Rapid refill tablets for HNB devices

Abstract

A quick refill tablet for heat-not-burn (HNB) devices is disclosed that is comprised of reconstituted tobacco and various additives that enhance its compression and flavor, within a porous mass that acts as a shell or support for the tablet.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of the production of aerosols derived from the heating of reconstituted plant source materials with or without additives. In particular, by way of example and not limitation, the basic approach of the present invention relates to the production of such aerosols for use in sensory properties. [Background technology]

[0002] As is well known, official regulations and health concerns have prompted the existence of a series of products that in one way or another replace cigarettes, the goal being that they do not pose a threat to health, but still allow one to enjoy the pleasure of feeling the aroma of tobacco.

[0003] These new products, as expected, come with their own problems, one of which is related to the complex refilling of the "non-combustion heated" devices, another is hygiene, and yet another is the difficulty of consistently achieving a uniform unit dose when refilling.

[0004] In fact, when refilling a "heat-not-burn" (HnB) type device, it is difficult or nearly impossible to always place the same amount of reconstituted tobacco strands in the HnB product's container (heater), prevent at least some of these strands from falling onto the floor or other surfaces, and subsequently wash the container to achieve similar sanitary conditions.

[0005] One factor that aids in these three objectives is the provision of a self-contained refill that is easy to introduce into and remove from the container without affecting the organoleptic properties of the reconstituted tobacco for which it is to be refilled. Obviously, an additional advantage is the ease of transporting these refills and inserting them into the container, as well as disposal of any residues.

[0006] All of these factors represent a recognized need, and it is with the intent of satisfying such a need that the present invention is presented herein. prior art

[0007] State of the Art (1): Conceptual Description

[0008] A technical bibliographic search of applications consistent with the basic approach described above shows that in most cases similar uses refer to aromatherapy, therapeutic or psychoactive purposes, and traditional recipes of non-scientifically proven efficiency. Even in such cases, it is usually not the plant itself that is used, but its components or products, such as essential oils, oleoresins, alcoholic extracts, etc. One system currently in particular is one that is composed of matrices such as tobacco residues or other plant residues, for example from cocoa shells, residues of plant material subjected to extraction up to the point of exhaustion of components of nutritional interest (e.g. residual grains from beer production), residual husks from coffee curing, etc. The reconstituted plant matrix, finally treated with additives, is hereafter referred to as prepared plant material (PPM).

[0009] According to the literature, the usual procedure consists in processing the plant components of the matrix by reconstitution techniques (papermaking process (US Pat. No. 3,860,012) or castor leaf process (US Pat. No. 5,724,998)) to convert the starting material into a homogenous sheet with chemical and physical properties adjusted by those of the starting material and by the incorporation of additives from the reconstitution process that benefit its subsequent behavior. The plant matrix receives aerosol-generating chemical agents that can be included during the reconstitution process itself or after the reconstitution process. It is also usual to add different types of flavors that give the product unique sensory characteristics. The final material is then handled in its format and presentation according to its intended use.

[0010] State of the Art (2): International Survey

[0011] The search included, among others, the terms "plug," "bundle," "reload," "replacement," "heat stick," and "bullet." At both the beginning and end, a thorough search of commercial supplies was conducted as an essential method of supplementing existing patents or applications.

[0012] The search covered "bullets" of both tobacco and any other plant matter.

[0013] It should be noted that the overwhelming majority of supply for HnB devices consists of short filtered cigarettes called "plugs."

[0014] a) Commercial findings

[0015] First, we would like to mention the IUOC 2.0 and IUOC 4.0 devices from Yukan Technology Company. Those devices use regular filtered cigarettes with the filter removed. The unfiltered cigarette is introduced into one end of the device and the filter is introduced into the opposite end of the device. What stands out is that the filter is introduced into the container in a manner similar to the present invention, with the obvious and substantial difference that it is the filter that is introduced into the mouth end, and not the tobacco "bullet". This completely reverses the present invention from both a physical and conceptual standpoint.

