AEROSOL GENERATING ARTICLE WITH UPSTREAM ELEMENT

Abstract

An aerosol-generating article is provided for producing an inhalable aerosol upon heating, the aerosol-generating article including: an aerosol-forming substrate including a gel composition, the gel composition including at least one gelling agent, at least one of an alkaloid compound and a cannabinoid compound, and an aerosol former; an upstream element upstream of the aerosol-forming substrate; and a recess extending from an upstream end of the aerosol-generating article, through the upstream element, and through at least a portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, in which a longitudinal inner surface of the recess is provided with a wrapper.

Claims

1.-14. (canceled)

15. An aerosol-generating article for producing an inhalable aerosol upon heating, the aerosol-generating article comprising: an aerosol-forming substrate comprising a gel composition, the gel composition comprising at least one gelling agent, at least one of an alkaloid compound and a cannabinoid compound, and an aerosol former; an upstream element upstream of the aerosol-forming substrate; and a recess extending from an upstream end of the aerosol-generating article, through the upstream element, and through at least a portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, wherein a longitudinal inner surface of the recess is provided with a wrapper.

16. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein the upstream element comprises an annular plug comprising fibrous filtration material.

17. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 16, wherein a resistance-to-draw of the upstream element is at least 20 millimetres H.sub.2O.

18. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein at least one of the aerosol-forming substrate and the upstream element is circumscribed by another wrapper.

19. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 18, wherein the another wrapper circumscribing the least one of the aerosol-forming substrate and the upstream element is formed from a same piece of material as the wrapper provided on the longitudinal inner surface of the recess.

20. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein a downstream end of the recess is defined by another wrapper.

21. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 20, wherein the another wrapper defining the downstream end of the recess is formed from a same piece of material as the wrapper provided on the longitudinal inner surface of the recess.

22. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, wherein a downstream end of the recess is defined by a downstream element, the downstream element comprising a plug of material.

23. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 15, further comprising a mouthpiece assembly downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate.

24. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 23, wherein the mouthpiece assembly is spaced apart from the aerosol-forming substrate.

25. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 24, wherein an upstream end of the mouthpiece assembly is between 1 millimetre and 20 millimetres from a downstream end of the aerosol-forming substrate.

26. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 23, further comprising at least one ventilation zone configured to allow air to enter the aerosol-generating article.

27. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 26, wherein the at least one ventilation zone is disposed about at least one of the aerosol-forming substrate and the mouthpiece assembly.

28. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 27, wherein the at least one ventilation zone is disposed about an upstream end of the mouthpiece assembly.

Description

[0235] Examples will now be further described with reference to the figures in which:

[0236] FIG. 1 shows a schematic side sectional view of an aerosol generating article in accordance with the invention; and

[0237] FIG. 2 shows a schematic side sectional view of another aerosol generating article in accordance with the invention.

[0238] As shown in FIG. 1, the aerosol generating article 100 comprises an aerosol-forming substrate 101 downstream of an upstream element 102.

[0239] The aerosol-forming substrate 101 comprises an annular plug of porous medium loaded with a gel composition as defined above. Examples of suitable gel compositions are shown below in Table 1. Proportions of each component of each example gel composition are given in weight percentages:

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Exam- Exam- Exam- Exam- Exam- ple 1 ple 2 ple 3 ple 4 ple 5 Component (wt %) (wt %) (wt %) (wt %) (wt %) Water 20 — 20 20 24.42 Glycerol 73.5 95.2 72.7 72.7 48 Nicotine 1.5 2 2 2 1.44 Gelling agent 3 — — 19.27 Lactic acid 1 — — 1.3 Divalent cations 1 — — Low Acyl Gellan — 0.5 1 1 Guar — 0.5 — Calicum — 0.5 0.5 0.3 Levulinic acid — 1.3 1.3 2.07 Xanthan 1 1 Agar 1 1 4.8

[0240] The aerosol-forming substrate 101 has a length of about 10 millimetres.

[0241] The upstream element 102 is disposed immediately upstream of the aerosol-forming substrate 101 and abuts the aerosol-forming substrate 101. The upstream element 102 comprises an annular plug comprising fibrous filtration material. In this example embodiment, the upstream element 102 comprises an annular plug of cellulose acetate circumscribed by a stiff wrapper. The upstream element 102 has a length of about 5 millimetres. The RTD of the upstream element 102 is about 30 millimetres H2O.

[0242] The aerosol generating article 100 further comprises a recess 103 extending from the upstream end of the aerosol generating article 100, through the upstream element 102 and through at least a portion of the aerosol-forming substrate 101.

