Thermal laminate rods for use in aerosol-generating articles

Abstract

A rod and a method of forming a rod are provided. The rod includes a gathered sheet of material circumscribed by a wrapper, in which the sheet of material is a co-laminated sheet comprising a layer of an aerosol-forming material and a layer of a thermally-conductive material and in which the wrapper is a metal foil. The method includes providing a continuous co-laminated sheet including an aerosol-forming material and a thermally-conductive material; gathering the co-laminated sheet transversely relative to its longitudinal axis; circumscribing the gathered co-laminated sheet with a metal foil wrapper to form a continuous rod; and severing the continuous rod into a plurality of discrete rods.

Claims

1. A heated aerosol-generating article, comprising a combustible heat source and an aerosol-forming substrate comprising a rod located downstream of the combustible heat source, the rod comprising: a gathered sheet of material that is convoluted, folded, or otherwise compressed or constricted substantially transversely to a cylindrical axis of the rod and is circumscribed by a wrapper, wherein the gathered sheet of material is a co-laminated sheet comprising a layer of an aerosol-forming material and a layer of a thermally-conductive material, wherein the gathered sheet of material extends along substantially an entire length of the rod and across substantially an entire transverse cross-sectional area of the rod, and wherein the wrapper is a metal foil.

2. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the thermally-conductive material is a metal foil.

3. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the metal foil of the wrapper and/or the thermally-conductive material is aluminium foil.

4. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol-forming material comprises tobacco.

5. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the co-laminated sheet comprises the layer of the thermally-conductive material sandwiched between two layers of the aerosol-forming material.

6. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the co-laminated sheet is textured.

7. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 6, wherein the co-laminated sheet is crimped.

8. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, further comprising one or more further sheets of material, gathered together with the co-laminated sheet and circumscribed by the wrapper.

9. A method of forming a heated aerosol-generating article, comprising a combustible heat source and an aerosol-forming substrate comprising a discrete rod located downstream of the combustible heat source, the method comprising: providing a continuous co-laminated sheet of material comprising a layer of an aerosol-forming material and a layer of a thermally-conductive material; gathering the co-laminated sheet of material such that it is convoluted, folded, or otherwise compressed or constricted substantially transversely relative to its longitudinal axis; circumscribing the gathered co-aminated sheet of material with a metal foil wrapper to form a continuous rod, wherein the gathered co-laminated sheet of material extends along substantially an entire length of the continuous rod and across substantially an entire transverse cross-sectional area of the continuous rod; and severing the continuous rod into a plurality of discrete rods.

10. A heated aerosol-generating article for an electrically-heated aerosol-generating system comprising an aerosol-forming substrate, the substrate comprising a rod, the rod comprising: a gathered sheet of material that is convoluted, folded, or otherwise compressed or constricted substantially transversely to a cylindrical axis of the rod and is circumscribed by a wrapper, wherein the gathered sheet of material is a co-laminated sheet comprising a layer of an aerosol-forming material and a layer of a thermally-conductive material, wherein the gathered sheet of material extends along substantially an entire length of the rod and across substantially an entire transverse cross-sectional area of the rod, and wherein the wrapper is a metal foil.

11. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 10, wherein the thermally-conductive material is a metal foil.

12. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 10, wherein the metal foil of the wrapper and/or the thermally-conductive material is aluminium foil.

13. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 10, wherein the aerosol-forming material comprises tobacco.

14. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 10, wherein the co-laminated sheet comprises the layer of the thermally-conductive material sandwiched between two layers of the aerosol-forming material.

15. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 10, wherein the co-laminated sheet is textured.

16. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein the co-laminated sheet is crimped.

17. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 10, further comprising one or more further sheets of material, gathered together with the co-laminated sheet and circumscribed by the wrapper.

Description

(1) Specific embodiments 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 a rod according to a specific embodiment;

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of an aerosol-generating article as described herein;

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of an aerosol-generating article as described herein;

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

(6) FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of the electrically-operated aerosol-generating device illustrated in FIG. 3.

(7) The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 generally comprises: supply means for providing a continuous co-laminated sheet of homogenised tobacco and aluminium foil; crimping means for crimping the continuous co-laminated sheet; rod forming means for gathering the continuous crimped co-laminated sheet and circumscribing the gathered material with a metal foil wrapper to form a continuous rod; and cutting means for severing the continuous rod into a plurality of discrete rods. The apparatus also comprises transport means for transporting the continuous co-laminated sheet of material downstream through the apparatus from the supply means to the rod forming means via the crimping means.

