Abstract
The method for providing an aerosol-generating device for use with a shape-transformable aerosol-forming substrate comprises providing an aerosol-generating device comprising a device housing comprising a moulding cavity. The moulding cavity at least partially corresponds to a moulding space between a first mould half and a second mould half of a mould, the first mould half and the second mould half being internal surfaces of the device housing. The method further comprises the step of providing a flat aerosol-forming substrate adapted to change shape when pressed into the moulding cavity and being transformed into a non-flat aerosol-forming substrate. The invention also refers to a flat aerosol-generating article and a kit comprising a flat aerosol-generating article and an aerosol-generating device.
Claims
1. Aerosol-generating device comprising a device housing comprising a moulding cavity for receiving an aerosol-forming substrate, the moulding cavity at least partially corresponds to a moulding space between a first and a second mould half of a mould, the first mould half and the second mould half being internal surfaces of the device housing, wherein the internal surfaces of the device housing are formed such that the first mould half is a cavity comprising the shape of an inverse frustum and the second mould half is a correspondingly formed protrusion comprising the shape of a frustum, or vice versa, wherein in an open state of the mould corresponding to an open device housing, the aerosol-generating device is adapted to receive a flat aerosol-forming substrate in between the first and second mould halves, wherein in a closed state of the mould corresponding to a closed device housing, the moulding space in between the first and second mould halves has a non-flat shape comprising a hollow frustum, wherein the first and second mould halves are adapted to transform a flat aerosol-forming substrate supplied between the first and second mould halves into a non-flat aerosol-forming substrate having a shape comprising a hollow frustum corresponding to the non-flat moulding space in the mould upon closing of the mould.
2. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the device housing comprises a mouthpiece and a body portion, the body portion comprising a first internal surface, the mouthpiece comprising a second internal surface having a shape corresponding to the first internal surface of the body portion; wherein the first internal surface of the body portion is formed as a cavity comprising the shape of an inverse frustum, and wherein the second internal surface of the mouthpiece is formed as a protrusion comprising the shape of a frustum, or vice versa; the first and second internal surface forming the first and second mould halves, wherein in an assembled state of mouthpiece and body portion the mould is in a closed position forming the moulding space in between the mould halves in the form comprising a hollow frustum.
3. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 2, wherein the first internal surface corresponds to a male mould half comprising a frustum protruding from the device body along a longitudinal axis of the device body, and wherein the second internal surface of the mouthpiece corresponds to a female mould half comprising an inverse frustum, or vice versa.
4. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 2, further comprising alignment elements, for aligning at least one of an aerosol-forming substrate between the mouthpiece and the body portion, or the mouthpiece and the body portion upon assembly of the device housing.
5. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 4, wherein the alignment elements are central alignment elements arranged in a center of the device or wherein the alignment elements are circumferential elements arranged along a circumference of the mouthpiece and of the body portion.
6. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 4, wherein the alignment elements are embodied as connection elements allowing a detachable assembly of the mouthpiece and the body portion.
7. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein an internal surface forming a mould half is provided with a plurality of openings enabling aerosol to leave the mould through the internal surface of the mould half provided with the plurality of openings.
8. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 2, wherein an internal surface forming a mould half is provided with a plurality of openings enabling aerosol to leave the mould through the internal surface of the mould half provided with the plurality of openings.
9. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the first or the second mould halves comprise a heating element for heating the transformed non-flat aerosol-forming substrate.
10. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 2, wherein the body portion comprises a heating element arranged on the first internal surface.
11. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the frustum is one of a circularly conical-shape, a pyramid shaped or a star-shape, and wherein the shape of the inverse frustum is one of an inverse circularly conical-shape, an inverse pyramid shape or an inverse star-shape.
12. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 2, wherein the shape of the frustum is one of a circularly conical-shape, a pyramid shaped or a star-shape, and wherein the shape of the inverse frustum is one of an inverse circularly conical-shape, an inverse pyramid shape or an inverse star-shape.