[0016] One invention to be discussed is the Ploom TECH, which is for a vapor-operated cigarette but includes a tobacco bullet. This cigarette produces vapor from an unspecified liquid and passes the vapor through tobacco, extracting its aroma, but is literally a vapor-phase tobacco infusion. It is not in the same category because it is not an HnB system, and at the mouth end there is a tobacco bullet of uncertain composition, apparently self-contained within its rigid capsule; it is not tobacco placed within a cavity. See https: / / www.jti.com / about-us / what-we-do / our-reduced-risk-products#element--4392. At the 00:18 minute mark in the video played at https: / / www.jti.com / about-us / what-we-do / our-reduced-risk-products#element--4392, one can observe how the capsule is inserted in a similar manner to the Monte Paz bullet. Although both products are not the same, their use has certain similarities. The invention is known as PLOOM by JTI, a part of Japan Tobacco (JT).

[0017] b) Patent

[0018] It should be mentioned first that TW201536196 refers to the insertion of an aroma-generating element into the HnB apparatus. It is from Japan Tobacco and has no translations other than its abstract. Since they are not apparatuses belonging to the same family, they are presumed not to be inhibitory precedents.

[0019] Other patents found as a result of the search are:

[0020] JP1-108967, JP3-90163, JP3-114470. Having examined them, it is presumed that they do not constitute obstacles.

[0021] The patents worthy of further analysis are:

[0022] - WO 2020 / 089079: This patent, filed by Nerudia Limited, relates to "an HnB consumable comprising an aerosol-forming substrate, the aerosol-forming substrate in part comprising a rod of extruded plant material (e.g. extruded tobacco) having an axial bore adapted to receive an external heating element". The fundamental difference with the present invention lies in the fact that the invention proposed here lacks the hollow central tube of that invention, and its first and main claims are as follows:

[0023] 1. An aerosol-forming article comprising an aerosol-forming substrate, the substrate comprising, at least in part, a rod of extruded plant material having a central cylindrical cavity with an axial bore adapted to receive an external heating element.

[0024] 2. The article of claim 1, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate comprises a rod of extruded tobacco.

[0025] Extruded tobacco can be produced by forming a liquid mixture of powdered tobacco and a binder, heating the liquid mixture and then extruding it through a die to form a cylindrical extrudate having a hollow center tube.

[0026] According to claim 12, the invention is in fact a supplementary element for a heat generating device, and it is presumed that the invention cannot be considered without a filter element or paper encasing the substrate and the filter.

[0027] Thus, the presence of a hollow cylinder at the center, whether or not it is beyond the extruded material, entails an important distinction for the present invention, as does the statement in the text that the "consumable" may be wrapped in paper and may or may not include a filter. For the reasons stated above, such substrates are substantially different.

[0028] 2=extrusion material; 13=hollow pipe

[0029] WO 2019 / 141373 (PCT / EP2018 / 051322): Number 4 in the drawing of the front cover is a cigarette of a particular fixed shape ("fixed shape"). The application is expected to be withdrawn. This will only be seen in internal EPO proceedings, since the patent is in German. It highlights that it is a device with a constant diameter along its entire length, which makes it like a normal cigarette. The cigarette has a fixed shape because it is the shape of a cylinder that contains it ("the cigarette is fixed in that shape by the casing 39"), as clearly stated in point 1.1.1 of the "Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority" of the EPO of 21 / 7 / 2020, and there is no further proceeding on the dossier thereafter. The patent refers to the HnB device as such, and not to a cigarette refill, which does not have a shape of its own. Moreover, in the opinion of the said authorities, the device is not novel, and the patent application is presumed to be withdrawn or rejected. It has not been published under any other number except PCT / EP 2018051322.

[0030] DE 2469850 A1: patent dated 30 / 4 / 2009, filed by British American Tobacco. It has a "volatile component with a polyester or cellulose acetate matrix containing in suspended form a humectant, a polyol and an active agent such as nicotine". In principle, it is a device for using volatile substances, but in its second form it accepts tobacco as one of those substances. At the end of the first paragraph on page 5 it is stated: "The heat-transporting pipe has a preformed end 116 which penetrates the tobacco in the volatilization section 122 to improve contact and heat transfer". This component goes into a specific compartment, but its fill is not made of "bullets" or "wadding" as proposed in this document, and moreover the fill has a cylindrical recess, which makes it geometrically different from the one proposed in the present application. The patent refers to the device as a whole and does not say how to fill it. Thus, such patents are not considered to be adverse prior art because they do not mention small "bales" of reconstituted tobacco compressed or aggregated into a nonwoven fabric, nor any substances that would favor interfiber bonding.

