Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SMOKING ARTICLE
BACKGROUND
Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to products made or derived from tobacco, or
that otherwise
incorporate tobacco, and are intended for human consumption; and more
particularly, to segmented-type
smoking articles that yield aerosols having considerably reduced quantities of
incomplete combustion and
pyrolysis products relative to tobacco products that produce smoke by burning
tobacco.
Disclosure of Related Art
Popular smoking articles, such as cigarettes, have a substantially cylindrical
rod-shaped structure
and include a charge, roll or column of smokable material, such as shredded
tobacco (e.g., in cut filler form),
surrounded by a paper wrapper, thereby forming a so-called "smokable rod",
"tobacco rod" or "cigarette
rod." Normally, a cigarette has a cylindrical filter element aligned in an end-
to-end relationship with the
tobacco rod. Preferably, a filter element comprises plasticized cellulose
acetate tow circumscribed by a
paper material known as "plug wrap." Preferably, the filter element is
attached to one end of the tobacco rod
using a circumscribing wrapping material known as "tipping paper." It also has
become desirable to
perforate the tipping material and plug wrap, in order to provide dilution of
drawn mainstream smoke with
ambient air. Descriptions of cigarettes and the various components thereof are
set forth in Tobacco
Production, Chemistry and Technology, Davis et al. (Eds.) (1999). A
traditional type of cigarette is
employed by a smoker by lighting one end thereof and burning the tobacco rod.
The smoker then receives
mainstream smoke into his/her mouth by drawing on the opposite end (e.g., the
filter end or mouth end) of
the cigarette. Through the years, efforts have been made to improve upon the
components, construction and
performance of smoking articles. See, for example, the background art
discussed in US Pat. No.7,753,056 to
Borschke et al.
Certain types of cigarettes that employ carbonaceous fuel elements have been
commercially
marketed under the brand names "Premier" and "Eclipse" by R. J. Reynolds
Tobacco Company. See, for
example, those types of cigarettes described in Chemical and Biological
Studies on New Cigarette
Prototypes that Heat Instead of Burn Tobacco, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Monograph (1988) and
Inhalation Toxicology, 12:5, p. 1-58 (2000). Additionally, a similar type of
cigarette recently has been
marketed in Japan by Japan Tobacco Inc. under the brand name "Steam Hot One."
Various types of smoking products incorporating carbonaceous fuel elements for
heat generation
and aerosol formation recently have been set forth in the patent literature;
and several patent documents
provide a historical perspective of the technology related to smoking products
that deliver aerosols having
chemical compositions that are relatively simple compared to that of
mainstream smoke produced by
burning tobacco. See, for example, the types of smoking products and
associated technologies proposed in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,647,932 to Cantrell et al.; 7,836,897 to Borschke et al.;
8,469,035 to Banerjee et al.;
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8,464,726 to Sebastian et al.; 8,616,217 to Tsuruizumi et al; 8,678,013
Crooks, et al.; and 8,915,255 to Poget
et al.; US Pat. Pub. Nos. 2012/0042885 to Stone et al.; and 2013/0133675 to
Shinozaki et al.; PCT WO Nos.
2012/0164077 to Gladden et al.; 2013/098380 to Raether et al.; 2013/098405 to
Zuber et al.; 2013/098410 to
Zuber et al.; 2013/104914 to Woodcock; 2013/120849 to Roudier et al.;
2013/120854 to Mironov; WO
2013/162028 to Azegami et al. and 20132/1600112 to Saleem et al.; EP 1808087
to Baba et al. and EP
2550879 to Tsuruizumi et al.
It would be highly desirable to provide smoking articles that demonstrate the
ability to provide to a
smoker much of the enjoyment of conventional cigarette smoking, without
delivering aerosol that
incorporates considerable quantities of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis
products.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE.
The above and other needs are met by aspects of the present disclosure which,
in one aspect,
provides an elongate smoking article having a lighting end and an opposed
mouth end, wherein such a
smoking article comprises a mouth end portion disposed at the mouth end, and a
heat generation portion
disposed about the lighting end. An outer wrapping material is wrapped at
least about the heat generation
portion and extends toward the mouth end portion, so as to define a
cylindrical rod. An aerosol-generating
portion is disposed within the outer wrapping material and between the heat
generation portion and the
mouth end portion, wherein the aerosol-generating portion is configured to
generate an aerosol in response
to heat received from the heat generation portion, and wherein the aerosol-
generating portion and the heat
generation portion are further configured to cooperate to distribute heat
received by the aerosol-generating
portion from the heat generation portion, so as to prevent scorching of the
outer wrapping material.
As such, aspects of the present disclosure provide a smoking article, and in
particular, a rod-shaped
or elongate smoking article, such as a cigarette. The smoking article includes
a lighting end (i.e., an
upstream end) and a mouth end (i.e., a downstream end), each positioned at
opposite ends thereof. The
smoking article also includes an aerosol-generating system that comprises: (i)
a heat generation region,
portion, or segment, and (ii) an aerosol-generating region, portion, or
segment located downstream from the
heat generation segment. The heat generation segment incorporates a relatively
short (longitudinally-
extending) heat source or fuel element (i.e., a heat generation element);
comprised of a material such as, for
example, a relatively clean burning carbonaceous material. The aerosol-
generating segment most preferably
includes a substrate region, and in certain embodiments the substrate region
incorporates pellets or beads
formed from tobacco that are disposed within a substrate cavity.
Alternatively, for example, the substrate
region incorporates material that includes reconstituted type tobacco (e.g., a
shredded cast sheet type of
material). The substrate cavity or substrate region where the substrate
material is located is preferably
circumscribed along the longitudinally extending length of the smoking article
by a metal foil (e.g., heat
conducting) layer or strip laminated to a paper-type wrapping material. A
substrate that is comprised, at
least in part of tobacco, acts as a carrier and source of aerosol-forming
materials.
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In certain aspects, the present disclosure provides an elongate smoking
article that comprises a
mouth end segment, region, or portion disposed at the mouth end, and a tobacco
rod segment, region, or
portion (or other suitably configured segment) disposed between the lighting
end and the mouth end portion.
An aerosol-generating system is located as a segment disposed between the heat
generation segment and the
mouth end portion. That is, the aerosol-generating segment is longitudinally
disposed adjacent to a heat
generation portion or segment disposed at the lighting end; and those two
segments are in a heat exchange
relationship such that heat produced by combustion of components of the heat
generation segment acts upon
aerosol forming components of the aerosol-generating segment, and results in
the production of aerosol.
The longitudinally extending outer surfaces of the heat generation and aerosol-
generating segments are
circumscribed by an outer wrapping material so as to provide a rod that is in
turn attached to the mouth end
segment. A layer of heat conductive material is disposed beneath the outer
wrapping material so as to
provide an outer internal surface of the aerosol-generating segment. The heat
conductive layer most
preferably overlies the outer longitudinal surface of heat generation segment
in the region thereof adjacent to
the aerosol-generating segment; and the heat conductive layer optionally can
overlie the outer longitudinal
surface of the tobacco rod segment in the region thereof adjacent the aerosol-
generating segment. Certain
materials within the aerosol-generating segment generate aerosol upon the
action of and in response to heat
produced by a burning fuel element of the heat generation segment.
In certain aspects, the fuel element or heat source of the heat generation
segment may incorporate a
material that may be characterized as a carbonized or pyrolyzed material
derived from the carbonization or
pyrolysis of cotton material. In this regard, it may be preferable and/or
desirable for the fuel element/heat
source to be ignited and remain burning (i.e., smoldering), but without
emitting a flame, during consumption
of the smoking article, while producing sufficient heat for actuating the
aerosol-generating segment to
produce the aerosol. As such, aspects of the present disclosure may be
directed to, for example, a fuel
element/heat source configured or arranged to facilitate ready ignition or
lightability thereof. In some
instances, existing fuel elements/heat sources comprised of conventional
materials may be optimized to
produce the desired ignition/lightability characteristics for the smoking
article. In other instances, other
substances, such as additives (i.e., test carbons or cotton linters) and/or
catalysts may be included in existing
fuel elements/heat sources comprised of conventional materials in order to
enhance the ignition/lightability
characteristics thereof. Representative aspects of such fuel elements / heat
sources are disclosed, for
example, in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/755,205 to Nordskog et al.
In certain aspects, the substrate region (aerosol-generating system)
incorporates a form of tobacco
that forms tobacco smoke exhibiting desirable sensory attributes. For example,
the substrate region can be
comprised of a mixture of: (i) pellets or beads comprised of tobacco, which
pellets and beads act as carriers
for an aerosol forming material, such as glycerin (i.e., the aerosol forming
material may be included or
otherwise incorporated into the beads/pellets or brought into contact with the
beads/pellets and sealed
thereto by a gelling agent/sealant for maintaining the integrity of the
aerosol forming material with the
bead/pellet until exposed to heat during use); and (ii) a form of tobacco that
forms tobacco smoke exhibiting
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desirable sensory attributes. Alternatively, for example, the substrate region
can be comprised of a mixture
of: (i) pieces or parts of a cast sheet type of reconstituted tobacco material
that act as carriers for an aerosol
forming material, such as glycerin; and (ii) a form of tobacco that forms
tobacco smoke exhibiting desirable
sensory attributes. In particular aspects, the substrate region/aerosol-
generating system, discretely or in
cooperation with the heat generation segment, may be configured to more
uniformly or efficiently transfer
and distribute the heat directed from the heat generation segment to the
substrate region/aerosol-generating
system. Preferably, such increased uniformity or efficiency in the transfer
and distribution of the heat
directed from the heat generation segment to the substrate region/aerosol-
generating system also
advantageously reduces, minimizes or eliminates scorching of the outer
wrapping material of the smoking
article. In addition, such increased uniformity or efficiency in the transfer
and distribution of the heat
directed from the heat generation segment to the substrate region/aerosol-
generating system may also reduce
scorching of the substrate region/aerosol-generating system itself, or at
least facilitate a reduction or
minimization of adverse sensory effects, caused by scorching of the substrate,
on the aerosol inhaled and
experienced by the user.