Description
(1) The invention is further described with regard to embodiments, which are illustrated by means of the following drawings, wherein
(2) FIG. 1 shows a disc-shaped aerosol-forming substrate;
(3) FIG. 2 shows the shape-transformed substrate of FIG. 1;
(4) FIG. 3 shows a three-leafed aerosol-forming substrate;
(5) FIG. 4 shows the shape-transformed substrate of FIG. 3;
(6) FIGS. 5,6 show other disc-shaped aerosol-forming substrates;
(7) FIGS. 7,8 show a folded and unfolded cone-shaped aerosol-forming substrate;
(8) FIG. 9 illustrates an aerosol-generating device;
(9) FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the moulding cavity of the device of FIG. 9;
(10) FIG. 11 illustrates a moulding process of a disc-shaped substrate;
(11) FIG. 12 illustrates a moulding process of a folded substrate;
(12) FIG. 13 illustrates a moulding process of a three-bladed substrate;
(13) FIG. 14 illustrates a moulding process of a disc-shaped substrate including alignment and connection elements;
(14) FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of the moulding cavity of FIG. 14;
(15) FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of a moulding cavity of a mouthpiece and body portion comprising other alignment and connection elements;
(16) FIG. 17 illustrates a moulding process of a three-bladed substrate in the moulding cavity of FIG. 16;
(17) FIGS. 18,19 show mouthpiece and body portion comprising magnetic alignment and connection elements;
(18) FIG. 20 illustrates a moulding process of a folded article with a protruding cone as mould half of a body portion of a device;
(19) FIG. 21 shows a mouthpiece and body portion comprising centrally arranged alignment and connection elements for a disc-shaped aerosol-generating article;
(20) FIG. 22 shows an aerosol-generating device with undulating sheet and device housing with lid;
(21) FIG. 23 shows a cross-section of an open, layered aerosol-forming substrate;
(22) FIGS. 24-27 illustrate embodiments of mouthpieces having a cone-shaped (FIG. 24, 25) or inverse cone-shaped (FIG. 26, 27) mould half with open mould surface.
(23) The flat aerosol-generating article shown in FIG. 1 is a disc 10 of an aerosol-forming substrate, preferably a disc cut from a tobacco containing cast leaf. In the mould of a corresponding aerosol-generating device, the flat disc 1 is transformed into a pyramid 20 having a star-shaped base 200 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The star-shaped form of the mould allows to transform the disc without creating wrinkles and folds in the substrate.
(24) The flat article shown in FIG. 3 is a three-bladed disc 11 comprising three blades 110 separated by triangularly shaped cut-outs 111 and connected in the center of the disc 11. By a corresponding mould shape the three-bladed disc 11 is formed into a cone comprising a slit side wall 21. In FIG. 4 the side of the cone is not closed. However, depending on the original size of the cut-outs 111 and the form of the mould the article 21 is formed in, two neighbouring blades 110 may become arranged flush after moulding forming a circular right cone. If several heating elements are used to heat the substrate, preferably one blade 110 of the disc 11 is heated by one heating element. Preferably, the article is positioned in a mould such that the slits between the blades 110 are arranged between heating elements.
(25) The cut-outs 111 of the disc 11 may also serve as positioning and alignment means of the article in a device as will be illustrated below.
(26) FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show the disc 10 of FIG. 1, however with positioning and alignment means. In FIG. 5 a centrally arranged opening is provided to interact with a corresponding centrally arranged pin in a cavity for receiving the disc 10. In FIG. 6 three radially inwardly extending slots 113 are arranged equidistantly along the circumference of the disc 10. The slots 113 may interact, for example, with three pins arranged on a circumference of a mould half.
(27) FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show an example of a folded and unfolded flat aerosol-generating article in the form of a folded frustum 13. The article is basically cone-shaped having a flat top 130. The top 130 may be closed or may be open, for example serving to align the article in a moulding cavity.
(28) FIG. 9 shows an aerosol-generating device. The device comprises a body portion 5 and a mouthpiece portion 4 comprising an outlet opening 42. The device is substantially rod-shaped having a substantially circular cross section. The body portion 5 of the device may, for example, comprise a power source such as a battery and electronics for controlling a heating of the device. The body portion 5 is provided with an activation knob 51 for activating the device, for example starting a heating.
(29) In FIG. 9 the body portion 5 comprises a first mould half 50 formed by an internal surface of the body portion 5. The first mould half 50 forms part of a moulding cavity for receiving an aerosol-generating article. The mouthpiece portion 4 comprises a second mould half 40 formed by an internal surface of the mouthpiece portion 4. First and second mould haves correspond to each other and are formed as pyramids having a star-shaped base. The first mould half 50 has the form of a star-shaped inverse pyramid and the second mould half 40 has the form of a corresponding star-shaped pyramid.
(30) In FIG. 10 the mould halves are shown in more detail. Several separate heating elements 6 are provided in the first mould half 50 to heat portions of an aerosol-generating article. The heating elements 6 are separated by intermediate sections 51 corresponding to the inverse of the spines 41 of the star-shaped pyramid forming the second mould half 40.
(31) In FIG. 11, the moulding process in the device of FIG. 10 and the transformation process of the flat aerosol-forming substrate into a non-flat aerosol-forming substrate is shown with the example of a disc 10 that is transformed into a star-shaped pyramid 20. The flat disc 10 is arranged between mouthpiece portion 4 and body portion 5. Upon closure of the mould, corresponding to an assembly of the device, the disc is formed according to the moulding space between the first and second mould halves 40,50.
