An Aerosol Generating Article and Method of Manufacturing the Same

Abstract

An aerosol generating article for use with an aerosol generating device comprises: an aerosol generating substrate comprising a plurality of aerosol generating strips extending in a first direction and arranged intermittently in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a plurality of elongate support elements extending in the first direction along the plurality of aerosol generating strips and arranged alternately in the second direction with the plurality of aerosol generating strips; and a wrapping member surrounding the plurality of aerosol generating strips and the plurality of elongate support elements to form a substantially planar aerosol generating article. A method of manufacturing the aerosol generating article is also described.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating article for use with an aerosol generating device, the aerosol generating article comprising: an aerosol generating substrate comprising a plurality of aerosol generating strips extending in a first direction and arranged intermittently in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a plurality of elongate support elements extending in the first direction along the plurality of aerosol generating strips and arranged alternately in the second direction with the plurality of aerosol generating strips; and a wrapping member surrounding the plurality of aerosol generating strips and the plurality of elongate support elements to form the aerosol generating article, wherein the aerosol generating article has a substantially planar shape.

2. The aerosol generating article according to claim 1, wherein the elongate support elements are longer than the aerosol generating strips and extend beyond an end of the aerosol generating strips to form a mouth-end portion of the aerosol generating article.

3. The aerosol generating article according to claim 1, wherein the wrapping member forms a pair of major surfaces having a substantially flat shape, at least one of the major surfaces is spaced from the aerosol generating strips to form a gap between the major surface and the aerosol generating strips, and the gap extends in the first direction along the aerosol generating strips to form an airflow channel.

4. The aerosol generating article according to claim 3, wherein one of the pair of major surfaces contacts the plurality of aerosol generating strips and the plurality of elongate support elements.

5. The aerosol generating article according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of aerosol generating strips and the plurality of elongate support elements form a flat rectangular shape having a pair of main surfaces and the wrapping member comprises a pair of rectangular sheets attached, respectively, to the pair of main surfaces.

6. The aerosol generating article according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol generating article comprises a support member forming a mouth-end portion of the article, and the support member has a tubular form to receive a downstream end of the aerosol generating strips and the elongate support elements.

7. The aerosol generating article according to claim 1, wherein the wrapping member has a porous inner surface facing towards the aerosol generating substrate for absorbing condensation and an anti-stick outer surface facing away from the aerosol generating substrate.

8. The aerosol generating article according to claim 7, wherein the wrapping member comprises an anti-stick coating on the outer surface.

9. A method of manufacturing an aerosol generating article for use with an aerosol generating device, the method comprising: providing a plurality of aerosol generating strips extending in a first direction and arranging the plurality of aerosol generating strips intermittently in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; providing a plurality of elongate support elements extending in the first direction along the plurality of aerosol generating strips and arranging the plurality of elongate support elements alternately in the second direction with the plurality of aerosol generating strips; and wrapping the plurality of aerosol generating strips and the plurality of elongate support elements with a wrapping member to form the aerosol generating article such that the aerosol generating article has a substantially planar shape.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a first example of an aerosol generating article:

[0032] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view along the line A-A in FIG. 1:

[0033] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2 of a second example of an aerosol generating article:

[0034] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a third example of an aerosol generating article; and

[0035] FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of an aerosol generating system comprising an aerosol generating device and an aerosol generating article according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a first example of an aerosol generating article 1 for use with an electrically-operated aerosol generating device 102, an example of which will be described later in this specification with reference to FIG. 5. The aerosol generating article 1 is substantially planar and has a distal end 10 and a mouth end 12 (or proximal end) at the opposite end of the aerosol generating article 1. The mouth end 12 is downstream of the distal end 10 with respect to an airflow direction through the aerosol generating article 1 as represented in FIG. 1 by the three arrows.

[0038] A longitudinal axis extends between the distal end 10 and the mouth end 12 to define a longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article 1.

[0039] The aerosol generating article 1 comprises a substantially planar aerosol generating substrate 14. The aerosol generating substrate 14 comprises a plurality of aerosol generating strips 32 which extend in a first direction, substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article 1, between the distal end 10 and the mouth end 12. The aerosol generating strips 32 are spaced apart laterally, in other words they are arranged intermittently and spaced apart in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The aerosol generating substrate 14 formed by the aerosol generating strips 32 has a flat rectangular shape with a pair of oppositely disposed main surfaces 14a, 14b. The aerosol generating article 1 is a consumable, or disposable, article in which the aerosol generating strips 32 may comprise tobacco or a tobacco material.

