Method of Producing a Biodegradable Cartridge for Tobacco Vapour System

Abstract

A method of producing a biodegradable cartridge having a predominantly elongated cylindrical shape having a cavity, including steps of providing a first element of a sheet form into a cylindrical form; providing a second element to the cavity of a first end of the cartridge, thereby closing the first end of the cartridge; providing another second element to the cavity of a second end of the cartridge, thereby closing the second end of the cartridge; providing a third element to the second end of the cartridge such that the periphery of the second end is larger than the periphery of the first end of the cartridge; wherein the first element, the second element and the third element are made of biodegradable materials, wherein the elements are configured for an air flow to flow from the first end to the second end of the elongated cylindrical shape cartridge, and/or vice versa.

Claims

1. A method of producing a biodegradable cartridge for a tobacco vapour system, wherein the biodegradable cartridge has a cylindrical shape defining an inner cavity, comprising the steps of: providing a first element of a cylindrical shape defining said inner cavity of the cartridge; providing a second element to a first end of the first element, thereby closing a first end of the inner cavity of the cartridge; providing another second element to a second end of the first element, thereby closing a second end of the inner cavity of the cartridge, wherein the two second elements are identical; and providing a third element about one of the first or second elements such that a periphery of the cartridge is larger at a first end of the cartridge than the periphery at a second end of the cartridge; wherein the first element, the second elements, and the third element are made of biodegradable materials, wherein the cartridge is configured for an air flow to flow from the first end to the second end of the cartridge, and/or vice versa.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a filling the inner cavity of the cartridge with one or more filling materials.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of filling is performed after the step of providing the second element to the first end of the first element.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the third element is provided in a form of a sheet to wrap around the second end of the cartridge.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the third element is provided in a form of a cap to encase the second end of the cartridge.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing the third element includes providing the third element about the another second element before the step of providing the another second element to the second end of the first element, wherein the third element is provided in a form of a cap to encase the second end of the cartridge.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the cap provided to the second end of the cartridge has a periphery larger than the periphery of the cartridge.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the periphery of the cap is about 5% to 40% larger than the periphery at the first end of the cartridge.

9. (canceled)

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising rolling of a sheet material about a longitudinal axis to form the first element.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first element and one of the second elements are attached to each other in an end-to-end abutment with a wrapper.

12. A biodegradable cartridge produced by the method of claim 1.

13. A biodegradable cartridge for a tobacco vapour system, wherein the cartridge has an elongated cylindrical shape having a cavity, comprising a wall, a first end, and a second end, wherein the wall is made of a first element, wherein two identical second elements are provided to the first and second ends of the elongated cartridge, respectively, a third element is provided to the second end of the elongated cartridge such that a periphery of the second end is larger than a periphery of the first end of the elongated cartridge, wherein the first element, the second elements, and the third element are made of biodegradable materials, wherein the cartridge is configured for an air flow to flow from the first end to the second end of the elongated cartridge, and/or vice versa.

14. The biodegradable cartridge according to claim 12, wherein the biodegradable materials include paper, cotton, natural fibres, and/or recycled biomaterials.

15. The biodegradable cartridge according to claim 12, wherein the periphery of the second end is about 5% to 40%, larger than the periphery of the first end of the elongated cartridge, after the third element is provided to the second end of the elongated cartridge.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more filling materials include tobacco-containing granules.

17. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second end of the cartridge being wrapped has an additional thickness of about 1 mm to about 10 mm.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sealing the first and second ends of the cartridge.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] FIG. 1 shows schematic representation of a biodegradable cartridge according to the present invention when in used with an aerosol-generating device.

[0040] FIGS. 2A to 2E show a schematic representation of a manufacturing method of a biodegradable cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 3A to 3D show a schematic representation of a manufacturing method of a biodegradable cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 4A to 4D show a schematic representation of a manufacturing method of a biodegradable cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0043] FIG. 1 shows an example of the biodegradable cartridge 100 of the present invention when in use with a vaping device 205. The vaping device 205 may be made up of one or more components, such as an electrical power component 205a comprising at least a battery and a mouthpiece component 205b electrically connectable to the power component 205a and comprising an aerosol generating material reservoir containing for example a vaporisable liquid which can be heated by resistive or inductive heating to form an aerosol upon activation of the device by a user drawing air through the free end of the mouthpiece component 205b, where a cartridge 100 is inserted as shown. The cartridge where its one far end having a smaller diameter (or a smaller periphery) than another far end can be inserted into one far end of the vaping device 205.

[0044] The biodegradable cartridge 100 of the present invention can be manufactured according to several methods. FIGS. 2A-2E demonstrate a first manufacturing process, whereby a first, tubular, element 10 is formed from rolling a sheet, for instance a paper or board sheet, into a cylindrical shape, either by rolling or spiralling of said sheet. A second element 20a, forming an end plug for the tubular first element 10, having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the tubular first element 10 is then provided to a first end of the tubular first element 10 to close said first end (FIG. 2B). Said second element 20a may be secured to the inner walls of the tubular first element 10, for instance using a binder, a glue or through heat-melt.

