WO2025155074A1 - Smoking article comprising lyocell tow - Google Patents

Abstract

A smoking article is provided. The smoking article comprises: a tobacco rod; a front end plug which is disposed on one side of the tobacco rod and in which at least one channel is formed; a first segment disposed on the other side opposite to the one side of the tobacco rod; and a second segment disposed on the other side of the first segment, wherein the tobacco rod includes a medium substrate and a lyocell tow that includes a plurality of lyocell fibers.

Description

Smoking articles containing lyocell tow

The present invention relates to a smoking article which includes lyocell tow in a tobacco rod including a tobacco material (e.g., which may be included in a medium substrate), thereby improving the fixation rate of the tobacco material (e.g., which may be included in a medium substrate) and preventing the medium portion from being deformed by heat applied to heat the smoking article, thereby providing a user (consumer) with a more improved smoking experience.

Modern smoking alternative devices and related technologies adopt a structure that uses various media to effectively transfer tobacco ingredients. In general, the device heats the stick to a high temperature of about 150 to 300 degrees (℃), and this heat is transferred to the media, so that the tobacco ingredients such as nicotine are smoothly transferred as the temperature of the media increases.

In particular, ingredients such as glycerin play an important role in providing smokers with a sense of satisfaction from smoking by generating aerosol. However, when the heating temperature of the device is set below the boiling point of glycerin, aerosol does not occur smoothly, which has the disadvantage of deteriorating the smoking experience.

To solve such problems, conventional technologies have been developed that contain a moisturizing agent in the medium portion or use a plate-shaped leaf as the medium portion. Specifically, a method of cutting a plate-shaped leaf containing a moisturizing agent into length to form a medium portion or inserting a plate-shaped leaf manufactured in a sheet form has been used. Although this method has provided a certain level of performance improvement, the following problems still exist.

First, in the process of cutting the plate-shaped leaf and inserting it into the medium, there were cases where some of the cut plate-shaped leaf moved into the internal structures of the device, such as the paper tube or the factor tube, and caused contamination. This became a factor that contaminated the internal structure of the device or interfered with the adhesion of the tobacco stick.

Second, when using only a single sheet material, it was difficult to include additional ingredients such as activated carbon and nicotine liquid during the manufacturing process. Although these additional ingredients are useful for increasing the transfer efficiency of tobacco ingredients, their application was limited in the sheet-based medium structure.

To improve these problems, a method utilizing a folding-type paper base was proposed. The method of configuring the medium by including components such as activated carbon, nicotine salt, and granules in the folding paper base provided flexibility for including various components. However, this method also had some limitations. The folding structure did not structurally bind the components tightly, so the loss rate (dropout rate) of the components was high during the manufacturing process, and the smell (paper smell) and off-odor (external smell) generated from the paper base deteriorated the user's smoking experience.

In addition, in the prior art, there have been attempts to stably fix substances such as activated carbon, nicotine salt, and granules by applying a dual composite filter (e.g., an activated carbon acetyl filter (i.e., an activated carbon cellulose acetate filter) and an acetyl filter (i.e., a cellulose acetate filter)) or a single filter to the medium portion. The activated carbon acetyl filter is suitable for effectively fixing components structurally, but the cellulose acetate tow constituting it has a disadvantage of melting at high temperatures, making it difficult to use in a high-temperature environment.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a smoking article which includes lyocell tow in a tobacco rod including a tobacco material (e.g., which may be included in a medium substrate), thereby improving the settling rate of the tobacco material and preventing the tobacco rod from being deformed by heat applied to heat the smoking article, thereby providing a user with a more improved smoking experience.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

According to one aspect of the present application for solving the above problem, a smoking article comprises a tobacco rod, a shear plug disposed on one side of the tobacco rod and having at least one channel formed therein, a first segment disposed on the other side of the tobacco rod opposite the one side, and a second segment disposed on the other side of the first segment, wherein the tobacco rod comprises a lyocell tow comprising a plurality of lyocell fibers and a medium substrate. In some embodiments, the shear plug, the tobacco rod, the first segment and the second segment may be sequentially disposed along a longitudinal direction of the smoking article.

In some embodiments, the medium substrate may be filled in a dispersed form within the lyocell tow. This means that the lyocell tow may include the medium substrate in a dispersed form.

In some embodiments, the medium substrate can be positioned in the space between the plurality of lyocell fibers.

In some embodiments, the medium substrate comprises tobacco material, which may be in the form of at least one of tobacco particles, tobacco sheets, tobacco beads, tobacco granules, and tobacco powder.

In some embodiments, the medium substrate may comprise a plurality of tobacco granules in granular form comprising tobacco material.

In some embodiments, the first segment has a tube shape with a hollow portion formed therein, and the second segment may include at least one of cellulose acetate (hereinafter, abbreviated as “CA”) and lyocell.

In some embodiments, the first segment may include at least one of a cellulose acetate filter, a lyocell filter, and a tube filter.

In some embodiments, the tobacco rod may further include a wrapper surrounding at least one of the tobacco rod, the shear plug, the first segment, and the second segment.

In another aspect of the present application, a system comprising the smoking article described above and an aerosol generating device applying the same is provided.

According to the smoking article according to the present invention, by including lyocell tow in a tobacco rod including a tobacco material (which may be included in, for example, a medium substrate), the settling rate of the tobacco material is improved and the tobacco rod is prevented from being deformed by heat applied to heat the smoking article, thereby providing a user with a more improved smoking experience.

The effects according to the technical idea of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

Figures 1 to 3 are drawings illustrating examples of smoking articles inserted into an aerosol generating device.

FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating a smoking article according to one embodiment.

Figure 5 is a photograph of the filters of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 taken before and after heating to compare the heat resistance characteristics of the filters of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1.

FIG. 6 is a photograph of the tobacco load of Example 2 and the tobacco load of Comparative Example 2. FIG. 6(a) is a photograph of the tobacco load of Comparative Example 1 and Example 1 before the experiment (before smoking), and FIG. 6(b) is a photograph of the tobacco load of Comparative Example 1 and Example 1 after the experiment (after smoking).