The present disclosure thus includes, without limitation, the following
embodiments:
Embodiment 1:An elongate smoking article having a lighting end and an opposed
mouth end, wherein said
smoking article comprises a mouth end portion disposed at the mouth end; a
heat generation portion
disposed about the lighting end; an outer wrapping material wrapped at least
about the heat generation
portion and extending toward the mouth end portion, so as to define a
cylindrical rod; and an aerosol-
generating portion disposed within the outer wrapping material and between the
heat generation portion and
the mouth end portion, the aerosol-generating portion being configured to
generate an aerosol in response to
heat received from the heat generation portion, the aerosol-generating portion
and the heat generation
portion being further configured to cooperate to distribute heat received by
the aerosol-generating portion
from the heat generation portion, so as to prevent scorching of the outer
wrapping material.
Embodiment 2: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the aerosol-generating portion comprises a rod member having a length and a
maximum diameter, and
wherein the rod member has a surface area greater than a surface area of a
right cylinder having a length and
a maximum diameter equal to the length and the maximum diameter, respectively,
of the rod member.
Embodiment 3: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the aerosol-generating portion comprises a fluted rod member.
Embodiment 4: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the fluted rod member defines a channel extending longitudinally therethrough.
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Embodiment 5: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the fluted rod member is extruded from a mixture including milled tobacco,
calcium carbonate, binder,
glycerin, water, and flavoring.
Embodiment 6: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the aerosol-generating portion comprises an aerosol-generating element wrapped
by a wrapping material
disposed between the aerosol-generating element and the outer wrapping
material.
Embodiment 7: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the wrapping material is elected from the group consisting of a paper-foil
sheet laminate, a paper-foil-paper
sheet laminate, a paper-foil-tobacco sheet laminate, a non-woven graphite
sheet, a graphene sheet, a
graphene-foil sheet laminate, a graphene-foil-paper sheet laminate, a paper-
graphene sheet laminate, a
graphene ink imprinted on a paper sheet, a graphene ink imprinted on a foil
sheet, carbon nanotubes engaged
with a paper sheet or a foil sheet, fullerenes engaged with a paper sheet or a
foil sheet, and graphene engaged
with a paper sheet or a foil sheet.
Embodiment 8: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the graphene ink is imprinted according to a continuous pattern or a
discontinuous pattern on the paper sheet
or the foil sheet.
Embodiment 9: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the paper sheet comprises a tobacco wrapping paper sheet, and wherein the
tobacco sheet comprises an
extruded tobacco sheet, a cast tobacco sheet, or a reconstituted tobacco
sheet.
Embodiment 10: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the foil sheet comprises a continuous foil sheet or discrete foil strips.
Embodiment 11: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, further
comprising a tobacco portion disposed within the outer wrapping material, and
between the heat generation
portion and the aerosol-generating portion.
Embodiment 12: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, further
comprising a tobacco portion disposed within the outer wrapping material, and
between the aerosol-
generating portion and the mouth end portion
Embodiment 13: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, further
comprising a non-woven graphite sheet or a non-woven composite sheet of
graphite and graphene wrapped
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about a portion of the heat generation portion and about a portion of the
aerosol-generating portion, within
the outer wrapping material, and extending toward the mouth end portion.
Embodiment 14: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the non-woven graphite sheet is laminated with the outer wrapping material.
Embodiment 15: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, further
comprising a metallic foil sheet laminated with the outer wrapping material
via an adhesive material
therebetween, the adhesive material including therein a portion of aluminum
hydroxide, and the metallic foil
sheet being wrapped about the heat generation portion and about a portion of
the aerosol-generating portion,
within the outer wrapping material, and extending toward the mouth end
portion.
Embodiment 16: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the outer wrapping material includes therein a portion of aluminum hydroxide,
a portion of magnesium
hydroxide, or a portion of calcium carbonate.
Embodiment 17: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, further
comprising a glass fiber sheet wrapped about the heat generation portion and
about a portion of the aerosol-
generating portion, within the outer wrapping material, and extending toward
the mouth end portion.
Embodiment 18: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, further
comprising a heat conductive material engaged with the outer wrapping
material, the heat conductive
material being disposed within the outer wrapping material and extending to
wrap radially at least partially
about the heat generation portion and longitudinally from the heat generation
portion to the aerosol-
generating portion.
Embodiment 19: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the heat conductive material comprises a conductive ink imprinted on the outer
wrapping material, a metallic
layer deposited on a selected portion of the outer wrapping material, graphene
engaged with the outer
wrapping material, or a carbon material engaged with a selected portion of the
outer wrapping material.
Embodiment 20: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof,
wherein the aerosol-generating portion is comprised of a material selected
from the group consisting of a
cast sheet of a tobacco material in cut filler form, a sheet of a
reconstituted tobacco material in cut filler
form, cut filler tobacco material treated with glycerin, aerosol-forming
beads, a ceramic material including
glycerin, a cast sheet of a non-tobacco material in cut filler form, a glass
fiber mat including a tobacco-
derived nicotine substance, a foil sheet having an aerosol forming material
applied thereto, gathered paper
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including a tobacco-derived nicotine substance, a non-tobacco material
including a tobacco-derived nicotine
substance, and combinations thereof.
Embodiment 21: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the cut filler tobacco material treated with glycerin includes between about
5% and about 25% glycerin.
Embodiment 22: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the aerosol-generating portion includes a first portion and a second portion,
the first portion and the second
portion serially disposed between the heat generation portion and the mouth
end portion.
Embodiment 23: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the aerosol-generating portion includes a first portion and a second portion,
the first portion of the aerosol-
generating portion being comprised of a different material than the second
portion of the aerosol-generating
portion.
Embodiment 24: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the aerosol-generating portion includes a first portion and a second portion,
the first and second portions
being mixed together to form a single aerosol-generating element.
Embodiment 25: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the aerosol-generating portion comprises a porous ceramic rod member defining
at least one conduit
extending longitudinally therethrough.
Embodiment 26: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the porous ceramic rod member includes an aerosol former, flavoring, or
tobacco extract engaged therewith.
Embodiment 27: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the aerosol former comprises glycerin and the tobacco extract comprises
tobacco derived nicotine.
Embodiment 28: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the porous ceramic rod member defines a plurality of longitudinally-extending
open channels angularly
spaced apart about an outer surface thereof.
Embodiment 29: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the aerosol-generating portion is comprised of aerosol-forming beads serially
disposed in relation to the heat
generation portion, and includes a non-tobacco plug member disposed between
the beads and the mouth end
portion.
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Embodiment 30: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the aerosol-generating portion comprises a plurality of rod members extending
in parallel with each other,
the rod members being comprised of a tobacco material, a non-tobacco material,
or a ceramic material..
Embodiment 31: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, wherein
the heat generation portion includes a heating element comprised of a
carbonized material or a pyrolyzed
material, including an ignitability-enhancing material selected from the group
consisting of carbon, cotton
linters, glass microspheres, a catalyst, and combinations thereof.
Embodiment 32: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, further
comprising an overwrap material wrapped at least about the outer wrapping
material wrapped at least about
the heat generation portion, the overwrap material being embossed so as to be
at least partially spaced apart
from the outer wrapping material.
Embodiment 33: The article of any preceding or subsequent embodiment, or
combinations thereof, further
comprising a thermochromic ink material interacted with the outer wrapping
material, the thermochromic
ink being configured to provide a visual indicium is response to the outer
wrapping material exceeding a
temperature threshold.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure
will be apparent from a
reading of the following detailed description together with the accompanying
drawings, which are briefly
described below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two,
three, four, or more features or
elements set forth in this disclosure or recited in any one or more of the
claims, regardless of whether such
features or elements are expressly combined or otherwise recited in a specific
embodiment description or
claim herein. This disclosure is intended to be read holistically such that
any separable features or elements
of the disclosure, in any of its aspects and embodiments, should be viewed as
intended, namely to be
combinable, unless the context of the disclosure clearly dictates otherwise.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus described the disclosure in general terms, reference will now be
made to the
accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a
representative smoking
article, according to one aspect of the disclosure;
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a
representative deconstructed
smoking article, according to another aspect of the disclosure;
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FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a
representative deconstructed
smoking article, according to yet another aspect of the disclosure; and
FIGS. 4 and 5 schematically illustrate aerosol-generating substrate elements,
according to alternate
aspects of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter with
reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all aspects of the disclosure
are shown. Indeed, the
disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed
as limited to the aspects
set forth herein; rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure
will satisfy applicable legal
requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
FIG. 1 illustrates a representative smoking article 10 in the form of a
cigarette, according to one
aspect of the present disclosure. Preferably, the smoking article 10 has the
overall size, shape and general
appearance of a filtered cigarette. The smoking article 10 has a rod-like
shape, and includes a lighting end
14 and a mouth end 18. At the lighting end 14 is positioned a longitudinally-
extending, generally
cylindrical, heat generation segment 35. The heat generation segment 35
includes a heat source 40
circumscribed by insulation 42, which most preferably is coaxially encircled
by an outer wrapping material
45. The heat source 40 preferably is configured to be activated by direct
ignition of the lighting end 14.
That is, the heat source or fuel element is designed to be lit so as to burn
or smolder, and hence produce heat.
The smoking article 10 also includes a filter segment 55 located at the
opposing end (i.e., mouth end 18),
and an aerosol-generating segment 61 that is located in between the filter
segment and the heat source.
