SMOKING SUBSTITUTE SYSTEM

Abstract

A consumable for a smoking substitute device contains a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the substrate comprises an infusion of solid tobacco-derived material in aerosol-former solution, and the infusion is combined with a nicotine formulation. The nicotine formulation may comprise a nicotine salt, particularly nicotine lactate. The substrate is obtained by macerating solid tobacco-derived material in aerosol-former liquid to form an infusion of solid tobacco-derived material and combining the infusion with a nicotine formulation. The tobacco-derived solids are macerated for a time period sufficient for the infusion to undergo a required change in physical characteristics (such as color or viscosity) or a required change in chemical characteristics (such as amount of nicotine release). Tobacco-derived solid may be visible in the substrate as an indicator that it is not a pharmaceutical product.

Claims

1. A consumable for a smoking substitute device containing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the liquid aerosol-forming substrate comprises an infusion of solid tobacco-derived material in aerosol-former solution, and the infusion is combined with a nicotine formulation.

2. A consumable according to claim 1, wherein the infusion for the liquid aerosol-forming substrate comprises a suspension of solid tobacco-derived material saturated with aerosol-former.

3. A consumable according to any preceding claim, wherein the infusion for the liquid aerosol-forming substrate contains nicotine-containing components released from the solid tobacco-derived material.

4. A consumable according to any preceding claim, wherein the infusion for the liquid aerosol-forming substrate is obtainable by macerating solid tobacco-derived material in aerosol-former solution.

5. A consumable according to any preceding claim, wherein the nicotine formulation contains free-base nicotine.

6. A consumable according to any preceding claim, wherein the nicotine formulation contains a nicotine salt.

7. A consumable according to any preceding claim, wherein the nicotine formulation contains (i) a nicotine salt of an organic acid and/or (ii) a mono-protonated nicotine salt.

8. A consumable according to any preceding claim, wherein the nicotine formulation contains a nicotine salt of an organic acid selected from one or more of lactic acid, benzoic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, citric acid, levulinic acid, oleic acid, oxalic acid, propionic acid, phenylacetic acid, pyruvic acid, salicylic acid, sorbic acid, succinic acid and tartaric acid.

9. A consumable according to claim 8, wherein the nicotine formulation contains a nicotine salt of lactic acid.

10. A consumable according to any preceding claim, wherein (i) the nicotine formulation provides at least 50 wt % of the total nicotine content of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate and/or (ii) the liquid aerosol-forming substrate contains at least 7.5 mg/ml of nicotine.

11. A consumable according to any preceding claim, wherein the liquid-aerosol forming substrate comprises solid tobacco-derived material corresponding to the sieve fraction of between 100 to 1000 μm.

12. Use of a liquid aerosol-forming substrate as defined in any one of claims 1 to 11 in the manufacture of a consumable for a smoking substitute device for vaping e-liquid.

13. A method for manufacturing a consumable for a smoking substitute device which contains a liquid aerosol-forming substrate as defined in any one of claims 1 to 11, which method comprises combining solid tobacco-derived material and aerosol former liquid to form an infusion of solid tobacco-derived material in aerosol-former solution, and combining the infusion with a nicotine formulation.

14. A method according to claim 13, which comprises macerating solid tobacco-derived material in aerosol-former solution for a time period sufficient for the infusion to undergo a required change in physical and/or chemical characteristics.

15. A method according to claim 13 or 14, which comprises a step of determining the nicotine content of the infusion and subsequently combining the infusion with a nicotine formulation in an amount appropriate to provide a liquid aerosol-forming substrate having a predetermined nicotine content.

16. A vaping smoking substitute device configured for vaping a liquid aerosol-forming substrate as defined in any one of claims 1 to 11.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0107] Embodiments of the disclosure will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0108] FIG. 1A shows a cross-sectional view of a coil and wick assembly.

[0109] FIG. 1B shows a coil and wick assembly installed in a reservoir.

[0110] FIG. 2A shows an example smoking substitute device.

[0111] FIG. 2B shows the main body of the smoking substitute device of FIG. 2A.

[0112] FIG. 2C shows the consumable of the smoking substitute device of FIG. 2A without the main body.

[0113] FIG. 3A is a schematic view of the main body of the smoking substitute device of FIG. 2A.

[0114] FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of a further coil and wick assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0115] Aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure will now be discussed with reference to the accompanying figures. Further aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All documents mentioned in this text are incorporated herein by reference

[0116] FIG. 2A shows an example smoking substitute device 110. In this example, the smoking substitute device 110 includes a main body 120 and a consumable 150. The consumable 150 may alternatively be referred to as a “pod”. The consumable may also be referred to as a cartridge or cartomizer.

