Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Description
Title of Invention: SMOKING ARTICLE AND AEROSOL-
GENERATING SYSTEM
Technical Field
[1] The following example embodiments relate to a smoking article and an
aerosol-
generating system.
Background Art
[2] In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for alternative
methods to
overcome disadvantages of conventional cigarettes. For example, there is an
increasing
demand for a method of generating an aerosol by heating an aerosol-generating
material in a cigarette rather than a method of generating the aerosol by
burning a
cigarette. For example, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0094176
discloses a
smoking article filter having amorphous magnesium carbonate.
Disclosure of Invention
Technical Problem
[3] One or more example embodiments provide a smoking article and an
aerosol-
generating system having medium granules in an optimal size.
[4] One or more example embodiments provide a smoking article and an
aerosol-
generating system for providing a uniform cigarette taste to consumers.
151 One or more example embodiments provide a smoking article
and an aerosol-
generating system having an increasing amount of nicotine transfer.
161 One or more example embodiments provide a smoking article
and an aerosol-
generating system that may facilitate the manufacturing of a paper filter
including
medium granules.
Solution to Problem
[7] According to an aspect, there is provided a smoking article including a
medium
receiver filled with a plurality of medium granules; a humectant receiver
located on
one side of the medium receiver and configured to generate an aerosol; and a
filter
located on the other side of the medium receiver. The plurality of medium
granules
may be 0.25 mm or more in diameter.
[8] The plurality of medium granules may include tobacco granules.
[91 The medium granules may be 0.60 mm or less in diameter.
[10] The medium granules may be 0.425 mm or more in diameter.
[11] The medium receiver may be configured by folding a flat sheet, to
which the
plurality of medium granules are applied, multiple times.
[12] A humectant may be applied to one surface of the flat sheet.
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[13] The medium receiver may be formed by a method comprising applying a
humectant
to one surface of a flat sheet, disposing the plurality of medium granules on
the one
surface of the flat sheet, to which the humectant is applied, folding the one
surface of
the flat sheet to face each other, additionally folding the flat sheet a
plurality of times,
and wrapping, with a wrapper, the flat sheet folded a number of times.
[14] The filter may include a first filter having a cavity therein and a
second filter fully
filled with a filtration material.
[15] The plurality of medium granules may be manufactured by a fluidized
bed
granulation process in which a spraying direction of a liquid binder and a
flow
direction of fluidized air face each other.
[16] According to another aspect, there is provided an aerosol-generating
system
including a smoking article; and an aerosol-generating device. The smoking
article
may include a granule receiver filled with a plurality of tobacco granules, a
humectant
receiver located on one side of the granule receiver and configured to
generate an
aerosol, and a filter located on the other side of the granule receiver, and
the aerosol-
generating device may include an elongate cavity configured to accommodate the
smoking article, a heater configured to heat at least a portion of the granule
receiver
and the humectant receiver in the smoking article, and a controller
electrically
connecting to the heater. The plurality of tobacco granules may be 0.25 mm or
more in
diameter.
[17] The tobacco granules may be 0.425 mm or more and 0.60 mm or less in
diameter.
[18] The plurality of tobacco granules may be manufactured by a process in
which a
spraying direction of a liquid binder and a flow direction of fluidized air
face each
other.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[19] A smoking article and an aerosol-generating system, according to an
example em-
bodiment, may have medium granules in an optimal size.
[20] A smoking article and an aerosol-generating system, according to an
example em-
bodiment, may provide a uniform tobacco taste to consumers.
[21] A smoking article and an aerosol-generating system, according to an
example em-
bodiment, may increase an amount of nicotine transfer.
[22] A smoking article and an aerosol-generating system, according to an
example em-
bodiment, may facilitate the manufacturing of a paper filter including medium
granules.
[23] The effects of a smoking article and an aerosol-generating system,
according to an
example embodiment, are not limited to the foregoing effects and other
unmentioned
effects may be clearly understood from the above description by those having
ordinary
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skill in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains.
Brief Description of Drawings
[24] FIG. 1 illustrates a smoking article according to an example
embodiment.
[251 FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the
dispersibility of granules, according
to the size of the granules.
[26] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a state in which medium
granules are
applied to a flat sheet, according to an example embodiment.
[27] FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol-generating
device, according
to an example embodiment.
[28] FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol-generating
system in a state
in which a smoking article and an aerosol-generating device are combined,
according
to an example embodiment.
[29] FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a fluidized bed
granulation process of a
top-spraying method among fluidized bed granulation processes.
Mode for the Invention
[30] Hereinafter, example embodiments will be described in detail with
reference to the
accompanying drawings. However, various alterations and modifications may be
made
to the example embodiments. Here, the example embodiments are not construed as
limited to the disclosure. The example embodiments should be understood to
include
all changes, equivalents, and replacements within the idea and the technical
scope of
the disclosure.
