Flavor generating article

• US 5,060,671 A
• Filed: 12/01/1989
• Issued: 10/29/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Ulysses, Sprinkel, F. Murphy Jr., Morgan, Constance H., Losee, D. Bruce Jr., Utsch, Francis V., Counts, Mary E., LaRoy, Bernard C.
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLIN, VINCENT A
• Application Number:
  US07/444,746
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 131/270, 131/273, 131/194-197, 131/359, 131/369, 128/202, 128/202.21, 128/203.17, 128/203.27
• US Class Current: 131/329
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/20 Devices using solid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/30 Devices using two or more structurally separated inhalable precursors, e.g. using two liquid precursors in two cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/46 Shape or structure of electric heating means
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/50 Control or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/60 Devices with integrated user interfaces

Abstract

An article is provided in which a flavor generating medium is electrically heated to evolve inhalable flavors or other components in vapor or aerosol form. The article has a plurality of charges of the flavor generating medium which are heated sequentially to provide individual puffs.

Claims

1. An article for delivering to a consumer an inhalable flavor-containing substance, said article comprising:

a plurality of pre-measured charges of flavor generating medium;

electrical heating means for individually heating each of said pluralilty of charges;

a source of electrical energy for powering said electrical heating means; and

p1 control means for selectively applying said electrical energy to said electrical heating means to selectively heat said plurality charges in a predetermined sequence, each of said charges being heated only once and, when heated, delivering a predetermined quantity of flavor-containing substance to said consumer.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein said flavor generating medium comprises tobacco;

and

when said flavor generating medium is heated, a flavor-containing substance comprising tobacco components is formed.

3. The article of claim 1 wherein said flavor generating medium comprises an aerosol-forming material;

and

when said flavor generating medium is heated, an aerosol is formed.

4. The article of claim 3 wherein said aerosol-forming material comprises glycerine.

5. The article of claim 4 wherein said aerosol-forming material further comprises water.

6. The article of claim 3 wherein said aerosol-forming material comprises water.

7. The article of claim 1 wherein:

said flavor generating medium comprises tobacco and an aerosol-forming material; and

when said flavor generating medium is heated, an aerosol comprising tobacco components is formed.

8. The article of claim 7 wherein said aerosol-forming material comprises glycerine.

9. The article of claim 8 wherein said aerosol-forming material further comprises water.

10. The article of claim 7 wherein said aerosol-forming material comprises water.

11. The article of claim 7 wherein said flavor generating medium is a dried slurry comprising ground tobacco and said aerosol-forming material.

12. The article of claim 1 wherein said flavor generating medium comprises tobacco extracts.

13. The article of claim 1 wherein said flavor generating medium comprises condensed components of smoke produced by combustion of tobacco.

14. The article of claim 1 wherein said electrical heating means comprises resistant heating means in contact with said flavor generating medium.

15. The article of claim 14 wherein:

said resistance heating means is a mesh of resistive wire; and

said flavor generating medium is deposited on said wire mesh.

16. The article of claim 15 further comprising an adhesion agent for adhering said flavor-generating medium to said mesh.

17. The article of claim 16 wherein said adhesion agent is a pectin.

18. The article of claim 17 wherein said pectin is a citrus pectin.

19. The article of claim 15 wherein:

said flavor generating medium is a dried slurry comprising ground tobacco and an aerosol-forming material; and

said slurry is coated onto said mesh.

20. The article of claim 19 wherein said aerosol-forming material comprises glycerine.

21. The article of claim 20 wherein said aerosol-forming material further comprises water.

22. The article of claim 19 wherein said aerosol-forming material comprises water.

23. The article of claim 1 wherein said flavor-generating medium is concentrated, thereby reducing the amount of electrical energy necessary to form said flavor-containing substance.

24. The article of claim 1 wherein:

said plurality of charges of flavor generating medium are deposited on a substrate; and

said electrical heating means is in contact with said substrate.

25. The article of claim 24 further comprising an adhesion agent for adhering said flavor generating medium to said substrate.

26. The article of claim 25 wherein said adhesion agent is a pectin.

27. The article of claim 26 wherein said pectin is a citrus pectin.

28. The article of claim 24 wherein said electrical heating means comprises a plurality of heating elements corresponding to said plurality of charges.

29. The article of claim 24 wherein said electrical heating means comprises:

a heating element; and

means for indexing said substrate past said heating element.

30. The article of claim 1 wherein:

said flavor generating medium comprises an electrically conductive material having a selected resistance;

whereby;

said electrical heating means is integral with said flavor generating medium.

