of the sheet material 30 by the creping unit (crinkling unit) 64 of the processing unit 54, which will be described later, the through-cutting of the sheet material 30 by the cutting unit (slit forming unit) 66, which will be described later, the formation of the rod by the rod forming unit 56, and the cutting of the rod by the rod cutting unit 58.

The supply unit 52 supplies and conveys the holeless sheet material 30, or the sheet material 30 on which a large number of through-cuts 32 and holeless regions 34 have been formed in advance, in a predetermined direction. The supply unit 52 has a bobbin 52a, a dancer unit 52b, and an auxiliary roller 52c.

In this embodiment, the bobbin 52a has a holeless sheet material 30 without a through-slit 32 wound around the axis of a shaft 52a1 parallel to the Y-axis direction. The original length of the sheet material 30 (the length of the sheet material 30 wound around the bobbin 52a) is formed to an appropriate length, such as 50 m to 100 m or more. The sheet material 30 is unwound in a predetermined direction (dancer unit 52b) from the bobbin (raw paper roll) 52a, which rotates with the rotation of the shaft 52a1. The sheet material 30 is unwound in the longitudinal direction while the movement of the sheet material 30 in the longitudinal direction is controlled, for example, at a constant speed and constant tension.

The dancer unit 52b is provided downstream of the bobbin 52a of the supply section 52 and upstream of the feed section 62 of the processing section 54, which will be described later. The dancer unit 52b adjusts the sheet material 30 so as to reduce changes in the tension of the sheet material 30 caused by changes in the diameter of the bobbin 52a, changes in the feed speed of the sheet material 30, etc. The dancer unit 52b has multiple upper rollers 52b1 and multiple lower rollers 52b2. The sheet material 30 is passed in a zigzag pattern between the upper and lower rollers 52b1, 52b2 of the dancer unit 52b.

An auxiliary roller 52c is provided downstream of the dancer unit 52b. The auxiliary roller 52c changes the direction of the sheet material 30 that has passed through the dancer unit 52b toward the feed section 62, which will be described later.

The processing section 54 performs preliminary work to form the sheet material 30 into a rod, and also forms an area for changing the air flow resistance in one segment S. The processing section 54 has a feed section 62, a creping section 64, a cutting section 66, an auxiliary roller 54a, and an addition section 68 along the flow of the sheet material 30, which is made of, for example, paper.

The feed section 62 moves the sheet material 30 downstream while the sheet material 30 has an appropriate tension in the X-axis direction. The feed section 62 has, for example, a pair of feed rollers 62a, 62b. The upper roller 62a of the feed section 62 is formed, for example, of two rubber rollers arranged side by side, that is, in the depth direction of the paper in FIG. 5. The lower roller 62b is formed, for example, of a metal roller with a flat surface. A spiral is formed on the surface of the two rubber rollers of the upper roller 62a, and when the feed rollers 62a, 62b rotate, the two ends of the sheet material 30 in the width direction are spread apart in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction), preventing the occurrence of unintended wrinkles at this point.

A creping section (crimping section) 64 is provided downstream of the feed section 62 for creping the sheet material 30. The creping section 64 crimps the sheet material 30 conveyed from the supply section 52. The creping section 64 has a pair of creping rollers 64a, 64b. The creping rollers 64a, 64b are used to form vertical wrinkles in the sheet material 30 along the X-axis direction, which makes it easier to form the filter segments 20 into rods. In other words, the creping section 64 creates streaky crimps along the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30, making it easier to fold the sheet material 30 when forming it into a rod.

As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, a pair of crepe rollers 64a, 64b have rotating shafts 6411, 6421 parallel to each other in the Y-axis direction, and multiple convex portions (disk-shaped members) 6412, 6422. The upper rotating shaft 6411 is the first rotating shaft, and the lower rotating shaft 6421 is the second rotating shaft. The first rotating shaft 6411 is provided with multiple first convex portions 6412, and the second rotating shaft 6421 is provided with multiple second convex portions 6422. It is preferable that the multiple convex portions 6412, 6422 are each formed as a disk-shaped member of the same diameter. Adjacent convex portions 6412, 6422 are spaced apart, for example, at a predetermined interval in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the sheet material 30.

The first rotating shaft 6411 and the second rotating shaft 6421 can be moved closer to or farther away from each other while maintaining a parallel state in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the sheet material 30. The multiple first convex portions 6412 protrude from the first rotating shaft 6411 by approximately the same amount. The multiple first convex portions 6412 are spaced apart at a predetermined interval in the width direction. The multiple second convex portions 6422 protrude from the second rotating shaft 6421 by approximately the same amount. The multiple second convex portions 6422 are spaced apart at a predetermined interval in the width direction. When the first rotating shaft 6411 and the second rotating shaft 6421 are brought close to each other, the first convex portions 6412 and the second convex portions 6422 are in spaced apart positions. The distance between the top 6412a of the first convex portion 6412 and the top 6422a of the second convex portion 6422 along the approach and separation direction of the first rotation shaft 6411 and the second rotation shaft 6421 (symbol D1 in FIG. 6A and symbol D2 in FIG. 6B) is defined as the meshing amount. The distances D1 and D2 are preferably set to, for example, about 1 mm or less. By adjusting the meshing amount (distances D1 and D2) of the crepe portion 64, it is possible to adjust the crepe depth of the paper sheet material 30 when forming the rod of the filter segment 20 in the rod forming section 56 described later. The crepe depth can be replaced with the distance in the Z-axis direction between the tops 6412a and 6422a of the convex portions 6412 and 6422 of the pair of crepe rollers 64a and 64b. Comparing the distance D1 in FIG. 6A with the distance D2 in FIG. 6B, the distance D2 is larger. At this time, the crepe depth of the sheet material 30 is greater in the example shown in FIG. 6B than in the example shown in FIG. 6A. During the creping process of the sheet material 30, the positional relationship between the first rotating shaft 6411 and the second rotating shaft 6421 of the creping unit 64 is fixed.

Therefore, by adjusting the positional relationship of the rotation axes 6411, 6421 shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the meshing depth (distances D1, D2) between the protrusions 6412, 6422 is adjusted, and the depth of the vertical wrinkles along the X-axis direction formed in the sheet material 30 or the degree of stretching of the sheet material 30 changes. By adjusting the meshing depth between the protrusions 6412, 6422, the airflow resistance in one segment S of the filter material 22 can be adjusted.

Note that the pair of crepe rollers 64a, 64b do not need to rotate around the rotation shafts 6411, 6421 as long as the sheet material 30 slides between the apex 6412a of the first convex portion 6412 and the apex 6422a of the second convex portion 6422 and moves downstream. For this reason, the pair of crepe rollers 64a, 64b of the crepe section 64 may each be formed as a crepe tool.

As shown in FIG. 5, a cut portion (slit forming portion) 66 is disposed downstream of the crepe portion 64. The cut portion 66 makes a through cut in a portion of the sheet material 30 conveyed (supplied) from the supply portion 52, i.e., forms a through slit. The cut portion 66 makes a cut (slit) that penetrates the sheet material 30 in a portion of the sheet material 30, forming a plurality of through cut portions 32, thereby forming a connecting portion 33a integral with the sheet material 30 and a tongue piece 33 protruding from the sheet material 30. In this embodiment, the cut portion 66 is described as being disposed downstream of the crepe portion 64 along the conveying direction of the sheet material 30. It is also preferable that the cut portion 66 is disposed upstream of the crepe portion 64. The positional relationship between the cut portion 66 and the crepe portion 64 may be either the upstream side or the downstream side, but it is preferable that the crepe portion 64 is upstream and the cut portion 66 is downstream. When the sheet material 30 passes through the crepe section 64, the sheet material 30 stretches. Therefore, by making a cut in the sheet material 30 at the cut section 66 after the sheet material 30 stretches, it is easy to control the position of the through cut. On the other hand, when the cut section 66 is positioned upstream of the crepe section 64, the sheet material 30 is under sufficient tension during transport, so that the through cut section 32 is easily formed by the through cut.

As shown in Figures 5 and 7A, the cutout portion 66 has, for example, an upper roller (first roller) 66a and a lower roller (second roller) 66b. The cutout portion 66 forms a plurality of through cutout portions 32 of a predetermined size and shape in the sheet material 30 when the sheet material 30 passes between the upper and lower rollers 66a, 66b. In other words, by forming a plurality of through cutout portions 32 of a predetermined size and shape in the holeless sheet material 30, a sheet material 30 (see Figure 2) having a connecting portion 33a and a tongue piece 33 is formed.

The upper roller 66a has a blade (see FIG. 7C) that appropriately cuts the sheet material 30. The lower roller 66b is formed, for example, as a metal roll with no irregularities. For example, while controlling the conveying speed of the sheet material 30 by the feed section 62, the sheet material 30 is conveyed between the upper roller 66a and the lower roller 66b, and as it is clamped, the blade makes a through cut in the sheet material 30, sequentially forming predetermined through cut portions 32. In other words, multiple through cut portions 32 are repeatedly formed in the sheet material 30.

The blade is formed so that it cuts into the through cut portion 32 of the sheet material 30 without leaving any corners. In other words, the blade is formed in a shape that cuts into the through cut portion 32 in a ring-like shape without any corners. Therefore, the blade of the cut portion 66 prevents any part of the through cut portion 32 other than the connecting portion 33a from remaining connected to the sheet material 30.

Here, two examples of the cutout portion 66 will be described. Figure 7A shows the first example (a method using a flexible die 66c). Figure 8 shows the second example (a method using a rotary die).

The notching section 66 shown in FIG. 7A has an upper roller (notching roller) 66a, for example made of a metal material, to which a flexible die 66c (see FIG. 7B) is magnetically attached, and a lower roller (anvil roller) 66b.

