Nicotine and cellulose containing sheet

Abstract

A sheet is provided including a cellulosic material including cellulose powder, a weight ratio of cellulose powder to total cellulosic material in the sheet on a dry weight basis being greater than about 1:2; and one or more nicotine salts, at least about 20% by weight of the one or more nicotine salts being monoprotic.

Claims

1. A sheet for use in an aerosol-generating device, the sheet comprising: cellulosic material comprising cellulose powder, wherein a weight ratio of cellulose powder to total cellulosic material in the sheet on a dry weight basis is greater than about 1:2; one or more nicotine salts, wherein at least about 20% by weight of the one or more nicotine salts is monoprotic; and at least one aerosol former, wherein the sheet has an aerosol former content of at least 10% by weight on a dry weight basis, wherein the cellulose powder has an average particle size of less than about 60 microns, wherein the sheet comprises no tobacco material, and wherein a weight ratio of aerosol former to nicotine salt in the sheet on a dry weight basis is between 15:1 and 3:1.

2. The sheet according to claim 1, having a total cellulosic material content of between about 35% and about 60% by weight on a dry weight basis.

3. The sheet according to claim 1, wherein a weight ratio of cellulose powder to nicotine salt in the sheet on a dry weight basis is between about 18:1 and about 5:1.

4. The sheet according to claim 1, further comprising one or more nicotine salts selected from the group consisting of nicotine acetate, nicotine benzoate, nicotine gallate, nicotine lactate, nicotine laurate, nicotine levulinate, nicotine palmitate, nicotine pyruvate, nicotine sorbate, and nicotine stearate.

5. The sheet according to claim 1, further comprising sugar.

6. The sheet according to claim 5, wherein a weight ratio of reducing sugar to total sugar in the sheet on a dry weight basis is less than about 1:2.

7. The sheet according to claim 1, wherein the at least one aerosol former is selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, and glycerine.

8. The sheet according to claim 1, further comprising one or more natural gum binders selected from the group consisting of guar gum, xanthan gum, and gum arabic.

9. An aerosol-generating rod comprising a gathered sheet according to claim 1 circumscribed by a wrapper.

10. The aerosol-generating rod according to claim 9, wherein the gathered sheet is crimped.

11. An aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol—forming substrate, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate comprises an aerosol-generating rod according to claim 9.

12. An aerosol-generating article comprising a combustible heat source and an aerosol-generating substrate located downstream of the combustible heat source, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises an aerosol-generating rod according to claim 9.

13. An aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate for an electrically-heated aerosol-generating system, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises an aerosol-generating rod according to claim 9.

Description

(1) The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-section of apparatus for forming an aerosol-generating rod according to the invention;

(3) FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 show embodiments of aerosol-generating articles according to the invention;

(4) FIG. 5 shows an aerosol-generating system comprising an electrically-operated aerosol-generating device and an aerosol-generating article as shown in FIG. 2; and

(5) FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of the electrically-operated aerosol-generating device shown in FIG. 5.

(6) The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 generally comprises: supply means for providing a continuous sheet according to the invention; crimping means for crimping the continuous sheet; rod forming means for gathering the continuous crimped sheet and circumscribing the gathered material with a wrapper to form a continuous rod; and cutting means for severing the continuous rod into a plurality of discrete aerosol-generating rods. The apparatus also comprises transport means for transporting the continuous sheet downstream through the apparatus from the supply means to the rod forming means via the crimping means.

(7) As shown in FIG. 1, the supply means for providing a continuous sheet comprises a continuous sheet 2 according to the invention mounted on a bobbin 4.

(8) The crimping means comprises a pair of rotatable crimping rollers 6. In use, the continuous sheet 2 is drawn from the first bobbin 4 and transported downstream to the pair of crimping rollers 6 by the transport mechanism via a series of guide and tensioning rollers. As the continuous sheet 2 is fed between the pair of crimping rollers 6, the crimping rollers engage and crimp the sheet 2 to form a continuous crimped sheet 8 having a plurality of spaced-apart ridges or corrugations substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sheet through the apparatus.

(9) The continuous crimped sheet 8 is transported downstream from the pair of crimping rollers 6 towards the rod forming means and fed through a converging funnel or horn 10. The converging funnel 10 gathers the continuous sheet 8 transversely relative to its longitudinal axes. The sheet of material 8 assumes a substantially cylindrical configuration as it passes through the converging funnel 10.

(10) Upon exiting the converging funnel 10, the gathered sheet is wrapped in a continuous sheet of wrapper material 12. The wrapper is a paper wrapper and is fed from a bobbin 14 and enveloped around the gathered continuous crimped sheet by an endless belt conveyor or garniture. As shown in FIG. 1, the rod forming means comprises an adhesive application means 16 that applies adhesive to one of the longitudinal edges of the wrapper, so that when the opposed longitudinal edges of the wrapper are brought into contact they adhere to one other to form a continuous rod.

(11) The rod forming means further comprises a drying means 18 downstream of the adhesive application means 16, which in use dries the adhesive applied to the seam of the continuous rod as the continuous rod is transported downstream from the rod forming means to the cutting means.

(12) The cutting means comprises a rotary cutter 20 that severs the continuous rod into a plurality of discrete aerosol-generating rods 22 of unit rod length or multiple unit rod length.