31. The article of claim 30 wherein said electrical heating means comprises means for conducting electrical energy from said source of electrical energy to said electrically conductive flavor generating medium.

32. The article of claim 31 wherein said electrical heating means comprises a plurality of said conducting means corresponding to said plurality of charges, each of said conducting means contacting one of said charges.

33. The article of claim 30 wherein:

said plurality of charges of flavor generating medium are deposited on a substrate; and

said electrical heating means comprises a plurality of conducting means corresponding to said plurality of charges, each of said conducting means contacting one of said charges.

34. The article of claim 30 wherein:

said plurality of charges of flavor-generating medium are deposited on a substrate; and

said electrical heating means comprises;

a conducting means for contacting said charges, and

means for indexing said substrate past said conducting means, whereby;

said conducting means sequentially contacts each of said charges.

35. The article of claim 1 wherein said electrical heating means comprises graphite.

36. The article of claim 35 further comprising an adhesion agent for adhering said flavor generating medium to said graphite.

37. The article of claim 36 wherein said adhesion agent is a pectin.

38. The article of claim 37 wherein said pectin is a citrus pectin.

39. The article of claim 35 wherein said graphite is compounded with other forms of carbon.

40. The article of claim 35 wherein:

said electrical heating means further comprises electrical contact means for contacting said graphite; and

said graphite is coated with a contact-resistance reducing substance.

41. The article of claim 40 wherein said contact-resistance reducing substance comprises tantalum.

42. The article of claim 35 wherein said heating means comprises a cylindrical structure comprising graphite having a plurality of radial vanes, at least one surface of each of said vanes being coated with said flavor generating medium such that each of said vanes has one of said plurality of charges thereon and has a radial edge and an axial edge, all of one of said edges being connected in common to said source of electrical energy, and each of the other of said edges being connected individually to said source of electrical energy.

43. The article of claim 42 wherein said heating means comprises a cylinder comprising graphite, said cylinder having a continuous cylindrical surface and a plurality of said vanes extending inwardly therefrom and extending to an inner edge at a point short of the axis of said cylinder, said outer surface serving as said common connection to said source of electrical energy, and each said inner edge serving as said individual connection to said source of electrical energy.

44. The article of claim 42 wherein said heating means comprises a cylinder comprising graphite, said cylinder having a cylindrical inner core and a plurality of said vanes extending outwardly therefrom and extending to an outer edge at a point remote from the axis of said cylinder, said inner core serving as said common connection to said source of electrical energy, and each said outer edge serving as said individual connection to said source of electrical energy.

45. The article of claim 44 wherein said heating means comprises a hollow cylinder comprising graphite, said cylinder having said flavor generating medium coated thereon, said cylinder being divided by at least one pair of opposed partial circumferential slits into a plurality of opposed circumferential strips, each strip of an opposed pair of strips being connected to a pole of said source of electrical energy forming a ring-like heater segment, the flavor generating medium on said inner side of each of said ring-like segments forming one of said plurality of charges.

46. The article of claim 45 wherein said heating means comprises a cylinder comprising graphite, said cylinder having an outer surface having a plurality of grooves therein separated by lands thereon, each of said grooves being coated with said flavor generating medium and forming one of said individual charges thereof, each of said grooves being heated by applying power from said source of electrical energy to a land on either side of said groove.

47. The article of claim 46 wherein said heating means comprises a ring comprising graphite and having first and second ends, and divided by first and second interleaved sets of slits, each set of slits extending from a respective one of said ends more than halfway to an opposite one of said ends, into a plurality of bases adjacent said first end and fingers adjacent said second end, said fingers being coated with said flavor generating medium, individual charges of said flavor generating medium being heated by one of (a) applying power from said source of electrical energy to one of said bases and one of said fingers, and (b) applying power from said source of electrical energy to adjacent ones of said bases.

48. The article of claim 47 wherein said flavor generating medium is coated onto said ring in a circumferential band in an area overlapped by both said first and second sets of slits, individual charges of said flavor generating medium being heated by applying power from said source of electrical energy to adjacent ones of said bases.

49. The article of claim 47 wherein said flavor generating medium is coated on to said ring in a circumferential band in an area beginning at said second and extending toward said first end a shorter distance than said set of slits extending from said second end, individual charges of said flavor generating medium being heated applying power from said source of electrical energy to one of said bases and one of said fingers.