As shown in FIG. 7C, the flexible die 66c is formed by etching or cutting a thin metal sheet, for example, about 0.45 mm thick, and a cutting blade (slit forming blade) 66d formed in the shape of the through-slit portion 32 is provided on the surface of the metal sheet to form the through-slit portion 32 by the through-slit. When forming the through-slit portion 32 of the sheet material 30, the flexible die 66c is magnetically attached to the magnetic upper roller 66a. Usually, two flexible dies 66c are attached to the upper roller 66a. For example, two flexible dies 66c are used adjacent to each other in the circumferential or axial direction of the upper roller 66a. The entire upper roller 66a is then covered with the flexible die 66c. Here, the flexible die 66c may be set relative to the upper roller 66a so that the through-slit portion 32 and the holeless region 34 are repeatedly formed in the same shape along the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30.

When using the upper roller 66a and flexible die 66c shown in FIG. 7A, it can be manufactured more cheaply than when using the upper roller 66a as a rotary die shown in FIG. 8. When using the flexible die 66c shown in FIG. 7A, it is said to be difficult to make a through cut in a relatively thick material. Although it depends on the material, it may not be possible to make a through cut successfully in a sheet material 30 that is 0.5 mm or thicker, for example, and there is a possibility that the piece of paper that has been through cut will not come off from the cutting blade of the flexible die 66c.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the upper roller 66a is formed as a rotary die. The upper roller (rotary die) 66a is formed with a predetermined cutting blade (slit forming blade) 66f for forming the through-slit portion 32 in the sheet material 30, for example by cutting out a metal roll. In general, the upper roller 66a can be used for relatively thick sheet material 30. When the cutting blade 66f becomes dull, the upper roller (rotary die) 66a can be reused by re-grinding the cutting blade 66f.

As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the sheet material 30 has a number of ridges 31, i.e., valley folds 31a and mountain folds 31b, which extend in the axial direction of the rod of the sheet material 30 and are arranged side by side in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod, extending along the axial direction of the rod. In other words, the sheet material 30 has the valley folds 31a and mountain folds 31b spaced apart in the width direction and arranged parallel to the axial direction of the rod.

The distance between the valley fold 31a and mountain fold 31b that are closest to each other in the width direction is preferably shorter than the distance between the through cuts 32 that are closest to each other in the width direction. In this case, the through cuts 32 that are closest to each other in the width direction tend to intersect with the creases 31 (valley fold 31a, mountain fold 31b).

Furthermore, it is preferable that the distance between the valley fold portion 31a and the mountain fold portion 31b adjacent in the width direction is shorter than the length of the other pair of opposing sides S2 of the imaginary frame F (see FIG. 3). In this case, one through-slit portion 32 is present between the valley fold portion 31a and the mountain fold portion 31b. Therefore, at least some of the many tongue pieces 33 are arranged adjacent to or spaced apart in the direction along the axial direction of the rod, and are formed to straddle the crease (fold line) 31. Note that the distance between the valley fold portion 31a and the mountain fold portion 31b (the distance between adjacent creases 31 in the Y-axis direction) may be all the same, some may be the same, or all may be different. Therefore, at least some of the many tongue pieces 33 deviate from the surface of the sheet material 30 and rise up, opening the sheet material 30.

As a result, the sheet material 30 is folded so as to rotate around the fold lines 31a, 31b as pivots, but the tongue piece 33 where the fold lines 31a, 31b are located is not bent as much as the sheet material 30 due to the stiffness of the tongue piece 33, and a portion of the tongue piece 33 does not follow the shape of the sheet material 30. Therefore, an opening in the shape of part or all of the tongue piece 33 is formed in the sheet material 30.

As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, an addition section 68 is disposed downstream of the cut section 66. In this embodiment, the addition section 68 has a liquid addition section 68a and a granule addition section 68b. The addition section 68 may add an additive to the filter material 22 when the filter material 22 of the sheet material 30 is creped, for example, to form it into a cylindrical rod. The additive may be a liquid, granules (solid), or both. Note that in this embodiment, the addition section 68 is not used. For this reason, the sheet material 30 passes directly through the liquid addition section 68a and granule addition section 68b of the addition section 68.

The rod forming section 56 is disposed downstream of the addition section 68. That is, the rod forming section 56 is disposed downstream of the cut section 66 and the crepe section 64. The rod forming section 56 forms the sheet material 30 into a rod having a substantially circular cross section, i.e., a substantially cylindrical appearance, in which the through cut sections 32 and the holeless regions 34 are alternately arranged along the axial direction. The rod forming section 56 has a roll paper supply mechanism 72, a focusing guide 74, a wrap glue gun 76, and tongs 78.

The roll paper supply mechanism 72 supplies the sheet-like member 24a, which is supplied from a bobbin 72a around which the sheet-like member 24a is wound, to the focusing guide 74 together with the sheet material 30. The sheet-like member 24a becomes the wrapper 24 around which the filter material 22 is wound when the filter segment 20 is formed.

The focusing guide 74 is formed so that the diameter of the passage narrows from the upstream to the downstream side. The focusing guide 74 brings the sheet material 30 closer to a cylindrical rod as it passes through the focusing guide 74. The focusing guide 74 narrows the width through which the sheet material 30 passes from the upstream to the downstream side, while deforming the flat sheet material 30 into, for example, a roughly bellows shape according to the vertical wrinkles (habits due to the streaks 31 (valley folds 31a and mountain folds 31b)) formed in the crepe section 64. As a result, due to the stiffness of the sheet material 30 itself, as shown in FIG. 4A, some of the inner tongue pieces 33 of the many through cuts 32 rise up deviating from the surface of the holeless area 34 of the sheet material 30. When some of the inner tongue pieces 33 of the many through cuts 32 rise up deviating from the surface of the holeless area 34 of the sheet material 30, the deviated portion becomes an opening. The shape of this opening may be the same as the shape of the tongue 33 itself, or may be a part of the shape of the tongue 33. In either case, the sheet material 30 is in a state that is almost the same as when a part of the tongue 33 is deflected to form an opening that is the same size as or smaller than the tongue 33. With the tongue 33 in this state, the sheet material 30 is deformed into an approximately bellows shape.

Then, the sheet material 30 is squeezed in a regular or random manner, bringing the shape of the sheet material 30 closer to that of a cylindrical rod. Even when the sheet material 30 is squeezed into a cylindrical shape by the focusing guide 74 as it moves from the upstream side to the downstream side, the stiffness of the sheet material 30 itself causes some of the inner tongue pieces 33 of the numerous through-slits 32 to rise up, deviating from the surface of the holeless region 34 of the sheet material 30, as shown in FIG. 4A.

As the focusing guide 74 moves from upstream to downstream, it wraps the sheet-like member 24a around the outer periphery of the sheet material 30, which has been brought closer to the rod. In other words, the focusing guide 74 brings the squeezed sheet material 30 (filter material 22) closer to a cylindrical rod shape while surrounding the outer periphery with the sheet-like member 24a that becomes the wrapper 24.

Then, glue is applied from a wrap glue gun 76 to the widthwise end surface of the sheet-like member 24a that has passed through the focusing guide 74.

Tongs 78 are provided downstream of the wrap glue gun 76. The tongs 78 bond the end faces of the sheet-like member 24a that will become the wrapper 24 with glue. Therefore, the tongs 78 maintain the shape of the filter assembly 18 that can be formed into the filter segment 20. That is, as shown in FIG. 4B, the rod forming section 56 of the manufacturing apparatus 50 can wind up the sheet material 30 with the sheet-like member 24a that will become the wrapper 24 as a filter assembly (rod assembly).

Then, the cutting unit 58 sequentially cuts the continuous rod wound up by the tongs 78 to a predetermined length. At this time, the cutting unit 58 cuts the rod into a state in which there is at least one each of a through-cut portion 32 and a holeless region 34. The manufacturing device 50 can manufacture a filter assembly 18 of a predetermined length. Note that in this embodiment, an example is described in which the cutting unit 58 manufactures a filter assembly 18 of a predetermined length, for example, four or six times the length of the filter segment 20, but the filter segment 20 may be manufactured directly from the continuous rod-shaped member wound up by the tongs 78 without manufacturing the filter assembly 18.

The cutting portion 58 cuts the rod perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod. FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the cut end (virtual line) CE when the rod is unfolded as the sheet material 30. As shown in FIG. 9A, the rod may be cut at the cut end CE that intersects with the through cut portion 32. Even if the rod is cut at the cut end CE that intersects with the through cut portion 32, the tongue piece 33 does not form a closed ring-shaped figure. In other words, when a virtual line (cut end CE) is drawn that is perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod at the through cut portion 32, the through cut portion 32 does not form a closed figure by the virtual line and the through cut portion 32. In other words, when the tongue piece 33 is cut perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod, the state in which it is connected to the sheet material 30 by the connecting portion 33a is maintained. As a result, one or both of the tongue pieces 33 that are cut at the cut end CE, i.e., at least one of the sheet materials 30, remain connected and are prevented from falling off. Therefore, when using the sheet material 30 according to this embodiment, when it is cut at the cutting section 58 to form a rod of a predetermined length, some of the cutting chips are prevented from falling off the sheet material 30 and becoming garbage, etc.

In contrast, in Figure 9B, the connecting portion 33a of the through cut portion 32, which is formed in a direction rotated 90° from the direction shown in Figure 9A relative to the sheet material 30, is parallel to the Y axis. In this case, if the rod is cut at the cut end CE that intersects with the single-stroke through cut portion 32, the portion of the tongue piece 33 shown with diagonal lines will form a closed ring-shaped figure. As a result, the portion shown with diagonal lines will fall off the sheet material 30. For this reason, it is more preferable that the through cut portion 32 is formed in the direction shown in Figures 2, 3, and 9A relative to the sheet material 30.

On the other hand, when using a through-cut portion 32 formed in the sheet material 30 in the orientation shown in FIG. 9B, for example, when cutting the rod at the cut end CE, it is possible to reliably form more openings on the end surface of the rod.

As shown in FIG. 5, an optical inspection device 60 for the rod of the filter assembly 18 is provided downstream of the cutting section 58.

