Article for Use in a Non-Combustible Aerosol Provision System

The present application is a National Phase entry of PCT Application No. PCT/GB2023/051121 filed Apr. 27, 2023, which claims priority to GB Application No. 2206202.0 filed Apr. 28, 2022, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The present invention relates to an article for use in a non-combustible aerosol provision system and a non-combustible aerosol provision system.

Certain tobacco industry products produce an aerosol during use, which is inhaled by a user. For example, tobacco heating devices heat an aerosol generating substrate such as tobacco to form an aerosol by heating, but not burning, the substrate. Such tobacco industry products commonly include mouthpieces through which the aerosol passes to reach the user's mouth.

In accordance with embodiments described herein, in a first aspect there is provided an article for use in or as a non-combustible aerosol provision system, the article comprising: an aerosol-generating material section comprising aerosol-generating material and at least 5% aerosol-former material by weight of the aerosol-generating material;

The ratio of the thickness of the first tubular wall to the internal radius of the first hollow cavity can be between about 0.6 and about 1.1.

The ratio of the volume of the second hollow cavity to the volume of the first hollow cavity can be between about 6.5 and about 8.

The article can further comprise a mouth end component at the downstream end of the article.

The second tubular wall can comprise at least first and second overlapping paper layers each extending around substantially the whole circumference of the second tubular element. The at least first and second overlapping paper layers can each comprise a thickness of between 30 and 150 μm and/or the at least first and second overlapping paper layers can each comprise a basis weight of between 25 and 130 gsm. Alternatively or in addition, the at least first and second overlapping paper layers can be connected to each other by a layer of adhesive and/or the first and second overlapping paper layers can each be non-porous.

The first tubular element can have an axial length between about 5 mm and about 14 mm.

The aerosol-generating material section can be in the form of a rod having an axial length which is less than or equal to the axial length of the second tubular element.

The aerosol-generating material section can be in the form of a rod having an axial length which is between 50% and 80% of the axial length of the second tubular element.

The average weight per mm of axial length of the article can be less than about 14.5 mg/mm or less than about 14 mg/mm. The non-tobacco weight of the article can be between 45% and 55% of the overall article weight, for instance between 48% and 53%.

The second tubular wall can have a thickness of between about 160 μm and about 250 μm, and/or the second tubular wall can have a thickness which is less than about 15% or less than about 10% of the internal radius of the second hollow cavity.

The second tubular element can define a second hollow cavity having a volume of at least about 520 mm.

The second tubular element can have an axial length of greater than about 16 mm or greater than about 16.5 mm and/or the second tubular element can have an axial length which is at least 1.5 or at least 2 times greater than the axial length of the first tubular element.

The aerosol-generating material can comprise a plurality of strands or strips of aerosol-generating material.

The strands or strips of aerosol-generating material can be arranged such that their longitudinal dimension is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the article.

The aerosol-generating material can comprise reconstituted sheet tobacco material. Alternatively or in addition, aerosol-generating material can comprise an amorphous solid, such as the amorphous solid materials described herein. The amorphous solid can comprise a dried gel. The amorphous solid can be in sheet form, such as strands or strips of amorphous solid.

The combined volumes of the first and second hollow cavities can be at least about 580 mm, or at least about 620 mmor at least about 650 mm.

The second tubular element can define a second hollow cavity and ventilation can be provided into the second hollow cavity through the wall of the second tubular element. The level of ventilation can be between about 10% and about 60%. In some examples, the level of ventilation is between 15% and 35%. In some examples, the level of ventilation is between 40% and 60%.

In accordance with embodiments described herein, in a second aspect there is provided a non-combustible aerosol provision system comprising a non-combustible aerosol provision device and an article according to the first aspect above.

The non-combustible aerosol provision device can comprise a heating element configured for insertion into the aerosol-generating material of the article.

The non-combustible aerosol provision device can comprise a housing and an aperture in the housing into which the article is inserted in use, and wherein the system is configured such that the second tubular element extends partially within and partially outside the housing when the article is fully inserted into the non-combustible aerosol provision device.

The system can be configured such that the second tubular element extends at least about 5 mm within and at least about 8 mm outside the housing when the article is fully inserted into the non-combustible aerosol provision device.

The article can comprise one or more ventilation apertures extending through said second tubular element at a location in the second tubular element which is outside the housing when the article is fully inserted into the non-combustible aerosol provision device.

In the figures described herein, like reference numerals are used to illustrate equivalent features, articles or components. The terms ‘upstream’ and ‘downstream’ used herein are relative terms defined in relation to the direction of mainstream aerosol drawn through an article or device in use.

is a side-on cross sectional view of an articlefor use in an aerosol delivery system, inserted into a receiving portion, in the present case a recess, of a non-combustible aerosol provision device.is a cross sectional view of the articleoftaken along line A-A′ shown in.

The articlecomprises an aerosol-generating sectionand a downstream sectiondownstream of the aerosol-generating section. The downstream sectioncan be or include a mouthpiece designed to be inserted into a user's mouth in use, or alternatively may be arranged to work with a separate mouthpiece such as one provided as a separate attachment to the downstream sectionor as part of the device. The downstream sectionhas an upstream endand a downstream end. In the present example, the aerosol-generating sectioncomprises a source of aerosol-generating material in the form of a cylindrical rod of aerosol-generating material. In other examples, the aerosol-generating sectionmay comprise a cavity for receiving a source of aerosol-generating material. The aerosol-generating material can include at least 5% aerosol-former material by weight of the aerosol-generating material, calculated on a dry weight basis, the aerosol-former material being, for instance, one of the aerosol-former materials described herein.

In the present example, the receiving portionis a recess in the deviceincluding a pin-shaped heaterwhich penetrates the aerosol generating section. The pin-shaped heateris resistively heated in the present example, although may alternatively be formed of a heating material as described herein which can be inductively heated, such as a susceptor. In other examples, the aerosol generating sectionof the articlecan include a heating material, for instance one which can be inductively heated, such as a susceptor.

The mouthpiece or downstream portionincludes a first tubular elementimmediately downstream of the aerosol-generating material section, the first tubular elementdefining a first hollow cavity. In the present example, the first tubular elementis in an abutting relationship with the aerosol-generating material. The first tubular elementhas a first tubular wall. The mouthpiece or downstream portionalso includes a second tubular elementimmediately downstream of the first tubular element. In the present example, the second tubular elementis in an abutting relationship with the first tubular element. The second tubular elementhas a second tubular wall having a wall thickness of less than about 320 μm. The second tubular elementhas an axial length of greater than about 15 mm, for instance between about 15 mm and about 25 mm. In the present example, a body of materialis provided at the downstream endof the downstream section. The first and second tubular elements,, and the body of material, in the present example, each define a cylindrical outer shape and are arranged end-to-end on a common axis. The first and second tubular elements,, aerosol-generating material sectionand body of materialhave approximately the same outer diameter.

The first and second tubular elements,together define a chamber into which aerosol formed in the aerosol-generating section is drawn and expands and cools. The provision of discrete first and second tubular elements,enables these components to be designed to achieve different functional effects. For instance, the first tubular elementcan be arranged to provide functions such as helping to reduce movement of the aerosol-generating material in use, as the articleis inserted into the recessand the pin heaterpenetrates the aerosol-generating material section. For this purpose, the first tubular elementcan have a wall thickness of, for instance, between 1 mm and 3.5 mm, or between 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm. Alternatively or additionally, the first tubular elementcan be arranged to help with providing rigidity to the article. Alternatively or additionally, the first tubular elementcan be arranged to encourage aerosol to flow predominantly through an axial region of the second tubular element, for instance to assist with aerosol formation. The second tubular elementcan be designed to define a relatively large chamber as compared to the first tubular element, providing greater space into which the aerosol formed in the aerosol-generating sectioncan be drawn to expand and cool. In addition, for a given weight of the second tubular element, providing a relatively thin wall thickness of less than 320 μm enables material to be concentrated in the outer region of the second tubular element, which can provide a higher bending stiffness as compared to components with thicker walls and the same weight.

In one example, an article as described with reference tohas the specific features set out in table 1.0 below.

Although in the present case, the body of materialis provided at the mouth or downstream endof the article, in other examples a further component can be provided downstream of the body of material. For instance, a further body of material can be provided.

The aerosol-generating material may comprise a plurality of strands or strips of aerosol-generating material. For example, the aerosol-generating material may comprise a plurality of strands or strips of an aerosolizable material and/or a plurality of strands or strips of an amorphous solid, as described hereinbelow. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material consists of a plurality of strands or strips of an aerosolizable material. In other embodiments, the aerosol-generating material consists of a single strand, strip or sheet of an aerosolizable material. The strands or strips of aerosol-generating material can be arranged such that their longitudinal dimension is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the article. The aerosol-generating material can be in the form of reconstituted sheet tobacco material, such as bandcast reconstituted tobacco.

In the present example, the first tubular element has an axial length of about 7 mm, but in other examples the first tubular element can have an axial length between about 5 mm and about 14 mm. In the present example, the first tubular elementhas a wall thickness of about 1.6 mm and an inner radius of the hollow cavity defined by the first tubular elementis about 1.95 mm. This results in a ratio between the thickness of the first tubular wall to the internal radius of the first hollow cavity of about 0.82. In other examples, the ratio of the thickness of the first tubular wall to the internal radius of the first hollow cavity can be between about 0.6 and about 1.1, or between about 0.7 and about 0.9.

In the present example, the volume of the second hollow cavity defined by the second tubular elementis about 588 mm. The volume of the first hollow cavity defined by the first tubular elementis about 84 mm. The ratio of the volume of the second hollow cavity to the volume of the first hollow cavity is therefore about 7 times. The ratio of the volume of the second hollow cavity to the volume of the first hollow cavity can alternatively be between about 6.5 and about 8. This provides an arrangement in which aerosol can expand from a relatively small cavity within the first tubular elementinto the much larger cavity of the second tubular element. The second tubular elementcan define a second hollow cavity having a volume of at least about 520 mm. The combined volumes of the first and second hollow cavities can, for instance, be at least about 580 mm, or at least about 620 mmor at least about 650 mm.

The second tubular wall can comprise at least first and second overlapping paper layers each extending around substantially the whole circumference of the second tubular element. The at least first and second overlapping paper layers can each have a thickness of between 30 and 150 μm. Alternatively or in addition, the at least first and second overlapping paper layers can each have a basis weight of between 25 and 130 gsm. The at least first and second overlapping paper layers can be connected to each other by a layer of adhesive. The first and second overlapping paper layers can each be non-porous.

The aerosol-generating material sectioncan be in the form of a rod having an axial length which is less than or equal to the axial length of the second tubular element. For instance, the aerosol-generating material sectioncan be in the form of a rod having an axial length which is between 50% and 80% of the axial length of the second tubular element. These arrangements result in an article with a relatively large cavity size defined by the second tubular elementas compared to the volume occupied by the aerosol-generating material. Such a cavity can allow for improved expansion of the volume of aerosol passing though the articleand better aerosol formation. Preferably, ventilation apertures are provided into the wall of the second tubular elementsuch that cool air enters the cavity defined by the second tubular elementin use, further enhancing aerosol formation via condensation of aerosol components within the cavity. The second tubular elementcan have an axial length of greater than about 16 mm or greater than about 16.5 mm. For instance, in some examples, the second tubular elementcan have an axial length which is at least 1.5 or at least 2 times greater than the axial length of the first tubular element

Use of a second tubular elementimmediately downstream of the first tubular element, which has a wall thickness of less than about 320 μm and an axial length of greater than about 15 mm, can result in an article which has an overall weight which is lower than previous designs. In the present example, the aerosol-generating material sectionhas a weight of about 304 mg and the non-aerosol-generating material components of the articlehave a combined weight of about 320 mg. The total weight is therefore 624 grams for an articlewith an overall length of 48 mm, resulting in an average weight of 13 mg/mm. In some examples, the average weight per mm of axial length of the article can be less than about 14.5 mg/mm or less than about 14 mg/mm. The non-aerosol-generating material weight of the article can be between 45% and 55% of the overall article weight, for instance between 48% and 53%.

The tubular wall of the second tubular element, in the present example, is formed from first and second overlapping paper sheets, resulting in an overall thickness of about 200 μm. In alternative examples, the second tubular wall can have a thickness of between about 160 μm and about 250 μm. The second hollow cavity defined by the second tubular element has a diameter of about 6.6 mm and a radius ‘r’ shown inof about 3.3 mm. The second tubular wall can, for instance, have a thickness which is less than about 15% or less than about 10% of the internal radius ‘r’ of the second hollow cavity.

As shown in, the non-combustible aerosol provision deviceand the articletogether form a non-combustible aerosol provision system. The non-combustible aerosol provision deviceincludes a heating elementconfigured for insertion into the aerosol-generating material of the article. In the present example, the heating element is a pin-shaped heaterwhich penetrates the aerosol-generating material.

The non-combustible aerosol provision deviceincludes a housingand an aperturein the housinginto which the articleis inserted in use. The system is configured such that the second tubular elementextends partially within and partially outside the housingwhen the articleis fully inserted into the non-combustible aerosol provision device, as shown in. The system can be configured such that the second tubular elementextends at least about 5 mm within and at least about 8 mm outside the housingwhen the articleis fully inserted into the non-combustible aerosol provision device. In the present example, the articlehas an aerosol-generating material sectionhaving a length of about 12 mm, a first tubular elementhaving a length of about 7 mm and a second tubular elementhaving a length of about 17 mm. The articleis inserted into the deviceto an insertion depth of about 25 mm, as shown by arrow ‘B’ in. In the present case, about 6 mm of the second tubular element, between the upstream end′ of the second tubular element and the location ‘B’ on the articlealigned with the entrance to the recessin the device, extends within the device. About 11 mm of the second tubular element, between the location ‘B’ on the articlealigned with the entrance to the recessin the deviceand the downstream end″ of the second tubular element, extends outside the devicewhen the articleis fully inserted into the device.

The articleincludes one or more ventilation aperturesextending through the second tubular elementat a location in the second tubular elementwhich is outside the housingwhen the articleis fully inserted into the non-combustible aerosol provision device. The one or more ventilation aperturescan be provided as one or more rows of apertures, such as laser or mechanically formed perforations, circumscribing the article. In some examples, the level of ventilation is between about 10% and about 60%, for instance between about 20% and about 55% of the mainstream aerosol.

In the present example, the cylindrical rod of aerosol-generating material comprises a plurality of strands and/or strips of aerosol-generating material, and is circumscribed by a wrapper. The wrappermay be a moisture impermeable wrapper.

The plurality of strands or strips of aerosol-generating material may be aligned within the aerosol-generating sectionsuch that their longitudinal dimension is in parallel alignment with the longitudinal axis, X-X′ of the article. Alternatively, the strands or strips may generally be arranged such that their longitudinal dimension aligned is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the article.

A majority of the strands or strips may be arranged such that their longitudinal dimensions are in parallel alignment with the longitudinal axis of the article. In some embodiments, about 95% to about 100% of the plurality of strands or strips are arranged such that their longitudinal dimension is in parallel alignment with the longitudinal axis of the article. In some embodiments, substantially all of the strands or strips are arranged in the aerosol-generating section such that their longitudinal dimension is in parallel alignment with the longitudinal axis of the aerosol-generating section of the article.

Where the majority of the strands or strips are arranged in the aerosol-generating sectionsuch that their longitudinal axis is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the aerosol-generating sectionof the article, the force required to insert an aerosol generator, such as the heating elementin this case, into the aerosol-generating material can be relatively low. This can result in an articlewhich is easier to use.

In the present example, the rod of aerosol-generating material has a circumference of about 22.1 mm. In alternative embodiments, the rod of aerosol-generating material may have any suitable circumference, for example between about 20 mm and about 26 mm.

The first tubular elementis formed from filamentary tow, in the present example plasticized cellulose acetate tow. Other constructions can be used, such as a tubular elementformed having inner and outer paper tubes sandwiching a crimped paper sheet material. The wall of the first tubular element can be relatively non-porous, such that at least 80% of the aerosol generated by the aerosol generating material passes longitudinally through the hollow channels through the tube rather than through the wall material itself. For instance, at least 92% or at least 95% of the aerosol generated by the aerosol generating material can pass longitudinally through the first hollow cavity.