[0031] WO 2016 / 042100: This patent is essentially a method of assembling cigarettes by including three sections in a length of an infinitely repeating cylinder, which is then cut into individual cigarettes. It is mentioned here because at the junction of those three, one part is a substrate capable of forming an aerosol. However, there is no suggestion that such a substrate is similar to that proposed by Monte Paz, and furthermore, it is always wrapped in a paper that bonds the three segments together. Nothing similar can be envisaged in any of the claims.

[0032] It is not considered to be a disruptive precedent.

[0033] WO 2008 / 015441 (British American Tobacco 02 / 8 / 2007): In the HnB device, the most prominent feature is the presence of a pipe between the heat source and the volatile material, which may include tobacco. As stated in claim 6, such material has a channel or inlet (recess) complementary to the end of the heat pipe, whereby the heat pipe enters the end of the heat pipe, number 22 in the attached drawing. As with GB 2469850, and for the same reasons, we do not assume it is a prejudicial precedent. 6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the source of volatile material includes a channel or recess that is complementary in shape to and removably engages one end of the heat pipe.

[0034] There is nothing in it that would allow any conclusions to be drawn about the conformation of the volatile material, it "may contain tobacco", and the interchangeable end is just another "heat stick" with nothing special about it other than a hollow pipe for about half its length. It is therefore not an injurious precedent.

[0035] US 2014 / 373856: An invention similar to the above, with its first 12 claims deleted and claim 13 becoming the main claim. It clearly shows that the tobacco plug or bullet has a cavity or slot for inserting a heating element, and in figure (No. 5) shows that the tobacco is wrapped in paper, all of which is not clumped or extruded, meaning that it is further slotted. 1.-12.(Deleted) 13. Smoking articles, a plurality of elements including a front plug and an aerosol-forming substrate; the front plug defines a hole or slit through which a heating element can be inserted; A smoking article, wherein the front plug is generally cylindrical and has a diameter of 5mm or more and a length of at least 2mm.

[0036] 0036-0040 / These paragraphs of the original description written in Spanish contain the Spanish translation of claim 13 above /

[0037]

[0038]

[0039]

[0040]

[0041] There is no element of assuming that the tobacco is in an aggregated form. It certainly is not claimed. Also, there is a central tube. Therefore, there is no presumption of adverse precedent.

[0042] Latest technology (3): Conclusion

[0043] The inventors have not discovered any element that would allow them to assume the existence of the invention proposed herein, including in the patent world and in the commercial arena.

[0044] General insertion status of the invention

[0045] The inventors have already seen the state of the art and commercial situation, and have addressed the general situation in which the invention is implemented and its essential features, in other words its objectives in terms of time taken for replenishment, homogeneity, hygiene, ease of transport, etc.

[0046] The use of PPM (prepared plant material) for the heating inhalation operation (vaporization) requires a device consisting of an adjustable temperature heater, which means that the user handles the product manually, carrying out the necessary handling to properly introduce it into the heater with a minimum of waste. These operations generally constitute a waste of time and affect hygiene, which are a source of variability in sensory evaluation and involve variable times in the consumption of the amount of product, which is necessarily variable given the manual method of removal from the container. In fact, despite the experience and skill of the user to perform the operation, by estimating the amount of material to be introduced into the heater or by pushing it more or less to fit it into the geometry of the heater, there is always a certain variation in the inhalation parameters, which is transmitted to flavor variations, linked to temperature variations that can often reach aggressiveness.

[0047] What is proposed here is to introduce PPM into the heater in the form of a porous tablet or capsule with a given weight and specific material content, calculated based on the desired inhalation profile, with the aim to achieve a consistency of characteristics similar to those exhibited by other inhalation systems such as cigarettes, sticks, etc.