As shown in Figures 5 and 10, the optical inspection device 60 has a light-emitting unit 60a, a light-receiving unit 60b that receives light irradiated from the light-emitting unit 60a and passing through the filter assembly (rod) 18, and a control unit 60c that controls the light-emitting unit 60a and the light-receiving unit 60b.

The light-emitting unit 60a is a light source such as an LED light source. The light-receiving unit 60b is a detector that detects light, such as an imaging element of a camera or a photodiode.

The control unit 60c is a computer, and physically includes memories such as RAM and ROM, a processor (arithmetic circuit) such as a CPU, a communications interface, and an information storage unit such as a hard disk. Examples of the control unit 60c include a personal computer, a cloud server, and a tablet terminal. The control unit 60c functions by executing a program stored in the memory with the processor.

When a camera is used as the light receiving unit 60b, the control unit 60c outputs, for example, a pixel value (light intensity) for each pixel based on the light information (light receiving information) received by the light receiving unit 60b. As shown in FIG. 11, in the filter assembly 18, the state of the sheet material 30 differs along the longitudinal direction between the through cut portion 32 where a through cut is made in the sheet material 30 and the holeless region 34 where no through cut is made due to bending of the through cut portion 32, etc., so that a difference occurs in the transmitted light intensity or scattered light intensity. That is, each filter assembly 18 has a first light transmitting portion 18a and a second light transmitting portion 18b having a lower light transmittance than the first light transmitting portion 18a repeated. The first light transmitting portion 18a corresponds to the through cut portion 32, and the second light transmitting portion 18b corresponds to the holeless region 34. Therefore, the control unit 60c can recognize the boundaries between the through cuts 32 and the holeless regions 34 of the filter material 22 in the filter assembly 18 based on the intensity of light (light reception information) received by the light receiving unit 60b through the filter assembly 18 from the light emitting unit 60a. The filter assembly 18 can be inspected by the optical inspection device 60 that inspects such transmitted light intensity. Therefore, the control unit 60c can output the position and length of the first light transmitting portion 18a (through cuts 32) between one end and the other end of the filter assembly 18, and the position and length of the second light transmitting portion 18b (holeless region 34). The control unit 60c outputs whether or not the plurality of through cuts 32 and the plurality of holeless regions 34 are set to the desired lengths that have been previously set. If the control unit 60c detects the plurality of through-slits 32 and the plurality of holeless regions 34 as being the desired length set in advance, for example, the control device of the manufacturing device 50 controls (feedback control) each device of the manufacturing device 50 (supply unit 52, processing unit 54, rod forming unit 56, rod cutting unit 58, etc.) to maintain the control state. On the other hand, if the control unit 60c detects the plurality of through-slits 32 and the plurality of holeless regions 34 as being out of the desired length set in advance, the control device of the manufacturing device 50 controls (feedback control) the control state of each device of the manufacturing device 50 so that the plurality of through-slits 32 and the plurality of holeless regions 34 are the desired length set in advance. For this reason, the control unit 60c controls the supply of the sheet material 30 by the supply unit 52 of the sheet material 30 and the through-slit of the sheet material 30 by the incision unit 66 based on the signal sent from the light receiving unit 60b to the control unit 60c.

The light emitted from the light-emitting unit 60a and received by the light-receiving unit 60b through the sheet-like member 24a, the rod-shaped filter material 22, and the sheet-like member 24a of the through-slit portion 32 wrapped in a rod shape with the sheet-like member 24a that forms the wrapper 24 has a higher light transmittance in the first light-transmitting portion 18a (through-slit portion 32) than in the second light-transmitting portion 18b (holeless region 34). By comparing the light transmittance of the first light-transmitting portion 18a and the second light-transmitting portion 18b at multiple locations, the control unit 60c can perform quality control of the cylindrically formed filter material 22 (sheet material 30) as well as the positions and lengths of the multiple through-slit portions 32 and multiple holeless regions 34 of the filter assembly 18. If the variation in light transmittance in the first light transmitting portions 18a (through cuts 32) is kept within a predetermined threshold range, the control unit 60c outputs that the substantially cylindrical filter material 22 of the filter assembly 18 is held in the sheet-like member 24a that will become the wrapper 24 with substantially constant quality. Similarly, if the variation in light transmittance in the second light transmitting portions 18b (holeless regions 34) is kept within a predetermined threshold range, the control unit 60c outputs that the filter material 22 of the filter assembly 18 is held in the sheet-like member 24a that will become the wrapper 24 with substantially constant quality. On the other hand, if the variation in light transmittance in the first light transmitting portions 18a and/or the second light transmitting portions 18b exceeds the predetermined threshold range, the control unit 60c may cause variation in the filtering performance when the filter segment 20 is formed. For this reason, the control unit 60c outputs that the quality of the filter material 22 of the filter assembly 18 is poor and is held in the sheet-like member 24a that will become the wrapper 24.

In addition, the control unit 60c may compare the changes in light intensity between the multiple filter assemblies 18 based on information (light transmittance of the first light transmitting portion 18a and/or the second light transmitting portion 18b) received by the light receiving portion 60b from the light emitting portion 60a. At this time, the control unit 60c can compare the quality between the multiple filter assemblies 18.

The measurement based on the light emitted by the light-emitting unit 60a and the light received by the light-receiving unit 60b may be performed by, for example, periodically capturing images at appropriate time intervals using an image sensor in a camera and processing the images, or the change in light intensity may be measured continuously.

In this way, the control unit 60c can output whether or not the filter assembly 18 is formed in the desired state based on the signal sent from the light receiving unit 60b. In other words, the optical inspection device 60 can output whether or not the filter assembly 18 is formed in the desired state.

Based on such output from the control unit 60c, the quality can be stabilized by feedback controlling each device of the manufacturing apparatus 50 (the supply unit 52, the processing unit 54, the rod forming unit 56, the rod cutting unit 58, etc.). Therefore, the manufacturing apparatus 50 according to this embodiment can manufacture filter assemblies 18 of stable quality.

In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the optical inspection device 60 is disposed downstream of the rod cutting section 58, and the filter assembly 18 cut to a predetermined length, such as four or six times the length of the filter segment 20, is inspected. The optical inspection device 60 may also be disposed upstream of the rod cutting section 58. In this case, the above-mentioned optical inspection may be performed in a state in which the filter material 22 formed by the tongs 78 is wrapped in the sheet-like member 24a that becomes the wrapper 24.

Each filter assembly 18 is further cut when it is formed into a filter segment 20 for the flavor product 10. Therefore, the filter assembly 18 is cut before being connected to the flavor generating segment 12 via the tipping paper 16 to form the filter segment 20. For example, based on the inspection results performed by the optical inspection device 60, the optical inspection device 60 may mark the cutting position on the outer peripheral surface of the sheet-like member 24a of the filter assembly 18, which is the boundary between the through-cut portion 32 and the holeless region 34. In this case, the device that cuts the filter assembly 18 can easily grasp the cutting position of the filter assembly 18, i.e., the position at which the filter assembly 18 is cut to obtain multiple filter segments 20. Therefore, by using the inspection results by the optical inspection device 60, the work of detecting the position at which the filter assembly 18 is cut can be reduced in the device that cuts the filter assembly 18.

In this way, the filter segments 20 each having at least one through-slit portion 32 and a holeless region 34 are obtained by appropriately cutting the filter assembly 18. At this time, a plurality of regions having different performance can be formed in one member (sheet material 30), and a filter segment 20 for a flavored product 10 that can adjust, for example, the amount of filtration of a fluid is formed.

One end of the filter segment 20 is formed in a holeless region 34 as the mouth end 14b of the flavor product 10. The tip surface 14a of the filter segment 20 is abutted against the rear end surface 12b of the flavor generating segment 12 of the flavor product 10, and the region including the tip surface 14a of the filter segment 20 and the rear end surface 12b of the flavor generating segment 12 is wrapped with tipping paper 16 to produce the flavor product 10.

Accordingly, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a flavored product 10 and a filter segment 20 for the flavored product 10, which are capable of forming areas with different performance (the through-cut portion 32 and the holeless area 34) in a single member (the filter material 22) and adjust the amount of fluid filtration, etc.

In this embodiment, an example has been described in which a holeless sheet material 30 is wound to form a bobbin 52a, and the through cut portion 32 is formed by the manufacturing device 50. The bobbin 52a may also be formed by winding a sheet material 30 on which the through cut portion 32 and holeless region 34 have been formed in advance. The filter segment 20 can also be formed using such a sheet material 30 on which the through cut portion 32 and holeless region 34 have been formed in advance. In this case, the cut portion 66 in the manufacturing device 50 may not be necessary, or the upper and lower rollers 66a, 66b may be removed.

In this embodiment, an example of manufacturing a filter assembly 18 including a filter segment 20 using the manufacturing apparatus 50 has been described. The manufacturing apparatus 50 can also manufacture rod assemblies or rod segments for flavor product items 10 other than the filter segment 20. For example, when a tobacco sheet material is used as the sheet material 30, a tobacco rod having a through-slit portion 32 and a holeless region 34 is manufactured. In this case, a tobacco rod in which the sheet material 30 has a plurality of segments S can be manufactured. The tobacco sheet material is creped and folded in the same manner as the above-mentioned sheet material 30, and wrapped in cigarette paper instead of the wrapper 24 to form a rod of the flavor generating segment 12. When a tobacco sheet material creped and folded in the same manner as the above-mentioned sheet material 30 is used as the filling material for the rod of the flavor generating segment 12, an acetate tow filter, for example, may be used as the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20 instead of the processed sheet material 30.

Additionally, appropriate additives can be added to the tobacco sheet material as the sheet material 30, similar to the additives added to the filter material 22 by the addition section 68 (see Figure 5).

