Smoking article for use with an internal heating element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11278052-B2
Application number	US-201314408132-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2013
Priority date	Jun 21, 2012
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

A smoking article for use in an aerosol-generating device includes an aerosol-forming substrate located at an extreme upstream end of the smoking article; and a support element located immediately downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate. The support element abuts the aerosol-forming substrate and the aerosol-forming substrate is configured to be penetrable by a heating element of an aerosol-generating device having a diameter of between about 40 percent and about 70 percent of the diameter of the aerosol-forming substrate without substantial deformation of the smoking article. The support element is configured to resist downstream movement of the aerosol-forming substrate during insertion of the heating element of the aerosol-generating device into the aerosol-forming substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A smoking article for use in an aerosol-generating device comprising an electronically actuated blade heater, the smoking article comprising:
a gathered crimped sheet of homogenised tobacco material comprising an aerosol former configured to generate an aerosol responsive to electronic actuation of the electronically actuated blade heater, the gathered crimped sheet being disposed at an extreme upstream end of the smoking article,
the gathered crimped sheet having a plurality of substantially parallel ridges or corrugations, the substantially parallel ridges or corrugations extending along or parallel to a longitudinal axis of the smoking article, the gathered crimped sheet having an external diameter;
a hollow tubular element abutting the gathered crimped sheet and having an external diameter and an internal diameter of between about 35 percent and about 98 percent of the external diameter of the hollow tubular element;
a filter downstream of the hollow tubular element; and
an outer wrapper circumscribing the gathered crimped sheet, the hollow tubular element, and the filter,
the electronically actuated blade heater having a width of between about 40 percent and about 70 percent of the external diameter of the gathered crimped sheet and being configured to penetrate the gathered crimped sheet,
the gathered crimped sheet inhibiting bending of the smoking article by more than 7 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the smoking article and inhibiting tearing or ripping of the outer wrapper during penetration by the electronically actuated blade heater,
the hollow tubular element resisting downstream movement of the gathered crimped sheet during penetration of the gathered crimped sheet by the electronically actuated blade heater,
wherein the smoking article is configured such that a resistance to draw of the smoking article while the electronically actuated blade heater is within the gathered crimped sheet is between 80 mm WG and 140 mm WG.

2. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow tubular element is configured to resist a penetration force of at least 2.5 N generated by the electronically actuated blade heater penetrating the gathered crimped sheet.

3. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow tubular element is configured to resist a penetration force of at least 4 N generated by the electronically actuated blade heater penetrating the gathered crimped sheet.

4. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the internal diameter of the hollow tubular element is between about 35 percent and about 55 percent of the external diameter of the hollow tubular element.

5. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow tubular element comprises a hollow cellulose acetate tube.

6. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow tubular element is resistant to exposure to a temperature of at least about 150° C. for a period at least about 6 minutes.

7. The smoking article according to claim 1 , further comprising an aerosol-cooling element located downstream of the hollow tubular element.

8. The smoking article according to claim 7 , wherein the aerosol-cooling element is located immediately downstream of the hollow tubular element and abuts the hollow tubular element and the filter.

9. The smoking article according to claim 7 , wherein the aerosol-cooling element comprises a gathered sheet of biodegradable polymeric material.

10. A method of using a smoking article in an aerosol-generating device, the method comprising:
penetrating an electronically actuated blade heater of an aerosol-generating device into a gathered crimped sheet of a smoking article comprising homogenised tobacco material comprising an aerosol former configured to generate an aerosol responsive to electronic actuation of the electronically actuated blade heater, wherein the gathered crimped sheet being disposed at an extreme upstream end of the smoking article,
the gathered crimped sheet having a plurality of substantially parallel ridges or corrugations, the substantially parallel ridges or corrugations extending along or parallel to a longitudinal axis of the smoking article, the gathered crimped sheet having an external diameter,
the electronically actuated blade heater having a width of between about 40 percent and about 70 percent of the external diameter of the gathered crimped sheet,
the smoking article further comprising:
a hollow tubular element abutting the gathered crimped sheet and having an external diameter and an internal diameter of between about 35 percent and about 98 percent of the external diameter of the hollow tubular element;
a filter downstream of the hollow tubular element; and
an outer wrapper circumscribing the gathered crimped sheet, the hollow tubular element, and the filter;

inhibiting, by the gathered crimped sheet, bending of the smoking article by more than 7 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the smoking article and inhibiting tearing or ripping of the outer wrapper during penetration by the electronically actuated blade heater;
resisting, by the hollow tubular element, downstream movement of the gathered crimped sheet during penetration of the gathered crimped sheet by the electronically actuated blade heater;
electronically actuating the blade heater of the aerosol-generating device to heat the gathered crimped sheet of the smoking article to generate an aerosol; and
providing, by the smoking article, a resistance to draw of the smoking article of between 80 mm WG and 140 mm WG while the electronically actuated blade heater is within the gathered crimped sheet.

11. An aerosol-generating system, comprising:
an aerosol-generating device comprising an electronically actuated blade heater; and
a smoking article for use with the aerosol-generating device, the smoking article comprising:
a gathered crimped sheet of homogenised tobacco material comprising an aerosol former configured to generate an aerosol responsive to electronic actuation of the electronically actuated blade heater, the d sheet being disposed at an extreme upstream end of the smoking article,
the gathered crimped sheet having a plurality of substantially parallel ridges or corrugations, the substantially parallel ridges or corrugations extending along or parallel to a longitudinal axis of the smoking article, the gathered crimped sheet having an external diameter;
a hollow tubular element abutting the gathered crimped sheet and having an external diameter and an internal diameter of between about 35 percent and about 98 percent of the external diameter of the hollow tubular element;
a filter downstream of the hollow tubular element; and
an outer wrapper circumscribing the gathered crimped sheet, the hollow tubular element, and the filter,
the electronically actuated blade heater having a width of between about 40 percent and about 70 percent of the external diameter of the gathered crimped sheet and configured to penetrate the gathered crimped sheet,
the gathered crimped sheet inhibiting bending of the smoking article by more than 7 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the smoking article and inhibiting tearing or ripping of the outer wrapper during penetration by the electronically actuated blade heater,
the hollow tubular element resisting downstream movement of the gathered crimped sheet during penetration of the gathered crimped sheet by the electronically actuated blade heater, and
wherein the smoking article is configured such that a resistance to draw of the smoking article while the electronically actuated blade heater is within the gathered crimped sheet is between 80 mm WG

Assignees

• Philip Morris Products Sa

Inventors

• Mitrev Pande
• Badertscher Thomas

Classifications

• A24F40/46 Primary

  Shape or structure of electric heating means · CPC title

• A61M15/06 Primary

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

• A24F40/20

  Devices using solid inhalable precursors · CPC title

• A24D1/20 Primary

  Cigarettes specially adapted for simulated smoking devices · CPC title

• A24F1/02

  with arrangements for cleaning or cooling the smoke (hookahs A24F1/30) · CPC title