[0040] The aerosol generating article 1 comprises a plurality of airflow channels 16 which, in the illustrated example, comprise a plurality of grooves 18 formed in a main surface 14a of the aerosol generating substrate 14. The grooves 18 are arranged side-by-side and parallel to each other, and the grooves 18 extend in the longitudinal direction between the distal end 10 and the mouth end 12, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. The grooves 18 may be formed in any suitable manner, for example by providing a reduced quantity of aerosol generating strips 32 in the regions where the grooves 18 are formed. Three grooves 18 are shown in the example of FIGS. 1 and 2, but it will be understood that any suitable number of grooves 18 can be provided, for example depending on the desired resistance-to-draw of the aerosol generating article 1. It should also be noted that the grooves 18 may have any suitable cross-sectional shape including, but not limited to, rectangular as illustrated in FIG. 2, square, trapezoidal, or semi-circular.

[0041] The aerosol generating article 1 comprises a plurality of elongate support elements 20 which also extend in the first direction, substantially parallel to the aerosol generating strips 32 and substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article 1, between the distal end 10 and the mouth end 12. The support elements 20 are spaced apart laterally, and more particularly are arranged alternately in the second direction with the plurality of aerosol generating strips 32. In the first example of the aerosol generating article 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support elements 20 have a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. In a second example of the aerosol generating article 2 illustrated in FIG. 3, the support elements 20 have a rectangular cross-sectional shape. Other cross-sectional shapes including, for example, square and oval, are entirely within the scope of the present disclosure. The support elements 20 comprise a material with a higher rigidity or stiffness than the aerosol generating strips 32 and, thus, help to maintain the structural rigidity and shape of the aerosol generating article 1, 2.

[0042] As will be apparent from FIG. 1, the support elements 20 are longer than the aerosol generating strips 32 and extend beyond a downstream end of the aerosol generating strips 32, towards the mouth end 12. Thus, the support elements 20 form a mouth-end portion 34 of the aerosol generating article 1.

[0043] The aerosol generating article 1 further comprises a wrapping member 22 which surrounds the aerosol generating strips 32 and the support elements 20. The aerosol generating strips 32 and the support elements 20 form a flat rectangular shape having a pair of main surfaces 44, 46 and are fully enclosed by the wrapping member 22 which may, for example, comprise cigarette paper or a similar material. The wrapping member 22 comprises a pair of rectangular sheets 24, 26 which are attached, respectively, to the main surfaces 44, 46. The wrapping member 22 is typically formed by a single sheet of material which is wrapped around the aerosol generating strips 32 and the support elements 20 and which may have overlapping edges that are adhered to each other to secure the wrapping member 22 in position.

[0044] The wrapping member 22 forms a pair of major surfaces 40, 42 having a substantially flat shape. The major surface 40 contacts the aerosol generating strips 32 and the support elements 20 at the main surface 44. The major surface 42 contacts the support elements 20 but is spaced from the aerosol generating strips 32 to form a series of gaps 36 between the major surface 42 and the aerosol generating strips 32. Each gap 36 extends in the first direction, substantially parallel to the aerosol generating strips 32 and substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article 1, between the distal end 10 and the mouth end 12. Each gap 36 forms an airflow channel 16 (or groove 18) as described above.

[0045] In an exemplary and non-limiting example, the aerosol generating substrate 14 formed by the aerosol generating strips 32 may have a length (in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article 1) of approximately 18.0 mm, may have a width of approximately 11.8 mm, and may have a thickness (or depth) of approximately 1.2 mm. The aerosol generating strips 32 may be spaced inwardly from the distal end 10 of the aerosol generating article 1 by a small distance, for example approximately 3.0 mm, as shown in FIG. 1. The aerosol generating article 1 may have a width of approximately 12.0 mm and a thickness (or depth) of approximately 1.4 mm to accommodate the aerosol generating strips 32 inside the wrapping member 22. The aerosol generating article 1 may have any suitable length between the distal end 10 and the mouth end 12 by varying the length of the portion of the wrapping member 22 that extends between the downstream end of the aerosol generating strips 32 and the mouth end 12, and by correspondingly varying the length of the support elements 20. As vapour flows through this portion of the wrapping member 22 during use of the aerosol generating article 1 in an aerosol generating device 102, the vapour may cool and condense to form an aerosol for inhalation by a user. Thus, the length of the portion of the wrapping member 22 and support elements 20 that extends between the downstream end of the aerosol generating strips 32 and the mouth end 12 of the aerosol generating article 1 may be selected at the time of manufacture to provide an aerosol with desired characteristics.

[0046] In some embodiments, the wrapping member 22 comprises a porous inner surface 22a which faces towards the aerosol generating substrate 14 and which is capable of absorbing condensation that may be formed during the heating process. Alternatively or in addition, the wrapping member 22 can comprise an anti-stick outer surface 22b facing away from the aerosol generating substrate 14 to reduce the risk of the wrapping member 22 sticking to surfaces of the aerosol generating device 102 when it has been heated. The anti-stick outer surface 22b may comprise an anti-stick coating on the outer surface 22b of the wrapping member 22.

