Tobacco-containing smoking article

• US 9,901,123 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2016
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC. (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Original Assignee: RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC. (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Inventors: Robinson, John Howard, Griffith, Jr., David William, Conner, Billy Tyrone, Crooks, Evon Llewellyn, Brewer, Jr., Dempsey Bailey
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Michael H
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHU HOANG
• Application Number:
  US15/286,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20170020200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 13/02 Flakes or shreds of tobacco
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/12 of reconstituted tobacco
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/167 in liquid or vaporisable form, e.g. liquid compositions for electronic cigarettes
• 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 1/002 with additives, e.g. for flavouring preparing tobacco, e.g. flavouring, A24B
• CPC Class Codes: A24D 1/20 Cigarettes specially adapted for simulated smoking devices
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• 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 40/42 Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/021 Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/42 non-flexible

Abstract

A smoking article may include a cigarette incorporated within an electrically powered aerosol generating device that acts as a holder for that cigarette. The smoking article possesses at least one form of tobacco. The smoking article also possesses a mouth-end piece that is used by the smoker to inhale components of tobacco that are generated by the action of heat upon components of the cigarette. A representative smoking article possesses an outer housing incorporating a source of electrical power (e.g., a battery), a sensing mechanism for powering the device at least during periods of draw, and a heating device (e.g., at least one electrical resistance heating element) for forming a thermally generated aerosol that incorporates components of tobacco. During use, the cigarette is positioned within the device, and after use, the used cigarette is removed from the device and replaced with another cigarette.

Claims

1. An electrically-powered, aerosol-generating smoking article comprising:

an electrical power source within a tubular outer housing having a mouth-end and an end distal to the mouth-end;

at least one electrical resistance heater powered by said electrical power source;

a puff-actuated controller within the tubular outer housing and adapted for regulating current flow through the electrical resistance heater during draw, the controller comprising a sensor adapted for sensing draw on the smoking article by a user; and

a rod-shaped carrier device engaged with the mouth-end of the tubular outer housing and comprising a cartridge providing a liquid storage compartment containing a mixture comprising a tobacco extract and an aerosol-forming material absorbed within an absorbent fibrous material, the cartridge having a generally tubular shape and adapted for airflow therethrough;

wherein the rod-shaped carrier device is operatively positioned such that, during draw, the mixture comprising the tobacco extract and the aerosol-forming material can be wicked into contact with the electrical resistance heater and volatilized to produce a visible mainstream aerosol incorporating tobacco components or tobacco-derived components that can be drawn into the mouth of the user of the smoking article.

2. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the aerosol-forming material comprises glycerin, propylene glycol, or a mixture thereof.

3. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the mixture further comprises a flavoring agent.

4. The smoking article of claim 3, wherein the flavoring agent comprises menthol.

5. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the mixture further comprises an organic acid.

6. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the mixture comprises essentially pure nicotine, extracts composed predominantly of nicotine, or formulations composed predominantly of nicotine.

7. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the absorbent fibrous material comprises a synthetic polymeric material.

8. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the amount of aerosol-forming material is sufficient to provide greater than about 200 puffs per cartridge.

9. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the cartridge is made from paper, plastic, or heat conductive materials.

10. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the cartridge has a length that does not exceed about 30 mm.

11. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the cartridge is electrically conductive.

12. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the rod-shaped carrier device is removably engaged with the mouth-end of the tubular outer housing.

13. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the mixture comprises glycerin, tobacco extract, and a flavoring agent.

14. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the absorbent fibrous material is in contact with the electrical resistance heater.

15. An electrically-powered, aerosol-generating smoking article comprising:

an electrical power source in the form of a battery within a tubular outer housing having a mouth-end and an end distal to the mouth-end;

at least one electrical resistance heater powered by said electrical power source;

a puff-actuated controller within the tubular outer housing and adapted for regulating current flow through the electrical resistance heater during draw, the controller comprising a sensor adapted for sensing draw on the smoking article by a user; and

a rod-shaped carrier device removably engaged with the mouth-end of the tubular outer housing and comprising a cartridge providing a liquid storage compartment containing a mixture comprising a tobacco extract comprising nicotine and an aerosol-forming material selected from glycerin, propylene glycol, or a mixture thereof, the mixture absorbed within an absorbent wicking material, the cartridge having a generally tubular shape and adapted for airflow therethrough;

wherein the rod-shaped carrier device is operatively positioned such that, during draw, the mixture comprising the tobacco extract and the aerosol-forming material can be wicked into contact with the electrical resistance heater and volatilized to produce a visible mainstream aerosol incorporating tobacco components or tobacco-derived components that can be drawn into the mouth of the user of the smoking article.

16. The smoking article of claim 15, wherein the mixture further comprises a flavoring agent.

17. The smoking article of claim 16, wherein the flavoring agent comprises menthol.

18. The smoking article of claim 15, wherein the mixture further comprises an organic acid.

19. The smoking article of claim 15, wherein the mixture comprises essentially pure nicotine, extracts composed predominantly of nicotine, or formulations composed predominantly of nicotine.

20. The smoking article of claim 15, wherein the amount of the aerosol-forming material is sufficient to provide greater than about 200 puffs per cartridge.

21. The smoking article of claim 15, wherein the cartridge is made from paper, plastic, or heat conductive materials.

22. The smoking article of claim 15, wherein the cartridge has a length that does not exceed about 30 mm.

23. The smoking article of claim 15, wherein the cartridge is electrically conductive.

24. The smoking article of claim 15, wherein the absorbent wicking material is in contact with the electrical resistance heater.

25. The smoking article of claim 15, wherein the absorbent wicking material is positioned in proximity to the at least one electrical resistance heater.

26. The smoking article of claim 15, wherein an air passageway extends along the length of the cartridge.

27. An electrically-powered, aerosol-generating smoking article comprising:

an electrical power source in the form of a battery within a tubular outer housing having a mouth-end and an end distal to the mouth-end;

at least one electrical resistance heater powered by said electrical power source, wherein at least a portion of the resistance heating element is elongated and extending downstream toward the mouth-end of the outer housing, the elongated portion of the resistance heating element positioned proximal to the center of the outer housing;

a controller within the tubular outer housing and adapted for regulating current flow through the electrical resistance heater; and

a cigarette-type device removably engaged with the mouth-end of the tubular outer housing and comprising a tobacco segment circumscribed by a wrapping material and comprising a tobacco material and an aerosol-forming material, wherein the elongated portion of the resistance heating element extends into the tobacco segment when the cigarette-type device is engaged with the mouth-end of the outer housing, such that during draw, aerosol-forming material can be volatilized to produce a visible mainstream aerosol incorporating tobacco components or tobacco-derived components that can be drawn into the mouth of the user of the smoking article.

28. The smoking article of claim 27, wherein the cigarette-type device further comprises a filter element downstream from the tobacco segment.

29. The smoking article of claim 27, further comprising an actuation mechanism in the form of a switching mechanism that can be manually operated by the user in order to heat the cigarette-type device.

30. The smoking article of claim 27, wherein the electrical resistance heating element provides surface region temperatures of at least 200°

C. and less than 600°

C. such that the tobacco material does not burn during use.