[0117] In this example, the smoking substitute device 110 is a closed system vaping device, wherein the consumable 150 includes a sealed tank or liquid reservoir 156 and is intended for one-use only.

[0118] FIG. 2A shows the smoking substitute device 110 with the main body 120 physically coupled to the consumable 150. FIG. 2B shows the main body 120 of the smoking substitute device 110 without the consumable 150. FIG. 2C shows the consumable 150 of the smoking substitute device 110 without the main body 120.

[0119] The main body 120 and the consumable 150 are configured to be physically coupled together, in this example by pushing the consumable 150 into an aperture in a top end 122 of the main body 120. In other examples, the main body 120 and the consumable could be physically coupled together by screwing one onto the other, or through a bayonet fitting, for example. An optional light 126, e.g., an LED located behind a small translucent cover, is located a bottom end 124 of the main body 120. The light 126 may be configured to illuminate when the smoking substitute device 110 is activated.

[0120] The consumable 150 includes a mouthpiece (not shown) at a top end 152 of the consumable 150, as well as one or more air inlets (not shown in FIGS. 2A-C) so that air can be drawn into the smoking substitute device 110 when a user inhales through the mouthpiece. At a bottom end 154 of the consumable 150, there is located a tank 156 that contains e-liquid. The tank 156 may be a translucent body, for example.

[0121] The tank 156 preferably includes a window 158, so that the amount of e-liquid in the tank 156 can be visually assessed. The main body 120 includes a slot 128′ so that the window 158 of the consumable 150 can be seen whilst the rest of the tank 156 is obscured from view when the consumable 150 is inserted into the aperture in the top end 122 of the main body 120.

[0122] The tank 156 may be referred to as a “clearomizer” if it includes a window 158, or more generally a “cartomizer”.

[0123] The consumable 150 may identify itself to the main body 120, via an electrical interface, RFID chip, or barcode.

[0124] Tank 156 contains a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The substrate comprises an infusion of solid tobacco-derived material in aerosol-former solution and a nicotine formulation. The infusion is obtained by macerating solid tobacco material in one or more aerosol-formers in order to saturate the solids so that they can form a suspension or slurry with aerosol-former liquid and release components which provide flavor and aroma associated with the tobacco. As the infusion proceeds, the color and viscosity of the composition changes. The maceration process may also result in the release nicotine from the solid tobacco material. The process can be conducted for a time period sufficient to achieve a certain selected viscosity or level of nicotine release, for example. As an example, a suitable time period could be at least 24 hours, preferably at least 48 hours, more preferably at least 72 hours and most preferably at least 96 hours.

[0125] The amount of nicotine contained in the infusion is determined. The infusion of tobacco-derived material in aerosol-former solution is subsequently combined with a nicotine formulation in order to bring the total nicotine content in the liquid aerosol-forming substrate up to a required level. Additional flavors can also be added at this stage.

[0126] Experiments have found that it is preferable to macerate the tobacco-derived solids in an aerosol-former in advance of adding purified nicotine extracts as this results in improved release of nicotine from the tobacco and improved wetting of tobacco solids, as compared to the case where the tobacco-derived solids are combined with a nicotine-containing liquid and aerosol-former solution and the combination allowed to mature to allow nicotine to be released from the tobacco.

[0127] The nicotine formulation may contain free-base nicotine and/or a mono-protonated nicotine salt and/or a di-protonated nicotine salt. Enhanced user satisfaction has been observed for substrates containing nicotine lactate.

[0128] The substrate is in the form of a suspension of solid material in a solution which comprises aerosol-former(s), soluble components released from the tobacco-derived material (including naturally occurring nicotine salts), together with purified nicotine extracts. The solids can identify the substrate as a nicotine-containing solution which is derived from tobacco material.

[0129] The liquid components include aerosol formers such as glycerin and/or propylene glycol. A combination of both glycerin and propylene glycol has been found to achieve good dispersion of solid particles in a liquid of an appropriate viscosity to show resistance to leakage from the tank 156. Water may also be included as this has been found to enhance release of nicotine from the tobacco solid. In this respect, water may be incorporated as part of a raw material flavoring formulation or it may be added as a separate raw material. The appropriate amount of water, or any aerosol former, may be adjusted as appropriate for compatibility with different flavor combinations.

