SUSCEPTOR HEATING ELEMENT EXTRACTION

Abstract

An assembly to facilitate removal of a susceptor heating element from an aerosol generating article includes a cutting tool comprising (i) a body defining a passageway through which the aerosol generating article may be passed, and (ii) a cutting element extending into the passageway. The cutting element comprises a cutting edge arranged to cut the aerosol generating article as the aerosol generating article passes through the passageway. The assembly may include a heating element removal tool comprising a tip configured to magnetically attract the susceptor heating element. Alternatively, the cutting element may comprise a magnet to attract the susceptor heating element as the aerosol generating article passes the cutting element as the aerosol generating article passes through the passageway.

Claims

1. An assembly to facilitate removal of a susceptor heating element from an aerosol generating article, the assembly comprising: a cutting tool comprising (i) a body defining a passageway through which the aerosol generating article may be passed, and (ii) a cutting element extending into the passageway, wherein the cutting element comprises a cutting edge arranged to cut the aerosol generating article as the aerosol generating article passes through the passageway; and a heating element removal tool comprising a tip configured to magnetically attract the susceptor heating element and to remove the heating element from the aerosol generating element that has been cut by the cutting tool when the tip is placed in proximity to the susceptor heating element.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cutting element comprises a first blade.

3. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the heating element removal tool is retainable in the passageway.

4. The assembly according to claim 3, wherein the heating element removal tool is magnetically retainable in the passageway.

5. The assembly according to claim 4, wherein the tip of the heating element removal tool is magnetically attracted to the cutting element to magnetically retain the heating element removal tool in the passageway.

6. The assembly according to claim 1, comprising a separator tool configured to aid in separating a portion of the cut aerosol generating article from an opposing portion of the cut aerosol generating article along the cut.

7. The assembly according to claim 6, wherein the separator tool is retainable in the passageway.

8. A tool to facilitate removal of a susceptor heating element from an aerosol generating article, the tool comprising: a body defining a passageway through which the aerosol generating article may be passed; and a cutting element extending into the passageway, wherein the cutting element comprising a cutting edge arranged to cut the aerosol generating article as the aerosol generating article passes through the passageway, and wherein the cutting element comprise a magnet and is configured to magnetically attract the susceptor heating element.

9. The tool according to claim 8, wherein the cutting element comprises a blade.

10. The tool according to claim 8, wherein the cutting element is configured to be inserted into the passageway and removed from the passageway.

11. A method comprising: removing a susceptor heating element from an aerosol generating article using the tool of claim 8.

12. A method for removing a susceptor heating element from an aerosol generating article, the method comprising: passing the aerosol generating article through a passageway of a cutting tool, the cutting tool comprising (i) a body defining the passageway and (ii) a cutting element extending into the passageway, the cutting element comprising a cutting edge arranged to cut the aerosol generating article as the aerosol generating article is passed through the passageway; removing the susceptor heating element from the cut aerosol generating article, wherein removing the susceptor heating element from the cut aerosol generating article comprises magnetically attracting the susceptor heating element to the cutting tool.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein removing the susceptor heating element from the cut aerosol generating article comprises magnetically attracting the susceptor heating element to a tip of a heating element removal tool.

14. The method according to claim 13, comprising separating a portion of the cut aerosol generating article from an opposing portion of the cut aerosol generating article along the cut.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein removing the susceptor heating element from the cut aerosol generating article comprises magnetically attracting the susceptor heating element to the cutting element.

Description

[0139] Examples will now be further described with reference to the figures in which:

[0140] FIG. 1 is schematic cross-sectional illustration of an example of an aerosol generating article;

[0141] FIG. 2 is schematic cross-sectional illustration of an example of an electrically operated aerosol generating device for use with the aerosol generating article illustrate in FIG. 1;

[0142] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of the aerosol generating article illustrated in FIG. 1 received in a cavity of the aerosol generating device illustrated in FIG. 2;

[0143] FIG. 4 is schematic cross-sectional illustration of an example of a cutting tool and an aerosol generating article that may be cut by the cutting tool;

[0144] FIG. 5 is an illustration of a cross-sectional view of a cut aerosol generating article and a heating element removal tool;

[0145] FIG. 6 is an illustration of a cross-sectional view of a cut aerosol generating article and a heating element removal tool to which a removed susceptor heating element is attracted;

[0146] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional illustration of a cutting tool and a heating element removal tool inserted into a passageway of the cutting tool;

[0147] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional illustration of a cutting tool, a heating element removal tool inserted into a passageway of the cutting tool, and a separator tool inserted into the passageway of the cutting tool;

[0148] FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of an example of a separating tool; and

[0149] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method according to the present invention.