50. The article of claim 47 wherein said heating means comprises an elongated sheet comprising graphite, said sheet being laterally divided into opposed pairs of strips by opposed pairs of slits extending inwardly from longitudinal edges of said sheet, said flavor generating medium being coated onto said sheet in a longitudinal band spaced from said longitudinal edges, individual charges of said flavor generating medium being heated by applying power from said source of electrical energy to opposed ones of said strips.

51. The article of claim 50 wherein said heating means comprises a plurality of U-shaped vanes, each of said vanes having two legs interconnected at their proximate ends by a base, one of said legs being longer than the other of said legs, said vanes being joined to an electrically conductive hub at distal ends of said longer legs such that said vanes are oriented radially with said longer legs adjacent one another, said bases extending radially outward, and said shorter legs extending parallel to said longer legs but spaced radially outwardly therefrom, said vanes being coated with said flavor generating medium, individual charges of said flavor generating medium being heated by applying power from said source of electrical energy to said hub and to a respective one of said shorter legs.

52. The article of claim 1 wherein said source of electrical energy comprises a battery.

53. The article of claim 52 wherein said battery is disposable.

54. The article of claim 52 wherein said battery is rechargeable.

55. The article of claim 54 wherein said source of electrical energy comprises a capacitor.

56. The article of claim 55 wherein said source of electrical energy further comprises means for charging said capacitor.

57. The article of claim 56 wherein said capacitor charging means comprises a battery.

58. The article of claim 56 wherein said battery is disposable.

59. The article of claim 56 wherein said battery is rechargeable.

60. The article of claim 56 wherein said capacitor charging means comprises contact means for connecting said capacitor to an external voltage source.

61. The article of claim 60 wherein said capacitor has a capacitance sufficient to store energy for heating one of said charges of flavor generating medium.

62. The article of claim 60 wherein said capacitor has a capacitance sufficient to store energy for heating at least some of said plurality of charges of flavor generating medium.

63. The article of claim 62 wherein said capacitance is sufficient to store energy for heating all of said plurality of charges of flavor generating medium.

64. The article of claim 63 wherein said control means comprises:

means for selecting one of said plurality of charges of flavor generating medium; and

means for, when a consumer desires to puff said article, applying a pulse of electrical energy to heat said selected one of said plurality of charges of flavor generating medium.

65. The article of claim 64 wherein said selecting means is manual.

66. The article of claim 64 wherein said selecting means is automatic.

67. The article of claim 66 wherein said automatic selecting means selects each of said plurality of charges sequentially.

68. The article of claim 66 wherein said control means further comprises sequential indication means for indicating which of said plurality of charges is selected.

69. The article of claim 64 wherein said pulse applying means applies a pulse of predetermined duration.

70. The article of claim 69 wherein said control means further comprises pulse indication means for indicating when said pulse is being applied.

71. The article of claim 69 wherein said pulse applying means comprises actuation means and applies said pulse in response to actuation of said actuation means by a consumer.

72. The article of claim 71 wherein said control means further comprises lockout means for disabling said actuation means for a predetermined lockout period after an actuation thereof.

73. The article of claim 71 wherein said actuation means comprises a pushbutton.

74. The article of claim 71 wherein said actuation means comprises a switch actuated when a consumer draws on said article.

75. The article of claim 74 wherein said switch is actuated by a pressure-sensitive sensor.

76. The article of claim 74 wherein said switch is actuated by a flow-sensitive sensor.

77. The article of claim 64 wherein said control means further comprises pulse indication means for indicating when said pulse is being applied.

78. The article of claim 1 wherein said control means causes said heating means to heat each charge of said flavor generating medium to a temperature of from about 100°

C. to about 600°

C.

79. The article of claim 78 wherein said control means causes said heating means to heat each charge of said flavor generating medium to a temperature of from about 200°

C. to about 500°

C.

80. The article of claim 79 wherein said control means causes said heating means to heat each charge of said flavor generating medium to a temperature of from about 300°

C. to about 400°

C.

81. The article of claim 1 wherein said control means causes said heating means to heat each charge of said flavor generating medium for a duration of from about 0.1 second to about 4 seconds.

82. The article of claim 81 wherein said control means causes said heating means to heat each charge of said flavor generating medium for a duration of from about 0.5 second to about 1.5 seconds.

83. The article of claim 82 wherein said control means causes said heating means to heat each charge of said flavor generating medium for a duration of from about 0.8 second to about 1.2 seconds.

84. The article of claim 83 wherein said control means further causes said heating means to heat each charge of said flavor generating medium to a temperature of from about 300°

C. to about 400°

C.