[0045] Filling material such as tobacco-containing material as well as aerosol-generating substrates and materials can be provided within the cavity of the elongated tubular first element 10 before a second end thereof is being closed. According to the first embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG. 2A-2E, a second end plug 20b is provided to the said second end of the tubular first zo element 10 after it has been filed with a charge of filling material, thereby closing the second opening. As for the first end, the second end plug 20b may be attached to the inner wall of the tubular first element 10 for instance using a binder, a glue or through heat-melt. Alternatively, or complementarily, a third element 30, such as represented a ring component, can be provided about the second end of the tubular first element 10 to further secure the second element 20b (FIG. 2D) about the second end of the tubular first element 10. A similar third element 30 may also be provided to the first end of the tubular element 10 to further secure second-element 20a. The third element 30 is in form of a ring, wherein the ring has an inner diameter substantially equal, or even slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the end plugs 20a, 20b and tubular element 10, and exhibiting an outer diameter (or a periphery) larger than the outer diameter of the tubular element 10. By providing the ring element 30 to one end of the cartridge (or container), said cartridge 100 thus has one end having larger diameter (or periphery) than another end without the ring 30 being attached thereon. This larger diameter of the cartridge 100 serves to abut the cartridge with the end of the vaping device 205 such that the cartridge will not be fully inserted into the vaping device 205, as visible in FIG. 1.

[0046] According to a second embodiment of the present invention (FIGS. 3A-3D), the manufacturing process is largely similar to the first embodiment as described above, except that the second plug 20b is firstly provided to the ring 30 (FIG. 3B) to form a cap member, which is then slid about the tubular element 10 at an open end of the elongated cylindrical shape cartridge. Similar to the first embodiment, the ring 30 is provided to circumscribe the opening of the top open end of the elongated cylindrical shape cartridge while the plug element 20b fitted into said ring covers said opening to prevent the filling material from spilling out therefrom. The plug element 20b may preferably be of a shorter longitudinal dimension than that of the ring 30 when measured along a longitudinal axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the cartridge, i.e. parallel to a chord of the tubular element 10 of the cartridge 100. Thus, the cap member formed of the said plug second element 20b in the ring third element 30 may be actually slid and capped onto the open end of the tubular element 10 easily.

[0047] In a third embodiment (FIGS. 4A-4D), the manufacturing process differs to the first embodiment and the second embodiment in that the third element 30 can be provided in form of a sheet roll instead of a ring. Once the filling material 50 is filled within the cavity of the elongated cylindrical shape cartridge and that both ends of the cylindrical cartridge are being closed or sealed by the two plug second elements 20a, 20b, the third element 30 can then be wrapped around one of the second elements 20a, 20b such that the diameter of that end of the tubular element 10 can be enlarged.

[0048] To this end, it is disclosed that the first element 10, second element 20a, 20b and the third element 30 are biodegradable and that they can be provided with similar material. Of course, different kind of materials or a mixed of a several materials in an element have been contemplated. The biodegradable materials can be for instance paper, natural fibre, cotton, recycled biomaterials.

[0049] The two second elements 20a, 20b can be provided with the same material or can be made up of different materials. The second element 20a, 20b is preferably made of a material that is air permeable or has a structure that is air permeable. For instance, the material can be porous and has a sponge-like microstructure, or it can be provided with plurality of air channels to allow for an airflow. Alternatively, the second element 20a, 20b can be provided with a micro-mesh or micro-net such that air is capable of flowing within the body of the elements. In some embodiments, the second element 20a, 20b can be provided using for instance a filter plug of a cigarette which is made of biodegradable materials.

[0050] In any of the first, second or third embodiments previously described the first element 10 and first second element 20a may alternatively by adjoined and attached to each other in an end-to-end abutment with a wrapper, in particular a paper wrapper know as a plugwrap in the smoking article making industry to attach together multiple filter segments for instance. Such alternative attachment method for the first element 10 and first second element 20a provides the advantage to allow for simultaneous formation of multiple tubular bodies for the cartridges by attachment end to end of a plurality of tubular rods to form first elements 10 and rods of filter material of at least twice the length of a second elements 20a, 20b in alternance, and to wrap them altogether with a single plugwrap. The attached rod thus formed can then be cut, by laser or sawing for example, in the middle of the filter rods in order to cut individual cartridge bodies comprised of one first element 10 and one second element 20a attached to each other with plugwrap and then directly fillable with filling material according to various processes previously described.

[0051] It is also disclosed herein that the biodegradable cartridge 100 of the present invention can also be provided with one or more additional segments. For instance, a segment which is made up of a plurality of elongated rods, each rod having cavity within, are provided to the elongated cylindrical shape cartridge 100 (e.g. in between the two second elements 20a, 20b). This segment may serve to facilitate an air flow or may serve as an air-cooling section.