The heat generation segment 35 most preferably includes a combustible fuel
element 40 that has a
generally cylindrical shape and incorporates a combustible carbonaceous
material. Such combustible
carbonaceous materials generally have high carbon content. Preferred
carbonaceous materials are comprised
predominantly of carbon, typically have carbon contents of greater than about
60 percent, generally greater
than about 70 percent, often greater than about 80 percent, and frequently
greater than about 90 percent, on a
dry weight basis. Such combustible fuel elements can incorporate components
other than combustible
carbonaceous materials (e.g., tobacco components, such as powdered tobaccos or
tobacco extracts; flavoring
agents; salts, such as sodium chloride, potassium chloride and sodium
carbonate; heat stable graphite fibers;
iron oxide powder; glass filaments; powdered calcium carbonate; alumina
granules; ammonia sources, such
as ammonia salts; and/or binding agents, such as guar gum, ammonium alginate
and sodium alginate). A
representative fuel element, for example, has a length of about 12 mm and an
overall outside diameter of
about 4.2 mm. A representative fuel element can be extruded or compounded
using a ground or powdered
carbonaceous material, and has a density that is greater than about 0.5 g/cm3,
often greater than about 0.7
g/cm3, and frequently greater than about 1 g/cm3, on a dry weight basis.
Layered insulation 42 can be comprised of glass filaments or fibers. The
insulation 42 can act as a
jacket that assists in maintaining the heat source 40 firmly in place within
the smoking article 10 (i.e.,
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disposed between the heat source and the outer wrapping material so as to
secure the heat source within the
outer wrapping material). Preferably, the insulation is provided in the form
of a non-woven mat of glass
filaments. The insulation 42 can be provided as a multi-layer component, for
example, including an inner
layer or mat 67 of non-woven glass filaments, an intermediate layer of
reconstituted tobacco paper 68, and
an outer layer of non-woven glass filaments 69. These layers may be
concentrically oriented or each
overwrapping and/or circumscribing the heat source in a continuous overlapping
manner.
Preferably, both ends of the heat generation segment 35 are open to expose at
least the heat source
40 and insulation 42 at the lighting end 14. The heat source 40 and the
surrounding insulation 42 can be
configured so that the length of both materials is co-extensive (i.e., the
ends of the insulation 42 are flush
with the respective ends of the heat source 40, and particularly at the
downstream end of the heat generation
segment). Optionally, though not necessarily preferably, the insulation 42 can
extend slightly beyond (e.g.,
from about 0.5 mm to about 2 mm beyond) either or both ends of the heat source
40. Moreover, heat and/or
heated air produced when the lighting end 14 is ignited during use of the
smoking article 10 can readily pass
through the heat generation segment 35 during draw by the smoker on the mouth
end 18, through the heat
source 40 itself (i.e., through a longitudinal channel extending through the
heat source 40) and/or
longitudinally through the insulation 42.
Preferably, an outer wrapping material 75 circumscribes the insulation 42 over
the longitudinally
extending outermost surface of the lighting end 14 of the smoking article 10.
That outer wrapping material
75 typically is a paper wrapping material, such as, for example, the type of
paper wrapping materials used to
as the circumscribing wrapping materials of the insulation regions of the heat
source segments of the
cigarettes marketed under the trade names "Premier" and "Eclipse" by R. J.
Reynolds Tobacco
Company. As such, the "outer wrapping material 75" may also be referred to as
the "outer wrapping paper
75" to indicate such aspects, but without limiting the outer wrapping material
75 to a paper wrapping
material.
The heat generation segment 35 preferably is positioned with one end disposed
at or very near the
extreme lighting end 14, and is axially aligned in an end-to-end serial
relationship with a downstream
aerosol-generating segment 61, preferably abutting one another, and preferably
with no barrier (other than
open air-space) therebetween. The close proximity of the heat generation
segment 35 to the lighting end 14
provides for direct ignition of the heat source 40 of the heat generation
segment 35.
The cross-sectional shape and dimensions of the heat generation segment 35,
prior to burning during
use, can vary. Preferably, the cross-sectional area of the fuel element / heat
source 40 makes up about 10
percent to about 35 percent, often about 15 percent to about 25 percent of the
total cross-sectional area of the
heat generation segment 35; while the cross-sectional area of the outer or
circumscribing region (comprising
the insulation 42 and relevant outer wrapping materials) makes up about 65
percent to about 90 percent,
often about 75 percent to about 85 percent of the total cross-sectional area
of the heat generation segment 35.
For example, for a cylindrical smoking article 10 having a circumference of
about 24 mm to about 26 mm, a
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representative fuel element / heat source 40 has a generally circular cross-
sectional shape with an outer
diameter of about 2.5 mm to about 5 mm, often about 3 mm to about 4.5 mm.
The components of the heat generation segment can vary. One component of the
heat generation
segment is the fuel element. Suitable fuel elements typically comprise
carbonaceous materials that possess
high carbon contents, and also can include ingredients such as graphite and/or
alumina. Carbonaceous fuel
elements include those types of components and configurations that have been
incorporated within those
cigarettes commercially marketed under the trade names "Premier," "Eclipse"
and "Steam Hot One."
Additionally, representative types of heat generation segments, fuel element
features, and representative
components, designs and configurations thereof, as well as manners and methods
for producing those heat
generation segments and fuel elements therefor, are set forth in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 4,714,082 to Banerjee et al.;
4,756,318 to Clearman et al.; 4,881,556 to Clearman et al.; 4,989,619 to
Clearman et al.; 5,020,548 to
Farrier et al.; 5,027,837 to Clearman et al.; 5,067,499 to Banerjee et al.;
5,076,297 to Farrier et al.; 5,099,861
to Clearman et al.; 5,105,831 to Banerjee et al.; 5,129,409 to White et al.;
5,148,821 to Best et al.; 5,156,170
to Clearman et al.; 5,178,167 to Riggs et al.; 5,211,684 to Shannon et al.;
5,247,947 to Clearman et al.;
5,345,955 to Clearman et al.; 5,461,879 to Barnes et al.; 5,469,871 to Barnes
et al.; 5,551,451 to Riggs;
5,560,376 to Meiring et al.; 5,706,834 to Meiring et al.; 5,727,571 to Meiring
et al.; 7,836,897 to Borschke
et al.; 8,617,263 to Banerjee et al. and 8,678,013 to Crooks; and U.S. Pat.
App. Pub. Nos. 2005/0274390 to
Banerjee et al.; 2007/0215168 to Banerjee et al.; 2012/0042885 to Stone et
al.; 2013/0269720 to Stone et al.;
and 2015/0083150 to Conner et al. See also, the types of fuel element
configurations and components
thereof that are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,655 to Roberts et al. and
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.
2009/0044818 to Takeuchi et al.
Certain fuel elements can contain high carbon content carbonaceous material
that is obtained from
cotton-containing fiber (e.g., cotton linters) that have been carbonized or
pyrolyzed. For descriptions of
cotton linter materials that have been carbonized or pyrolyzed, and manners
and methods that those
materials have been incorporated into smoking articles, carbonized smoking
materials, and fuel elements,
see for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,219,031 to Rainer et al.; 4,920,990 to
Lawrence et al.; 5,007,440 to
Robinson et al.; 5,060,673 to Lehman; 5,129,409 to White et al.; 5,211,684 to
Shannon et al.; and 8,119,555
to Banerjee et al. The fuel element of the heat generation segment most
preferably is circumscribed or
otherwise jacketed by insulation, or other suitable material. The insulation
can be configured and employed
so as to support, maintain and retain the fuel element in place within the
smoking article. The insulation
may additionally be configured such that drawn air and aerosol can pass
readily therethrough. Suitable
insulation assemblies have been incorporated within those types of cigarettes
commercially marketed under
the trade names "Premier," "Eclipse" "Steam Hot One." Examples of insulation
materials, components of
insulation assemblies, configurations of representative insulation assemblies
within heat generation
segments, wrapping materials for insulation assemblies, and manners and
methods for producing those
components and assemblies, additionally are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,807,809 to Pryor et al.; 4,893,637
to Hancock et al.; 4,938,238 to Barnes et al.; 5,027,836 to Shannon et al.;
5,065,776 to Lawson et al.;
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5,105,838 to White etal.; 5,119,837 to Banerjee etal.; 5,247,947 to Clearman
et al.; 5,303,720 to Banerjee
etal.; 5,345,955 to Clearman etal.; 5,396,911 to Casey, III etal.; 5,546,965
to White; 5,727,571 to Meiring
et al.; 5,902,431 to Wilkinson et al.; 5,944,025 to Cook et al.; 8,424,538 to
Thomas et al.; 8,464,726 to
Sebastian et al. and 8,678,013 Crooks et al.
A longitudinally extending, generally cylindrical aerosol-generating segment
61 is located
downstream from the heat generation segment 35. The aerosol-generating segment
61 includes a substrate
element 85 comprising a material that is itself an aerosol-forming agent or
aerosol-forming substance, or
otherwise acts as a carrier for an aerosol-forming agent or material (not
shown). For example, the aerosol-
generating segment can include a reconstituted tobacco material that includes
processing aids, flavoring
agents, and/or glycerin. The foregoing components of the aerosol-generating
segment can be disposed
within, and circumscribed by, a wrapping material 90. The wrapping material 90
can be configured to
facilitate the transfer of heat from the lighting end 14 of the smoking
article 10 (e.g., from the heat
generation segment 35) to components of the aerosol-generating segment 61.