As will be described later in the third embodiment (see FIG. 30), it is also possible to manufacture the cooling segment 46 by using a cooling sheet material 30.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a manufacturing device 50 capable of manufacturing rods (rod assemblies 18 and rod segments 20 cut from the rod assembly 18) for flavor product 10 that can form areas with different performance using a single member (sheet material 30) and adjust the state of a fluid flowing, for example, from upstream to downstream, and a manufacturing method for rods (rod assemblies 18 and rod segments 20 cut from the rod assembly 18) for flavor product 10. At this time, the manufacturing device 50 can prevent chips from being generated from the sheet material 30 by appropriately setting the shape of the tongue piece 33.

In the above description, an example has been described in which the through cuts 32 are formed at equal intervals in the width direction. The through cuts 32 may be formed randomly in the width direction. The arrangement of the through cuts 32 should be such that, when the filter segment 20 is formed as a cylindrical rod segment, the openings created by the tongue pieces 33 are appropriately and uniformly arranged and are not excessively biased.

In this embodiment, the sheet material 30 is creped to form a number of streaks 31 as shown in Figs. 6A and 6B, and the sheet material 30 is folded along the number of streaks 31 by a folding process (see Figs. 4A and 4B). The sheet material 30 may be folded to form a spiral shape as shown in Figs. 12A or 12B, for example, without creping. That is, the sheet material 30 may be preferably formed into a spiral shape around an axis along the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the rod by a folding process. In this case, too, the tongue 33 formed by the through cut portion 32 protrudes from the surface of the holeless region 34 of the sheet material 30, and an opening is formed. When the sheet material 30 is formed into a spiral shape, it may be formed into an Archimedes spiral shape as shown in Fig. 12A, or may be formed into a Fermat spiral shape consisting of two spirals smoothly connected at the origin as shown in Fig. 12B. The spirally folded sheet material 30 (filter material 22) is then wrapped with a wrapper 24 to form a rod of filter segment 20.

As will be described later in the third embodiment (see FIG. 30), it is also possible to manufacture the cooling segment 46 by folding the cooling sheet material 30 into a spiral shape.

Various shapes are permissible for the shape of the through cut portion 32 shown in Figures 2 and 3. Although not shown, the through cut portion 32 may be formed in a state in which side S2 is longer than side S1 in the imaginary frame F shown in Figure 3, or the through cut portion 32 may be formed in a state in which side S2 is shorter than side S1. The through cut portion 32 may also be formed in a state in which side S1 and side S2 are the same length.

Below, Figs. 13 to 23 show examples of other shapes of the through cut portion 32. The shape of the through cut portion 32 can also be other shapes not shown, as long as the tongue piece 33 protrudes from the sheet material 30 by folding the sheet material 30 (see Figs. 4A, 4B, 12A, and 12B) and forms an opening in the sheet material 30.

Incidentally, FIG. 13 shows an example in which the through cuts of the unilateral through cut portion 32 intersect. In this case, the through cut portion 32 is formed in the sheet material 30 using, for example, the cut portion 66 shown in FIG. 7A to FIG. 8. At this time, the portion shown with diagonal lines in FIG. 13 falls off as chips. For this reason, it is preferable that the through cuts of the unilateral through cut portion 32 do not intersect. On the other hand, by having the through cuts of the unilateral through cut portion 32 intersect, the amount of chips can be more reliably reduced than when a ring-shaped cut is formed in the sheet material 30 in the shape of the tongue piece 33, and an opening can be more reliably formed in the sheet material 30.

As shown in FIG. 14, the through cut 32 may be substantially V-shaped in addition to the substantially U-shaped shape shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. In this case, it is preferable that the apex (corner) is not sharp, but is formed as a part of a circular arc. Here, the rectangular frame F has a length S1 along the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction) that is longer than the length S2 in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction). The rectangular frame F may have a length S1 along the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction) that is shorter than the length S2 in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction). In addition, the length S1 of the rectangular frame F along the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction) and the length S2 in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction) may be approximately the same.

As shown in FIG. 15, the through cut 32 may be substantially C-shaped. In this case, a connecting portion 33a is formed along the X-axis direction to connect the pair of end portions 32a, 32b. The length (width) of the connecting portion 33a along the X-axis direction is relatively small compared to the maximum width of the tongue 33 along the X-axis direction. For this reason, the tongue 33 is likely to deviate from the surface of the sheet material 30 during the folding process, making it easy for an opening to be formed.

The end points 32a, 32b here each have an appropriate length that inclines obliquely from side S1 to side S2 of the imaginary frame F. For example, when the rod is cut by the cut portion 58 in the through cut portion 32 along the X axis, when the region including the connecting portion 33a between the pair of end points 32a, 32b is cut, chips are prevented from being generated from the sheet material 30. For example, when the rod is cut by the cut portion 58 in the through cut portion 32 along the X axis, when the end points 32a of the pair of end points 32a, 32b are cut at the cut end CE, a closed figure can be formed between the cut along the X axis and the cut along the Y axis and the cut portion 58. In this case, chips are generated, but the area of the chips (amount of chips) can be greatly reduced compared to when the entire tongue piece 33 is made into an opening.

16, the through cut 32 may be arc-shaped. In this case, it is preferable that the pair of end points 32a, 32b of the arc are aligned in the width direction (Y-axis coordinates), but they do not have to be aligned. That is, the through cut 32 does not have to be symmetrical with respect to the Y-axis that intersects with an appropriate coordinate of the X-axis. Also, it does not have to be symmetrical with respect to the X-axis that intersects with an appropriate coordinate of the Y-axis. The through cut 32 forms a connecting portion 33a inclined with respect to the X-axis and Y-axis in the sheet material 30 so as to connect the pair of end points 32a, 32b. The tongue piece 33 of the sheet material 30 having such a through cut 32 can rise up by deviating from the surface of the sheet material 30 when the sheet material 30 is folded.

In the example shown in FIG. 17, the through cut portion 32 is formed in a generally L-shape, for example, by a through cut 321 along the X-axis and a through cut 322 along the Y-axis. The connecting portion 33a is formed to connect the distal ends 32a, 32b with respect to the intersection 32c of the through cut 321 along the X-axis and the through cut 322 along the Y-axis. The through cut portion 32 may be formed in this manner. The tongue piece 33 of the sheet material 30 having such a through cut portion 32 can deviate from the surface of the sheet material 30 and rise up when the sheet material 30 is folded.

When the rod is cut by the cutting portion 58, a closed shape is not formed. This prevents the generation of chips.

Among the through cuts 32 in FIG. 17, there is an intersection 32c where the cut 321 including the end point 32a and the cut 322 including the end point 32b intersect. If the intersection 32c is formed as a corner, it may be difficult to cut the intersection 32c from the sheet material 30 when the through cut 32 is formed by the cut 66. For this reason, it is preferable that the intersection 32c is not formed as a corner, but is formed as a smooth curved cut that connects the cut 321 including the end point 32a and the cut 322 including the end point 32b.

In the example shown in FIG. 18, the through cut portion 32 is formed in a substantially T-shape by, for example, a through cut 321 along the X-axis and a through cut 322 along the Y-axis. That is, the through cut portion 32 intersects with the through cut 321 along the X-axis near the center of the through cut 322 along the Y-axis. Therefore, the through cut portion 32 here is not formed in a single stroke. The connecting portion 33a is formed to connect the distal ends 32a, 32b1 and the ends 32a, 32b2 with respect to the intersection portion 32c of the through cut 321 along the X-axis and the through cut 322 along the Y-axis. The through cut portion 32 may be formed in this manner. The tongue piece 33 of the sheet material 30 having such a through cut portion 32 can deviate from the surface of the sheet material 30 and rise up when the sheet material 30 is folded.

When the rod is cut by the cutting portion 58, a closed shape is not formed. This prevents the generation of chips.

The rectangular frame F has a length S1 along the rod's axial direction (X-axis direction) that is shorter than its length S2 in the direction perpendicular to the rod's axial direction (X-axis direction). The rectangular frame F may have a length S1 along the rod's axial direction (X-axis direction) that is longer than its length S2 in the direction perpendicular to the rod's axial direction (X-axis direction). In addition, the length S1 of the rectangular frame F along the rod's axial direction (X-axis direction) and the length S2 in the direction perpendicular to the rod's axial direction (X-axis direction) (Y-axis direction) may be approximately the same.

19, the through cut 32 has another through cut 323 along the X-axis in addition to the through cut 32 shown in FIG. 18. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 19, the through cut 32 is formed in a roughly F-shape. The through cut 32 may be formed in this manner. The tongue 33 of the sheet material 30 having such a through cut 32 may rise up deviating from the surface of the sheet material 30 when the sheet material 30 is folded. When the rod is cut by the cutting portion 58, a closed figure may be formed. In this case, chips are generated from the sheet material 30, but the area of the chips (amount of chips) can be greatly reduced compared to when the entire tongue 33 is made into an opening.

Also, as shown in Figures 20, 21, and 22, a further through cut 36 may be formed on the inside of the outer edge of the tongue piece 33 formed by the one-stroke through cut 32.

In the example shown in FIG. 20, another through cut 36 is formed in the approximately U-shaped tongue 33 of the through cut 32 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Here, the another through cut 36 has a through cut 361, for example, linear along the Y axis, and a plurality of (for example, a pair of) through cuts 362, for example, linear along the Y axis direction and spaced apart from the through cut 361 in the X axis direction. The through cut 361 is provided between the pair of through cuts 362. The through cut 361 is also formed so as to intersect with the connecting portion 33a. For this reason, a part of the another through cut 36 may be outside the tongue 33 of the through cut 32. In this way, another through cut 36 may be formed in the through cut 32. The tongue 33 of the sheet material 30 having such a through cut 32 may deviate from the surface of the sheet material 30 and rise up due to the folding process of the sheet material 30.

For example, the length of the connecting portion 33a along the X-axis direction formed by the through cut portion 32 and the through cut 362, and the connecting portion 33a inclined in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction formed by the through cut portion 32 and the through cuts 361, 362 are each formed shorter than the connecting portion 33a of the through cut portion 32 shown in Figures 2 and 3. Therefore, when the sheet material 30 is folded, a part of the tongue piece 33 can be easily deflected from the surface of the sheet material 30, making it easy to form an opening.

