Aerosol generating article having cavity with particulate aerosol altering material

Abstract

An aerosol generating article (10) comprises an aerosol generating substrate (12); a mouthpiece (14) comprising an element (20) defining a cavity having a longitudinal axis; and a particulate aerosol altering material (30) partially filling the cavity. The particulate aerosol altering material (30) is adhered to the cavity-defining segment (20) by means of a permanent adhesive provided over at least a portion of an inner surface of the cavity-defining segment (20) to define an aerosol passage (32) substantially concentric with the longitudinal axis of the cavity.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating article comprising: an aerosol generating substrate; a mouthpiece comprising an element defining a cavity having a longitudinal axis; and a particulate aerosol altering material partially filling the cavity, wherein the particulate aerosol altering material is adhered to the cavity-defining segment by a permanent adhesive provided over at least a portion of an inner surface of the cavity-defining segment to define an aerosol passage substantially concentric with the longitudinal axis of the cavity, at least a portion of a surface area of the particulate aerosol altering material being directly exposed to aerosol flowing along the aerosol passage during use, wherein less than about 70 percent of an overall surface area of the particulate aerosol altering material is directly in contact with the permanent adhesive.

2. The aerosol generating article in accordance with claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece comprises an upstream filter segment and a downstream filter segment in axial alignment with, and spaced from, the upstream filter segment, the cavity-defining segment extending between the upstream filter segment and the downstream filter segment.

3. The aerosol generating article in accordance with claim 2, wherein the cavity-defining element comprises a hollow tube segment, the particulate aerosol altering material being adhered to a radially inner surface of the hollow tube segment.

4. The aerosol generating article in accordance with claim 3, wherein the hollow tube segment comprises a substantially transparent portion, such that the particulate aerosol altering material is visible through the hollow tube segment.

5. The aerosol generating article in accordance with claim 2, wherein the cavity-defining element comprises a first wrapper circumscribing the upstream filter segment and the downstream filter segment, the particulate aerosol altering material being adhered to a radially inner surface of the first wrapper.

6. The aerosol generating article in accordance with claim 5, wherein the first wrapper comprises a substantially transparent portion at a location along the cavity, such that the particulate aerosol altering material is visible through the first wrapper.

7. The aerosol generating article in accordance with claim 6 comprising a second wrapper circumscribing the mouthpiece, wherein the second wrapper overlies the first wrapper and comprises at least one cut-out portion exposing an area of the transparent portion of the first wrapper, such that an underlying portion of the cavity-defining segment of the mouthpiece incorporating the particulate aerosol altering material is visible.

8. The aerosol generating article in accordance with claim 1 wherein the particulate aerosol altering material occupies less than 50 percent of the space in the cavity.

9. The aerosol generating article in accordance with claim 1 wherein the particulate aerosol altering material occupies less than 40 percent of the space in the cavity.

10. The aerosol generating article in accordance with claim 1 wherein the particulate aerosol altering material is adhered to the cavity-defining segment by the permanent adhesive provided over substantially the whole surface area of the inner surface of the cavity-defining segment.

11. The aerosol generating article in accordance with claim 1 wherein the particulate aerosol altering material comprises a sorbent or a catalyst.

12. The aerosol generating article in accordance with claim 1 wherein the particulate aerosol altering material comprises a flavourant.

13. The aerosol generating article in accordance with a claim 1 wherein the particulate aerosol altering material has a mean average particle size of less than about 1000 micrometres.

14. The aerosol generating article in accordance with claim 13, wherein the particulate aerosol altering material has a mean average particle size of at least about 150 millimetres.

15. An A mouthpiece for an aerosol generating article comprising a segment defining a cavity having a longitudinal axis and a particulate aerosol altering material partially filling the cavity, wherein the particulate aerosol altering material is adhered to the cavity-defining segment by a permanent adhesive provided over at least a portion of an inner surface of the cavity-defining segment to define an aerosol passage substantially concentric with the longitudinal axis of the cavity, at least a portion of a surface area of the particulate aerosol altering material being directly exposed to aerosol flowing along the aerosol passage during use.

Description

(1) The invention will now be further described with reference to the figures in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic side sectional view of an embodiment of an aerosol generating article in accordance with the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic side sectional view of a further embodiment of an aerosol generating article in accordance with the invention.

(4) The aerosol generating article 10 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a rod of aerosol generating substrate 12 and a mouthpiece 14. The mouthpiece 14 comprises a first upstream filter segment 16 and a downstream filter segment 18 in axial alignment with, and spaced from, the upstream filter segment 16. Further, the mouthpiece 14 comprises a cavity-defining segment 20 extending between the upstream filter segment 16 and the downstream filter segment 18.

(5) In the embodiment of FIG. 1 the cavity-defining segment 20 comprises a first wrapper 22 circumscribing the upstream filter segment 16 and the downstream filter segment 18. The first wrapper 22 is substantially transparent.

(6) A second wrapper 24 circumscribes the mouthpiece 14. In more detail, the second wrapper 24 overlies the first wrapper 22 and comprises a cut-out portion 26 which exposes an area 28 of the underlying substantially transparent first wrapper 22.

(7) In addition, the mouthpiece comprises a particulate aerosol altering material 30 partially filling the cavity. The particulate aerosol altering material 30 is adhered to the cavity-defining segment 20 by means of a permanent adhesive provided over substantially the whole surface area of the inner surface of the cavity-defining segment 20. The particulate aerosol altering material comprises a flavourant and occupies about 20 percent of the space in the cavity. Thus, an aerosol passage 32 substantially concentric with the longitudinal axis of the cavity is defined in the aerosol generating article 10.

(8) FIG. 2 illustrates another smoking article 50 in accordance with the invention. The smoking article 50 is similar to the smoking article 10 of FIG. 1 and is described below only insofar as it differs from it, and using the same reference numbers, where possible, for identical or corresponding parts of smoking articles 50 and 10.

(9) In the embodiment of FIG. 2 the cavity-defining segment 20 comprises a substantially transparent hollow tube segment 52. A substantially transparent first wrapper 22 circumscribes the upstream filter segment 16, the downstream filter segment 18, and the hollow tube segment 52. The particulate aerosol altering material 30 is adhered to the radially inner surface of the hollow tube segment 52. To this purpose substantially the whole radially inner surface of the hollow tube segment 52 is coated with a permanent adhesive.