[0150] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an aerosol generating article 10 that may be used with the tools, assemblies, uses, and methods of the present invention. The illustrated aerosol generating article 10 comprises four elements arranged in coaxial alignment: an aerosol forming substrate a support element 30, an aerosol cooling element 40, and a mouthpiece 50. Each of these four elements is a substantially cylindrical element, each having substantially the same diameter. These four elements are arranged sequentially and are circumscribed by an outer wrapper 60 to form a cylindrical rod. A blade shaped susceptor heating element 25 is located within, and in direct physical contact with, the aerosol forming substrate 20. The susceptor heating element 25 has a length that is approximately the same as the length of the aerosol forming substrate 20 and is located along a longitudinal axis of the aerosol generating article 10.

[0151] The susceptor heating element 25 is a ferritic iron material having a length of 12 millimeters, a width of 4 millimeters and a thickness of 1 millimeter. An end of the susceptor heating element is pointed to facilitate insertion into the aerosol forming substrate 20.

[0152] The aerosol generating article 10 has a proximal or mouth end 70, which a user inserts into his or her mouth during use, and a distal end 80 located at the opposite end of the aerosol generating article 10 to the mouth end 70. Once assembled, the total length of the aerosol generating article 10 is about 45 millimeters and the diameter is about 7.2 millimeters.

[0153] A schematic cross-sectional illustration of an electrically operated aerosol generating device 200 is shown in FIG. 2. The aerosol generating device 200 comprises an inductor 210 located adjacent a distal portion 231 of a substrate receiving cavity 230. In use, the user inserts an aerosol generating article 10 into the substrate receiving cavity 230 of the aerosol generating device 200 such that the aerosol forming substrate 20 and susceptor heating element 25 of the aerosol generating article 10 is located adjacent to the inductor 210.

[0154] The aerosol generating device 200 comprises a battery 250 and electronics 260 that allow the inductor 210 to be actuated. Such actuation may be manually operated or may occur automatically in response to a user drawing on an aerosol generating article 10 inserted into the substrate receiving chamber 230 of the aerosol generating device 200.

[0155] When actuated, a high-frequency alternating current is passed through coils of wire that form part of the inductor 210, which causes the inductor 210 to generate a fluctuating electromagnetic field within the distal portion 231 of the substrate receiving cavity 230. When an aerosol generating article 10 is correctly located in the substrate receiving cavity 230, the susceptor heating element 25 of the article 10 is located within this fluctuating electromagnetic field. The fluctuating field generates eddy currents within susceptor material of the susceptor heating element 25, which is heated as a result. The heated susceptor heating element heats the aerosol forming substrate 20 of the aerosol generating article 10 to a sufficient temperature to form an aerosol. The aerosol is drawn downstream through the aerosol generating article 10 and inhaled by the user. FIG. 3 illustrates an aerosol-generating article 10 received in the cavity 230 of the aerosol generating device 200.

[0156] FIG. 4 illustrates an aerosol generating article 10 and a cutting tool 400. The cutting tool 400 has a body 410 that defines a passageway 420 extending the length of the cutting tool 400. The cutting tool 400 comprises a blade 430 extending from the body 410 into the passageway 420. The depicted cutting tool 400 includes two cutting edges. One cutting edge faces an opening defined by the body 410 on the right of FIG. 4 and the other cutting edge faces an opening defined by the body 410 on the left of FIG. 4.

[0157] The aerosol generating article 10 may be passed through the passageway 420 of the cutting tool 400 from right to left. However, because the blade 430 has opposing cutting edges, the aerosol generating article 10 may also be passed through the passageway 420 from left to right. The diameter of the passageway 420 is greater than the outer diameter of the aerosol generating article 10 to allow the aerosol generating article 10 to pass through the passageway 420. The diameter of the passageway 420 may be 8 millimeters, and the diameter of the aerosol generating article 10 may be 7.2 millimeters.