Even if the rod is cut by the cutting portion 58 within the through cut portion 32, the cut piece of the tongue piece 33 remains connected to one of the rods by the connecting portion 33a. Therefore, even if the tongue piece 33 has through cuts 361, 362 of another through cut portion 36, the cut piece of the tongue piece 33 remains connected to one of the rods. This prevents some of the cutting chips from falling off from the sheet material 30 and becoming waste when it is cut by the cutting portion 58.

For example, when forming the through cuts 32 and 36 shown in FIG. 20, they are formed simultaneously using a cutting blade 66d that is parallel to a part of the cutting blade 66d shown in FIG. 7C. This is also the case when forming the through cuts 32 and 36 shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 22, which will be described later.

In the example shown in FIG. 21, another through cut portion 36 is formed in a substantially U-shaped tongue piece 33. Here, the another through cut portion 36 is formed in a state where through cuts 363 that are smaller in scale than the through cut portion 32 are arranged side by side. Here, the through cuts 363 of the another through cut portion 36 are formed in a total of 16 pieces, 4 x 4. Note that each through cut 363 of the another through cut portion 36 is formed, for example, parallel to the through cut of the through cut portion 32. In this way, another through cut portion 36 may be formed in the through cut portion 32. The tongue piece 33 of the sheet material 30 having such a through cut portion 32 may rise up deviating from the surface of the sheet material 30 by the folding process of the sheet material 30. Also, the tongue piece 37 of the another through cut portion 36 may rise up deviating from the surface of the sheet material 30 by the folding process of the sheet material 30.

Even if the rod is cut by the cutting portion 58 within the through-slit 32, the cut pieces formed by the connecting portion 33a of the through-slit 32 and the connecting portions of each through-slit 363 of another through-slit 36 remain connected to one of the rods.

In the example shown in FIG. 22, another through cut 36 is formed in a substantially U-shaped tongue 33. Here, the other through cut 36 is formed by intersecting multiple parallel lines along the X-axis and one parallel line along the Y-axis. In this way, another through cut 36 may be formed in the through cut 32. The tongue 33 of the sheet material 30 having such a through cut 32 can deviate from the surface of the sheet material 30 and rise up when the sheet material 30 is folded.

For example, when a rod is cut by the cutting portion 58 within the through cut portion 32 along the X-axis, the cut piece remains connected to one of the rods by the connecting portion 33a of the through cut portion 32. Meanwhile, another through cut portion 32 may form a closed shape between the cut portion and the cut portion along the X-axis and the cut portion along the Y-axis. In this case, chips are generated, but the area of the chips (amount of chips) can be greatly reduced compared to when the entire tongue piece 33 is made into an opening.

In the example shown in FIG. 23, the sheet material 30 is formed with a through cut portion 32 having a pair of through cuts that are inclined and cross with respect to the X-axis and Y-axis. Therefore, for example, the through cut portion 32 may be approximately U-shaped, approximately V-shaped, or, for example, approximately "X" shaped. The longest part of the one-stroke portion of the through cut portion 32 of the sheet material 30 is formed to have the same length as the length of one diagonal line of the imaginary frame F. Therefore, the length of the one-stroke portion of the various through cut portions 32 is formed to be the same as or longer than the length of one diagonal line of the imaginary frame F.

The through cut 32 has a pair of connecting portions 33a along the X-axis and a pair of connecting portions 33b along the Y-axis. When the sheet material 30 is folded using the creases 31 (see FIG. 4A), a part of the tongue 33 opens relative to the sheet material 30, with the pair of connecting portions 33a along the X-axis as the pivot axis. In this way, the through cut 32 may be formed in a roughly "X" shape. The tongue 33 of the sheet material 30 having such a through cut 32 can deviate from the surface of the sheet material 30 and rise up when the sheet material 30 is folded.

For example, if the through cut 32 is roughly "X" shaped, when defining an imaginary cut end CE parallel to the Y axis of the through cut 32, when the cut end CE is defined between the intersection with the connecting portion 33a, a closed figure is formed between the cut end CE and the through cut 32. In this case, chips are generated, but the area of the chips (amount of chips) can be greatly reduced compared to when the entire tongue piece 33 is made into an opening.

When the through cut portion 32 shown in FIG. 23 is approximately "X" shaped, it can be considered that one approximately V-shaped through cut portion is integrally formed with another approximately V-shaped through cut portion symmetrical to the X-axis or symmetrical to the Y-axis. Therefore, multiple through cut portions 32 may be formed in a connected manner.

The sheet material 30 may have through-slits 32 of the same shape and size, as shown in FIG. 2, or may have through-slits 32 of different shapes, as shown in FIG. 24. In the example shown in FIG. 24, the size of the imaginary frame F circumscribing the through-slits 32 may be the same or different.

The direction in which the tongue 33 formed by the numerous through cuts 32 formed in the sheet material 30 can rotate by the connecting portion 33a may be the +Y axis direction with respect to the position of the connecting portion 33a, as in the example shown in FIG. 2, and aligned with the ±Z axis direction. Alternatively, the direction in which the tongue 33 formed by the numerous through cuts 32 formed in the sheet material 30 can rotate by the connecting portion 33a may be the +Y axis direction with respect to the position of the connecting portion 33a, as in the example shown in FIG. 24, or may be the -Y axis direction. In both the example shown in FIG. 2 and the example shown in FIG. 24, the direction in which the tongue 33 can rotate by the connecting portion 33a is the ±Z axis direction with the connecting portion 33a as the pivot axis.

The following can be said about this embodiment described above.

Therefore, the rod for the flavored product 10 according to this embodiment has a sheet material 30 that is folded in a direction (Y-axis direction) intersecting the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the rod to form a rod shape, and a number of flaps 33 that are each formed by a non-annular through-slit portion 32 provided on the sheet material 30.

In other words, the rod for the flavored product 10 according to this embodiment has a sheet material 30 that is folded in a direction (Y-axis direction) intersecting the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the rod to form a rod shape, and a number of tongue pieces (flaps) 33, at least a portion of which deviates from the surface of the sheet material 30 due to through-cut portions 32 that leave portions integral with the sheet material 30 when the sheet material 30 has been folded.

As a result, at least a portion of the numerous flaps 33 deviates from the surface of the sheet material 30, forming an opening. This provides a rod for flavored products that can adjust the amount of fluid filtered, etc.

When the sheet material 30 has been folded, it is preferable that at least a portion of each of the tongue pieces 33 protrude from the sheet material 30 in a direction that intersects with the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction).

Of the many tongue pieces 33, it is preferable that the tongue pieces 33 that are provided so as to protrude from the sheet material 30 in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction) are defined as closed figures by imaginary fold lines 31a, 31b. Therefore, the sheet material 30 is folded so as to rotate around the fold lines 31a, 31b as pivots, but due to the stiffness of the tongue pieces 33, they are not bent as much as the sheet material 30, and a portion of the tongue piece 33 does not follow the sheet material 30. Therefore, an opening in the shape of part or all of the tongue piece 33 is formed in the sheet material 30.

When defining an imaginary rectangle F that circumscribes the through cut portion 32 that includes a closed figure, it is preferable that one side S1 of the rectangle F is parallel to the fold lines 31a and 31b and is parallel or approximately parallel to the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the rod.

It is preferable that the length S1 of the rectangle F along the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction) is longer than the length S2 in the direction (Y-axis direction) perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction).

It is preferable that the length of rectangle F along the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction) is shorter than the length in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction) (Y-axis direction).

When defining a rectangle F of a virtual minimum area circumscribing the tongue piece 33, it is preferable that a pair of sides S1 of the rectangle F be defined parallel to the axial direction (X-axis direction), and that the connecting portion 33a of the tongue piece 33 to the sheet material 30 be formed along one of the pair of sides S1 of the rectangle F.

It is preferable that the through cut portion 32 has a portion that intersects an imaginary line segment along the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the rod at at least two points.

It is preferable that when an imaginary line CE perpendicular to the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the rod of the through cut portion 32 is drawn, the imaginary line CE and the through cut portion 32 do not form a closed figure.

It is preferable that at least a portion of the through cut portion 32 is formed in a single stroke.

It is preferable that at least one of the multiple tongue pieces 33 is provided with a second through-cut portion 36 that does not form a closed shape between itself and the through-cut portion 32.

The sheet material 30 extends in the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction), and the numerous ribs 31 arranged in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod (Y-axis direction) are bent by a folding process from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction), and it is preferable that at least some of the numerous tongue pieces 33 are arranged adjacent to or spaced apart in the direction along the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction) and are formed so as to straddle the ribs 31.

The sheet material 30 is preferably formed into a spiral shape around an axis that is aligned with the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the rod by a folding process.

The flavor generating product 10 preferably includes the rod described above. The rod is not limited to being used as the filter material 22 of the mouthpiece segment 14, but can also be used as the rod of the flavor generating segment 12. The rod can also be used as the tip plug 42 and cooling segment 46 described in the third embodiment below.

The method for manufacturing a rod for the flavor product 10 includes forming a number of non-annular through-slits 32 in the sheet material 30 that forms the rod, folding the sheet material 30 in a direction (Y-axis direction) that intersects with the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction) to form the sheet material 30 into a rod shape, and raising at least some of the through-slits 32 from the surface of the sheet material 32 so as to deviate from the surface of the sheet material 30 when the folding process is performed.

As a result, at least a portion of the numerous flaps 33 deviates from the surface of the sheet material 30 that has been folded and formed into a rod shape, forming an opening. This provides a method for manufacturing rods for flavored products that can adjust the amount of fluid filtered, etc., by using the opening.

It is preferable that forming a large number of non-annular through-cut portions 32 includes forming cuts so that the connecting portions 33a with the sheet material 30 remain as non-cut portions along the axial direction of the rod.