That is, the aerosol-generating
segment and the heat generation segment can be configured in a heat exchange
relationship with one
another, wherein such a heat exchange relationship can be facilitated by the
wrapping material 90. The heat
exchange relationship is such that sufficient heat from the heat source 40 is
supplied to the aerosol-
generating segment 61 to volatilize aerosol-forming material (i.e., associated
with the substrate element 85)
for aerosol formation and generation. In some instances, the wrapping material
90 may be a discrete
component in relation to the outer wrapping material 75, or may be engaged
with the outer wrapping
material 75 in various manners. In other instances, the wrapping material 90
may comprise an insulating
material for insulating the substrate element 85 from the outer wrapping
material 75. For example, the
wrapping material 90 may comprise a glass fiber mat having a thickness of
between about 50 pm and about
500 m.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, the heat exchange relationship is
achieved by serially
positioning the heat generation and aerosol-generating segments 35, 61 in
proximity to one another. In some
instances, those segments may be serially arranged in end-to-end contact with
each other. A heat exchange
relationship also can be achieved by extending a heat conductive material from
the vicinity of the heat
source 40 into and/or around the region occupied by the aerosol-generating
segment 61. For example, in one
aspect, a representative wrapping material 90 for the substrate element 85 can
include heat conductive
elements or properties for conducting heat from the heat generation segment 35
to the aerosol-generating
segment 61 (and/or maintaining the heat in interaction with the aerosol-
generating segment 61 along a length
thereof), in order to provide for the volatilization of the aerosol forming
components contained therein (i.e.,
in association with the substrate element 85). In other aspects, the
representative wrapping material 90
and/or the outer wrapping material 75 may include heat conductive properties
for dissipating heat not
directed from the heat generation segment 35 to the aerosol-generating segment
61, and/or for uniformly or
more consistently distributing heat between the heat generation segment 35 and
the aerosol-generating
segment 61, while still providing for the volatilization of the aerosol
forming components contained in the
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aerosol-generating segment 61 or associated with the substrate element 85.
Such a wrapping material 90 can
be provided by a laminated paper/foil sheet, for example, comprised of an
outer layer 94 of a paper-type
material sheet and an inner layer 96 of a heat conductive metallic foil sheet.
The metal foil sheet 96 can, for
instance, extend from a region downstream from the heat source 40, and along
at least a portion of the length
of the aerosol-generating segment 61. The metal foil/ inner layer 96 laminate
can be associated with the
outer layer 94 in the form of one or more discrete, longitudinally-extending
strips affixed to the outer layer
94, or in the form of a continuous sheet that cooperates with the outer layer
94 to circumscribe the noted
region overlapping the heat generation and aerosol-generating segments 35, 61.
In aspects of the disclosure implementing the wrapping material 90, the heat
conductive provision
thereof may be accomplished in various manners. Generally, the wrapping
material 90, in the form of a
laminated paper/foil sheet, may have a typical length (i.e., along the aerosol-
generating segment 61) of
between about 8 mm and about 50 mm for a representative smoking article of the
type described herein.
The laminated paper/foil sheet can be perforated, etched, embossed or primed,
for example, to enhance ease
of manufacturing. In some instances, the thickness of the foil used in the
laminate can be varied or
increased/decreased as necessary or desired, for example, between about 0.0001
inches and 0.005 inches, in
order to alter performance of the laminated paper/foil sheet and/or to reduce
visual scorching of the paper
sheet portion (i.e., outer layer 94) of the laminate and/or the outer wrapping
paper 75 wrapped about the
wrapping paper 90 and/or the aerosol-generating segment 61.
The laminated paper/foil sheet can be formed in different manners. For
example, a heat conductive
ink (in some instances, a heat conductive metallic ink) may be used to print
on the paper portion such that
the printed ink forms a foil layer (sheet or strip) on the paper portion
(and/or may be at least partially
absorbed into/integrated with the paper portion). Such a heat conductive ink
may include, for example,
carbon, graphite, graphene, silver, or any other suitable heat or thermally
conductive material or
combinations thereof, to conduct heat along the paper portion, with the
conducted heat, in turn, heating the
substrate element to generate an aerosol therefrom. Preferably, such heat
conductive inks can be printed
according to a continuous pattern or a discontinuous pattern on foil sheets or
conventional cigarette papers,
with basis weights of the cigarette paper ranging from about 20 gsm to about
100 gsm.
In other instances, a heat or thermally conductive material such as, for
example, a metallic foil (i.e.,
silver), a conductive carbon material (i.e., graphene), or any other suitable
heat conductive material or
combinations thereof, may be deposited on or otherwise attached in various
configurations (i.e., discrete
strip, full sheet, complete coating, etc.) to a conventional cigarette paper,
e.g., using a "island placement" or
selective deposition/engagement technology, for example, to facilitate ease of
manufacturing and to enhance
functionality. In any instance, the implementation of the laminated paper/foil
sheet as the wrapping paper
90 may, in some cases, dissipate or redirect heat produced by the heat
generation segment 35 to reduce
scorching of the outer wrapping paper 75 and/or other components of the
smoking article. As such, the
elimination of scorching may improve the taste or sensory perception of the
generated aerosol to the user.
That is, scorched materials may impart an undesirable taste or sensory
perception to the generated aerosol,
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and reduction, minimization, or elimination of such scorching may, for
example, improve the taste of the
aerosol to the user, and remove undesirable visual effects caused by such
scorching. Accordingly, aspects of
the present disclosure involve arrangements for more completely and
efficiently directing and distributing
the heat generated by the heat generation segment 35 and directed to the
aerosol-generating segment 61,
without scorching the substrate element 85, the outer wrapping paper 90, or
other components that
contribute to or otherwise affect the aerosol drawn and experienced by the
user. In addition, since the
aerosol-generating segment 61 may, in some instances, include glycerin or
other leachable substances, the
various aspects of the wrapping material 90 disclosed herein may also be
directed to preventing or
minimizing leaching of the glycerin or other leachable substances from the
aerosol-generating segment 61 to
the outer wrapping paper 75. That is, aspects of the present disclosure may
include a wrapping material 90
configured to prevent or minimize discoloration of the outer wrapping paper 75
which may be caused by
glycerin or another leachable substance leaching from the aerosol-generating
segment 61.
In some aspects, the wrapping paper 90 may comprise a cigarette paper / foil /
tobacco paper in a tri-
laminate sheet form, wherein such a tri-laminate sheet configuration may
further facilitate improvement in
the taste or sensory perception of the generated aerosol experienced by the
user, for example, by reducing,
minimizing or eliminating scorching or charring of particular components of
the smoking article, and by
directing more of the heat toward the aerosol-generating segment61. The
tobacco paper/sheet composition
may vary and can be comprised of and include different ratios, for example, of
burley tobacco, flue cured
tobacco, oriental tobacco, or any other suitable type of tobacco or
combinations thereof. The tobacco
inclusion in the tobacco paper/sheet may be up to about 85% tobacco, and the
tobacco paper/sheet may have
a basis weight ranging from about 20 gsm to about 100 gsm. In some instances,
the tri-laminate form of the
wrapping paper 90 may be comprised of tobacco paper / foil / tobacco paper, as
necessary or desired. In
other instances, a bi-laminate of tobacco paper / foil may be implemented,
wherein the tobacco sheet can be
laminated to an aluminum or other heat-conductive foil having a thickness
ranging from about 0.0005 inches
to about 0.002 inches, wherein such a bi-laminate sheet may exhibit a basis
weight of between about 60 gsm
and about 100 gsm.
According to yet further aspects, wrapping paper 90 may be configured as any
of a paper-foil sheet
laminate, a paper-foil-paper sheet laminate, a paper-foil-tobacco sheet
laminate, a non-woven graphite sheet,
a non-woven graphite and graphene composite sheet, a graphene sheet, a
graphene-foil sheet laminate, a
graphene-foil-paper sheet laminate, a paper-graphene sheet laminate, a
graphene ink imprinted on a paper
sheet, a graphene ink imprinted on a foil sheet, carbon nanotubes engaged with
a paper sheet or a foil sheet,
fullerenes engaged with a paper sheet or a foil sheet, and graphene engaged
with a paper sheet or a foil sheet.
In such instances, for example where graphene comprises one of the outer
layers of the laminate, it may be
desirable for the graphene layer of the laminate to provide the initial layer
of the laminate closest to the
substrate element 85. In other instances, for example, in the case of a
graphene-foil sheet laminate, it may
be desirable for the foil sheet layer of the laminate to provide the initial
layer of the laminate closest to the
substrate element 85, while the graphene layer functions as a heat shield
between the substrate element 85
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and the outer wrapping material 75, or the order could be reversed, wherein
the graphene layer of the
laminate is the initial layer of the laminate closest to the substrate element
85, while the foil sheet layer
functions as a heat shield between the substrate element 85 and the outer
wrapping material 75. In instances
where the wrapping paper 90 comprises a heat conducting layer and a paper
sheet or foil sheet, an insulating
layer or thermal layer may be disposed therebetween.
In aspects implementing the imprinting, for example, of a graphene ink, the
ink may be applied
using a variety of printing processes such as, for instance, gravure printing,
flexographic printing, off-set
printing, screen printed, ink-jet printing, or other appropriate printing
method, in order to provide varying
thicknesses, patterns, surface coverage, and composition gradients.
In other aspects, a graphene foil or graphene conductive sheet can be placed
between the cigarette
paper (i.e., the outer wrapping material 75) and the aluminum foil (i.e., the
foil sheet layer associated with
the wrapping paper 90) to create a paper/graphene/foil laminate structure
encompassing the outer wrapping
material 75 and the wrapping paper 90. In such an instance, the graphene
portion could be entirely encased
(i.e., between inner and outer layers) to prevent or minimize material
transfer or migration therefrom during
product manufacturing and usage, which may also prevent or minimize any
leaching of glycerin from the
substrate element 85 to the outer wrapping material 75. One skilled in the art
will appreciate, however, that
the wrapping material 90 configured to accomplish the purposes herein may be
structured and composed in
many different manners in addition to the various configurations disclosed
herein, and that these exemplary
configurations are not intended to be limiting in this regard.
The outer wrapping paper 75 is generally configured to wrap around the heat
generation segment 35
and to extend longitudinally (downstream) so as to wrap about the aerosol-
generating segment 61 and along
at least a portion of the length thereof. In so being engaged to wrap about
the noted components of the
smoking article, the outer wrapping paper 75 also extends over the interface
between the heat generation
segment 35 and the aerosol-generating segment 61 and, as such, may also
desirably exhibit no scorching or
minimal scorching propensities (as well as anti-leaching propensities). As
such, in some aspects of the
present disclosure, the outer wrapping paper 75 may be treated with,
interacted with, or otherwise exposed
to, for example, calcium carbonate (CaCO3), aluminum hydroxide, magnesium
hydroxide, and/or
combinations thereof as fillers in the paper matrix of the outer wrapping
paper 75 at least as anti-scorching
agents.
