Multicomponent aerosol-forming article

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multicomponent aerosol-forming article defining a longitudinal axis, the article comprising: a first rod-shaped component comprising a first longitudinal surface having a first and a second axially opposed ends, said first longitudinal surface being at least partially wrapped around the longitudinal axis in a first wrapping sheet; a second rod-shaped component comprising a second longitudinal surface having a first and a second axially opposed ends, said second longitudinal surface being at least partially wrapped around the longitudinal axis in a second wrapping sheet, the first end of the second component being in direct abutment to the second end of the first component along said longitudinal axis; wherein a portion of said second longitudinal surface at said first end of said second component is free of said second wrapping sheet; andwherein said first wrapping sheet is wrapped for at least an overlapping length along the longitudinal axis on the second wrapping sheet.

Claims

1. A multicomponent aerosol-forming article defining a longitudinal axis, the article comprising: a first rod-shaped component comprising a first longitudinal surface having a first and a second axially opposed ends, said first longitudinal surface being at least partially wrapped around the longitudinal axis in a first wrapping sheet; a second rod-shaped component comprising a second longitudinal surface having a first and a second axially opposed ends, said second longitudinal surface being at least partially wrapped around the longitudinal axis in a second wrapping sheet, no additional sheet or layer being interposed between the second rod-shaped component and the second wrapping sheet, the first end of the second rod-shaped component being in direct abutment to the second end of the first rod-shaped component along said longitudinal axis; wherein a portion of said second longitudinal surface at said first end of said second rod-shaped component is free of said second wrapping sheet; wherein said first wrapping sheet is wrapped for at least an overlapping length along the longitudinal axis on the second wrapping sheet; wherein the portion of said second longitudinal surface at said first end of said second rod-shaped component free of said second wrapping sheet has a length along said longitudinal axis comprised between about 0.3 millimeters and about 3 millimeters; and wherein said first rod-shaped component comprises a mouthpiece filter and the second rod-shaped component comprises a filter component, the mouthpiece filter and the filter component being in direct abutment.

2. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 1, wherein said second end of said second rod-shaped component defines an end of said multicomponent aerosol-forming article.

3. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 1, wherein said second wrapping sheet is wrapped around a plurality of components aligned along said longitudinal axis.

4. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 1, wherein said second wrapping sheet has a wrapping length along said longitudinal axis shorter than a sum of lengths of aligned longitudinal surfaces along said longitudinal axis of a number of components wrapped in said second wrapping sheet.

5. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 1, wherein said filter component comprises a Poly Lactic Acid filter.

6. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 1, wherein the second wrapping sheet defines an inner diameter when wrapped around said second longitudinal surface, and wherein the inner diameter is bigger or equal to a diameter of the second rod-shaped component.

7. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 1, wherein a ratio between a length of the portion of said second longitudinal surface at said first end of said second rod-shaped component free of said second wrapping sheet and a length of the second rod-shaped component is comprised between about 0.015 and about 0.2.

8. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 1, wherein the overlapping length is comprised between about 3 millimeters and about 20 millimeters.

9. A package containing a plurality of multicomponent aerosol-forming article realized according to claim 1.

10. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece filter comprises a cellulose acetate filter plug.

11. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 1, further comprising a third rod-shaped component comprising a third longitudinal surface having a first and a second axially opposed ends, said third longitudinal surface being at least partially wrapped around the longitudinal axis in the second wrapping sheet, the first end of the third component being in direct abutment to the second end of the second rod-shaped component along said longitudinal axis.

12. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 11, wherein the said third component comprises a Hollow Acetate Tube.

13. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 12, further comprising a fourth rod-shaped component comprising a fourth longitudinal surface having a first and a second axially opposed ends, said fourth longitudinal surface being at least partially wrapped around the longitudinal axis in the second wrapping sheet, the first end of the fourth component being in direct abutment to the second end of the third component along said longitudinal axis.

14. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 13, wherein one of the third component or the fourth component comprises an aerosol-forming substrate.

15. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 14, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate comprises volatile tobacco flavor compounds.

16. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 13, wherein one of the third component or the fourth component further comprises a volatile flavour generating component.

17. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 16, wherein the volatile flavour generating component is coupled to a fibrous support element.

18. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 13, wherein one of the third component or the fourth component comprises a tobacco rod.

19. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article according to claim 1, wherein said second longitudinal surface at said second end is completely covered by said second wrapping sheet, so that an edge of said second longitudinal surface is aligned with an edge of said second wrapping sheet.

