NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE SMOKING ARTICLE AND NON-COMBUSTION HEATING-TYPE SMOKING SYSTEM

- Japan Tobacco Inc.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a novel non-combustion heating-type smoking article that does not make use of a filter segment or the like, unlike conventional smoking articles. Provided is a non-combustion heating-type smoking article that includes a tobacco-containing segment but does not include a cooling segment or a filter segment.

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Description
TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a heat-not-burn smoking article and a heat-not-burn smoking system.

BACKGROUND ART

Synthetic tobacco, a tobacco material that has been artificially shaped into paper form using leaf tobacco as a raw material, is also called a tobacco sheet. Examples of known methods for producing tobacco sheets include methods in which they are produced via a sheet-forming (paper making) process, methods in which they are produced via a slurry (casting) process, methods in which they are produced via a rolling (roll) process, and methods in which they are produced via an extrusion molding process.

It is believed that tobacco material that has been heated, rather than burned, results in smaller amounts of the more harmful compounds that are usually produced during smoking, and tobacco sheets for use in heated tobacco are also in high demand. Such tobacco sheets can be produced, based on the process described above, by combining a tobacco raw material, an aerosol former, and a binder, for example. Tobacco sheets produced in this way can be cut into a predetermined size and wrapped with wrapping paper, so that the resulting cut tobacco is inside, forming a cylindrical tobacco rod (PTL 1). Cylindrical tobacco rods may also be formed by gathering uncut tobacco sheets (PTL 2-4).

There are also known tobacco materials filled with layers of sheets having different sizes, as in PTL 5.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

    • PTL 1: WO 2017/081144 A1
    • PTL 2: JP 6403666 B2
    • PTL 3: JP 6580485 B2
    • PTL 4: JP 6668318 B2
    • PTL 5: US 2021/0015148 A1

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

Conventional heat-not-burn smoking articles such as disclosed in PTL 1-5 above also generally comprise a filter (filter segment) in addition to tobacco-containing segments such as a tobacco rod. This is because the filter acts as a mouthpiece in conventional heat-not-burn smoking articles. An acetate filter is often used as such a filter. Here, the acetate filter is made up of acetate fibers, and an esterification raw material is used to form acetyl groups in the acetate fibers. The esterification raw material is a petroleum derived raw material produced by chemical synthesis from petroleum, and the use of such petroleum derived raw material may cause an increased environmental burden. Furthermore, in the production of acetate fibers, acetyl cellulose is dissolved in acetone and the resulting solution is spun by spraying through narrow holes then dried using hot air to form fibers. Solvents for dissolving acetyl cellulose, and additives such as plasticizers also include substances which are harmful to the human body, and the use of these substances could also increase the environmental burden. In this way, filters such as acetate filters are members which could have a greater environmental burden due to the use of the raw materials and substances mentioned above, and it would be desirable to reduce the amount of use of these filters, better still not to use these filters, from the perspective of reducing the environmental burden.

Furthermore, there is also a problem in that using a filter requires a step of combining the filter with a tobacco-containing segment, which increases the manufacturing cost to the extent that this step is required.

As a result of diligent research carried out in light of the situation described above, the inventors of this application found that the use of a heat-not-burn smoking article including a tobacco-containing segment but not including a filter segment, etc. offers various advantages, namely a limited environmental burden, the lack of a need for a step of combining a filter segment with a tobacco-containing segment, and the possibility of compact packaging. The problem addressed by the present invention lies in providing a novel heat-not-burn smoking article that does not employ a filter segment, etc., unlike a conventional article.

Solution to Problem

As a result of diligent research in order to solve the problem above, the present inventors discovered that the problem can be solved by a form of heat-not-burn smoking article which includes a tobacco-containing segment but does not include a cooling segment and filter segment, and the present invention was completed on that basis. Specific aspects of the present invention are as follows.

    • [1] A heat-not-burn smoking article which includes a tobacco-containing segment but does not include a cooling segment and a filter segment.
    • [2] The heat-not-burn smoking article as disclosed in [1], wherein the tobacco-containing segment includes a tobacco filling material, and the tobacco filling material comprises a wound sheet.
    • [3] The heat-not-burn smoking article as disclosed in [2], wherein the unwound sheet has a first face and a second face, the first face of the wound sheet faces outward, the second face faces inward, and the area of the first face is 100-2000 mm2.
    • [4] The heat-not-burn smoking article as disclosed in [2] or [3], wherein the wound sheet has 1-3.5 turns.
    • [5] The heat-not-burn smoking article as disclosed in any one of [2] to [4], wherein the sheet comprises an aerosol former.
    • [6] The heat-not-burn smoking article as disclosed in [5], wherein the aerosol former comprises a polyol.
    • [7] The heat-not-burn smoking article as disclosed in [5] or [6], wherein the content of the aerosol former in the sheet is 10-80 wt %.
    • [8] The heat-not-burn smoking article as disclosed in any one of [2] to [7], wherein the sheet comprises fibers derived from a plant raw material.
    • [9] The heat-not-burn smoking article as disclosed in [8], wherein the plant raw material comprises a tobacco raw material.
    • [10] The heat-not-burn smoking article as disclosed in any one of [2] to [9], wherein the sheet is a cast sheet or a rolled sheet.
    • [11] A heat-not-burn smoking system comprising the heat-not-burn smoking article as disclosed in any one of [1] to [10].

