Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Article for use in an aerosol provision system
Technical Field
The following relates to an article for use in a non-combustible aerosol
provision
system, a method of forming an article and a non-combustible aerosol provision
system
including an article.
Background
Certain tobacco industry products produce an aerosol during use, which is
inhaled by a
user. For example, tobacco heating devices heat an aerosol generating
substrate such
as tobacco to form an aerosol by heating, but not burning, the substrate. Such
tobacco
industry products commonly include mouthpieces through which the aerosol
passes to
reach the user's mouth.
Summary
In some embodiments described herein, in a first aspect there is provided an
article for
use as or as part of a non-combustible aerosol provision system, the article
comprising:
an aerosol generating material comprising at least one aerosol forming
material; and
a cylindrical body disposed downstream of the aerosol-generating material,
wherein
the distance between the downstream end of the aerosol-generating material and
the
upstream end of the cylindrical body is less than about 22 mm.
In some embodiments described herein, in a second aspect there is provided a
method
of forming an article for use as or as part of a non-combustible aerosol
provision
system, the method comprising providing an aerosol generating material
comprising at
least one aerosol forming material; and disposing a cylindrical body
downstream of the
aerosol-generating material, such that the upstream end of the cylindrical
body is less
than about 22 mm from the downstream end of the aerosol generating material.
In some embodiments described herein, in a third aspect there is provided a
system
comprising: an article according to the first aspect above, and a non-
combustible
aerosol provision device comprising a heater.
In some embodiments described herein, in a fourth aspect there is provided a
system
comprising a non-combustible aerosol provision device, and an article
according to the
first aspect above, wherein the aerosol generating material is provided with
an amount
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of nicotine, and wherein the aerosol generated by the system, in use,
comprises at least
30% of the amount of nicotine provided in the aerosol generating material
prior to use,
or at least 35% of the amount of nicotine provided in the aerosol generating
material
prior to use, or at least 40% of the amount of nicotine provided in the
aerosol
generating material prior to use.
In some embodiments described herein, in a fifth aspect there is provided
system
comprising a non-combustible aerosol provision device, and an article
according to the
first aspect above, wherein the aerosol generating material is provided with
an amount
io .. of glycerol, and wherein the aerosol generated by the system, in use,
comprises at least
15% of the amount of glycerol provided in the aerosol generating material
prior to use,
or at least 20% of the amount of glycerol provided in the aerosol generating
material
prior to use.
In some embodiments described herein, in a sixth aspect there is provided an
article for
us as or as part of a non-combustible aerosol provision system, the article
comprising:
an aerosol generating material comprising at least one aerosol forming
material; a
hollow tubular body disposed downstream of the aerosol generating material,
the
hollow tubular body comprising one or more ventilation areas; and a
substantially
cylindrical body disposed downstream of the hollow tubular body, the
downstream end
of the substantially cylindrical body forming the downstream end of the
article, and the
distance between the downstream end of the article and the downstream end of
the
hollow tubular body being at least 8mm, wherein the one or more ventilation
areas are
provided between 12MM and 21MM from the downstream end of the article.
In some embodiments described herein, in a seventh aspect there is provided a
method
of forming an article according to the sixth aspect, the method comprising:
providing
an aerosol-generating material comprising at least one aerosol forming
material; and
disposing a hollow tubular body downstream of the aerosol generating material;
disposing a substantially cylindrical body downstream of hollow tubular body,
the
downstream end of the cylindrical body forming the downstream end of the
article, and
the distance between the downstream end of the cylindrical body and the
downstream
end of the hollow tubular body being at least 8mm; and providing at least one
ventilation area between 12MM and 21MM from the downstream of the article.
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According to an eighth aspect there is provided an article for use as or as
part of a non-
combustible aerosol provision system, the article comprising: an aerosol
generating
material comprising at least one aerosol forming material; a hollow tubular
member
disposed downstream of the aerosol generating material, the hollow tubular
member
comprising one or more ventilation areas; and a substantially cylindrical body
disposed
downstream of the hollow tubular member, the downstream end of the
substantially
cylindrical body forming the downstream end of the article, and the distance
between
the downstream end of the article and the downstream end of the hollow tubular
member being at least 8mm, wherein the one or more ventilation areas are
provided
io less than 3.mm from the downstream end of the hollow tubular member.
In some embodiments described herein, in a ninth aspect there is provided a
system
comprising: an article according to the sixth or eighth aspect above, and a
non-
combustible aerosol provision device comprising a heater.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to
the
accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates an article for use as or as part of a non-combustible
aerosol
.. provision system, the article comprising a mouth end section comprising a
cylindrical
body;
Figure 2 illustrates an article for use as or as part of a non-combustible
aerosol
provision system, the mouth end section comprising a capsule;
Figure 3 schematically illustrates the steps of a method of manufacturing an
article;
Figure 4 illustrates an article for use as or as part of a non-combustible
aerosol
provision system, the article comprising a mouth end section comprising a
cylindrical
body;
Figure 5 schematically illustrates the steps of a method of manufacturing an
article;
Figure 6 is a perspective illustration of a non-combustible aerosol provision
device for
generating aerosol from the aerosol generating material of the articles of
Figures 1, 2
and 4;
Figure 7 illustrates the device of Figure 6 with the outer cover removed and
without an
article present;
Figure 8 is a side view of the device of Figure 7 in partial cross-section;
Figure 9 is an exploded view of the device of Figure 6, with the outer cover
omitted;
Figure ioA is a cross sectional view of a portion of the device of Figure 6;
and
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Figure ioB is a close-up illustration of a region of the device of Figure ioA.
Detailed Description
As used herein, the term "delivery system" is intended to encompass systems
that
.. deliver at least one substance to a user, and includes:
combustible aerosol provision systems, such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars,
and
tobacco for pipes or for roll-your-own or for make-your-own cigarettes
(whether based
on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco,
tobacco
substitutes or other smokable material);
io non-combustible aerosol provision systems that release compounds from an
aerosol-generating material without combusting the aerosol-generating
material, such
as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and hybrid systems to
generate
aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials; and
aerosol-free delivery systems that deliver the at least one substance to a
user
orally, nasally, transdermally or in another way without forming an aerosol,
including
but not limited to, lozenges, gums, patches, articles comprising inhalable
powders, and
oral products such as oral tobacco which includes snus or moist snuff, wherein
the at
least one substance may or may not comprise nicotine.
According to the present disclosure, a "combustible" aerosol provision system
is one
where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision
system (or
component thereof) is combusted or burned during use in order to facilitate
delivery of
at least one substance to a user.
According to the present disclosure, a "non-combustible" aerosol provision
system is
one where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision
system (or
component thereof) is not combusted or burned in order to facilitate delivery
of at least
one substance to a user.
In embodiments described herein, the delivery system is a non-combustible
aerosol
provision system, such as a powered non-combustible aerosol provision system.
In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an
electronic
cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery
system (END),
although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating
material is
not a requirement.
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In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an
aerosol-
generating material heating system, also known as a heat-not-burn system. An
example of such a system is a tobacco heating system.
In one embodiment, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is a hybrid
system
to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosolisable materials, one or a
plurality of
which may be heated. Each of the aerosolisable materials may be, for example,
in the
form of a solid, liquid or gel and may or may not contain nicotine. In one
embodiment,
/o the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel aerosolisable material and a
solid
aerosolisable material. The solid aerosolisable material may comprise, for
example,
tobacco or a non-tobacco product.
Typically, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise a non-
/5 combustible aerosol provision device and a consumable for use with the
non-
combustible aerosol provision device.
In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to consumables comprising aerosol-
generating material and configured to be used with non-combustible aerosol
provision
20 devices. These consumables are sometimes referred to as articles
throughout the
disclosure. The aerosol-generating material, also referred to as aerosol
generating
material, can be tobacco material as described herein.
A consumable is an article comprising or consisting of aerosol-generating
material, part
25 or all of which is intended to be consumed during use by a user. A
consumable may
comprise one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material
storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol
generation
area, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece, a filter and/or an aerosol-modifying
agent. A
consumable may also comprise an aerosol generator, such as a heater, that
emits heat
30 to cause the aerosol-generating material to generate aerosol in use. The
heater may, for
example, comprise combustible material, a material heatable by electrical
conduction,
or a susceptor.
In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a
non-
35 combustible aerosol provision device thereof, may comprise a power
source and a
controller. The power source may, for example, be an electric power source or
an
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exothermic power source. In some embodiments, the exothermic power source
comprises a carbon substrate which may be energised so as to distribute power
in the
form of heat to an aerosol-generating material or to a heat transfer material
in
proximity to the exothermic power source.
In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise
an
area for receiving the consumable, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation
area, a
housing, a mouthpiece, a filter and/or an aerosol-modifying agent.
In some embodiments, the consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol
provision device may comprise aerosol-generating material, an aerosol-
generating
material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an
aerosol
generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a filter, a
mouthpiece,
and/or an aerosol-modifying agent.
In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered may be an aerosol-
generating
material or a material that is not intended to be aerosolised. As appropriate,
either
material may comprise one or more active constituents, one or more flavours,
one or
more aerosol-former materials, and/or one or more other functional materials.
An aerosol generator is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be
generated from
the aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is
a
heater configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to heat energy,
so as to
release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an
aerosol.
In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is configured to cause an aerosol
to be
generated from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example,
the
aerosol generator may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material
to one
or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.
Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating
aerosol, for
example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. Aerosol-
generating
material may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which may
or may not
contain an active substance and/or flavourants. In some embodiments, the
aerosol-
generating material may comprise an "amorphous solid", which may alternatively
be
referred to as a "monolithic solid" (i.e. non-fibrous). In some embodiments,
the
amorphous solid may be a dried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material
that may
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retain some fluid, such as liquid, within it. In some embodiments, the aerosol-
generating material may for example comprise from about 50wt%, 6ow1% or 70wt%
of
amorphous solid, to about 90wt%, 95wt% or mowt% of amorphous solid.
The aerosol-generating material may comprise one or more active substances
and/or
flavours, one or more aerosol-former materials, and optionally one or more
other
functional material.
The aerosol-former material may comprise one or more constituents capable of
forming
/o an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol-former material may
comprise one or
more of glycerine, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene
glycol,
tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl
vanillate,
ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin
mixture, benzyl
benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid,
myristic acid, and
is propylene carbonate.
The one or more other functional materials may comprise one or more of pH
regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers,
and/or
antioxidants.
The material may be present on or in a support, to form a substrate. The
support may,
for example, be or comprise paper, card, paperboard, cardboard, reconstituted
material, a plastics material, a ceramic material, a composite material,
glass, a metal, or
a metal alloy. In some embodiments, the support comprises a susceptor. In some
embodiments, the susceptor is embedded within the material. In some
alternative
embodiments, the susceptor is on one or either side of the material.
An aerosol-modifying agent is a substance, typically located downstream of the
aerosol
generation area, that is configured to modify the aerosol generated, for
example by
changing the taste, flavour, acidity or another characteristic of the aerosol.