It is preferable that the formation of the through cut portion 32 includes forming the through cut portion 32 so that when a virtual line CE perpendicular to the axial direction (X-axis direction) of the rod is drawn, the virtual line CE and the through cut portion 32 do not form a closed figure. This makes it difficult for chips to be generated when the through cut portion 32 is formed.

It is preferable that forming the multiple through cuts 32 includes forming a single-stroke portion in which each of the multiple through cuts 32 does not intersect with each other.

It is preferable that forming the multiple through cuts 32 includes forming a single-stroke portion and another through cut 36 in the inner area defined by the single-stroke portion.

It is preferable that forming the separate through cut 36 includes forming the separate through cut 36 such that when a virtual line CE perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction) is drawn, the virtual line CE and the separate through cut 36 do not form a closed figure.

The manufacturing method of the rod preferably includes forming a number of ridges 31a, 31b on the sheet material 30 that extend in the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction) and are arranged side by side in a direction (Y-axis direction) that intersects the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction), and the folding process of the sheet material 30 preferably includes folding the sheet material 30 at the number of ridges 31a, 31b.

In the method of manufacturing the rod, it is preferable that the order of forming the multiple non-annular through cuts 32 in the sheet material 30 and the order of forming the multiple streaks 31a, 31b in the sheet material 30 are random.

It is preferable that forming a large number of through-cuts 32 includes intersecting a large number of streaks 31a, 31b with a large number of through-cuts 32.

The folding process preferably includes forming the sheet material 30 into a spiral shape around an axis along the axial direction of the rod (X-axis direction).

(First Modification)
Next, with reference to FIG. 25, an example in which, for example, one segment S of the sheet material 30 of the filter segment 20 has two different through-slit portions 32, 38 and a holeless region 34 will be described as a first modified example.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the first embodiment described above, an example was described in which holeless regions 34 are formed adjacent to the through-slits 32 on both the upstream and downstream sides of the sheet material 30 in the longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIG. 25, a second through-slit 38 having a tongue piece 39 different in shape or size from the first through-slit 32 may be formed along the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30, for example, upstream of the first through-slit 32. In other words, it is also preferable that one segment S of the sheet material 30 has the first through-slit 32, one holeless region 34, and the second through-slit 38.

Accordingly, according to this modified example, it is possible to provide a flavor product 10 and a filter segment 20 for the flavor product 10, in which regions with different performance (the through cuts 32, 38 and the holeless region 34) are formed in a single member (sheet material 30) and the amount of fluid filtered can be adjusted. In addition, according to this modified example, it is possible to provide a manufacturing device 50 capable of manufacturing the rod segment (rod) 20 for such a flavor product 10, and a manufacturing method for the rod segment (rod) 20 for the flavor product 10.

(Second Modification)
Next, a second modified example of the configuration of the filter segment 20 will be described with reference to FIG.

As explained in the first modified example above, the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20 shown in FIG. 26 has the second through cut portion 38, the first through cut portion 32, and the holeless region 34 arranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side (the suction end 14b side) of the filter segment 20 (see FIG. 26). Along the axial direction of the filter segment 20, the second through cut portion 38 and the first through cut portion 32 are adjacent to each other, and the first through cut portion 32 and the holeless region 34 are adjacent to each other.

In this modified example, a capsule (seamless capsule) 40 is embedded in the first through cut 32, which can be broken by the user's fingers or teeth at a time of their choice. For example, the area ratio when the tongue 39 of the second through cut 38 is an opening is 30%, and the area ratio when the tongue 33 of the first through cut 32 is an opening is 70%, and these regions 38, 32 are continuous along the longitudinal direction of the rod of the filter segment 20. Here, for example, when the tongue 33 of the first through cut 32 is the largest opening among the three regions 38, 32, 34, it is preferable that one capsule 40 is disposed in the first through cut 32.

The capsule 40 is formed, for example, by a dropping method. The diameter of the capsule 40 is preferably, for example, 3 mm to 6 mm. The capsule 40 can be embedded during the manufacture of the filter segment 20.

Capsule 40 has a structure in which a liquid content, which includes a fragrance as an example of the contents, is enclosed in a membrane. Capsule 40 is formed, for example, as an approximately spherical shape. The membrane-forming material includes, for example, starch and a gelling agent. Examples of gelling agents that can be used include gellan gum and gelatin. The membrane-forming material may further include a gelling aid. Examples of gelling aids that can be used include calcium chloride. The membrane-forming material may further include a plasticizer. Examples of plasticizers that can be used include glycerin and/or sorbitol. The membrane-forming material may further include a coloring agent. Capsule 40 may also include solid contents, such as granules, together with or instead of the liquid.

The flavoring contained in the liquid content of the capsule 40 may be, for example, menthol or vegetable essential oil. The solvent for the flavoring contained in the liquid content may be, for example, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT). The liquid content may further contain other additives such as colorants, emulsifiers, and thickeners.

When the manufacturing device 50 is used to embed the capsule 40 in the filter material 22, the capsule 40 is inserted into the through-slit 32 of the filter material 22 at a timing between the end of the focusing guide 74 shown in FIG. 5 and the position where the glue from the wrap glue gun 76 is applied to the sheet-like member 24a that becomes the wrapper 24. For example, the optical inspection device 60 may be used to check whether the capsule 40 is inserted into the desired position, i.e., the through-slit 32 of the filter material 22. If the capsule 40 is not inserted into the through-slit 32 of the filter material 22, the timing of inserting the capsule 40 into the through-slit 32 of the filter material 22 may be adjusted. Alternatively, the optical inspection device 60 may be used to adjust the timing of inserting the capsule 40 into the through-slit 32 of the filter material 22 by feedback control each time the filter assembly 18 is inspected.

Thus, the filter segment 20 of the flavored product item 10 may include a capsule 40.

Accordingly, according to this modified example, it is possible to provide a flavor product 10 and a rod segment (filter segment) 20 for the flavor product 10, in which regions with different performance (the through cuts 32, 38 and the holeless region 34) are formed in a single member (sheet material 30) and the amount of fluid filtration, etc. can be adjusted. Furthermore, according to this modified example, it is possible to provide a manufacturing device 50 capable of manufacturing such a rod segment (rod) 20 for the flavor product 10, and a manufacturing method for the rod segment (rod) 20 for the flavor product 10.

In this modified example, an example was described in which the filter material 22 has a through-slit portion 38, but in a structure in which the capsule 40 is embedded in the filter material 22, the through-slit portion 38 is not necessarily required.

(Third Modification)
26A and 26B, a third modified example of the configuration of the filter segment 20 will be described. This modified example is a further modified example of the second modified example.

As shown in FIG. 26A, the capsule 40 is not embedded in the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20, but is preferably disposed in a segment 26 made of a paper tube or acetate tow wrapped with a wrapper 28, separate from the filter segment 20 formed of the filter material 22. That is, the segment 26 includes, from the inside to the outside, the capsule 40, an intermediate member 26a such as a paper tube or acetate tow, and a wrapper 26b. In this case, it is preferable that the segment 26 is disposed on the flavor generating segment 12 side opposite the mouth end 14b. Therefore, for example, the tip surface of the segment 26 becomes the tip surface 14a of the mouthpiece segment 14, which abuts against the rear end surface 12b of the flavor generating segment 12. The rear end surface of the segment 26 abuts against the tip surface of the filter segment 20. The rear end surface of the filter segment 20 becomes the mouth end 14b of the mouthpiece segment 14.

The segment 26 and the filter segment 20 are further wrapped with a wrapper 28 to form the mouthpiece segment 14.

Then, with the rear end surface 12b of the flavor generating segment 12 and the tip surface 14a of the mouthpiece segment 14 butted against each other, the outer circumferences of the rear end surface 12b of the flavor generating segment 12 and the tip surface 14a of the mouthpiece segment 14 are wrapped with tipping paper 16. Thus, the flavor product 10 is formed.

Accordingly, according to this modified example, it is possible to provide a flavor product 10 and a rod segment (filter segment) 20 for the flavor product 10, in which regions with different performance (the through cut portion 32 and the holeless region 34) are formed in a single member (sheet material 30) and the amount of fluid filtration, etc. can be adjusted. Furthermore, according to this modified example, it is possible to provide a manufacturing device 50 capable of manufacturing such a rod segment (rod) 20 for the flavor product 10, and a manufacturing method for the rod segment (rod) 20 for the flavor product 10.

As shown in FIG. 26B, it is also preferable that the segment 26 including the capsule 40 is provided closer to the mouth end 14b than the filter segment 20. In this case, the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20 is not visible to the user. Therefore, the positional relationship between the through cut portion 32 and the holeless region 34 of the filter segment 20 may be such that either is on the flavor generating segment 12 side.

The filter segment 26 shown in Fig. 26B can be used as a measure to prevent the placement of "voids" on the mouth end 14b side. In this way, another segment 26 can be placed on the rear end side (mouth end 14b side) of the filter segment 20, and each segment 20, 26 can be wrapped in a wrapper (molded paper) 28 to form the mouthpiece segment 14 as a multi-segment filter.

Even in the example shown in FIG. 26B, the segments 20 form regions with different properties along the longitudinal direction, so it is common to wrap each segment with a specific property with a wrapper. In contrast, the segment 20 of this modified example can form regions with different properties along the longitudinal direction using only one wrapper 24. This makes it possible to reduce the number of wrapper turns compared to normal. Therefore, even when another segment 26 is connected to the filter segment 20, the wrapper 28 can prevent the outer periphery of the mouthpiece segment 14 from becoming thicker.

Accordingly, according to this modified example, another segment 26 can be placed upstream or downstream of a filter segment 20 manufactured using a sheet material 30 having a through-slit portion 32, thereby forming the mouthpiece segment 14 as a multi-segment filter.