Description

(1) Further advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description thereof with no-limiting reference to the appended drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal section of a multicomponent aerosol-forming article defining a longitudinal axis according to the prior art;

(3) FIGS. 2-4 are schematic longitudinal sections of a multicomponent aerosol-forming article defining a longitudinal axis according to the present invention, in three successive steps of the manufacture thereof, that is, FIG. 4 is a schematic longitudinal section of the finished multicomponent aerosol-forming article and FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic longitudinal sections of semi-finished multicomponent aerosol-forming articles; and

(4) FIG. 5 is an enlarged, schematic longitudinal section of the portionsquared in dash lineof the semi-finished multicomponent aerosol-forming article of FIG. 2.

(5) In particular, FIG. 1 shows a multicomponent aerosol-forming article defining a longitudinal axis according the prior art, globally indicated with reference number 100.

(6) The multicomponent aerosol-forming article 100 comprises two different wrapping sheets 50 and 60, overlapping in an area 70 (see below) of the multicomponent aerosol-forming article 100.

(7) In particular, the multicomponent aerosol-forming article 100 includes a first component comprising a Mouth Piece Filter (MPF) 40, a second component comprising a Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) filter 30, a third component comprising a Hollow Acetate Tube (HAT) 20, and a fourth component comprising a tobacco rod 10. Further, the multicomponent aerosol-forming article 100 includes and a a first wrapping sheet 50 and a second wrapping sheet 60.

(8) The tobacco rod 10, the HAT 20, the PLA filter 30 and the MPF 40 are arranged adjacent each other. In particular, the tobacco rod 10 is adjacent to the HAT 20, the HAT 20 is adjacent to the PLA filter 30, the PLA filter 30 is adjacent to the MPF 40.

(9) The second wrapping sheet 60 wraps respective longitudinal surfaces 11, 21 and 31 of the tobacco rod 10, the HAT 20 and the PLA filter 30. The first wrapping sheet 50 wraps a longitudinal surface 41 of the MPF 40 and overlaps the second wrapping sheet 60 at the area 70 thereof, which is arranged around the end 32 of the PLA filter 30. The end 32 of the PLA filter 30 is arranged adjacent to the MPF 40.

(10) With reference to FIGS. 2-5, a multicomponent aerosol-forming article defining a longitudinal axis X according to the present invention is represented and indicated with reference number 200.

(11) The components of the multicomponent aerosol-forming article 200 of FIGS. 2-5 which are similar to, or have an analogous function with respect to, those of the multicomponent aerosol-forming article 100 of FIG. 1 are indicated with the same reference number.

(12) The multicomponent aerosol-forming article 200 includes a first, a second, a third and a fourth rod-shaped components 40, 30, 20, 10.

(13) The first rod-shaped component includes a MPF 40. The MPF 40 comprises a first longitudinal surface 41 having a first and a second axially opposed ends 42 and 43. The MPF 40 is wrapped around the longitudinal axis in a first wrapping sheet 500.

(14) The second component comprises a Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) filter 30.

(15) Further, the multicomponent aerosol-forming article 200 comprises a third component comprising a Hollow Acetate Tube (HAT) 20, and a fourth component comprising a tobacco rod 10. Tobacco rod 10, HAT 20 and PLA filter 30 are arranged adjacent to each other. In particular, the tobacco rod 10 is adjacent to the HAT 20 and the HAT 20 is adjacent to the PLA filter 30. Each component 40, 30, 20 and 10 defines a longitudinal axis.

(16) In the finished multicomponent aerosol-forming article 200 (see FIG. 4), the PLA filter 30 of the second rod-shaped component is arranged adjacent to the MPF 40. The multicomponent aerosol-forming article 200 defines a longitudinal axis X (shown in FIG. 4) and this longitudinal axis substantially coincides in the finished article to the longitudinal axes of the first, second, third and fourth components.

(17) The second, third and fourth rod-shaped components 30, 20, 10 comprise respective second, third and fourth longitudinal surfaces 31, 21 and 11 of the PLA 30, of the HAT 20 and of the tobacco rod 10, arranged adjacent to each other and aligned along the longitudinal axis X.

(18) The longitudinal surface of each component 30, 20, 10 defines a first and a second axially opposed ends. The first and second ends of the PLA filter 30 are indicated with 32 and 33, respectively; the first and second ends of the HAT 20 are indicated as 22, 23, respectively; and the first and second ends of the tobacco rod 10 are indicated with 12 and 13, respectively. The first end 32 of the second component 30 is in direct abutment to the second end 43 of the MPF 40 along the longitudinal axis. The second end 13 of the fourth component 10 is an end of the finished multicomponent aerosol-forming article 200, as well as the first end 42 of the first component 40 which forms a mouth piece.