The aerosol-
modifying agent may be provided in an aerosol-modifying agent release
component
that is operable to selectively release the aerosol-modifying agent.
The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be an additive or a sorbent. The
aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, comprise one or more of a
flavourant, a
colourant, water, and a carbon adsorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for
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example, be a solid, a liquid, or a gel. The aerosol-modifying agent may be in
powder,
thread or granule form. The aerosol-modifying agent may be free from
filtration
material.
A susceptor is a material that is heatable by penetration with a varying
magnetic field,
such as an alternating magnetic field. The susceptor may be an electrically-
conductive
material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes
induction
heating of the heating material. The heating material may be magnetic
material, so that
penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes magnetic hysteresis
heating of
io the heating material. The susceptor may be both electrically-conductive
and magnetic,
so that the susceptor is heatable by both heating mechanisms. The device that
is
configured to generate the varying magnetic field is referred to as a magnetic
field
generator, herein.
/5 Induction heating is a process in which an electrically-conductive
object is heated by
penetrating the object with a varying magnetic field. The process is described
by
Faraday's law of induction and Ohm's law. An induction heater may comprise an
electromagnet and a device for passing a varying electrical current, such as
an
alternating current, through the electromagnet. When the electromagnet and the
20 object to be heated are suitably relatively positioned so that the
resultant varying
magnetic field produced by the electromagnet penetrates the object, one or
more eddy
currents are generated inside the object. The object has a resistance to the
flow of
electrical currents. Therefore, when such eddy currents are generated in the
object,
their flow against the electrical resistance of the object causes the object
to be heated.
25 This process is called Joule, ohmic, or resistive heating. An object
that is capable of
being inductively heated is known as a susceptor.
In one embodiment, the susceptor is in the form of a closed circuit. It has
been found
that, when the susceptor is in the form of a closed circuit, magnetic coupling
between
30 the susceptor and the electromagnet in use is enhanced, which results in
greater or
improved Joule heating.
Magnetic hysteresis heating is a process in which an object made of a magnetic
material
is heated by penetrating the object with a varying magnetic field. A magnetic
material
35 can be considered to comprise many atomic-scale magnets, or magnetic
dipoles. When
a magnetic field penetrates such material, the magnetic dipoles align with the
magnetic
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field. Therefore, when a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating
magnetic field,
for example as produced by an electromagnet, penetrates the magnetic material,
the
orientation of the magnetic dipoles changes with the varying applied magnetic
field.
Such magnetic dipole reorientation causes heat to be generated in the magnetic
.. material.
When an object is both electrically-conductive and magnetic, penetrating the
object
with a varying magnetic field can cause both Joule heating and magnetic
hysteresis
heating in the object. Moreover, the use of magnetic material can strengthen
the
/o magnetic field, which can intensify the Joule heating.
In each of the above processes, as heat is generated inside the object itself,
rather than
by an external heat source by heat conduction, a rapid temperature rise in the
object
and more uniform heat distribution can be achieved, particularly through
selection of
/5 suitable object material and geometry, and suitable varying magnetic
field magnitude
and orientation relative to the object. Moreover, as induction heating and
magnetic
hysteresis heating do not require a physical connection to be provided between
the
source of the varying magnetic field and the object, design freedom and
control over the
heating profile may be greater, and cost may be lower.
Articles, for instance those in the shape of rods, are often named according
to the
product length: "regular" (typically in the range 68 ¨ 75 mm, e.g. from about
68 mm to
about 72 mm), "short" or "mini" (68 mm or less), "king-size" (typically in the
range 75 ¨
91 mm, e.g. from about 79 mm to about 88 mm), "long" or "super-king"
(typically in the
range 91 ¨ 105 mm, e.g. from about 94 mm to about 101 mm) and "ultra-long"
(typically in the range from about no mm to about 121 mm).
They are also named according to the product circumference: "regular" (about
23 ¨ 25
mm), "wide" (greater than 25 mm), "slim" (about 22 - 23 mm), "demi-slim"
(about 19
¨ 22 mm), "super-slim" (about 16 ¨ 19 mm), and "micro-slim" (less than about
16 mm).
Accordingly, an article in a king-size, super-slim format will, for example,
have a length
of about 83 mm and a circumference of about 17 mm.
Each format may be produced with mouthpieces of different lengths. The
mouthpiece
length will be from about 30 mm to 50 mm. A tipping paper connects the
mouthpiece
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to the aerosol generating material and will usually have a greater length than
the
mouthpiece, for example from 3 to 10 mm longer, such that the tipping paper
covers
the mouthpiece and overlaps the aerosol generating material, for instance in
the form
of a rod of substrate material, to connect the mouthpiece to the rod.
Articles and their aerosol generating materials and mouthpieces described
herein can
be made in, but are not limited to, any of the above formats.
The terms 'upstream' and 'downstream' used herein are relative terms defined
in
/o relation to the direction of mainstream aerosol drawn though an article
or device in
use.
The filamentary tow or filter material described herein can comprise cellulose
acetate
fibre tow. The filamentary tow can also be formed using other materials used
to form
/5 fibres, such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polylactic acid (PLA),
polycaprolactone (PCL),
poly(1-4 butanediol succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene adipate-co-
terephthalate)(PBAT),
starch based materials, cotton, aliphatic polyester materials and
polysaccharide
polymers or a combination thereof. The filamentary tow may be plasticised with
a
suitable plasticiser for the tow, such as triacetin where the material is
cellulose acetate
20 tow, or the tow may be non-plasticised. The tow can have any suitable
specification,
such as fibres having a cross section which is 'Y' shaped, 'X' shaped or '0'
shaped. The
fibres of the tow may have filamentary denier values between 2.5 and 15 denier
per
filament, for example between 8.0 and 11.0 denier per filament and total
denier values
of 5,000 to 50,000, for example between 10,000 and 40,000. When viewed in
cross
25 section, the fibres may have an isoperimetric ratio L2/A of 25 or less,
preferably 20 or
less, and more preferably 15 or less, where L is the length of the perimeter
of the cross
section and A is the area of the cross section. Filter material described
herein also
includes cellulose-based materials such as paper. Such materials may have a
relatively
low density, such as between about 0.1 and about 0.45 grams per cubic
centimetre, to
30 allow air and/or aerosol to pass through the material. Although
described as filter
materials, such materials may have a primary purpose, such as increasing the
resistance to draw of a component, that is not related to filtration as such.
As used herein, the term "tobacco material" refers to any material comprising
tobacco
35 or derivatives or substitutes thereof. The term "tobacco material" may
include one or
more of tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco
or
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tobacco substitutes. The tobacco material may comprise one or more of ground
tobacco, tobacco fibre, cut tobacco, extruded tobacco, tobacco stem, tobacco
lamina,
reconstituted tobacco and/or tobacco extract.
.. In the tobacco material described herein, the tobacco material contains an
aerosol
forming material. In this context, an "aerosol forming material" is an agent
that
promotes the generation of an aerosol. An aerosol forming material may promote
the
generation of an aerosol by promoting an initial vaporisation and/or the
condensation
of a gas to an inhalable solid and/or liquid aerosol. In some embodiments, an
aerosol
/o forming material may improve the delivery of flavour from the aerosol
generating
material. In general, any suitable aerosol forming material or agents may be
included in
the aerosol generating material of the invention, including those described
herein.
Other suitable aerosol forming materials include, but are not limited to: a
polyol such
as sorbitol, glycerol, and glycols like propylene glycol or triethylene
glycol; a non-polyol
/5 such as monohydric alcohols, high boiling point hydrocarbons, acids such
as lactic acid,
glycerol derivatives, esters such as diacetin, triacetin, triethylene glycol
diacetate,
triethyl citrate or myristates including ethyl myristate and isopropyl
myristate and
aliphatic carboxylic acid esters such as methyl stearate, dimethyl
dodecanedioate and
dimethyl tetradecanedioate. In some embodiments, the aerosol forming material
may
20 be glycerol, propylene glycol, or a mixture of glycerol and propylene
glycol. The total
amount of glycerol, propylene glycol, or a mixture of glycerol and propylene
glycol used
may be in the range of between 10% and 30%, for instance between 15% and 25%
of the
tobacco material measured on a dry weight basis. Glycerol may be present in an
amount of from 10 to 20 % by weight of the tobacco material, for example 13 to
16 % by
25 .. weight of the composition, or about 14% or 15% by weight of the
composition.
Propylene glycol, if present, may be present in an amount of from 0.1 to 0.3%
by weight
of the composition.
In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered comprises an active
substance.
The active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material,
which is a
material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active
substance
may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactives.
The active
substance may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active
substance
may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as
B6 or
B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or
combinations
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thereof. The active substance may comprise one or more constituents,
derivatives or
extracts of tobacco, cannabis or another botanical.
In some embodiments, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some
embodiments,
the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin or vitamin B12.
As noted herein, the active substance may comprise or be derived from one or
more
botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof. As used herein,
the term
"botanical" includes any material derived from plants including, but not
limited to,
extracts, leaves, bark, fibres, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen,
husk, shells or
the like. Alternatively, the material may comprise an active compound
naturally
existing in a botanical, obtained synthetically. The material may be in the
form of
liquid, gas, solid, powder, dust, crushed particles, granules, pellets,
shreds, strips,
sheets, or the like. Example botanicals are tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise,
hemp, cocoa,
cannabis, fennel, lemongrass, peppermint, spearmint, rooibos, chamomile, flax,
ginger,
ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, licorice (liquorice), matcha, mate,
orange skin,
papaya, rose, sage, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, clove,
cinnamon, coffee,
aniseed (anise), basil, bay leaves, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg,
oregano,
paprika, rosemary, saffron, lavender, lemon peel, mint, juniper, elderflower,
vanilla,
wintergreen, beefsteak plant, curcuma, turmeric, sandalwood, cilantro,
bergamot,
orange blossom, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram,
olive,
lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, geranium, mulberry,
ginseng,
theanine, theacrine, maca, ashwagandha, damiana, guarana, chlorophyll, baobab
or
any combination thereof. The mint may be chosen from the following mint
varieties:
Mentha Arventis, Mentha c.v.,Mentha niliaca, Mentha piperita, Mentha piperita
citrata
c.v.,Mentha piperita c.v, Mentha spicata crispa, Mentha cardifolia, Memtha
longifolia,
Mentha suaveolens variegata, Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata c.v. and Mentha
suaveolens.
In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or
more
botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical
is tobacco.
In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or
more
botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical
is selected
from eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa and hemp.
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In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or
more
botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical
is selected
from rooibos and fennel.
In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered comprises a flavour.