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present disclosure and the methods for achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below together with the accompanying drawings. However, the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments but may be implemented in various different forms, and the following embodiments are provided only to make the technical idea of the present disclosure complete and to fully inform a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs of the scope of the present disclosure, and the technical idea of the present disclosure is defined only by the scope of the claims.

When adding reference signs to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are given the same signs as much as possible even if they are shown on different drawings. In addition, when describing the present disclosure, if it is determined that a specific description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description is omitted.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification can be used in the meaning that can be commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. In addition, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not to be ideally or excessively interpreted unless explicitly specifically defined. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing embodiments and is not intended to limit this disclosure. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated in the phrase.

Also, in describing components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by the terms. When it is described that a component is "connected," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but another component may also be "connected," "coupled," or "connected" between each component.

As used herein, the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising” do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations and/or elements.

First, let us clarify some terms used in this specification.

As used herein, a "smoking article" may mean any smokeable product or any product capable of providing a smoking experience, whether based on tobacco, a tobacco derivative, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco or a tobacco substitute. For example, smoking articles may include smokeable products such as cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos.

In this specification, “smoking material” may mean any type of material that can be used in a smoking article.

In this specification, the term “user” may be used interchangeably with “consumer.”

In this specification, “upstream” or “upstream direction” may mean a direction away from the smoker’s mouth, and “downstream” or “downstream direction” may mean a direction approaching the smoker’s mouth.

In this specification, "longitudinal direction" may mean a direction corresponding to the longitudinal axis of a smoking article. The "longitudinal axis" of a smoking article may mean an imaginary line extending along the main longitudinal direction of the smoking article. This axis typically runs from one end of the smoking article (e.g., the mouthpiece or filter end) to the opposite end (e.g., the combustion or heat source end).

As used herein, “lyocell filter” refers to a filter comprising or consisting of lyocell tow.

As used herein, “Lyocell tow” means a bundle comprising or consisting of a plurality of Lyocell fibers. In some embodiments, Lyocell tow may mean a bundle formed by cross-linking adjacent Lyocell fibers.

In this specification, “Lyocell fiber” may mean a fiber made from lyocell cellulose. In particular, the lyocell fiber may be a fiber made from cellulose derived from or mainly derived from wood pulp, particularly a semi-synthetic fiber.

In this specification, “leaflet” may mean reconstituted tobacco leaves.

As used herein, the terms “reconstituted tobacco leaf” and “reconstituted tobacco sheet” may mean a sheet made by combining tobacco by-products selected from the group consisting of stems, dust, particulates and combinations thereof with a binder. In some embodiments, the reconstituted tobacco leaf is homogenized tobacco leaf.

In this specification, the term “non-circular cross-section” is defined as a cross-section whose shape is not circular but includes a plurality of protrusions. For example, a cross-section having a shape in which a plurality of protrusions branch and/or extend from the center and/or the center of the cross-section may be referred to as a non-circular cross-section. Here, “protrusion” may mean a distinct and extended segment or arm extending outward from the central core or bonding point of the Lyocell fiber cross-section.

In some embodiments, the lyocell fibers may have a Y-shaped cross-section having three protrusions branching and/or extending from the center and/or the center of the cross-section, a cruciform cross-section having four protrusions, and/or a star-shaped cross-section having five or more protrusions, but are not limited thereto, or may have an O-shaped cross-section.

In some embodiments, the lyocell fibers may include three or more protrusions branching and/or extending from the center and/or the center of the cross-section, preferably including three protrusions.

In some embodiments, the lyocell fibers included in the lyocell tow may have a Y-shaped cross-section for use in cigarette filters.

In this specification, "wrapping" a smoking article by a wrapper may refer to the wrapper surrounding at least a portion of the peripheral surface of the longitudinal axis of the smoking article.

In this specification, a “tubular (tubular) type rod” as a filter rod may refer to a filter rod including a hollow space inside, whereas a filter rod not including a hollow space inside may be referred to as a “cylindrical (cylindrical) type rod.”

In this specification, a “recess-type rod” as a filter rod may refer to a filter rod including one or more pores.

*In this specification, a “recess filter” as a filter may refer to a filter including one or more pores.

In this specification, “hollow” may mean a channel extending along the longitudinal direction.

In the present specification, the cross-sectional shape of a channel formed inside a shear plug, which is "trilobal", "quadlobal" or "multilobal", may refer to a cross-section having a shape in which three, four or more protrusions branch and/or extend from the center of the channel cross-section, respectively. Here, "protrusion" may mean a distinct and extended segment or arm extending outward from the central core or junction point of the channel cross-section.

As used herein, “basis weight” refers to the mass per unit area of the paper and/or wrapper. The basis weight of the paper and/or wrapper can be determined by measuring the mass and area of the paper and/or wrapper and dividing the mass of the paper and/or wrapper by the area. The unit of basis weight can be gsm (grams per square meter), i.e. g/m ² .

In this specification, “hard paper” refers to paper having a basis weight greater than a certain value.

In some embodiments, “oil-resistant paper” may refer to paper having an oil-resistant treatment on the paper surface, and “oil-resistant hard paper” may refer to hard paper having an oil-resistant treatment on the paper surface.

In some embodiments, “normal paper” may refer to paper whose surface is not oil-resistant, and “normal hard paper” may refer to hard paper whose surface is not oil-resistant.

In this specification, the “single fiber” of lyocell tow or cellulose acetate tow means the fiber size of a single monofilament strand separated from a multifilament of lyocell fibers or cellulose acetate fibers constituting the lyocell tow or cellulose acetate tow.

In this specification, the “total fineness” of lyocell tow or cellulose acetate tow means the fineness of the multifilaments of lyocell fibers or cellulose acetate fibers constituting the lyocell tow or cellulose acetate tow.

A filter of a smoking article according to one aspect of the present invention can capture at least a portion of a smoke component generated when the smoking article is smoked. In some embodiments, the filter of the smoking article can capture particulate matter (Total Particulate Matter (TPM)) including at least a portion of at least one of nicotine (hereinafter, may be abbreviated as “Nic”) and tar contained in a smoke component generated when the smoking article is smoked.

