JP2025501853A - Aerosol-generating items - Google Patents

Abstract

1. An aerosol-generating article (10) for a non-combustion heated aerosol generating device comprising an aerosol-generating substrate and a mouthpiece downstream of the aerosol-generating substrate, the aerosol-generating substrate being in the form of a foam contained within a wrapper and comprising an aerosol-forming agent, a nicotine source, and a non-tobacco flavourant, the mouthpiece comprising a filter (16) and a spacing and/or cooling element (14) between the aerosol-generating substrate and the filter (16), the aerosol-generating substrate comprising 0.1 to 10% nicotine by weight of the aerosol-generating substrate on a dry basis.

Description

The present invention relates to an aerosol generating article for a non-combustion heated aerosol generating device.

Aerosol-generating devices such as vaporizers are becoming popular as an alternative to traditional smoking devices. In such devices, the aerosol is heated, for example, by using an electronic heater. In this regard, firstly, it is desirable for the user to experience vapor inhalation in a manner as similar as possible to the experience achieved by using a normal cigarette. Secondly, leakage of the aerosol-generating substrate, such as liquid, should be prevented as much as possible.
Prior Art Leakage can be prevented by aerosol-generating substrates provided as mousses, such as those disclosed in WO 2018/122375 A1 and WO 2020/002607 A1. WO 2020/254582 A1, WO 2021/083844 A1, WO 2021/094453 A1, and WO 2021/094365 A1 relate to such mousses and hot-compressed tobacco substrates, respectively. WO 2020/127261 A1 teaches extrusion to form a tobacco mousse, and WO 2021/105449 A1 relates to consumables for aerosol-generating devices comprising at least two aerosol-generating materials of different composition, each comprising an amorphous solid formed with a gelling agent.

Notwithstanding the above teachings, there remains a need to provide an aerosol generating article that is improved with respect to flavor release and/or vapor delivery.

This is achieved by the subject matter of claim 1.

Thus, the article comprises an aerosol-generating substrate and a mouthpiece downstream of the aerosol-generating substrate, the aerosol-generating substrate being in the form of a foam contained within a wrapper and comprising an aerosol-forming agent, a nicotine source and a non-tobacco flavouring agent. The mouthpiece further comprises a filter, with a spacing and/or cooling element between the aerosol-generating substrate and the filter, the aerosol-generating substrate comprising 0.1-10% nicotine by weight of the aerosol-generating substrate on a dry basis. The wrapper can be made, for example, from cigarette paper and can be metallized or not. In either case, the wrapper can be designed to avoid scorching of the foam, which can also be called an e-mousse, as it is the mousse used in electronic cigarettes.

Providing the aerosol-generating substrate in the form of a foam offers the important advantage of preventing leakage, since foams are significantly more stable than liquids and do not leak as easily as liquids can. Moreover, the amount of foam can be adjusted to correspond to the session length that the user is accustomed to, i.e., a normal cigarette session length.

It has also been found that any desired volatile substance of the aerosol, such as nicotine and/or flavorings, can be easily provided in the foam and released in a controllable concentration and/or intensity. In this context, the amount of nicotine can also be varied, allowing the user to control the intake of nicotine. In this context, a nicotine source means any substance capable of releasing nicotine when heated. Such a substance does not necessarily have to be tobacco, but nicotine can be extracted from tobacco and administered as a foam.

With regard to the filter provided in the mouthpiece, this filter can be adapted to provide a relatively low, in any case acceptable, pressure loss, so that the flavor intensity and nicotine yield remain optimal. Additionally, the presence of the spacing and/or cooling element first cools the generated aerosol, so that an uncomfortably hot aerosol is prevented from entering the user's mouth. Moreover, the spacing element allows the article according to the invention to be given a size that is adapted to well-established aerosol generating devices in which the article can be used. Due to the fact that the article described herein can be used with the present aerosol generating device, the user has the advantage that only a single device is required and only one device has to be maintained.

Preferred embodiments are described in the further claims.

Although the aerosol-generating article can still have tobacco material making it somewhat more similar to a conventional cigarette, it is currently preferred to provide an aerosol-generating substrate that does not contain tobacco material.

As a result, the aerosol-generating substrate preferably includes a foam former and/or a foam stabilizer, in order to provide a stable foam that is particularly prone to leakage.

In order to provide an adequate nicotine level, the amount of nicotine on a dry basis in the aerosol-generating substrate is preferably 0.1-4% by weight. In first tests, it has been found that an amount of aerosol-forming agent of at least 30% by weight of the aerosol-generating substrate, preferably at least 40% by weight and most preferably at least 50% by weight, is beneficial.

Currently, an amount of 60-70% by weight is particularly preferred.

