MULTI-CHANNEL AND REVERSED AIRFLOW MOUTHPIECE FOR AN AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE COMPRISING ACTIVATABLE ELEMENT

Abstract

The mouthpiece (10) for an aerosol-generating article is formed from at least two main parts (30, 40) that can be axially inserted into each other to define an aerosol flow path (20). The two main parts are axially moveable relative to each other between a first assembled position and a second assembled position. The mouthpiece further comprises an activatable element (28) for modifying upon activation a characteristic of an aerosol. Upon movement of the two main parts from the first assembled position into the second assembled position, the activatable element is activated. The invention is also directed to an aerosol generating system comprising the mouthpiece and a method for assembling the mouthpiece.

Claims

1. A mouthpiece for an aerosol-generating article, the mouthpiece being formed from at least two main parts that can be axially inserted into each other to define an aerosol flow path, wherein the two main parts are axially moveable relative to each other between a first assembled position and a second assembled position, the mouthpiece further comprising an activatable element for modifying upon activation a characteristic of an aerosol, wherein upon movement of the two main parts from the first assembled position into the second assembled position, the activatable element is activated, wherein the mouthpiece further comprises an inlet end, configured to allow an aerosol to flow into the mouthpiece, and an outlet end, configured to allow the aerosol to flow out of the mouthpiece, wherein the aerosol flow path extends between the inlet and the outlet end, wherein the mouthpiece is formed such that the flow direction of the aerosol is reversed at least once between the inlet and the outlet end, and wherein the activatable element is held in position by being clamped within the mouthpiece.

2. A mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the activatable element comprises a substrate and an encapsulated liquid and, wherein the substrate is held in position by being clamped within the mouthpiece.

3. A mouthpiece according to claim 2, wherein upon activation of the activatable element the encapsulated liquid is at least partly released to the substrate.

4. A mouthpiece according to claim 2, wherein the substrate is a low-density material and wherein the activatable element is provided such as to extend at least partly over the cross section of the aerosol flow path when the main parts are in the second assembled position.

5. A mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein one of the main parts comprises a piercing element that pierces the activatable element to activate the activatable element.

6. A mouthpiece according to claim 5, wherein the piercing element is an elongated element that extends in parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mouthpiece.

7. A mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece is formed from an outer part and an inner part, wherein the outer part forms a central inner channel and a tubular outer wall of the mouthpiece, and wherein the inner part has a hollow cylindrical shape with a side wall, one open end and one closed end, wherein the inner part is axially inserted into the outer part in such a way that the side wall of the inner part is located between the central channel and the outer wall of the outer part.

8. A mouthpiece according to claim 7, wherein a piercing element is provided at the closed end of the inner part and wherein the apex of the piercing element extends into an area upstream from the activatable element, when the inner part and the outer of the mouthpiece are assembled in the second position.

9. A mouthpiece according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the two main parts of the mouthpiece have corresponding interlocking structures that engage with each other such that a mouthpiece with predetermined dimensions is obtained.

10. A mouthpiece according claim 9, wherein the interlocking structures comprise one or more protrusions and one or more one or more locking cavities that are provided at opposing surfaces of the main parts of the mouthpiece.

11. A mouthpiece according to claim 9, wherein the interlocking structures comprise one or more sets of interlocking structure such that the two main parts may be assembled in two or more different axial positions with respect to each other.

12. Aerosol-generating system comprising an aerosol-generating device and a mouthpiece according to claim 1.

13. Aerosol-generating system according to claim 12, wherein the aerosol-generating device and the mouthpiece comprise corresponding connection portions, such that the mouthpiece is removably attachable to the aerosol-generating device.