[0130] The tobacco material is derived from a tobacco plant. It may be prepared from leaf or stem, for example. The tobacco plant is usually ground or powdered to reduce its size so as to increase the surface area available for infusion with liquid and therefore improve the amount of nicotine extracted therefrom. Very small particles are best avoided as they can become entrained with the vapor and be inhaled by the user and this is regarded as unpleasant. Large particle sizes are also more likely to cause problems with clogging of the wick. Tobacco solids having particle sizes in a range of 50 to 2000 μm, particularly 100 to 1000 μm and especially 250 to 500 μm have provided an excellent combination of efficient release of nicotine together with resistance to clogging of the wick of the consumable.

[0131] The tobacco is preferably derived from a plant which inherently has a high nicotine content, in order to maximize the amount of nicotine which can be released in to the solution. A high nicotine content could correspond to at least 4% by weight of the dry plant material. An example of a tobacco product with a high nicotine content is grown in the Philippines and has a dry content in the leaf of about 7% by weight. The nicotine content can be determined by HPLC methods as known in this technical field.

[0132] The liquid components preferably include propylene glycol and glycerin in a ratio in a range of 90:10 to 10:90 by volume. Example liquid components typically contain 0.1 to 50% by volume of propylene glycol and 0.1 to 50% by volume of glycerin. Generally, the liquid components would also contain up to 5% or more usually up to 3% by volume of water. Example formulations could comprise 45% PG, 45% VG with 10% of water and flavorings; and 50% PG, 45% VG with the balance water and flavorings. Different water contents may be required for compatibility with different flavoring formulations.

[0133] The mixture of liquid components and ground tobacco may be subjected to heating and/or agitation in order to enhance release of nicotine as part of the process for manufacturing the e-liquid. This preferably involves heating the mixture at a temperature above room temperature and up to 60° C. In experiments elevation of temperature alone from 21° C. to 60° C. has been found to result in about a 50% increase in the release of nicotine from the tobacco solid. This heating step is part of the process for manufacturing the liquid aerosol-forming substrate and can therefore be distinguished from a step of heating the liquid as part of the vaping process. The mixture of tobacco-derived solids and base liquids can be heated prior to supply to the tank 156, or a filled tank 156 could be heated in this way.

[0134] Agitation of the mixture at a speed of at least 100 rpm has also been found to be effective to enhance extraction of nicotine from the tobacco-derived solid. Agitation at 400 rpm for 3 hours has been found to result in an increase in the amount of nicotine released by a factor of over 100%, as compared to simply allowing a corresponding mixture to stand for the same period in order to allow nicotine to infuse into the base liquids, for example. The mixture may be heated and/or agitated prior to supply to the storage tank 156 of the consumable. Alternatively, or additionally, a storage tank 156 containing a mixture may be heated and/or agitated in order to enhance release of nicotine into the liquid stored in the consumable.

[0135] Features of an example smoking substitute device will now be described in more detail. FIG. 3A is a schematic view of the main body 120 of the smoking substitute device 110. FIG. 3B is a schematic view of the consumable 150 of the smoking substitute device 110.

[0136] As shown in FIG. 3A, the main body 120 includes a power source 128, a control unit 130, a memory 132, a wireless interface 134, an electrical interface 136, and, optionally, one or more additional components 138. The power source 128 is preferably a battery, more preferably a rechargeable battery. The control unit 130 may include a microprocessor, for example.

[0137] The memory 132 is preferably includes non-volatile memory. The memory may include instructions which, when implemented, cause the control unit 130 to perform certain tasks or steps of a method.

[0138] The wireless interface 134 is preferably configured to communicate wirelessly with the mobile device 2, e.g., via Bluetooth®. To this end, the wireless interface 134 could include a Bluetooth® antenna. Other wireless communication interfaces, e.g., WIFI®, are also possible.

[0139] The electrical interface 136 of the main body 120 may include one or more electrical contacts. The electrical interface 136 may be located in, and preferably at the bottom of, the aperture in the top end 122 of the main body 120. When the main body 120 is physically coupled to the consumable 150, the electrical interface 136 may be configured to pass electrical power from the power source 128 to (e.g., a heating device of) the consumable 150 when the smoking substitute device 110 is activated, e.g., via the electrical interface 160 of the consumable 150 (discussed below). When the main body 120 is not physically coupled to the consumable 150, the electrical interface may be configured to receive power from the charging station 6. The electrical interface 136 may also be used to identify the consumable 150 from a list of known consumables. For example, the consumable may be a particular flavor and/or have a certain concentration of nicotine. This can be identified to the control unit 130 of the main body 120 when the consumable is connected to the main body. Additionally, or alternatively, there may be a separate communication interface provided in the main body 120 and a corresponding communication interface in the consumable 150 such that, when connected, the consumable can identify itself to the main body 120.