(19) A part of the second longitudinal surface 31 is wrapped around the longitudinal axis X in a second wrapping sheet 600. More preferably, a part of the second 31, third 21 and fourth longitudinal surfaces 11 is wrapped in a second wrapping sheet 600.

(20) According to the invention, the second wrapping sheet 600 has a wrapping length along the longitudinal axis X shorter than a sum of lengths of the second longitudinal surface 31, third longitudinal surface 21 and fourth longitudinal surface 11 along the longitudinal axis X.

(21) Preferably, the length of the second longitudinal surface 31 is equal to about 18 millimeters, the length of the third longitudinal surface 21 is equal to about 8 millimeters and the length of the fourth longitudinal surface 11 is equal to about 12 millimeters. Furthermore, preferably the length of the first longitudinal surface 41 is equal to about 7 millimeters.

(22) The fourth longitudinal surface 11 at the second end 13 is completely covered by the second wrapping sheet 600. Thus an edge of the fourth longitudinal surface 11 is aligned with an edge of the second wrapping sheet 600. The second end 13 of the fourth component 10, which defines an end of the aerosol-forming article 200, is therefore completely covered by the second wrapping sheet 600.

(23) The second longitudinal surface 31 at the first end 32 is not completely covered by the second wrapping sheet 600. There is a portion 34 of the second longitudinal surface 31 that is not covered by the second wrapping sheet for a given length.

(24) In FIG. 5 the difference between the length of the second longitudinal surface 31 and the wrapping length of the second wrapping sheet 600 is indicated with 601.

(25) Therefore, the portion 34 of the second longitudinal surface 31 at the first end 33 of the second component is free of the second wrapping sheet 600 (see FIG. 5).

(26) The second wrapping sheet 600 is wrapped around the plurality of components 10, 20 and 30 aligned along the longitudinal axis X. In particular, the second wrapping sheet 600 is wrapped around the longitudinal surfaces 11 and 21 of the tobacco rod 10 and of the HAT 20, and around a part of the longitudinal surface 31 of PLA filter 30 (that is, the longitudinal surface 31 of PLA filter 30 minus the portion 34).

(27) The first wrapping sheet 500 is wrapped for a length along the longitudinal axis around the first component 40. Preferably, the first wrapping sheet 500 is wrapped around the first longitudinal surface 41 so as to cover it completely. Further, the first wrapping sheet is also wrapped for an overlapping length on the second wrapping sheet 600. The second component 30 is thus wrapped, for a given portion having the length of the overlapping, in the first wrapping sheet 500. Preferably, the overlapping length is longer than the length 601 so that the second longitudinal surface 31 is completely covered by either the second wrapping sheet 600 or by the first wrapping sheet 500.

(28) Preferably, the first longitudinal surface 41 at the first end 42 is completely covered by the first wrapping sheet 500. Thus an edge of the first longitudinal surface is aligned with an edge of the first wrapping sheet 500. Preferably, the first end 42 of the first component 40 forms a mouth piece.

(29) FIG. 2 shows a first step of the method of fabrication of the multicomponent aerosol-forming article 200, wherein the tobacco rod 10, the HAT 20 and the PLA 30 filter are wrapped in the second wrapping sheet 600.

(30) The length of the second wrapping sheet 600 along the longitudinal axis is shorter than the sum of the lengths of the longitudinal surfaces 11, 21 and 31 of the tobacco rod 10, HAT 20 and PLA 30 filter.

(31) In the case of the FIG. 2, the second wrapping sheet 600 has one of its ends aligned with the end 13 of the tobacco rod 10, which is not in contact with the MPF 40.

(32) FIG. 3 shows a second step of the method of fabrication of the multicomponent aerosol-forming article 200, wherein the MPF 40 is arranged in positive and direct contact with the end 32 of the PLA filter 30.

(33) FIG. 4 shows a third step of the method of fabrication of the multicomponent aerosol-forming article 200, wherein the first wrapping sheet 500 is wrapped around the MPF 40, the portion 34 of the PLA filter 30 and around a part of the second wrapping sheet 600.

(34) Multicomponent aerosol-forming articles 100, 200 may be inserted in packages including a plurality of aerosol-forming articles, such as 2, 5, 7 and so on.