As used herein, the terms "flavour" and "flavourant" refer to materials which,
where
local regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste, aroma or
other
somatosensorial sensation in a product for adult consumers. They may include
io naturally occurring flavour materials, botanicals, extracts of
botanicals, synthetically
obtained materials, or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice
(liquorice), hydrangea, eugenol, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile,
fenugreek, clove, maple, matcha, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed (anise),
cinnamon,
turmeric, Indian spices, Asian spices, herb, wintergreen, cherry, berry, red
berry,
cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, clementine, lemon, lime, tropical
fruit, papaya,
rhubarb, grape, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus
fruits,
Drambuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, spearmint, peppermint,
lavender, aloe vera, cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood,
bergamot,
geranium, khat, naswar, betel, shisha, pine, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla,
lemon oil,
orange oil, orange blossom, cherry blossom, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine,
ylang-
ylang, sage, fennel, wasabi, piment, ginger, coriander, coffee, hemp, a mint
oil from any
species of the genus Mentha, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, lemongrass,
rooibos, flax,
ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, mate, orange skin, rose, tea such as
green tea or
black tea, thyme, juniper, elderflower, basil, bay leaves, cumin, oregano,
paprika,
rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, beefsteak plant, curcuma, cilantro,
myrtle, cassis,
valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil,
chive,
carvi, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene), flavour enhancers,
bitterness
receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site activators or stimulators,
sugars and/or
sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame,
saccharine,
cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and
other
additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath
freshening
agents. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends
thereof. They
may be in any suitable form, for example, liquid such as an oil, solid such as
a powder,
or gas.
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In some embodiments, the flavour comprises menthol, spearmint and/or
peppermint.
In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components of cucumber,
blueberry, citrus fruits and/or redberry. In some embodiments, the flavour
comprises
eugenol. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components
extracted
from tobacco. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components
extracted from cannabis.
In some embodiments, the flavour may comprise a sensate, which is intended to
achieve a somatosensorial sensation which are usually chemically induced and
io perceived by the stimulation of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal
nerve), in addition to
or in place of aroma or taste nerves, and these may include agents providing
heating,
cooling, tingling, numbing effect. A suitable heat effect agent may be, but is
not limited
to, vanillyl ethyl ether and a suitable cooling agent may be, but not limited
to
eucolyptol, WS-3.
In the figures described herein, like reference numerals are used to
illustrate equivalent
features, articles or components.
Figure 1 illustrates an article 1 for use as or as part of a non-combustible
aerosol
provision system. The article 1 may be a non-combustible aerosol provision
system
itself, or alternatively, may be for use with a non-combustible aerosol
provision device
to form a non-combustible aerosol provision system. One suitable non-
combustible
aerosol provision device loo comprising a heater 101 is illustrated in figures
6 to loB.
In other examples, other non-combustible aerosol provision devices may be
used. The
article 1 and other articles described herein can be tobacco heated product
consumables.
The article 1 comprises: a rod of aerosol generating material 2 comprising at
least one
aerosol forming material; and a mouth end section 20 disposed downstream of
the
aerosol generating material 2. The mouth end section 20 comprises a hollow
tubular
body 3, the hollow tubular body having a wall thickness greater than about 0.5
mm and
a cylindrical body 21 disposed immediately downstream of the hollow tubular
body 3.
The article 1 is configured such that the distance 'd' between the downstream
end of the
aerosol-generating material 2 and the upstream end of the cylindrical body 21
is less
than about 22 MM.
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In the present case, the article further comprises a hollow tubular member 5
disposed
immediately upstream of the hollow tubular body 3. The hollow tubular member 5
is
disposed between the aerosol generating material 2 and the hollow tubular body
3. The
hollow tubular body 3 and hollow tubular member 5 are also referred to herein
as
cooling sections.
The combined length of the hollow tubular member 5 and the hollow tubular body
3 is
such that the cylindrical body 21 is spaced away from the aerosol generating
material by
a maximum distance d. In the present example, the hollow tubular member has a
io length of 12 mm, and the hollow tubular body has a length of 9 mm. The
cylindrical
body 21 is therefore separated from the aerosol generating material by a
distance of 21
mm. Preferably, the maximum distance d is 22 mm. Suitably, the distance d may
be 21
MM. It has been surprisingly found that by providing a cooling section
comprised of a
hollow tubular member 5 and a hollow tubular body 3, configured to extend a
/5 maximum of 22 mm from the aerosol generating material, an improved
aerosol may be
provided. It is hypothesised that limiting the combined length of the cooling
sections to
less than 22 mm may reduce the condensation of desirable components of the
aerosol
on the inner surfaces of the cooling sections. For example, the hollow tubular
member 5
may have a length of n mm and the hollow tubular body 3 may have a length of
lo mm.
20 The hollow tubular member 5 may have a length from about 6mm to about
15mm,
more preferably from about 8mm to about 12MM and/or the hollow tubular body 3
may have a length from about 6mm to about 15mm, more preferably from about 8mm
to about 12MM.
25 In addition, it has surprisingly been found that the use of hollow
tubular body 3
immediately upstream of cylindrical body 21 can further reduce the
condensation of
desirable components of the aerosol in the cylindrical body 21. Without wising
to be
bound by theory, it is hypothesised that this is due to hollow tubular body 3
channelling
aerosol through the centre of the cylindrical body 21 at an increased flow
rate. In
30 addition, by increasing the proportion of the aerosol channelled through
the centre of
the cylindrical body 21, the cross sectional area of the cylindrical body
through which
aerosol passes is effectively reduced, further reducing the potential
condensation of
desirable components of the aerosol in the cylindrical body 21.
35 Preferably, the hollow tubular member 5 has a wall thickness of at least
300 microns
and/or a permeability of at least 100 Coresta units. By constructing the
hollow tubular
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member 5 to have a permeability of at least 100 Coresta units, the hollow
tubular
member takes up moisture from aerosol generated by the aerosol generating
material 2
when the article 1 is heated by the non-combustible aerosol provision device
wo.
Furthermore, papers with permeability greater than wo Coresta units are
generally low
weight and easier to work with during manufacturing.
The hollow tubular member 5 is configured to have a larger internal diameter,
for
instance a smaller wall thickness, than the wall thickness of the hollow
tubular body 3.
In the present example the hollow tubular member 5 is formed from paper.
Specifically,
the hollow tubular member 5 is formed from a plurality of layers of paper
which are
parallel wound, with butted seams, to form the tubular member 5, which
underlies a
wrapper 6. The paper tube provides additional rigidity to the first cavity 5a.
In the
present example, first and second paper layers are provided in a two-ply tube,
although
/5 in other examples 3, 4 or more paper layers can be used forming 3, 4 or
more ply tubes.
Other constructions can be used, such as spirally wound layers of paper,
cardboard
tubes, tubes formed using a papier-mâché type process, moulded or extruded
plastic
tubes or similar.
The hollow tubular member 5 can also be formed using a stiff plug wrap and/or
tipping
paper, for instance as the wrapper 6 and/or further wrapper 6' described in
more detail
below, meaning that a separate tubular element is not required. The stiff plug
wrap
and/or tipping paper is manufactured to have a rigidity that is sufficient to
withstand
the axial compressive forces and bending moments that might arise during
manufacture and whilst the article 1 is in use. For instance, the stiff plug
wrap and/or
tipping paper can have a basis weight between 70 gsm and 120 gsm, more
preferably
between 80 gsm and no gsm. Additionally or alternatively, the stiff plug wrap
and/or
tipping paper can have a thickness between 80 pm and 200 pm, more preferably
between wo m and 160 m, or from 120 VIM to 150 VIM. It can be desirable for
both
the wrapper 6 and/or further wrapper 6' to have values in these ranges, to
achieve an
acceptable overall level of rigidity for the hollow tubular member 5.
In other examples, the hollow tubular member 5 may be formed from other
materials,
such as a moulded or extruded plastic tube, or a fibrous material as described
for
hollow tubular body 3.
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The hollow tubular member 5 preferably has a wall thickness, which can be
measured,
for example using a calliper, of at least about wo m and up to about 1.5mm,
preferably between wo m and 1 mm and more preferably between 150 rn and 500
m, or about 300 m. In the present example, the hollow tubular member 5 has a
wall
thickness of about 250 m.
Preferably, the length of the hollow tubular member 5 is less than about 20
mm. More
preferably, the length of the hollow tubular member 5 is less than about 18
mm. Still
more preferably, the length of the hollow tubular member 5 is less than about
15 mm.
In addition, or as an alternative, the length of the hollow tubular member 5
is
preferably at least about 5 mm. Preferably, the length of the hollow tubular
member 5
is at least about 6 mm. In some preferred embodiments, the length of the
hollow
tubular member 5 is from about lo mm to about 14 mm, more preferably from
about ii
mm to about 13 mm, most preferably about 12 mm. In the present example, the
length
/5 of the hollow tubular member 5 is 12 mm.
The hollow tubular body 3 is configured to serve as a heat dissipater to
reduce the
phenomena of 'hot puff. 'Hot puff is defined as aerosol delivered to the user
at an
uncomfortably high temperature. Hot puff may be exacerbated when a user draws
aerosol through a heated article 1 at a high rate, reducing the time for heat
in the
aerosol to be dissipated. When inserted into a non-combustible aerosol
provision
device wo, the hollow tubular body 3 separates the mouth end section from the
heater
101 to provide space for heat to dissipate before the aerosol reaches the
downstream
end of the article. Further, it shall be appreciated that heat will be
conducted away from
the aerosol and into the hollow tubular body 3 as the aerosol is drawn
therethrough. In
this way, the hollow tubular body 3 acts as a heat sink.
In the present example, hollow tubular body 3 is formed from filamentary tow.
In other
embodiments, other constructions may be used, such as spirally wound layers of
paper,
cardboard tubes, tubes formed using a papier-mâché type process, tubes formed
from
paper filter material, moulded or extruded plastic tubes or similar.
The hollow tubular body 3 preferably has a wall thickness of at least about
325 m and
up to about 2 mm, preferably between 500 pm and 2 mm and more preferably
between
750 m and 1.5 mm. In the present example, the hollow tubular body 3 has a
wall
thickness of about 1.4 mm. The "wall thickness" of the hollow tubular body 3
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corresponds to the thickness of the wall of the hollow tubular body 3 in a
radial
direction. This may be measured, for example, using a caliper. The use of
filamentary
tow and/or wall thicknesses in these ranges have advantage of insulating the
hot
aerosol passing through the second cavity 3a from the outer surface of the
hollow
tubular body 3.
The wall thickness together with the external diameter of the hollow tubular
body 3
together define the internal diameter or cavity size of the hollow tubular
body 3.
In some embodiments, the thickness of the wall of the hollow tubular body 3 is
at least
325 microns and, preferably, at least 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 or woo
microns. In
some embodiments, the thickness of the wall of the hollow tubular body 3 is at
least
1250 or 1500 microns.
In some embodiments, the thickness of the wall of the hollow tubular body 3 is
less
than 2000 microns and, for instance, less than 1500 microns.