1311 The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular example em-
bodiments only and is not to be limiting of the example embodiments. The
singular
forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well,
unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the
terms
"comprises/comprising" and/or "includes/including" when used herein, specify
the
presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or
components,
but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,
integers,
steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
[32] Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical and scientific
terms used
herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill
in the
art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that
terms,
such as those defined in commonly-used dictionaries, should be interpreted as
having a
meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant
art and will
not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so
defined
herein.
[33] When describing the example embodiments with reference to the
accompanying
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drawings, like reference numerals refer to like components and a repeated
description
related thereto will be omitted. In the description of the example
embodiments, a
detailed description of well-known related structures or functions will be
omitted when
it is deemed that such description will cause ambiguous interpretation of the
present
disclosure.
[34] Also, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (11) or the like may be
used herein when
describing components of example embodiments. These terms are used only for
the
purpose of discriminating one component from another component, and the
nature, the
sequences, or the orders of the components are not limited by the terms. When
one
component is described as being "connected", "coupled", or "attached" to
another
component, it should be understood that one component can be connected or
attached
directly to another component, and an intervening component can also be
"connected",
"coupled", or "attached" to the components.
[35] A component, which has the same common function as a component
included in any
one example embodiment, will be described by using the same name in other
example
embodiments. Unless disclosed to the contrary, the configuration disclosed in
any one
example embodiment may be applied to other example embodiments, and the
specific
description of the repeated configuration will be omitted.
1361
As used herein, the term "granule dispersibility" refers to a degree of
how evenly
medium granules or tobacco granules are dispersed in a flat sheet.
[37] In a process of manufacturing a medium receiver, fine powder generated
by some of
broken medium granules may contaminate the appearance of a filter containing
granules. As used herein, the term "granule filter workability" refers to a
degree of how
cleanly the filter may be manufactured without such contamination.
[38] FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a smoking article.
[39] Referring to FIG. 1, a smoking article 100, according to an example
embodiment,
may include a medium receiver 110, a humectant receiver 120 on one side of the
medium receiver 110 and configured to generate an aerosol, and a filter 130 on
the
other side of the medium receiver 110. The segments of the smoking article
100, that
is, the medium receiver 110, the humectant receiver 120, and the filter 130,
may each
be wrapped with a segment wrapper 140, and the segments wrapped by the segment
wrapper 140 may be wrapped with a total wrapper 150 to form one smoking
article.
[40] The medium receiver 110 may be filled with a plurality of medium
granules 114, and
the plurality of medium granules 114 may be 0.25 mm or more in diameter. When
the
size of the plurality of medium granules 114 is extremely small, irregularity
of the
granules may increase, compared to large-sized granules, and fine powder
generated
by the process of manufacturing the medium receiver 110 may deteriorate the
granule
filter workability. Accordingly, the plurality of medium granules 114 are
desirably
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0.25 mm or more in diameter. On the other hand, the smaller the diameter of
the
granules 114, that is, the smaller the size of the granules 114, the greater
the dis-
persibility of the granules when the medium granules 114 are applied to a flat
sheet.
The plurality of medium granules 114 may desirably be tobacco granules. The
amount
of nicotine in a single inhalation of the smoking article 100 may increase
since the
smaller the size of the plurality of tobacco granules, the greater the total
surface area of
the tobacco granules included in the medium receiving unit 110. On the other
hand, the
greater the diameter of the plurality of medium granules 114 or the plurality
of tobacco
granules, the better the granular filter workability. Accordingly, the medium
granules
114 or the tobacco granules have a small diameter, but desirably have a
diameter
sufficient to maintain an excellent granular filter workability.
1411 That is, when manufacturing the smoking article 100
including a granular medium,
the size of granules affects the dispersibility of the granules contained in
the medium
receiver 110 of the smoking article 100, the amount of nicotine transfer of
the smoking
article 100, and the manufacturing workability of the medium receiver 110. Ac-
cordingly, there is a need to define an appropriate size of the medium
granules 114
when the smoking article 100 and the aerosol-generating system including the
granular
mediums are manufactured.
1421 In one example embodiment, the size of the plurality of
medium granules 114 may
be determined based on a standard sieve comparison. The standard sieve
comparison
refers to the size of particles or granules selected by using a standard
sieve, and the
types of standard include Korea Standard (KS), Japanese Industrial Standard
(JIS),
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Deutsches Institut far
Normung
(DIN), Tyler, and the like. The standard used in this experiment is based on
the ASTM
standard sieve comparison in the United States. The US-ASTM standard sieve
comparison is shown in Table 1 below.
[43] [Table 11
[44]
Sieve No. Opening (mm) Sieve No.
