AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE EMBEDDED AVERSIVE AGENT

Abstract

There is provided an aerosol-generating article (10, 100), particularly for generating an inhalable aerosol upon heating, the aerosol-generating article (10, 100) comprising: an aerosol-generating substrate (12), a downstream section (14) extending from a downstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate (12) to a downstream end of the aerosol-generating article (10, 100); and an upstream section (16, 116) extending from an upstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate (10, 100) to an upstream end of the aerosol-generating article (10, 100), wherein the upstream section (16, 116) comprises an aversive agent.

Claims

1. An aerosol-generating article comprising: an aerosol-generating substrate, a downstream section extending from a downstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate to a downstream end of the aerosol-generating article; and an upstream section extending from an upstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate to an upstream end of the aerosol-generating article, wherein the upstream section comprises an aversive agent.

2. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the aversive agent comprises at least one of denatonium benzoate (bitrex), columbin, amarogentin, quassin, absinthin, and quinine hydrochloride.

3. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the aversive agent is provided in a concentration of at least 2 parts per million.

4. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the aversive agent is provided on a solid aversive component.

5. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 4, wherein the aversive component comprises a substrate, the aversive agent being absorbed on the substrate.

6. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 5, wherein the substrate is a thread substrate, the aversive agent being absorbed in the thread substrate.

7. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, further comprising at least one ventilation zone downstream of the upstream section to allow air to enter the aerosol-generating article.

8. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 4, wherein the upstream section further comprises a plug circumscribed by a wrapping paper.

9. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 8, wherein the aversive component is embedded in the plug of the upstream section.

10. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 8, wherein the plug of the upstream section comprises at least one of cellulose acetate fibres, polylactic acid fibres, polyhydroxybutyrate fibres, and polyhydroxyalkanoate fibres.

11. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 8, wherein the plug is a solid plug and has a resistance to draw of at least 50 millimetres H.sub.2O.

12. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 8, wherein the upstream section further comprises an airflow channel extending through the plug from the upstream end of the plug to the downstream end of the plug.

13. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 12, wherein the upstream section further comprises a tube defining the airflow channel.

14. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 12, wherein a diameter of the airflow channel is at least 45 percent of a total external diameter of the upstream section.

15. An aerosol-generating article comprising: an aerosol-generating substrate, a downstream section extending from a downstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate to a downstream end of the aerosol-generating article, and an airflow pathway through which air may enter the aerosol-generating article, pass through the aerosol-generating substrate, and exit the aerosol-generating article through the downstream section, the aerosol-generating article further comprising an aversive agent, the aversive agent being provided at a location within the aerosol-generating article such that the aversive agent is not directly exposed to the airflow pathway.

Description

[0164] Examples will now be further described with reference to the figures in which:

[0165] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of an aerosol-generating article in accordance with the present invention;

[0166] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of an aerosol-generating article in accordance with the present invention; and

[0167] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an aerosol-generating system in accordance with the present invention.

[0168] An aerosol-generating article 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The aerosol-generating article 10 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a rod 12 of aerosol-generating substrate and a downstream section 14 at a location downstream of the rod 12 of aerosol-generating substrate. Further, the aerosol-generating article 10 comprises an upstream section 16 at a location upstream of the rod 12 of aerosol-generating substrate.

[0169] A ventilation zone 60 is provided at a location downstream of the rod 12 of aerosol-generating substrate.

[0170] In more detail, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the downstream section 14 comprises a mouthpiece element 18 and a hollow section 20. The hollow section 20 comprises an aerosol-cooling element 22 comprising a hollow tubular element and the ventilation zone 60, which comprises a plurality of openings formed through a wall of the hollow tubular element. The aerosol-cooling element 22 is positioned immediately downstream of the rod 12 of aerosol-generating substrate. As shown in the drawing of FIG. 1, an upstream end of the aerosol-cooling element 22 abuts a downstream end of the rod 12 of aerosol-generating substrate. The mouthpiece element 18 is positioned immediately downstream of the aerosol-cooling element 22. As shown in the drawing of FIG. 1, an upstream end of the mouthpiece element 18 abuts a downstream end of the aerosol-cooling element 22. The mouthpiece element 18 comprises a plug 24 of low-density filtration material.

[0171] The rod 12 comprises an aerosol-generating substrate in the form of a gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material. However, other types of tobacco-containing substrate, such as a tobacco cut filler, can replace the gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material.

