Heat absorbers for tobacco heating products

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a heat energy absorber (112) for a smoking article. In an exemplary embodiment, the smoking article may include: an outer package (102) surrounding at least a portion of the smoking article (100), wherein the smoking article is defined by an upstream lighting end (104) and a downstream mouthpiece end (106); a carbon heat source (108) located near the lighting end; a tobacco material (110) located downstream of the carbon heat source and spaced apart from the mouthpiece end of the smoking article; and a heat energy absorber (112) at least partially located between the tobacco material and the carbon heat source.

Description

[0001] background

[0002] Public domain

[0003] The present disclosure relates to smoking articles, sometimes referred to as tobacco heating products, which are capable of heating tobacco material contained in the tobacco heating product without burning the tobacco material.

[0004] Related technical description

[0005] Over the years, many smoking articles have been proposed as improvements or substitutes for smoking products based on burning tobacco. Examples of some substitutes include devices that burn solid or liquid fuels to transfer heat to tobacco. Such devices are generally referred to as smoking articles or tobacco heating products, which heat tobacco materials without obvious burning or burning of tobacco materials. The focus of improvements or substitutes for smoking articles is usually to provide a feeling associated with cigarettes, cigars or pipes without producing a large amount of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products that may be harmful to users. For example, various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and heat sources described in the following patent documents: U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 of Robinson et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 of Griffith et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 of Sears et al. and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0216232 of Bless et al., which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0006] Products that produce the taste and sensation of smoking by heating tobacco, tobacco-derived materials, or other plant-derived materials without a noticeable degree of burning or scorching have inconsistent and harmful performance characteristics. For example, overheating of a tobacco heating product may result in undesirable scorching or scorching of the interior of the tobacco material, which may be harmful to the user. It is therefore desirable to provide a smoking article that can provide the smoking sensation of a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without overheating the tobacco material while providing this sensation and having favorable performance characteristics.

[0007] Brief description

[0008] The present disclosure relates to a thermal energy absorber for a smoking article, such as / sometimes referred to as a tobacco heating product. In various embodiments, the smoking article may include: an outer package surrounding at least a portion of the smoking article, wherein the smoking article is defined by an upstream cigarette lighting end and a downstream cigarette holder end; a carbon heat source located near the cigarette lighting end; a tobacco material located downstream of the carbon heat source; and a thermal energy absorber located at least partially between the tobacco material and the carbon heat source. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may include a metal or ceramic material. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may be an aluminum or aluminum oxide material. In various embodiments, the thermal energy absorber is configured to enhance the uniform distribution of heated air through the tobacco material.

[0009] In certain embodiments, the thermal energy absorber is in the form of one or more discs. In some embodiments, the one or more discs have a monomer diameter of about 5 mm to about 9 mm and a thickness of about 0.1 mm to about 4 mm. In certain embodiments, the one or more discs may include a plurality of holes. In various other embodiments, the plurality of holes may be irregularly shaped, randomly distributed, or distributed in a pattern.

[0010] In certain embodiments, the thermal energy absorber can be in the form of multiple particles. In some embodiments, the particles are substantially spherical or hollow spherical. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may include about 3 to about 500 particles. In various embodiments, the particles may have a diameter of about 0.1 mm to about 5 mm. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber comprises a material having a specific heat capacity of about 0.1 kJ / kg K to about 3 kJ / kg K.

[0011] In various embodiments, the tobacco material further comprises one or more of a tobacco extract, an aerosol precursor composition, and a flavoring agent. In some embodiments, the tobacco material may be in a pulverized form or a granulated form. In some embodiments, the carbon heat source may have a plurality of air inlets extending longitudinally therethrough. In various embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may be configured to reduce the peak temperature of the smoking article by about 25°C to about 75°C and about 475°C to about 525°C. In some such embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may be configured to reduce the total particulate matter (TPM) released during smoking of the smoking article. In certain other embodiments, the downstream mouthpiece end may also include a filter material.

[0012] Some embodiments provide a method for reducing overheating in a smoking article, the method comprising: providing a smoking article comprising a carbon heat source, a tobacco material, a thermal energy absorber, and an outer package surrounding at least a portion of the smoking article, wherein the smoking article is defined by an upstream lighting end and a downstream mouthpiece end; and placing the thermal energy absorber at least partially between the tobacco material and the carbon heat source to reduce the peak temperature of the smoking article by about 50°C to about 500°C when the carbon heat source is ignited. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may be configured to enhance the uniform distribution of heated air through the tobacco material. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may be configured to reduce the total particulate matter (TPM) released during smoking of the smoking article. In certain other embodiments, the downstream mouthpiece end may also include a filter material.

[0013] The present disclosure includes, but is not limited to, the following embodiments.

[0014] Embodiment 1: A smoking article, comprising: an outer package surrounding at least a portion of the smoking article, wherein the smoking article is defined by an upstream lighting end and a downstream mouthpiece end; a carbon heat source located near the lighting end; a tobacco material located downstream of the carbon heat source; and a heat energy absorber located at least partially between the tobacco material and the carbon heat source.

[0015] Embodiment 2: The smoking article of embodiment 1, wherein the thermal energy absorber comprises one or more metal or ceramic materials.

[0016] Embodiment 3: The smoking article of any one of Embodiments 1 to 2, wherein the thermal energy absorber comprises one or more aluminum or aluminum oxide materials.

[0017] Embodiment 4: The smoking article of any one of Embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the thermal energy absorber is configured to enhance uniform distribution of heated air through the tobacco material.

[0018] Embodiment 5: The smoking article of any one of Embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the thermal energy absorber is in the form of one or more discs.

[0019] Embodiment 6: The smoking article of any of Embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the one or more discs have an individual diameter of about 5 mm to about 9 mm and a thickness of about 0.1 mm to about 4 mm.

[0020] Embodiment 7: The smoking article of any of Embodiments 1 to 6, wherein one or more of the disks comprises a plurality of holes.

[0021] Embodiment 8: The smoking article according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the plurality of holes are irregularly shaped, randomly distributed, or distributed in a pattern.

[0022] Embodiment 9: The smoking article according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the thermal energy absorber is in the form of multiple particles.

[0023] Embodiment 10: The smoking article of any of Embodiments 1 to 4 and 9, wherein the particles are substantially spherical.

[0024] Embodiment 11: The smoking article of any one of embodiments 1 to 4 and 9, wherein the thermal energy absorber comprises about 3 to about 500 particles.

[0025] Embodiment 12: The smoking article of embodiments 1-4 and 9-11, wherein the particles have a diameter of about 0.005 mm to about 5 mm.

[0026] Embodiment 13: The smoking article according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 12, wherein the thermal energy absorber comprises a material having a specific heat capacity of about 0.1 kJ / kg-K to about 3 kJ / kg-K.

[0027] Embodiment 14: The smoking article according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 13, wherein the tobacco material further comprises one or more of a tobacco extract, an aerosol precursor composition, and a flavoring agent.

[0028] Embodiment 15: The smoking article of any one of Embodiments 1 to 14, wherein the tobacco material is in one or more pulverized or granulated forms.

[0029] Embodiment 16: The smoking article of any of Embodiments 1-15, wherein the carbon heat source has a plurality of air inlet holes extending longitudinally therethrough.

[0030] Embodiment 17: The smoking article of any of Embodiments 1 to 16, wherein the thermal energy absorber is configured to reduce the peak temperature of the smoking article by about 50°C to about 500°C.

[0031] Embodiment 18: The smoking article according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 17, wherein the downstream mouthpiece end further comprises a filter material.

[0032] Embodiment 19: A method for reducing excessive heating in a smoking article, the method comprising: providing a smoking article comprising a carbon heat source, a tobacco material, a heat energy absorber, and an outer packaging surrounding at least a portion of the smoking article, wherein the smoking article is defined by an upstream lighting end and a downstream mouthpiece end; and placing the heat energy absorber at least partially between the tobacco material and the carbon heat source to reduce the peak temperature of the smoking article by approximately 50°C to approximately 500°C when the carbon heat source is ignited.