In this specification, “roundness” means the degree of deviation from a geometric circle. For example, the roundness of a filter may be defined as (radius of small circle/radius of large circle) × 100% when two imaginary circles that touch at least one point on the outer circumference of the filter in the filter cross-section and have the smallest distance from each other among concentric circles with different radii are drawn.

In this specification, “drawing resistance” means the static pressure difference between two ends of a sample when an airflow passes through the sample. In this specification, “PDC” means a value of the drawing resistance measured when the tobacco rod is open, the perforation of the filter rod is blocked, and the inflow of outside air is blocked, and “PDO” means a value of the drawing resistance measured when the tobacco rod is open, the perforation of the filter rod is not blocked, and the inflow of outside air is allowed. For example, the drawing resistance can be measured using the method specified in ISO standard 6565:2015. According to ISO standard 6565:2015, the drawing resistance can mean the static pressure difference between two ends of a sample when it is passed through by an airflow under normal conditions (22±2℃, 60±5% relative humidity) with a volume flow rate of 17.5 mm/s at the discharge end.

In some embodiments, room temperature may mean 20 ° C. to 25 ° C.

In this specification, if no separate physical quantity is indicated, component % and component ratio mean weight % of component and weight ratio of component, respectively.

As used herein, “puff” means the act of inhaling or drawing air through a smoking article to produce and inhale smoke or vapor. “Puff count” may mean the total number of inhalations or draws during use of the smoking article. Alternatively, or in addition, the puff count may represent the maximum number of inhalations or draws that the smoking article can provide before being completely consumed or ceasing to function.

In this specification, the HC (Health Canada) conditions may be conditions in which the puff volume per puff is 55 ml, the puff frequency is every 30 seconds, and the puff duration is 2 seconds. In particular, the HC conditions may be a state in which the perforation portion of the filter is blocked. The number of puffs measured under the HC conditions may be a condition in which 9 puffs are taken.

In this specification, the “ventilation rate (hereinafter, “Vent”)” of a smoking article can be defined as the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of the total volumetric flow rate (e.g., ml/s) of air entering the smoking article without burning or heating through the front area, i.e., the longitudinal upstream end, of the smoking article to the total volumetric flow rate (e.g., ml/s) of air at the outlet, i.e., the longitudinal downstream end, of the smoking article. For example, the air dilution rate can be measured according to ISO 9512:2019. For example, the total volumetric flow rate of air entering the smoking article without burning or heating through the front area of the smoking article can be the total volumetric flow rate of air entering in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the smoking article. For example, the total volumetric flow rate of air entering the smoking article without burning or heating through the front area of the smoking article can be the total volumetric flow rate of air entering the smoking article through the wrapper.

The content of components in the total particulate matter (TPM) of the captured smoke can be analyzed by GC/MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). For example, in the case of tar or nicotine, the Cambridge filter (Cambridge filter pad (CFP)) containing the smoke components is immersed in IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 20 minutes to 16 hours), treated with a shaker device, and passed through a PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) syringe filter to remove impurities, and then the content of components included in the total particulate matter (TPM) of the captured smoke can be measured using GC/MS equipment. The immersion time can be 20 minutes or more, particularly in the case of tar or nicotine.

The amount of components (particularly the amount of nicotine components) remaining inside the filter (particularly, the lyocell filter and/or lyocell tow) and/or segments constituting the tobacco rod after smoking can be measured by immersing the tobacco rod, filter and/or segments in water after smoking to extract the residual components (particularly the nicotine components) and analyzing them with GC/MS equipment. At this time, the tobacco rod, filter and/or segments, etc. are immersed in a container containing distilled water overnight (for example, for 12 to 16 hours), and a solution containing the components extracted thereby can be utilized for GC/MS analysis. The immersion time can be particularly 16 hours.

The above GC/MS may be, for example, a measuring device from Agilent.

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

Figures 1 to 3 are drawings illustrating examples of smoking articles inserted into an aerosol generating device.

Referring to Fig. 1, the aerosol generating device (1) includes a battery (11), a control unit (12), and a heater (13). Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the aerosol generating device (1) further includes a vaporizer (14). In addition, a smoking article (3) can be inserted into the internal space of the aerosol generating device (1).

The aerosol generating device (1) illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrates components related to the present embodiment. Accordingly, a person having ordinary skill in the art related to the present embodiment will understand that, in addition to the components illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, other general-purpose components may be further included in the aerosol generating device (1).

Also, although FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate that the aerosol generating device (1) includes a heater (13), the heater (13) may be omitted if desired. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating device (1) does not include a heater. In some embodiments, the battery (11), the control unit (12), and the vaporizer (14) are arranged sequentially, i.e., in a row, along the length of the smoking article (3).

In FIG. 1, the battery (11), the control unit (12), and the heater (13) are illustrated as being arranged in a row. In some embodiments, the battery (11), the control unit (12), and the heater (13) are arranged sequentially along the longitudinal direction of the smoking article (3). In addition, FIG. 2 illustrates that the battery (11), the control unit (12), the vaporizer (14), and the heater (13) are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the smoking article (3). In some embodiments, the battery (11), the control unit (12), the vaporizer (14), and the heater (13) are arranged sequentially, i.e., in a row, along the longitudinal direction of the smoking article (3). In addition, FIG. 3 illustrates that the vaporizer (14) and the heater (13) are arranged in parallel. However, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device (1) is not limited to that illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3. In other words, depending on the design of the aerosol generating device (1), the arrangement of the battery (11), the control unit (12), the heater (13) and the vaporizer (14) may be changed. In some embodiments, the battery (11), the control unit (12) and the heater (13) are arranged sequentially along the longitudinal direction of the smoking article (3).

When a smoking article (3) is inserted into an aerosol generating device (1), the aerosol generating device (1) can generate an aerosol by operating a heater (13) and/or a vaporizer (14). The aerosol generated by the heater (13) and/or the vaporizer (14) passes through the smoking article (3) and is delivered to the user.

If necessary, the aerosol generating device (1) can heat the heater (13) even when the smoking article (3) is not inserted into the aerosol generating device (1).

