SMOKING ARTICLE AND AEROSOL GENERATING SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME

Abstract

A smoking article includes a medium accommodation portion filled with a plurality of tobacco sheets, a moisturizer accommodation portion disposed on one side of the medium accommodation portion and including an aerosol generating material, and a filter portion disposed on another side of the medium accommodation portion. The plurality of tobacco sheets may be manufactured using base paper having a basis weight less than that of existing base paper.

Claims

1. A smoking article comprising: a medium accommodation portion filled with a plurality of tobacco sheets; a moisturizer accommodation portion disposed on one side of the medium accommodation portion and comprising an aerosol generating material; and a filter portion disposed on another side of the medium accommodation portion, wherein each of the tobacco sheets has a basis weight of about 20 grams per square meter (gsm) to about 50 gsm.

2. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein each of the tobacco sheets has a thickness of about 50 micrometers (?m) to about 100 ?m.

3. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein each of the tobacco sheets has a paper width of about 200 millimeters (mm) to about 250 mm.

4. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein a resistance to draw of the medium accommodation portion is ? of a resistance to draw of the moisturizer accommodation portion.

5. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein each of the tobacco sheets is formed by folding a flat sheet coated with a tobacco medium multiple times.

6. The smoking article of claim 5, wherein the tobacco medium comprises at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, and nicotine.

7. The smoking article of claim 6, wherein the tobacco medium comprises about 0.08 milligrams (mg) to about 2.5 mg of glycerin per 1 mm length of the medium accommodation portion.

8. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the aerosol generating material comprises glycerin and propylene glycol, and optionally comprises nicotine.

9. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the filter portion comprises: a first filter portion comprising a cavity; and a second filter portion filled with a filtration material.

10. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein at least one segment of the medium accommodation portion, the moisturizer accommodation portion, and the filter portion is wrapped with a segment wrapper.

11. The smoking article of claim 10, wherein a plurality of segments comprising the medium accommodation portion, the moisturizer accommodation portion, and the filter portion are wrapped with the segment wrapper, and the segment wrapper is wrapped with a total wrapper.

12. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the medium accommodation portion has a resistance to draw of about 50 mmH.sub.2O to about 70 mmH.sub.2O.

13. An aerosol generating device, wherein the aerosol generating device is configured to receive the smoking article of claim 1 and provide an aerosol by heating the aerosol generating material stored in the smoking article.

14. The aerosol generating device of claim 13, comprising: an elongated cavity configured to accommodate the smoking article; a heater configured to heat the medium accommodation portion and the moisturizer accommodation portion of the smoking article; and a controller electrically connected to the heater.

15. An aerosol generating system comprising: the smoking article of claim 1; and an aerosol generating device configured to receive the smoking article of claim 1 and provide an aerosol by heating the aerosol generating material stored in the smoking article.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a smoking article according to an embodiment.

[0032] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.

[0033] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol generating system in a state in which a smoking article and an aerosol generating device are coupled, according to an embodiment.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0034] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, various alterations and modifications may be made to the embodiments. Here, the embodiments are not construed as limited to the disclosure. The embodiments should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and replacements within the idea and the technical scope of the disclosure.

[0035] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. The singular forms a, an, and the are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms comprises/comprising and/or includes/including when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments belong. Terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, are to be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and are not to be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0037] When describing the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, like reference numerals refer to like components and a repeated description related thereto will be omitted. In the description of embodiments, detailed description of well-known related structures or functions will be omitted when it is deemed that such description will cause ambiguous interpretation of the present disclosure.

[0038] In addition, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), and the like may be used to describe components of the embodiments. These terms are used only for the purpose of discriminating one component from another component, and the nature, the sequences, or the orders of the components are not limited by the terms. It should be noted that if one component is described as being connected, coupled or joined to another component, the former may be directly connected, coupled, and joined to the latter or connected, coupled, and joined to the latter via another component.