(13) FIG. 2 shows an aerosol-generating article 1000 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The aerosol-generating article 1000 comprises an aerosol-forming substrate 1020 comprising the aerosol-generating rod, a hollow cellulose acetate tube 1030, a spacer element 1040 and a mouthpiece filter 1050. The aerosol-forming substrate 1020, hollow cellulose acetate tube 1030, spacer element 1040 and mouthpiece filter 1050 are arranged sequentially and in coaxial alignment and are circumscribed by an outer wrapper 1060 to form the aerosol-generating article 1000. The aerosol-generating article 1000 has a mouth end 1012, which a user inserts into their mouth during use, and a distal end 1013 located at the opposite end of the aerosol-generating 100 to the mouth end 1012. The aerosol-generating article 1000 shown in FIG. 2 is particularly suitable for use with an electrically-operated aerosol-generating device comprising a heater for heating the aerosol-forming substrate 1020.

(14) The aerosol-forming substrate 1020 comprises an aerosol-generating rod according to the invention comprising a crimped and gathered sheet according to the invention circumscribed by a wrapper.

(15) The aerosol-generating article 1000 shown in FIG. 2 is designed to engage with an aerosol-generating device including means for heating the aerosol-forming substrate 1020 to a sufficient temperature to form an aerosol. The aerosol-generating device may comprise a heating element that surrounds the aerosol-generating article 1000 adjacent to the aerosol-forming substrate 1020 or a heating element that is inserted into the aerosol-forming substrate 1020.

(16) Once engaged with an aerosol-generating device, the aerosol-forming substrate 1020 is heated to a temperature of about 220° C. At this temperature a nicotine-containing aerosol is generated. A user draws on the mouth end 1012 of the aerosol-generating article 1000 and the aerosol is drawn downstream through the hollow cellulose acetate tube 1030, spacer element 1040 and mouthpiece filter 1050 and into the user's mouth.

(17) FIG. 3 shows an aerosol-generating article 5000 according to a second embodiment of the invention. The aerosol-generating article 5000 comprises an aerosol-forming substrate 5020, a support element 5030, an aerosol-cooling element 5040 and a mouthpiece 5050. The aerosol-forming substrate 5020, support element 5030, aerosol-cooling element 5040 and mouthpiece 5050 are arranged sequentially and in coaxial alignment and are circumscribed by an outer wrapper 5060 to form the aerosol-generating article 5000. The aerosol-generating article 5000 has a mouth end 5070, which a user inserts into their mouth during use, and a distal end 5080 located at the opposite end of the aerosol-generating article 5000 to the mouth end 5070.

(18) In use, volatile substances released from the aerosol-forming substrate 5020 pass along the aerosol-cooling element 5040 towards the mouth end 5070 of the aerosol-generating article 5000. The volatile substances may cool within the aerosol-cooling element 5040 to form an aerosol that is inhaled by the user. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the aerosol-cooling element comprises a crimped and gathered sheet of polylactic acid circumscribed by a wrapper. The aerosol-forming substrate 5020 comprises an aerosol-generating rod according to the invention comprising a crimped and gathered sheet according to the invention circumscribed by a wrapper.

(19) FIG. 4 shows an aerosol-generating article 1001 according to a third embodiment of the invention. Unlike the aerosol-generating article according to the first and second embodiments of the invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the aerosol-generating article 1001 shown in FIG. 4 comprises a combustible heat source 1080 that once ignited transfers heat by conduction to an aerosol-forming substrate 1020 to generate an inhalable aerosol. The combustible heat source 1080 is a carbonaceous heat source that is located in proximity to the aerosol-forming substrate at a distal end 1013 of the aerosol-generating article 1001. Elements of the aerosol-generating article shown in FIG. 4 that are essentially the same as elements of the aerosol-generating articles shown in FIG. 2 have been given the same numbering as in FIG. 2.

(20) FIG. 5 shows a portion of an electrically-operated aerosol-generating system 2000 that uses a heating blade 2100 to heat an aerosol-generating substrate 1020 of an aerosol-generating article 1000. The heating blade is mounted within an aerosol-generating article receiving chamber of an electrically-operated aerosol-generating device 2010. The aerosol-generating device 2010 defines a plurality of air holes 2050 for allowing air to flow to the aerosol-generating article 1000. Air flow is indicated by arrows in FIG. 5. The aerosol-generating device 2100 comprises a power supply and electronics, which are not illustrated in FIG. 5. The construction of the aerosol-generating article 1000 shown in FIG. 5 is the same as that of the aerosol-generating article 1000 according to a first embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2.

(21) The components of the aerosol-generating device 2010 are shown in a simplified manner in FIG. 6. The components of the aerosol-generating device 2010 are not drawn to scale in FIG. 6 and components that are not relevant for the understanding of the embodiment have been omitted to simplify FIG. 6.

(22) As shown in FIG. 6 the aerosol-generating device 2010 comprises a housing 6130. The heating element 6120 is mounted within an aerosol-generating article receiving chamber within the housing 6130. The aerosol-generating article 1000 (shown by dashed lines in FIG. 6) is inserted into the aerosol-generating article receiving chamber within the housing 6130 of the aerosol-generating device 2010 such that the heating element 6120 is directly inserted into the aerosol-forming substrate 1020 of the aerosol-generating article 1000.

(23) Within the housing 6130 there is an electrical energy supply 6140, for example a rechargeable lithium ion battery. A controller 6150 is connected to the heating element 6120, the electrical energy supply 6140 and a user interface 6160, for example a button or display. The controller 6150 controls the power supplied to the heating element 6120 in order to regulate its temperature.