Aerosol-generating article comprising a detachable freshener delivery element with high resistance to draw

Abstract

There is provided an aerosol-generating article (10) comprising an aerosol-generating substrate (12) and a mouthpiece (14) secured to a downstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate (12). The mouth piece (14) comprises at least one segment of porous filter material (20) and a blocking segment (27) that impedes air flow downstream of the at least one segment of porous filter material (20). The blocking segment (27) comprises a segment of support material (22) having an annular shape defining a channel (24) extending through at least part of the segment of support material (22), and at least one freshener delivery element (26) contained within the channel (24). The blocking segment (27) comprising the at least one freshener delivery element (26) is detachable from the at least one segment of porous filter material (20) to decrease the resistance to draw of the aerosol-generating article (10).

Claims

1. An aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate and a mouthpiece secured to a downstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate, the mouthpiece comprising: at least one segment of porous filter material; and a blocking segment downstream of the at least one segment of porous filter material, the blocking segment comprising a segment of support material having an annular shape defining a channel extending through at least part of the segment of support material between an upstream end of the segment of support material and a downstream end of the segment of support material, and at least one freshener delivery element contained within the channel extending through at least part of the segment of support material; wherein the blocking segment comprising the at least one freshener delivery element is detachable from the at least one segment of porous filter material to decrease the resistance to draw of the aerosol-generating article.

2. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol-generating article has a resistance to draw of at least 250 millimeters of water gauge when the blocking segment is attached to the at least one segment of porous filter material.

3. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol-generating article has a resistance to draw of between 40 millimeters of water gauge and 150 millimeters of water gauge after the blocking segment has been detached from the at least one segment of porous filter material.

4. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, further comprising a wrapper circumscribing the mouthpiece and a portion of the downstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate, the wrapper comprising a line of weakness extending around the wrapper so that the blocking segment is detachable from the at least one segment of porous filter material by breaking the wrapper along the line of weakness.

5. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 4, wherein the line of weakness overlies an upstream edge of the blocking segment.

6. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 4, wherein the line of weakness overlies the blocking segment downstream of an upstream edge of the blocking segment, and wherein a portion of the wrapper upstream of the line of weakness extends downstream of a downstream edge of the at least one segment of porous filter material so that the portion of the wrapper upstream of the line of weakness defines a mouth end recess when the blocking segment has been detached.

7. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 6, wherein the wrapper is a tipping paper having a basis weight of between 65 grams per square meter and 85 grams per square meter.

8. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein each of the channel and the freshener delivery element has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape, and wherein an internal diameter of the channel is less than an external diameter of the freshener delivery element.

9. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the at least one freshener delivery element comprises at least one solid freshener delivery element.

10. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the at least one freshener delivery element comprises at least one breakable capsule containing a gel or liquid freshener.

11. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the at least one freshener delivery element comprises a flavourant comprising at least one of menthol, linalool, thymol, eucalyptol, methyl salicylate, and combinations thereof.

12. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1 wherein the channel of the segment of support material is open only at one end of the segment of support material.

13. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises a tobacco rod.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an aerosol-generating article in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the aerosol-generating article of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the aerosol-generating article of FIG. 2 after the blocking segment has been detached;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an aerosol-generating article in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; and

(6) FIG. 5 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the aerosol-generating article of FIG. 4 after the blocking segment has been detached.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) FIG. 1 shows an aerosol-generating article 10 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. The aerosol-generating article 10 is a smoking article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate 12 in the form of a wrapped tobacco rod, and a mouthpiece 14 attached to the tobacco rod by a tipping wrapper 16 extending across the point of contact 18 between the downstream end of the tobacco rod and the upstream end of the mouthpiece 14.

(8) As shown more clearly in FIG. 2, the mouthpiece 14 comprises an upstream segment of porous filter material 20 and a downstream segment of support material 22. The segment of support material 22 has an annular shape defining a channel 24 extending through the segment of support material 22 between its upstream and downstream ends. Contained within the channel 24 is a freshener delivery element 26 comprising a breakable capsule containing a liquid menthol flavourant. The segment of support material 22 in combination with the freshener deliver element 26 forms a blocking segment 27 that impedes the flow of air through the aerosol-generating article 10.

(9) The tipping wrapper 16 comprises a line of weakness 28 extending around the full circumference of the tipping wrapper 16 and overlying the upstream edge of the segment of support material 22. The line of weakness 28 comprises a line of micro laser perforations.

(10) With the blocking segment 27 attached to the aerosol-generating article 10 the aerosol-generating article 10 has a very high resistance to draw when a consumer attempts to draw on the downstream end of the smoking article. To smoke the smoking article a consumer pulls or twists the blocking segment 27 relative to the segment of porous filter material 20 to break the tipping wrapper 16 along the line of weakness 28, as shown in FIG. 3. The consumer can then smoke the smoking article comprising the tobacco rod and the segment of porous filter material 20 in the same manner as a conventional filter cigarette. After smoking the smoking article, the consumer can squeeze the freshener delivery element 26 along the channel 24 and out of the segment of support material 22 and consume the liquid menthol flavourant contained within the breakable capsule.

(11) FIGS. 4 and 5 show an aerosol-generating article 100 in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. The aerosol-generating article 100 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is substantially the same as the aerosol-generating article 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and like reference numerals are used to refer to like parts.

(12) The difference in the aerosol-generating article 100 in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention is the tipping wrapper 116, which comprises a line of weakness 128 positioned further downstream when compared to the line of weakness 28 on the aerosol-generating article 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Although the detachment of the blocking segment 27 along the line of weakness 128 functions in the same way, the position of the line of weakness 128 further downstream is such that the portion of the tipping wrapper 116 that remains attached to the segment of filter material 20 extends downstream of the downstream edge of the segment of porous filter material 20 and therefore forms a mouth end recess 102 at the mouth end of the aerosol-generating article 100, as shown in FIG. 5.

(13) The embodiments and examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 and described above illustrate but do not limit the invention. Other embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof, and it is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are not limiting.