Electrically heated cigarette including controlled-release flavoring

• US 20050172976A1
• Filed: 11/02/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Woodson, Beverley C., Newman, Deborah J.
• Application Number:
  US10/979,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20050172976A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 131/194
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/283 by encapsulation of the chemical substances
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/01 Making cigarettes for simulated smoking devices
• CPC Class Codes: A24D 1/20 Cigarettes specially adapted for simulated smoking devices
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/20 Devices using solid inhalable precursors

Abstract

Electrically heated cigarettes used in an electrical smoking system include a flavoring-release additive and sorbent effective to remove one or more gas-phase constituents of mainstream tobacco smoke. The flavoring-release additive includes at least one flavoring. The flavoring is released in the cigarette upon the flavoring-release additive reaching at least a minimum temperature during smoking. The flavoring-release additive can have various forms including, for example, beads, films and inclusion complexes. Electrical smoking systems including the electrically heated cigarettes, methods of making the cigarettes, and methods of smoking the cigarettes are also provided.

Claims

1. An electrically heated cigarette for an electrical smoking system, comprising:

at least one sorbent; and

a flavoring-release additive including at least one flavoring releasable in the electrically heated cigarette upon the flavoring-release additive being heated to at least a minimum temperature.

2. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 1, wherein the sorbent is activated carbon.

3. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 1, wherein the sorbent is zeolite.

4. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 1, wherein the flavoring is (i) menthol, or (ii) vanillin and gamma octalactone.

5. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 1, wherein the flavoring is at least one flavoring selected from the group consisting of menthol, mint, chocolate, licorice, fruit flavors, gamma octalactone, vanillin, ethyl vanillin, breath freshener flavors, spice flavors, methyl salicylate, linalool, bergamot oil, geranium oil, lemon oil, ginger oil, and tobacco flavor.

6. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 1, wherein the flavoring-release additive is in the form of beads.

7. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 6, wherein the beads comprise a binder selected from the group consisting of palm oil, konjac gum, hydroxypropylcellulose, xylitol, zein, sorbitol, maltitol, and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose.

8. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 6, wherein the beads have a maximum particle size of less than about 25 microns.

9. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 8, wherein the beads have a maximum particle size of less than about 1 micron.

10. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 6, which comprises, based on the total weight of tobacco in the electrically heated cigarette, up to about 20% by weight of the beads.

11. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 6, wherein the beads comprise by weight up to about 20% of the flavoring.

12. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 6, wherein the minimum temperature is about 40°

C. and the beads are disposed in at least one location in the electrically heated cigarette that reaches at least about 40°

C. during smoking of the cigarette.

13. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 6, wherein the beads are disposed in a tobacco rod, in a void between a tobacco plug and a free-flow filter, on a free-flow filter, on a tobacco-containing mat, and/or on an inner wrap surrounding the tobacco plug.

14. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 1, wherein the flavoring-release additive is a film.

15. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 14, wherein the film comprises a binder selected from the group consisting of carraghenan, gelatin, agar, gellan gum, gum arabic, guar gum, xanthum gum, and pectin.

16. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 14, wherein the film has a thickness of less than about 150 microns.

17. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 14, which comprises, based on the total weight of tobacco in the electrically heated cigarette, up to about 20% by weight of the film.

18. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 14, wherein the film comprises by weight up to about 20% of the flavoring.

19. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 14, wherein the film is in shredded form.

20. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 14, wherein the minimum temperature is about 50°

C., and the film is disposed in at least one location in the electrically heated cigarette that reaches at least about 50°

C. during smoking of the cigarette.

21. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 14, wherein the film is disposed in a tobacco plug, on an inner wrap surrounding the tobacco plug, on a tobacco-containing mat, and/or on an over wrap surrounding the mat.

22. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 1, wherein the flavoring-release additive is an inclusion complex which includes a host molecule and the flavoring is a guest molecule in the inclusion complex.

23. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 22, wherein the host molecule is beta-cyclodextrin.

24. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 22, which comprises, based on the weight of an over wrap and/or mat, less than about 15% by weight of the inclusion complex.

25. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 22, wherein the inclusion complex comprises up to about 20% of the flavoring.

26. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 22, wherein the minimum temperature is about 60°

C., and the inclusion complex is disposed in at least one location in the electrically heated cigarette that reaches at least about 60°

C. during smoking of the cigarette.

27. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 22, wherein the flavoring-release additive is disposed on an inner wrap surrounding a tobacco plug, on a tobacco-containing mat, and/or on an over wrap surrounding the mat.

28. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 1, wherein the sorbent is fibers.

29. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 28, wherein the fibers are continuous or non-continuous fibers.

30. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 28, wherein the fibers are impregnated with at least one sorbent.

31. A method of making an electrically heated cigarette according to claim 1, comprising incorporating into an electrically heated cigarette (a) the at least one sorbent, and (b) the flavoring-release additive including at least one flavoring releasable in the electrically heated cigarette upon the flavoring-release additive being heated to at least the minimum temperature.

32. A method of smoking the electrically heated cigarette of claim 1, comprising heating a portion of the electrically heated cigarette to form smoke and drawing the smoke through the electrically heated cigarette, the sorbent removing at least one selected gas-phase constituent from mainstream smoke.

38. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 1, wherein the sorbent comprises creped carbon paper, wherein the creped carbon paper is located in a poly-propylene sleeve, which is located in a filter of the electrically heated cigarette.

39. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 1, wherein the flavoring-release additive is located in a tobacco mat, which surrounds a tobacco plug.

40. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 39, wherein the tobacco plug is free of flavoring-release additive.

41. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 39, wherein the flavoring-release additive comprises an inclusion complex comprising beta-cyclodextrin incorporated into the tobacco mat.

42. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 41, wherein the flavoring-release additive comprises non-menthol flavoring.

43. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 39, wherein the flavoring-release additive comprises a multi-stage dried powder incorporated into the tobacco mat.

44. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 43, wherein the flavoring-release additive comprises menthol flavoring.

33. An electrical smoking system, comprising:

a lighter; and

at least one electrically heated cigarette including;

at least one sorbent; and

a flavoring-release additive including at least one flavoring which is releasable in the electrically heated cigarette upon the flavoring-release additive being heated to at least a minimum temperature.

34. An electrically heated cigarette, comprising:

at least one sorbent; and

at least one flavoring-release additive in a form selected from the group consisting of beads, film, and an inclusion complex, each flavoring-release additive including at least one flavoring releasable in the electrically heated cigarette upon the flavoring-release additive being heated to at least a minimum temperature.

35. The electrically heated cigarette of claim 34, wherein the flavoring-release additive comprises at least two flavoring-release additives in the form of beads, film, and/or an inclusion complex, each flavoring-release additive having a different minimum temperature at which the flavoring is released during smoking of the electrically heated cigarette.

36. A method of making an electrically heated cigarette according to claim 34, comprising incorporating into an electrically heated cigarette (a) the at least one sorbent, and (b) the at least one flavoring-release additive in the form of beads, film, and/or an inclusion complex, the flavoring-release additive including at least one flavoring releasable in the electrically heated cigarette upon the flavoring-release additive being heated to at least the minimum temperature.

37. A method of smoking the electrically heated cigarette of claim 34, comprising heating a portion of the electrically heated cigarette to form smoke and drawing the smoke through the electrically heated cigarette, the sorbent removing at least one selected gas-phase constituent from mainstream smoke.

45. A cigarette of an electrical smoking system comprising:

a tobacco rod comprising a plug of tobacco adjacent a first end of said tobacco rod, a tubular tobacco mat disposed about said tobacco plug and a flavoring release additive located along said tobacco mat;

said tubular tobacco mat including a tobacco mat portion at least partially surrounding a void located within said tobacco rod;

said tobacco plug being essentially free of flavoring release additive;

at least some of said flavoring release additive adjacent said void so as to be releaseable from said tobacco mat portion into said void upon heating of said tobacco mat portion so as to achieve an immediate flavored tobacco response from said cigarette.