The battery (11) supplies power used to operate the aerosol generating device (1). For example, the battery (11) can supply power so that the heater (13) or the vaporizer (14) can be heated, and can supply power required for the control unit (12) to operate. In addition, the battery (11) can supply power required for the display, sensor, motor, etc. installed in the aerosol generating device (1) to operate.

The control unit (12) controls the overall operation of the aerosol generating device (1). In particular, the control unit (12) controls the operation of the battery (11), the heater (13), and the vaporizer (14) as well as other components included in the aerosol generating device (1). In addition, the control unit (12) can check the status of each component of the aerosol generating device (1) to determine whether the aerosol generating device (1) is in an operable state.

The control unit (12) includes at least one processor. The processor may be implemented as an array of a plurality of logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory storing a program that can be executed by the microprocessor. In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art to which the present embodiment pertains that the processor may be implemented as other types of hardware.

The heater (13) can be heated by power supplied from the battery (11). For example, when the smoking article (3) is inserted into the aerosol generating device (1), the heater (13) can be located outside the smoking article (3). Accordingly, the heated heater (13) can increase the temperature of the aerosol generating material inside the smoking article (3).

The heater (13) may be an electrical resistance heater. For example, the heater (13) may include an electrically conductive track, and the heater (13) may be heated as current flows through the electrically conductive track. However, the heater (13) is not limited to the above-described example, and may be applied without limitation as long as it can be heated to a desired temperature. Here, the desired temperature may be preset in the aerosol generating device (1), or may be set to a desired temperature by the user.

Meanwhile, as another example, the heater (13) may be an induction heating heater. In particular, the heater (13) may include an electrically conductive coil for heating the smoking article (3) in an induction heating manner, and the smoking article (3) may include a susceptor that can be heated by the induction heating heater.

For example, the heater (13) may include a tubular heating element, a plate-shaped heating element, a needle-shaped heating element, and/or a rod-shaped heating element, and may heat the interior and/or exterior of the smoking article (3) depending on the shape of the heating element.

In addition, a plurality of heaters (13) may be arranged in the aerosol generating device (1). At this time, the plurality of heaters (13) may be arranged to be inserted into the interior of the smoking article (3) or may be arranged on the exterior of the smoking article (3). In addition, some of the plurality of heaters (13) may be arranged to be inserted into the interior of the smoking article (3), and the rest may be arranged on the exterior of the smoking article (3). In some embodiments, the heater (13) may heat the interior and the exterior of the smoking article (3). In addition, the shape of the heater (13) is not limited to the shape illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, and may be manufactured in various shapes. In some embodiments, the heater (13) may include an electrical resistance heater and an induction heating heater.

The vaporizer (14) can heat the liquid composition to generate an aerosol, and the generated aerosol can pass through the smoking article (3) and be delivered to the user. In other words, the aerosol generated by the vaporizer (14) can travel along the airflow passage of the aerosol generating device (1), and the airflow passage can be configured so that the aerosol generated by the vaporizer (14) can pass through the smoking article (3) and be delivered to the user. The vaporizer (14) can heat the liquid composition to generate an aerosol, and can emit the aerosol toward the smoking article so that the aerosol passes through the smoking article inserted into the smoking article insert.

For example, the vaporizer (14) may include, but is not limited to, a liquid reservoir, a liquid delivery means, and a heating element. For example, the liquid reservoir, the liquid delivery means, and the heating element may be included in the aerosol generating device (1) as independent modules.

The liquid reservoir can store a liquid composition. For example, the liquid composition can be a liquid containing a tobacco-containing material including a volatile tobacco flavoring component, or can be a liquid containing a non-tobacco material. The liquid reservoir can be constructed to be detachable from/attachable to the vaporizer (14), or can be constructed integrally with the vaporizer (14).

For example, the liquid composition can include water, a solvent, ethanol, a plant extract, a flavor, a flavoring agent, and/or a vitamin mixture. The flavoring agent can include, but is not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, and/or various fruit-flavored ingredients. The flavoring agent can include ingredients that can provide a variety of flavors or tastes to the user. The vitamin mixture can include, but is not limited to, a mixture of at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Additionally, the liquid composition can include an aerosol forming agent, such as glycerin and propylene glycol.

The liquid transfer means can transfer the liquid composition from the liquid storage to the heating element. For example, the liquid transfer means can be a wick such as, but not limited to, cotton fibers, ceramic fibers, glass fibers, or porous ceramics.

The heating element is an element for heating a liquid composition delivered by a liquid delivery means. For example, the heating element may be, but is not limited to, a metal heating wire, a metal heating plate, a ceramic heater, etc. In addition, the heating element may be composed of a conductive filament such as a nichrome wire, and may be arranged in a structure that is wound around the liquid delivery means. The heating element may be heated by supplying current, and may transfer heat to the liquid composition in contact with the heating element, thereby heating the liquid composition. As a result, an aerosol may be generated.

For example, the vaporizer (14) may be referred to as a cartomizer or an atomizer, but is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the aerosol generating device (1) may further include general-purpose components in addition to the battery (11), the control unit (12), the heater (13), and the vaporizer (14). For example, the aerosol generating device (1) may include a display capable of outputting visual information and/or a motor for outputting tactile information. In addition, the aerosol generating device (1) may include at least one sensor (a puff detection sensor, a temperature detection sensor, and/or a smoking article insertion detection sensor, etc.). In addition, the aerosol generating device (1) may be manufactured with a structure in which external air may be introduced or internal gas may be discharged even when the smoking article (3) is inserted.

Although not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the aerosol generating device (1) may also be configured as a system together with a separate cradle. For example, the cradle may be used to charge the battery (11) of the aerosol generating device (1). Alternatively, or in addition, the heater (13) may be heated while the cradle and the aerosol generating device (1) are combined.

The smoking article (3) may be similar to a typical combustion-type smoking article. For example, the smoking article (3) may be divided into a tobacco rod (31) including tobacco material and an aerosol generating material and a filter rod (32) including a filter or the like. Alternatively, the filter rod (32) of the smoking article (3) may also include an aerosol generating material. For example, an aerosol generating material made in the form of granules or capsules may be inserted into the tobacco rod (31) and optionally into a portion of the filter rod (32).