The increased thickness of the wall of the hollow tubular body 3 means that it
has a
greater thermal mass, which has been found to help reduce the temperature of
the
aerosol passing through the hollow tubular body 3 and reduce the surface
temperature
of the mouth end section 20 at locations downstream of the hollow tubular body
3. This
is thought to be because the greater thermal mass of the hollow tubular body 3
allows
the hollow tubular body 3 to absorb more heat from the aerosol in comparison
to a
hollow tubular body 3 with a thinner wall thickness. The increased thickness
of the
hollow tubular body 3 also channels the aerosol centrally through the mouth
end
section 20 such that less heat from the aerosol is transferred to the outer
portions of the
mouth end section 20.
Preferably, the density of the hollow tubular body 3 is at least about 0.25
grams per
cubic centimetre (g/cc), more preferably at least about 0.3 g/cc. Preferably,
the density
of the hollow tubular body 3 is less than about 0.75 grams per cubic
centimetre (g/cc),
more preferably less than 0.6 g/cc. In some embodiments, the density of the
hollow
tubular body 3 is between 0.25 and 0.75 g/cc, more preferably between 0.3 and
0.6
g/cc, and more preferably between 0.4 g/cc and 0.6 g/cc or about 0.5 g/cc.
These
densities have been found to provide a good balance between improved firmness
afforded by denser material and the lower heat transfer properties of lower
density
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material. For the purposes of the present example, the "density" of the hollow
tubular
body 3 refers to the density of the filamentary tow forming the element with
any
plasticiser incorporated. For the purposes of the present invention, the
"density" of the
material forming the hollow tubular body 3 refers to the density of any
filamentary tow
forming the element with any plasticiser incorporated. The density may be
determined
by dividing the total weight of the material forming the hollow tubular body 3
by the
total volume of the material forming the hollow tubular body 3, wherein the
total
volume can be calculated using appropriate measurements of the material
forming the
hollow tubular body 3 taken, for example, using callipers. Where necessary,
the
io .. appropriate dimensions may be measured using a microscope.
The filamentary tow forming the hollow tubular body 3 preferably has a total
denier of
less than 45,000, more preferably less than 42,000. This total denier has been
found to
allow the formation of a tubular element 13 which is not too dense.
Preferably, the total
/5 denier is at least 20,000, more preferably at least 25,000. In preferred
embodiments,
the filamentary tow forming the hollow tubular body 3 has a total denier
between
25,000 and 45,000, more preferably between 35,000 and 45,000. Preferably the
cross-sectional shape of the filaments of tow are 'Y' shaped, although in
other
embodiments other shapes such as 'X' shaped filaments can be used.
The filamentary tow forming the hollow tubular body 3 preferably has a denier
per
filament of greater than 3. This denier per filament has been found to allow
the
formation of a tubular element 13 which is not too dense. Preferably, the
denier per
filament is at least 4, more preferably at least 5. In preferred embodiments,
the
filamentary tow forming the hollow tubular body 3 has a denier per filament
between 4
and 10, more preferably between 4 and 9. In one example, the filamentary tow
forming
the hollow tubular body 3 has an 8Y4o,000 tow formed from cellulose acetate
and
comprising 18% plasticiser, for instance triacetin.
.. The hollow tubular body 3 preferably comprises from 10% to 22% by weight of
plasticiser. For cellulose acetate tow, the plasticiser is preferably
triacetin, although
other plasticisers such as polyethelyne glycol (PEG) can be used. The hollow
tubular
body 3 can comprise less than about 18% by weight of plasticiser, such as
triacetin, or
less than about 17%, less than about 16% or less than about 15%. More
preferably, the
tubular body 3 comprises from 10% to 20% by weight of plasticiser, for
instance about
11%, about 12%, about 13%, about 15%, about 17%, about 18% or about 19%
plasticiser.
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In some embodiments, the permeability of the material of the wall of the
hollow tubular
body 3 is at least loo Coresta Units and, preferably, at least 500 or woo
Coresta Units.
It has been found that the relatively high permeability of the hollow tubular
body 3
increases the amount of heat that is transferred to the hollow tubular body 3
from the
aerosol and thus reduces the temperature of the aerosol. The permeability of
the hollow
tubular body 3 has also been found to increase the amount of moisture that is
transferred from the aerosol to the hollow tubular body 3, which has been
found to
io improve the feel of the aerosol in the user's mouth. A high permeability
of hollow
tubular body 3 also makes it easier to cut ventilation holes into the hollow
tubular body
3 using a laser, meaning that a lower power of laser can be used.
The hollow tubular body 3 may comprise a filamentary tow comprising filaments
/5 having a cross-section with an isoperimetric ratio L2/A of 25 or less,
20 or less or 15 or
less, where L is the length of the perimeter of the cross section and A is the
area of the
cross section. In other words, the filaments may comprise a substantially '0'
shaped
cross section, or at least as close as it is possible to achieve. For a given
denier per
filament, filaments with a substantially '0' shaped cross section have a lower
surface
20 area than other cross sectional shapes, such as 'Y' or 'X' shaped
filaments. Therefore,
the delivery of aerosol to the user is improved.
It shall be appreciated that aerosol drawn through the hollow tubular body 3
passes
through both a central second cavity 3a in the hollow tubular body 3 and also
partly
25 through the filaments of the hollow tubular body 3 itself. By providing
filaments with a
substantially 'o' shaped cross section, a greater proportion of aerosol will
pass through
the filament of the hollow tubular body 3 itself, increasing heat transfer to
the hollow
tubular body 3 yet further.
30 In the present example, hollow tubular body 3 has a length of 9 mm. In
other examples,
hollow tubular body may have a length up to about 12 mm, for instance 10 mm.
The hollow tubular body 3 and hollow tubular member 5 are also referred to as
cooling
sections, and define respective first and second cavities 5a, 3a.
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The hollow tubular member 5 and hollow tubular body 3 are each located around
and
define respective air gaps within the mouthpiece 20 which act as cooling
segments. The
air gaps provide chambers through which heated volatilised components
generated by
the aerosol generating material 2 flow.
Preferably, the first cavity 5a has an internal volume greater than about 300
mm3
and/or the second cavity 3a has an internal volume greater than about loo mm3.
For
instance, the first cavity 5a may have an internal volume of about 31omm3 or
about
33omm3, and the second cavity 3a may have an internal volume of about 120mm3.
io Providing cavities of at least these volumes has been found to enable
the formation of
an improved aerosol, as well as providing the cooling function described
herein. Such
cavity sizes provide sufficient space within the mouthpiece 20 to allow heated
volatilised components to cool, therefore allowing the exposure of the aerosol
generating material 2 to higher temperatures than would otherwise be possible,
since
is they may result in an aerosol which is too warm.
Surprisingly, the relative internal diameters and length of the first and
second cavities
has been found to be important for improving the quality of the aerosol. It
has been
advantageously found that providing a tubular member 5 having a length less
than 18
20 mm, or less than the length of the aerosol generating material 2,
reduces the likelihood
of desirable components of the aerosol condensing on the inner surface of the
tubular
member 5. It has also been surprisingly found that providing a hollow tubular
body 3,
having a smaller inner diameter than hollow tubular member 5, immediately
downstream of the hollow tubular member 5 provides a further improvement in
the
25 aerosol by channelling the hot aerosol through the centre of the hollow
tubular member
5, further reducing condensation on the inner surface of the tubular member.
The inner diameters of each of the hollow tubular body 3 and the hollow
tubular
member 5 may be selected from a range of about 2mm to about 6mm, about 2MM to
30 about 5mm, about 2.mm to about 4.mm and about 3.omm to about 4mm. The
inner
diameter of the tubular body 3 is selected to be smaller than the inner
diameter of the
tubular member 5.
The second cavity can, for instance, have an internal volume greater than 75
mm3, for
35 instance greater than 90 mm3, 100 mm3, 140 mm3, or 150 mm3, allowing
further
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improvement of the aerosol. In some examples, the second cavity 3a comprises a
volume of between about 130 mm3 and about 180 mm3, for instance about 150 mm3.
The first cavity can, for instance, have an internal volume greater than loo
mm3, for
instance greater than 200 mm3, 300mm3, 350 m3, 400 mm3, or 500 mm3, allowing
further improvement of the aerosol. In some examples, the first cavity 5a
comprises a
volume of between about 300 mm3 and about 400 mm3, or between about 340 mm3
and about 360 mm3 for instance about 350 mm3.
/0 .. The hollow tubular member 5 can be configured to provide a temperature
differential of
at least 40 degrees Celsius between a heated volatilised component entering a
first,
upstream end of the hollow tubular member 5 and a heated volatilised component
exiting a second, downstream end of the hollow tubular members. The hollow
tubular
member 5 is preferably configured to provide a temperature differential of at
least 60
/5 degrees Celsius, preferably at least 80 degrees Celsius and more
preferably at least loo
degrees Celsius between a heated volatilised component entering a first,
upstream end
of the hollow tubular member 5 and a heated volatilised component exiting a
second,
downstream end of the hollow tubular members. This temperature differential
across
the length of the hollow tubular member 5 protects the temperature sensitive
second
20 body of material 5 from the high temperatures of the aerosol generating
material 3
when it is heated.
The hollow tubular body 3 can be configured to provide a temperature
differential of at
least 5 degrees Celsius between a heated volatilised component entering a
first,
25 upstream end of the hollow tubular body 3 and a heated volatilised
component exiting a
second, downstream end of the hollow tubular body 3. The hollow tubular body 3
is
preferably configured to provide a temperature differential of at least 10
degrees
Celsius, preferably at least 12 degrees Celsius and more preferably at least
15 degrees
Celsius between a heated volatilised component entering a first, upstream end
of the
30 hollow tubular body 3 and a heated volatilised component exiting a
second,
downstream end of the hollow tubular body 3.
In each embodiment, the article further comprises the wrapper 6 at least
partially
surrounding the aerosol generating material 2 and the hollow tubular member 5
to
35 connect the aerosol generating material 2 to the hollow tubular member
5. In some
examples the wrapper may extend along the full length of the article 1 to
attach the
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aerosol generating material 2 to the components of the mouth end section 20.
In the
present example, a further wrapper 6' underlies the wrapper 6, and extends
along the
mouth end section 20. Further wrapper 6' combines the hollow tubular member 5,
the
tubular body 3, cylindrical body 21, and second tubular body 22. In the
present
example, wrapper 6 extends partially along the length of the aerosol
generating
material 2 to attach the aerosol generating material to the wrapped mouth end
section
20.
A plug wrap 23 circumscribes the cylindrical body 21. Further wrapper 6'
circumscribes
io and attaches the second tubular body 22 to the body of material 21, the
hollow tubular
body 3, and the hollow tubular member 5. The wrapped second tubular body 22,
cylindrical body 21, hollow tubular body 3 and hollow tubular member 5 are
attached to
the aerosol generating material 2 by wrapper 6.
/5 The wrapper 6 may be a paper material comprising a citrate, such as
sodium nitrate or
potassium nitrate. In such examples, the wrapper 6 may have a citrate content
of 2% by
weight or less, or 1% by weight or less. This reduces charring of the wrapper
6 when the
article 1 is heated in the non-combustible aerosol provision device wo.