[0243] The recess 103 is located along the central axis of the aerosol generating article 100. The recess 103 has a circular cross sectional shape. In the example shown, the recess 103 extends the full length of both the upstream element 102 and the aerosol-forming substrate 101 by passing through both the annular plug comprising fibrous filtration material of the upstream element 102, and the annular plug of porous medium of the aerosol-forming substrate 101. The recess 103 has a length of about 15 millimetres, corresponding to the combined length of the upstream element 102 and the aerosol-forming substrate 101. The recess has a diameter of about 4 millimetres.

[0244] The aerosol generating article 100 of the present invention further comprises a wrapper 104. The wrapper 104 is provided on the longitudinal inner surface of the recess. The wrapper 104 extends the full length of the recess 103 and is provided on the entire longitudinal inner surface of the recess 103.

[0245] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the downstream end of the recess 103 is defined by the wrapper. This is achieved by mechanically folding the wrapper at the downstream end of the recess.

[0246] The wrapper 104 extends out of the upstream end of the recess 103 and over the upstream end of the aerosol generating article 100. The wrapper 104 also extends over the entire outer surface of the aerosol generating article 100. In this way, the wrapper 104 acts to connect the various components of the aerosol generating article 104.

[0247] The wrapper 104 comprises a cellulose based paper layer co-laminated with a layer of aluminium foil. The wrapper 104 is arranged so that the paper layer is on the outer surface of the aerosol generating article 100.

[0248] The aerosol generating article 100 further comprises a multi segment mouthpiece assembly 105.

[0249] The multi segment mouthpiece assembly 105 comprises a first tube 110, a second tube 109, and a third tube 108. The downstream end of the third tube 108 abuts the upstream end of the second tube 109, and the downstream end of the second tube 109 abuts the upstream end of the first tube 110.

[0250] The internal diameter of the first tube 110 is about 4 millimetres. The internal diameter of the second tube 109 is about 2 millimetres. The internal diameter of the third tube 108 is about 3.5 millimetres.

[0251] The first, second, and third tubes 110, 109, 108 are cellulose acetate tubes.

[0252] The first and second tubes 110, 109 each have length of about 5 millimetres. The third tube 108 has a length of about 6 millimetres.

[0253] Air inlets 107 are provided about the third tube 108. The air inlets 107 extend through the wrapper 104 to allow air to enter the aerosol generating article 100.

[0254] The mouthpiece assembly 105 is spaced apart from the aerosol-forming substrate 101 by about 5 millimetres.

[0255] In use, the aerosol generating article 100 is inserted into an aerosol generating device. A heating element from the aerosol generating device in turn, is inserted into the recess 103 of the aerosol generating article 100. The aerosol generating device is activated and the heating element heats up. The heating element heats the aerosol-forming substrate 101 of the aerosol generating article 100. The gel composition of the aerosol-forming substrate 101 generates a vapour which cools and nucleates into an aerosol in the space 106 between the mouthpiece assembly 105 and the aerosol-forming substrate 101.

[0256] A pressure drop at the downstream end of the aerosol generating article 100 draws air into the aerosol generating article 100 through the air inlets 107. The air drawn though the air inlets 107 entrains vapour from the aerosol-forming substrate 101. This air entrained with vapour then passes through the mouthpiece 105 and out of the downstream end of the aerosol generating article 100.

[0257] An alternative aerosol generating article 200 according to the invention is shown in FIG. 2. The aerosol generating article 200 shown in FIG. 2 is similar to the aerosol generating article 100 shown in FIG. 1 and like reference numerals are used to refer to like features.

[0258] The aerosol generating article 200 of FIG. 2 differs from the aerosol generating article 100 of FIG. 1 in that the downstream end of the recess 103 is defined by a downstream element 111. The downstream element 111 comprises a plug comprising fibrous filtration material. In this example embodiment, the downstream element 111 comprises a plug of cellulose acetate. The downstream element 111 has a length of about 5 millimetres. The RTD of the downstream element 111 is about 30 millimetres H2O.

[0259] Rather than being mechanically folded at the downstream end of the recess 103 as it is in the aerosol generating article 100 of FIG. 1, the wrapper 104 of the aerosol generating article 200 of FIG. 2 circumscribes the downstream element 111.

[0260] For the purpose of the present description and of the appended claims, except where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, quantities, percentages, and so forth, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”. Also, all ranges include the maximum and minimum points disclosed and include any intermediate ranges therein, which may or may not be specifically enumerated herein. In this context, therefore, a number A is understood as A±10% of A. Within this context, a number A may be considered to include numerical values that are within general standard error for the measurement of the property that the number A modifies. The number A, in some instances as used in the appended claims, may deviate by the percentages enumerated above provided that the amount by which A deviates does not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed invention. Also, all ranges include the maximum and minimum points disclosed and include any intermediate ranges therein, which may or may not be specifically enumerated herein.