One skilled in the art will also appreciate that the wrapping paper 90 and/or
the outer wrapping
material 75, when wrapped about the appropriate components of the smoking
article, may have the opposing
ends thereof (i.e., the angularly overlapping ends forming a longitudinally
extending seam along the
smoking article) sealed together, for example, by an adhesive material.
Accordingly, in some aspects of the
disclosure, the adhesive material may also include a filler such as, for
example, calcium carbonate (CaCO3),
aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, and/or combinations thereof, in order
to reduce, minimize or
eliminate scorching or charring of the adhesive material and/or the outer
wrapping material 75 along the
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longitudinally-extending seam of the outer wrapping material 75 wrapped about
the components of the
smoking article.
The substrate element 85 forming part of the aerosol-generating segment 61 can
incorporate
tobacco. More particularly, if incorporating tobacco, the substrate element 85
can be comprised of a blend
of flavorful and aromatic tobaccos, for example, in cut filler form. Those
tobaccos, in turn, can be treated
with an aerosol-forming material and/or at least one flavoring agent. The
substrate element 85 can also be
comprised of a processed tobacco (e.g., a reconstituted tobacco manufactured
using cast sheet or
papermaking types of processes) in cut filler form. Certain cast sheet
constructions may include about 270
mg to about 300 mg of tobacco per 10 mm of linear length of the cast sheet. In
other instances, the substrate
element 85 can be comprised of a mixture of formed tobacco pellets. In
particular aspects of the disclosure,
the substrate element 85 comprised of a form of tobacco, in turn, can be
treated with, or processed to
incorporate, an aerosol-forming material and/or at least one flavoring agent,
as well as a burn retardant (e.g.,
diammonium phosphate, other similar type of salt, and/or other suitable burn
retardant materials). The
inclusion of the burn retardant material in the substrate element may be
configured to prevent ignition of the
material forming the substrate and/or to prevent scorching of the substrate
element by the heat-generation
segment. Additionally, the metallic inner layer or surface 96 of the wrapping
material / outer layer 94 of the
aerosol-generating segment 61 can act as a carrier for aerosol-forming
material, tobacco components and/or
at least one flavoring agent.
As used herein, the term "tobacco pellets" is meant to include beads, pellets,
or other discrete small
units of tobacco that has been formed, shaped, compressed, extruded, or
otherwise fashioned into a desired
shape. For example, tobacco pellets can be formed using a so-called
marumarizing process. Tobacco pellets
may have smooth, regular outer shapes (e.g., spheres, cylinders, ovoids, etc.)
and/or they may have irregular
outer shapes. In one example, the diameter of each tobacco pellet may range
from less than about 1 mm to
about 2 mm. The tobacco pellets may at least partially fill a substrate cavity
of a smoking article, as
described herein. That is, the substrate element 85 may take the form of
pellets or other loose objects that
occupy a space within the aerosol-generating segment 61 adjacent to and
downstream of the heat generation
segment 35. In one example, the volume of the substrate cavity may range from
about 500 mna3 to about
700 mna3 (e.g., a substrate cavity of a smoking article where the cavity
diameter is about 7.5 to about 7.8
mm, and the cavity length is about 11 to about 15 mm, with the cavity having a
generally cylindrical
geometry). In one example, the mass of the tobacco pellets within the
substrate cavity may range from
about 200 mg to about 500 mg. For example, the tobacco pellets can be employed
so as to fill the
appropriate section of the aerosol-generating segment 61 (e.g., the
cylindrical region within the wrapping
material thereof and bound by the ends of the heat generation segment 35 and
the filter segment 55) at a
packing density of about 100 to about 400 mg/cm3.
The configuration and arrangement of the substrate element 85 can vary
according to various aspects
of the present disclosure. In one aspect, the substrate element 85 may be
formed as a monolithic or
integrated structure via, for instance, an extrusion, molding, or casting
process. In some preferred aspects,
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the monolithic substrate element 85 may include tobacco or products of
tobacco. For example, in one
aspect, the monolithic substrate element 85, formed in an extrusion process,
may include glycerin, milled
tobacco, calcium carbonate, binder, flavorings, and water. More particularly,
on a dry weight basis, the
extrudate material may comprise about 37.86% milled tobacco, about 39.82%
calcium carbonate, about
1.00% binder such as carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) or cellulose gum, and about
21.32% glycerin and
flavoring (with ¨20% being glycerin).
Monolithic substrate elements 85 formed by an extrusion, molding, or casting
process can have
different final forms and shapes, wherein the form / shape may facilitate
improved heat transfer from the
heat generation segment 35 and/or more efficient and effective distribution of
heat to the substrate element
85 instead of other proximal components of the smoking article so as to
reduce, minimize, or eliminate
scorching or charring thereof. For example, an extruded substrate element 85
may have the form and
configuration of a monolithic fluted rod member 300 (see, e.g., FIG. 4). That
is, the rod member may
include a plurality of angularly spaced-apart lobes 310 about the
circumference of the rod member, with
adjacent lobes defining a longitudinally-extending open channel 320
therebetween. In some instances, the
fluted rod member may further define one or more conduits 330 extending
longitudinally through a central
portion of the cross section thereof, or through one or more of the lobes. The
locations, dimensions and/or
configurations of the open channels and/or the conduits can be varied, as
necessary or desired, to obtain
particular performance characteristics. For example, one effect of the open
channels and/or is to increase the
exposed surface area as compared to a solid cylindrical rod member which, in
turn, has such effects as
increased cigarette yield (i.e., increased operational life) and decreased
pressure drop along the smoking
article (i.e., less resistance to draw).
The effective diameter (i.e., the maximum outside diameter) of the fluted rod
member can vary, for
example, from about 5.8 mm to about 7.3 mm. In order to incorporate the fluted
rod member into the
aerosol-generating segment 61, the larger diameter extrusion may be wrapped,
for example, with a paper/foil
laminate or paper/foil/paper laminate, while the smaller diameter extrusion
may be wrapped, for example,
with a single layer of glass fiber mat and then further overwrapped with
either a paper/foil laminate or a
paper/foil/paper laminate, prior to the aerosol-generating segment being
wrapped with the outer wrapping
material 75 (though any of the configurations of the wrapping material 90
disclosed herein may be
implemented as necessary or desired). The increased surface area of the fluted
rod member would result in
less surface area of the rod member in contact with the wrapping disposed
between the rod member and the
outer wrapping material 75 which, in turn, causes less heat to be transferred
to the outer wrapping material
75 during use of the smoking article. The internal conduits may further
provide additional surface area of
the rod member that is heated by the heat generation segment, and may serve to
draw some of the heat away
from the outermost surfaces of the fluted rod member (i.e., the outermost
portions of the lobes). As such,
visual scorching of the outer wrapping material 75 may be reduced. In
addition, the increased surface area
of the fluted rod member as compared to a solid cylindrical rod member, which
increase in surface area may
be further enhanced by the additional conduit(s), may provide additional
capacity (i.e., proportional to the
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surface area of the substrate element 85) of the aerosol forming material
incorporated into the substrate
element 85 and exposed to the heat from the heat generation segment 35, as
well as a reduction in the draw
required to be imparted to the smoking article by the user. Accordingly, such
a smoking article may exhibit
an enhanced service life as compared to a smoking article incorporating a
solid cylindrical substrate element
85.
In the alternative to either a paper/foil laminate or a paper/foil/paper
laminate forming an overwrap
of the substrate element 85 directly, or with a single layer of glass fiber
mat disposed therebetween, a
tobacco paper bi-laminate or tri-laminate could be used as the overwrap. In
such instances, should the
overwrap experience heat from the heat generation segment sufficient to char
or scorch the overwrap, the
initial layer of the overwrap laminate may preferably comprise a tobacco
paper. In such a manner, the
scorching or charring of the tobacco paper layer may provide a tobacco flavor
to the formed aerosol, and
thus have little or no adverse effect upon the taste or sensory perception of
the formed aerosol. More
particularly, a tobacco paper, such as a cast sheet or extruded tobacco paper,
can be laminated to a paper/foil
bi-laminate to form a paper/foil/tobacco paper tri-laminate, with the tobacco
paper providing the initial layer
of the laminate closest to the substrate element 85. Such a tri-laminate
arrangement may be applied, for
example to both tobacco-containing and non-tobacco substrate elements and may,
for example, facilitate
improved adhesion along the seam formed by wrapping the tri-laminate about the
substrate element (i.e., the
seam would be formed between the tobacco paper and the cigarette paper forming
the outer layer of the tri-
laminate), and may add positive aspects to the taste and/or sensory perception
characteristics of the aerosol
experienced by the user. One skilled in the art, in appreciation of the
inventive aspects of the present
disclosure, will also appreciate that the paper/foil/tobacco paper tri-
laminate of the type disclosed herein can
also be applied to any of the various tobacco-containing or tobacco-free
substrate elements and aerosol-
generating segments set forth in the present disclosure.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the substrate element 85 may take
the form of a plurality
of solid cylindrical rod members 400 (see, e.g., FIG. 5) extending in parallel
to each other from the interface
of the heat generation segment 35 and the aerosol-generating segment 61. Such
solid cylindrical rod
members may be formed using an extrusion process, or by molding or casting, as
appropriate, and may be
comprised of, for example, glycerin, milled tobacco, calcium carbonate,
binder, flavorings, and water. In
some instances, a solid cylindrical rod member may have a diameter of about
2.9 mm, wherein a plurality of
such rods may be bundled or stacked for insertion into the aerosol-generating
segment 61 as the substrate
element 85. The collective solid cylindrical rod members can subsequently be
overwrapped in a similar
manner, under similar conditions, as the fluted rod member configuration
disclosed herein
In still other aspects, the material composition used for the extruded rods,
namely, for example,
glycerin, milled tobacco, calcium carbonate, binder, flavorings, and water,
may instead be used to form a flat
sheet having a thickness of between about 0.3 mm to about 1.7 mm. In some
instances, the sheet can also be
formed by an extrusion process (or molded or cast, as appropriate), wherein
the sheet is then dried to form
the substrate material. The dried sheet can then be deconstructed, for
example, by cutting the sheet into
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strips, or shredding the sheet. The cut/shredded portions of the formed sheet
may then be stacked or
gathered, and deposited in the aerosol-generating segment 61 as the substrate
element 85, in a manner
similar to cut filler tobacco (i.e., deposited instead of, but in a similar
manner to, cut filler tobacco).
