Abstract: A heated aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device is provided, the heated aerosol-generating article including a plurality of components including an aerosol-forming substrate assembled within a wrapper to form a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end, in which a rigid hollow tube having an external diameter of between 5 mm and 15 mm and a length of between 5 mm and 15 mm is disposed upstream from the aerosol-forming substrate within the wrapper, the rigid hollow tube being substantially non-flammable and in which a pierceable film spans one end of the rigid hollow tube.

Abstract: A rod and a method of forming a rod are provided. The rod includes a gathered sheet of material circumscribed by a wrapper, in which the sheet of material is a co-laminated sheet comprising a layer of an aerosol-forming material and a layer of a thermally-conductive material and in which the wrapper is a metal foil. The method includes providing a continuous co-laminated sheet including an aerosol-forming material and a thermally-conductive material; gathering the co-laminated sheet transversely relative to its longitudinal axis; circumscribing the gathered co-laminated sheet with a metal foil wrapper to form a continuous rod; and severing the continuous rod into a plurality of discrete rods.

Abstract: There is provided a heated aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device having a heating element, the heated aerosol-generating article including an aerosol-forming substrate and a breachable air-flow barrier assembled within a wrapper to form a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end, in which the breachable air-flow barrier is positioned to substantially prevent air being drawn through the aerosol-forming substrate when a user draws on the mouth end of the rod, and in which the aerosol-forming substrate comprises a gathered sheet of aerosol-forming material.

Abstract: A heated aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device is provided, in the form of a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end. An aerosol-forming substrate is located upstream of the mouth end within the rod and the distal end of the heated aerosol-generating article is spanned by a non-flammable thermally-conductive material to reduce the propensity for ignition of the article.

Abstract: A smoking article is provided, including a blind combustible heat source having opposed front and rear faces and having a transverse cross sectional area of at least about 60 percent of a transverse cross-sectional area of the smoking article; an aerosol-forming substrate downstream of the rear face, wherein the rear face and the aerosol-forming substrate are exposed to one another; a mouthpiece downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate; and one or more air inlets located downstream of the rear face and upstream of the mouthpiece. The one or more air inlets are located between the rear face and a downstream end of the aerosol-forming substrate and include one or more first air inlets around a periphery of the aerosol-forming substrate. Air drawn through the aerosol-forming substrate enters the smoking article through the one or more air inlets.

Abstract: A smoking article is provided, including a combustible heat source having opposed front and rear faces; one or more airflow channels extending from the front face to the rear face; an aerosol-forming substrate downstream of the rear face; a mouthpiece downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate; and one or more air inlets located downstream of the rear face and upstream of the mouthpiece. The one or more air inlets are located between the rear face and a downstream end of the aerosol-forming substrate. Air drawn through the aerosol-forming substrate enters the smoking article through the one or more airflow channels and the one or more air inlets, and at least some of the air drawn through the aerosol-forming substrate comes into direct contact with a combustible portion of the combustible heat source.

Abstract: A smoking article is provided, having a mouth end and a distal end, including a heat source; an aerosol-forming substrate; an airflow directing element including an air-permeable segment downstream of said substrate and defining an airflow pathway; and at least one air inlet for drawing air into said segment, wherein said pathway includes a first portion extending from said inlet towards said substrate and a second portion extending from said substrate towards said mouth end, wherein said first portion is defined by a low resistance-to-draw portion of said segment that extends from proximate to said inlet to an upstream end of said segment, and said segment further comprises a high resistance-to-draw portion that extends from proximate to said inlet to a downstream end of said segment, and the ratio of the resistance-to-draw of said high portion to said low portion is higher than 1:1 and lower than about 50:1.

Abstract: There is provided a heat source for a smoking article, including an upstream end and an opposed downstream end, and further including a combustible carbonaceous core and an integral, non-combustible, thermally insulating, peripheral layer. The core extends from the upstream end of the heat source the downstream end of the heat source. The peripheral layer extends from the upstream end of the heat source only part way along the length of the heat source and circumscribes an upstream portion of the core.

Abstract: A smoking article is provided, including a heat source; an aerosol-forming substrate downstream of the heat source; a first heat-conducting element around and in contact with a rear portion of the heat source and an adjacent front portion of the aerosol-forming substrate; and a second heat-conducting element around at least a portion of the first heat-conducting element. At least part of the second heat-conducting element is radially separated from the first heat-conducting element; and, preferably, the first and second heat-conducting elements are separated by an outer paper wrapper.

Abstract: A multilayer combustible heat source for a smoking article is provided, including a combustible first layer including carbon; and a second layer in direct contact with the first layer, the second layer including carbon and at least one ignition aid, wherein the combustible first layer and the second layer are longitudinal concentric layers having a density of at least 0.6 g/cm3, and wherein the composition of the first layer is different from the composition of the second layer.

Abstract: A combustible heat source (4) for a smoking article (2) comprises carbon and at least one ignition aid, wherein the ignition aid is present in an amount of at least 20 percent by dry weight of the combustible heat source. The combustible heat source (4) has a first portion and an opposed second portion. At least part (4b) of the combustible heat source (4) between the first portion and the second portion is wrapped in a combustion resistant wrapper (22) that is one or both of heat conducting and substantially oxygen impermeable. Upon ignition of the first portion of the combustible heat source (4), the second portion of the combustible heat source increases in temperature to a first temperature. During subsequent combustion of the combustible heat source (4), the second portion of the combustible heat source (4) maintains a second temperature lower than the first temperature.