Tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function and cooling method

Abstract

A tobacco cigarette having a partitioned cooling function, comprising: a tobacco segment (1), a supporting segment (2), a cooling segment (3), and a filtering segment (4). Packaging paper (5) wraps surfaces of the tobacco segment (1), the supporting segment (2), the cooling segment (3), and the filtering segment (4), so as to connect these segments. The cooling segment (3) is of a hollow structure and is provided with partition walls (3.3) in an axial direction. The partition walls (3.3) divide the cooling segment (3) into a central zone and side surface zones in a radial direction. Air holes (3.1) communicating the side surface zones with the outer surface of the packaging paper (5) are further formed in an outer wall (3.2) of the cooling segment (3) in the radial direction. The cooling segment (3) undergoes partitioned cooling while introducing room temperature air through the air holes (3.1), thereby effectively reducing the surface temperature of the cooling segment (3).

Description

[0001] This application claims the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 202310995086.5, filed to CNIPA on August 8, 2023, entitled "Tobacco Cigarette Having Partitioned Cooling Function and Cooling Method", which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of cigarette technology, and more specifically relates to a novel tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function and cooling method.Background

[0003] The aerosols generated from cigarette articles typically carry a certain amount of heat. Aerosols with high temperatures usually need to be cooled down through the cooling section of the filter during the smoking process to reach a suitable temperature for consumers to inhale.

[0004] However, the heat exchange of aerosols in the cooling section must be accompanied during this cooling process. Due to the inherent high temperature of the aerosols, the temperature of the cooling section will be increased during the heat exchange process. This will cause the surface temperature of the cooling section to approach the aerosol temperature, reducing the cooling effect. Meanwhile, during inhalation, the consumer's lip mucosa comes into direct contact with the cooling section of the cigarette filter, leading to a burning sensation on the lips. This sensation is particularly pronounced during prolonged or heavy puffing.

[0005] In the prior art, perforations are made on the filter surface to introduce ambient air. The high-temperature aerosol mixes with ambient air introduced through the perforations, effectively reducing the temperature upon entering the mouth. However, high-temperature accumulation still occurs on the surface of the cooling section. Therefore, optimizing and improving the cooling section of the cigarette structure to reduce its surface temperature during smoking process is a big challenge in this field.Summary

[0006] In the prior art, during the smoking process of a cigarette, high-temperature aerosol in the cooling section is mixed with ambient air, which causes localized accumulation of heat within the cooling section. As a result, the surface temperature of the cooling section becomes relatively high, leading to discomfort perceived by consumers during smoking and thereby adversely affecting the smoking experience. Accordingly, the present application provides a tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function. Through structural design of the cooling section, the surface temperature of the cooling section during smoking can be effectively reduced and maintained at a lower level.

[0007] The present invention provides the following embodiments: A tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function comprises a tobacco segment, a support segment, a cooling segment, a filter segment, and a wrapping paper configured to wrap and connect these segments.

[0008] The tobacco segment is filled with an aerosol-generating material and is connected to the support segment.

[0009] The support segment comprises an axially extending hollow structure, opposite ends of the support segment being connected to the tobacco segment and the cooling segment, respectively.

[0010] The cooling segment comprises a hollow structure and is provided with a partition wall extending in an axial direction, the partition walls dividing the cooling segment in a radial direction into a central zone and a peripheral zone. The cooling segment comprises an outer wall provided with a perforation along a radial direction for communicating the peripheral zone with an outer surface of the wrapping paper. Opposite ends of the cooling segment are connected to the support segment and the filter segment, respectively.

[0011] The filter segment is filled with a filtering material and connected to the cooling segment.

[0012] Preferably, a connection area between the central zone of the cooling segment and the hollow structure of the support segment is greater than a connection area between the peripheral zone of the cooling segment and the hollow structure of the support segment.

[0013] Preferably, the cooling segment comprises a plurality of the peripheral zones circumferentially arranged in a radial direction.

[0014] Preferably, the peripheral zones are uniformly arranged along circumference.

[0015] Preferably, the perforation is positioned in the middle of the outer wall corresponding to each peripheral zone.

[0016] Preferably, the perforation is positioned at one end of the cooling segment connected to the support segment.

[0017] Preferably, the peripheral zone is axially provided in a helical structure.

[0018] Preferably, a centerline of the peripheral zone is parallel to an axial centerline of the central zone.

[0019] Preferably, the outer wall is provided with an uneven surface structure.