Second Embodiment
Next, for example, the sheet material 30 of the filter segment 20 will be described with reference to Figures 27 to 29. This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment including various modifications, and the same members as those described in the first embodiment or members having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 27 shows the flavored product 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 28A and 28B, the sheet material 30 of the filter segment 20 of the flavored product 10 according to this embodiment is formed of the part indicated by the symbol P. That is, the sheet material 30 includes part P. As shown in FIG. 28A, part P of the sheet material 30 shown in FIG. 28B is repeatedly formed along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, respectively.

The sheet material 30 shown in FIG. 28A is preferably configured so that the number of through-cuts 32 per unit area is appropriately set, for example, to be approximately the same as, several times as many as, or a fraction of the number, as compared to the example described in the first embodiment.

And, one filter segment 20 includes one or more parts P along the X-axis direction. Therefore, the filter segment 20 has a through-slit portion 32, but unlike the flavored product 10 described in the first embodiment, it is difficult to separate the region having the through-slit portion 32 along the X-axis direction from the holeless region 34.

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram of the filter segment 20 as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow XXIX in FIG. 27. Some of the numerous tongue pieces 33 are maintained in a raised state, deflected from the surface of the sheet material 30, by the numerous through-slits 32. As a result, the tongue pieces 33 that have been deflected from the surface of the sheet material 30 and deflected from the surface of the sheet material 30 by the through-slits 32 become openings in the sheet material 30. Therefore, by using the sheet material 30 according to this embodiment in the filter segment 20, the amount of filtration of the fluid, etc. can be adjusted.

The sheet material 30 may be formed in the cut portion 66 (see FIG. 5) of the manufacturing device 50 described above to form a plurality of tongue pieces 33 as shown in FIG. 28A. Alternatively, the sheet material 30 with the through cut portion 32 as shown in FIG. 28A already formed may be wound around the bobbin 52a.

In this way, the position, size, shape, etc. of the through-slit portion 32 in the sheet material 30 are appropriately set according to the filter segment 20 for the flavored product 10 to be manufactured.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, by performing a folding process, some of the tongue pieces 33 of the numerous through cuts 32 are deflected from the surface of the sheet material 30 to form openings, and it is possible to provide a flavor product 10 and a rod segment (filter segment) 20 for the flavor product 10 that can adjust the amount of fluid filtered, etc. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a manufacturing device 50 capable of manufacturing such rod segments (rods) 20 for the flavor product 10, and a manufacturing method for rod segments (rods) 20 for the flavor product 10.

The shape of the through-slit portion 32, i.e., the shape of the tongue piece 33, is allowed to be any suitable shape, as described in the first embodiment.

Note that the sheet material 30 shown in FIG. 29 is an example of a single piece. For example, multiple sheet materials 30 may be folded and then formed into a single rod.

In this embodiment, an example of manufacturing a filter assembly 18 including a filter segment 20 using the manufacturing apparatus 50 has been described. The manufacturing apparatus 50 can also manufacture rod assemblies or rod segments for flavor product items 10 other than the filter segment 20. For example, when a tobacco sheet material is used as the sheet material 30, a part P, i.e., a tobacco rod having a through cut portion 32 is manufactured. The tobacco sheet material is appropriately folded in the same manner as the above-mentioned sheet material 30, and wrapped in cigarette paper instead of the wrapper 24 to form a rod of the flavor generating segment 12. When a tobacco sheet material that has been folded in the same manner as the above-mentioned sheet material 30 is used as the filling material for the rod of the flavor generating segment 12, an acetate tow filter, for example, may be used as the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20 instead of treating and using the sheet material 30. In particular, the generation of aerosols is promoted by using a tobacco rod having a through cut portion 32 as the rod of the flavor generating segment 12 of a non-combustion heating product.

Third Embodiment
The third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 30. In this embodiment, an example of a non-combustion heating type flavor product 10 will be mainly described. Here, an example in which the sheet material 30 described in the first embodiment including each modification is used to form a tip plug 42 as a rod segment will be described, but the sheet material 30 described in the second embodiment may also be used.

As shown in FIG. 30, the flavor generating segment 12 of this embodiment has a tip plug 42 and a flavor generating portion 44.

The flavor generating section 44 of this embodiment is formed in the same manner as the flavor generating segment 12 described in the first and second embodiments, for example.

The tip plug 42 is provided upstream of the flavor generating section 44. The tip plug 42 is used, for example, to prevent the tobacco material from falling off.

The tip plug 42 of this embodiment is formed in the same manner as the filter segment 20 described in the first and second embodiments. That is, the tip plug 42 has a cylindrical filter material 22 and a wrapper 24 that covers the outer periphery of the filter material 22. In the tip plug 42, the through cut portion 32 and the holeless region 34 are arranged adjacent to each other. The region including the tip surface 12a is formed by the through cut portion 32. The through cut range of the sheet material 30 that forms the filter material 22 in this embodiment may be larger or smaller than the area of the opening of the through cut portion 32 when used as the filter segment 20. Also, for example, a liquid additive or a granular additive may be present or absent.

The area including the tip surface 12a of the tip plug 42 is used in the same orientation as the sheet material 30 described in the first embodiment, and is formed by the through-slit portion 32. In this embodiment, the holeless area 34 and the flavor generating portion 44 are connected. The tip plug 42 may be formed using the sheet material 30 described in the second embodiment.

The mouthpiece segment 14 is provided on the rear end side of the flavor generating section 44. In this embodiment, the mouthpiece segment 14 has a cooling segment 46 and a filter segment 48.

The filter segment 48 according to this embodiment may be the filter segment 20 described in the first and second embodiments, or may be a filter segment formed by wrapping a rod of acetate tow or the like around its outer periphery with a wrapper 24.

When using the non-combustion heating type flavor product 10, it is preferable that the mouthpiece segment 14 has a cooling segment 46 between the rear end surface 12b of the flavor generating segment 12 and the leading end surface of the filter segment 20. In other words, it is preferable that the cooling segment 46 is located downstream of the flavor generating segment 12.

When the heated and vaporized aerosol base material or flavor source vapor is introduced into the cooling segment 46, it is cooled and condensed (aerosolized). It is preferable for the cooling segment 46 to cool the temperature without significantly removing the aerosol base material or flavor source vapor generated in the flavor generation segment 12. For example, during inhalation, the difference between the internal segment temperature at the inlet of the cooling segment 46 (near the rear end surface 12b of the flavor generation segment 12) and the internal segment temperature at the outlet of the cooling segment 46 (near the tip surface of the filter segment 20) may be 20°C or more.

One aspect of the cooling segment 46 is a hollow member in which an outside air inlet hole is formed in a paper tube processed into a cylindrical shape. In another aspect, it is also preferable to fill the inside of the paper tube processed into a cylindrical shape with a cooling sheet material. The cooling sheet material used in the cooling segment 46 is preferably a sheet material that can be manufactured in a similar manner to manufacturing the filter segment 20 from the sheet material 30 described in the first or second embodiment. When the cooling segment 46 is manufactured using the manufacturing device 50, the above-mentioned addition section 68 may not be necessary.

In this case, a low level of component filtration can be achieved while cooling is performed by the cooling sheet material by providing one or more air flow channels in the flow direction of the cooling segment 46. It is desirable that the airflow resistance of the cooling segment 46 when filled with this cooling sheet material is 0 _mmH2O /mm to 30 _mmH2O /mm.

The total surface area of the cooling sheet material may be 300 mm ² /mm or more and 1000 mm ² /mm or less. This surface area is the surface area per length (mm) of the cooling sheet material in the air passage direction. The total surface area of the cooling sheet material is preferably 400 mm ² /mm or more, more preferably 450 mm ² /mm or more, while it is preferably 600 mm ² /mm or less, more preferably 550 mm ² /mm or less.

It is desirable for the cooling segments 46 to have a suitable amount of surface area for contacting the aerosol. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the cooling sheet may be formed from a thin sheet of material that is wrinkled to form channels in the flow direction, and then pleated, gathered, and folded. The more folds or pleats within a given volume of the element, the greater the total surface area of the cooling sheet.

In one embodiment, the thickness of the cooling sheet material is 5 μm or more and 500 μm or less, for example, 10 μm or more and 250 μm or less.

The cooling sheet material is preferably made of a material having a specific surface area of 10 mm ² /mg or more and 100 mm ² /mg or less. In one embodiment, the specific surface area of the constituent material may be about 35 mm ² /mg.

The specific surface area can be determined taking into account the cooling sheet material having a known width and thickness. For example, the cooling sheet material can be polylactic acid with an average thickness of 50 μm and a variation of ±2 μm. If the cooling sheet material also has a known width, for example between 200 mm and 250 mm, the specific surface area and density can be calculated.

In addition, it is also desirable to use paper as the material for the cooling sheet material from the viewpoint of reducing the environmental load. For example, the paper as the cooling sheet material has a basis weight of 30 g/m ² to 100 g/m ² and a thickness of 20 μm to 100 μm. From the viewpoint of reducing the removal of flavor source components and aerosol base components in the cooling segment 46, it is desirable for the air permeability of the paper as the cooling sheet material to be low, and the air permeability is preferably 10 Coresta units or less. By applying a polymer porting such as polyvinyl alcohol or a coating of a polysaccharide such as pectin to the paper as the cooling sheet material, the cooling effect can be increased by utilizing the heat of dissolution accompanying the heat absorption or phase change of the coating.

Accordingly, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a flavor product 10 and a filter segment 20 for the flavor product 10, in which regions with different performance (the through cut portion 32 and the holeless region 34) are formed in a single member (sheet material 30) and the amount of fluid filtered can be adjusted. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a manufacturing device 50 capable of manufacturing such a rod segment (rod) 20 for the flavor product 10, and a manufacturing method for the rod segment (rod) 20 for the flavor product 10.

Using the manufacturing device 50 described in the first embodiment, the cooling sheet material is folded (including creping and spiral processing) to form a cylindrical rod, thereby forming the cooling segment (cooling rod segment) 46 of the mouthpiece segment 14.