[0033] Embodiment 20: The method of Embodiment 19, wherein the thermal energy absorber is configured to enhance uniform distribution of heated air through the tobacco material.

[0034] Embodiment 21: The method of any one of Embodiments 19-20, wherein the downstream mouthpiece end further comprises a filter material.

[0035] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent by reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings briefly described below. The present invention includes any combination of two, three, four or more embodiments described above, as well as any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements described in this disclosure, whether or not such features or elements are explicitly combined in the specific embodiments described herein. The present disclosure is intended to be read as a whole, and any separable features or elements of the disclosed invention in any of its various aspects and embodiments should be considered combinable unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Having generally described the present disclosure above, the following description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, in which:

[0037] Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional view of a smoking article showing an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, which includes a heat source, a tobacco material, and a thermal energy absorber;

[0038] Figure 2 A partial cross-sectional view of an upstream lighting end of a smoking article showing an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, including a heat source support;

[0039] Figure 3 A partial cross-sectional view showing a thermal energy absorber according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 4 A partial cross-sectional view of a smoking article showing an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, which includes a thermal energy absorber in the form of a multi-particulate;

[0041] Figure 5 A graph showing average peak temperature distribution of a smoking article without a thermal energy absorber and a smoking article with a thermal energy absorber according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0042] Figure 6 is a graph showing an average pressure drop distribution of a smoking article without a thermal energy absorber according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] Figure 7 is a graph showing total particulate matter (TPM) released during smoking of a smoking article without a thermal energy absorber according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The present disclosure will be described more fully below with reference to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. These exemplary embodiments are described to make the present disclosure complete and complete, and to fully demonstrate the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. In fact, the present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and should not be regarded as limited to the embodiments described herein; and, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure can meet legal requirements. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "one", "a kind" and "the" include plural forms unless the context clearly states otherwise. In addition, reference may be made herein to quantitative measurements, numerical values, geometric relationships, etc., but unless otherwise stated, any one or more (if not all) may be absolute or approximate to explain acceptable variations that may occur, such as variations caused by engineering tolerances, etc.

[0045] As described below, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to thermal energy absorbers for smoking articles, such as / sometimes also referred to as tobacco heating products. The use of thermal energy absorbers can prevent overheating of smoking articles, which can cause untimely scorching / burning of internal tobacco materials and burning of the tipping paper of the cigarette rod. In addition, overheating of smoking articles can also lead to negative sensory attributes and cause certain components to be released from the tobacco material. Many components in tobacco smoke are products of incomplete combustion (thermal degradation) and pyrogenic degradation of tobacco cigarettes due to heat (thermogenic degradation). Typical markers of pyrolysis and thermal degradation of tobacco cigarettes are acetaldehyde, benzo[a]pyrene and carbon monoxide. The use of a thermal energy absorber located downstream of a carbon heat source can reduce the degree of overheating or pyrolysis in the smoking article, thereby reducing the negative effects associated with overheating of tobacco materials in the smoking article.

[0046] Some embodiments of the smoking articles disclosed herein use a ignitable heat source to heat the material (preferably without burning the material to any significant extent) to form an inhalable substance (e.g., a carbon-heated tobacco product). Preferably, the material is heated without burning the material to any significant extent. The components of this system have a substantially compact product form that can be considered as a handheld device. That is, the use of the components of the preferred smoking articles will not result in the generation of smoke, because the aerosol is mainly produced by the by-products of tobacco combustion or pyrolysis, and the use of these preferred systems will cause the steam to be generated by the heating of the tobacco incorporated therein, rather than by burning or burning. In some exemplary embodiments, the components of the smoking articles can be characterized as "heat-not-burn" cigarettes, and these "heat-not-burn" cigarettes are most preferably mixed with tobacco and / or tobacco-derived components, and therefore the tobacco-derived components are transmitted in the form of aerosols.

[0047] The smoking article provides many of the smoking sensations of a cigarette, cigar or pipe (and thus inhaling tobacco smoke) that is used by lighting and burning tobacco without any substantial combustion of any of its components (e.g., inhalation and exhalation rituals, taste or flavor types, sensory effects, physical sensations, use rituals, visual cues such as those provided by visible aerosols, etc.). For example, a user of the smoking article of some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can hold and use the component like a smoker using a traditional smoking article, inhale the aerosol generated by the component at one end of the component, and then draw at selected time intervals, and so on.

[0048] This system is generally described herein with the embodiment relevant to smoking articles, but it should be understood that mechanisms, parts, features and methods can be implemented in many different forms and are relevant to various products. For example, the description provided herein can be used in combination with the embodiment of the relevant packaging of traditional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), heat-not-burn cigarettes and any product disclosed herein. Therefore, it should be understood that the description of the mechanism, parts, features and methods disclosed herein is only discussed exemplarily with the embodiment relevant to smoking articles, and can be implemented and used in various other products and methods.

[0049] The smoking article of the present disclosure can also be characterized as a steam-generated article or a drug delivery article. Therefore, this article or device can be adjusted to provide one or more substances (for example, flavoring agents and / or active pharmaceutical ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, the inhalable substance can be substantially in the form of steam (that is, a substance in the gas phase at a temperature below its critical point). Alternatively, the inhalable substance can also be in the form of an aerosol (that is, a suspension of fine solid particles or droplets in a gas). For simplicity, the term "aerosol" used herein refers to steam, gas and aerosol including a form or type suitable for human inhalation, whether it is visible, and whether its form can be considered as a smoke-like. The physical form of the inhalable substance is not limited by the properties of the device of the present invention, but depends on the properties of the medium and whether the inhalable substance itself exists in a vapor state or an aerosol state. In some embodiments, the terms "steam" and "aerosol" can be interchangeable. Therefore, for simplicity, unless otherwise stated, the terms "steam" and "aerosol" used to describe various aspects of the present disclosure should be understood to be interchangeable.

[0050] In some embodiments, the smoking article of the present disclosure may include: an outer package surrounding at least a portion of the smoking article, wherein the smoking article is defined by an upstream lighting end and a downstream mouthpiece end; a heat source located near the lighting end; a tobacco material located downstream of the heat source and spaced apart from the mouthpiece end of the smoking article; and a thermal energy absorber located at least partially between the tobacco material and the carbon heat source. Alternative forms, configurations, and arrangements of various thermal energy absorbers, smoking articles, and smoking article internal components of the present disclosure will be apparent from the further disclosure provided below.

[0051] In this regard, Figure 1 A smoking article 100 of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The smoking article 100 may include an outer wrapper 102 surrounding at least a portion of the smoking article 100, wherein the smoking article is defined by an upstream lighting end 104 and a downstream mouthpiece end 106. In some embodiments, the smoking article 100 may also include a heat source 108, a tobacco material 110, and a thermal energy absorber 112. In certain embodiments, the heat source 108 may be located near the lighting end 104. In certain embodiments, the tobacco material 110 may be located downstream of the carbon heat source 108 and optionally spaced from the mouthpiece end 106 of the smoking article 100. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber 112 may be at least partially located between the tobacco material 110 and the heat source 108.

[0052] In various embodiments, the smoking articles of the present disclosure may have various overall shapes, including but not limited to overall shapes that may be defined as being substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical. Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, the smoking article 100 has a substantially circular cross-section; however, other cross-sectional shapes (e.g., oval, square, triangle, etc.) are also included in the present disclosure. Therefore, this language describing the physical shape of the article can also be applied to the various components of the article.

[0053] The arrangement of parts in the smoking article of the present disclosure can be different in different embodiments.In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber can be entirely between a heat source and a tobacco material.In certain other embodiments, at least a portion of the thermal energy absorber can be mixed in the tobacco material so that the thermal energy absorber can only be partially between a heat source and a tobacco material.Other configurations are not excluded, for example, the thermal energy absorber can be entirely mixed in the tobacco material so that the thermal energy absorber is not located between a heat source and a tobacco material.Usually, a heat source can be located at a position close enough to the tobacco material so that the heat generated by the heat source can heat without burning or burning the tobacco material (and one or more flavoring agents, medicines, etc. that can be similarly delivered to the user in some embodiments) and form an aerosol that is delivered to the user.