20 In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material 2 described herein
is a first
aerosol generating material 2 and the hollow tubular body 3 may comprise a
second
aerosol generating material. For example, the second aerosol generating
material may
be disposed on an inner surface of the hollow tubular body 3.
25 The second aerosol generating material comprises at least one aerosol
former material,
and may also comprise at least one aerosol modifying agent, or other sensate
material.
The aerosol former material and/or aerosol modifying agent can be any aerosol
former
material or aerosol modifying agent as described herein, or a combination
thereof.
30 In use, as the aerosol generated from the first aerosol generating
material 2 is drawn
through the hollow tubular body 3, heat from the first aerosol may aerosolise
the
aerosol forming material of the second aerosol generating material, to form a
second
aerosol. The second aerosol may comprise a flavourant, which may be additional
or
complementary to the flavour of the first aerosol.
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Providing a second aerosol generating material on the second hollow tubular
body 3
can result in generation of a second aerosol which boosts or complements the
flavour or
visual appearance of the first aerosol.
The article 1 may further comprise at least one ventilation area 12 arranged
to allow
external air to flow into the article. In the illustrated embodiments, the
ventilation area
12 comprises a row of ventilation apertures, or perforations, cut into the
wrapper 6. The
ventilation apertures may extend in a line around the circumference of the
article 1. The
ventilation area 12 may comprise two or more rows of ventilation apertures. By
io providing a ventilation area 12, ambient air may be drawn into the
article during use to
further cool the aerosol.
In the illustrated embodiments, the at least one ventilation area 12 is
arranged to
provide external air into the second cavity 3a of the hollow tubular body 3.
To achieve
this, the one or more rows of ventilation apertures extend around the
circumference of
the article over the hollow tubular body 3.
Suitably, the ventilation area 12 may be provided at a position between 12 mm
and 20
mm downstream of the aerosol generating material 2. For instance, the
ventilation area
may be provided at a position about 14.5mm or 18.5mm downstream of the aerosol
generating material 2 or at a position between 14 mm and 20 mm downstream of
the
aerosol generating material 2. In other examples, ventilation may be provided
at a
position 22.5 mm upstream of the mouth end of the article.
Alternatively/additionally,
the ventilation may be provided at a position less than 3.mm from the
downstream
end of the hollow tubular member. For instance, the ventilation area may be
provided
at a position about 14.5 mm or 18.5 mm downstream of the aerosol generating
material
2. In other examples, ventilation may be provided at a position 22.5 mm
upstream of
the mouth end of the article.
In one example, the ventilation area 12 comprises a single row of perforations
formed
as laser perforations. In some other examples, the ventilation area comprises
first and
second parallel rows of perforations formed as laser perforations, for
instance at
positions 17.925 mm and 18.625 mm respectively from the mouth end. These
perforations pass though the wrapper 6 and hollow tubular body 3. In
alternative
embodiments, the ventilation can be provided at other locations.
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In some examples, the perforations pass through the full thickness of the wall
of the
hollow tubular body 3. In other examples, the ventilations may be formed
through only
a portion of the wall thickness of the tubular body. For example, the
ventilation
perforation may extend into the tubular body by a depth of up to about 0.2 mm,
or up
to about 0.3 mm, or up to about 0.5 mm, or up to about 1 mm, or up to about
1.5 mm.
Alternatively, the ventilation can be provided via a single row of
perforations, for
instance laser perforations, into the portion of the article 1 in which the
hollow tubular
body 3 is located. This has been found to result in improved aerosol
formation, which
/o is thought to result from the airflow through the perforations being
more uniform than
with multiple rows of perforations, for a given ventilation level. In the
present example,
the ventilation area 12 comprises a single row of laser perforations 18.5 mm
downstream of the aerosol generating material 2.
/5 In another embodiment, the at least one ventilation area 12 is arranged
to provide
external air into the aerosol generating material 2. To achieve this, the one
or more
rows of ventilation apertures extend around the circumference of the article
over the
rod of aerosol generating material 2.
20 The level of ventilation provided by the at least one ventilation area
12 is within the
range of 40% to 70% of the volume of aerosol generated by the aerosol
generating
material 2 passing through the article 1, when the article 1 is heated in the
non-
combustible aerosol provision device loft
25 Aerosol temperature has been found to generally increase with a drop in
the ventilation
level. However the relationship between aerosol temperature and ventilation
level does
not appear to be linear, with variations in ventilation, for instance due to
manufacturing tolerances, having less impact at lower target ventilation
levels. For
instance, with a ventilation tolerance of 15%, for a target ventilation level
of 75%, the
30 aerosol temperature could increase by approximately 6 C at the lower
ventilation limit
(60% ventilation). However, with a target ventilation level of 60% the aerosol
temperature may only increase by approximately 3.5 C at the lower vent limit
(45%
ventilation). The target ventilation level of the article can therefore be
within the range
40% to 70%, for instance, 45% to 65%. The mean ventilation level of at least
20 articles
35 can be between 40% and 70%, for instance between 45% and 70% or between
51% and
59%.
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In some embodiments, an additional wrapper 10 at least partially surrounds the
aerosol
generating material 2, between the aerosol generating material 2 and the
wrapper 6. In
particular, during manufacture of the article, the aerosol generating material
is first
wrapped by additional wrapper 10 before being attached in combination with the
other
components of the article 1 by wrapper 6.
In some embodiments, the additional wrapper 10 surrounding the aerosol
generating
material has a high level of permeability, for example greater than about moo
Coresta
.. Units, or greater than about 1500 Coresta Units, or greater than about 2000
Coresta
Units. The permeability of the additional wrapper 10 can be measured in
accordance
with ISO 2965:2009 concerning the determination of air permeability for
materials
used as cigarette papers, filter plug wrap and filter joining paper.
/5 The additional wrapper 10 may be formed from a material with a high
inherent level of
permeability, an inherently porous material, or may be formed from a material
with
any level of inherent permeability where the final level of permeability is
achieved by
providing the additional wrapper 10 with a permeable zone or area. Providing a
permeable additional wrapper 10 provides a route for air to enter the smoking
article.
The additional wrapper 10 can be provided with a permeability such that the
amount of
air entering through the rod of aerosol generating material 2 is relatively
more than the
amount of air entering the article 1 through the ventilation area 12 in the
mouthpiece.
An article 1 having this arrangement may produce a more flavoursome aerosol
which
may be more satisfactory to the user.
The mouth end section 20 further comprises a second tubular body 22. The
second
tubular body 22 defines the mouth end of the article 1. The second tubular
body 22 may
comprise a tube of cellulose acetate stiffened with plasticizer. For example,
the second
tubular body may be constructed in the same way as described for hollow
tubular body
3, and may have a wall thickness and/or density in the range as described for
hollow
tubular body 3.
The second tubular body 22 defines a cavity 22a in the mouth end section 20
that opens
at the mouth end.
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The provision of a second tubular body 22 at the downstream end of the article
1 has
advantageously been found to significantly reduce the temperature of the outer
surface
of the article 1 at the downstream end of the mouthpiece which comes into
contact with
a consumer's mouth when the article 1 is in use.
The use of the second hollow tubular body 22 has also been found to
significantly
reduce the temperature of the outer surface of the mouth end section 20 even
upstream
of the second hollow tubular body 22. Without wishing to be bound by theory,
it is
hypothesised that this is due to the second hollow tubular body 22 channelling
aerosol
io closer to the centre of the mouth end section 20, and therefore reducing
the transfer of
heat from the aerosol to the outer surface of the article.
The second hollow tubular body 22 preferably has an internal diameter of
greater than
3.omm. Smaller diameters than this can result in increasing the velocity of
aerosol
is passing though the mouth end section 20 to the consumers' mouth more
than is
desirable, such that the aerosol becomes too warm, for instance reaching
temperatures
greater than 40 C or greater than 45 C. More preferably, the tubular body 22
has an
internal diameter of greater than 3.1mm, and still more preferably greater
than 3.5 mm
or 3.6 mm. In one embodiment, the internal diameter of the tubular body 22 is
about
20 3.9 mm.
The "wall thickness" of the second hollow tubular body 22 corresponds to the
thickness
of the wall of the tube 13 in a radial direction. This may be measured in the
same way as
for hollow tubular element 8. The wall thickness is advantageously greater
than o.9mm,
25 and more preferably to mm or greater. Preferably, the wall thickness is
substantially
constant around the entire wall of the second hollow tubular element ii.
However,
where the wall thickness is not substantially constant, the wall thickness is
preferably
greater than 0.9 mm at any point around the second hollow tubular element 11,
more
preferably to mm or greater.
Preferably, the length of the second hollow tubular body 22 is less than about
20 mm.
More preferably, the length of the second hollow tubular body 22 is less than
about 15
mm. Still more preferably, the length of the second hollow tubular body 22 is
less than
about 10 mm. In addition, or as an alternative, the length of the second
hollow tubular
body 22 is at least about 5 mm. Preferably, the length of the second hollow
tubular
body 22 is at least about 6 mm. In some preferred embodiments, the length of
the
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second hollow tubular body 22 is from about 5 mm to about 20 mm, more
preferably
from about 6 mm to about 10 mm, even more preferably from about 6 mm to about
8
mm, most preferably about 6 mm, 7 mm or about 8 mm. In the present example,
the
length of the second hollow tubular body 22 is 6 mm.
In the present example, the article 1 includes a body of material 21. The body
of
material is substantially cylindrical, and positioned immediately downstream
of the
hollow tubular body 3. The body of material 21 is wrapped in an additional
wrapping
material, such as a first plug wrap 23. In some examples, the first plug wrap
23 has a
io basis weight of less than 50 gsm, for instance between about 20 gsm and
40 gsm. For
instance, the first plug wrap 23 can have a thickness of between 30 vtrn and
60 vtm, or
between 35 pm and 45 pm.
In other examples, the first plug wrap 23 has a basis weight greater than 65
gsm, for
/5 instance greater than 80 gsm, or greater than 95 gsm. In some examples,
the first plug
wrap 23 has a basis weight of about loo gsm. It has advantageously been found
that
providing a first plug wrap having a basis weight in these ranges and
comprising an
embossed pattern can reduce the temperature of the external surface of the
article 1 at a
position overlying the cylindrical body 21. For instance, first plug wrap 23
may be
20 provided with an embossed pattern comprising a hexagonal repeating
pattern, a linear
repeating pattern, or a series of raised areas having any suitable shape.
Without
wishing to be bound by theory, it is thought that providing an embossed first
plug wrap
23 can provide an air gap between the plug wrap and the additional wrapper 10,
which
can reduce heat transfer to the external surface of the article 1.
Preferably, the first plug wrap 23 is a non-porous plug wrap, for instance
having a
permeability of less than loo Coresta units, for instance less than 50 Coresta
units.