The entire tobacco rod (31) may be inserted into the aerosol generating device (1), and the filter rod (32) may be exposed to the outside. Alternatively, only a portion of the tobacco rod (31) may be inserted into the aerosol generating device (1), or the entire tobacco rod (31) and a portion of the filter rod (32) may be inserted. The user may inhale the aerosol while holding the filter rod (32) in his mouth. At this time, the aerosol is generated as the outside air passes through the tobacco rod (31), and the generated aerosol passes through the filter rod (32) and is delivered to the user's mouth.

In some embodiments, outside air may be introduced through at least one air passage formed in the aerosol generating device (1). For example, the opening and closing of the air passage formed in the aerosol generating device (1) and/or the size of the air passage may be controlled by the user. Accordingly, the amount of vapor, the smoking sensation, etc. may be controlled by the user. As another example, outside air may be introduced into the interior of the smoking article (3) through at least one hole formed in the surface of the smoking article (3).

Below, the structure of the smoking article is described with reference to Fig. 4.

Referring to FIG. 4, the smoking article (3) includes a tobacco rod (31), a filter rod (32), and a shear plug (33). The tobacco rod (31) includes a medium substrate (or tobacco material) and an aerosol generating material. The tobacco material may be tobacco.

In some embodiments, in a smoking article, a filter rod (32), a tobacco rod (31) and a shear plug (33) are arranged sequentially along the length of the smoking article (3).

The filter rod (32) may be adjacent to one side of the tobacco rod (31) or the rear end of the tobacco rod (31). The filter rod (32) may include a first segment (321) that cools the aerosol and a second segment (322) that filters a predetermined component contained within the aerosol. In some embodiments, the first segment (321) is positioned between the tobacco rod (31) and the second segment (322).

In this specification, in order to emphasize the function of the first and second segments (321, 322) as filters, the first segment (321) may be referred to as a cooling structure (321), and the second segment (322) may be referred to as a mouthpiece portion (322).

The shear plug (33) may be located on one side of the tobacco rod (31) facing the filter rod (32) or on the other side opposite to one side of the tobacco rod (31). The shear plug (33) may be adjacent to the front end of the tobacco rod (31). The shear plug (33) may prevent the tobacco rod (31) from escaping to the outside and may prevent liquefied aerosol from the tobacco rod (31) during smoking from flowing into the aerosol generating device (reference numeral '1' in FIGS. 1 to 3).

The smoking article (3) may be wrapped by at least one wrapper (35). The wrapper (35) may surround the smoking article (3). In some embodiments, the smoking article (3) may be wrapped by at least one wrapper (35) surrounding at least a portion of the smoking article (3). For example, the shear plug (33) may be wrapped by a first wrapper (351), the tobacco rod (31) may be wrapped by a second wrapper (352), the first segment (321) may be wrapped by a third wrapper (353), and the second segment (322) may be wrapped by a fourth wrapper (354). Optionally, the entire smoking article (3) may be rewrapped by a fifth wrapper (355). The fifth wrapper (355) may be referred to as an outer wrapper, and the first wrapper (351), the second wrapper (352), the third wrapper (353), and the fourth wrapper (354) surrounded by the fifth wrapper (355) may be referred to as inner wrappers.

The diameter of the smoking article (3) may be within a range of 5 mm to 9 mm, but is not limited thereto. For example, the length of the shear plug (33) may be within a range of about 4 mm to 20 mm (e.g., 7 mm), the length of the tobacco rod (31) may be within a range of about 13 mm to 17 mm (e.g., 15 mm), the length of the first segment (321) may be within a range of about 7 mm to 20 mm (e.g., 12 mm), and the length of the second segment (322) may be within a range of about 4 mm to 20 mm (e.g., 14 mm), but is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the tobacco rod (31) may include a lyocell tow comprising a plurality of lyocell fibers and a plurality of medium substrates filled inside the lyocell tow. In particular, the tobacco rod (31) may include a lyocell filter comprising or composed of lyocell tow, and a medium substrate inserted so as to be uniformly or randomly distributed along the interior of the lyocell filter in all or part of the lyocell filter.

In the present invention, the lyocell fiber included in the tobacco rod (31) may be an environmentally friendly fiber made of cellulose extracted from wood pulp. The lyocell tow may mean a bundle formed by cross-linking adjacent lyocell fibers.

In some embodiments, the lyocell fibers may have a non-circular cross-section. A non-circular cross-section is defined as a cross-section whose shape is not circular but includes a plurality of protrusions. For example, a cross-section having a shape in which a plurality of protrusions extend from a center may be referred to as a non-circular cross-section.

In some embodiments, the lyocell fibers may have a Y-shaped cross-section with three protrusions branching from the center, a cruciform cross-section with four protrusions, and/or a star-shaped cross-section with five or more protrusions, but are not limited thereto, or may have an O-shaped cross-section. The terms used herein have the same meanings as defined above.

When manufacturing the tobacco rod (31), the medium substrate can be filled so as to be inserted inside the lyocell tow. A plurality of lyocell fibers included in or constituting the lyocell tow can have spaces between the fibers, and the medium substrate can be settled in the spaces between the lyocell fibers. That is, the medium substrate can be filled in a dispersed form inside the lyocell tow. Accordingly, the medium substrate can be filled or settled inside the lyocell filter so as to not leak out to the outside in a form wrapped by the lyocell filter by being located in the spaces between the plurality of lyocell fibers included in or constituting the lyocell tow and settled inside the lyocell tow.

The tobacco rod (31) can be manufactured by, during the manufacturing process of the tobacco rod (31), injecting a medium substrate, for example, by free-falling, into or on the tow while the tow constituting the filter is spread out, and wrapping or rolling the tow into which the medium substrate has been injected to form a predetermined shape, such as a cylinder. Accordingly, the medium substrate can be inserted and filled so as to be randomly or uniformly distributed along the entire area or a portion of the lyocell tow. In other words, the medium substrate can be filled in a dispersed form inside the lyocell tow, positioned in the space between the lyocell fibers included in or constituting the lyocell tow.