(32) After use, the device may be disassembled, the mould is opened and the used substrate 20 may be removed from the mould and the device, accordingly. As is best illustrated in FIG. 11, the disc 10 has a diameter, which is larger than the diameter of the body portion 5 of the device and of the mouthpiece portion 4. The diameter of the disc 10 is about 1.5 times the diameter of the body portion 5.
(33) In FIG. 12 the transformation of a folded aerosol-generating article is illustrated. The article is transformed from a folded 13 into an unfolded 22 circular cone. Upon assembly of mouthpiece 4 and body portion 5, the tip of a cone-shaped first mould half 40 opens the cone by being inserted onto the folded base of the cone 13. The first mould half 50 of the body portion has an inverse circular cone-shape for receiving the article 22. First and second mould halves 40,50, when closed, comprise a cone-shaped moulding space. The article in the folded state has a lateral extension corresponding to the folded width of the base of the cone 13, which lateral extension is larger than the diameter of the mould. According to the geometry of circles, the lateral dimension of the folded cone 13 is about 1.5 times larger than the diameter of the base of the mould.
(34) Heating elements 6 are arranged along the wall of the inverse cone of the second mould half 50 and are indicated by dark triangles interrupted by light triangles.
(35) FIG. 13 illustrates the moulding process of the three-bladed disc 11 of FIGS. 3 and 4 in the same device as shown in FIG. 12.
(36) In FIG. 14 the alignment and transformation of a disc 10 comprising alignment slots 113 as shown in FIG. 6 is illustrated. Three pegs 55 are regularly arranged on the rim 56 along the circumference of the proximal end of the body portion 5. The disc 10 is laid flat over the first mould half 50 onto the body portion 5 such that the pegs 55 extend into the slots 113. Preferably, a length of the slots 113 is chosen such as to be arranged along a (imaginary) circle corresponding to a same (imaginary) circle the pegs 55 are arranged on. However, for an aligning the slots 113 may also extend further into the direction of the center of the disc 10.
(37) Upon transformation, that is, upon pushing the substrate into the second mould half 50, the disc 20 is guided with the slots 113 along the pegs 55, preventing a rotational displacement of the disc 10 in the mould upon moulding.
(38) The device of FIG. 14 basically corresponds to the device of FIG. 11, however provided with alignment pegs 55. The pegs 55 not only serve for aligning the disc 10 in the device but also for aligning mouthpiece portion 4 and body portion 5 upon assembly thereof. As may be seen in FIG. 15 the distal end of the mouthpiece portion 4 comprises three bore holes 45 corresponding to the pegs 55 of the body portion 5. When assembled the combined pegs 55 and holes 45 prevent a relative rotation of mouthpiece and body portion. Pegs 55 and holes 45 may also serve as connection elements. They may be designed as form fit providing a certain force that has to be overcome to disassemble the mouthpiece 4 and body portion 5.
(39) FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 show another example of alignment elements in the form of longitudinal rim segments 56 protruding in longitudinal direction of the body portion 5.
(40) The mouthpiece 4 is provided with corresponding elongate recesses 46.
(41) Such alignment elements are in particular suited for supporting an alignment of a three-bladed disc 11 (e.g. as shown in FIG. 3) over and in a mould. Such alignment elements may support the alignment of blades 110 of the disc 11 on individual heating elements and spaces 111 between blades 110 in between heating elements. Thus, a heating of the aerosol-forming substrate in a mould may be optimized.
(42) According to an amount of blades 110 a bladed disc 10 is provided, the amount and sizes of rim segments 56 may be adapted.
(43) The rim segments 56 and corresponding recesses 46 serve as connection elements for the device.
(44) FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 show alignment and connection elements in the form of magnetic means. Mouthpiece and body portion 4,5, are provided with magnetic point connections 47,57.
(45) The mouthpiece 4 is drawn in a semi-transparent manner to allow view onto the point connections 47,57.
(46) As mouthpiece 4 and body portion 5 are brought together, the magnetic attraction serves to orient the two parts relative to each other such that they are aligned and connected. Depending on the magnetic force between the point connection 47,57 a pulling force to separate the two parts may be adjusted. For orientation or disconnection of mouthpiece and body portion 4,5 the two parts may be rotated to disconnect the magnetic connections 47,57 (indicated by an arrow).
(47) FIG. 20 and FIG. 21 show embodiments, where the first mould half 50 in the body portion 5 is formed by an internal surface of the body portion protruding from the proximal end of the body portion 5. The second mould half 40 (not shown in FIG. 20) forms a corresponding recess in the mouthpiece portion 4.