Preferred aerosol forming agents are selected from the group including, but not limited to, glycerin, glycol derivatives, sebacate esters, and/or mixtures thereof.

In particular, the aerosol forming agent is a combination of glycerin and propylene glycol, preferably in a ratio of 10%:90% to 90%:10%, more preferably 40%:60% to 60%:40%, and most preferably 50%:50%.

Small amounts of water and/or acids and/or esters, such as diacetin, may be included in the aerosol-generating substrate. In a preferred example, the foam may contain water in an amount of 0-15% by weight, such as 9-10% by weight of the foam.

Preferred foam-forming agents are selected from the group consisting of, but not limited to, agar, gellan gum, lecithin, polyglycerol fatty acid esters, glycerol fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and/or mixtures thereof.

The amount of foam former is preferably 1-15% by weight of the foam, more preferably 2-10% by weight, and most preferably 3-8% by weight of the foam.

Preferred foam stabilizers are selected from the group consisting of cellulose gums, hydroxyalkylated carbohydrates, derivatives thereof, and mixtures thereof, and/or comprise cellulose gums, in particular carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) or derivatives thereof (also referred to in the present application as "binders") and/or cellulose fibers. The cellulose fibers as foam stabilizers are preferably present in an amount of 5% to 15% by weight of the foam. The derivatives of CMC may have a salt, preferably an alkali metal salt such as a sodium salt and/or a potassium salt. The amount of foam stabilizer is preferably 10-30% by weight of the foam, preferably 12-28% by weight, most preferably 15-25% by weight of the foam. In a preferred embodiment, the foam stabilizer comprises cellulose gum (more preferably CMC) and cellulose fibers in a ratio of 1:0 to 1:2, more preferably 1:0 to 1:1.1 in the foam.

Preferred non-tobacco flavourings are selected from the list of menthol, natural and/or artificial botanical flavours (e.g. peppermint, berry, fruit, root or nut), animal, enzymatic or microbial flavours, sweet-like, alcoholic or dessert-like flavours (e.g. chocolate, cookie dough, peanut butter, carrot cake, marshmallow, butter popcorn, Prosecco, red wine, rum, jelly beans, Guinness, bourbon, honey, toffee, praline, butterfinger, brown bread, etc.), and combinations thereof. With regard to the amount of flavouring, it is currently preferred that it is 0.2-18% by weight of the foam, preferably 0.6-13% by weight.

Concerning the form of the aerosol-generating substrate, the following are conceivable: a hollow tube with at least one outlet for air communication from the outside to the inside of the hollow tube, a cylindrical rod, a cylindrical rod with multiple longitudinal through-passages or through-channels, a group of individual pieces such as beads, the cylindrical rod being the easiest to manufacture, the hollow tube offering the advantage that the heat flow through the hollow, compared to the heat flowing through a cylindrical rod, in which the foam or mousse is substantially a single semi-solid element, allows more flavor and nicotine to be extracted. The effect of allowing more flavor and nicotine to be extracted from the foam is further enhanced by multiple longitudinal through-passages, through-passages or through-holes, which may also be called plugs, extending substantially through the entire substrate. This effect can also be achieved by providing the aerosol-generating substrate in the form of multiple individual pieces, such as beads or small elements into which the foam or mousse is chopped. These elements can have substantially the same or different shapes and/or sizes.

If the spacing and/or cooling element is a hollow paper tube, this contributes to the compostability of the entire item. This also applies to the preferred measure of providing the item with a paper filter.

Regarding the length of the spacing and/or cooling elements, it is currently preferred that this be between 10 and 25 mm, preferably between 18 and 22 mm.

The aerosol-generating substrate can have any suitable extension, but the articles described herein remain compact when the aerosol-generating substrate extends from the upstream end of the article toward the downstream end. Also, the preferred overall length of the article is 50 mm to 70 mm, more preferably 55 mm to 65 mm, and even more preferably 58 mm to 62 mm, with the aerosol-generating substrate preferably being about 15 mm to 25 mm and the filter preferably being about 15 mm to 25 mm.

The filter may be a paper filter or a filament tow filter. The paper filter may be a gathered sheet of wrapped paper. The filament tow filter may be a cellulose acetate filter. To provide a pleasant vaping experience, a filter having a pressure drop of preferably less than 5 mm water column/mm, more preferably less than 3 mm water column/mm, most preferably less than 2.5 mm water column/mm is advantageous, in particular without compromising the flavor intensity and nicotine release. The highest of these values allows the use of acetate filters, while paper filters can achieve lower values. The pressure drop is measured under standard conditions specified by Coresta Recommended Method No. 41 (2007) and Coresta Guide No. 4 (2019).