Opening (mm)
2.00 35 0.500
12 1.70 40
0.425
14 1.40 50
0.355
16 1.18 60
0.250
18 1.00 70
0.212
0.850 80 0.180
0.710 100 0.150
0.600 120 0.125
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[45] Referring to Table 1, the experimental results based on the ASTM
standard sieve
comparison are shown in Table 2 below.
[46] [Table 21
[47]
Tobacco
ASTM Granular
taste
Diameter of standard Granule Nicotine
filter
(smoking
granules (mm) sieve dispersibility
transfer
workability
taste)
specification
evaluation
0.25 ¨ 0.425 40-60 Good Good Bad
Good
0.425 ¨ 0.60 30-40 Good Good Good
Very good
0.60 ¨ 0.85 20-30 Bad Poor Good
Bad
0.85 ¨ 1.18 16-20 Bad Poor Good
Bad
[48] Referring to Table 2, when granules exceed 0.60 mm in diameter, the
dispersibility
of the granules is generally poor, but when the granules are 0.60 mm or less
in
diameter, the plurality of medium granules 114 are relatively evenly dispersed
when
the medium receiver 110 is configured by disposing granules on a flat sheet
and then
folding the flat sheet a plurality of times. In addition, when the granules
are 0.60 mm
or less in diameter, the granules are small enough so that the amount of
transfer of the
nicotine contained in tabasco granules is desirably sufficient.
[49] On the other hand, when the granules are less than 0.425 mm in
diameter, the
granules are so small that fine powder, which is generated by some of the
granules
ruptured while granules or the medium receiver 110 is being manufactured, may
con-
taminate filters, etc. When granules are 0.425 mm or more in diameter, a rate
of
generating the fine powder due to the ruptured granules may significantly
decrease,
compared to the granules in a small diameter. That is, when the medium
granules 114
included in the smoking article 100 is 0.425 mm or more and 0.6 mm or less in
diameter, both the granular dispersibility and the granular filter workability
may he
good.
[50] The taste of cigarettes, that is, smoking taste enjoyed by consumers,
may be affected
by both the granular dispersibility, which refers to how evenly the granules
are
dispersed, and the granular filter workability, which refers to whether a
filter for the
granules is manufactured without being contaminated by the fine powder of the
medium granules. Referring to Table 1, it may be identified that the best
taste of
cigarettes is when the granules are desirably 0.25 mm or more and 0.6 mm or
less in
diameter, and more desirably 0.425 mm or more and 0.6 mm or less in diameter.
[51] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the dispersibility of
granules according
to the size of the granules.
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[521 Referring to FIG. 2, as a result of the foregoing
embodiment, whether medium
granules are evenly dispersed in a medium receiver 110 may be identified
according to
a range of the size of a plurality of medium granules 114. It may be
identified that the
plurality of medium granules 114 are evenly dispersed between flat sheets 112
folded
multiple times in a range of 0.425 mm or more and 0.60 mm or less in diameter
where
the size of the granules is relatively small. On the other hand, in a range of
0.60 mm or
more and 0.85 mm or less in diameter, where the size of the granules is
relatively
large, it may be identified that the medium granules 114 are not evenly
dispersed
between the flat sheets 112 folded multiple times but are mainly dispersed to
one side.
1531 FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a state in
which medium granules are
applied to a flat sheet, according to an example embodiment.
1541 Referring to FIG. 3, a medium receiver 110 of a smoking
article 100 may be
configured by folding a flat sheet 112, to which medium granules 114 are
applied,
multiple times. The plurality of medium granules 114 may be fixed in a medium
receiver 110 while being sandwiched between the flat sheet 112 folded multiple
times.
The stability of the plurality of medium granules 114 on the flat sheet 112
may be
improved by applying a binder material having an adhesive component to the
flat sheet
112, but the binder material inhaled together with a heated aerosol during
smoking
may deteriorate the taste of a smoking article. A humectant, not the binder
material, is
applied to one surface of the flat sheet 112 before disposing the plurality of
medium
granules 114 on the flat sheet 112 so that the humectant may temporarily
improve
adhesion between the flat sheet 112 and the plurality of medium granules 114.
The
humectant is a substance for generating an aerosol in the smoking article 100
and does
not adversely affect the taste of the smoking article. That is, after a
humectant is
applied to one surface of the flat sheet 112 and the medium granules 114 are
disposed
on one surface of the flat sheet 112, to which the humectant is applied, the
medium
receiver 110 of the smoking article 100 may be formed by folding one surface
of the
flat sheet 112 to face each other and additionally folding it multiple times,
and then
wrapping the flat sheet 112 folded multiple times with a wrapper 140.
[551 In addition, a filter 130 may include a first filter 132
having a cavity therein and a
second filter 134 fully filled with a filtration material. The filtration
material may
include a cellulose-based material (e.g., acetate, paper, etc.).