However, in other embodiments, the first plug wrap 23 can be a porous plug
wrap, for
instance having a permeability of greater than 200 Coresta units.
The second tubular body 22 is separated from the hollow tubular body 3 by the
body of
material 21.
Preferably, the length of the body of material 21 is less than about 15 mm.
More
preferably, the length of the body of material 21 is less than about 10 mm. In
addition,
or as an alternative, the length of the body of material 21 is at least about
5 mm.
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Preferably, the length of the body of material 21 is at least about 6 mm. In
some
preferred embodiments, the length of the body of material 21 is from about 5
mm to
about 15 mm, more preferably from about 6 mm to about 12 mm, even more
preferably
from about 6 mm to about 12 Mal, most preferably about 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm
or
10 mm. In the present example, the length of the body of material 21 is 10 mm.
The body of material 21, also referred to as cylindrical body 21, can be
formed without
any cavities or hollow portions, for instance without cavities or hollow
portions having
a dimension greater than o.5mm therein. For instance, the cylindrical body of
material
io can comprise material which extends substantially continuously
throughout its volume.
It can, for instance, have a density which is substantially uniform across its
diameter
and/or along its length.
In the present example, the body of material 21 is formed from filamentary
tow. In the
/5 present example, the tow used in the body of material 21 has a denier
per filament
(d.p.f.) of 8.4 and a total denier of 21,000. Alternatively, the tow can, for
instance, have
a denier per filament (d.p.f.) of 9.5 and a total denier of 12,000.
Alternatively, the tow
can, for instance, have a denier per filament (d.p.f.) of 8 and a total denier
of 15,000. In
the present example, the tow comprises plasticised cellulose acetate tow. The
20 plasticiser used in the tow comprises about 7% by weight of the tow. In
the present
example, the plasticiser is triacetin. In other examples, different materials
can be used
to form the body of material 21. For instance, rather than tow, the body 21
can be
formed from paper, for instance in a similar way to paper filters known for
use in
cigarettes. Alternatively, the body 21 can be formed from tows other than
cellulose
25 acetate, for instance polylactic acid (PLA), other materials described
herein for
filamentary tow or similar materials, such as paper filter material. The tow
is
preferably formed from cellulose acetate. The tow, whether formed from
cellulose
acetate or other materials, preferably has a d.p.f. of at least 5, more
preferably at least 6
and still more preferably at least 7. These values of denier per filament
provide a tow
30 which has relatively coarse, thick fibres with a lower surface area
which result in a
lower pressure drop across the body of material 21 than tows having lower
d.p.f. values.
Preferably, to achieve a sufficiently uniform body of material 21, the tow has
a denier
per filament of no more than 12 d.p.f., preferably no more than n d.p.f. and
still more
preferably no more than 10 d.p.f.
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The total denier of the tow forming the body of material 21 is preferably at
most
30,000, more preferably at most 28,000 and still more preferably at most
25,000.
These values of total denier provide a tow which takes up a reduced proportion
of the
cross sectional area of the article 1 which results in a lower pressure drop
across the
article 1 than tows having higher total denier values. For appropriate
firmness of the
body of material 21, the tow preferably has a total denier of at least 8,000
and more
preferably at least 10,000. Preferably, the denier per filament is between 5
and 12
while the total denier is between 10,000 and 25,000. More preferably, the
denier per
filament is between 6 and 10 while the total denier is between 11,000 and
22,000.
/0 Preferably the cross-sectional shape of the filaments of tow are 'Y'
shaped, although in
other embodiments other shapes such as 'X' shaped or '0' shaped filaments can
be
used, with the same d.p.f. and total denier values as provided herein. The tow
may
comprise filaments having a cross-section with an isoperimetric ratio of 25 or
less,
preferably 20 or less, and more preferably 15 or less. In some examples, the
body of
/5 material 21 may comprise an adsorbent material (e.g. charcoal) dispersed
within the
tow.
Irrespective of the material used to form the body 6, the pressure drop across
body 6,
can, for instance, be between 0.2 and 5mmWG per mm of length of the body 6,
for
20 instance between o.5mmWG and 3mmWG per mm of length of the body 6. The
pressure drop can, for instance, be between 0.5 and 2.5mmWG/mm of length,
between
1 and 1.5mmWG/mm of length or between 1.5 and 2.5mmWG/mm of length. The total
pressure drop across body 6 can, for instance, be between 2mmWG and 8mWG, or
between 4mmWG and 7mmWG. The total pressure drop across body 6 can be about 5,
25 6 or 7mmWG.
Figure 2 illustrates an article 1' for use as or as part of a non-combustible
aerosol
provision system. Article 1' is the same as article 1, except that cylindrical
body 21 of the
mouth end section 20' comprises a capsule 24. The capsule 24 can comprise a
30 breakable capsule, for instance a capsule which has a solid, frangible
shell surrounding
a liquid payload. In the present example, a single capsule is used. The
capsule is
entirely embedded within the body of material 21. In other words, the capsule
is
completely surrounded by the material forming the body. In other examples, a
plurality of breakable capsules may be disposed within the body of material
21, for
35 instance 2, 3 or more breakable capsules. The length of the body of
material 21 can be
increased to accommodate the number of capsules required. In examples where a
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plurality of capsules is used, the individual capsules may be the same as each
other, or
may differ from one another in terms of size and/or capsule payload. In other
examples, multiple bodies of material may be provided, with each body
containing one
or more capsules.
The capsule 24 has a core-shell structure. In other words, the capsule 24
comprises a
shell encapsulating a liquid agent, for instance a flavourant or other agent,
which can be
any one of the flavourants or aerosol modifying agents described herein. The
shell of
the capsule 24 can be ruptured by a user to release the flavourant or other
agent into
io the body of material 21. The first plug wrap 23 can comprise a barrier
coating to make
the material of the plug wrap substantially impermeable to the liquid payload
of the
capsule. Alternatively or in addition, the further wrapper 6' and/or wrapping
material
6 can comprise a barrier coating to make the material of that further wrapper
6' and/or
wrapping material 6 substantially impermeable to the liquid payload of the
capsule.
In some examples, the capsule is spherical and has a diameter of about 3 mm.
In other
examples, other shapes and sizes of capsule can be used. The total weight of
the
capsule may be in the range about 10 mg to about 50 mg.
It is known to generate, for a given tow specification (such as 8.4Y21000), a
tow
capability curve which represents the pressure drop through a length of rod
formed
using the tow, for each of a range of tow weights. Parameters such as the rod
length
and circumference, wrapper thickness and tow plasticiser level are specified,
and these
are combined with the tow specification to generate the tow capability curve,
which
gives an indication of the pressure drop which would be provided by different
tow
weights between the minimum and maximum weights achievable using standard
filter
rod forming machinery. Such tow capability curves can be calculated, for
instance,
using software available from tow suppliers. It has been found that it is
particularly
advantageous to use a body of material 21 which includes filamentary tow
having a
weight per mm of length of the body of material 21 which is between about 10%
and
about 30% of the range between the minimum and maximum weights of a tow
capability curve generated for the filamentary tow. This can provide an
acceptable
balance between providing enough tow weight to avoid shrinkage after the body
21 has
been formed, providing an acceptable pressure drop, while also assisting with
capsule
placement within the tow, for capsules of the sizes described herein.
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A control sample and an article according to the claimed invention were
tested, as
described below, to determine the distribution of nicotine and glycerol,
desirable
components of the aerosol, throughout the article after use. The pre-use level
of
glycerol and nicotine in the aerosol generating material was also determined
using
mass balance analysis, as described below.
The control sample comprises an aerosol generating material section having a
length of
30 mm, a tubular member 5 arranged immediately downstream of the aerosol
generating section, having a length of 17 mm, a cylindrical body 21 having a
length of 10
mm, and a second tubular body 22 having a length of 6 mm. Sample A has the
same
general construction as illustrated in and described with reference to Figure
1, and
comprises an aerosol generating material section having a length of 30 mm, a
tubular
member 5 arranged immediately downstream of the aerosol generating section and
having a length of 8 mm, a first tubular body 3 having a length of 9 mm, a
cylindrical
is body 21 having a length of 10 mm, and a second tubular body 22 having a
length of 6
mm.
Samples for mass balance analysis were taken of the aerosol generating
material 2; the
cooling section, which comprises the first tubular body 3, and where present,
the
.. tubular member 5; and a mouth end portion, comprising the cylindrical body
21 and
the second tubular body 22.
The amount of nicotine and glycerol in each of the mouth end section, the
cooling
section and the aerosol generating section after use of the article can be
determined
using mass balance analysis. The amount of nicotine and glycerol present in
the
delivered aerosol can be determined using emissions analysis. Mass balance
analysis
and emissions analysis are techniques which are known to the person skilled in
the art.
Mean nicotine per component Aerosol Mouth Cooling Aerosol
(mg/unit) as percentage of total end section generating
pre-use nicotine content portion material
Control 27% 34% 25% 14%
Sample A 48% 15% 24% 13%
% difference between control 78% -56% -4% -7%
and sample A
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Table 1 Average nicotine content in sections of a control article, and an
article
according to the present disclosure (sample A).
Mean glycerol per component Aerosol Mouth Cooling Aerosol
(mg/unit) as percentage of total end section
generating
pre-use glycerol content portion material
Control 13% 23% 25% 39%
Sample A 24% 11% 22% 43%
% difference between control 85% -52% -12% 10%
and sample A
Table 2 Average glycerol content in sections of a control article, and an
article
according to the present disclosure (sample A).
To obtain the data provided in tables 1 and 2 above, mass balance analysis was
performed to determine the amount of a given substance (in the examples in
tables 1
and 2 herein, nicotine and glycerol respectively), present in a given section
of the article
/o after use. Mass balance analysis was also used to determine the amount
of nicotine and
glycerol present in a given section of the article prior to use, so that both
the
distribution of the substance in the article and the amount present in the
aerosol
generated from an article could be compared to the total amount of the
substance
initially provided.
As would be evident to the skilled person, where 'the article' is referred to
in relation to
this data and the experimental methods by which the data was obtained, 'the
article'
does not refer to a single specific article, but rather an article having a
specific design or
configuration, which is therefore comparable to other articles having the same
specific
design or configuration. A number of such articles will have been analysed to
obtain the
values presented herein, which represent mean values, as described in further
detail
below. As would be clear to the skilled person, the same individual article is
not tested
both before and after use, to obtain the pre and post use data points.
Instead, the pre
use data will be obtained from a number of articles having a specific design
or
configuration, and the post use data will be obtained from a separate number
of articles
having the same specific design or configuration.
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To obtain the samples for mass balance analysis, the article is deconstructed
into
sections. The number of articles deconstructed to obtain samples is such that
the total
mass of the samples to be analysed is at least 1 gram. Each sample comprises a
number
of the relevant components of the deconstructed article (e.g. the aerosol
generating
material section 2, or the cylindrical body 21 and second tubular body 22),
the number
being sufficient that the total mass of the components taken from a number of
articles
have a combined mass of at least 1 gram. At least three repetitions of mass
balance
analysis, each repetition performed on a new sample obtained from a new set of
articles, should be carried out. The average amount of a substance in mg/unit
is then
io obtained from an average of the at least three repetitions (three
repetitions x typically 5
to 8 articles sampled per repetition = 15 to 24 articles sampled for each
average value
obtained).