[0039] A component, which has the same common function as a component included in any one embodiment, will be described by using the same name in other embodiments. Unless otherwise described, the description on one embodiment may be applicable to another embodiment and thus, redundant description will be omitted for conciseness.

[0040] FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a smoking article according to an embodiment.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 1, a smoking article 100 according to an embodiment may include a medium accommodation portion 110, a moisturizer accommodation portion 120 disposed on one side of the medium accommodation portion 110 to generate an aerosol, and a filter portion 130 disposed on another side of the medium accommodation portion 110. The smoking article 100 may include a plurality of segments, such as the medium accommodation portion 110, the moisturizer accommodation portion 120, and the filter portion 130. The segments of the smoking article 100 may or may not be individually wrapped with a segment wrapper 140. Segments wrapped with the segment wrapper 140 may be wrapped again with a total wrapper 150 to form a single smoking article.

[0042] In the present disclosure, the medium may include a solid material that is based on raw tobacco materials, such as reconstituted tobacco sheets, cut tobacco leaves, reconstituted tobacco, or the like, and/or a liquid composition that is based on glycerin, propylene glycol, nicotine, menthol, caffeine, y-aminobutyric acid (GABA), taurine, vitamin, or various flavoring agents, but is not limited thereto.

[0043] In the present disclosure, the medium accommodation portion 110 may be filled with a plurality of tobacco sheets 112. The plurality of tobacco sheets 112 may be manufactured using base paper having a paper width greater than that of base paper used in a medium accommodation portion of an existing smoking article and having a basis weight and a thickness smaller than those of the base paper used in the medium accommodation portion of the existing smoking article. Thus, a smoking article with a significantly reduced resistance to draw may be provided. Preferably, base paper of the tobacco sheets 112 may be configured so that the resistance to draw of the medium accommodation portion 110 is ? of the resistance to draw of the moisturizer accommodation portion 120.

[0044] More specifically, a tobacco sheet according to an embodiment may have a basis weight of about 20 grams per square meter (gsm) to about 50 gsm, desirably about 35 gsm. If the basis weight is extremely greater than the above basis weights, the tobacco sheet may be insufficiently crimped due to relatively thick paper. If the basis weight is extremely low, it may be difficult to form a filter rod because paper is relatively thin and easily torn. In addition, a tobacco sheet according to an embodiment may have a thickness of about 50 micrometers (?m) to about 100 ?m, desirably about 85 ?m.

[0045] A tobacco sheet according to an embodiment may have a paper width of about 200 millimeters (mm) to about 250 mm, desirably about 220 mm. If the paper width is extremely greater than the above paper widths, filter equipment, such as a size of a bobbin, a crimping device and all manufacturing equipment, may need to be upgraded. If the paper width is extremely low, it may be considerably difficult to form a filter rod because a filter needs to be filled with a predetermined amount of paper.

[0046] Physical properties of base paper of a tobacco sheet used in the present disclosure are shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Item Unit Control group Experimental group Paper width mm 150 220 Basis weight g/m.sup.2 60 35 Thickness ?m 147 85 Whiteness % 70 or greater 70 or greater Tensile strength kgf/15 mm 4.0 or greater 1.5 or greater Extension rate % 13 or greater 10 or greater Fiber composition 50% of birch pulp or greater

[0047] Each of the tobacco sheets 112 may be formed by folding a flat sheet coated with a tobacco medium multiple times. Here, the tobacco medium may be in a liquid form. The tobacco medium may include about 0.08 milligrams (mg) to about 2.5 mg of glycerin per 1 mm length of the medium accommodation portion 110.

[0048] The medium accommodation portion 110 may have a length of about 10 mm to about 14 mm, desirably about 12 mm. The tobacco sheets 112 may contain about 1 to 30 mg/12 mm of glycerin, desirably about 20 mg/12 mm of glycerin. If the amount of glycerin is extremely less than the above amounts, the amount of atomization may be insufficient. If the amount of glycerin is extremely large, a filter plug wetting phenomenon may occur, which may result in poor manufacturing workability and a significant increase in a resistance to draw in comparison to a target level.