[0048] Discharging the heater and subsequently cleaning it is also a tedious, delicate and time consuming operation. It is the intention of the present invention to make that operation easier, faster and cleaner. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0049] In this section of the document, we intend to better define the invention in quantitative, qualitative and manufacturing terms.

[0050] The present invention, taking into account the requirements mentioned in the introduction of this document for HnB type products, consists of a complex of treated or untreated plant source materials, hereinafter called vaporizable complex (VC), which is capable of releasing an inhalable (vaporizable) aerosol upon heating in a suitable device.

[0051] The plant source material may be tobacco of all the usual types (Virginia or flue-cured, Oriental or sun-cured, Burley or air-cured, dark-cured, American blends, etc.) and their blends and varieties that are subjected to reconstitution, roasting, expansion or other processes. The physical form of these tobaccos may be in the form of strands with widths of 0.1 mm to 5.0 mm and average lengths of 0.2 cm to 4.0 cm, and optionally in the form of polygonal particles with sizes of 5 to 8 US mesh.

[0052] The plant source material should contain one or more aerosol generating agents, including but not limited to glycerol (G) and propylene glycol (PG), either alone or in admixture, while maintaining a total percentage in the range of 5% to 40%, more preferably between 10% to 25% (percentages expressed relative to the plant material). Control of the G / PG percentage ratio allows for optimization of the aeration temperature, within the range of 120°C to 350°C.

[0053] It is therefore appropriate to clarify the formula of the composition of PPM, i.e. prepared plant material. It includes, as plant material, all types of tobacco, their blends and varieties, including reconstituted tobacco, as well as the usual processes that these tobaccos undergo in the industry to achieve their final properties. It also includes an aerator, such as a mixture of PG and G, in a proportion of 5% to 40%, or preferably 10% to 25%, relative to the weight of the plant material. If other additives (such as flavourings), which are generally present in small amounts, are added, their weight is subtracted from the weight of the plant material, but not from the aerosol-forming agents. In summary, prepared plant material (PPM) is:

[0054] PPM = prepared plant material (tobacco (including Reconst)) + G / PG + possible additives (flavorings, etc.).

[0055] Additives may be added to modify flavor or to achieve special effects (chemostats, pH adjusters, coolers, etc.).

[0056] The final product (VC) may include a binder (BA) including, but not limited to, magnesium stearate, colloidal silicon dioxide (e.g., Aerosil 200), microcrystalline cellulose (e.g., Avicel 200 and / or Adesil PH102), or other similar products known in the pharmaceutical industry. It is noteworthy that the binders used are of known performance in the pharmaceutical industry, but have never been used in tablets that are not actually tablets, and are permeable with a tobacco lattice of strands, as in this case. This results in a product that offers practicality, ease of use, hygiene, and fast, controllable refilling, fulfilling a need recognized by users of HnB devices.

[0057] Some ranges in which binders may be successfully used include, for example, the following proportions:

[0058] Magnesium stearate: 2-50%.

[0059] Colloidal silicon dioxide: 2-50%.

[0060] Microcrystalline cellulose: 2-60%

[0061] All binders: 100%

[0062] The tablet preparation itself follows the following formula: [Reconstituted Cut Tobacco] (50-90%) + [Chemical Treatment] (5-40%) + [Binder] (2-40%) = Vaporizable Composite [Prepared plant material] (60-98%) + [Binder] (2-40%) = Vaporizable composite material

[0063] The vaporizable composite (VC) is produced by thoroughly mixing the prepared plant material (PPM) with the binder, the mixed proportions of which may cover the range of 2%BA+98%PPM to 40%BA+60%PPM (including all intermediate proportion ratios, but especially including 20%BA+80%PPM to 30%BA+70%PPM). It is understood that the selected proportion is one of the determining factors of the amount of plant material (in our case tobacco) that our refill delivers to the heater of the inhalation device. This amount of plant material, whose vapor properties depend both on the sum of the amounts of glycerol (G) and propylene glycol (PG) and on the ratio between these two, has a significant impact on the time that the refill proposed herein lasts for the smoker.