[0054] Other components may also be used in the smoking articles of the present disclosure, for example, again referring to Figure 1, the smoking article 100 may include a filter 114 located downstream of the tobacco material 110 and near the downstream mouthpiece end 106 of the smoking article 100. In various embodiments, the filter 114 may be made of cellulose acetate or polypropylene material. The filter 114 may additionally or alternatively include a tobacco-containing material, which is described in the U.S. Patent 5,025,814 of Raker et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In various embodiments, the filter 114 may increase the structural integrity of the mouthpiece end of the smoking article 100, and / or provide filtering capacity (if necessary), and / or provide resistance to suction. In some embodiments, the filter may include several sections of separation. For example, some embodiments may include a filtration providing section, a resistance to suction providing section, a hollow section providing aerosol cooling space, a better structural integrity providing section, other filter sections, and any of the above sections or any combination. In various other embodiments, there may also be components other than the filter 114 between the mouthpiece end 106 of the tobacco material 110 and the smoking article 100. For example, in some embodiments, one or any combination of the following components may be disposed between the tobacco material 110 and the mouth end 106 of the smoking article 100: an air gap; a hollow tube structure; a phase change material for cooling air; a flavor release medium; an ion exchange fiber capable of selective chemical adsorption; aerogel particles as a filter medium; and other suitable materials. Some examples of possible phase change materials include, but are not limited to: 3 、AlCl 3 、TaCl 3 、InCl 3 SnCl 2 , A1 3 and TiI 4 Salts of; metals and metal alloys such as selenium, tin, indium, tin-zinc, indium-zinc or indium-bismuth; and organic compounds such as D-mannitol, succinic acid, p-nitrobenzoic acid, hydroquinone and adipic acid. Other examples are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,430,106 to Potter et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0055] As mentioned above, in each embodiment, smoking article 100 may include an outer packing 102 that surrounds at least a portion of smoking article 100. In some embodiments, the packaging material of outer packing 102 may include the material of heat transfer resistance, which may include paper or other fibrous materials such as cellulose materials. The packaging material used as the outer packing of the smoking article can be various. The exemplary type of packaging material is described in the United States Patent (USP) 4,938,238 of Barnes et al. and the United States Patent (USP) 5,105,837 of Barnes et al. Packing material such as little Hampl, et al. U.S. Patent Application No. 2005 / 0005947 and Rasouli et al. PCT application WO 2005 / 039326 described in the material can be used as the inner packaging material of so-called " double wrap (double wrap) " structure. An exemplary type of thermally conductive packaging material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,451 to Riggs et al.; other suitable packaging materials are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,776 to Lawson et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,481 to Nichols et al.; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Exemplary packaging materials such as laminates of paper and metal foil, and paper used as outer wrapping for the heating section are included in the types of cigarettes commercially sold by RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company under the trade names "Premier" and "Eclipse". Other representative packaging materials and processed packaging materials suitable for cigarette manufacturing are described in the following patent documents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,930 to Gentry et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,976,493 to Chapman et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,047,982 to Seymour et al.; and U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 377,630 filed by Crooks et al. on March 16, 2006; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Outer packing 102 materials may also include at least one filler material that is embedded or dispersed in the fibrous material. In each embodiment, filler material may have the form of water-insoluble particles. In addition, filler material may also include inorganic components. In each embodiment, outer packing may be formed by multiple layers, such as formed by bottom, body layer and cover layer as the typical wrapping paper in the cigarette. Such materials may include for example lightweight "rag fibers (ragfibers)" such as flax, hemp (hemp), sisal, straw and / or Spanish grass. Outer packing 102 may also include material such as cellulose acetate that is commonly used in the filter element of conventional cigarettes.

[0056] In some embodiments, the outer package 102 may further include a heat source holder 120, which is located at least near the cigarette-lighting end 104 of the smoking article 100. In various embodiments, the heat source holder 120 may surround the heat source 108 at the proximal end 120a of the heat source holder 120 and surround the heat energy absorber 112 at the distal end 120b of the heat source holder 120, such as Figure 2 As shown. In various embodiments, the heat source support 120 may have a certain degree of heat resistance and may be substantially tubular. In some embodiments, the heat source support 120 may support the heat source 108 in a manner such that a heat source 108 of a predetermined length extends from the proximal end of the heat source bracket 120. In certain embodiments, the heat source support 120 may have an outer peripheral wall having a laminated structure and multiple layers. For example, the outer peripheral wall may include one or more laminated layers, metal layers, and paper layers bonded together. In certain embodiments, one or more metal layers may be included in the heat source support 120 so that when the carbon heat source 108 burns and the outer package 102 is heated by the heat of the carbon heat source 108, the one or more metal layers keep the heating temperature of the outer package 102 lower than the burning temperature of the outer package 102. Examples of heat source supports for carbon heat sources are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0317560 to Shinozaki et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0057] Refer again Figure 1 In various embodiments, the smoking article 100 may include a heat source 108 located near the lighting end 104. In certain embodiments, the carbon heat source 108 may include various types of combustible carbonaceous materials. In certain other embodiments, in addition to the combustible carbonaceous materials, the carbon heat source 108 may also include a non-combustible additive. Examples of carbon heat sources are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0317560 to Shinozaki et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In some embodiments, in addition to the combustible carbonaceous materials, the carbon heat source 108 may also incorporate other elements (e.g., tobacco components such as tobacco powder or tobacco extracts; flavorings; salts such as sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and sodium carbonate; aluminum oxide particles; ammonia sources such as ammonia salts; and / or adhesives such as guar gum, ammonium alginate, and sodium alginate).

[0058] The specific dimensions of the carbon heat source 108 may vary, but in some embodiments, the length of the carbon heat source 108 may be within a non-exhaustive range of about 5 mm to about 20 mm, or about 8 mm to about 16 mm, or about 12 mm, and the overall diameter may be within a non-exhaustive range of about 3 mm to about 8 mm. In some embodiments, the carbon heat source 108 may extend from the cigarette lighter end 104 by a predetermined length, such as Figure 1 Refer again Figure 2In some other embodiments, the carbon heat source 108 may extend a predetermined length from the proximal end 120a of the heat source support 120. The predetermined length may vary in some embodiments, and the predetermined length may be within a non-exhaustive range of about 2 mm to about 12 mm, or about 6 mm to about 10 mm, or about 8 mm. The carbon heat source 108 may be made in various ways in other embodiments, but in the embodiments described, the carbon heat source 108 is extruded or compounded by using a ground or powdered carbonaceous material and has a dry weight of greater than about 0.5 g / cm 3 , often greater than about 0.7 g / cm 3 , usually greater than about 1g / cm 3 Density. See, for example, the fuel source components, configurations, and designs described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,451 to Riggs et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,836,897 to Borschke et al., which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The carbon heat source 108 may have various forms in various embodiments, including, for example, a substantially solid cylindrical or hollow cylindrical (such as a tubular shape), but the carbon heat source 108 of the embodiment includes an extruded single crystal carbonaceous material, which is generally cylindrical but with a plurality of air inlets extending longitudinally therethrough. The air inlet holes may have various shapes or substantially the same shape, and in some embodiments, a plurality of air inlet holes may be arranged in a pattern or randomly distributed on the surface of the carbon heat source and extend longitudinally therethrough. In some embodiments, the smoking article 100, in particular the carbon heat source 108, may further include a heat transfer component. In various embodiments, the heat transfer component may be close to the carbon heat source 108, and in some embodiments, the heat transfer component may be located in or within the carbon heat source 108. Some examples of heat transfer components are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 923,735, filed on March 16, 2018, entitled “Smoking Article with Heat Transfer Component,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0059] Typically, the carbon heat source 108 is located close enough to the tobacco material 110 so that the aerosol formed by heating the tobacco material 110 is delivered to the user through the mouthpiece end 106. That is, when the carbon heat source 108 heats the tobacco material 110, the aerosol is formed, released or generated in a physical form suitable for the user to inhale. It should be noted that the above terms are interchangeable, so references to release (release, releasing, releases, released) include formation or generation (form or generate, forming or generating, forms or generates, formed or generated). Specifically, the inhalable substance is released in the form of an aerosol.