In this context, paper sheets of paper filters having a basis weight of 20 to 40 g/m ² have proven beneficial. In relation to filament tow filters, such as cellulose acetate filters, which can alternatively or in addition to paper filters be used, in order to provide a filter with acceptably low pressure loss, the filter preferably has a denier of more than 6 per filament, preferably a maximum denier of 8 or less, and a total denier of less than 40,000, preferably 30,000 or less. The filter may optionally contain a frangible capsule containing a flavourant (e.g. aroma, fragrance dispersed in a lipophilic solvent) for on-demand flavour release, such as those described in EP 1 906 775 A1.

As will be apparent from the above, the articles described herein are preferably used with an aerosol generation system that includes an aerosol generation device for inserting the article and heating an aerosol-generating substrate. The device typically includes a chamber for receiving at least the aerosol-generating substrate in a heater configured to heat the substrate in the chamber and generate an aerosol that passes through a filter from the substrate as air is drawn through the substrate. The heater can be, for example, an external tubular heater, and/or a combination of a susceptor within the article adapted to be heated by an induction coil and an induction coil outside the article.

The invention will now be described with reference to non-limiting examples and drawings.

1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of an article. Further embodiments are shown. Further embodiments are shown. Further embodiments are shown. FIG. 1 shows flavor release over time.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, the article 10 described herein is typically cylindrical and has essentially three sections, each of which may have approximately the same length: a foam or mousse section 12, which may also be called a plug; a paper tube 14 constituting a spacing and/or cooling element; and a filter 16 located at the mouth end of the article through which flavor-containing vapor is emitted to the user. These sections are substantially attached by a paper wrapper, in particular including tipping paper. A ventilation zone (not shown) may be provided, such as by at least one row of ventilation holes passing through the wrapper, the filter and/or the paper tube. In the illustrated embodiment, the plug 12 is surrounded by a heating element 18, which may be, for example, a heater tube. According to its formation, the foam has an open-cell structure (i.e., bubbles that communicate with each other to form a porous three-dimensional network). When heated air flows through the article by applying a negative pressure at the mouth end, as shown by arrow A, the heat flow extracts flavor volatiles and nicotine from the plug and delivers them to the user.

This is enhanced by the through hole 20, which may be located substantially in the center of the plug 12 as shown in FIG. 2 and may have a diameter of approximately one third of the plug diameter. The flavor and nicotine extraction is further enhanced by multiple through holes, as shown in FIG. 3. These through holes typically have a smaller diameter than the through holes of the embodiment of FIG. 2. As a result of the surface of the through holes having foam, the heat flow can be increased and more flavor and nicotine can be extracted. Moreover, there can be multiple through holes throughout the plug in addition to those shown in FIG. 3. As a result of the larger contact surface between the multiple through holes and the foam, the heat flow that can carry the volatiles is further increased. Moreover, these through holes and the central hole 20 shown in FIG. 2 do not necessarily extend in perfect alignment with the axial or longitudinal direction of the plug, which typically has a cylindrical shape. Rather, the through holes can extend at an angle to the longitudinal direction and can include one or more curves or bends along the extension of the through hole.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the foam or mousse is chopped into small pieces that can have the same or different shapes and sizes. The small pieces can be formed as beads, for example, 1 or 2 millimeters in size. In either case, multiple voids exist between the pieces to allow the passage of heat flow and the extraction of flavor and nicotine.

All of the above embodiments result in a flavor and nicotine release as shown in FIG. 5, where the flavor and nicotine are released in a relatively concentrated manner over a short period of time, reaching a particular peak, and then remaining at a high and relatively constant level. This corresponds well to the smoking experience of a regular cigarette, and as a result, users find it beneficial and pleasant.

I created some recipes especially for e-mousse:

The e-mousse can be flavoured with different flavours in various amounts. The particular e-liquid was a 1:1 ratio PG/VG and contained flavours and/or nicotine. The amount of flavours can be 0.5% to 14% by weight, preferably 3% to 14% by weight, based on the weight of the e-mousse. The e-mousse can also contain nicotine in an amount of 0.45% to 3.4% by weight, most preferably 1.14% by weight.

A small cylindrical e-mousse, 7 mm in diameter and 10 mm in length, was placed in an oven at a temperature of 200°C for 60 seconds. Visual inspection of the cylinder after cooling to ambient temperature showed some browning, but no significant deformation or change in volume of more than 10%. In Example 1, the large amount of binder prevents the material from melting. In Examples 2 and 3, the amount of binder and cellulose also prevents the material from melting.

