AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLES

Abstract

The aerosol-generating article (1) comprises a tobacco element and a mouthpiece element. The tobacco element comprises an aerosol-forming substrate (2), a support element (3) arranged downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate (2) and an aerosol-cooling element (4) arranged downstream of the support element. The mouthpiece element comprises a filter segment (5) and a hollow tube (6). The aerosol-cooling element (4) has a length of at most 15 millimeter. A length of the mouthpiece element is adapted according to the length of the aerosol-cooling element (4) such that a total length of the aerosol-generating article (1) is kept at a predefined total length. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing aerosol-generating articles.

Claims

1.-14. (canceled)

15. Aerosol-generating article comprising a tobacco element and a mouthpiece element, the tobacco element comprising an aerosol-forming substrate, a support element arranged downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate and an aerosol-cooling element arranged downstream of the support element; the mouthpiece element comprising a filter segment and a hollow tube; wherein the aerosol-cooling element of the tobacco element has a length of at most 15 millimeter.

16. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein a length of the mouthpiece element is adapted according to the length of the aerosol-cooling element such that a total length of the aerosol-generating article is kept at a predefined total length.

17. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, with a predefined total length of 45 millimeter.

18. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein the length of the aerosol-cooling element is between 10 millimeter and 15 millimeter.

19. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein the length of the hollow tube is between 3 millimeter and 8 millimeter.

20. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein the hollow tube is arranged downstream of the filter segment.

21. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein the hollow tube is a cardboard tube.

22. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein a wall thickness of the hollow tube is between 100 micrometer and 300 micrometer.

23. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein the length of the mouthpiece element is between 8 millimeter and 25 millimeter.

24. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein the length of the aerosol-forming substrate is between 5 millimeter and 16 millimeter.

25. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein the length of the support element is between 5 millimeter and 12 millimeter.

26. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein the aerosol-cooling element is made of polylactic acid sheet.

27. Method for manufacturing aerosol-generating articles the method comprising the steps of: providing a semi-combined tobacco element by combining an aerosol-forming substrate, a support element and an aerosol-cooling element and wrapping the aerosol-forming substrate, the support element and the aerosol-cooling element with a wrapper; providing a semi-combined mouthpiece comprising a filter element; combining the semi-combined tobacco element and the semi-combined mouthpiece in an end-to-end relationship such that the aerosol-cooling element of the semi-combined tobacco element abuts the filter element of the semi-combined mouthpiece; wrapping the semi-combined mouthpiece and parts of the semi-combined tobacco element with a tipping material; and selecting a length of the aerosol-cooling element and adapting a length of the semi-combined mouthpiece such as to keeping a total length of the aerosol-generating article at a predefined value.

28. Method according to claim 27, wherein the steps of selecting the length of the aerosol-cooling element and adapting the length of the semi-combined mouthpiece comprise reducing the length of the aerosol-cooling element and extending the length of the semi-combined mouthpiece.

29. Method according to any one of claim 27, wherein the step of providing a semi-combined mouthpiece comprises combining the filter element and a hollow tube and wrapping the filter element and the hollow tube with a wrapper.

30. Method according to claim 29, therein extending the length of the hollow tube by a same amount as reducing the length of the aerosol-cooling element.

31. Method according to any one of claim 29, wherein the semi-combined mouthpiece is a double-length mouthpiece with a double-length hollow tube arranged between two filter segments, and the step of combining the semi-combined tobacco element and the semi-combined mouthpiece in an end-to-end relationship comprises combining two semi-combined tobacco elements and the double-length mouthpiece such that the aerosol-cooling element of each of the semi-combined tobacco elements abuts the filter elements on each longitudinal side of the double-length mouthpiece; wrapping the double-length mouthpiece and parts of each of the semi-combined tobacco elements with a tipping material thus forming a double-length aerosol-generating article; cutting the double-length aerosol-generating article by cutting the double-length hollow tube.