14. A method for assembling a mouthpiece, comprising the steps of: (a) providing an outer part, wherein the outer part forms a central inner channel and a tubular outer wall of the mouthpiece, (b) providing an inner part, wherein the inner part has a hollow cylindrical shape with a side wall, one open end and one closed end, (c) providing an activatable element, (d) assembling the outer part, the inner part and the activatable element, by inserting the activatable element into the inner part and inserting the inner part in an axial direction into the outer part such that the side wall of the inner part is located between the central channel and the outer wall of the outer part, wherein the mouthpiece further comprises an inlet end, configured to allow an aerosol to flow into the mouthpiece, and an outlet end, configured to allow the aerosol to flow out of the mouthpiece, wherein the aerosol flow path extends between the inlet and the outlet end, wherein the mouthpiece is formed such that the flow direction of the aerosol is reversed at least once between the inlet and the outlet end, and wherein the activatable element is held in position by being clamped within the mouthpiece.

Description

[0083] The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0084] FIG. 1 shows a mouthpiece according to the invention;

[0085] FIG. 2 shows a mouthpiece according to the invention with a two-part housing;

[0086] FIG. 3 shows a 3D view and a plan view of the outlet end of the mouthpiece of FIG. 1;

[0087] FIG. 4 shows two embodiments of an activatable element;

[0088] FIG. 5 shows the activation of the activatable element;

[0089] FIG. 6 shows dimensions of the mouthpiece of FIG. 5;

[0090] FIG. 7 shows an aerosol-generating device with a mouthpiece of FIG. 5.

[0091] In FIG. 1 a mouthpiece 10 according to the present invention is depicted. The mouthpiece is of tubular shape and defines an airflow path 20 between the inlet end 12 and the outlet end 14. In FIG. 1 the inlet end 12 is provided at the left-hand side of the mouth piece 10 and is provided with a connection portion 16 for connecting the mouthpiece 10 to an aerosol-generating device. The outlet end 14 is provided at the opposite end of the mouthpiece 10 and is configured to be taken into the mouth by a user for inhalation.

[0092] The airflow path 20 between the inlet end 12 and the outlet end 14 comprises a plurality of tubular channels 22, 23, 24, which are concentrically and coaxially arranged. The tubular channels 22, 23, 24 are arranged such that the airflow direction is reversed twice before the aerosol is exiting the mouthpiece 10 at the outlet end 14.

[0093] The mouthpiece 10 comprises a central channel that extends from the inlet end 12 and that extends towards the outlet end 14 of the mouthpiece. The central channel 22 radially diverges along the direction of the aerosol flow. In other words, the diameter of the central channel 22 increases along the direction of the aerosol flow. At the end of the central channel 22 the flow direction of the aerosol is inverted and the aerosol is further guided through co-axially arranged intermediate tubular channel 23 towards the inlet end 12 of the mouthpiece 10. At the end of intermediate channel 23 the flow direction of the aerosol is again inverted and the aerosol is guided through co-axially arranged outer tubular channel 23 towards the outlet end 14 of the mouthpiece 10. The aerosol is finally discharged through the outlet end 14 for inhalation by the consumer.

[0094] With the design of the present invention, the length of the airflow path 20 through the mouthpiece 10 is effectively elongated such that additional time for dissipating thermal energy is available. In addition, expansion chambers 25, 26 are formed at the reversal points between consecutive channels 22, 23, 24. These expansion chambers 25, 26 assist in cooling and homogenization of the aerosol.

[0095] In addition thereto, there is provided an activatable element 28 that is located within expansion chamber 25. The activatable element 28 is provided in the airflow path 20 and is used for further modifying a characteristic of the aerosol.

[0096] The mazelike airflow path 20 of the mouthpiece 10 is suitably obtained by manufacturing the housing of the mouthpiece 10 from two parts as indicated in FIG. 2A. The first or outer part 30 of the mouthpiece 10 is depicted on the left-hand side of FIG. 2a and defines the inlet 32, the connection portion 34, the central channel 22 and a tubular outer wall 36 of the mouthpiece 10. The inner part 40 of the mouthpiece 10 is generally U-shaped. It has a hollow cylindrical shape with a side wall 42, one open end 44 and one closed end 46. At the inner side of the closed end 46 a piercing element 84 is provided. The piercing element 84 has a conical shape with a pointed end. The pointed end is directed towards the central channel 22 of the outer part 30. Inner part 40 is formed such that it can be axially inserted with its open end 44 into the outer part 30 of the mouthpiece 10.