[0064] The porous tablet may contain, in addition to or instead of tobacco, different plant materials, whether pre-processed or not, such as, but not limited to, cocoa, coffee, eucalyptus, marsella, mint, linden, cannabis, reconstituted tobacco, etc. The presence of these plants may be found in any mixture thereof.

[0065] The tablet should be easily introduced into the HnB steam device, and thus should be, by way of example and not limitation, cylindrical, truncated conical, or even spherical, having a diameter similar to that of the HnB device, removable by simple gravity from the steam device after consumption, and having a solid residue of about 80% of its initial weight.

[0066] Without compromising the final product itself, it was essential to address the novelty and inventive step of the manufacturing process of the prepared plant material (PPM) and how it is incorporated into the final product, the volatile composite (VC), which is the result of a very specific process involving the following steps:

[0067] 1. The received raw material, reconstituted tobacco, undergoes a particle size adjustment process PM (plant material) suitable for the next step: size degradation. The purpose of this step is to improve the absorption of the process and homogenization of the product.

[0068] 2.PM is subjected to a physical reconditioning process and subsequent chemical treatment. This material is strictly rested to produce the required chemical reactions. It is called PPM 1. This treatment is carried out under controlled conditions, at a given flow rate and temperature. During this process, the equipment operates with a constant flow and steam, and chemical treatments are applied gradually, so that when it leaves the equipment, the material has a humidity of 19% to 26%, and after the application of these chemical treatments, the material is left to rest in a silo for better absorption of such chemical treatments.

[0069] 3. PPM 1 then undergoes particle size adjustment under defined flow and temperature conditions, working with a suitable machine, allowing the production of particles with widths between 0.1mm and 5.0mm, passing the material through it at a constant, controlled flow, which we call PPM 2.

[0070] 4.PPM 2 undergoes significant heat exposure to generate new complementary reactions, it is the first stage of shape transformation, at this stage the material passes through a dryer operating at controlled temperature and flow rate to achieve a better end product and can discharge the material at 5%-18% humidity depending on its subsequent use. This is called PPM 3.

[0071] 5. PPM 3 is administered for a 24 hour stay period.

[0072] 6. The application of aromatic products is then completed, which, due to their sensitivity to heat, can only be applied at this point, resulting in PPM 4. At this stage it is carried out in such a way as not to change the physical conditions of the material.

[0073] 7.PPM 4 is left in humidity and temperature controlled conditions for 15 to 20 days, thus producing PPM 5, in this case the room is in humidity and temperature controlled conditions so as not to alter the product.

[0074] 8. PPM 5 is subjected to a new particle size adjustment similar to that of step 3, and the aromatic reinforcement, called PPM 6, for this new particle size adjustment, using suitable machinery, produces particles with widths between 0.1 mm and 5.0 mm and average lengths between 0.2 cm and 4.0 cm.

[0075] 9. PPM 6 is again subjected to a 24 hour stay in the chamber.

[0076] 10. Subsequently, the PPM 6 is subjected to a mixing process, thus achieving a vaporizable composite, called VC, in a suitable mixer, in order to integrate the necessary binders and groups of chemicals, thus achieving a homogeneous product between the PPM 6 and the binders and additive products.

[0077] 11. Finally, the VC is processed in equipment that gives the product its final shape.

[0078] The final mixture from step 10 is transferred to a tableting machine used in the pharmaceutical industry, which acts by compression with a pressure of 5 to 40 kN. This results in individual refill units for the steam heaters of the HnB equipment. The dimensions of these units can be defined according to their final destination, taking into account usage factors such as the size of the heaters of the HnB equipment, the duration of the tablets and the amount of plant material.

[0079] It must be pointed out that step 1, which is carried out in the vein processing machine, is not usually used for this type of material, since it does not need to be removed as it comes in sheets or plates. The goal is to cause a fragmentation that optimizes the absorption of the process and a better size to pass it through the cutter (steps 3 and 8).

[0080] Step 8 is unique in that in some respects it is a reprocessing of step 3, and that the already processed material does not normally go through a cutter. Step 8 provides the optimum strand size for forming tablets according to the application for which this invention is designed. Each of these steps is inventive because they are unknown for this particular purpose, are used in other processes and other products, and one of ordinary skill in the art would be much less inclined to apply them in that order and at that stage of the process. One of ordinary skill in the art would be even less inclined to combine these steps.