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The heat-not-burn smoking article according to the present invention is a novel heat-not-burn smoking article which does not employ a filter segment, etc., unlike a conventional article, and thus offers various advantages, namely a limited environmental burden, the lack of a need for a step of combining a filter segment with a tobacco-containing segment, and the possibility of compact packaging.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a wound sheet.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a tobacco-containing segment.

FIG. 3 is an oblique view of an electrically heated tobacco product.

FIG. 4 is a view in the cross section III-III in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view in cross section of a mouthpiece 30 and cartridge 20 section.

 DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The heat-not-burn smoking article and heat-not-burn smoking system of this application will be described below.

1. Heat-not-Burn Smoking Article

The heat-not-burn smoking article includes a tobacco-containing segment but does not include a cooling segment and a filter segment.

The heat-not-burn smoking article according to the present invention does not employ a filter segment, etc., as mentioned above, and thus offers various advantages, namely a limited environmental burden, the lack of a need for a step of combining a filter segment with a tobacco-containing segment, and the possibility of compact packaging.

The heat-not-burn smoking article may comprise a tobacco-containing segment.

There is no particular limitation as to the tobacco-containing segment, and it may include a tobacco filling material or may consist of a tobacco filling material.

There is no particular limitation as to the tobacco filling material, and it may include a sheet or may consist of a sheet. As used herein, “sheet” means a shape having a pair of substantially parallel main faces and a side face. The sheet may have a length direction, a width direction and a thickness direction, the sizes of which may be in the following order: “thickness direction size (thickness)”< “width direction size (width)”< “length direction size (length).”

There is no particular limitation as to the sheet, and it may be a wound sheet. As used herein, “wound sheet” means a sheet which has been rolled up into a scroll shape.

The wound sheet is preferably formed by rolling up the sheet in the length direction thereof to a scroll shape. By rolling up the sheet in the length direction thereof to form a scroll shape, the user can enjoy the act of making the sheet compact.

The wound sheet is preferably rolled up in such a way that there is no misalignment between turns of the sheet in the width direction. As used herein, “no misalignment between turns of the sheet in the width direction” means that any misalignment in the width direction is no greater than 50% of the size of the sheet in the width direction. It is possible to achieve uniform heat transfer to the sheet by ensuring that there is no misalignment between turns of the sheet in the width direction. The misalignment between turns of the wound sheet in the width direction may also be 0.01-50%, 0.1-40%, or 0.5-10% of the size of the sheet in the width direction.

The unwound sheet may have a first face and a second face. In the wound sheet, the first face may face outward (the opposite way to the center of the scroll), and the second face may face inward (toward the center of the scroll). There is no particular limitation as to the area of the first face of the wound sheet, and it is preferably 100-2000 mm2, more preferably 250-1750 mm2, and most preferably 500-1500 mm2. The area of the first face being within this numerical value range makes it easier for residues of the smoking article after smoking to be removed from a recess of a heating device.

Although not bound by theory, it is thought that, when the wound sheet is heated inside the recess of a heating device which will be described later, the heat from the heating device will spread from the outside to the inside of the sheet, and heat will eventually be transferred to the center of the wound sheet. Furthermore, the wound sheet tends to expand outward, trying to return to its original state from the rolled-up state, and this tendency also persists during heating inside the recess of the heating device, so it is thought that the entirety of the first face of the wound sheet will eventually be able to contact the inside of the recess of the heating device. Accordingly, the area of the first face of the wound sheet may serve as an indicator relating to contact with the inside of the recess of the heating device, and a greater area of the first face is thought to increase contact with the inside of this recess.

There is no particular limitation as to the number of turns of the wound sheet, and 1-3.5 turns is preferable, 1.3-3.0 turns is more preferable, and 1.5-2.5 turns is most preferable. The number of turns of the wound sheet may be calculated by: (length of unwound sheet)/{(diameter of circle forming outermost side of circular cross section of wound sheet)×(π)}, or by (length of unwound sheet)/{(inner diameter of circular (cylindrical) cross section of recess of heating device into which wound sheet is inserted)×(π)}. The number of turns being within this numerical value range makes it easier for residues of the smoking article after smoking to be removed from the recess of the heating device.