[0049] The medium accommodation portion 110 may further contain other additives such as an additional moisturizer, a flavoring agent, and/or an organic acid. The additional moisturizer may be, for example, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, or oleyl alcohol, but is not limited thereto. The flavoring agent may be, for example, licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, isosweet, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, cinnamon, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cassia, ylang-ylang, sage, spearmint, ginger, coriander, or coffee, but is not limited thereto.

[0050] In the present disclosure, the moisturizer accommodation portion 120 may contain a moisturizer. The moisturizer may include glycerin and propylene glycol, and may further include at least one of ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, oleyl alcohol, and water. In addition, the moisturizer accommodation portion 120 may further include nicotine. However, materials included in the moisturizer accommodation portion 120 are not limited thereto. The moisturizer may maintain an appropriate level of moisture in an aerosol generated when a smoking article is heated, thereby mellowing a unique taste of tobacco and enriching an amount of atomization.

[0051] In the present disclosure, the filter portion 130 may include at least one segment, and may include, for example, at least one of a tube filter, a cooling structure, and a recess filter. Desirably, the filter portion 130 may include a first filter portion 132 including a cavity therein, and a second filter portion 134 fully filled with a filtration material. The filtration material may include a cellulose-based material (e.g., acetate, paper, etc.).

[0052] To measure a resistance to draw, analyze aerosol components, and perform sensory evaluation with respect to a smoking article according to an embodiment, a smoking article was manufactured as shown in Table 2 below.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Moisturizer Medium Classifi- accommodation accommodation cation portion portion Filter portion Control 50 mg of solution 20 mg of glycerin Same (first filter group with glycerin Crepe paper with portion and second 99.05% and basis weight of 60 filter portion) nicotine stock gsm and width of solution 0.95% 150 mm Experi- (Resistance to draw 20 mg of glycerin mental of 250 mmH.sub.2O) Base paper with group basis weight of 35 gsm and width of 220 mm

Experimental Example 1. Measurement of Resistance to Draw

[0053] First, Table 3 shows results obtained by measuring a resistance to draw of a medium accommodation portion formed of base paper with a reduced basis weight.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 EPD Circum- (mmH.sub.2O)_imme- EPD Classifi- Weight ference diately after (mmH.sub.2O)_after cation (mg) (mm) manufacturing conditioning Control 855 22.02 93 95 group Experi- 784 22.05 58 60 mental group

[0054] As a result of a comparison with a control group where a medium accommodation portion is formed of crepe paper, the control group has an encapsulated pressure drop (EPD) of 93 mmH.sub.2O immediately after manufacturing and an EPD of 95 mmH.sub.2O after conditioning, while the experimental group has an EPD of 58 mmH.sub.2O immediately after manufacturing and an EPD of 60 mmH.sub.2O after conditioning, which were about 40% less than the control group, respectively.

[0055] Table 4 shows results obtained by measuring a resistance to draw of a smoking article including the medium accommodation portion.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Weight Circumference Vent UPD EPD Classification (mg) (mm) (%) (mmH.sub.2O) (mmH.sub.2O) Control group 642 22.65 65.0 58.5 114.6 Experimental 634 22.68 65.3 53.4 103.8 group

[0056] As a result of a comparison with a control group where a medium accommodation portion is formed of crepe paper, the control group has an unencapsulated pressure drop (UPD) of 58.5 mmH.sub.2O and an EPD of 114.6 mmH.sub.2O, while the experimental group has an UPD of 53.4 mmH.sub.2O and an EPD of 103.8 mmH.sub.2O, which were significantly reduced.

Experimental Example 2. Analysis of Aerosol Components

[0057] Table 5 shows results obtained by analyzing components of an aerosol generated by 9 puffs and pack diffusion conditions using a Health Canada (HC) method that is an internationally recognized analysis method for general cigarettes.

