Smoking article with front-plug and aerosol-forming substrate and method

• US 11,039,642 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 06/22/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philip Morris Products SA (Philip Morris Limited)
• Original Assignee: Philip Morris Products SA (Philip Morris Limited)
• Inventors: Zuber, Gerard, Badertscher, Thomas, Meyer, Cedric, Louvet, Alexis
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Michael H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Krinker, Yana B
• Application Number:
  US14/363,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20140373856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,098 Days
• Field of Search: 131270, 131273, 131194, 131329, 12820221
• CPC Class Codes: A24D 1/20 Cigarettes specially adapted for simulated smoking devices
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/00 Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 47/00 Smokers' requisites not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A smoking article is provided, including a plurality of elements including a front-plug and an aerosol-forming substrate. A hole or slit is defined through the front-plug, through which a heating element may be inserted. In use, a heating element is inserted into the smoking article through the hole or slit and the aerosol-forming substrate is heated to generate an aerosol. When the heating element is subsequently withdrawn from the smoking article, the front-plug acts to retain the aerosol-forming substrate within the smoking article.

Claims

1. A smoking article, comprising:

a plurality of elements, including a front-plug and an aerosol-forming substrate assembled within a cigarette wrapper and forming a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end, the front-plug being disposed upstream of the aerosol-forming substrate within the rod,

wherein the front-plug is formed of a resilient material and defines a slit configured for insertion of a heating element therethrough, the front-plug and the aerosol-forming substrate being disposed within the rod such that the heating element, when inserted into the smoking article through the slit, contacts the aerosol-forming substrate,

wherein the front-plug is substantially cylindrical and has a diameter of 5 mm or greater and a length of at least 4 mm,

wherein the slit is dimensioned so as to wipe a surface of the heating element when the heating element is withdrawn from the front-plug, and so as to clean the surface due to an interference between the surface and the front-plug; and

a filter disposed at the mouth end of the rod,

wherein the front-plug incorporates the aerosol-forming substrate, and

wherein a density of the aerosol-forming substrate incorporated in the front-plug is increased at the distal end of the rod.

2. The smoking article according to claim 1, in which the front-plug comprises a filter material such that air can be drawn through the front-plug.

3. The smoking article according to claim 1, in which the aerosol-forming substrate comprises processed tobacco.

4. The smoking article according to claim 1, in which the front-plug is configured to prevent egress of the aerosol-forming substrate as the heating element is withdrawn from the smoking article.

5. The smoking article according to claim 1, in which the aerosol-forming substrate is a crimped tobacco.