In some aspects, the substrate element 85 may be comprised, for example, of
cast sheets including a
tobacco material. Such cast sheets can be formed in a process whereby a
selected tobacco-containing
mixture is cast, dried, and cut into strips or shredded. In some instances,
the cut strips or shredded portions
of the cast sheet can be mixed with other cut fillers (i.e., a traditional cut
filler tobacco, with or without an
additional aerosol former) to provide desired taste and sensory perception of
the user, as well as to facilitate
the manufacturing process. In one example, the selected tobacco-containing
mixture may be characterized
as a pectin release mixture comprising, for example, (on a dry weight basis)
about 66.60% milled tobacco,
about 3.75% diammonium phosphate, about 4.65% ammonium hydroxide, and about
25% glycerin and
flavoring. To process the pectin release mixture, the milled tobacco,
diammonium phosphate, ammonium
hydroxide, and water may be heated to about 160 F for about 1.5 hours, for
example, to improve or enhance
sensory qualities of the resulting mixture. The glycerin and flavorings may
then be added to the remainder
of the mixture upon cooling following the heating step. The resulting mixture
may then be used to form the
cast sheet.
In another example, the selected tobacco-containing mixture may be
characterized as a non-
ammoniated mixture comprising, for example, (on a dry weight basis) about
65.62% milled tobacco, about
4.50% sodium alginate, about 1.13% sodium hydroxide or other pH adjuster,
about 25% glycerin, and about
3.75% wood pulp. To process the non-ammoniated mixture, the milled tobacco,
sodium alginate, and water
may heated to about 160 F for about 1.5 hours, for example, to improve or
enhance sensory qualities of the
resulting mixture. Hydrated wood pulp, the binder, glycerin and flavorings may
then be added to the
remainder of the mixture upon cooling following the heating step. The
resulting mixture may then be used
to form the cast sheet.
In another example, the selected tobacco-containing mixture may be
characterized as a tobacco-
containing reconstituted material comprising, for example, (on a dry weight
basis) about 51.8% tobacco
pulp, about 4.2% wood pulp, about 22.0% concentrated tobacco extract, and
about 22.0% glycerin and
flavorings. A sheet may be formed from the tobacco-containing reconstituted
material in a similar manner
to conventional reconstituted sheet. For example, water soluble elements are
first removed from the tobacco
pulp lamina and the remaining tobacco pulp concentrated to about 25% solids
content. The wood pulp may
then be added to the tobacco pulp to form a base sheet that can vary in basis
weight from between about 120
grams per square meter (gsm) to about 240 gsm. Glycerin is then mixed with
concentrated tobacco derived
nicotine (TDN) extract (i.e., in a 1:1 ratio) and added to the base sheet. The
formed base sheet can then be
dried, and cut into strips or shredded. Similar to cast sheets, the cut strips
or shredded reconstituted sheets
can be mixed with other cut fillers (i.e., a traditional cut filler tobacco,
with or without an additional aerosol
former) (i.e., a traditional cut filler tobacco, with or without an additional
aerosol former).
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In another example, the selected tobacco-containing mixture may be
characterized as a traditional
cut filler tobacco material with elevated glycerin content. In such instances,
the cut filler tobacco can be
loaded or interacted with between about 5% and about 30% glycerin. The cut
filler tobacco material with
elevated glycerin content can subsequently be used as the primary substrate
(i.e., the substrate material
forming the substrate element), or can be mixed with cast sheet material, such
that the resulting mixture
forms the substrate material of the substrate element. Based on amount of
glycerin necessary or desired, the
glycerin can be applied to the cut filler tobacco, for example, as a casing
for cutting (i.e., applied to
individual strips of tobacco), as a top dressing, or as both. Such cut filler
tobacco with elevated glycerin
content can be, for example, mixed with various cast sheets, reconstituted
sheets, and/or tobacco beads, as
necessary or desired, to form the substrate material for the substrate element
85. In such instances of a
substrate element 85 having elevated glycerin levels, it may be desirable to
include overwrapping of the
substrate element 85 that will minimize or eliminate any leaching of the
incorporated glycerin onto the outer
wrapping material 75.
In yet another example, the selected tobacco-containing mixture may be
characterized as a non-
tobacco material. For example, a cast sheet used to form a substrate element,
an extruded substrate element,
or a substrate element in bead (marumerized) form, may include calcium
carbonate, rice flour, a binder,
diammonium phosphate, glycerin, flavorings, tobacco derived nicotine (TDN),
and water. More
particularly, such a non-tobacco cast sheet may be comprised of, for instance,
about 41.25% calcium
carbonate, about 13.75% rice flour, about 6% ammonium alginate, about 5.5%
wood pulp, about 3.5%
diammonium phosphate, and about 30% glycerin. In addition, tobacco derived
nicotine (TDN), certain acids
(i.e., levulinic acid and/or citric acid), and flavorings can be incorporated
in the glycerin. An extruded
substrate element, or a substrate element in bead (marumerized) form can be
comprised of, for example,
about 51.94% calcium carbonate, about 17.15% rice flour, about 1% TDN, about
1% carboxymethyl
cellulose (CMC), about 0.66% levulinic acid, about 0.44% lactic acid, about
20% glycerin, and about 9.41%
flavorings. In some instances, the cast sheet may be processed into cut
strips, shredded, or processed into
cut filler form. In other instances, if the substrate element 85 includes
beads, the beads may be positioned to
abut the heat generation segment, to be adjacent to the heat generation
segment, or to be closest to the heat
generation segment. In those instances, a selected component may be
implemented opposite to the heat
generation segment from the beads, in order to secure the beads in place. For
example, such a selected
component could include, a folded paper filter material or other non-tobacco
paper plug.
In another example of a substrate element 85 formed of a non-tobacco material,
tobacco derived
nicotine (TDN), glycerin (i.e., an aerosol former), and flavorings can be
added to an extruded ceramic
substrate of relatively high porosity (i.e., a high porosity extruded ceramic
rod member). In such instances,
the ceramic rod member may be extruded so as to define one or more
longitudinally-extending channels
(i.e., open channels or slots disposed about the outer surface and/or conduits
extending through the central
portion of the rod member). In a similar manner to the fluted rod member
previously disclosed, the
increased surface area of the ceramic rod member (i.e., due to the open
channels about the surface thereof)
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would result in less surface area of the rod member in contact with the
wrapping disposed between the rod
member and the outer wrapping material 75 which, in turn, causes less heat to
be transferred to the outer
wrapping material 75 during use of the smoking article. The internal conduits
may further provide
additional surface area of the rod member that is heated by the heat
generation segment, and may serve to
draw some of the heat away from the outermost surfaces of the fluted ceramic
rod member (i.e., the
outermost portions of the lobes). As such, visual scorching of the outer
wrapping material 75 may be
reduced. In addition, the increased surface area of the fluted ceramic rod
member as compared to a solid
cylindrical rod member, which increase in surface area may be further enhanced
by the additional conduit(s),
may provide additional capacity (i.e., proportional to the surface area of the
substrate element 85) of the
aerosol forming material incorporated into the substrate element 85 and
exposed to the heat from the heat
generation segment 35, as well as a reduction in the draw required to be
imparted to the smoking article by
the user. Accordingly, such a smoking article may exhibit an enhanced service
life as compared to a
smoking article incorporating a solid cylindrical substrate element 85. In
addition, the open channels /
conduits may provide less resistance to draw.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, the substrate element 85 may be
segmented (i.e., the
substrate element 85 may include a plurality of serially-disposed components
or a plurality of components
disposed in parallel), or may include combinations of two or more substrate
materials. For example, the
substrate element may comprise a combination of cast sheet and/or
reconstituted sheet, each shredded or cut
into strips, mixed with cut filler tobacco treated with glycerin. The cut
filler tobacco can have various levels
of glycerin ranging, for example, from about 5% to about 25%. In another
example, cast sheet, shredded or
cut into strips, may be mixed with tobacco-containing beads. In addition to an
extruded substrate element
being wrapped with glass fiber mat, the extruded substrate element 85 may
alternatively be wrapped with
tobacco paper or a laminate including a tobacco paper layer, wherein the
substrate element 85 may be
comprised of, for example, a bundle of smaller diameter rod members arranged
in parallel, or strips of a cast
sheet, extruded sheet or reconstituted tobacco sheet processed in a similar
manner to cut filler tobacco, or
rolled together to form a substantially cylindrical substrate element.
In addition to the components disclosed herein, the substrate element 85 may
be comprised of many
different combinations of such components. In particular aspects, such
components may also be additionally
selected from the group consisting of, for example, a glass fiber mat having a
TDN / glycerin (B3) solution
applied thereto, a porous ceramic element having an aerosol former such as
glycerin applied thereto, a cast
sheet including a pectin release material, a non-ammoniated cast sheet, a non-
tobacco cast sheet, a gathered
or shredded foil sheet having an aerosol former applied thereto or strips
formed therefrom, a non-tobacco
product such as gathered paper treated with an extract such as TDN, beads, or
gathered carbon or non-
carbon paper.