As described above, mass balance analysis employing the sampling protocol
described
/5 in the preceding paragraph was performed to determine the pre-use
nicotine and
glycerol content of the article.
Emissions analysis can be performed using a standard puffing regime, and a
heating
device intended for use with the article, to determine the nicotine and
glycerol content
20 of the generated aerosol. The puffing regime is according to the ISO
intense regime
(where this includes a 55 ml puff volume, a 305 interval between puffs, and a
25 puff
duration), but with any ventilation in the open configuration. Where the
device has any
'boost' or additional smoking functions, these should not be used for
performing the
test.
Following use under the standard puffing regime as described above, samples
were
then taken from the articles according to the sampling protocol described
above, for
mass balance analysis to determine the post use distribution of nicotine and
glycerol in
the article.
A comparison between the nicotine and glycerol content of the aerosol in the
control
article and sample A reveals that 78% more nicotine and 85% more glycerol was
present in the aerosol produced from sample A. A significantly increased
amount of
desirable components of the aerosol is therefore available for delivery to a
user in
articles prepared according to the present disclosure.
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The data presented in tables 1 and 2 above shows less nicotine and glycerol
was present
in both the mouth end section and the cooling sections after use in sample A,
compared
to the control articles. As described above, it is hypothesised that this is
due to a
reduction in condensation of the aerosol on internal surfaces of the tubular
bodies and
in the material of the cylindrical body.
A method of manufacturing an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol
provision
device wo comprising a heater 101 will now be described with reference to
Figure 3.
The method comprises:
io the step Si of providing an aerosol generating material 2 comprising at
least one
aerosol forming material;
the step S2 of disposing a cylindrical body 21 downstream of the aerosol
generating material, such that the upstream end of the cylindrical body 21 is
less than
about 22 mm from the downstream end of the aerosol generating material 2.
Figure 4 illustrates an article 1" for use as or as part of a non-combustible
aerosol
provision system. Article 1" includes many of the same features as article i
and article
i', where like reference numerals refer to like features. Article 1" differs
from article 1
in that it does not comprise a hollow tubular body 3. Instead, hollow tubular
member 5
defines the cavity 5a to form the whole length of the cooling section.
Additionally, in the example of Figure 4, article 1" differs from article i in
that it does
not comprise a second hollow tubular body 22 downstream of the body of
material 21.
Instead, the downstream end of the body of material 21 forms the downstream
end of
the article 1". However, the second hollow tubular body 22 may be provided
downstream of the body of material 21 according to some examples.
In the example of Figure 4, the length of the body of material 21 is
approximately 12MM
long. Preferably, the length of the body of material 21 is less than about
17mm. In
addition, or as an alternative, the length of the body of material 21 is at
least about
8mm. In some preferred embodiments, the length of the body of material 21 is
from
about 8mm to about 17mm, more preferably from about iomm to about 14mm, even
more preferably from about iimm to about 13mm, most preferably about 11MM,
12MM,
or 13mm, 9mm or lomm. In other preferred embodiments, the length of the body
of
material may be from 15mm to 17mm, more preferably about 16mm. In some
examples, at least one further body of material is provided downstream of the
aerosol
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generating material, such as between the aerosol generating material and the
body of
material 21. The combined length of the body of material 21 and the at least
one further
body of material may have a combined length corresponding to any of the
lengths
described above with reference to the body of material 21.
The article 1" may comprise a rod of aerosol generating material 2 having a
length of
approximately 26mm. However, the rod of aerosol generating material 2 may be
any
suitable length as will be understood by the skilled person.
/o A distance d' between the downstream end of the article and the
ventilation area 12 in
Figure 4 is between 12MM and 2imm from the downstream end of the article. In
some
examples, the distance d' between the downstream end of the article is between
16mm
and 20MM, or between 18mm and 19mm from the downstream end of the article.
Preferably, the distance d' between the downstream end of the article and the
/5 ventilation area is approximately 18.5mm from the downstream end of the
article. In
other examples, the ventilation area may be provided at approximately 15mm,
16mm,
17mm, or 18mm from the downstream end of the article. Alternatively or
additionally,
the ventilation area is preferably provided at 3.mm or less from the
downstream end
of the hollow tubular member. In the present example, the ventilation area is
provided
20 at 2.mm from the downstream end of the hollow tubular member.
Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is also believed that the aerosol
temperature
is reduced the closer the ventilation position is provided to the mouth end of
the article.
Accordingly, improved cooling of aerosol can be achieved by locating the
ventilation
25 position closer to the mouth end
The ventilation area may be provided in the wrapper 6 surrounding the hollow
tubular
member 5, in the same way for article 1 of Figure 1. In some examples, the
ventilation
area is provided as holes or perforations. The holes or perforations may be
30 alternatively or additionally provided in the hollow tubular member 5.
It has been surprisingly found that by locating the ventilation area 12 closer
to the
mouth end of the article, the reduction in certain toxicants from the
generated aerosol
passing through the article and exiting the mouth end is greater than the
reduction in
35 those toxicants when a ventilation area is provided closer to the
aerosol generating
material.
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In the example of Figure 4, the ventilation area 12 is provided by a double
row of
perforations disposed at 18.5mm from the mouth end. The ventilation level in
this
example is 60%. The reduction in NNK was found to be 91.2% compared to 87.2%
for a
corresponding article provided with a ventilation area at 22.5mm from the
mouth end
of the article. Accordingly, it can be seen that the reduction in NNK is
around 4% lower
for the article provided with ventilation at 22.5mm from the mouth end of the
article
compared to article 1" provided with ventilation at 18.5mm from the mouth end
of the
article.
Similarly, the reduction in NNN was found to be 80.6% compared to 55.5% for a
corresponding article provided with a ventilation area at 22.5mm from the
mouth end
of the article. Accordingly, it can be seen that the reduction in NNN is
around 25%
lower for the article provided with ventilation at 22.5mm from the mouth end
of the
is article compared to the article 1" provided with ventilation at 18.5mm
from the mouth
end of the article.
However, it has also been found that providing ventilation closer to the mouth
end
results in higher nicotine delivery compared to articles having ventilation
provided
closer to the aerosol generating material.
In particular nicotine delivery of an article as illustrated in Figure 4 was
found to
provide nicotine delivery of o.84mg/cig compared to 0.7img/cig for a
corresponding
article having a ventilation area of 22.5mm from the mouth end of the article.
Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is also believed that providing
ventilation
closer to the mouth end also results in higher delivery of aerosol forming
agent (e.g.
glycerol) to the user, compared to articles having ventilation provided closer
to the
aerosol generating material.
Therefore, it can be seen that an article 1" as illustrated in Figure 4 can
provide higher
deliveries of nicotine and aerosol while reducing the levels of undesirable
toxicants by
providing a ventilation area closer to the mouth end of the article.
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A method of manufacturing an article 1" for use with a non-combustible aerosol
provision device loo comprising a heater 101 will now be described with
reference to
Figure 5. The method comprises:
the step Si of providing an aerosol generating material 2 comprising at least
one
aerosol forming material;
the step S2 of disposing a hollow tubular member downstream of the aerosol
generating material 2;
the step S3 of disposing a substantially cylindrical body downstream of the
hollow tubular member, the downstream end of the cylindrical body forming the
io downstream end of the article, and the distance between the downstream
end of the
cylindrical body and the downstream end of the hollow tubular member being at
least
8mm; and
the step S4 of providing at least one ventilation area between 12MM and 2imm
from the downstream end of the article.
The method may also be performed in conjunction with the method described in
relation to Figure 3, such that the cylindrical body is less than about 22mm
from the
downstream end of the aerosol generating material.
Figure 6 shows an example of a non-combustible aerosol provision device 100
comprising a heater 101 for generating aerosol from an aerosol generating
medium/material such as the aerosol generating material 2 of any of the
articles 1, i', 1"
described herein. In the examples described herein, a generic article no
illustrated in
Figures 6 to loB can be considered to correspond to any of the articles 1, i',
1" described
herein. In broad outline, the device loo may be used to heat a replaceable
article no
comprising the aerosol generating medium, for instance the article io
described herein,
to generate an aerosol or other inhalable medium which is inhaled by a user of
the
device loo. The device loo and replaceable article no together form a system.
The device loo comprises a housing 102 (in the form of an outer cover) which
surrounds and houses various components of the device loo. The device loo has
an
opening 104 in one end, through which the article no may be inserted for
heating by a
heater 101, hereinafter referred to as the heating assembly. In use, the
article no may
be fully or partially inserted into the heating assembly where it may be
heated by one or
more components of the heater assembly.
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The device 100 of this example comprises a first end member 106 which
comprises a lid
108 which is moveable relative to the first end member 106 to close the
opening 104
when no article no is in place. In Figure 6, the lid 108 is shown in an open
configuration, however the lid 108 may move into a closed configuration. For
example,
a user may cause the lid 108 to slide in the direction of arrow "B".
The device loo may also include a user-operable control element 112, such as a
button
or switch, which operates the device loo when pressed. For example, a user may
turn
on the device loo by operating the switch 112.
The device loo may also comprise an electrical component, such as a
socket/port 114,
which can receive a cable to charge a battery of the device loft For example,
the socket
114 may be a charging port, such as a USB charging port.
/5 Figure 7 depicts the device loo of Figure 6 with the outer cover 102
removed and
without an article no present. The device loo defines a longitudinal axis 134.
As shown in Figure 7, the first end member 106 is arranged at one end of the
device loo
and a second end member 116 is arranged at an opposite end of the device loo.
The first
and second end members 106, 116 together at least partially define end
surfaces of the
device loft For example, the bottom surface of the second end member 116 at
least
partially defines a bottom surface of the device loo. Edges of the outer cover
102 may
also define a portion of the end surfaces. In this example, the lid 108 also
defines a
portion of a top surface of the device loo.
The end of the device closest to the opening 104 may be known as the proximal
end (or
mouth end) of the device loo because, in use, it is closest to the mouth of
the user. In
use, a user inserts an article no into the opening 104, operates the user
control 112 to
begin heating the aerosol generating material and draws on the aerosol
generated in the
device. This causes the aerosol to flow through the device loo along a flow
path towards
the proximal end of the device loo.
The other end of the device furthest away from the opening 104 may be known as
the
distal end of the device wo because, in use, it is the end furthest away from
the mouth
of the user. As a user draws on the aerosol generated in the device, the
aerosol flows
away from the distal end of the device loft
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The device wo further comprises a power source 118. The power source 118 may
be, for
example, a battery, such as a rechargeable battery or a non-rechargeable
battery.