[0081] Typical dimensions of the supplemental tablet include a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the HnB device and a length of 4 to 10 mm, although this may be larger.

[0082] Thus, in our general formula for HnB supplement products, the VC vaporizable compound (complex) falls within the following ranges: [Table 1]

[0083] In an automated process, the length and dimensions of the tablets may vary and more than one tablet may be used if the user desires this and if the tablet fits into the heater of the device.

[0084] Example of a manufactured tablet: The tablet has a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 0.9 + / - 0.2 cm and a height of 0.6 + / - 0.2 cm and a weight of 0.30 + / - 0.15 g, leaving a residue of 0.24 + / - 0.1 g after consumption. It is understood that the operation of the described method ensures the constancy of the VC delivered by the user to the vapor device for each smoking cycle. Moreover, the refilling of the vapor device constitutes a smooth operation without loss of vaporizable material.

[0085] Also, the post steam residue is compactly drained from the heater by the simple action of gravity and is easily drained from the heater without the need for special cleaning procedures at the end of each steam / session, and with much less use of equipment, such as those used to empty / clean tubes. This residue is approximately 80+ / -15% of the initial weight of the tablet, depending logically on the physical and chemical makeup of the tablet.

[0086] It is worth pointing out the convenience of each refill being presented in its own container, which makes refilling even easier. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0087] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 089079 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2019 / 141373 [Patent Document 3] International Publication No. 2016 / 042100

Claims

1. 1. A porous tablet having a configuration, shape, size and weight suitable to be a rapid replenisher for a heat-on-fire (HnB) device, said weight not varying by more than about 80±15% of its initial weight, and further ensuring rapid discharge so as to leave no residue in the steam device, "rapid" meaning less than 2 seconds, said tablet comprising: tobacco portions of plant sources such as Virginia or flue-cured, Turkish or sun-cured, burley or air-cured, dark-cured, American blend tobacco, and all blends and varieties thereof, which have been subjected to one or more of the following processes: reconstitution, roasting, and expansion; The physical form of these tobaccos is preferably strands having a width of 0.1 mm to 5.0 mm and an average length of 0.2 cm to 4.0 cm, and optionally polygonal particles of 5 US mesh to 8 US mesh; In addition to those strands, the tablet contains one or more aerosol-forming agents, such as, inter alia, glycerol and propylene glycol, both of which agents in combination amount to 5% to 40% of the plant-based material, and a percentage of other additives, such as flavorings, derived from the plant-source tobacco portion and not derived from the aerosol-forming agent; The tablet contains additives to modify the flavor or achieve special effects such as flavor, taste, fragrance, and cooling sensation, and the additives are, for example, chemostats, pH adjusters, and coolers; The binder in the tablet is, for example, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, or a mixture thereof; the binder in the tablet forms a vaporizable compound VC having permeability that allows the passage of the aerosol without additional suction effort during vaporization, and the tablet is compressed by a tablet press at a pressure of 5 to 40 kN; The tablet has a diameter of about 0.80 to 1 cm and a height or length of 0.60 to 0.65 cm; the tablets have a sales residue after evaporation of about 80% + / - 15% of their initial weight; The Vaporizable Composite (VC) so produced contains a binder (BA) in the following proportions: 2% BA + 98% PPM to 40% BA + 60% PPM, more preferably 20% BA + 80% PPM to 30% BA + 70% PPM, all of which expressions are as defined herein. Porous tablet.

2. A porous tablet as described in claim 1, which contains, in addition to or instead of the plant-source tobacco portion, different plant materials such as cocoa, coffee, eucalyptus, marsala, mint, linden, cannabis, reconstituted tobacco, whether pre-processed or not.

3. 3. The tablet of claim 1 or 2, which has, by way of example and not limitation, a cylindrical, truncated conical, or even spherical shape, a diameter similar to that of the HnB device, so as to be easily introduced into the HnB steam device, and which can be removed from the steam device by simple gravity once consumed.