The number of turns of the wound sheet is calculated on the assumption that the sheet as a whole expands outward to a state where it follows the inside of the recess of the heating device. Similarly to the area of the first face of the wound sheet, the number of turns of the wound sheet may serve as an indicator relating to contact with the inside of the recess of the heating device, and a greater number of turns is thought to increase contact with the inside of this recess.

There is no particular limitation as to the diameter of the circle forming the outermost side of a circular cross section of the wound sheet, as seen from the width direction of the sheet, but this diameter is preferably 5-20 mm, more preferably 7.5-15 mm, and most preferably 8.5-12 mm. The diameter being within this numerical value range enables the sheet to be inserted into a device (heating device) simply by a manual operation, without the use of an implement such as a pair of tweezers.

There is no particular limitation as to the tobacco-containing segment, and it may include a tobacco filling material and a wrapping paper (also referred to below as a “wrapper”), or it may consist of a tobacco filling material and a wrapping paper. The wrapper may be filled with the tobacco filling material. By filling the wrapper with the tobacco filling material, it is possible to prevent soiling of the fingertips, etc. when the tobacco-containing segment is inserted into the heating device. There is no particular limitation as to the method for filling the wrapper with the tobacco filling material, and the tobacco filling material may be enclosed in the wrapper or a cylindrical wrapper may be filled with the tobacco filling material. When the tobacco filling material includes the wound sheet, the wrapper may be filled in such a way that the direction of winding of the sheet (the longitudinal direction) is aligned with the circumferential direction of the cylindrical wrapper.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the wound sheet. In FIG. 1, a smoking composition sheet or material derived therefrom (tobacco sheet) 210 comprises a first face (main face) 210A, and a second face (main face) (not depicted) on the opposite side to the first face. The smoking composition sheet or material derived therefrom (tobacco sheet) 210 is rolled up into a scroll shape in the length direction of the sheet so that the first face 210A faces outward, and is rolled up so that there is no misalignment in the width direction.

Furthermore, FIG. 2 shows an example of a tobacco-containing segment consisting of the wound sheet and the wrapper. In the tobacco-containing segment (smoking segment) 200A of FIG. 2, a wrapper 220 is filled with the smoking composition sheet or material derived therefrom (tobacco sheet) 210 in such a way that the direction of winding of the sheet (longitudinal direction) is aligned with the circumferential direction of the cylindrical wrapper 220.

There is no particular limitation as to the thickness of the sheet contained in the tobacco filling material, and it is preferably 30-2000 μm, more preferably 50-1000 μm, and most preferably 70-500 μm. The thickness of the sheet being within this numerical value range enables the wound sheet to exert a suitable degree of force in attempting to return to its original state when the sheet has been inserted into the heating device.

There is no particular limitation as to the width of the sheet contained in the tobacco filling material, and it is preferably 5-30 mm, more preferably 7.5-20 mm, and most preferably 8.5-17.5 mm. The width of the sheet being within this numerical value range makes the sheet easier to manipulate with the fingertips.

There is no particular limitation as to the length of the sheet contained in the tobacco filling material, and it is preferably 20-150 mm, more preferably 30-120 mm, and most preferably 40-100 mm. The length of the sheet being within this numerical value range enables the sheet to be suitably wound.

There is no particular limitation as to the cross-sectional shape of the sheet contained in the tobacco filling material, and it may be a quadrilateral shape such as a rectangle, a diamond shape, or elliptical. Of these, a quadrilateral shape is preferred. The use of a quadrilateral shape makes it possible to achieve uniform heat transfer.

The sheet can further comprise an aerosol former.

The aerosol former can comprise or consist of, but is not particularly limited to: polyols such as glycerol, 1,2-propanediol, and 1,3-propanediol; fatty acids such as medium-chain fatty acids and palmitic acid; or a mixture of two or more thereof. Of these, polyols are preferred. The use of a polyol enables stable smoke generation.

The content of the aerosol former (included in the sheet) based on the entire sheet is not particularly limited, but is preferably 10 to 80 wt %, more preferably 15 to 60 wt %, and most preferably 15 to 30 wt %. The aerosol former content being within this numerical value range will permit a suitable number of smokes of up to 10-20 times.

The sheet can comprise or consist of, but is not particularly limited to, plant raw material-derived fibers, binders, aerosol formers, or combinations of two or more of these. Of these, the use of plant raw material-derived fibers is preferred. The use of plant raw material-derived fibers will allow the skeleton structure of the sheet to be formed.