The components of the aerosol-generating segment can vary. The aerosol-
generating segment
incorporates components that can be vaporized, aerosolized or entrained in air
drawn through the smoking
article during use. Most preferably, those components, separately or in
combination, provide sensory and
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organoleptic effects, such as aroma, flavor, mouth feel, visible aerosol
sensations, and the like. Examples of
components of the aerosol-generating segment that are drawn into the mouth of
the smoker during draw
include water (e.g., as water vapor), visible aerosol forming materials (e.g.,
glycerin), various volatile
flavors (e.g., vanillin or menthol), volatile components of tobacco (e.g.,
nicotine), and the like.
A preferred aerosol-forming material produces a visible aerosol upon the
application of sufficient
heat thereto, or otherwise through the action of aerosol forming conditions
brought about by components of
the smoking article. A highly preferred aerosol-forming material produces a
visible aerosol that can be
considered to be "smoke-like." A preferred aerosol-forming material is
chemically simple, relative to the
chemical nature of the smoke produced by burning tobacco. A preferred visible
aerosol-forming material is
a polyol, and exemplary preferred aerosol forming materials include glycerin,
propylene glycol, and
mixtures thereof. If desired, aerosol forming materials can be combined with
other liquid materials, such as
water. For example, aerosol forming material formulations can incorporate
mixtures of glycerin and water,
or mixtures of propylene glycol and water. See, for example, the various
aerosol forming materials
referenced in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,793,365 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al.; 5,101,839 to
Jakob et al. and 8,678,013
Crooks, et al.; as well as PCT WO 98/57556 to Biggs et al.
The materials that can be used to provide the substrates for the aerosol-
forming materials within the
aerosol-generating region can vary. Suitable substrate elements and associated
aerosol-forming materials
have been incorporated within those types of cigarettes commercially marketed
under the trade names
"Premier," "Eclipse" "Steam Hot One." The substrate element can incorporate
tobacco of some form,
normally is composed predominantly of tobacco, and can be provided by
virtually all tobacco material. For
example, in some embodiments, at least a portion of the overall substrate
material is employed in an
essentially traditional filler form (e.g., as cut filler). Suitable substrate
materials, and substrate formulations
incorporating aerosol-forming materials (including cast sheet and paper type
reconstituted tobacco
materials), also are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,793,365 to Sensabaugh et
al.; 4,893,639 to White; 5,099,861
to Clearman et al.; 5,101,839 to Jakob et al.; 5,105,836 to Gentry et al.;
5,109,122 to Clearman et al.;
5,159,942 to Brinkley et al.; 5,203,355 to Clearman et al.; 5,271,419 to
Arzonico et al.; 5,327,917 to
Lekwauwa et al.; 5,396,911 to Casey, III et al.; 5,533,530 to Young et al.;
5,588,446 to Clearman; 5,598,868
to Jakob et al.; 5,715,844 to Young et al.; 6,378,528 to Beeson et al. and
8,678,013 Crooks, et al.; and U.S.
Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2005/0066986 to Nestor et al.; US 2012/0067360 to Conner
et al.; and 2015/0157052 to
Ademe et al. Additionally, substrate materials can have the types of forms or
configurations set forth in U.S.
Pat. No. 8,839,799 to Conner et al.; as a gathered web or sheet, using the
types of techniques generally set
forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,809 to Pryor et al., or in the form of a web or
sheet that is shredded into a
plurality of longitudinally extending strands, using the types of techniques
generally set forth in U.S. Pat.
No. 5,025,814 to Raker.
The manner by which the aerosol-forming material is contacted with the
substrate material (e.g., the
tobacco material) can vary. The aerosol-forming material can be applied to a
formed tobacco material, or
can be incorporated into processed tobacco materials during manufacture of
those materials. The aerosol
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forming material can be dissolved or dispersed in an aqueous liquid, or other
suitable solvent or liquid
carrier, and sprayed onto that substrate material. See, for example, U.S.
Patent Application Pub. No.
2005/0066986 to Nestor et al. The amount of aerosol-forming material employed
relative to the dry weight
of substrate material can vary. Materials including exceedingly high levels of
aerosol-forming material can
be difficult to process into cigarette rods using conventional types of
automated cigarette manufacturing
equipment.
Cast sheet types of materials may incorporate relatively high levels of
aerosol-forming material.
Reconstituted tobaccos manufactured using paper-making types of processes may
incorporate moderate
levels of aerosol-forming material. Tobacco strip and cut filler tobacco can
incorporate lower amounts of
aerosol-forming material. Various paper and non-paper substrates including
gathered, laminated, laminated
metal/metallic, strips, beads such as alumina beads, open cell foam, foamed
monolith, air permeable
matrices, and other materials can be used within the scope of the disclosure.
See, for example, U.S. Pat.
Nos. 5,183,062; 5,203,355; and 5,588,446; each to Clearman.
The laminated paper or other wrapping material may be constructed in
accordance with the
disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,849,085 to Marton, or in accordance with other
appropriate methods and/or
materials.
In some preferred smoking articles, both ends of the aerosol-generating
segment 61 are open to
expose the substrate element 85 thereof. Together, the heat generating segment
35 and the aerosol-
generating segment 61 form an aerosol generation system 99. The aerosol-
generating segment is positioned
adjacent to the downstream end of the heat generation segment such that those
segments are axially aligned
in an end-to-end relationship. Those segments can abut one another, or be
positioned in a slightly spaced
apart relationship, which may include an optional buffer region 110 (which
may, in some instances, include
a heat conductive and air-porous spacer element). The outer cross-sectional
shapes and dimensions of those
segments, when viewed transversely to the longitudinal axis of the smoking
article 10, can be essentially
identical to one another. The physical arrangement of those components
preferably is such that heat is
transferred (e.g., by mechanisms that includes conductive and convective heat
transfer) from the heat source
40 to the adjacent substrate element 85, throughout the time that the heat
source is actuated (e.g., burned)
during use of the smoking article 10.
A buffer region 110 may reduce potential scorching or other thermal
degradation of portions of the
aerosol-generating segment 61. The buffer region may mainly include empty air
space, or it may be
partially or substantially completely filled with a non-combustible material
such as, for example, metal,
organic, inorganic, ceramic, or polymeric materials, or any combination
thereof. The buffer regions may be
from about 1 mm to about 10 mm or more in thickness (length), but often will
be about 2 mm to about 5 mm
in thickness (length). If desired, the buffer region or spacer segment 110 can
incorporate catalytic materials,
such as materials incorporating cerium or copper ions or oxides and/or salts
of cerium and copper ions. See,
for example, U.S. Patent No. 8,469,035 to Banerjee et al. and 8,617,263 to
Banerjee et al.; and U. S. Pat.
Appl. Pub. Nos. 2007/0215168 to Banerjee et al.
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The components of the aerosol generation system 99 preferably are attached to
one another, and
secured in place using an overwrap material 118. For example, the overwrap
material can include a paper
wrapping material or a laminated paper-type material that circumscribes a
downstream portion of the heat
generation segment 35, and at least a portion of outer longitudinally
extending surface of the aerosol-
generating segment 61. The inner surface of the overwrap material 118 may be
secured to the outer surfaces
of the components it circumscribes by a suitable adhesive. One skilled in the
art will appreciate that the
aspects disclosed herein directed to the reduction, minimization, or
elimination of scorching or charring of
the outer wrapping material 75 or wrapping paper 90 may thus also be
applicable to the overwrap material
118, to the extent that the overwrap material 118 overlaps the outer wrapping
material 75 or extends over the
interface between the heat generation segment 35 and the aerosol-generating
segment 61.
The smoking article 10 preferably includes a suitable mouthpiece such as, for
example, a filter
element 135, positioned at the mouth end 18 thereof. The filter element 135
preferably is positioned at one
end of the aerosol generation system 99, such that the filter element 135 and
the aerosol-generating segment
99 are axially aligned in an end-to-end relationship, abutting one another and
without any barrier
therebetween. Preferably, the general cross-sectional shapes and dimensions of
those segments 99,135 are
essentially identical to one another when viewed transversely to the
longitudinal axis of the smoking article.
The filter element 135 can include filter material 140 that is overwrapped
along the longitudinally extending
surface thereof with circumscribing plug wrap material 142. In one example,
the filter material 140 includes
plasticized cellulose acetate tow, or other suitable cigarette-type filter
material. Both ends of the filter
element 135 preferably are open to permit the passage of aerosol therethrough.
In some instances, the filter
element 135 may be configured to include any combination of paper plug, void,
and conventional cigarette
filter material (i.e., cellulose acetate tow), as necessary or desired.
The filter element may also include a crushable flavor capsule of the type
described in U.S. Pat. No.
7,479,098 to Thomas et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,793,665 to Dube et al.; and
U.S. Pat. No. 8,186,359 to
Ademe et al.
The aerosol-generating system 99 preferably is attached to the filter element
135 using tipping
material 150. Examples of tipping materials are described, for example, in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,789,089 to Dube
et al., and in U.S. Pat. App. Publ. Nos. 2007/0215167 to Crooks et al.,
2010/0108081 to Joyce et al.,
2010/0108084 to Norman et al., and 2013/0167849 to Ademe et al.; and PCT Pat.
App. Pub. No.
2013/160671 to Dittrich et al.
The smoking article 10 may include an air dilution provision, such as a series
of perforations 160,
each of which may extend through the filter element tipping material 150 and
plug wrap material 142.
Alternatively, the various perforations can extend around the smoking article
as a ring in a region upstream
from that shown.
A representative smoking article 10 has a length of between about 80 mm and
about 100 mm. For
example, for a smoking article 10 having a length of about 85 mm, a
representative heat generation segment
35 can have a length of between about 10 mm and about 15 mm, a representative
aerosol-generating
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segment 61 can have a length of between about 40 mm and about 55 mm, and a
representative filter element
135 can have a length of between about 20 mm and about 30 mm.
Cigarettes described with reference to FIG. 1 may be used in much the same
manner as those
cigarettes that have been commercially marketed under the trade names
"Premier" and "Eclipse" by R. J.