[0140] The additional components 138 of the main body 120 may include the optional light 126 discussed above.

[0141] The additional components 138 of the main body 120 may, if the power source 128 is a rechargeable battery, include a charging port configured to receive power from the charging station. This may be located at the bottom end 124 of the main body 120. Alternatively, the electrical interface 136 discussed above is configured to act as a charging port configured to receive power from the charging station 6 such that a separate charging port is not required.

[0142] The additional components 138 of the main body 120 may, if the power source 128 is a rechargeable battery, include a battery charging control circuit, for controlling the charging of the rechargeable battery. However, a battery charging control circuit could equally be located in the charging station (if present).

[0143] The additional components 138 of the main body 120 may include an airflow sensor for detecting airflow in the smoking substitute device 110, e.g., caused by a user inhaling through a mouthpiece 166 (discussed below) of the smoking substitute device 110. The smoking substitute device 110 may be configured to be activated when airflow is detected by the airflow sensor. This optional sensor could alternatively be included in the consumable 150 (though this is less preferred where the consumable 150 is intended to be disposed of after use, as in this example). The airflow sensor can be used to determine, for example, how heavily a user draws on the mouthpiece or how many times a user draws on the mouthpiece in a particular time period.

[0144] The additional components 138 of the main body 120 may include an actuator, e.g., a button. The smoking substitute device 110 may be configured to be activated when the actuator is actuated. This provides an alternative to the airflow sensor noted, as a mechanism for activating the smoking substitute device 110.

[0145] As shown in FIG. 3B, the consumable 150 includes the tank 156 for the liquid aerosol-forming substrate (e-liquid), an electrical interface 160, a heating device 162, one or more air inlets 164, a mouthpiece 166, and, optionally, one or more additional components 168.

[0146] The electrical interface 160 of the consumable 150 may include one or more electrical contacts. The electrical interface 136 of the main body 120 and an electrical interface 160 of the consumable 150 are preferably configured to contact each other and therefore electrically couple the main body 120 to the consumable 150 when the main body 120 is physically coupled to the consumable 150. In this way, electrical energy (e.g., in the form of an electrical current) is able to be supplied from the power source 140 in the main body 120 to the heating device 162 in the consumable 150.

[0147] The heating device 162 is preferably configured to heat e-liquid contained in the tank 156, e.g., using electrical energy supplied from the power source 140. In one example, the heating device 162 may include a heating filament and a wick, wherein a first portion of the wick extends into the tank 156 in order to draw e-liquid out from the tank 156, and wherein the heating filament coils around a second portion of the wick located outside the tank 156. In this example, the heating filament is configured to heat up e-liquid drawn out of the tank 156 by the wick to produce an aerosol vapor.

[0148] The one or more air inlets 164 are preferably configured to allow air to be drawn into the smoking substitute device 110, when a user inhales through the mouthpiece 166.

[0149] In use, a user activates the smoking substitute device 110, e.g., through actuating an actuator included in the main body 120 or by inhaling through the mouthpiece 166 as described above. Upon activation, the control unit 130 may supply electrical energy from the power source 128 to the heating device 162 (via electrical interfaces 136, 166), which may cause the heating device 162 to heat e-liquid drawn from the tank 156 to produce a vapor which is inhaled by a user through the mouthpiece 166.

[0150] As an example of one of the one or more additional components 168, an interface for obtaining an identifier of the consumable may be provided. As discussed above, this interface may be, for example, an RFID reader, a barcode or QR code reader, or an electronic interface which is able to identify the consumable to the main body. The consumable may, therefore include any one or more of an RFID chip, a barcode or QR code, or memory within which is an identifier and which can be interrogated via the electronic interface in the main body.

[0151] Of course, a skilled reader would readily appreciate that the smoking substitute device 110 shown in FIGS. 2A-C and 3A-B shows just one example implementation of a smoking substitute device, and that other forms of smoking substitute device could be used.

[0152] As another example, an open system vaping device which includes a main body, a refillable tank, and a mouthpiece could be used, instead of the smoking substitute device 110. One such open system vaping device is the blu PRO™ e-cigarette discussed above.