Examples of suitable batteries include, for example, a lithium battery (such
as a
lithium-ion battery), a nickel battery (such as a nickel¨cadmium battery), and
an
alkaline battery. The battery is electrically coupled to the heating assembly
to supply
electrical power when required and under control of a controller (not shown)
to heat
the aerosol generating material. In this example, the battery is connected to
a central
support 120 which holds the battery 118 in place.
io The device further comprises at least one electronics module 122. The
electronics
module 122 may comprise, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB). The PCB
122
may support at least one controller, such as a processor, and memory. The PCB
122
may also comprise one or more electrical tracks to electrically connect
together various
electronic components of the device wo. For example, the battery terminals may
be
is electrically connected to the PCB 122 so that power can be distributed
throughout the
device loft The socket 114 may also be electrically coupled to the battery via
the
electrical tracks.
In the example device wo, the heating assembly is an inductive heating
assembly and
20 comprises various components to heat the aerosol generating material of
the article no
via an inductive heating process. Induction heating is a process of heating an
electrically conducting object (such as a susceptor) by electromagnetic
induction. An
induction heating assembly may comprise an inductive element, for example, one
or
more inductor coils, and a device for passing a varying electric current, such
as an
25 alternating electric current, through the inductive element. The varying
electric current
in the inductive element produces a varying magnetic field. The varying
magnetic field
penetrates a susceptor suitably positioned with respect to the inductive
element, and
generates eddy currents inside the susceptor. The susceptor has electrical
resistance to
the eddy currents, and hence the flow of the eddy currents against this
resistance
30 causes the susceptor to be heated by Joule heating. In cases where the
susceptor
comprises ferromagnetic material such as iron, nickel or cobalt, heat may also
be
generated by magnetic hysteresis losses in the susceptor, i.e. by the varying
orientation
of magnetic dipoles in the magnetic material as a result of their alignment
with the
varying magnetic field. In inductive heating, as compared to heating by
conduction for
35 example, heat is generated inside the susceptor, allowing for rapid
heating. Further,
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there need not be any physical contact between the inductive heater and the
susceptor,
allowing for enhanced freedom in construction and application.
The induction heating assembly of the example device wo comprises a susceptor
arrangement 132 (herein referred to as "a susceptor"), a first inductor coil
124 and a
second inductor coil 126. The first and second inductor coils 124, 126 are
made from an
electrically conducting material. In this example, the first and second
inductor coils
124, 126 are made from Litz wire/cable which is wound in a helical fashion to
provide
helical inductor coils 124, 126. Litz wire comprises a plurality of individual
wires which
/o are individually insulated and are twisted together to form a single
wire. Litz wires are
designed to reduce the skin effect losses in a conductor. In the example
device wo, the
first and second inductor coils 124, 126 are made from copper Litz wire which
has a
rectangular cross section. In other examples the Litz wire can have other
shape cross
sections, such as circular.
The first inductor coil 124 is configured to generate a first varying magnetic
field for
heating a first section of the susceptor 132 and the second inductor coil 126
is
configured to generate a second varying magnetic field for heating a second
section of
the susceptor 132. In this example, the first inductor coil 124 is adjacent to
the second
inductor coil 126 in a direction along the longitudinal axis 134 of the device
wo (that is,
the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 to not overlap). The susceptor
arrangement
132 may comprise a single susceptor, or two or more separate susceptors. Ends
130 of
the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 can be connected to the PCB 122.
It will be appreciated that the first and second inductor coils 124, 126, in
some
examples, may have at least one characteristic different from each other. For
example,
the first inductor coil 124 may have at least one characteristic different
from the second
inductor coil 126. More specifically, in one example, the first inductor coil
124 may
have a different value of inductance than the second inductor coil 126. In
Figure 5, the
first and second inductor coils 124, 126 are of different lengths such that
the first
inductor coil 124 is wound over a smaller section of the susceptor 132 than
the second
inductor coil 126. Thus, the first inductor coil 124 may comprise a different
number of
turns than the second inductor coil 126 (assuming that the spacing between
individual
turns is substantially the same). In yet another example, the first inductor
coil 124 may
.. be made from a different material to the second inductor coil 126. In some
examples,
the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 may be substantially identical.
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In this example, the first inductor coil 124 and the second inductor coil 126
are wound
in opposite directions. This can be useful when the inductor coils are active
at different
times. For example, initially, the first inductor coil 124 may be operating to
heat a first
section/portion of the article no, and at a later time, the second inductor
coil 126 may
be operating to heat a second section/portion of the article no. Winding the
coils in
opposite directions helps reduce the current induced in the inactive coil when
used in
conjunction with a particular type of control circuit. In Figure 5, the first
inductor coil
124 is a right-hand helix and the second inductor coil 126 is a left-hand
helix. However,
io in another embodiment, the inductor coils 124, 126 may be wound in the
same
direction, or the first inductor coil 124 may be a left-hand helix and the
second inductor
coil 126 may be a right-hand helix.
The susceptor 132 of this example is hollow and therefore defines a receptacle
within
/5 which aerosol generating material is received. For example, the article
no can be
inserted into the susceptor 132. In this example the susceptor 120 is tubular,
with a
circular cross section.
The susceptor 132 may be made from one or more materials. Preferably the
susceptor
20 132 comprises carbon steel having a coating of Nickel or Cobalt.
In some examples, the susceptor 132 may comprise at least two materials
capable of
being heated at two different frequencies for selective aerosolization of the
at least two
materials. For example, a first section of the susceptor 132 (which is heated
by the first
25 inductor coil 124) may comprise a first material, and a second section
of the susceptor
132 which is heated by the second inductor coil 126 may comprise a second,
different
material. In another example, the first section may comprise first and second
materials,
where the first and second materials can be heated differently based upon
operation of
the first inductor coil 124. The first and second materials may be adjacent
along an axis
30 defined by the susceptor 132, or may form different layers within the
susceptor 132.
Similarly, the second section may comprise third and fourth materials, where
the third
and fourth materials can be heated differently based upon operation of the
second
inductor coil 126. The third and fourth materials may be adjacent along an
axis defined
by the susceptor 132, or may form different layers within the susceptor 132.
Third
35 material may the same as the first material, and the fourth material may
be the same as
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the second material, for example. Alternatively, each of the materials may be
different.
The susceptor may comprise carbon steel or aluminium for example.
The device wo of Figure 7 further comprises an insulating member 128 which may
be
generally tubular and at least partially surround the susceptor 132. The
insulating
member 128 may be constructed from any insulating material, such as plastic
for
example. In this particular example, the insulating member is constructed from
polyether ether ketone (PEEK). The insulating member 128 may help insulate the
various components of the device wo from the heat generated in the susceptor
132.
The insulating member 128 can also fully or partially support the first and
second
inductor coils 124, 126. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the first and
second
inductor coils 124, 126 are positioned around the insulating member 128 and
are in
contact with a radially outward surface of the insulating member 128. In some
is examples the insulating member 128 does not abut the first and second
inductor coils
124, 126. For example, a small gap may be present between the outer surface of
the
insulating member 128 and the inner surface of the first and second inductor
coils 124,
126.
In a specific example, the susceptor 132, the insulating member 128, and the
first and
second inductor coils 124, 126 are coaxial around a central longitudinal axis
of the
susceptor 132.
Figure 8 shows a side view of device wo in partial cross-section. The outer
cover 102 is
present in this example. The rectangular cross-sectional shape of the first
and second
inductor coils 124, 126 is more clearly visible.
The device wo further comprises a support 136 which engages one end of the
susceptor
132 to hold the susceptor 132 in place. The support 136 is connected to the
second end
member 116.
The device may also comprise a second printed circuit board 138 associated
within the
control element 112.
The device wo further comprises a second lid/cap 140 and a spring 142,
arranged
towards the distal end of the device loft The spring 142 allows the second lid
140 to be
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opened, to provide access to the susceptor 132. A user may open the second lid
140 to
clean the susceptor 132 and/or the support 136.
The device 100 further comprises an expansion chamber 144 which extends away
from
a proximal end of the susceptor 132 towards the opening 104 of the device.
Located at
least partially within the expansion chamber 144 is a retention clip 146 to
abut and hold
the article no when received within the device loft The expansion chamber 144
is
connected to the end member 106.
io Figure 9 is an exploded view of the device 100 of Figure 8, with the
outer cover 102
omitted.
Figure loA depicts a cross section of a portion of the device 100 of Figure 8.
Figure loB
depicts a close-up of a region of Figure loA. Figures loA and loB show the
article no
/5 received within the susceptor 132, where the article no is dimensioned
so that the
outer surface of the article no abuts the inner surface of the susceptor 132.
This
ensures that the heating is most efficient. The article no of this example
comprises
aerosol generating material noa. The aerosol generating material noa is
positioned
within the susceptor 132. The article no may also comprise other components
such as a
20 filter, wrapping materials and/or a cooling structure.
Figure loB shows that the outer surface of the susceptor 132 is spaced apart
from the
inner surface of the inductor coils 124, 126 by a distance 150, measured in a
direction
perpendicular to a longitudinal axis 158 of the susceptor 132. In one
particular example,
25 the distance 150 is about 3 mm to 4mm, about 3-3.5mm, or about 3.25mm.
Figure loB further shows that the outer surface of the insulating member 128
is spaced
apart from the inner surface of the inductor coils 124, 126 by a distance 152,
measured
in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis 158 of the susceptor 132.
In one
30 particular example, the distance 152 is about 0.05 mm. In another
example, the
distance 152 is substantially omm, such that the inductor coils 124, 126 abut
and touch
the insulating member 128.
In one example, the susceptor 132 has a wall thickness 154 of about 0.025mm to
imm,
35 or about 0.05 mm.
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In one example, the susceptor 132 has a length of about 4omm to 60mm, about
4omm
to 45 mm, or about 44.5 mm.
In one example, the insulating member 128 has a wall thickness 156 of about
0.25 mm
to 2 Mill, 0.25 111111 to 1MM, or about 0.5 mm.
In use, the article 1, 1', 1" described herein can be inserted into a non-
combustible
aerosol provision device such as the device loo described with reference to
Figures 6 to
loB. At least a portion of the mouthpiece2o of the article no protrudes from
the non-
io combustible aerosol provision device loo and can be placed into a user's
mouth. An
aerosol is produced by heating the aerosol generating material 2 using the
device loft
The aerosol produced by the aerosol generating material 2 passes through the
mouthpiece 20 to the user's mouth.
/5 The various embodiments described herein are presented only to assist in
understanding and teaching the claimed features. These embodiments are
provided as
a representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or
exclusive.
It is to be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions,
features,
structures, and/or other aspects described herein are not to be considered
limitations
20 on the scope of the invention as defined by the claims or limitations on
equivalents to
the claims, and that other embodiments may be utilised and modifications may
be
made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. Various
embodiments
of the invention may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of,
appropriate
combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps,
means, etc,
25 other than those specifically described herein. In addition, this
disclosure may include
other inventions not presently claimed, but which may be claimed in future.