The sheet can comprise or consist of, but is not particularly limited to, tobacco raw materials, herb-based plants, citrus fruits, or combinations of two or more of these. Of these, a tobacco raw material is preferred. The use of tobacco raw materials will enable a reduction in the amount of externally added binder because the polysaccharides contained in the tobacco raw material will function as a binder.

The above tobacco raw material is raw material derived from a tobacco plant, such as tobacco leaf, aged tobacco leaf, cut tobacco, tobacco powder, tobacco raw material parts other than leaves, such as stems and stem waste, and processed or waste products obtained in the course of tobacco raw material processing. Tobacco leaf is a generic term for harvested tobacco leaves before they have been aged. One mode of ageing includes curing. Cut tobacco is aged tobacco leaf, for example, that has been cut to a predetermined size. Tobacco powder is tobacco leaves, for example, that have been ground.

A number of varieties of tobacco can be used as the tobacco raw material. Examples of tobacco varieties include flue-cured, Burley, orient, or native varieties, as well as Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana rustica varieties. These varieties can also be used alone, but in order to obtain a desired flavor, any varieties over the course from the harvest of tobacco leaves to the processing of the various types in which aged tobacco leaf is used in heat-not-burn tobacco products (specifically, processed tobacco leaves) can also be blended for use. Details on tobacco varieties are disclosed in “Dictionary of Tobacco, Tobacco Academic Studies Center, Mar. 31, 2009”.

As used herein, “tobacco leaf” is a generic term for harvested tobacco leaves before they have been aged. One mode of ageing includes curing.

By contrast, “aged tobacco leaf” refers to tobacco leaves that have been aged but that have not yet been processed into the various forms that are used in tobacco products (such as cut tobacco, tobacco sheets, and tobacco granules). Furthermore, “processed tobacco leaf” refers to aged tobacco leaves that have been processed into the various forms that are used in tobacco products.

The sheet can be obtained in the form of a tobacco sheet by molding a composition comprising aged tobacco leaf, for example, into the form of a sheet. There is no particular limitation as to the aged tobacco leaf used in the tobacco sheet, but aged tobacco leaf which has been de-stemmed and separated into lamina and midrib may be cited, for example. A “sheet” as referred to in the present description means a shape having a pair of substantially parallel main faces and a side face.

The method for molding the sheet is not particularly limited, but fine tobacco powder, nicotine, a flavour development aid, and a binder, as well as an aerosol former and flavoring as needed, can be mixed, water can be added to the mixture to knead the materials, and the resulting kneaded product can be molded by a known method such as a sheet-forming method, casting method, or rolling method. Details on various types of sheets (tobacco sheets) molded by such methods are disclosed in “Dictionary of Tobacco, Tobacco Academic Studies Center, Mar. 31, 2009”.

In addition to the above components, the sheet can furthermore comprise antioxidants, terpenes, menthol, or a combination of two or more of these. Of these, the use of menthol is preferred. The use of menthol will allow invigorating smoking to be enjoyed.

2. Heat-not-Burn Smoking System

The heat-not-burn smoking system of the present invention comprises the heat-not-burn smoking article.

Heat-not-burn smoking articles (heated smoking articles) may be heated by a heating device that is separate from the article, or by a heating device that is integrated with the article. In the former type of smoking article (separate heating device), the heat-not-burn smoking article and the heating device are collectively referred to as a “heat-not-burn smoking system.” An example of a heat-not-burn smoking system will be described below with reference to FIG. 3-5.

An electrically heated tobacco product may be cited as an embodiment of the heat-not-burn smoking system according to the present invention. The electrically heated tobacco product comprises a housing and a mouthpiece. The housing extends in the axial direction and an opening is formed in a first end portion in the axial direction. The housing is formed with an accommodating space in its interior, communicating with the opening. Heat-not-burn tobacco (a heat-not-burn smoking article) (cartridge) containing a flavor component is accommodated in the accommodating space of the housing. The mouthpiece comprises an engaging portion and a holding portion. The engaging portion is engaged with the opening. The holding portion is configured to hold the heat-not-burn tobacco.

The mouthpiece is detached from the housing and engagement of the engaging portion of the mouthpiece and the opening of the housing is released when the heat-not-burn tobacco (cartridge) is replaced. The cartridge is then removed from the housing from which the mouthpiece has been detached, and the cartridge is replaced.

In the electrically heated tobacco product according to the mode above, the mouthpiece is configured to extend to both sides of the opening in the axial direction in a state in which the mouthpiece is engaged with the opening. According to this mode, the part of the mouthpiece protruding further outward than the opening of the housing should be grasped when the mouthpiece is detached from the housing, which therefore facilitates the operation to detach the mouthpiece.