[0020] A method for cooling a tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function comprises the following steps: (1) heating a tobacco segment to generate an aerosol; (2) concentrating the aerosol within a hollow structure of a support segment; (3) distributing the aerosol entering a cooling segment into a central region and peripheral zones, while introducing ambient air into peripheral zones through perforations to mix with the aerosol; and (4) directing the aerosol, after flowing through the central zone and the peripheral zones, into a filter segment to equilibrate a temperature of the aerosol.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function provided by the present invention effectively reduces the surface temperature of the cooling section by introducing ambient air through perforations while partitioning the cooling section. This allows the surface temperature to be maintained at a relatively low level, avoiding discomfort to consumers. Moreover, the smoke concentration in the central zone remains unaffected, minimizing the impact of cooling on smoke flavor and improving the consumer's smoking experience.Description of drawings

[0022] In order to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art more clearly, the drawings required for describing the embodiments or the prior art are briefly introduced below. It is apparent that the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function according to one specific embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the airflow direction for the cooling process of the tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the distribution of peripheral zones according to another specific embodiment. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the distribution of peripheral zones according to yet another specific embodiment. Detailed Description

[0023] In order to facilitate a better understanding of the present application, the following detailed description of the embodiments in the present application is provided. It is apparent that the described embodiments are merely part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all the embodiments. All other embodiments derived by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments in the present application, without any creative efforts, fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0024] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" "mounted on" or "provided on" another component, it can be directly placed on or indirectly placed on the other component. When a component is referred to as being "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to or indirectly connected to the other component.

[0025] It should be understood that the structures, proportions, sizes, and other characteristics depicted in the accompanying drawings of this specification are merely provided to assist in explaining the content disclosed in the specification for those skilled in the art to understand and read. They are not intended to limit the specific conditions under which the present application can be implemented. Therefore, these do not have substantive technical significance. Any modification of the structure, changes in the proportional relationships, or adjustments in the size, as long as they do not affect the effects to be achieved or the objectives to be accomplished as described in the present application, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in the present application.

[0026] The present invention aims to improve the structure of conventional cigarette, particularly that of heat-not-burn cigarettes. In the prior art, in the case where the heating of the tobacco segment occurs within an extremely short timeframe, high-temperature aerosol in the cooling section is mixed with ambient air, which causes localized accumulation of heat within the cooling section during the smoking process of a cigarette. As a result, the surface temperature of the cooling section becomes relatively high, leading to discomfort perceived by consumers during smoking and thereby adversely affecting the smoking experience. The present application provides a tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function. Through structural design of the cooling section, the surface temperature of the cooling section during smoking can be effectively reduced and maintained at a lower level.

[0027] The present invention is further described in detail below: As shown in Figure 1, in one specific embodiment, the tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function provided by the present application comprises a tobacco segment 1, a support segment 2, a cooling segment 3, and a filter segment 4, which are sequentially arranged from left to right along the axial direction. These segments are wrapped and connected together by a wrapping paper 5 on the outer surface.

[0028] The tobacco segment 1 is filled with an aerosol-generating material containing flavorings. Upon heating, it releases aromatic aerosols through heat conduction for consumer inhalation.

[0029] The support segment 2 has a hollow structure extending along the axial direction internally, configured to converge the aerosol flow.

[0030] The cooling segment 3 comprises a hollow structure provided with partition walls 3.3 extending in an axial direction. The partition walls radially divide the hollow structure and an outer wall 3.2 of cooling segment 3, from the center to the periphery, into a central zone and peripheral zones. The outer wall 3.2 is further provided with perforations 3.1 extending radially and penetrating the wrapping paper 5, so that the peripheral zones are in communication with the external environment to introduce ambient air for cooling.

[0031] The filter segment 4 is filled with a filtering material, which filters the aerosol passing through the cooling segment 3 before it ultimately enters the consumer's mouth for inhalation.

[0032] The aerosol needs to be diverted when entering the cooling section 3 from the support section 2 to minimize the impact of the cooling on the flavor of the aerosol. Thus, as shown in Figure 1, in this embodiment, the central zone defined by partition walls 3.3 preferably has an equivalent diameter smaller than the inner diameter of support section 2. The hollow structure of support section 2 connects to the central zone over a larger area, ensuring that the volume of aerosol entering the central zone exceeds that entering the peripheral zones.

[0033] Further, in the present application, the peripheral zones defined by partition wall 3.3 may be arranged in various configurations, including but not limited to: a ring-shaped peripheral zone that completely separates the outer wall 3.2 from the central zone, or peripheral zones where partition walls 3.3 surrounds outer wall 3.2 to form multiple groove structures. As shown in Figure 3, partition walls 3.3 divide cooling section 3 into four peripheral zones, each bounded by the outer wall and three rectangular sides.As shown in Figure 4, arc-shaped partition walls 3.3 divide the cooling segment 3 into six peripheral zones.

[0034] Further, to optimize cooling efficiency of the peripheral zone, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, when multiple peripheral zones are provided, they are uniformly distributed along the circumference. This prevents relative concentration of peripheral zones, thereby avoiding heat accumulation on the outer wall 3.2.