The manufacturing device 50 described in the first embodiment can also roll up various sheet materials, such as the filter segment 20, the cooling segment 46 described in this embodiment, and the flavor generating segment (tobacco sheet material) 12, together with the sheet-like member 24a that becomes the wrapper 24, to form cylindrical rod segments.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified in various ways during implementation without departing from the gist of the invention. The embodiments may also be implemented in appropriate combination, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combinations selected from the multiple constituent elements disclosed. For example, if the problem can be solved and an effect can be obtained even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiments, the configuration from which these constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention.

[Additional Notes]
[1]
A rod for flavored product, comprising:
A sheet material formed into a rod shape by folding in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod;
a number of tongues each formed by a non-annular through cut provided in the sheet material.
[2]
A rod for flavored product, comprising:
A sheet material formed into a rod shape by folding in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod;
and a number of tongues, at least a portion of which deviates from the surface of the sheet material by through-slits that leave portions integral with the sheet material when the sheet material has been subjected to the folding process.
[3]
The rod described in Appendix [1] or Appendix [2], wherein, when the sheet material is in the folded state, at least a portion of the tongues are arranged to protrude relative to the sheet material in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod.
[4]
The rod described in appendix [3], wherein a tongue piece among the multiple tongue pieces that is arranged to protrude from the sheet material in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod has a closed figure defined by an imaginary fold line.
[5]
The rod described in appendix [4], wherein when a virtual rectangle circumscribing the through cut portion including the closed figure is defined, one side of the rectangle is parallel to the fold line and is parallel or approximately parallel to the axial direction of the rod.
[6]
The rod described in Appendix [5], wherein the rectangle has a length along the axial direction of the rod that is longer than a length of the rod in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.
[7]
The rod described in Appendix [5], wherein the rectangle has a length along the axial direction of the rod that is shorter than a length of the rod in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.
[8]
When a virtual rectangle having a minimum area circumscribing the tongue piece is defined, a pair of sides of the rectangle are defined parallel to the axial direction,
The rod according to any one of appendices [1] to [7], wherein the connecting portion of the tongue to the sheet material is formed along one of a pair of sides of the rectangle.
[9]
The rod described in any one of Appendix [1] to Appendix [8v], wherein the through cut portion has a portion that intersects with an imaginary line segment along the axial direction of the rod at at least two points.
[10]
The rod described in any one of appendices [1] to [9], wherein when a virtual line perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod at the through cut portion is drawn, the virtual line and the through cut portion do not form a closed figure.
[11]
The rod according to any one of claims [1] to [10], wherein at least a portion of the through cut portion is formed in a single stroke.
[12]
A rod as described in any one of appendices [1] to [11], wherein at least one of the multiple tongues has a second through-slit portion that does not form a closed figure between the second through-slit portion and the second through-slit portion.
[13]
the sheet material extends in an axial direction of the rod, and a number of ribs arranged in parallel in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod are bent by the folding process from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod,
A rod as described in any one of appendices [1] to [12], wherein at least a portion of the plurality of tongues are arranged adjacent to or spaced apart in a direction along the axial direction of the rod and are formed so as to straddle the streaks.
[14]
The rod according to any one of claims [1] to [12], wherein the sheet material is formed into a spiral shape around an axis along the axial direction of the rod by the folding process.
[15]
A flavored product comprising a rod for flavored products according to any one of claims [1] to [14].
[16]
1. A method for making a rod for a flavored product, comprising:
forming a number of non-annular through cuts in a sheet of material forming the rod;
folding the sheet material in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod to form the sheet material into a rod shape, and raising at least some of the numerous through-slit portions from the surface of the sheet material so as to deviate from the surface of the sheet material when the folding process is performed.
[17]
The manufacturing method described in appendix [16], wherein forming the through-slit portion includes forming a slit so as to leave a connection portion with the sheet material as a non-slit portion along the axial direction of the rod.
[18]
The manufacturing method described in Appendix [16] or Appendix [17], wherein forming the through cut portion includes forming the through cut portion such that when a virtual line perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod is drawn, the virtual line and the through cut portion do not form a closed figure.
[19]
The manufacturing method according to any one of appendices [16] to [18], wherein forming the multiple through-slits includes forming each of the multiple through-slits in a single stroke that does not intersect with each other.
[20]
The manufacturing method of claim [19], wherein forming the multiple through-slits includes forming the uni-stroke portion and another through-slit in an inner area defined by the uni-stroke portion.
[21]
The manufacturing method described in appendix [20], wherein forming the other through cut portion includes forming the other through cut portion such that when a virtual line perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod is drawn, the virtual line and the other through cut portion do not form a closed figure.
[22]
forming a number of stripes on the sheet material, the stripes extending in the axial direction of the rod and arranged side by side in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod;
The folding process of the sheet material includes folding the sheet material at the multiple creases.
The method according to any one of claims [16] to [21].
[23]
The manufacturing method described in appendix [22], wherein the forming of the multiple non-annular through-slits in the sheet material and the forming of the multiple streaks in the sheet material are performed in any order.
[24]
The method of claim 22 or 23, wherein forming the multiple through cuts includes crossing the multiple stripes with the multiple through cuts.
[25]
The manufacturing method according to any one of claims [16] to [21], wherein the folding process includes forming the sheet material into a spiral shape around an axis along the axial direction of the rod.

10...flavor product, 12...flavor generating segment, 12a...front end surface, 12b...rear end surface, 14...mouthpiece segment, 14a...front end surface, 14b...mouthpiece end (rear end surface), 16...tip paper, 18...filter assembly, 20...filter segment (rod segment), 22...filter material, 24...wrapper (wrap paper), 24a...sheet-like member, 30...sheet material, 31...streaks, 31a...valley fold portion, 31b...mountain fold portion, 32...through cut portion, 33... Tongue piece, 33a...connecting portion, 34...holeless region, 50...rod manufacturing apparatus, 52...supply portion, 52a...bobbin, 52b...dancer unit, 54...processing portion, 56...rod forming portion, 58...rod cutting portion, 64...creping portion, 64a, 64b...crepe rollers, 66...notching portion, 66c...flexible die, 66d, 66f...cutting blade, 68b...granule adding portion, 72...paper roll supply mechanism, 72a...bobbin, 74...focusing guide, 76...wrap gun, 78...tongs.

Claims (23)

A rod for flavored product, comprising:
A sheet material formed into a rod shape by folding in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod;
a number of tongues each formed by a non-annular through cut provided in the sheet material. A rod for flavored product, comprising:
A sheet material formed into a rod shape by folding in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod;
and a number of tongues, at least a portion of which deviates from the surface of the sheet material by through-slits that leave portions integral with the sheet material when the sheet material has been subjected to the folding process. The rod according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein when the sheet material is in the folded state, at least a portion of the tongue pieces are arranged to protrude from the sheet material in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod. The rod of claim 3, wherein a closed figure is defined by imaginary fold lines on the tongue pieces that are provided to protrude from the sheet material in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod. The rod according to claim 4, wherein when a virtual rectangle is defined that circumscribes the through cut portion and includes the closed figure, one side of the rectangle is parallel to the fold line and is parallel or approximately parallel to the axial direction of the rod. The rod of claim 5, wherein the length of the rectangle along the axial direction of the rod is longer than the length of the rectangle in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod. The rod of claim 5, wherein the length of the rectangle along the axial direction of the rod is shorter than the length of the rectangle in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod. When a virtual rectangle having a minimum area circumscribing the tongue piece is defined, a pair of sides of the rectangle are defined parallel to the axial direction,
8. The rod according to claim 1, wherein a connecting portion of said tongue piece to said sheet material is formed along one of a pair of sides of said rectangle. The rod according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the through cut portion has a portion that intersects an imaginary line segment along the axial direction of the rod at at least two points. The rod according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein when a virtual line perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod is drawn at the through cut, the virtual line and the through cut do not form a closed figure. The rod according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein at least a portion of the through cut is formed in a single stroke. The rod according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein at least one of the multiple tongues is provided with a second through-slit portion that does not form a closed shape between the through-slit portion and the second through-slit portion. the sheet material extends in an axial direction of the rod, and a number of ribs arranged in parallel in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod are bent by the folding process from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod,
A rod as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein at least a portion of the multiple tongues are arranged adjacent to or spaced apart in a direction along the axial direction of the rod and are formed so as to straddle the ribs. A flavored product comprising a flavored product rod according to any one of claims 1 to 13. 1. A method for making a rod for a flavored product, comprising:
forming a number of non-annular through cuts in a sheet of material forming the rod;
folding the sheet material in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod to form the sheet material into a rod shape, and raising at least some of the numerous through-slit portions from the surface of the sheet material so as to deviate from the surface of the sheet material when the folding process is performed. The manufacturing method according to claim 15, wherein forming the through cut portion includes forming a cut so that the connection portion with the sheet material remains as a non-cut portion along the axial direction of the rod. The manufacturing method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein forming the through cut includes forming the through cut such that when a virtual line perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod is drawn, the virtual line and the through cut do not form a closed figure. The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein forming the multiple through cuts includes forming a single-stroke portion in which each of the multiple through cuts does not intersect with each other. The manufacturing method according to claim 18, wherein forming the multiple through cuts includes forming the unicursal portion and another through cut in an inner area defined by the unicursal portion. The manufacturing method of claim 19, wherein forming the other through cut portion includes forming the other through cut portion such that when a virtual line perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod is drawn, the virtual line and the other through cut portion do not form a closed figure. forming a number of stripes on the sheet material, the stripes extending in the axial direction of the rod and arranged side by side in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rod;
The folding process of the sheet material includes folding the sheet material at the multiple creases.
The method according to any one of claims 15 to 20. The manufacturing method according to claim 21, wherein the order of forming the non-annular multiple through-cuts in the sheet material and the order of forming the multiple streaks in the sheet material are random. 23. The method of claim 21 or claim 22, wherein forming the multiple through cuts comprises intersecting the multiple striations with the multiple through cuts.