[0172] The upstream section 16 comprises a cylindrical plug 26 of compressed and plasticised cellulose acetate circumscribed by a wrapper 28. The plug 26 of the upstream section 16 has a length of about 5 millimetres. An RTD of the plug 26 is about 100 millimetres H.sub.2O.

[0173] Further, the upstream section 16 comprises an aversive component 50. The aversive component 28 comprises a thread substrate comprising cotton yarn and an aversive agent absorbed onto the cotton yarn. The aversive agent is a bittering agent. The bittering agent is present in an amount of from 2.7 micrograms to 27 micrograms.

[0174] Because the aversive component 50 is provided within the upstream section 16, the aversive agent is advantageously kept at a distance from any surface that the consumer's fingers may come into contact with during normal use of the aerosol-generating article. Further, because the upstream section 16 is separated from the mouth end of the aerosol-generating article by multiple components, it is highly unlikely that the consumer's lips or oral mucosa may even come into contact with the upstream section 16 during the normal, intended use of the aerosol-generating article.

[0175] Another example of an aerosol-generating article 100 in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 2. The aerosol-generating article 100 is similar to the aerosol-generating article 10 of FIG. 1 and will be described below only insofar as it differs from the aerosol-generating article 10 of FIG. 1.

[0176] In the aerosol-generating article 100 the upstream section 116 comprises a hollow plug 30 of filtration material and a cardboard tube 32. The cardboard tube 32 is arranged coaxially with the hollow plug 30 of filtration material, and defines an airflow channel 34 extending through the hollow plug 30 from an upstream end of the hollow plug 30 to a downstream end of the hollow plug 30. An internal diameter of the cardboard tube 32 is about 55 percent of an outer diameter of the upstream section 116.

[0177] Further, the upstream section 116 comprises an aversive component 50 embedded within the filtration material of the hollow plug 30. Like in the aerosol-generating article 10 of FIG. 1, the aversive component 28 comprises a thread substrate comprising cotton yarn and an aversive agent absorbed onto the cotton yarn. The aversive component 50 extends longitudinally along the hollow plug 30, at a distance from both a periphery of the hollow plug 30 and a wall of the cardboard tube 32. Thus, the aversive component 28 is isolated from the airflow channel 34. Additionally, the aversive component 50 is advantageously kept at a distance from any surface that the consumer's fingers may come into contact with during normal use of the aerosol-generating article.

[0178] The aerosol-generating article 100 further comprises a susceptor element 70 provided within the rod 12 of aerosol-generating substrate. In more detail, the susceptor element 70 is elongate and extends longitudinally within the rod 12, such as to be thermally coupled with the aerosol-generating substrate. No ventilation zone is provided downstream of the rod 12 of aerosol-generating substrate.

[0179] FIG. 3 illustrates an aerosol-generating system 200 comprising an exemplary aerosol-generating device 1 and the aerosol-generating article 100 of FIG. 2.

[0180] The aerosol-generating device 200 comprises a housing (or body) 40. The housing 40 comprises a peripheral wall 42 and an end wall 44. The peripheral wall 40 defines a device cavity for receiving an aerosol-generating article 100. The device cavity is defined by a closed, distal end and an open, mouth end. The mouth end of the device cavity is located at the mouth end of the aerosol-generating device 1. The aerosol-generating article 10 is configured to be received through the mouth end of the device cavity and is configured to abut a closed end of the device cavity.

[0181] A device airflow inlet 46 is defined within the end wall 44. Air may be admitted into the upstream section 116 of the aerosol-generating article via the device airflow inlet 46. At the same time, because a diameter of the device airflow inlet 46 is smaller than the diameter of the cardboard tube 32, the end wall 44 effectively occludes an end surface of the hollow plug 30. As such, a fluid communication is established between an exterior of the aerosol-generating device 200 and the rod 12 of aerosol-generating substrate, while airflow into the hollow plug 30 is disabled.

[0182] The aerosol-generating device 200 further comprises a heater element in the form of an inductor coil 48 adapted to induce a current in the susceptor element 70. The aerosol-generating device 200 further comprises a power source (not shown) for supplying power to the heater element. A controller (not shown) is also provided to control such supply of power to the heater element. The heater element is configured to controllably heat the aerosol-generating substrate within the rod 12 during use, when the aerosol-generating article 100 is received within the device 200.

[0183] 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 A5 percent 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.