The heat-not-burn smoking system of the present invention may further comprise a heating device. The heating device may comprise or consist of the housing and the mouthpiece.

FIG. 3 is an oblique view of an electrically heated tobacco product (flavor inhaler, also referred to below simply as an “inhaler”) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is an oblique view in a state in which a cap (not depicted) has been removed from the inhaler.

As shown in FIG. 3, an inhaler 1 constituting an example of the electrically heated tobacco product according to a first embodiment allows the flavor of tobacco leaf to be enjoyed by inhalation of a vapor generated by heating the tobacco leaf.

As shown in FIG. 3, the inhaler 1 comprises a main body unit 10, a cartridge 20, and a mouthpiece 30. The cartridge 20 may be constructed by the abovementioned tobacco-containing segment (smoking segment) 200A.

The smoking segment 200A is columnar, and the total length (axial length) thereof is preferably 5-100 mm, more preferably 10-50 mm, and even more preferably 10-25 mm, for example. There is no particular limitation as to the cross-sectional shape of the smoking segment 200A, and it may be circular, elliptical or polygonal, etc., for example.

The smoking segment 200A comprises: a smoking composition sheet (tobacco sheet) or material derived therefrom (tobacco filling material) 210; and a wrapper 220 wrapped therearound. The smoking composition sheet or material derived therefrom 210 may contain a flavoring. The smoking composition sheet (tobacco sheet) or material derived therefrom (tobacco filling material) 210 may be formed as a wound sheet, as described above.

The inhaler 1 has a substantially square columnar shape centered on an axis O. The main body unit 10, cartridge 20, mouthpiece 30 and cap 40 are arranged in a line on the axis O). In the following description, a side facing towards the mouthpiece 30 from the main body unit 10 in the axis O direction (the direction following the axis O; axial direction) will be referred to as the mouthpiece side, and a direction running from the mouthpiece 30 toward the main body unit 10 will be referred to as the mouthpiece-opposing side. Furthermore, a direction intersecting the axis O as seen on a plane viewed from the axis O direction will be referred to as the radial direction. The radial direction includes a direction approaching the axis O, which will be referred to as the inside, and a direction away from the axis O, which will be referred to as the outside. A direction circling the axis O will be referred to as the circumferential direction. In the present description, “direction” means two orientations, and the term “side” will be used to refer to one orientation of the “direction”.

FIG. 4 is a view in the cross section III-III in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, the main body unit 10 comprises a housing 11, a power supply unit 15, and a heater 16. The housing 11 comprises: a housing main body 110, a mouthpiece support member 120, a cartridge accommodating member 130, a cartridge holding member 140, and a control unit 152.

The housing main body 110 comprises an outside housing 111 and a bottom portion cap 116.

The outside housing 111 is formed with a substantially square tube shape centered on the axis O. The outside housing 111 forms an outer surface of the inhaler 1. It should be noted that the shape of the outside housing 111 may be appropriately set provided that it extends along the axis O direction.

A mouthpiece-side opening 111a penetrating in the axis O direction is formed in an end portion on the mouthpiece side of the outside housing 111. A mouthpiece side-opposing opening 111b penetrating in the axis O direction is formed in an end portion on the mouthpiece-opposing side of the outside housing 111. A switch opening 111c penetrating in the radial direction is formed on a circumferential portion of the outside housing 111. A switch 112 is provided in the switch opening 111c.

Here, in this embodiment, radial directions joining the axis O and the switch opening 111c will be taken as front/rear surface directions. In this case, the switch opening 111c side relative to the axis O will be taken as the front surface side, and the opposite side to the switch opening 111c relative to the axis O will be taken as the rear surface side.

The bottom portion cap 116 is provided on the mouthpiece side-opposing opening 111b of the outside housing 111. The bottom portion cap 116 is formed with a substantially rectangular shape as seen on a plane viewed from the axis O direction. The bottom portion cap 116 closes off the mouthpiece side-opposing opening 111b of the outside housing 111. It should be noted that the shape of the bottom portion cap 116 may be appropriately set provided that it closes off the mouthpiece side-opposing opening 111b of the outside housing 111.

An inside tube member 117 is provided inside the housing main body 110. The inside tube member 117 extends in the axis O direction and is formed with a substantially square tube shape. The inside tube member 117 is constructed by joining a pair of half-members divided along the axis O direction. The total length (the length along the axis O direction) of the inside tube member 117 may be smaller than the total length of the outside housing 111. It should be noted that the shape of the inside tube member 117 may be appropriately set.

A partition 118 is provided so as to separate the inside of the inside tube member 117 into a space for accommodating a battery 151 and a space for accommodating a heater 16.