[0060] As mentioned above, in some embodiments, smoking article 100 may include tobacco material 110 that is spaced apart from the mouth end 106 of smoking article 100 and is positioned at the downstream of carbon heat source 108. In some embodiments, tobacco material 110 may be in particle form, shredded form or sheet form. In some embodiments, tobacco material may further include one or both of aerosol precursor composition and flavoring agent. Used tobacco material may be various. Can use a kind of tobacco, also can use the combination or mixture of various tobaccos. In addition, different types of tobacco or different tobacco mixtures may be used in different positions in smoking article.

[0061] For example, in some embodiments, the tobacco material used may include or may be derived from tobacco such as: flue-cured tobacco, burley tobacco, oriental tobacco, Maryland tobacco, black tobacco, dark-fired tobacco and Rustica tobacco, as well as other rare or special tobaccos or mixtures thereof. See, for example, the tobacco species described in the following patent literature: U.S. Patent No. 6,730,832 of Dominguez et al.; U.S. Patent No. 7,025,066 of Lawson et al.; U.S. Patent No. 60 / 818,198 filed by Stebbins et al. on June 30, 2006; Each is incorporated herein by reference. Various types of tobacco, planting practices, harvesting practices and baking practices are described in "Tobacco Production, Chemistry and Technology (Tobacco Production, Chemistry and Technology), Davis et al. (Eds.) (1999)". Most preferably, the tobacco used has been properly baked and aged. Particularly preferred techniques and conditions for flue-cured tobacco are described in Nestor et al., "Beitrage Tabakforsch. Int., 20 (2003) 467-475" and Peele, U.S. Pat. No. 6,895,974, which are incorporated herein by reference. Representative techniques and conditions for air-cured tobacco are described in Roton et al., "Beitrage Tabakforsch. Int., 21 (2005) 305-320" and Staaf et al., "Beitrage Tabakforsch. Int., 21 (2005) 321-330", which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0062] The tobacco material incorporated into the smoking article can be used in various forms; and combinations of various forms of tobacco can be used, or different forms of tobacco can be used at different locations within the smoking article. For example, tobacco can be used in the following forms: in the form of cut or shredded tobacco leaves or stems; in a processed form (e.g., reconstituted tobacco sheets, such as reconstituted tobacco sheets cut into the form of cut filler; films incorporating tobacco components; extruded tobacco portions or sheets; expanded tobacco leaves, such as volume expanded cut filler; processed tobacco stem pieces comparable in size and overall appearance to cut filler; granulated tobacco; foamed tobacco material; compressed or granulated tobacco; and the like); as finely divided tobacco pieces (e.g., tobacco dust, tobacco powder, agglomerated tobacco powder, etc.); or in the form of tobacco extracts. See, for example, U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 194,215 filed by Cantrell et al. on August 1, 2005 and U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 377,630 filed by Crooks et al. on March 16, 2006; which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0063] Smoking articles can use tobacco in the form of tobacco leaves and / or tobacco stems. Thus, tobacco can be used in a form and manner that is in many respects almost identical to that traditionally used to make tobacco products such as cigarettes. Traditionally, cut or shredded tobacco leaves and tobacco stems are used as so-called "cut fillers" for cigarette manufacturing. Water-extracted tobacco stems can also be used. Thus, this form of tobacco introduces mass and volume into the smoking article. The manner and methods of baking, stemming, aging, moistening, cutting, rearranging and treating tobacco used as cut fillers are obvious to those skilled in the art of tobacco product manufacturing.

[0064] Processed tobaccos that can be incorporated into smoking articles vary. Methods and methods for providing reconstituted tobacco sheets, including casting and papermaking techniques, are described in the following patent literature: U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,519 to Keritsis et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,484 to Calpp et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,906 to Young et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,854 to Kiernan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,864 to Young et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,097 to Sohn et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,942 to Brinkley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,076 to Brinkley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,838 to Young et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,698 to Litzinger et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,237 to Young; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,707 to Kumar; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Exemplary modes and methods of extruded forms of processed tobacco are provided and described in the following patent literature: U.S. Patent No. 4,821,749 of Toft et al.; U.S. Patent No. 4,880,018 of Graves, Jr. et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,072,744 of Luke et al.; U.S. Patent No. 4,874,000 of Tamol et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,551,450 of Hemsley; U.S. Patent No. 5,649,552 of Cho et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,829,453 of White; U.S. Patent No. 6,125,855 of Nevett et al.; and U.S. Patent No. 6,182,670 of White; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Extruded tobacco material can have forms such as cylindrical, linear, disc-shaped. Exemplary expanded tobacco (e.g., puffed tobacco) can be provided using the type of technology described in the following patent documents: U.S. Patent Re 32,013 to de la Burde et al.; U.S. Patent 3,771,533 to Armstrong et al.; U.S. Patent 4,577,646 to Ziehn; U.S. Patent 4,962,773 to White; U.S. Patent 5,095,922 to Johnson et al.; U.S. Patent 5,143,096 to Steinberg; U.S. Patent 5,172,707 to Zambelli; U.S. Patent 5,249,588 to Brown et al.; U.S. Patent 5,687,748 to Conrad; U.S. Patent 5,908,032 to Poindexter; and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004 / 0182404 to Poindexter et al.; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. A particularly preferred expanded tobacco is dry ice expanded tobacco (DIET).Exemplary forms of processed tobacco stems include shredded stems, expanded stems, puffed stems, and shredded-steam expanded stems. Exemplary ways and methods of providing processed tobacco stems are described in the following patent documents: U.S. Patent No. 4,195,646 to Kite et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,873,372 to Honeycutt et al.; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Ways and methods of using tobacco dust are described in the following patent documents: U.S. Patent No. 4,341,228 to Keritsis et al.; U.S. Patent No. 4,611,608 to Vos et al.; U.S. Patent No. 4,706,692 to Gellatly et al.; and U.S. Patent No. 5,724,998 to Gellatly et al.; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other types of processed tobacco are described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006 / 0162733 to McGrath et al.

[0065] Tobacco can be used in blended form. Typically, various types and forms of tobacco blends are provided in the form of blended cut tobacco fillers. For example, popular tobacco blends for certain cigarette manufacturing, often referred to as "American blends", include a mixture of slices or pieces of flue-cured, burley, and oriental tobacco; in many cases, such blends also contain processed tobacco, such as processed tobacco stems, volume expanded tobacco, and / or reconstituted tobacco. The exact amount of each type or form of tobacco in the tobacco blend used to make a particular smoking article may vary and is a design choice that depends on factors such as the desired sensory properties (e.g., flavor and smell). See, for example, "Tobacco Encyclopedia, Voges (Ed.) p. 44-45 (1984), Browne, The Design of Cigarettes, 3rd Ed., p. 43 (1990)" and "Tobacco Production, Chemistry and Technology, Davis et al. (Eds.) p. 346 (1999)". See also the representative types of tobacco blends described in the following patent documents: U.S. Patent 4,836,224 to Lawson et al.; U.S. Patent 4,924,888 to Perfetti et al.; U.S. Patent 5,056,537 to Brown et al.; U.S. Patent 5,220,930 to Gentry; U.S. Application Publication No. 2004 / 0255965 to Perfetti et al.; U.S. Application Publication No. 2005 / 0066986 to Nestor et al.; PCT Application Publication No. WO 02 / 37990 to Bereman; and "Fund. Appl. Toxicol., 39, p. 11-17 (1997)" by Bombick et al.; each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0066] Some processed tobacco can contain the component beyond tobacco. However, it is preferred that processed tobacco is mainly composed of tobacco of some form based on the dry weight of these processed tobaccos. That is, most of the dry weight of these processed tobaccos and most of the weight of the mixture containing these processed tobaccos (comprising the blend of material or containing the material of adding or mixing additive therein) are provided by tobacco of some form. For example, these materials can be the processed tobacco mixed with a small amount of non-tobacco filling material (such as calcium carbonate particles, sponge or absorbent material, carbonaceous material including carbon particles and graphite fiber, grain or wood pulp) and / or adhesive (such as guar gum, sodium alginate or ammonium alginate); and / or the blend of these materials can be mixed with tobacco substitute or filler (extender). The exemplary kind of tobacco substitute or filler is described in U.S. Patent Application 11 / 489,334 submitted by Fagg et al. on July 19, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference. The above materials and blends incorporating these materials are based on dry weight, based on tobacco, non-tobacco filler materials, and non-tobacco substitutes or fillers, and often contain more than about 70% tobacco, often more than about 80% tobacco, and usually more than about 90% tobacco. However, these processed tobaccos can also be made almost entirely of tobacco without containing any non-tobacco fillers, substitutes or fillers.