[0097] In addition to the outer part 30 and inner part 40, the activatable element 28 is provided. Upon assembly of the mouthpiece 10, the activatable element 28 is inserted between the inner part 30 and the outer part 40 of the mouthpiece 10. This can be achieved by inserting at first the activatable element 28 into the inner volume of the inner part 40. Subsequently, the inner part 40 comprising the activatable element 28 may be inserted into the outer part 30 of the mouthpiece 10. When fully assembled, the side wall 42 of the inner part 40 is located between the central channel 22 and the outer wall 36 of the outer part 30. Further, the activatable element is located within the first expansion chamber 25 of the mouthpiece 10 as depicted in FIG. 2b.

[0098] The two main parts 30, 40 of the mouthpiece 10 have corresponding interlocking structures 50 that engage with each other when the mouthpiece 10 is fully assembled. The interlocking structures 50 are formed such that they maintain the mouthpiece 10 in the fully assembled configuration during the user experience. The interlocking structures 50 further ensure that a mouthpiece 10 with predetermined dimensions is obtained.

[0099] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2, the inner part 40 of the mouthpiece 10 comprises protrusions 52 provided at the outer circumference of the side wall 42 of the inner part 40. The outer part 30 comprises corresponding locking cavities 54, which are provided to the inner surface 38 of the outer wall 36 of the outer part 30. In the fully assembled state, the protrusions 52 of the inner part 40 engage with the locking cavities 54 of the other part 30, as depicted in FIG. 2B. The inner part 40 of the mouthpiece 10 comprises two sets of protrusions 52A, 52B that are axially spaced from each other. The outer part 30 of the mouthpiece 10 comprises three sets of locking cavities 54A, 54B, 54C that are also axially spaced from each other.

[0100] Each set of protrusions 52A, 52B consists of three or more protrusions 52 that are equidistantly distributed over the circumference of the side wall 36 of the inner part 30. Correspondingly, each set of locking cavities 54A, 54B, 54C consists of three or more locking cavities 54 that are also equidistantly distributed over the inner surface 38 of the outer wall 36 of the outer part 30. In the first assembled position of the two main parts, as depicted in FIG. 2b, the protrusions 52A, 52B are engaged with the locking cavities 54A, 54B. In this axial position of the two main parts the activatable element is not activated. By moving the inner part 40 in an axially direction towards the second assembled position in which the protrusions 52A, 52B are engaged with the locking cavities 54B, 54C, the activatable element may be activated as will be discussed further below in connection with FIG. 5.

[0101] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view and a side view of a mouthpiece 10 according to the present invention. In the perspective view of FIG. 3A the tubular overall shape of the mouthpiece 10 and the spherical shape of the closed end 46 of the inner part 40 can be seen. The side view of FIG. 3B shows the circumferential distribution of a set of interlocking structures 50 consisting of three elements which are equidistantly distributed over the circumference of the inner part 40 and the outer part 30, respectively.

[0102] FIG. 4 shows embodiments of an activatable element 28. The activatable element 28 comprises a substrate 80 and a capsule 82, 83 that is adhered to the substrate. The substrate 80 is provided in the form of a disc of low-density cellulose acetate tow. Due to its low density, the substrate material has a low resistance to draw and may not cause a perceivable increase in the overall resistance to draw of the mouthpiece 10 and or the aerosol-forming system 100 in which the mouthpiece 10 is to be used.

[0103] As depicted in FIG. 4a, the capsule 82 provided on the activatable element 28 may be provided as a substantially spherical gel capsule. The capsule 82 may be filled with water, flavorant or any other active liquid. The capsule 82 may be provided centrally within the substrate 80 and may be affixed to the substrate 80 by conventional adhesives that are useful for this purpose. The diameter S of the substrate and the diameter T of the spherical capsule 82 may have dimensions as indicated below in table 1.

[0104] The capsule may alternatively be provided as a flat capsule 83 as depicted in the embodiment of FIG. 4b. The flat capsule 83 may also be adhered to the substrate 80 by means of conventional adhesives known to the skilled person. The flat capsule 83 of FIG. 4b may contain the same liquid as the spherical capsule 82 of the embodiment of FIG. 4a. The diameter S of the substrate 80 and the diameter U of the flat capsule 83 may have dimensions as indicated below in table 1.