The partition 118 includes a mouthpiece-side partition portion 118a and a side portion partition portion 118b. This inhibits an inflow of air heated by means of the heater 16 into the space accommodating the battery 151. A rise in the temperature of the battery 151 is therefore suppressed.

The mouthpiece-type partition portion 118a is arranged on the mouthpiece side of the battery 151. The side portion partition portion 118b is arranged so as to cover the outside of the battery 151 in the circumferential direction.

The mouthpiece support member 120 is provided at the mouthpiece-side opening 111a of the outside housing 111.

The cartridge holding member 140 of the housing 11 may form the abovementioned recess of the heating device. The cartridge holding member 140 may be formed with a cylindrical shape. In this case, there is no particular limitation as to the inner diameter of the cartridge holding member 140 (the recess of the heating device), and it is preferably 5.5-20 mm, more preferably 7.5-15 mm, and most preferably 8.5-12 mm. The inner diameter of the cartridge holding member 140 being within this numerical value range enables a design commensurate with the size of the smoking segment 200A, thereby making it possible to adjust the ease of removing residues of the smoking article from the recess of the heating device after smoking.

FIG. 5 is a view in cross section along the width direction of the mouthpiece 30 and cartridge 20 section.

As shown in FIG. 5, an engaging circumferential wall portion 33 has a mouthpiece side-opposing part 331 which is thinner than a mouthpiece-side part 332. As a result, a step portion 333 is formed at a boundary portion of the mouthpiece side-opposing part 331 and the mouthpiece-side part 332. The step portion 333 is formed with a substantially annular shape as seen on a plane viewed from the axis O direction. As shown in FIG. 5, an end portion 20a on the mouthpiece side of the cartridge 20 abuts the step portion 333 of the engaging circumferential wall portion 33 of the mouthpiece 30. The opening width becomes larger from the mouthpiece side toward the mouthpiece-opposing side at a connection between a mouthpiece portion 31 and a base portion 32. A space portion s3 is formed between the end portion 20a on the mouthpiece side of the cartridge 20, and the face of the mouthpiece portion 31 of the mouthpiece 30 on the mouthpiece-opposing side. This reduces the size of an obstructed region at the end portion 20a on the mouthpiece side of the cartridge 20 so that airflow resistance is suppressed.

A support body 21 such as a plastic mesh may be provided on the cartridge 20 side (mouthpiece-opposing side) of the mouthpiece 30 in order to prevent spillage of heated material.

There is no particular limitation as to the temperature of heating produced by the heater 16, but it is preferably 400° C. or less, more preferably 150-400° C., and even more preferably 200-350° C. The heating temperature denotes the temperature of the heater 16. There is no particular limitation as to the method of heating using the heating device, and induction heating or microwave heating, for example, can be employed in addition to heating by the heater noted above.

EXAMPLES

The present invention will be described experimentally through the following examples, but the following description should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention to those examples.

Example 1 1. Preparation of Tobacco Sheet

10 g of flue-cured tobacco leaf, 10 g of carboxymethyl cellulose, and 80 g of glycerol were mixed to obtain a tobacco raw material (1). Using the resulting tobacco raw material (1), tobacco sheets of samples 1 and 2 were produced in accordance with a well-known rolling method so as to have a length of 45 mm or 100 mm, respectively.

Furthermore, 35 g of flue-cured tobacco leaf, 35 g of carboxymethyl cellulose, and 30 g of glycerol were mixed to obtain a tobacco raw material (2). Using the resulting tobacco raw material (2), tobacco sheets of samples 3 and 4 were produced in accordance with a well-known rolling method so as to have a length of 45 mm or 100 mm, respectively.

In addition, 78 g of flue-cured tobacco leaf, 10 g of carboxymethyl cellulose, and 12 g of glycerol were mixed to obtain a tobacco raw material (3). Using the resulting tobacco raw material (3), tobacco sheets of samples 5 and 6 were produced in accordance with a well-known sheet-forming method so as to have a length of 45 mm or 100 mm, respectively.

The tobacco sheets of samples 1-6 obtained in the manner above were then rolled up in the length direction to form a scroll shape while ensuring no misalignment in the width direction, whereby wound tobacco sheets were prepared. The diameter of the circle forming the outermost side of the circular cross section of the wound sheet was measured for each of the wound tobacco sheets of samples 1-6 obtained in the manner above, and was found to be 6.9 mm for all tobacco sheets.

The glycerol content, and thickness, width and length of the unwound tobacco sheets are shown in table 1 for each of the tobacco sheets of samples 1-6 obtained in the manner above.

Furthermore, the area of the first face facing outward was calculated based on (width× length), and the number of turns was also calculated on the basis of (length of unwound sheet)/{(inner diameter (10 mm) of circular (cylindrical) cross section of recess of heating device into which wound sheet is inserted)×(π)}. The calculated values are shown in table 1.