Reynolds Tobacco Company, and "Steam Hot One" by Japan Tobacco Inc. That is,
the fuel element or heat
source is lit using a match or cigarette lighter. The burning fuel element /
heat source resulting from such
ignition produces heat which is transferred to the substrate element within
the aerosol-generating region of
the cigarette. The substrate element(s), including the aerosol forming
materials, and tobacco flavors and
components, are heated and volatilize, and form aerosol. That aerosol is
entrained in drawn air, and drawn
through the filter element into the mouth of the smoker.
FIG. 2 illustrates another representative smoking article 10 in the form of a
cigarette, according to
another aspect of the present disclosure. Preferably, the smoking article 10
has the overall size, shape and
general appearance, and incorporates those types of components, of that
smoking article described
previously with reference to FIG. 1. However, as compared to the embodiment of
FIG. 1, the length of the
filter segment 135 is extended, and the length of aerosol-generating segment
61 is decreased. For example,
for the embodiment shown, the filter element 135 is a two piece segment;
possessing an extreme mouth end
segment 182, and a tubular segment 184 positioned between the aerosol-
generating segment and the extreme
mouth end segment. As such, the representative smoking article of FIG. 2 is a
four-segment smoking article,
while the representative smoking article of FIG. 1 is a three-segment smoking
article.
Typically, the tubular segment 184 is comprised of a steam bonded and
plasticized cellulose acetate
tube that provides resilience, structure, and length to the smoking article
while allowing for passage of
drawn air therethrough. Alternatively, the tubular segment is comprised of a
heat resistant plastic material
(e.g., a tube comprised of polycarbonate) or a ceramic material.
A representative smoking article 10 of the type shown in FIG. 2 has a length
of between about 80
mm and about 100 mm. For example, for a smoking article 10 having a length of
about 85 mm, a
representative heat generation segment 35 can have a length of between about
10 mm and about 15 mm, a
representative aerosol-generating segment 61 can have a length of between
about 10 mm and about 25 mm,
a representative tubular segment 184 can have a length of between about 30 mm
and about 50 mm, and a
representative filter element 135 can have a length of between about 20 mm and
about 30 mm.
FIG. 3 illustrates another representative smoking article 10 in the form of a
cigarette. Preferably, the
smoking article 10 has the overall size, shape and general appearance, and
incorporates those types of
components, of that smoking article described previously with reference to
FIG. 2. However, a tobacco
segment 198 of cut filler tobacco 200 wrapped in a paper wrapper 205 is
positioned between the aerosol
generation system 99 and the filter element 135. As compared to the embodiment
of FIG. 2, the overall
length of the two piece filter segment is decreased to accommodate the segment
comprised of cut filler
tobacco. As such, the representative smoking article of FIG. 3 is a five-
segment smoking article, while the
representative smoking article of FIG. 2 is a four-segment smoking article.
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The upstream segment of the two piece filter segment 135 can be comprised of a
hardened tube
comprised of cellulose acetate tow, a segment of cellulose acetate tow having
discrete particles of activated
carbon particles dispersed throughout, a segment of cellulose acetate having a
breakable flavor-containing
capsule positioned therein, or the like. Typically, the downstream segment of
the two piece filter segment
135 is a segment comprised of plasticized cellulose acetate tow or gathered
polypropylene web. If desired,
the two piece filter segment can be replaced with a single segment filter
element or a three piece cavity filter.
A representative smoking article 10 of the type shown in FIG. 3 has a length
of between about 80
mm and about 100 mm. For example, for a smoking article 10 having a length of
about 85 mm, a
representative heat generation segment 35 can have a length of between about
10 mm and about 15 mm, a
representative aerosol-generating segment 61 can have a length of between
about 10 mm and about 25 mm,
a representative tobacco filler segment 198 can have a length of between about
30 mm and about 50 mm,
and a representative filter element 135 can have an overall length of between
about 20 mm and about 30
mm. For a representative filter element for the embodiment shown, the upstream
filter element segment 220
can have a length of between about 5 mm and about 20 mm and the downstream
filter element segment 225
can have a length of between about 5 mm and about 20 mm. For example, a
representative smoking article
having an overall length of about 83 mm can have a heat generation segment 35
having a length of about 12
mm, an aerosol-generating segment 61 having a length of about 13 mm, a tobacco
filler segment 198 having
a length of about 37 mm, a cellulose acetate tube filter segment 220 having a
length of about 7 mm and a
low efficiency plasticized cellulose acetate tow segment 225 having a length
of about 14 mm.
Typical smoking articles also incorporate various components associated with
their construction.
For example, those types of components include wrapping materials, heat
conductive materials, metallic
foils and foil laminates, mouth-end pieces, filter elements, plug wraps,
tipping materials and adhesives.
Additionally, typical smoking articles can incorporate any of a wide variety
of tobacco types, forms of
tobacco, and blends thereof. See, for example, those representative types of
components that are set forth
and referenced in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,724,997 to Fagg, et al.; 8,678,013 Crooks,
et al. and U.S. Pat. App. Pub.
No. 2015/0157052 to Ademe et al.
Various combinations and varieties of flavoring agents (including various
materials that alter the
sensory and/or organoleptic character or nature of mainstream aerosol of a
smoking article) can be
incorporated within suitable smoking articles. The substrate material and
various tobacco components of the
smoking article can be treated with tobacco additives of the type that are
traditionally used for the
manufacture of cigarettes, such as casing and/or top dressing components. See,
for example, the types of
components set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 8,678,013 Crooks, et al.
Manners and methods for assembling representative types of smoking articles
are set forth in U.S.
Pat. Nos. 5,469,871 to Barnes et al. and 8,678,013 Crooks, et al.; and U.S.
Pat. App. Pub. Nos.
2012/0042885 to Stone et al.; 2012/0067360 to Conner et al.; 2014/0261470 to
Amiss et al.; and
2015/0157052 to Ademe et al.
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In light of possible interrelationships between aspects of the present
disclosure in providing the
noted benefits and advantages associated therewith, the present disclosure
thus particularly and expressly
includes, without limitation, embodiments representing various combinations of
the disclosed aspects. Thus,
the present disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four, or more
features or elements set forth in
this disclosure, regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly
combined or otherwise recited
in the description of a specific embodiment herein. This disclosure is
intended to be read holistically such
that any separable features or elements of the disclosure, in any of its
aspects and embodiments, should be
viewed as intended, namely to be combinable, unless the context of the
disclosure clearly dictates otherwise.
Aerosols that are produced by cigarettes of the present disclosure are those
that comprise air-
containing components such as vapors, gases, suspended particulates, and the
like. Aerosol components can
be generated from burning tobacco of some form (and optionally other
components that are burned to
generate heat); by thermally decomposing tobacco caused by heating tobacco and
charring tobacco (or
otherwise causing tobacco to undergo some form of smolder); and by vaporizing
an aerosol-forming agent.
As such, the aerosol can contain volatilized components, combustion products
(e.g., carbon dioxide and
water), incomplete combustion products, products of pyrolysis, and aerosols
otherwise described as smoke.
Aerosol components also may be generated by the action of heat from burning
tobacco of some form
(and optionally other components that are burned to generate heat), upon
substances that are located in a
heat exchange relationship with tobacco material that is burned and other
components that are burned.
Aerosol components may also be generated by the aerosol generation system as a
result of the action of the
heat generation segment upon an aerosol-generating segment. In some
embodiments, components of the
aerosol-generating segment have an overall composition, and are positioned
within the smoking article, such
that those components will have a tendency not to undergo a significant degree
of thermal decomposition
(e.g., as a result of combustion, smoldering or pyrolysis) during conditions
of normal use.
Many modifications and other aspects of the disclosures set forth herein will
come to mind to one
skilled in the art to which these disclosures pertain having the benefit of
the teachings presented in the
foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. For example, those of
skill in the art will appreciate that
embodiments not expressly illustrated herein may be practiced within the scope
of the present disclosure,
including that features described herein for different embodiments may be
combined with each other and/or
with currently-known or future-developed technologies while remaining within
the scope of the claims
presented here. In some such aspects, for instance, alternate provisions for
reducing, minimizing or
eliminating scorching, charring, or discoloration of the outer wrapping
material may be implemented, such
as using an embossed overwrap material (i.e., comprised of paper) as a further
layer over the outer wrapping
material (i.e., cigarette paper). In such instances, the increased surface
area provided by the embossing
and/or the embossed overwrap material being at least partially spaced apart
from the outer wrapping material
may cause the overwrap material to act as an external air-cooled device (i.e.,
cooling fins). In still other
instances, various measures could be implemented to provide visual cues of
overheating or over-
temperature. For example, the embossed overwrap material and/or the outer
wrapping material may be
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CA 02996625 2018-02-26
WO 2017/040608 PCT/US2016/049624
printed with a thermochromic ink that visually appears or changes appearance
over a temperature threshold
or within a specific temperature range, and/or disappears under a temperature
threshold or within a specific
temperature range. In this manner, for instance, the user may be directed to
refrain from using the smoking
article in an over-temperature condition until the indicia provide by the
thermochromic ink changes in
appearance to indicate a suitable temperature of the smoking article, wherein
such a measure may prevent
over-temperature usage which may lead to the scorching or charring of the
outer wrapping material or any
other component experiencing the heat generated by the heat generation
segment. In still other instances,
the outer wrapping material 75 or wrapping paper / material 90 can comprise or
have associated therewith a
non-woven graphite or graphene sheet as a heat conductive element or otherwise
to direct excess heat away
from the outer wrapping paper 75. That is, the non-woven graphite or graphene
sheet may be wrapped about
a portion of the heat generation portion and about a portion of the aerosol-
generating portion, within the
outer wrapping material, and extend toward the mouth end portion.
Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosures are not to be limited
to the specific aspects
disclosed and that equivalents, modifications, and other aspects are intended
to be included within the scope
of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are
used in a generic and
descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Aspects of the
present disclosure are more fully
illustrated by the examples herein, which are set forth to illustrate certain
aspects of the present disclosure
and are not to be construed as limiting the scope thereof. Unless otherwise
noted, all parts and percentages
are by weight.
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