[0158] After passing through the cutting tool 400 the aerosol generating article 10 is cut.

[0159] FIG. 5 illustrates a cut aerosol generating article 10 that has been cut along line 15 to expose internal components of the aerosol generating article 10, including the susceptor heating element 25. The susceptor hating element 25 may be removed from the aerosol generating article using a heating element removal tool 700 that has a magnetic tip 710. When the magnetic tip 710 is placed in proximity to the susceptor heating element 25 the susceptor heating element 25 is attracted to the tip 710 and may be removed from the aerosol generating article 10 as illustrated in FIG. 6.

[0160] Alternatively, the cutting element (for example, blade 430 as illustrated in FIG. 4) may comprise a magnet that attracts the susceptor heating element as the aerosol generating article is passed through the passageway of the cutting tool, and the cutting element and attracted susceptor heating element may be removed from the cutting tool to recover the susceptor heating element (not shown).

[0161] FIG. 7 illustrates a heating element removal tool 700 inserted into the passageway 420 of the cutting tool 400 for storage. The tip 710 of the heating element removal tool 700 is magnetic and attracted to the blade 430, which magnetic attraction retains the heating element removal tool 700 in the passageway of the cutting tool 400. The heating element removal tool 700 includes a shaft 720 that extends from a distal handle portion 730 to the magnetic tip 710. The distal handle portion 730 has a diameter greater than the diameter of the passageway 420 but is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the body 410 of the cutting tool 400 to provide a smooth transition between the exterior surfaces of the cutting tool 400 and the heating element removal tool 700 when the heating element removal tool 700 is stored in the passageway 420 of the cutting tool 400.

[0162] As illustrated in FIG. 8, a separator tool 900 may also be inserted in, and retained within, the passageway 420 of the cutting tool 400. A tip of the separator tool 900 may be magnetic and attracted to the blade 430 or may be magnetically attracted to the tip 710 of the heating element removal tool 700. The magnetic attraction retains the separator tool 900 in the passageway of the cutting tool 400. The separator tool 900 includes a shaft 920 that extends from a distal handle portion 930 to the tip. The distal handle portion 930 has a diameter greater than the diameter of the passageway 420 but is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the body 410 of the cutting tool 400 to provide a smooth transition between the exterior surfaces of the cutting tool 400 and the separator tool 900 when the separator removal tool 900 is stored in the passageway 420 of the cutting tool 400.

[0163] A schematic drawing of an example of a separator tool 900 is shown in FIG. 9. The separator tool 900 includes a handle 930 and a first arm 941 and a second arm 942 extending from the handle 930. Inward pinching force on the mid-section of the arms 941, 942 causes free ends of the arms 941, 942 to separate. The free ends of the arms 941, 942 serve as a spreader. Insertion of the free ends of the arms 941, 942 of the separator tool 900 into a cut (such as cut depicted in FIG. 5) of an aerosol generating article and pinching the mid-section of the arms 941, 942 causes the free ends of the separator tool 900 to separate, which causes opposing surfaces along the cut aerosol generating article to separate. Separating opposing surfaces of the aerosol generating article along the cut may provide access to the susceptor heating element, which may be removed from the aerosol generating article using the heating element removal tool.

[0164] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a method according to the present invention. The method includes passing the aerosol generating article through a passageway of a cutting tool to cut the aerosol generating article (121). The method also includes removing the susceptor heating element from the cut aerosol generating article (123).

[0165] For the purpose of the present description and of the appended claims, except where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, quantities, percentages, and so forth, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”. Also, all ranges include the maximum and minimum points disclosed and include any intermediate ranges therein, which may or may not be specifically enumerated herein. In this context, therefore, a number A is understood as A ±2 percent of A. Within this context, a number A may be considered to include numerical values that are within general standard error for the measurement of the property that the number A modifies. The number A, in some instances as used in the appended claims, may deviate by the percentages enumerated above provided that the amount by which A deviates does not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed invention. Also, all ranges include the maximum and minimum points disclosed and include any intermediate ranges therein, which may or may not be specifically enumerated herein.