[561 FIGS. 4 and 5 relate to examples in which a smoking article
including a plurality of
medium granules in the foregoing desirable diameter range is used.
[571 FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol-
generating device according
to an example embodiment.
[581 Referring to FIG. 4, an aerosol-generating device 200
includes an elongate cavity
210 for receiving a smoking article 100, a heater 220, and a controller 230.
The
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controller 230 may electrically connect to the heater 220 to control a
temperature for
heating the smoking article 100. The aerosol generating device 200 may further
include a battery 240 configured to supply power in a process of generating an
aerosol.
[59] FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol-generating
system in a state
in which a smoking article and an aerosol-generating device are combined,
according
to an example embodiment.
[60] Referring to FIG. 5, an aerosol-generating system 10 may include a
smoking article
100 and an aerosol-generating device 200. The smoking article 100 may be
snugly in-
tegrated in the elongate cavity 210 of the aerosol-generating device 200. With
the
smoking article 100 coupling to the aerosol-generating device 200, the heater
220 may
heat at least a portion of a medium receiver 110 and a humectant receiver 120
in the
smoking article 100. The medium receiver 110 of the smoking article 100 may be
filled with a plurality of medium granules 114, and the plurality of medium
granules
114 may be 0.25 mm or more in diameter. When the size of the plurality of
medium
granules 114 is extremely small, irregularity of granules may increase and
accordingly,
fine powder generated by the process of manufacturing the medium receiver 110
may
reduce the granule filter workability, and accordingly, the medium granules
114 are
desirably 0.25 mm or more in diameter.
[61] The plurality of medium granules 114, desirably tobacco granules, in
the medium
receiver 110 of the smoking article 100 of the aerosol-generating system 10 is
desirably 0.60 mm or less in diameter. This is because, when tobacco granules
exceed
0.60 mm in diameter, the stability of the tobacco granules on the flat sheet
112
decreases, resulting in a poor granule dispersibility.
[62] In addition, the plurality of medium granules 114, desirably the
tobacco granules, in
the medium receiver 110 of the smoking article 100 of the aerosol-generating
system
is desirably 0.25 mm or more in diameter, and more desirably 0.425 mm or more
in
diameter. When the medium granules 114 have an extremely small diameter, the
hardness of the medium granules 114 may decrease, thus breaking the medium
granules 114 even with a slight shock and generating fine powder so that the
generated
fine powder may contaminate the medium receiver 110 and the filter 130. In
addition,
in the process where the medium receiver 110 is formed by applying the
plurality of
medium granules 114 to one side of the flat sheet 112 and then folding the
flat sheet
112, the medium granules 114, which are not attached to the flat sheet 112 but
are
dropped off the flat sheet 112, may be re-used in a subsequent process. Since
the
minimum hardness of the granules 114 has to be ensured in order for the
plurality of
medium granules 114 dropped off to be reused, the medium granules 114 are
desirably
0.25 mm or more, and more desirably 0.425 mm or more in diameter.
[63] FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a fluidized bed
granulation process of a
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top-spraying method in the fluidized bed granulation process, according to an
example
embodiment, and relates to a process of manufacturing a plurality of medium
granules
in the desirable size range described herein and to the size of the granules
manu-
factured by the process.
[64] When powder is mixed with hot air heated in a sealed
container 500, the powder
circulates inside the container 500 and goes through a process of mixing,
granulation
and drying to form granules. The fluidized bed granulation process refers to
the
process of forming the granules. The fluid bed granulation process may include
a top-
spraying method, a bottom-spraying method, a powder feeding method, and a
rotor-
spraying method. Among them, the top-spraying process is fluidized bed
granulation in
which a spraying direction of a liquid binder 510 serving as an adhesive to
adhere
powders 530 to one another and a flow direction of fluidized air 520 face each
other.
The top-spraying process may easily and quickly adhere fine particles or
granules, thus
more easily manufacturing the granules in a range of the desirable size,
compared to
the bottom-spaying method where a spraying direction of the liquid binder 510
is the
same as a flow direction of the fluidized air 520 and the rotor-spraying
method where a
spraying direction of the liquid binder 510 is perpendicular to a flow
direction of the
fluidized air 520.
1651 While this disclosure includes specific examples, it will be
apparent to one of
ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made
in these
examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their
equivalents. The examples described herein are to be considered in a
descriptive sense
only, and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects
in each
example are to be considered as being applicable to similar features or
aspects in other
examples. Suitable results may be achieved if the described techniques are
performed
in a different order, and/or if components in a described system,
architecture, device,
or circuit are combined in a different manner, and/or replaced or supplemented
by
other components or their equivalents.
[66] Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of
the following claims.
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