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 HC conditions, 9 puffs, pack diffusion, PV1-2 Classification TPM Tar Nic. PG Gly. Water Menthol Control group 26.0 15.1 0.18 0.05 9.29 10.7 0.79 Experimental 28.7 16.7 0.20 0.06 10.76 11.8 1.00 group

[0058] As a result of designing a medium accommodation portion with a reduced resistance to draw, it is confirmed that an aerosol of the experimental group contains a significantly large amount of total particulate matter (TPM), total aerosol residue (Tar), nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerin, water, and menthol, in comparison to the control group. In particular, an amount of migration of nicotine is increased by 11%, an amount of migration of glycerin is increased by 16% and an amount of migration of menthol is increased by 26%. This indicates that a smoking article according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has a greater amount of atomization and is excellent in taste and flavor, based on a reduced resistance to draw.

[0059] When menthol or the like is flavored using a spray method (e.g., a transfer jet nozzle system (TJNS)) in a tobacco medium of the medium accommodation portion of the smoking article, an EPD of a filter rod increases to about 200 mmH.sub.2O, and the amount of migration of glycerin rapidly decreases.

Experimental Example 3. Sensory Evaluation

[0060] An amount of atomization, suction resistance performance, an intensity of smoking taste, an intensity of menthol, stimulus properties of menthol, balance, and overall satisfaction of the smoking article of the control group (crepe paper) and the experimental group (base paper with a reduced base weight) were evaluated. Sensory evaluation was measured by a 7-point scoring method after about 10 to 14 puffs of experts with experience in sensory evaluation in the field of smoking articles, and results of the sensory evaluation are shown in Table 6 below.

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Suction Intensity of Stimulus Amount of resistance smoking Intensity of properties Overall Classification atomization performance taste menthol** of menthol Balance** satisfaction** Control group 4.8 3.9 3.0 4.3 3.1 4.2 4.2 Experimental 5.3 4.4 3.0 4.7 3.3 4.6 4.6 group P-value 0.043 0.092 0.391 0.003 0.297 0.011 0.011 (Significance level *** 1%, **5%)

[0061] As a result, an amount of atomization, suction resistance performance, an intensity of menthol, stimulus properties of menthol, balance, and the overall satisfaction of the smoking article were all increased. In particular, it is confirmed that the above two groups are statistically significantly different from each other in the amount of atomization, the intensity of menthol, the balance, and the overall satisfaction.

[0062] FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate examples in which a smoking article 100 including a medium accommodation portion 110 formed of base paper having a basis weight less than that of existing base paper is used.

[0063] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol generating device 200 according to an embodiment.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 2, the aerosol generating device 200 may include an elongated cavity 210, a heater 220, and a controller 230. The elongated cavity 210 may be configured to accommodate the smoking article 100. The controller 230 may be electrically connected to the heater 220 to control a temperature to heat the smoking article 100. The aerosol generating device 200 may further include a battery 240 configured to supply power in a process of generating an aerosol.

[0065] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol generating system 10 in a state in which a smoking article 100 and an aerosol generating device 200 are coupled, according to an embodiment.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 3, the aerosol generating system 10 may include the smoking article 100, and the aerosol generating device 200. The smoking article 100 may be coupled to tightly fit an elongated cavity 210 of the aerosol generating device 200. In the state in which the smoking article 100 is coupled to the aerosol generating device 200, the heater 220 may heat at least a part or all of a medium accommodation portion 110 and a moisturizer accommodation portion 120 of the smoking article 100.

[0067] While the embodiments are described with reference to drawings, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that various alterations and modifications in form and details may be made in these embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their equivalents. For example, suitable results may be achieved if the described techniques are performed in a different order, and/or if components in a described system, architecture, device, or circuit are combined in a different manner, and/or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents.

[0068] Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims.