Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the preparation of a sheet including a homogenized material containing alkaloids, said method comprising: —forming a mixture comprising a reducing sugar and particles of a material containing alkaloids; —extruding the mixture; —adding water to the extruded mixture to form a slurry; and —casting the slurry into a sheet.

Abstract: The invention relates to a heater assembly for generating an inhalable aerosol. The heater assembly comprises an electrically insulating element and an electrical resistive heater. The heater comprises a central heating portion, which is configured to be heated. The heater further comprises electrical contacts, which contact the central heating portion and which are configured to supply electrical energy to the central heating portion. The heater further comprises anchoring legs, which are configured bendable. The anchoring legs are arranged adjacent to the central heating portion and configured to mechanically anchor the electrical resistive heater to the electrically insulating element. The anchoring legs are configured forming a chamfer for guiding insertion of an aerosol-generating article.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided for heating an aerosol-forming substrate to generate an inhalable aerosol during a usage session, the aerosol-generating device including: control electronics; and an outer lighting array partially or wholly surrounding an inner lighting array, the control electronics being coupled to the outer and inner lighting arrays and are configured to: i) selectively activate one of the outer and inner lighting arrays to generate a first predetermined light emission conveying first data indicative of a state of the aerosol-generating device, and ii) selectively activate the other of the outer and inner lighting arrays to generate a second predetermined light emission conveying second data indicative of a state of the aerosol-generating device, in which the first data and the second data are different from one another.

Abstract: A vaporiser assembly for an electrically operated aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a substantially planar, fluid-permeable heating element having opposing first and second sides; a liquid transport medium having a first side in contact with the second side of the heating element, a second side opposite to the first side, and a thickness between the first and the second sides of the medium is between 1 mm and 5 mm, the heating element extending over a first area of the first side of the medium; and a liquid supply conduit having a first end in contact with the second side of the medium and extending over only a second area of the second side of the medium, the second area being smaller than the first area, and the medium being configured to transport liquid from the conduit to the first area of the second side of the heating element.

Abstract: A replaceable cartridge configured to be detachably connected to an aerosol-generating device is provided, the replaceable cartridge including: a liquid storage portion configured to store a liquid agent, the liquid storage portion including a liquid outlet configured to direct the liquid agent out of the liquid storage portion; a slidable sealing element configured to seal the liquid outlet, the slidable sealing element being configured to slide away from the liquid outlet upon application of a pressure to the sealing element; and a wicking element arranged adjacent to the liquid outlet and being configured to absorb and to supply the liquid agent to the liquid outlet. An aerosol-generating system including the replaceable cartridge is also provided. A method of operating an aerosol-generating system is also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a cavity configured to receive an aerosol-generating article, the cavity including a first end and a second end; a first opening at the first end of the cavity and a second opening at the second end of the cavity, the aerosol-generating article being configured to be inserted into the cavity through each of the first opening and the second opening; and an actuator arranged to move the aerosol-generating article through the cavity. An aerosol-generating system including an aerosol-generating article and the aerosol-generating device is also provided. An aerosol-generating article is also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating article including an aerosol-forming substrate is provided, the aerosol-forming substrate including a sheet including: a fibrous material; one or more nicotine salts; and a binder, the sheet having a binder content of at least 1% by weight on a dry weight basis, the aerosol-forming substrate further including one or more aerosol formers, and the aerosol-forming substrate has an aerosol former content of at least 10 percent by weight on a dry weight basis.

Abstract: A smoking article is provided, including: a combustible heat source having front and rear ends; an aerosol-forming substrate downstream of the rear end; an outer wrapper circumscribing the substrate and at least a rear portion of the heat source; one or more airflow pathways along which air may be drawn through the article for inhalation; one or more third air inlets downstream of the substrate for drawing air into the airflow pathways; and an airflow directing element downstream of the substrate, the third air inlets being provided between a downstream end of the substrate and a downstream end of the airflow directing element, the airflow pathways include an airflow pathway extending between the third air inlets and a mouth end of the article, and the heat source being isolated from the pathways such that air drawn through the article along the pathways does not directly contact the heat source.

Abstract: A method of controlling aerosol production in an aerosol-generating system is provided, the system including an aerosol-generating element and a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, a flow channel defined from the air inlet to the air outlet configured to provide a flow of air past the aerosol-generating element, and a flow sensor configured to detect an air flow in the flow channel; and the method including increasing a power supplied to the aerosol-generating element for at least a second time if the flow sensor detects that the flow rate of the air flow increases past a threshold. There is also provided an aerosol-generating system comprising circuitry configured to perform the method.

Abstract: A method for producing rod-like articles of the tobacco industry is provided, including: performing a first cutting in which a continuous rod is cut into a train of double rod-like articles; changing a direction of conveying the double rod-like articles from a first direction along an axis of the articles to a second transverse direction, each time two double rod-like articles are transferred into grooves of a drum conveyor, and two input streams of the double rod-like articles are formed; transforming the input streams into one intermediate stream by moving a double rod-like article from one of the streams between two double rod-like articles of the other stream, geometric centers of the double rod-like articles in the intermediate stream being disposed in a plane parallel to the second direction; and performing a second cutting in which the double rod-like articles conveyed in the intermediate stream are cut into two single rod-like articles.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating system is provided, including: a cartridge including a storage compartment configured to contain a liquid composition including an aerosol-forming substrate; an aerosol-generating device configured to receive the cartridge and including a power supply and control electronics operably coupled to the power supply; a light source operably coupled to the control electronics and positioned and oriented to emit light into the storage compartment, light emitted from the source is absorbed by the liquid composition; and a detector operably coupled to the control electronics and positioned and oriented to detect light emitted from the source, the source and the detector are both located adjacent to a same side of the storage compartment, and a surface of the storage compartment opposite the source is configured to absorb light emitted into the storage compartment from the source.