The thickness of the tobacco sheets shown in table 1 is a value obtained by selecting any four points on each tobacco sheet without bias, then measuring the thickness at each point using a digital external micrometer M810-25 (manufactured by Mitutoyo Corp.) and averaging the measured values at the four points.

TABLE 1 Ease of removal Tobacco sheet Heating from Glycerol Thickness Width Length Area Number temp. heating content (%) (um) (mm) (mm) (mm2) of turns (° C.) device Sample 1 80 171 15 45  675 1.4 200 A 240 A Sample 2 80 171 15 100 1500 3.2 200 B 210 A 240 A Sample 3 30 148 15 45  675 1.4 200 A 240 A Sample 4 30 148 15 100 1500 3.2 200 B 210 A 240 A Sample 5 12 193 15 45  675 1.4 200 A 240 A Sample 6 12 193 15 100 1500 3.2 200 A 240 A

2. Preparation of Heat-not-Burn Smoking Article and Smoking Test

Wrapping papers (wrappers) were filled with the wound tobacco sheets of samples 1-6 obtained in the manner above in a state in which the length direction of the sheets was aligned with the circumferential direction of the wrappers, and tobacco filling materials of samples 1-6 were obtained. The resulting tobacco filling materials of samples 1-6 were formed into tobacco-containing segments (smoking segments), and heat-not-burn smoking articles (cartridges) 20, as shown in FIG. 3-5, were prepared without using a cooling segment and a filter segment. Meanwhile, the electrically heated tobacco product (inhaler) 1 (cartridge holding member 140: cylindrical shape, inner diameter: 10 mm) shown in FIG. 3 was prepared. The heat-not-burn smoking articles according to samples 1-6 and the electrically heated tobacco product were used for installation in the external heat-not-burn smoking system shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The smoking test was carried out by placing a smoking machine (1-port smoking machine, manufactured by Borgwaldt) next to the mouthpiece, then heating the heat-not-burn smoking article by means of a heater set at the temperatures shown in table 1 (200, 210 or 240° C.) to generate vapor and aerosol which were then drawn in by the smoking machine. A total of 10 puffs were taken based on the CIR method (Canadian Intense Smoking Regime) at 55 mL/2 sec per puff (with 30 second intervals for each puff, i.e., 2 seconds of drawing followed by 28 seconds standby).

The results of the smoking test showed that vapor and aerosol were sufficiently generated and an adequate function as a heat-not-burn smoking article was achieved when the heat-not-burn smoking articles employing the tobacco filling materials of samples 1-6 shown in table 1 were heated by means of a heater which had been set at 200, 210 or 240° C.

3. Evaluation of Ease of Removal from Heating Device

The ease of removal from the heating device of residues of the heat-not-burn smoking article remaining inside the heating device after the smoking test had been carried out was evaluated in accordance with the following procedure.

(Procedure)

The mouthpiece 30 was detached from the main body unit 10 after the smoking test in “Preparation of heat-not-burn smoking article and smoking test” above had been carried out. The cartridge holding member 140 (forming the recess of the heating device) of the electrically heated tobacco product (inhaler) 1 was then left to stand in a position such that the longitudinal direction of the cartridge holding member 140 was in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the ground with the inlet of the cartridge holding member 140 facing downward. The ease of removal of the heat-not-burn smoking article left in that position was then evaluated in accordance with the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 1. The heat-not-burn smoking article can be removed from the cartridge holding member 140 of the electrically heated tobacco product (inhaler) 1 without the use of an implement such as a pair of tweezers even when evaluation criterion B below applies, therefore enabling adequate use as a heat-not-burn smoking article, but the used heat-not-burn smoking article can be easily removed when evaluation criterion A applies, which is therefore more desirable.

(Evaluation Criteria)

    • A: The whole of the heat-not-burn smoking article dropped out from the recess of the heating device and was removed to the outside.
    • B: At least part of the heat-not-burn smoking article remained in the recess of the heating device.

As shown in Table 1, the evaluation was B when samples 2 and 4 were heated at 200° C., and the evaluations were all otherwise A. The results in Table 1 showed that the smoking article becomes easier to remove the higher the heating temperature, the smaller the glycerol content of the tobacco sheet, and/or the smaller the area of the first face of the tobacco sheet. This is thought to be because components of the tobacco sheet having adhesive properties such as glycerol are sufficiently heated by a high heating temperature, leading to a loss of adhesion and less likelihood of adhesion to the inner wall of the recess. This is also thought to be because, as glycerol has adhesive properties, a smaller content of glycerol will proportionately reduce the adhesive components, making adhesion to the inner wall of the recess less likely. It is further thought to be because the area of the tobacco sheet in contact with the recess decreases when the first face of the tobacco sheet has a small area, leading to less friction between the recess and the tobacco sheet residues after the end of heating.