[0067] Tobacco can be treated with tobacco additives commonly used in the manufacture of tobacco products. These additives may include materials used to enhance the flavor and smell of tobacco used to produce cigars, cigarettes, pipes, etc. For example, these additives may include various cigarette additives and / or surface flavoring ingredients. For example, see the following patent documents: U.S. Patent 3,419,015 of Wochnowski; U.S. Patent 4,054,145 of Berndt et al.; U.S. Patent 4,887,619 of Burcham, Jr. et al.; U.S. Patent 5,022,416 of Watson; U.S. Patent 5,103,842 of Strang et al.; and U.S. Patent 5,711,320 of Martin. Preferred additive materials include water, sugar and syrup (e.g., sucrose, glucose and high fructose corn syrup), humectants (e.g., glycerol or propylene glycol) and flavoring agents (e.g., cocoa and licorice). These added ingredients also include surface flavorings (e.g., flavoring materials such as menthol). For example, see U.S. Patent 4,449,541 of Mays et al. Additives can also be added to tobacco using the equipment type described in Lettau's U.S. Patent 4,995,405, or the menthol application system (Menthol Application System) MAS purchased from Kohl Maschinenbau GmbH. The selection of specific additives and surface flavoring ingredients depends on factors such as the desired sensory properties, and the selection and use of these ingredients are obvious to technicians in the field of cigarette design and manufacturing. See Gutcho, Tobacco Flavoring Substances and Methods (grass flavoring substances and methods), Noyes Data Corp. (1972) and Leffingwell et al. Tobacco Flavoring for Smoking Products (tobacco flavoring for smoking products) (1972). Tobacco can also be treated, for example, with ammonia or ammonium hydroxide, or treated otherwise to incorporate ammonia (for example, by adding an ammonia salt such as diammonium phosphate). Preferably, the amount of ammonia optionally incorporated into the smokable tobacco is less than about 5% based on the dry weight of the tobacco, typically about 1% to about 3%.

[0068] Tobacco can be incorporated into smoking articles in forms other than tobacco filler. For example, tobacco leaves and / or reconstituted tobacco leaves can be used as wrappers containing tobacco components in the form of cigars, or inner wrappers of double-layer wrapper tobacco rods. Alternatively, processed tobacco such as certain reconstituted tobacco can be used as longitudinally extending cigarette strands. For example, see the construction types described in Raker's U.S. Patent No. 5,025,814, which is incorporated herein by reference. In addition, certain reconstituted tobacco sheets can be formed, rolled or collected into a desired shape. In addition, segments or sheets (e.g., silk, tubes, cylinders, particles, etc.) containing tobacco materials that are molded, compressed or extruded can be incorporated into smoking articles. For example, see the following patent documents: Sudoh's U.S. Patent No. 4,836,225; White's U.S. Patent No. 4,893,639to; Kuriyama et al.'s U.S. Patent No. 4,972,855; and Edwards's U.S. Patent No. 5,293,883, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. If necessary, the finely ground tobacco or tobacco dust can be incorporated into other processed tobaccos such as extrudate formulations, reconstituted tobacco sheets, etc. In addition, the finely ground tobacco or tobacco dust can be included on a substrate such as a film or screen. If necessary, at least a portion of the tobacco can be heat-treated before being used in a smoking article (e.g., in the form of concentrated volatiles, concentrated tobacco smoke components, etc., collected after the tobacco is heated, dried at high temperature, baked, or pre-pyrolyzed).

[0069] Various ways and methods of incorporating tobacco into smoking articles, especially into smoking articles designed not to intentionally burn substantially all of the tobacco in such smoking articles, are described in the following patent literature: U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005 / 0016549 to Banerjee et al.; and U.S. Patent Application Nos. 11 / 194,215 filed August 1, 2005 to Cantrell et al. and 11 / 377,630 filed March 16, 2006 to Crooks et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. In addition, tobacco has been commercially marketed in cigarettes marketed by RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company under the brand names "Premier" and "Eclipse". See, for example, the types of cigarettes described in the following documents: "Chemical and Biological Studies on New Cigarette Prototypes that Heat Instead of Burn Tobacco, RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company Monograph (1988)", and "Inhalation Toxicology, 12:5, p.1-58 (2000)". Cigarettes commercially marketed by Philip Morris Inc. under the brand name "Accord" also incorporate tobacco.

[0070] As mentioned above, in some embodiments, tobacco material 110 may also include an aerosol precursor composition. In certain embodiments, an aerosol precursor composition may include glycerol or propylene glycol. Preferred aerosol forming materials include polyols (such as glycerol, propylene glycol and triethylene glycol) and / or water, and any other material producing a visible aerosol, and any combination thereof. Representative types of aerosol forming materials are described in the following patent literature: U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,365 by Sensabaugh et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,839 by Jakob et al.; PCT patent application disclosure WO 98 / 57556 by Biggs et al.; and Chemical and Biological Studies on New Cigarette Prototypes that HeatInstead of Burn Tobacco (chemical and biological studies on new cigarette prototypes that heat instead of burning tobacco), RJReynolds Tobacco Company Monograph (RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company Monograph) (1988), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other representative types of aerosol precursor ingredients and formulations are also described in the following documents: U.S. Patent 7,726,320 to Robinson et al.; U.S. Patent 8,881,737 to Collett et al.; U.S. Patent 9,254,002 to Chong et al.; U.S. Patent Publication 2013 / 0008457 to Zheng et al.; U.S. Patent Publication 2015 / 0020823 to Lipowicz et al.; and U.S. Patent Publication 2015 / 0020830 to Koller and WO 2014 / 182736 to Bowen et al., the disclosures of which are all incorporated herein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that may be used include aerosol precursors incorporated into the following products: RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company's Products, BLU by Fontem Ventures BV TMProducts include MISTIC MENTHOL products from MISTIC Ecigs, MARK TEN products from Nu MARK LLC, JUUL products from JUUL Labs, Inc., and VYPE products from British American Tobacco. Also available are electronic cigarettes called "smoke juices," which can be purchased from Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC. Still more examples of aerosol precursor ingredients are sold under the following brand names: BLACK NOTE, COSMIC FOG, THE MILKMAN E-LIQUID, FIVE PAWNS, THE VAPORCHEF, VAPE WILD, BOOSTED, THE STEAM FACTORY, MECH SAUCE, CASEY JONES MAINLINERESERVE, MITTEN VAPORS, DR. CRIMMY'S V-LIQUID, SMILEY E LIQUID, BEANTOWN VAPOR, CUTTWOOD, CYCLOPS VAPOR, SICBOY, GOOD LIFE VAPOR, TELEOS, PINUP VAPORS, SPACE JAM, MT. BAKER VAPOR, and JIMMY THE JUICE MAN. Embodiments of effervescent materials used with aerosol precursor compositions are described, for example, in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012 / 0055494 to Hunt et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In addition, the use of effervescent materials is also described, for example, in the following patent documents: U.S. Patent No. 4,639,368 to Niazi et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,178,878 to Wehling et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,223,264 to Wehling et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,974,590 to Pather et al.; U.S. Patent No. 7,381,667 to Bergquist et al.; U.S. Patent No. 8,424,541 to Crawford et al.; U.S. Patent No. 8,627,828 to Strickland et al.; U.S. Patent No. 9,307,787 to Sun et al.; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0018539 to Brinkley et al. and PCT WO97 / 06786 to Johnson et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.Additional descriptions of embodiments of aerosol precursor compositions, including descriptions of tobacco or tobacco-derived components included therein, are provided in U.S. Patent Application Publications 2018 / 0020722 and 2018 / 0020723 to Davis et al., which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0071] As previously mentioned, tobacco material 110 can also include flavorings.As used herein, " flavorings (flavorant) " refers to can be atomized and pass to the user and give the compound or composition of taste and / or smell aspect sensory experience.Some examples of flavorings include but are not limited to: vanillin, ethyl vanillin, cream, tea, coffee, fruit (for example apple, cherry, strawberry, peach and citrus flavor including lime and lemon), maple, menthol, peppermint, mint, spearmint, wintergreen, nutmeg, clove, lavender, cardamom, ginger, honey, fennel, sage, rosemary, hibiscus, rose hip, mate, wintergreen tea, honey tree tea, black leaf tea, Paraguayan tea, Bacopa monnieri, Ginkgo biloba, Somnifera somnifera, cinnamon, sandalwood, jasmine, bitter fragrant peel, cocoa, liquorice, and are generally used for cigarette, cigar and pipe tobacco are seasoned with flavoring and seasoning packaging.Syrup such as high fructose corn syrup can also be used. Some examples of applicable plant-derived compositions are recorded in U.S. Patent No. 9,107,453 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0152265 of Dube et al., and the disclosures thereof are all incorporated herein by reference. The selection of this further included component depends on various factors, such as the organoleptic properties required for smoking articles, their affinity to tobacco materials, their solubility and other physicochemical properties. The disclosure is intended to cover any such further included components that are obvious to the technicians in the field of tobacco and tobacco-related or tobacco-derived products. See, for example, the following documents: "Gutcho, Tobacco Flavoring Substances and Methods (tobacco flavoring substances and methods), Noyes Data Corp. (1972)" and "Tobacco Flavoring for Smoking Products (tobacco flavoring agents for tobacco products) (1972)" of Leffingwell et al., which are all incorporated herein by reference. It should be noted that reference to flavoring agents should not be limited to any single flavoring agent mentioned above, and can actually represent a combination of one or more flavoring agents.

[0072] As described above, in some embodiments, the smoking article 100 may include a thermal energy absorber 112 at least partially located between the tobacco material 110 and the carbon heat source 108. In various embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may be selected from metals and ceramics. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may be aluminum (Al) or aluminum oxide (Al2O3). 2 O3 ) material. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may include any metal, ceramic, or other suitable material having a specific heat capacity of about 0.1 kJ / kg K to about 3 kJ / kg K, or preferably about 0.5 kJ / kg K to about 2 kJ / kg K, or more preferably about 0.75 kJ / kg K to about 1 kJ / kg K. The specific properties of materials suitable for use as thermal energy absorbers in the present disclosure may vary in specific embodiments. Suitable materials for use as thermal energy absorbers in the present disclosure may include, but are not limited to, materials having properties such as high thermal stability, suitable specific heat capacity, or high thermal conductivity. In addition, suitable materials for use as thermal energy absorbers in the present disclosure may be non-toxic and harmless materials with minimal negative health effects.

[0073] In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber of the present disclosure may be configured to promote the uniform distribution of heated air through tobacco materials. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may be configured to reduce the peak temperature of the smoking article by about 50°C to about 500°C. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may be configured to reduce the peak temperature of the smoking article by at least about 50°C, or at least about 100°C, or at least about 150°C, or at least about 200°C, or at least about 250°C, or at least about 300°C, or at least about 350°C, or at least about 400°C, or at least about 450°C, or at least about 500°C. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may be configured to provide an average peak temperature of less than about 500°C, or less than about 450°C, or less than about 400°C, or less than about 350°C, or less than about 300°C, or less than about 250°C, or less than about 200°C, or less than about 150°C in the smoking article.

[0074] In various embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may be configured to minimize the reduction of the total particulate matter (TPM) released during smoking of the smoking article. Advantageously, the thermal energy absorber of the present disclosure may be configured to make the TPM release during smoking of the smoking article with the thermal energy absorber similar to that of the smoking article without the thermal energy absorber, thereby producing a visual aerosol with visual properties similar to those of traditional smoking articles, while having the additional advantages of the thermal energy absorber. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may be configured to maintain a net pressure drop of about -20 mmHg to about 20 mmHg, or about -10 mmHg to about 10 mmHg, or about 0 mmHg in the smoking article during smoking, compared to a control sample of the smoking article without the thermal energy absorber. Advantageously, the thermal energy absorber of the present disclosure may be configured to provide substantially the same pressure drop in the smoking article with the thermal energy absorber compared to the smoking article without the thermal energy absorber, thereby maintaining the same resistance to suction for the user, while having the additional advantages of the thermal energy absorber.

[0075] In one or more embodiments, the thermal energy absorber can be in the form of one or more disks. In some embodiments, one or more disks can also include porous or non-porous materials. In this regard, Figure 3 The heat absorber 112 is shown in the form of a disk including a plurality of holes 130 extending longitudinally therethrough. In some embodiments, the diameter of the disk may be from about 5 mm to about 9 mm, or from about 6 mm to about 8 mm, or about 7 mm. In certain embodiments, the thickness of the disk may be from about 0.1 to about 4 mm, or from about 1 to about 3 mm, or about 2 mm. The heat absorber in various embodiments may have a variety of geometric shapes and design parameters, including, for example, substantially spherical or triangular shapes, but Figure 3 The illustrated thermal energy absorber 112 generally has a cylindrical disk shape with a plurality of holes that are substantially similar in size and evenly spaced across the disk, although the holes may vary in size and / or spacing. In various other embodiments, the plurality of holes 130 may be irregularly shaped, randomly distributed, distributed in a pattern, or distributed in any other configuration that allows air to flow through the thermal energy absorber. In some embodiments, the diameter of a single hole may be from about 0.1 to about 1 mm, or from about 0.2 mm to about 0.5 mm. Figure 3 The heat energy absorber shown is manufactured using additive manufacturing technology, which is used to accurately manufacture an aluminum oxide disc with a diameter of 6.58mm and a thickness of 1.5mm. In the described embodiment, a plurality of holes 130 are evenly distributed over the entire disc, so that the heated air is evenly distributed to the downstream tobacco material. In each other embodiment, one or more discs may have enough porosity, thereby not requiring a plurality of holes in one or more discs. For example, in such embodiments, one or more discs may comprise metal or ceramic material, which has enough porosity, thereby providing a lower pressure drop than the maximum pressure drop limit in such smoking article in the smoking article. Porosity may be in the range of macro porosity to nano porosity. In addition, this porous metal or ceramic material may be in the form of a foam.

[0076] In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber 112 may be in the form of multiple particles. In various embodiments, the particles may be substantially spherical or irregular. In some embodiments, the shape of the particles may vary, for example, the particles may be substantially in the shape of a sphere, a cube, a cylinder, or any other suitable three-dimensional shape. In certain embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may include about 5 to about 500 particles, or about 7 to about 300 particles, or about 10 to about 100 particles, or about 12 to about 30 particles, or preferably about 15 to about 20 particles. In certain embodiments, the diameter of the particles may be about 0.1 mm to about 5 mm, or about 0.5 mm to about 4 mm, or about 1 mm to about 3 mm, or about 2 mm. In some embodiments, especially those with a greater total number of particles, the diameter of the particles may be less than about 0.1 mm, or less than about 0.05 mm, or less than about 0.01 mm, or less than about 0.005 mm. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber 112 in the form of multiple particles can be configured so that the number of particles in the multiple particles gradually decreases as the particles are farther away from the heat source 108. For example, in some embodiments, the packing density of the thermal energy absorber particles can be the highest near the heat source and the lowest at the farthest distance from the heat source. Therefore, in some embodiments, the packing density of the thermal energy absorber particles can be inversely proportional to the distance of the particles from the heat source. In some embodiments, this inverse relationship can further provide a uniform distribution of heat through tobacco material. In each other embodiment, the thermal energy absorber can be in the shape of a hollow sphere. In some embodiments, the hollow part of the hollow sphere can be filled with paraffin, wax or any other suitable phase change material. For example, the hollow sphere of this embodiment can change the thermal properties of the thermal energy absorber with reduced mass.

[0077] like Figure 4 As shown, in a particular embodiment, the smoking article 100 of the present disclosure may include a plurality of heat energy absorbers 112, which may have substantially the same form or may exist in substantially different forms. Figure 4 As shown, the thermal energy absorber 112 may include one or more first thermal energy absorbing components 112a in the form of a disk, and may include a second thermal energy absorbing component 112b in the form of a single particle or multiple particles (e.g., substantially spherical particles). In this embodiment, the first component 112a may be located between the tobacco material 110 and the carbon heat source 108, and the second component 112b may be mixed into the tobacco material 110. In some embodiments, the second component 112b may be configured such that the number of particles in the multiple particles gradually decreases as the particles are farther from the heat source 108.

[0078] In various other embodiments, the present disclosure provides a method for reducing overheating in a smoking article, the method comprising: providing a smoking article comprising a carbon heat source, a tobacco material, a thermal energy absorber, and an outer wrapper material surrounding at least a portion of the smoking article, wherein the smoking article is defined by an upstream lighting end and a downstream mouthpiece end; and placing the thermal energy absorber at least partially between the tobacco material and the carbon heat source to reduce the peak temperature of the smoking article by about 25°C to 75°C to about 475°C to 525°C when the carbon heat source is ignited. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber prepared according to the present method can be configured to reduce the peak temperature of the smoking article by at least about 50°C, or at least about 100°C, or at least about 150°C, or at least about 200°C, or at least about 250°C, or at least about 300°C, or at least about 350°C, or at least about 400°C, or at least about 450°C, or at least about 500°C. In some embodiments, the thermal energy absorber may be configured to provide an average peak temperature in the smoking article of less than about 500°C, or less than about 450°C, or less than about 400°C, or less than about 350°C, or less than about 300°C, or less than about 250°C, or less than about 200°C, or less than about 150°C. In some embodiments, the method of the present disclosure may further include providing a thermal energy absorber configured to enhance uniform distribution of heated air through the smoking article. In some embodiments, the method of the present disclosure may further include providing a filter material located near the downstream mouthpiece end of the smoking article.

[0079] Through the teachings presented in the above description and the related drawings, those skilled in the art can think of many changes and other embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and its changes and other embodiments should be included in the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are used in this article, these terms are used only in a general and descriptive sense and are not intended to constitute limitations.

[0080] Example

[0081] In order to study the performance of the thermal energy absorber described herein, samples of two different types of heat-not-burn cigarettes (hereinafter referred to as "HNB1" and "HNB2") were prepared and tested according to the following method.

[0082] HNB1 samples were handmade using 13mm x 27mm tipping patches that combined tobacco bead segments and tobacco rod segments. The heat absorber was embedded between the tobacco bead segments and the tobacco rod segments. A dual filter system was used in these samples, with a CA filter of 14mm in length and a HAT filter of 7mm in length. In total, 31 samples were prepared according to this method, as listed below:

[0083] 5 HNB1 control samples

[0084] 5 HNB1 samples with aluminum trays

[0085] 3 HNB1 samples with alumina ceramic discs,

[0086] 3 HNB1 samples with 10 aluminum balls

[0087] 3 HNB1 samples with 15 aluminum balls

[0088] 3 HNB1 samples with 20 aluminum balls

[0089] 3 HNB1 samples with 10 ceramic alumina balls

[0090] 3 HNB1 samples with 15 ceramic alumina balls

[0091] 3 HNB1 samples with 20 ceramic alumina balls

[0092] The HNB2 sample was prepared using a handmade smoking article comprising a 12 mm carbon end (extending 8 mm from the paper wrapper), 13 mm of base tobacco material (leaf filled with glycerin) behind the carbon end (covered with aluminum foil), a 37 mm tobacco rod (optionally filled with glycerin), and a 14 mm cellulose acetate filter followed by a 7 mm hollow acetate tube. The HNB2 sample was then modified by making a straight cut (about 4 mm in depth) in the tobacco rod between the carbon heater and the base tobacco section at 12 mm (heat source length) from the lit end of the tobacco rod using a utility knife. Next, a thermal energy absorber was placed in the cut behind the heat source. Subsequently, the straight cut was wrapped with 13 mm x 27 mm tipping paper and the paper was glued to the rod to block any air gaps. In total, 76 samples were prepared according to this method, as listed below:

[0093] 10 HNB2 reference samples

[0094] 3 HNB2 samples with aluminum trays

[0095] 3 HNB2 samples with ceramic alumina disks,

[0096] 3 HNB2 samples with 5 aluminum balls

[0097] 3 HNB2 samples with 8 aluminum balls

[0098] 3 HNB2 samples with 10 aluminum balls

[0099] 10 HNB2 samples with 15 aluminum balls

[0100] 10 HNB2 samples with 18 aluminum balls

[0101] 10 HNB2 samples with 20 aluminum balls

[0102] 3 HNB2 samples with 5 ceramic alumina balls

[0103] 3 HNB2 samples with 7 ceramic alumina balls

[0104] 3 HNB2 samples with 10 ceramic alumina balls

[0105] 3 HNB2 reference samples containing menthol

[0106] 3 samples of HNB2 with menthol and 15 aluminum balls

[0107] 3 samples of HNB2 with menthol and 18 aluminum balls

[0108] 3 samples of HNB2 with menthol and 20 aluminum balls

[0109] Example 1

[0110] Average peak temperature distribution of the best candidate HNB1 and HNB2 samples with thermal energy absorbers ( Figure 5 )

[0111] Thermal analysis experiments were performed on all HNB1 and HNB2 samples to provide temperature distribution along the tobacco rod. A 0.50 mm hole was drilled at two locations of the tobacco rod, 15 mm and 24 mm from the lit end, using a hypodermic needle. Next, a 0.26 mm diameter K-type thermocouple (manufactured by Omega Engineering, Norwalk, CT) was inserted into the hole and sealed with a small amount of mounting glue (20009766 glue). The insertion depth of the thermocouple was approximately 3.5 mm, which positioned the thermocouple head near the centerline of the tobacco rod. The HNB1 and HNB2 samples were fixed on a custom maze holder of conventional design. The "smoking" behavior was achieved by a custom smoking machine equipped with an MDrivePlus 17 stepper motor manufactured by Schneider Electric Motion USA. The stepper motor was programmed for the specific puffing scheme described below. Digital control of piston movement is enabled using a stepper motor. Finally, IntelliLogger (Logic Beach, La Mesa, CA) was used to handle data collection, and HyperWare II software (Logic Beach, La Mesa, CA) was used to transfer the data to a computer for further analysis.

[0112] HNB1 and HNB2 samples containing the following components were tested: a round aluminum disk; a round ceramic aluminum oxide disk; 5, 8, 10, 15, 18 and 20 aluminum balls; and 5, 7, 10, 15, 18 and 20 ceramic aluminum oxide balls. All products were smoked using a custom smoking machine, with 19 puffs of 55 mL puffs, and the puffs lasted for two seconds. The first three puffs were considered to be cigarette-lighting puffs, which were basically performed from the rear end to the back. The puff interval between the first and second puffs and the second and third puffs was about 3 seconds. Before the first puff, the heat source was preheated for about 1 second using an electric lighter (Borgwaldt electric lighter R29), and the cigarette-lighting contact was maintained between the lighter head and the heat source until the second puff was completed. The third puff was taken as the lighter left the heat source. After the third puff, the interval between the start of subsequent puffs was maintained at 30 seconds. The temperature of the tobacco core (centerline of the tobacco rod) with a length of 15 mm and 24 mm was measured by thermocouples, and a temperature distribution was generated based on the data detected by the IntelliLogger.

[0113] The peak temperature in each puff was determined and referred to as the "peak temperature" of the puff. Samples demonstrating a maximum temperature (taken at 15 mm) 100°C to 300°C lower than the HNB2 control sample were selected as the "best" candidates for high performance. Based on the testing, HNB2 samples with 15, 18, and 20 aluminum balls were selected as the best candidates. Figure 5 As shown, the average peak temperature distribution is reported based on the testing of a control HNB2 rod without aluminum balls and HNB2 rods with 15, 18, and 20 aluminum balls. The peak temperature of the HNB2 rod sample with 18 aluminum balls dropped the most during smoking (over 300°C); however, all three sample rods had a decrease in peak temperature compared to the control sample.

[0114] Example 2

[0115] Average pressure drop data of the best candidate HNB1 and HNB2 samples with thermal energy absorbers ( Figure 6 )

[0116] In order to accurately compare two tobacco rods containing different tobacco types or ingredients, it is necessary to evaluate and compare the average pressure drop along the tobacco rod. The air pressure drop is proportional to the resistance to air draw required to draw the aerosol through the tobacco rod and filter. It is known that the pressure drop and draw resistance of a cigarette directly affect the performance of the cigarette when smoked. The pressure drop device in the Quality Test Module (QTM) device was used to measure the air pressure drop of the samples. The QTM provides the dilution percentage and pressure drop in the filter, measured and reported separately with the dilution hole open and the dilution hole closed. The dilution hole in the QTM test is prepared using a laser perforated component that cuts a hole in the side of the tobacco rod downstream of the carbon end. For closed-cell testing of the samples, the dilution hole is covered when the QTM is tested to allow air to enter the sample only from the carbon end. For open-cell testing of the samples, the dilution hole is uncovered when the QTM is tested to allow air to enter the sample through both the carbon end and the dilution hole. The QTM has a suction speed of 17.5 cm per second. 3 QTM also provides other physical characteristics of the sample including rod weight and rod circumference.

[0117] Specifically, in Figure 6 In the present invention, the candidate samples that were considered to exhibit the best performance in the temperature analysis described in Example 1 were subjected to pressure drop analysis. The samples tested included HNB2 samples with 15, 18 and 20 aluminum balls and a HNB2 control sample for comparison. Figure 6 As shown, pressure drop data are reported for both open cell and closed cell tests based on testing of a control HNB2 rod and an HNB2 rod with 15 aluminum balls, an HNB2 rod with 18 aluminum balls, and an HNB2 rod with 20 aluminum balls. Figure 6 As shown, compared with the control sample of HNB2 cigarette rod without aluminum balls, the average pressure drop of HNB2 cigarette rod with aluminum balls is -5mmHg to 10mmHg. It is observed that the pressure drop in the HNB2 control sample is basically similar to that of the best candidate HNB2 sample. This confirms that the addition of the thermal energy absorber does not significantly affect the pressure drop of the HNB2 sample and cause the user to experience a change in product performance caused by the draw resistance caused by the change in pressure drop.

[0118] Example 3

[0119] Total particulate matter released by the best candidate HNB1 and HNB2 samples with thermal energy absorbers ( Figure 7 )

[0120] The total particulate matter (TPM) released during smoking of a smoking article affects the visibility of the aerosol produced thereby. For example, a reduction in the TPM released during smoking of a smoking article reduces the visibility of the aerosol produced by the smoking article.

[0121] The TPM analysis experiment was carried out using a custom smoking machine described in Example 1. The smoking machine was programmed to provide a 50 / 30 / 3 puffing scheme (50 ml puffing volume / 30 seconds puffing frequency / 3 seconds puffing duration) and was used to quantify the total particulate matter (TPM) during smoking of the tested sample. A Cambridge filter pad with a diameter of 44 mm was placed in a pad holder and its initial mass was weighed. The pad holder was then connected to the smoking machine and the sample was inserted. 12 puffs were taken for each sample. Subsequently, the filter pad was removed from the pad holder and the final mass was measured using a high-precision balance. The difference between the mass of the filter pad before and after each test produced an overall TPM value, and the average of 12 puffs was taken to calculate the mass mg / puff (puff) of each puff of each tested sample.

[0122] like Figure 7 As shown, the samples tested included HNB2 samples with 15, 18 and 20 aluminum balls and a HNB2 control sample for comparison. Figure 7 As shown, the TPM values ​​of the HNB2 control sample, the HNB2 sample with 15 aluminum balls, the HNB2 sample with 18 aluminum balls, and the HNB2 sample with 20 aluminum balls are 1.58, 1.17, 1.00, and 1.00 mg / puff, respectively. Figure 7 As shown, the results show that the TPM values ​​obtained for the HNB2 control samples are only slightly higher than the TPM obtained for the HNB2 samples with thermal energy absorbers. It is also important to note that the observed TPM values ​​are inversely proportional to the number of aluminum balls loaded into the HNB2 tobacco rods. Therefore, these samples have the least impact on the amount of visible aerosol generated with fewer aluminum balls, while also reducing the burning of tobacco rod components. The test also confirmed that the HNB2 sample with 15 aluminum balls provided the best combination of the smallest reduction in TPM value and the greatest reduction in the burning of tobacco rod components.

Claims

1. A smoking article comprising: an outer wrapper surrounding at least a portion of the smoking article; Tobacco materials; a filter positioned downstream of the tobacco material and adjacent the mouth end of the smoking article; as well as a heat energy absorber configured such that at least a portion of the heat energy absorber is mixed into the tobacco material; wherein the thermal energy absorber is in the form of multiple particles, and the multiple particles are at least partially mixed into the tobacco material; wherein the smoking article is configured to generate a visible aerosol, and the thermal energy absorber is configured to reduce the peak temperature of the smoking article by 50°C to 500°C.

2. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein The tobacco material also comprises one or more of a tobacco extract, an aerosol precursor composition, and a flavorant.

3. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein: The tobacco material is in one or more pulverized forms or granulated forms.

4. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein: The thermal energy absorber comprises a metal material.

5. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein: The thermal energy absorber comprises a ceramic material.

6. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein: The thermal energy absorber is configured to distribute heat to the tobacco material.

7. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein: The thickness of the heat absorber is 0.1 mm.

8. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein: The filter comprises a plurality of separate segments.

9. The smoking article of claim 8, wherein: At least one of the plurality of separation segments is hollow.

10. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein: The smoking article is defined by an upstream lighting end and a downstream mouthend end.

11. The smoking article of claim 10, wherein: The smoking article also includes a carbon heat source located near the lighting end.

12. The smoking article of claim 11, wherein: The carbon heat source has a plurality of air inlet holes extending longitudinally therethrough.

13. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein: The thermal energy absorber is configured to enhance even distribution of heated air through the tobacco material.

14. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein: The thermal energy absorber is in the form of multiple particles.

15. The smoking article of claim 14, wherein: The particles are substantially spherical.

16. The smoking article of claim 14, wherein: The thermal energy absorber contains 3 to 500 particles.

17. The smoking article of claim 15, wherein: The particles have a diameter of 0.005 mm to 5 mm.

18. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein: The thermal energy absorber includes a material with a specific heat capacity of 0.1 kJ / kg K to 3 kJ / kg K.

19. A method of reducing overheating in a smoking article, the method comprising: Providing a smoking article comprising a carbon heat source, a tobacco material, a thermal energy absorber, and an outer wrapper surrounding at least a portion of the smoking article, wherein the smoking article is configured to generate a visible aerosol, the smoking article being defined by an upstream lighting end and a downstream mouthpiece end, wherein the thermal energy absorber is in the form of multiple particles at least partially mixed into the tobacco material; and A thermal energy absorber is at least partially positioned between the tobacco material and the carbon heat source to reduce the peak temperature of the smoking article by 50° C. to 500° C. when the carbon heat source is ignited.

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