Abstract: A cartridge for an aerosol-generating system is provided, including a liquid storage portion including a housing containing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the housing having an open end; and a heater assembly including: an electrical heating element configured to heat the substrate to form an aerosol, the heating element including a planar filament arrangement having one or more electrically conductive filaments, an electrically insulating substrate having a planar attachment face, the filament arrangement disposed on the planar attachment face, and clamping elements mechanically fixing the filament arrangement to the electrically insulating substrate and applying a pulling force onto the filament arrangement, at least a portion of the heater assembly being fluid-permeable, and the heater assembly being arranged over the open end of the housing.

Abstract: There is provided a cleaning tool configured for cleaning an aerosol-generating device including a heating chamber and a heating element disposed in the heating chamber, the cleaning tool including: multiple prongs configured to be inserted into the heating chamber of the aerosol-generating device and to clean at least the heating element; and an actuating element configured to move the multiple prongs between a first position and a second position, wherein the multiple prongs are expanded towards inner sidewalls of the heating chamber in the first position and contracted towards the heating element in the second position.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating article having upstream and downstream ends is provided, the article defining a longitudinal direction between the upstream and downstream ends, the article including: an aerosol-forming substrate; a tubular element disposed downstream of the substrate and extending along the longitudinal direction, the tubular element including inner and outer tubes, the outer tube being disposed around the inner tube, an outer airflow channel being longitudinally delimited by the inner and outer tubes, an inner airflow channel being longitudinally delimited by the inner tube, and the inner airflow channel is configured for substrate aerosol to flow towards the downstream end; a flavour substrate disposed downstream of the substrate; and a permeability control element including a gel composition, the control element being configured to be fluid permeable when a temperature of the control element is equal to or greater than a permeability transition temperature of the control element.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a cavity including a downstream opening for receiving an article and an upstream opening; a movable downstream cover to cover the downstream opening; a movable upstream cover to cover the upstream opening; a cover moving element for one or more of: opening of the upstream cover upon one or both of opening of the downstream cover or insertion of the article into the cavity, closing of the upstream cover upon one or both of closing of the downstream cover or removal of the article, opening of the downstream cover upon one or both of opening of the upstream cover or insertion of the article, and closing of the downstream cover upon one or both of closing of the upstream cover or removal of the article; and an upstream end face including the upstream opening and being slidable over the upstream end face.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a housing at least partially defining an outer surface of the aerosol-generating device, the housing including a first housing part defining a first portion of the outer surface of the aerosol-generating device and a second housing part defining a second portion of the outer surface of the aerosol-generating device, the first housing part including a first mechanical engagement feature, the second housing part including a second mechanical engagement feature, the first mechanical engagement feature and the second mechanical engagement feature operating together to hold the first housing part and the second housing part in place with respect to each other, the first mechanical engagement feature and the second mechanical engagement feature together forming a snap-fit connection, and the first housing part and the second housing part being connected to each other by an adhesive. A method for assembling the aerosol-generating device is also provided.

Abstract: A heater assembly for an aerosol-generating system is provided, the heater assembly including: a liquid aerosol-forming substrate storage component; a reservoir of free-flowing liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the reservoir being in fluid communication with the liquid aerosol-forming substrate storage component; and a heating element including a first portion, a second portion, and a further portion, in which the first portion of the heating element is embedded in the liquid aerosol-forming substrate storage component, the second portion of the heating element is not embedded in the liquid aerosol-forming substrate storage component, and the further portion of the heating element is located in the reservoir. An aerosol-generating system including the heater assembly is also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating article is provided, including: a fluid guide to allow movement of fluid, the guide having proximal and distal ends and inner and outer longitudinal regions separated by a barrier, the inner longitudinal region including an inner longitudinal passageway between the distal and proximal ends, and the outer longitudinal region including an outer longitudinal passageway that communicates external fluid through an aperture to the distal end so external fluid can travel along the outer passageway to the distal end of the fluid guide; a tubular element including a gel including an active agent, the tubular element having proximal and distal ends and being disposed at the distal end of the fluid guide; and a cavity between the distal end of the fluid guide and the proximal end of the tubular element. An aerosol-generating device, and a method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating article, are also provided.

Abstract: There is provided a cartridge (100) for use in an aerosol-generating system (10) for the generation of an aerosol comprising nicotine salt particles. The cartridge (100) comprises a first compartment (110) containing a nicotine source (210) comprising a first carrier material (211) impregnated with nicotine, the first compartment (110) having a first air inlet (132) and a first air outlet (133). The first compartment (110) defines a first airflow path (217) extending across a first surface (213) of the first carrier material (211) between the first air inlet (132) and the first air outlet (133). The cartridge (100) also comprises a second compartment (120) containing an acid source (220) comprising a second carrier material (221) impregnated with an acid, the second compartment (220) having a second air inlet (134) and a second air outlet (135).

Abstract: An aerosol generating system includes, a body defining a cavity having a cavity opening, an aerosol-forming substrate disposed in the cavity, a heating element disposed proximate to the cavity opening, and a controller configured to detect contact of the aerosol-forming substrate with the heating element.