[0105] In order to activate the activatable element 28 so that the encapsulated liquid is released, a piercing element 84 is provided. The piercing element 84 and the piercing process will now be explained in connection with FIG. 5. FIG. 5 depicts the mouthpiece of FIG. 2, wherein the outer part 30 of the mouthpiece 10 comprises three sets of locking cavities 54. As depicted in FIG. 5a, the mouthpiece 10 may be assembled in a first assembled position, in which the two sets of protrusions 52A, 52B engage with the first and the second set of locking cavities 54A, 54B. In this first assembled position, the activatable element 28 is provided in the expansion chamber 25 and is not yet activated.

[0106] In order to activate the activatable element 28, the mouthpiece 10 may be brought into a second assembled position, as depicted in FIG. 5b. In this second assembled position, the inner part 40 is moved in axial direction further into the outer part 30 until the two sets of protrusions 52A, 52B engage with the second and the third set of locking cavities 54B, 54C. In this second assembled position, the piercing element 84, which is provided at the closed end 46 of the inner part 40 of the mouthpiece 10, is moved towards the activatable element 28. As depicted in FIG. 5b the piercing element 84 is fully penetrating the capsule 82 and the substrate 80, and the piercing element 84 even extends slightly into the central channel 22 formed in the center of the outer part 30 of the mouthpiece 10. Thus, the piercing element 84 extends into an area upstream form the activatable element 28. The piercing element 84 has ruptured the outer shell of the capsule 82. The previously encapsulated liquid is freed thereby and is dispersed into the surrounding substrate 80. Since the activatable element 28 extends over the full cross section of the airflow path 20 in this second assembled position, the complete aerosol is guided through the liquid-entrained substrate 80. Thus, after activation of the activatable element 28, the previously encapsulated liquid may be used to modify the aerosol and may cause the desired effect during the user experience.

[0107] Both parts 30, 40 of the mouthpiece 10 depicted in the figures are formed from thermoplastic polyester elastomers with food grade polymeric compounds to be used under Good Manufacturing Practice. FIG. 6 again shows the inner and the outer part of a mouthpiece 10 and preferential ranges for the dimensions indicated in FIGS. 4 and 6 are listed in table 1 below.

TABLE-US-00001 Ranges (mm) Dimensions Range Preferred Range A 3.5 to 9 4 to 7 B 3 to 7 4 to 5 C 0.5 to 5 2 to 4 D 3 to 14 4 to 7 E 3 to 11 3 to 7 F 8 to 23 11 to 21 G 9 to 25 13 to 21 H 0.05 to 0.4 0.15 to 0.35 I 21 to 45 25 to 35 J 3 to 8 4 to 7 K 4 to 9 5 to 8 L 1 to 7 2 to 5 M 4 to 11 4.5 to 8.5 N 5 to 12 5 to 9 O 4 to 13 5 to 9 Q 1 to 4 1 to 3 R 6 to 21 13 to 18 S 4 to 11 4.5 to 8.5 T 3 to 6 2.5 to 5 U 3.5 to 9 4 to 6

[0108] FIG. 7 shows an aerosol-generating system 100 comprising an aerosol-generating device 60 and a mouthpiece 10 as described above. The aerosol-generating device 60 comprises a housing 62 with a power source 64, control electronics 66, an aerosol-forming substrate 68 and an aerosol-generation unit 70. The aerosol-generation unit 70 includes an aerosol-forming chamber 72 which is provided at one end of the aerosol-generating device 60. This end of the aerosol-generating device 60 further comprises a connection portion 74 to which a mouthpiece 10 as described above can be connected. When the mouthpiece 10 is connected to aerosol-generating device 60, an airflow path 20 from the aerosol-forming chamber 72 through the mouthpiece 10 is established. This allows a user to inhale the aerosol created in the aerosol-forming chamber 72 through the mouthpiece 10.