[0153] As another example, an entirely disposable (one use) smoking substitute device could be used as the smoking substitute device.

[0154] FIG. 1A shows a cross-sectional view of a coil and wick assembly 302. The coil and wick assembly may form the heater of any of the preceding consumables 150. The coil and wick assembly is disposed within the tank 156, at a bottom end thereof opposite to the mouthpiece 166. The coil and wick assembly is connected to the mouthpiece via an outlet, or chimney. The coil and wick assembly may form a lower wall of the tank, i.e., it may at least partially define the interior volume of the tank.

[0155] Broadly, the coil and wick assembly is formed from a housing 304, in which are first 305a and second 305b apertures or wick apertures. Within a cavity 310, provided by the housing, is a coil 306, e.g., coil of electrical wire, connected to first 308a and second 308b electrical contacts. These contacts are connectable to the battery of the main device 110, and so provide power to the coil.

[0156] An outlet aperture 309 is located proximal to the coil 306. When installed within the consumable, the outlet aperture is sealed from the liquid containing volume of the tank and is fluidly connected to an outlet. The outlet fluidly connects the cavity 310 of the coil and wick assembly to the mouthpiece. A wick 307 is provided through the coil, and through each of the first and second apertures. The wick acts to substantially seal the cavity 310 of the coil and wick assembly from free flowing liquid in the tank. Thus, liquid can only enter the cavity 310 by capillary action, i.e., by being wicked in via the wick. The wick extends from the apertures, in a direction away from the electrical contacts to leave exposed regions 307a and 307b respectively.

[0157] The coil and wick assembly has an outlet aperture 309, which is positioned above the coil, i.e., on an opposing side of the coil to the electrical contacts, in an uppermost surface of the coil and wick assembly. This outlet aperture is connected to the outlet discussed previously, which allows vaporized liquid to travel to the mouthpiece. The wick may have a length, as measured from one end to an opposing end, of more than 2 cm. For example, the wick may have a length of around 3 cm.

[0158] At a lower end of the consumable, i.e., one nearest the electrical contacts, is an air inlet 164. In use, the user draws on the mouthpiece which causes air to flow in through air inlet 164. This airflow draws with it vaporized liquid from the wick contained within the coil 306 (which is heated); and the airflow, now containing vaporized liquid, travels up an outlet and into the mouthpiece whereby it is inhaled. Whist the air inlet in this example is shown as a single air inlet disposed between the electrical contacts, instead there may be plural air inlets disposed between respective electrical contacts and an edge region of the coil and wick assembly. Further alternatively, there may be a single air inlet which extends across a width of the device thereby defining a channel. The channel may be bridged, across its width, by the first and second electrodes.

[0159] FIG. 1B shows the coil and wick assembly of FIG. 1A, as installed in the consumable 150. As can be seen, the coil and wick assembly 302 forms a lower wall of the tank 156 and so at least partially defines the liquid containing volume thereof. The tank 156 in this example is filled with an aerosol-forming substrate in the form of a vaporizable liquid which contains a solid suspension. As a result, when the consumable 150 is orientated such that the mouthpiece is higher than the coil and wick assembly (as is the case in FIG. 1B) solid tobacco-derived sediment 602 may accumulate around the coil and wick assembly. The portions of the wick 307a and 307b extend above where this sediment may accumulate, and so will generally be exposed to the liquid within the tank 156. As shown in the figure, an outlet 604 is provided which is sealed to the coil and wick assembly via a seal (omitted for clarity). Arrows 606 and 608 indicate the air flow through the consumable.

[0160] While the disclosure has been described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments described above, many equivalent modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art when given this disclosure. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure set forth above are considered to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

[0161] For the avoidance of any doubt, any theoretical explanations provided herein are provided for the purposes of improving the understanding of a reader. The inventors do not wish to be bound by any of these theoretical explanations. Any section headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the subject matter described.

[0162] Throughout this specification, including the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the words “have”, “comprise”, and “include”, and variations such as “having”, “comprises”, “comprising”, and “including” will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

[0163] It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by the use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. The term “about” in relation to a numerical value is optional and means, for example, +/−10%.

[0164] The words “preferred” and “preferably” are used herein refer to embodiments of the disclosure that may provide certain benefits under some circumstances. It is to be appreciated, however, that other embodiments may also be preferred under the same or different circumstances. The recitation of one or more preferred embodiments therefore does not mean or imply that other embodiments are not useful, and is not intended to exclude other embodiments from the scope of the disclosure, or from the scope of the claims.