Smoking article with front-plug and aerosol-forming substrate and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11039642-B2
Application number	US-201214363093-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2012
Priority date	Dec 30, 2011
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

A smoking article is provided, including a plurality of elements including a front-plug and an aerosol-forming substrate. A hole or slit is defined through the front-plug, through which a heating element may be inserted. In use, a heating element is inserted into the smoking article through the hole or slit and the aerosol-forming substrate is heated to generate an aerosol. When the heating element is subsequently withdrawn from the smoking article, the front-plug acts to retain the aerosol-forming substrate within the smoking article.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A smoking article, comprising:
a plurality of elements, including a front-plug and an aerosol-forming substrate assembled within a cigarette wrapper and forming a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end, the front-plug being disposed upstream of the aerosol-forming substrate within the rod,
wherein the front-plug is formed of a resilient material and defines a slit configured for insertion of a heating element therethrough, the front-plug and the aerosol-forming substrate being disposed within the rod such that the heating element, when inserted into the smoking article through the slit, contacts the aerosol-forming substrate,
wherein the front-plug is substantially cylindrical and has a diameter of 5 mm or greater and a length of at least 4 mm,
wherein the slit is dimensioned so as to wipe a surface of the heating element when the heating element is withdrawn from the front-plug, and so as to clean the surface due to an interference between the surface and the front-plug; and
a filter disposed at the mouth end of the rod,
wherein the front-plug incorporates the aerosol-forming substrate, and
wherein a density of the aerosol-forming substrate incorporated in the front-plug is increased at the distal end of the rod.

2. The smoking article according to claim 1 , in which the front-plug comprises a filter material such that air can be drawn through the front-plug.

3. The smoking article according to claim 1 , in which the aerosol-forming substrate comprises processed tobacco.

4. The smoking article according to claim 1 , in which the front-plug is configured to prevent egress of the aerosol-forming substrate as the heating element is withdrawn from the smoking article.

5. The smoking article according to claim 1 , in which the aerosol-forming substrate is a crimped tobacco.

Assignees

• Philip Morris Products Sa

Inventors

• Zuber Gerard
• Badertscher Thomas
• Meyer Cedric
• Louvet Alexis

Classifications

• A61M15/06

  Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes · CPC title

• A24F40/46 Primary

  Shape or structure of electric heating means · CPC title

• A24F47/00

  Smokers' requisites not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• A24D1/20 Primary

  Cigarettes specially adapted for simulated smoking devices · CPC title

• A24F40/00

  Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor · CPC title