[0047] The aerosol generating articles 1, 2 described above can be manufactured by (i) providing a plurality of aerosol generating strips 32 extending in the first direction and arranging the aerosol generating strips 32 intermittently in the second direction and (ii) providing a plurality of elongate support elements 20 extending in the first direction and arranging the elongate support elements 20 alternately in the second direction with the plurality of aerosol generating strips 32. It should be noted that steps (i) and (ii) may be performed in any order, or simultaneously. The final step in the manufacturing method comprises (iii) wrapping the aerosol generating strips 32 and the elongate support elements 20 with a wrapping member 22 to form a substantially planar aerosol generating article 1, 2.

[0048] Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a third example of an aerosol generating article 3. The aerosol generating article 3 is similar to the aerosol generating articles 1 and 2 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 and corresponding features are identified using the same reference numerals.

[0049] The aerosol generating article 3 includes a support member 28 positioned at the mouth end 12 of the aerosol generating article 3 to further form the mouth-end portion 34 which can be engaged by a user's lips during use of the aerosol generating article 3 in an aerosol generating device 102. The support member 28 typically comprises a self-supporting material such as cardboard or a plastics material and has a rectangular tubular form when viewed in cross-section to receive a downstream end of the aerosol generating strips 32 and the support elements 20. The wrapping member 22 also surrounds the support member 28.

[0050] Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown an aerosol generating system 100 comprising an aerosol generating device 102 and a first example of an aerosol generating article 1 as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. It will be appreciated that the aerosol generating device 102 could be used in combination with an alternative aerosol generating article according to the present disclosure, such as the second or third examples of the aerosol generating articles 2, 3 described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0051] The aerosol generating device 102 comprises a receiving chamber 106 and a heater 104 positioned in the device body 108 to provide heat to the receiving chamber 106. The heater 104 may be a resistive heater or may alternatively be an induction heater comprising a susceptor and an electromagnetic field generator including an induction coil.

[0052] In use, a user inserts the aerosol generating article 1 into the receiving chamber 106. The aerosol generating device 102 may include a cover 110 and a pivotal mounting 112 that allows the cover 110 to be moved between a closed position shown in FIG. 5 and an open position (not shown). As will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, a user must pivot the cover 110 to the open position to permit insertion of the aerosol generating article 1 into the receiving chamber 106 and then pivot the cover back to the closed position shown in FIG. 5 to retain the aerosol generating article 1 in position in the receiving chamber 106.

[0053] The aerosol generating device 102 includes a power source 114, e.g., a rechargeable battery, and a controller 116, both of which are connected to the heater 104. The heater 104 may be actuated manually, e.g., via a user interface such as a button on the aerosol generating device 102, or may be actuated automatically in response to a user drawing on a mouthpiece 118 of the aerosol generating device 102. The aerosol generating device 102 includes one or more air inlets 120 to allow air to flow into the aerosol generating article 1 and through the airflow channels 16. The airflow direction is illustrated by the arrows in FIG. 5.

[0054] With the aerosol generating article 1 positioned in the receiving chamber 106, power is supplied from the power source 114 to the heater 104 (either by a manual or automatic actuation of the heater 104 as described above), thereby heating the aerosol generating strips 32 without burning them to release one or more volatile components. The volatile components are entrained in the air flowing through the airflow channels 16 thereby forming a vapour. The vapour cools and condenses as it flows through the airflow channels 16 to form an aerosol which is inhaled by a user through the mouthpiece 118 of the aerosol generating device 102.

[0055] When the aerosol generating strips 32 become depleted and no longer release sufficient volatile components to generate an aerosol with acceptable qualities, the aerosol generating article 1 can be removed from the receiving chamber 106 after pivoting the cover 110 to the open position, and a replacement aerosol generating article 1 can be inserted in its place.

[0056] In the event that the aerosol generating device 102 is used in combination with an aerosol generating article having a support member 28, for example the third example of the aerosol generating article 3 described above with reference to FIG. 4, the support member 28 may project from an open end 106a of the receiving chamber 106 thereby enabling a user's lips to engage the mouth-end portion 34 of the aerosol generating article 3 formed by the support member 28.

[0057] Although exemplary embodiments have been described in the preceding paragraphs, it should be understood that various modifications may be made to those embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the breadth and scope of the claims should not be limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0058] Any combination of the above-described features in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the present disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

[0059] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words comprise, comprising, and the like, are to be construed in an inclusive as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of including, but not limited to.