Claims (22)

an aerosol-generating substrate;
and a mouthpiece downstream of the aerosol-generating substrate.
An aerosol generating article (10) for a non-combustion heated aerosol generating device, comprising:
the aerosol-generating substrate is contained within a wrapper;
an aerosol forming agent;
A nicotine source,
and a non-tobacco flavoring agent;
the mouthpiece includes a filter (16), and a spacing and/or cooling element (14) is provided between the aerosol-generating substrate and the filter (16);
the aerosol-generating substrate comprises 0.1 to 10% nicotine by weight on a dry basis of the aerosol-generating substrate;
An aerosol-generating article (10). The aerosol-generating article (10) of claim 1, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate does not contain tobacco material. The aerosol-generating article (10) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises a foam-forming agent and/or a foam stabilizer. The aerosol-generating article (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate contains 0.1 to 4% nicotine by weight on a dry basis of the aerosol-generating substrate. The aerosol-generating article (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the aerosol-forming agent is present in an amount of at least 30% by weight of the aerosol-generating substrate, most preferably at least 40% by weight, and even more preferably at least 50% by weight of the aerosol-generating substrate. The aerosol-generating article (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the aerosol-forming agent is present in an amount of 60% to 70% by weight of the aerosol-generating substrate. The aerosol-generating article (10) of claim 6, wherein the aerosol-forming agent is selected from the group including glycerin, glycol derivatives, sebacate esters, and/or mixtures thereof. The aerosol-generating article (10) of claim 7, wherein the aerosol-forming agent is a combination of glycerin and propylene glycol, preferably in a ratio of 10%:90% to 90%:10%, more preferably 40%:60% to 60%:40%, and most preferably 50%:50%. The aerosol-generating article (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the foam-forming agent is selected from the group consisting of agar, gellan gum, acacia gum, lecithin, polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and/or mixtures thereof. The aerosol-generating article (10) of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the foam stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of cellulose gums, hydroxyalkylated carbohydrates, derivatives thereof, and mixtures thereof. The aerosol-generating article (10) of claim 10, wherein the foam stabilizer comprises a cellulose gum, in particular carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) or a derivative thereof, and/or cellulose fibers. The aerosol-generating article (10) of claim 11, wherein the foam stabilizer comprises cellulose gum and cellulose fibers in the foam in a ratio of 1:0 to 1:2, more preferably 1:0 to 1:1.1. The aerosol-generating article (10) of claim 11 or 12, wherein the cellulose fibers are present in an amount of 5% to 15% by weight of the foam. The aerosol-generating article (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the non-tobacco flavouring agent is selected from the list of menthol, natural and/or artificial botanical or nut flavours (e.g., peppermint, teaberry, orange, citrus, maple, mango, lychee, green steamed ginger, cranberry, coffee, coconut, raisin, walnut, watermelon, lemongrass, hazelnut, violet, pecan, pistachio, blueberry, balsamic, banana, almond, asparagus, basil, etc.), animal flavours (e.g., crab, bacon), sweet-like, alcoholic or dessert-like flavours (e.g., chocolate, cookie dough, peanut butter, carrot cake, marshmallow, butter popcorn, prosecco, red wine, rum, jelly beans, Guinness, bourbon, honey, toffee, praline, butterfinger, brown bread, etc.), and combinations thereof. The aerosol-generating article (10) of claim 14, wherein the flavoring agent is present in an amount of 0.2 to 18% by weight of the foam. The aerosol-generating article (10) of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate extends from the upstream end to the downstream end of the article (10). The aerosol-generating substrate is
- a hollow tube comprising at least one outlet for communication of air from the outside to the inside of the hollow tube; - a cylindrical rod; - a cylindrical rod comprising a plurality of longitudinal through passages or channels; or - in the form of a group of discrete pieces, such as beads. An aerosol-generating article (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the spacing and/or cooling element (14) is a hollow cardboard tube. The aerosol-generating article (10) of claim 18, wherein the hollow tube has a length of 10 mm to 25 mm, preferably 18 mm to 22 mm. The aerosol-generating article (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the filter (16) has a pressure drop of less than 15 mm water column/mm, preferably less than 5 mm water column/mm, more preferably less than 3 mm water column/mm, most preferably less than or equal to 2.5 mm water column/mm, the pressure drop being measured under standard conditions defined by Coresta Recommended Method No. 41 (2007) and Coresta Guide No. 4 (2019). 21. The aerosol-generating article (10) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the filter comprises a filtration material comprising paper having a basis weight of 20 to 40 g/ ^m2 . The aerosol-generating article (10) according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the filter comprises a filtration material comprising cellulose acetate tow having a denier per filament of more than 6, preferably not more than 8, and a total denier of less than 40,000, preferably not more than 30,000.

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