(8) As shown in FIG. 1, the supply means for providing a continuous co-laminated sheet comprises a continuous co-laminated sheet of homogenised tobacco and aluminium foil 2 mounted on a bobbin 4. The crimping means comprises a pair of rotatable crimping rollers 6. In use, the continuous co-laminated sheet of homogenised tobacco and aluminium foil 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 co-laminated sheet of homogenised tobacco and aluminium foil 2 is fed between the pair of crimping rollers 6, the crimping rollers engage and crimp the sheet 2 to form a continuous crimped co-laminated sheet of homogenised tobacco and aluminium foil 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 of homogenised tobacco material 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 co-laminated sheet of homogenised tobacco and aluminium foil 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 co-laminated sheet of homogenised tobacco and aluminium foil is wrapped in a continuous sheet of aluminium foil wrapping material 12. The continuous sheet of aluminium foil wrapping material is fed from a bobbin 14 and enveloped around the gathered continuous crimped sheet of homogenised tobacco material 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 continuous sheet of wrapping material, so that when the opposed longitudinal edges of the continuous sheet of aluminium foil wrapping material 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 rods of unit rod length or multiple unit rod length.

(13) FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of an aerosol-generating article 1000 comprising a rod as described herein. The article 1000 comprises four elements; a rod 1020 of an aerosol-forming substrate 1020, a hollow cellulose acetate tube 1030, a spacer element 1040, and a mouthpiece filter 1050. These four elements are arranged sequentially and in coaxial alignment and are circumscribed by a cigarette paper 1060 to form the aerosol-generating article 1000. The article 1000 has a mouth-end 1012, which a user inserts into his or her mouth during use, and a distal end 1013 located at the opposite end of the article to the mouth end 1012. The embodiment of an aerosol-generating article illustrated in FIG. 2 is particularly suitable for use with an electrically-operated aerosol-generating device comprising a heater for heating the aerosol-forming substrate.

(14) When assembled, the article 1000 is about 45 millimetres in length and has an outer diameter of about 7.2 millimetres and an inner diameter of about 6.9 millimetres.

(15) The aerosol-forming substrate 1020 comprises a rod formed from a co-laminated sheet of homogenised tobacco and aluminium foil wrapped in aluminium foil 1021 to form a plug. The wrapper 1021 may be any metal foil. The wrapper 1021 may alternatively be a standard filter paper. A user may inadvertently attempt to ignite the aerosol-forming substrate 1020 by applying a flame to the distal end 1013 and simultaneously drawing air through the mouthpiece. Should this occur, the aluminium foil component of the co-laminated sheet will swiftly spread the applied heat throughout the aerosol-forming substrate, thereby making it more difficult to increase the homogenised tobacco component to its ignition temperature. This lowered propensity for ignition may be sufficient for the user to desist in the attempts to ignite the article.

(16) An aerosol-generating article 1000 as illustrated in FIG. 2 is designed to engage with an aerosol-generating device in order to be consumed. Such an aerosol-generating device includes means for heating the aerosol-forming substrate 1020 to a sufficient temperature to form an aerosol. Typically, 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.

(17) Once engaged with an aerosol-generating device, a user draws on the mouth-end 1012 of the smoking article 1000 and the aerosol-forming substrate 1020 is heated to a temperature of about 375 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, volatile compounds are evolved from the sheet of cast-leaf tobacco of the aerosol-forming substrate 1020. These compounds condense to form an aerosol. The aerosol is drawn through the filter 1050 and into the user's mouth.

(18) FIG. 3 illustrates a further alternative configuration of an aerosol-generating article 5000. The aerosol-generating article 5000 comprises four elements arranged in coaxial alignment: an aerosol-forming substrate 5020, a support element 5030, an aerosol-cooling element 5040, and a mouthpiece 5050. These four elements are arranged sequentially and are circumscribed by an outer wrapper 5060 to form the aerosol-generating article 5000. The aerosol-cooling element 5040 acts as a spacer element as described in relation to FIG. 2 as well as an aerosol-cooling element. In use, volatile substances released from the aerosol-forming substrate 5020 pass along the aerosol-cooling element 5040 towards a mouth end 5012 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 illustrated 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 is in the form of a rod 5020 formed from a co-laminated sheet of homogenised tobacco and aluminium foil wrapped in a wrapper to form a plug. The wrapper may be a metal foil such as an aluminium foil. The aerosol-generating 5000 has a proximal or mouth end 5070, which a user inserts into his or her mouth during use, and a distal end 5080 located at the opposite end of the aerosol-generating article 5000 to the mouth end 5070.

(19) FIG. 4 illustrates a portion of an electrically-operated aerosol-generating system 2000 that utilises 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 article receiving chamber of an electrically-operated aerosol-generating device 2010. The aerosol-generating device defines a plurality of air holes 2050 for allowing air to flow to the aerosol-generating article 1000. Air flow is indicated by arrows on FIG. 4. The aerosol-generating device comprises a power supply and electronics, which are illustrated in FIG. 5. The aerosol-generating article 1000 of FIG. 3 is as described in relation to FIG. 2.

(20) In FIG. 5, the components of the aerosol-generating device 2010 are shown in a simplified manner. Particularly, the components of the aerosol-generating device 2010 are not drawn to scale in FIG. 5. Components that are not relevant for the understanding of the embodiment have been omitted to simplify FIG. 5.

(21) As shown in FIG. 5, 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. 5) 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.

(22) 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.

(23) The exemplary embodiments described above are not limiting. In view of the above-discussed exemplary embodiments, other embodiments consistent with the above exemplary embodiment will now be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.