Description

[0062] The invention is further described with regard to embodiments, which are illustrated by means of the following drawings, wherein:

[0063] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of an aerosol-generating article;

[0064] FIGS. 2 to 4 show a manufacturing process of an aerosol-generating article according to the invention.

[0065] FIG. 1 (as well as FIG. 4c see below) illustrates an aerosol-generating article 1 comprising five elements: an aerosol-forming substrate 2, a support element in the form of a hollow cellulose acetate tube 3, an aerosol-cooling element 4, a mouthpiece filter 5 and a cardboard tube 6. These five elements are arranged sequentially and in coaxial alignment and are assembled by a cigarette paper 7 and by a tipping paper 8 (shown in FIG. 4c) to form a rod. The rod has a mouth-end 22, which a user inserts into his or her mouth during use, and a distal end 23 located at the opposite end of the rod, opposite the mouth end 22. Elements located between the mouth-end 22 and the distal end 23 can be described as being upstream of the mouth-end 22 or, alternatively, downstream of the distal end 23. The cardboard tube 6 is located at the mouth-end 22 of the aerosol-generating article 1 and the aerosol-forming substrate 2 is located at the distal end 23 of the aerosol-generating article 1.

[0066] When assembled, the rod has a length 15 of 45 millimeter and has an outer diameter of about 7.2 millimeter.

[0067] The aerosol-forming substrate 2 is located upstream of the acetate tube 3 and extends to the distal end 23 of the rod. In one embodiment, the aerosol-forming substrate 2 comprises a bundle of crimped cast-leaf tobacco wrapped in a filter paper (not shown) to form a plug. The cast-leaf tobacco includes additives, including glycerine as an aerosol-forming additive. The length 25 of the aerosol-forming substrate is 12 millimeter.

[0068] The hollow acetate tube 3 is located immediately downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate 2 and abuts the aerosol-forming substrate 2. One function of the acetate tube 3 is to locate the aerosol-forming substrate 2 towards the distal end 23 of the rod so that it can be contacted with a heating element. The acetate tube 3 acts to prevent the aerosol-forming substrate 2 from being forced downstream the aerosol-generating article 1 towards the aerosol-cooling element 4, for example when a heating element is inserted into the aerosol-forming substrate 2. The acetate tube 3 also acts as a spacer element to space the aerosol-cooling element 4 from the aerosol-forming substrate 2. The length 35 of the acetate tube 3 is 8 mm.

[0069] The aerosol-cooling element 4 has a length 45 of 13 mm and an outer diameter of about 7.12 mm. Preferably, the aerosol-cooling element 4 is formed from a sheet of polylactic acid having a thickness of 50 mm plus or minus 2 mm. The sheet of polylactic acid has been crimped and gathered defining a plurality of channels that extend along the length of the aerosol-cooling element 4. The total surface area of the aerosol-cooling element may be between 300 mm.sup.2 per mm length and 1000 mm.sup.2 per mm length or about 10 mm.sup.2 per mg weight and 100 mm.sup.2 per mg weight of the aerosol-cooling element 4.

[0070] The length 45 of the aerosol-cooling element 4 is 5 mm shorter than conventional aerosol-cooling elements of aerosol-generating articles having a standard length of 45 mm. The length of conventional aerosol-cooling elements of such standard length aerosol-generating articles, in particular those aerosol-cooling elements made of polylactic acid sheets, is 18 mm.

[0071] The crimped and gathered sheet of polylactic acid may be wrapped within a filter paper (not shown) to form the aerosol-cooling element 4.

[0072] The mouthpiece filter 5 arranged downstream of the aerosol-cooling element 4 may be a conventional mouthpiece filter formed from cellulose acetate, and has a length 55 of 7 millimeter.

[0073] The cardboard tube 6 is the most downstream element of the aerosol-generating article 1 and has a length 65 of 5 millimeter. The cardboard tube makes up for the shorter aerosol-cooling element 4 such that the total length of the aerosol-generating article is 45 mm. The cardboard tube 6 also provides a recessed mouth-end 22 of the aerosol-generating article, simulating the use of conventional cigarettes having recessed mouth-ends.