In light of the above, the heat-not-burn smoking article according to the present invention constitutes a novel heat-not-burn smoking article that does not employ a filter segment, etc., unlike a conventional article, and is therefore useful as a heat-not-burn smoking article.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

    • 1 . . . Inhaler
    • 10 . . . Main body unit
    • 11 . . . Housing
    • 15 . . . Power supply unit
    • 16 . . . Heater
    • 20 . . . Cartridge (heat-not-burn smoking article)
    • 20a . . . End portion
    • 21 . . . Support body
    • 23 . . . Smoking composition sheet or material derived therefrom
    • 24 . . . Wrapping paper (wrapper)
    • 30 . . . Mouthpiece
    • 31 . . . Mouthpiece portion
    • 32 . . . Base portion
    • 33 . . . Engaging circumferential wall portion
    • 331 . . . Mouthpiece side-opposing part
    • 332 . . . Mouthpiece-side part
    • 333 . . . Step portion
    • 40 . . . Cap
    • 110 . . . Housing main body
    • 111 . . . Outside housing
    • 111a . . . Mouthpiece-side opening
    • 111b . . . Mouthpiece side-opposing opening
    • 111c . . . Switch opening
    • 112 . . . Switch
    • 116 . . . Bottom portion cap
    • 117 . . . Inside tube member
    • 118 . . . Partition
    • 118a . . . Mouthpiece-side partition portion
    • 118b . . . Side portion partition portion
    • 120 . . . Mouthpiece support member
    • 130 . . . Cartridge accommodating member
    • 140 . . . Cartridge holding member
    • 151 . . . Battery
    • 152 . . . Control unit
    • s3 . . . Space portion
    • 200A . . . Smoking segment
    • 210 . . . Smoking composition sheet or material derived therefrom
    • 210A . . . First face
    • 220 . . . Wrapper

Claims

1. A heat-not-burn smoking article, comprising:

a tobacco-containing segment, wherein
the heat-not-burn smoking article is free of a cooling segment and a filter segment.

2. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tobacco-containing segment includes a tobacco filling material, and the tobacco filling material includes a wound sheet.

3. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wound sheet has a first face and a second face, the first face facing outward and the second face facing inward, and wherein an area of the first face is 100-2000 mm2.

4. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wound sheet has 1-3.5 turns.

5. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sheet includes an aerosol former.

6. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 5, wherein the aerosol former includes a polyol.

7. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 5, wherein the content of the aerosol former in the sheet is 10-80 wt %.

8. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sheet includes fibers derived from a plant raw material.

9. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plant raw material includes a tobacco raw material.

10. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sheet is a cast sheet or a rolled sheet.

11. A heat-not-burn smoking system comprising the heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 1.

12. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wound sheet is rolled up into a scroll shape in a length direction of the wound sheet such that there is no misalignment between turns of the wound sheet in a width direction.

13. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 2, wherein a diameter of a circle forming an outermost side of a circular cross section of the wound sheet is 5-20 mm.

14. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 2, wherein a thickness of the wound sheet is 30-2000 μm.

15. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 2, wherein a width of the wound sheet is 5-30 mm.

16. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 2, wherein a length of the wound sheet is 20-150 mm.

17. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a wrapper filled with a tobacco filling material, wherein the wrapper is cylindrical.

18. The heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 17, wherein the tobacco filling material includes a wound sheet, and the wrapper is filled such that a direction of winding of the wound sheet is aligned with a circumferential direction of the cylindrical wrapper.

19. A heat-not-burn smoking system comprising:

the heat-not-burn smoking article as claimed in claim 1; and
a heating device including: a housing; a heater disposed within the housing and configured to heat the heat-not-burn smoking article; and control circuitry configured to control the heater.

20. A method of manufacturing a heat-not-burn smoking article, the method comprising:

forming a tobacco filling material by winding a tobacco sheet into a scroll shape; and
disposing a wrapper around the tobacco filling material to form a tobacco-containing segment, wherein the heat-not-burn smoking article is formed to be free of a cooling segment and a filter segment.
Patent History
Publication number: 20260198552
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 12, 2022
Publication Date: Jul 16, 2026
Applicant: Japan Tobacco Inc. (Tokyo)
Inventors: Kayoko IMAIIDA (Tokyo), Yuki MATSUTANI (Tokyo)
Application Number: 19/135,091
Classifications
International Classification: A24D 1/20 (20200101); A24B 3/14 (20060101); A24B 15/12 (20060101); A24B 15/30 (20060101); A24F 40/20 (20200101);