(48) In FIG. 21 the first mould half 50 in the form of a protruding star-shaped pyramid is provided with a centrally arranged positioning peg 58. The centrally arranged peg 58 serves to position and align an aerosol-generating article comprising a centrally arranged opening on the first mould half. Such an article may, for example, be a disc 10 as illustrated in FIG. 5. The second mould half 40 comprises a central hole 48 for the peg 58 to be inserted. Central peg 58 and central hole 48 also serve as connection elements for mouthpiece 4 and body portion 5.
(49) In FIG. 22 an example of an aerosol-generating device for moulding a corrugated sheet 20 from a flat strip is shown. The body portion 5 of the device has the form of a box 54 comprising a lid 6. The lid 6 basically forms the top of the box 54 and is hingedly connected with the box 54. The moulding cavity for receiving the flat aerosol-generating article basically extends over the entire length and width of the box 54. The internal surface of the lid 6 is provided with a series of perpendicularly arranged undulations 46 forming the second mould half 40. The internal surface of the box 54 is provided with corresponding undulations 56 forming the first mould half 50. Upon closing the lid 6, the flat substrate is formed into the undulating sheet 20.
(50) FIG. 23 shows a cross section of an open, layered flat aerosol-generating article. The article comprises a layer 150 of an aerosol-forming substrate, preferably a layer of a tobacco containing cast leaf. A second layer 151 is an open layer, for example a mesh arrangement. The open layer 151 allows air and aerosol or evaporated substances from the substrate 150 to enter inside the aerosol-generating article and into the open layer 151 also after the substrate has been transformed into a non-flat article. The article is provided with outer paper layers 152, for example cigarette paper, provided on top of the open layer 151 and below the aerosol-forming substrate layer 150. A thickness of the article may be in a range between 2 mm and 5 mm.
(51) Preferably, a thickness of the paper layers 152 is each between 0.05 mm and 0.2 mm.
(52) Preferably, a thickness of the aerosol-forming substrate layer 150 is between 0.5 mm and 2 mm.
(53) Preferably, a thickness of the open layer 151 is between 1.5 mm and 3 mm.
(54) Preferably, a thickness of the open article 15 is the same as a thickness of a single sheet of aerosol-forming substrate as for example shown in FIG. 1.
(55) FIGS. 24 to 27 show embodiments of flow management in mouthpiece portions 4, wherein the second mould half is embodied as protruding cone (FIG. 24 and FIG. 25) and wherein the second mould half is embodied as recess (FIG. 26 and FIG. 27.).
(56) In all embodiments the mould surface is porous or provided with openings such that an aerosol or substance evaporated from heated aerosol-forming substrate in the mould may pass through the surface of the second mould half into the mouthpiece and may leave the device via outlet opening 42 arranged at the proximal end of the mouthpiece.
(57) In all embodiments air 70 is drawn from the environment through one or several inlet openings 81 into the mouthpiece. The one or several inlet openings 81 are located around a connection rim 80 of the mouthpiece 4.
(58) In FIG. 24 volatilized substances or aerosol 71 passes through the porous surface 400 of the protruding cone into the interior 85 of the cone. A radially inwardly flowing air flow 70 picks up the aerosol 71 in the interior 85 of the cone. The mixed flow 72 passes in a downstream direction through a centrally arranged conduit 82 in the mouthpiece 4 and leaves the mouthpiece at the outlet opening 42.
(59) In FIG. 25, the interior of the protruding cone comprises a second cone-shaped element 83 also provided with a centrally arranged conduit. The second cone-shaped element 83 is arranged centrally and such as to form a channel 84 between second cone-shaped element 83 and cone surface 400. The entering airflow 70 passes from the openings 81 in the connection rim 80 in the channel 84 versus the top of the protruding cone and via central conduit 82 to the outlet opening 42 of the mouthpiece 4. In the channel 84, the airflow 70 picks up aerosol 71.
(60) In FIG. 26 volatilized substances or aerosol 71 passes through the porous surface 400 of the recessed cone into the interior 86 of the hollow mouthpiece 4. An air flow 70 having entered the mouthpiece 4 at the openings 81 in the connection rim 80 flows downstream and picks up the aerosol 71 in the interior 86 of the mouthpiece. The mixed flow 72 is concentrated to pass into a centrally arranged short conduit 87 in the proximal region of the mouthpiece 4 and leaves the mouthpiece 4 at the outlet opening 42.
(61) In FIG. 27 a channel 84 is arranged along the open cone surface 400 in the interior 86 of the mouthpiece 4. The airflow 70 passes from the openings 81 in the connection rim into the mouthpiece 4 inside the channel 84 versus a centrally arranged conduit 82 and to the outlet opening 42 of the mouthpiece 4.