According to the present invention, since the tow for filling the medium substrate in the tobacco rod (31) includes lyocell fibers having a plurality of lyocell fibers having spaces inside or is composed of lyocell tow, the fixation rate of the medium substrate is improved without a separate additive for adhesion compared to cellulose acetate plasticized by a plasticizer, so that the manufacturing process efficiency and the medium substrate retention property can be improved. In addition, since the tow for filling the medium substrate in the tobacco rod (31) is composed of lyocell tow including a plurality of lyocell fibers having spaces inside, in the case of paper, the phenomenon of the medium substrate being bounced off the paper surface when the medium substrate is inserted due to the grain of the paper is prevented, so that the manufacturing process efficiency can be improved.

In addition, since the tobacco rod (31) is composed of lyocell tow, the excellent heat resistance of the lyocell tow can effectively prevent the shape of the tobacco rod (31) from being deformed by heat transferred from a heater for heating the tobacco rod (31).

In some embodiments, the tobacco substrate may be a particular form of tobacco material. For example, the tobacco substrate may take the form of tobacco cut filler, tobacco particles, tobacco sheets, tobacco beads, tobacco granules, tobacco powder, and/or tobacco extract. In particular, the tobacco material may include, for example, one or more of tobacco leaves, tobacco veins, expanded tobacco, cut cut filler, sheet-shaped cut filler, and reconstituted tobacco.

The tobacco rod (31) may further include, for example, at least one of aerosol generating substances such as glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol, but is not limited thereto. In particular, the tobacco rod (31) may further contain other additives such as a flavoring agent, a humectant, and/or an organic acid. In particular, a flavoring agent such as menthol and/or a moisturizer may be added to the tobacco rod (31). In particular, the flavoring agent such as menthol and/or a moisturizer may be added by being sprayed onto the tobacco rod (31).

There is no limitation on the shape of the filter rod (32). For example, the filter rod (32) may be a cylindrical rod or a tube-shaped rod having a hollow portion therein. In addition, the filter rod (32) may be a recessed rod. If the filter rod (32) is composed of a plurality of segments, at least one of the plurality of segments may be manufactured in a different shape from the other segments.

Below, each segment of the filter load (32) is described in detail.

The first segment (321) of the filter rod (32) can cool the aerosol generated by the heater (13) heating the tobacco rod (31). Accordingly, the user can inhale the aerosol cooled to an appropriate temperature.

In some embodiments, the first segment (321) of the filter rod (32) may include one or more of a cellulose acetate filter, a tube, and a lyocell filter including a lyocell tow comprising a plurality of lyocell fibers. When the first segment (321) is a cellulose acetate filter and/or a lyocell filter, the first segment (321) may be a tube-shaped structure including a hollow portion therein. The hollow portion may extend along the longitudinal direction of the first segment (321). The hollow portion may be located at the center of a cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first segment (321) and may extend along the longitudinal direction of the first segment (321). The hollow portion (120H) and the first segment (321) may have a coaxial structure along the longitudinal direction. The length or diameter of the first segment (321) may be variously determined depending on the shape of the smoking article (3). For example, the length of the first segment (321) may be appropriately adopted within a range of 7 mm to 20 mm. Preferably, the length of the first segment (321) may be about 12 mm, but is not limited thereto.

When the tobacco rod (31) is inserted into the heater (13), the phenomenon of the internal material of the tobacco rod (31) being pushed backwards (i.e., in the direction opposite to the insertion direction) by the first segment (321) can be prevented, and an aerosol cooling effect can also be generated. When the first segment (321) is a cellulose acetate filter including a hollow space inside, the diameter of the hollow space of the first segment (321) can be appropriately adopted in the range of 2 mm to 4.5 mm, and when the first segment (321) is a lyocell filter including a hollow space inside, the diameter of the hollow space of the first segment (321) can be appropriately adopted in the range of 2 mm to 5.5 mm, and an appropriate value can be adopted within the range of 2 mm to 5.5 mm, preferably 2.1 mm to 5 mm, more preferably 2.2 mm to 4.5 mm, and even more preferably 2.5 mm to 4 mm, but is not limited thereto. When the first segment (321) is a pipe filter, an appropriate value may be adopted within the range of 5 mm to 7.5 mm, more preferably 6 mm to 7 mm, but is not limited thereto.

When the first segment (321) is configured to include lyocell tow, the excellent heat resistance of the lyocell tow can effectively prevent the first segment (321) from being deformed due to heat transferred from a heater that heats the smoking article (3) or an aerosol generated within the smoking article (3).

The second segment (322) of the filter rod (32) can cool the aerosol generated by the heater (13) heating the tobacco rod (31). Accordingly, the user can inhale the aerosol cooled to an appropriate temperature. In addition, the second segment (322) can serve as a mouthpiece that comes into contact with the user's mouth and as a filter that ultimately delivers the aerosol delivered from upstream to the user.

The length of the second segment (322) can be appropriately adopted within a range of 4 mm to 20 mm. For example, the length of the second segment (322) can be about 14 mm, but is not limited thereto.

The second segment (322) of the filter rod (32) may be a cellulose acetate filter or a lyocell filter. That is, the second segment (322) may be manufactured using cellulose acetate fibers (particularly, cellulose acetate tow) as a filter material or using lyocell fibers (particularly, lyocell tow) as a filter material. Although not shown, the second segment (322) may also be manufactured as a recessed filter.

In the process of manufacturing the second segment (322), the second segment (322) can be manufactured so that a flavor is generated by spraying a flavoring agent onto the second segment (322). Alternatively, or in addition, a separate fiber coated with a flavoring agent can be inserted into the interior of the second segment (322). The aerosol generated from the tobacco rod (31) is cooled as it passes through the first segment (321), and the cooled aerosol is delivered to the user through the second segment (322). Therefore, when a flavoring element is added to the second segment (322), the effect of increasing the persistence of the flavor delivered to the user can be generated.

The interior of the second segment (322) may include at least one capsule (34). Here, the capsule (34) may have a structure in which a liquid containing a fragrance is wrapped with a film. For example, the capsule (34) may have a spherical or cylindrical shape.

