AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE WITH LOW RESISTANCE AIR FLOW PATH

• US 20160331032A1
• Filed: 12/04/2014
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philip Morris Products SA (Philip Morris Limited)
• Original Assignee: Philip Morris Products SA (Philip Morris Limited)
• Inventors: MALGAT, Alexandre, ROUDIER, Stephane, BORGES DE COURACA, Ana Carolina, LAVANCHY, Frederic, MEYER, Cedric
• Granted Patent: US 10,617,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 3/14 Forming reconstituted tobacco products, e.g. wrapper materials, sheets, imitation leaves, rods, cakes; Forms of such products delustering A24C1/40
• CPC Class Codes: A24D 1/20 Cigarettes specially adapted for simulated smoking devices
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/20 Devices using solid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/40 Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/465 specially adapted for induction heating
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 42/10 Devices with chemical heating means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/108 for heating a fluid

Abstract

A heated aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device is provided, including a plurality of components including an aerosol-forming substrate assembled within a wrapper to form a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end, the heated aerosol-generating article defining a first air-flow path in which air drawn into the aerosol-generating article through the mouth end passes through the aerosol-forming substrate, and a second air-flow path in which air drawn into the aerosol-generating article through the mouth end does not pass through the aerosol-forming substrate, the resistance to draw (RTD) of the second air-flow path being lower than the RTD of the first air-flow path when the heated aerosol-generating article is not coupled to an aerosol-generating device.

Claims

1. A heated aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device, the heated aerosol-generating article comprising:

a plurality of components including an aerosol-forming substrate assembled within a wrapper to form a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end, the heated aerosol-generating article defining

a first air-flow path in which air drawn into the heated aerosol-generating article through the mouth end passes through the aerosol-forming substrate, and

a second air-flow path in which air drawn into the heated aerosol-generating article through the mouth end does not pass through the aerosol-forming substrate,

wherein the resistance to draw (RID) of the second air-flow path is lower than the RTD of the first air-flow path when the heated aerosol-generating article is not coupled to the aerosol-generating device.

2. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the RID of the second flow path is less than 10 mm WG when the heated aerosol-generating article is not coupled to the aerosol-generating device.

3. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1 wherein the RTD of the second air-flow path is no more than 0.9 times the RTD of the first air-flow path.

4. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein interaction between the heated aerosol-generating article and the aerosol-generating device increases the RTD along the second air-flow path such that air flow is favoured along the first air-flow path.

5. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate is located at, or towards, the distal end of the rod, and one or more perforations through the wrapper downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate form part of the second air-flow path.

6. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the wrapper is a highly perforated wrapper allowing air to be drawn into the heated aerosol-generating article through the wrapper downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate.

7. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein a support element is located downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate, a hole defined through a radial wall of the support element forming part of the second air-flow path.

8. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate comprises a gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco.

21. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the RTD of the second air-flow path is between 0.2 and 0.7 times the RTD of the first air-flow path.

22. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the RTD of the second air-flow path is between 0.3 and 0.5 times the RTD of the first air-flow path.

9. A heated aerosol-generating system, comprising:

a heated aerosol-generating article, comprising

a plurality of components including an aerosol-forming substrate assembled within a wrapper to form a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end, the heated aerosol-generating article defining

a first air-flow path in which air drawn into the heated aerosol-generating article through the mouth end passes through the aerosol-forming substrate, and

a second air-flow path in which air drawn into the heated aerosol-generating article through the mouth end does not pass through the aerosol-forming substrate,

wherein the resistance to draw (RTD) of the second air-flow path is lower than the RTD of the first air-flow path when the heated aerosol-generating article is not coupled to an aerosol-generating device, and

the aerosol-generating device comprising means for heating the aerosol-forming substrate, the aerosol-generating device arranged to engage with the heated aerosol-generating article such that the second air flow path is disrupted to allow air to be drawn through the aerosol-forming substrate when a user draws on the mouth end of the rod.

11. The heated aerosol-generating system according to claim 9, wherein an RTD of the second air-flow path is greater than the RTD of the first air-flow path when the heated aerosol-generating article is engaged with the aerosol-generating device.

12. The heated aerosol-generating system according to claim 9, wherein the means for heating the aerosol-forming substrate comprises one or more heater elements insertable into the aerosol-forming substrate.

13. The heated aerosol-generating system according to claim 9, wherein the means for heating the aerosol-forming substrate comprises one or more heater elements radially spaced from the heated aerosol-generating article when the heated aerosol-generating article is engaged with the aerosol-generating device.

14. The heated aerosol-generating system according to claim 9, wherein the means for heating the aerosol-forming substrate comprises an inductor for heating a susceptor.

10. (canceled)

15. A method of smoking a heated aerosol-generating article comprising a plurality of components including an aerosol-forming substrate assembled within a wrapper to form a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end, the heated aerosol-generating article defining a first air-flow path in which air drawn into the heated aerosol-generating article through the mouth end passes through the aerosol-forming substrate, and a second air-flow path in which air drawn into the heated aerosol-generating article through the mouth end does not pass through the aerosol-forming substrate, the resistance to draw (RTD) of the second air-flow path being lower than the RTD of the first air-flow path when the heated aerosol-generating article is not coupled to an aerosol-generating device, the method comprising:

a) engaging the heated aerosol-generating article with an aerosol-generating device such that the second air-flow path is disrupted;

b) actuating the aerosol-generating device to heat the aerosol-forming substrate; and

c) drawing on the mouth end of the rod to cause air to flow along the first air-flow path, an aerosol generated by heating of the aerosol-forming substrate being entrained in the air as it passes through the aerosol-forming substrate.

16. (canceled)

17. A heated aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device, the heated aerosol-generating article comprising:

a plurality of components including an aerosol-forming substrate assembled within a wrapper to form a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end, the heated aerosol-generating article defining

a first air-flow path in which air drawn into the heated aerosol-generating article through the mouth end passes through the aerosol-forming substrate, and

a second air-flow path in which air drawn into the heated aerosol-generating article through the mouth end is drawn into the rod through the wrapper,

wherein the second air-flow path joins the first air-flow path at a position downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate, and

wherein the resistance to draw (RTD) of the second air-flow path through the wrapper being lower than the RTD of the first air-flow path through the aerosol-forming substrate.

18. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 17, wherein the RTD of second air-flow path is no more than 0.9 times the RTD of the first air-flow path.

19. A heated aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device, the heated aerosol-generating article comprising:

a plurality of components including an aerosol-forming substrate assembled within a wrapper to form a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end, the heated aerosol-generating article defining

a first air-flow path in which air drawn into the heated aerosol-generating article through the mouth end passes through the aerosol-forming substrate, and

a second air-flow path in which air is drawn into the heated aerosol-generating article through the mouth end is drawn into the rod through the wrapper,

wherein the second air-flow path joins the first airflow path at a position downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate, and

wherein the aerosol-generating article is constructed so that, when suction is applied to the mouth end of the rod and neither the first or the second airflow path is blocked, a greater volume of air is drawn through the second air-flow path than is drawn through the first air-flow path.

20. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 19, wherein a volume of air drawn through the second air-flow path is at least twice a volume of air drawn through the first air-flow path.