[0074] The five elements identified above are assembled by being tightly wrapped within a paper 7. The paper 7 may be a conventional cigarette paper having standard properties. The interference between the paper 7 and each of the elements locates the elements and defines the rod of the aerosol-generating article 1.

[0075] An aerosol-generating article as illustrated in FIG. 1 is designed to engage with an aerosol-generating device (not shown) in order to be consumed. Such an aerosol-generating device includes means for heating the aerosol-forming substrate 2 to a sufficient temperature to form an aerosol. Typically, the aerosol-generating device may comprise a heating element that surrounds the aerosol-generating article adjacent to the aerosol-forming substrate 2, or a heating element that is inserted into the aerosol-forming substrate 2.

[0076] Once engaged with an aerosol-generating device, a user draws on the mouth-end 22 of the aerosol-generating article 1 and the aerosol-forming substrate 2 is heated to a temperature of about 375 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, volatile compounds are evolved from the aerosol-forming substrate 2. These compounds condense to form an aerosol, which is drawn through the rod towards the user's mouth.

[0077] FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b show the process step for manufacturing a tobacco semi-finished product 10. FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b show the process step for manufacturing a semi-finished mouthpiece product 11. FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c show the assembly process of the two semi-finished products of FIGS. 2b and 3b and the final manufacturing steps of the aerosol-generating article 1.

[0078] In the process steps for manufacturing tobacco semi-finished products 10, as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, a double-length aerosol-generating substrate 20 and a double-length aerosol-cooling element 40 with a hollow acetate tube 3 arranged in between the two double-length segments are provided in an end-to-end relationship forming a stream of segments. The stream of segments is wrapped with a wrapping material 7, for example cigarette paper. The so formed endless rod of segments is cut at cutting lines 90. Thereby, the double-length segments 20,40 having a length 250,450, which is double the length of the single corresponding elements 2,4 are cut in half. The two cut parts of the double-length segments 20,40 now correspond to single-length segments 2,4 of the final aerosol-generating article 1. By cutting the endless rod of segments wrapped semi-finished tobacco products 10 are manufactured.

[0079] In the process steps for manufacturing semi-finished mouthpiece products 11, as shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, double-length filter segments 50 and double-length cardboard tubes are arranged in an end-to-end relationship forming a stream of mouthpiece segments. The stream of mouthpiece segments is wrapped with paper 7. The so formed endless rod of mouthpiece segments is cut at cutting lines 90. Thereby, the double-length filter segments 50, which have a length 550 that is double the length of the single corresponding filter 5, are cut in half. The two cut parts of the double-length filter segments 50 now correspond to single-length mouthpiece filter 5 of the final aerosol-generating article 1. By cutting the endless rod of segments wrapped semi-finished mouthpiece products 11 are manufactured.

[0080] In a next process step, as shown in FIG. 4a, two semi-finished tobacco products 10 are arranged in an end-to-end relationship, however, in opposite orientation such that the aerosol-cooling segments 4 of the two products are facing each other. In between the two semi-finished tobacco products 10 a semi-finished mouthpiece product 11 is arranged.

[0081] The semi-finished products 10,11 are assembled by wrapping a piece of tipping paper 8 around the semi-finished mouthpiece product 11 as well as around portions of the two semi-finished tobacco products 10. The portions of the semi-finished tobacco product 10 that are wrapped with tipping paper 8 preferably extend up to the aerosol-cooling elements 4. Thus, the three products 10,11 are combined with each other forming a double product 12, that is a double-length aerosol-generating article, as shown in FIG. 4b.

[0082] In an additional manufacturing process step, the double product 12 is cut in half by cutting the double-length cardboard tube 60 at cutting line 90. By this, the length 650 of the double-length cardboard tube 60, which corresponds to double the length 65 of the single cardboard tube 6 is divided in half. Two single and final aerosol-generating articles 1 as shown in FIG. 4c are manufactured.