The shear plug (33) can serve to prevent liquefied aerosol from the tobacco rod (31) from flowing into the aerosol generating device (reference numeral '1' in FIGS. 1 to 3) during smoking.

The length or diameter of the shear plug (33) can be determined in various ways depending on the shape of the smoking article (3). For example, the length of the shear plug (33) can be appropriately adopted within the range of 4 mm to 20 mm. Preferably, the length of the shear plug (33) can be about 7 mm, but is not limited thereto.

The shear plug (33) can be manufactured by including cellulose acetate and/or lyocell. In addition, the shear plug (33) can include at least one channel inside, and the cross-sectional shape of the channel can be manufactured in various ways. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the channel formed inside the shear plug (33) can be formed in various shapes such as a trilobal shape, a tetralobal shape, a multilobal shape, a polygonal shape, a hard shape, etc.

Below, the wrapper (35) is described in detail.

The first wrapper (351) may be a general filter paper with metal foil bonded to it. In some embodiments, the first wrapper (351) may be a general filter paper with aluminum foil bonded to it. The second wrapper (352) and the third wrapper (353) may be made of general filter paper. For example, the second wrapper (352) and the third wrapper (353) may each independently be a porous paper or a non-porous paper.

In some embodiments, the third wrapper (353) wrapping the first segment (321) may have a weight equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and may include an oil-resistant hard paper having an oil-resistant treatment and/or a general hard paper having no oil-resistant treatment, or may be composed of (i.e., manufactured with) an oil-resistant hard paper having an oil-resistant treatment and/or a general hard paper having no oil-resistant treatment. Meanwhile, since the third wrapper (353) includes a hard paper having a weight equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or is composed of a hard paper having a weight equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it may not only function as a packaging material wrapping the first segment (321) including lyocell tow, but may also function to impart a certain level of hardness or greater to the filter rod (32) according to the present invention. The third wrapper (353) may include a grease-resistant hard paper and/or a general hard paper other than a grease-resistant hard paper, and in particular, may include a grease-resistant hard paper and/or a general hard paper other than a grease-resistant hard paper having a weight of, but not limited to, 30 gsm to 180 gsm, preferably 35 gsm to 170 gsm, more preferably 40 gsm to 160 gsm, even more preferably 50 gsm to 158 gsm, even more preferably 60 gsm to 155 gsm, even more preferably 70 gsm to 150 gsm, even more preferably 75 gsm to 150 gsm.

Hereinafter, the composition of the present invention and the effects thereof will be described in more detail through examples and comparative examples. However, these examples are intended to explain the present invention more specifically, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1 and Comparative Example 1

A lyocell filter was manufactured using lyocell tow having a single fineness of 3.33 dtex (mono denier of 3.0) and a total fineness of 3,889 tex (total denier of 35,000) under the conditions shown in Example 1 in Table 1, and a cellulose acetate filter was manufactured by adding a plasticizer to cellulose acetate tow having a single fineness of 3.00 dtex (mono denier of 2.7) and a total fineness of 3,889 tex (total denier of 35,000) under the conditions shown in Comparative Example 1 in Table 1.

division Weight (mg) Circumference (mm) Suction resistance ( _mmH20 ) Example 1 570 21.96 350 Comparative Example 1 540 21.94 387

Experimental Example 1. Evaluation of heat resistance according to filter material

In order to evaluate the heat resistance according to the filter material, the filters of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 were heated to 250°C or higher by an external heating method under internal conditions of an internal temperature of about 22±2°C and an internal relative humidity of about 60±5%. The filter before heating was photographed and shown in Fig. 5(a), and the filter after heating was photographed and shown in Fig. 5(b).

In Fig. 5(a), the left side is the filter of Comparative Example 1 before heating, and the right side is the filter of Example 1 before heating; in Fig. 5(b), the left side is the filter of Comparative Example 1 after heating, and the right side is the filter of Example 1 after heating.

Referring to FIG. 5, it can be confirmed that the cellulose acetate filter of Comparative Example 1 has a significantly different shape before and after heating, and that it melts due to the heat after heating and does not retain its substantial shape. On the other hand, it can be confirmed that the lyocell filter of Example 1 generates only some soot after heating, and that its shape before and after heating is substantially similar. This confirms that cellulose acetate is a fiber with an amorphous structure and completely melts due to its weak heat-sensitive properties, but lyocell has strong heat-resistant properties.

Example 2 and Comparative Example 2

Tobacco granules were filled into lyocell tow having a single fineness of 3.33 dtex (mono denier of 3.0) and a total fineness of 3,889 tex (total denier of 35,000) and then wrapped with a paper wrapper to produce a tobacco granule and lyocell filter having a length of 84 mm under the conditions shown in Example 2 of Table 2, and a plasticizer was added to cellulose acetate tow having a single fineness of 3.00 dtex (mono denier of 2.7) and a total fineness of 3,889 tex (total denier of 35,000) and then wrapped with a paper wrapper to produce a cellulose acetate filter having a length of 84 mm under the conditions shown in Comparative Example 2 of Table 2. The wrapper used in the production of the filter used paper having a basis weight of 75 gsm.

division Weight (mg) Circumference (mm) Epicenter (%) Suction resistance ( _mmH20 ) Example 2 900.7 23.86 93.35 518.4 Comparative Example 2 901.5 21.96 91.70 576.4

Experimental Example 2. Evaluation of physical properties according to filter material filled with medium substrate

Next, the lyocell filter of Example 2 and the cellulose acetate filter of Comparative Example 2 were cut to a length of 15 mm to manufacture a smoking article (3) as shown in Fig. 4. In particular, a heated cigarette (smoking article) having a first segment including a shear plug having a length of 7 mm, a tobacco rod of Example 2 and Comparative Example 2, a pipe filter having a length of 12 mm and an inner diameter of 6 mm, and a second segment having a length of 14 mm and made of cellulose acetate was manufactured, as in the smoking article (3) as shown in Fig. 4.

In order to analyze material deformation due to heat generated when heating a tobacco rod of a smoking article according to a filter material filled with tobacco granules, the tobacco rods of smoking articles according to Example 2 and Comparative Example 2 were heated at a heating temperature of 190°C to 280°C (for example, 250°C) in a smoking room having an internal temperature of about 22±2°C and an internal relative humidity of about 60±5% (in particular, a temperature of about 21.9°C and a relative humidity of 64.3%) by an external heating method, and then the tobacco rods were disassembled before and after heating, and photographs are shown in FIG. 6.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 6, (a) is a photograph of the decomposed tobacco rods of Comparative Example 2 and Example 2 before heating, wherein the left side of FIG. 6 (a) is the tobacco rod of Comparative Example 2 before heating, and the right side of FIG. 6 (a) is the tobacco rod of Example 2 after heating. In addition, in FIG. 6, (b) is a photograph of the decomposed tobacco rods of Comparative Example 2 and Example 2 after heating, wherein the left side of FIG. 6 (b) is the tobacco rod of Comparative Example 2 before heating, and the right side of FIG. 6 (b) is the tobacco rod of Example 2 after heating.

Referring to FIG. 6 (a) in FIG. 6, it can be confirmed that the appearances of Comparative Example 2 (tobacco rod including cellulose acetate) and Example 2 (tobacco rod including lyocell) before heating are substantially the same.

Referring to FIG. 6 (b) in FIG. 6, it can be confirmed that after heating (i.e., after heating to a temperature of 190° C. to 280° C.), the tobacco rod of Comparative Example 2 experienced significant shrinkage due to melting and fixation of the cellulose acetate tow. It can be confirmed that the cellulose acetate material shrank and melted due to the heat applied to the tobacco rod during heating.

On the other hand, referring to (b) of Fig. 7, it can be confirmed that in the case of Example 2, after heating (i.e., after heating to a temperature of 190°C to 280°C), soot due to heat is generated, but it maintains a form generally similar to before heating. In addition, it can be confirmed that the tobacco granules filled in the tow are condensed inside the comparative example 2 (left) composed of cellulose acetate tow, but are stably settled and dispersed throughout the entire area of the lyocell tow in Example 2 (right).

Meanwhile, by forming a tobacco rod by filling a medium substrate with lyocell tow instead of cellulose acetate tow, even when the tobacco rod is heated with a heater, the shape of the tobacco rod is maintained due to the excellent heat resistance of the lyocell tow, so that the transfer of smoking components is uniform, and the problem of the smoking article being broken or having its appearance deteriorated can be prevented.

Experimental Example 4. Analysis of Smoke Components

A smoking article including the tobacco rod of Example 2 and satisfying the conditions of Table 3 below was manufactured, and an experiment was conducted to analyze smoke components. In particular, the tobacco rod of the smoking article of Example 2 was heated at a heating temperature of 190°C to 280°C by an external heating method, and the total particulate matter (TPM) and nicotine components in the aerosol and the nicotine components in the tobacco rod were measured, and the results are shown in Table 4 below.

In particular, the experiment was conducted in a smoking room (in particular, the temperature was about 21.9°C, the relative humidity was 64.3%) with an internal temperature of about 22±2°C and an internal relative humidity of about 60±5%, targeting a smoking article according to Example 2, and the smoking conditions were HC conditions (Puff volume: 55 ml / Puff frequency: 30 s / Puff duration: 2 s / Number of puffs: 9 puffs), and the generated smoke was captured and analyzed by a Cambridge filter (i.e., Cambridge filter pad (CFP)). The total particulate matter (TPM) is a value obtained by measuring the change in the weight of the Cambridge filter before smoking and after smoking using the smoking device, and the remaining components were analyzed by GC (Gas Choromatography) of the smoke captured on the pad. In addition, the amount of nicotine component remaining inside the lyocell filter (especially, lyocell tow) constituting the tobacco rod was measured by extracting the tobacco rod by immersing it in water after smoking and analyzing it with GC/MS equipment. At this time, the tobacco rod was immersed in a container containing distilled water overnight, and the solution containing the extracted component was used for GC/MS analysis.

division Weight (mg) Circumference (mm) Vent(%) PDO ( _mmH20 ) PDC( _mmH20 ) Smoking article of Example 2 530.5 22.629 14.64 98.5 107.9

Ingredients in smoke Nicotine content in cigarette load (mg) division TPM(mg) Tar(mg) Nic(mg) Before smoking After smoking Example 2 20.46 11.43 0.33 0.74 0.32

Referring to Table 4 above, in the case of Example 2 in which a tobacco rod is formed with lyocell tow filled with tobacco granules, it can be confirmed that the nicotine content in the tobacco rod remains at 0.32 mg, 40% of the pre-smoking level, even after smoking due to the heat-resistant effect of the lyocell tow and the nicotine retention, and thus the nicotine retention is also stable. Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the attached drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will understand that the present disclosure can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical ideas or essential characteristics thereof. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure.

Claims (8)

Tobacco road; A shear plug disposed on one side of the tobacco rod and having at least one channel formed inside; A first segment arranged on the other side opposite to the one side of the said tobacco rod; and Including a second segment arranged on the other side of the first segment, The above tobacco load comprises a lyocell tow comprising a plurality of lyocell fibers and a medium substrate. Smoking items. In the first paragraph, The above medium material is filled in a dispersed form within the lyocell tow. Smoking items. In the first paragraph, The above medium substrate is located in the space between the plurality of lyocell fibers. Smoking items. In the first paragraph, The above medium contains tobacco material, At least one of the forms of tobacco particles, tobacco sheets, tobacco beads, tobacco granules and tobacco powder, Smoking items. In the first paragraph, The above medium comprises a plurality of tobacco granules in the form of granules containing tobacco material. Smoking items. In the first paragraph, The above first segment has a tube shape with a hollow space formed inside, The second segment comprises at least one of cellulose acetate and lyocell. Smoking items. In Article 6, The first segment comprises at least one of a cellulose acetate filter, a lyocell filter, or a tube filter. Smoking items. In the first paragraph, Further comprising a wrapper wrapping at least one of the tobacco rod, the shear plug, the first segment, and the second segment; Smoking items.