[0035] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the perforations 3.1 serve as channels connecting the peripheral zones to the external environment. To improve the introduction of ambient air, each perforation 3.1 is located at the central zone of the outer wall 3.2 of the each corresponding peripheral zone, allowing ambient air to enter each peripheral zone more effectively and mix with the aerosol for cooling.

[0036] Further, in the present embodiment, since the perforations 3.1 serve as channels for introducing ambient air, in order to ensure their cooling effect, as shown in Figure 1, the perforations 3.1 are arranged on the end of the cooling segment 3 adjacent to the support segment 2. In addition, to further enhance the cooling effect, each peripheral zone may be provided with multiple perforations 3.1, each located within its corresponding peripheral zone.

[0037] In other embodiments, to increase the axial cooling path of the peripheral zones within the cooling segment 3, the peripheral zones may preferably be arranged in a spiral configuration along the cooling segment 3, with the spiral centerline coinciding with the axial centerline of the central zone. The spiral extends along the cooling segment 3 from the support segment 2 toward the filter segment 4, such that the length of the peripheral zones is greater than that of the central zone, thereby improve heat dissipation.

[0038] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the centerline of each peripheral zone is parallel to the axial centerline of the central zone, forming a straight-through structure along the axis of the cooling segment 3, allowing the cooled aerosol and air to mix with the aerosol in the central zone.

[0039] Preferably, in some embodiments, the surface of the outer wall 3.2 features an uneven structure with protrusions and depressions. This increases the surface area of the outer wall 3.2, providing a larger heat dissipation area. It enables the surface temperature to remain low during smoking and provides an improved smoking experience for the consumer.

[0040] The present application also provides a method for cooling the tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function, comprising the following steps: (1) The consumer heats the tobacco segment 1 using a heating tool, which may involve combustion or heating via a heating device. Upon reaching a certain temperature, the aerosol-generating material in the tobacco segment 1 produces an aerosol with tobacco flavor for inhalation. (2) The aerosol is gathered within the hollow structure of the support segment 2, undergoing preliminary cooling during this process; (3) As the aerosol passes through the cooling section 3, it is separated by the partition wall 3.3 into the central zone and the peripheral zone. In the peripheral zone, ambient air is introduced through the perforations 3.1 provided on the outer wall 3.2 to mix with the aerosol for cooling; (4) After undergoing partitioned cooling in cooling section 3, the aerosol enters the filter segment 4, where the aerosol temperature is further equilibrated before being delivered to the consumer for inhalation.

[0041] The above description is only of preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention, and such modifications are considered to fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function, comprising: a tobacco segment, a support segment, a cooling segment, a filter segment, and a wrapping paper configured to wrap and connect these segments; wherein the tobacco segment is filled with an aerosol-generating substrate and is connected to the support segment; wherein the support segment comprises an axially extending hollow structure, opposite ends of the support segment being connected to the tobacco segment and the cooling segment, respectively; wherein the cooling segment comprises a hollow structure and is provided with a partition wall extending in an axial direction, the partition wall dividing the cooling segment in a radial direction into a central zone and a peripheral zone; the cooling segment comprises an outer wall provided with a perforation along a radial direction for communicating the peripheral zones with an outer surface of the wrapping paper; opposite ends of the cooling segment are connected to the support segment and the filter segment, respectively; and wherein the filter segment is filled with a filtering material and connected to the cooling segment.

2. The tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function according to claim 1, wherein a connection area between the central zone of the cooling segment and the hollow structure of the support segment is greater than a connection area between the peripheral zones of the cooling segment and the hollow structure of the support segment.

3. The tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function according to claim 2, wherein the cooling segment comprises a plurality of the peripheral zones circumferentially arranged in a radial direction.

4. The tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function according to claim 3, wherein the peripheral zones are uniformly arranged along circumference.

5. The tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function according to claim 4, wherein the perforation is positioned in the middle of the outer wall corresponding to each peripheral zone.

6. The tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function according to claim 5, the perforation is positioned is axially positioned at one end of the cooling segment connected to the support segment.

7. The tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral zone is axially provided in a helical structure.

8. The tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function according to claim 1, wherein a centerline of the peripheral zone is parallel to an axial centerline of the central zone.

9. The tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function according to claim 1, wherein the outer wall is provided with an uneven surface structure.

10. A method for cooling a tobacco cigarette having partitioned cooling function, comprising the following steps: (1) heating a tobacco segment to generate an aerosol; (1) concentrating the aerosol within a hollow structure of a support segment; (3) distributing the aerosol entering a cooling segment into a central zone and peripheral zones, while introducing ambient air into peripheral zones through perforations to mix with the aerosol; and (4) directing the aerosol, after flowing through the central zone and the peripheral zones, into a filter segment to equilibrate a temperature of the aerosol.

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