Method for producing an aerosol product

Abstract

A method for continuously producing aerosol product articles (1, 2) includes: (i) providing a continuous web (34) or continuous band (218) of aerosol-generating substrate (10); (ii) providing a continuous web (40) of susceptor material; (iii) continuously cutting the continuous web (40) of susceptor material to form a plurality of susceptor patches (28); (iv) sequentially attaching the susceptor patches (28) to a surface of the continuous web (34) or continuous band (218) of aerosol-generating substrate (10) with a predefined, fixed spacing (74) between each successive susceptor patch (28); and (v) forming the continuous web (34) or continuous band (218) of aerosol-generating substrate (10) and the susceptor patches (28) into a continuous rod (88). Step (iii) is performed using a rotary cutting unit (64) including a support drum (66) circumferentially supporting the continuous web of susceptor material (40) and a cutting drum (68) having a plurality of circumferentially spaced cutting elements (72) therearound, which cooperate with the support drum (66) to shear cut the continuous web of susceptor material (40) to form susceptor patches (28).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to aerosol product articles, and more particularly to aerosol product articles for use in aerosol generating devices that heat the aerosol product article to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user. Embodiments of the present disclosure relate particularly to methods for continuously producing aerosol product articles. The present disclosure is particularly applicable to the manufacture of aerosol-generating articles for use in portable (handheld) aerosol generating devices. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the popularity and use of risk-reducing or risk-modifying devices (also known as aerosol-generating or vapor-generating devices) has grown rapidly as an alternative to the use of traditional tobacco products. A variety of devices and systems are available that heat or warm an aerosol-generating substance to produce an aerosol for inhalation by the user.

[0003] Commonly available risk reduction or risk modification devices are substrate-heated aerosol-generating devices or so-called heated non-combustion devices. This type of device generates an aerosol or vapor by heating an aerosol-generating substrate, typically to a temperature in the range of 150°C to 300°C. Heating the aerosol-generating substrate to a temperature within this range, without burning or combusting the aerosol-generating substrate, generates a vapor that typically cools and condenses to form an aerosol for inhalation by the user of the device.

[0004] Currently available aerosol-generating devices can provide heat to the aerosol-generating substrate using one of several different approaches. One such approach is to provide an aerosol-generating device that employs an induction heating system. In such devices, an induction coil is provided in the device, and an inductively heatable susceptor is provided to heat the aerosol-generating substrate. When a user activates the device, electrical energy is supplied to the induction coil, which in turn generates an alternating electromagnetic field. The susceptor, coupled with the electromagnetic field, generates heat, which is transferred, for example by conduction, to the aerosol-generating substrate, which heats up and generates an aerosol.

[0005] It may be convenient to provide both the aerosol-generating substrate and the inductively heatable susceptor together in the form of an aerosol product article that can be inserted by a user into an aerosol-generating device. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a method that facilitates the manufacture of the aerosol product article, and in particular, that allows for the easy and consistent mass production of the aerosol product article. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, 1. A method for continuously producing an aerosol product, the method comprising: (i) providing a continuous web or band of aerosol-generating substrate; (ii) providing a continuous web of susceptor material; (iii) successively cutting the continuous web of susceptor material to form a plurality of susceptor patches; (iv) sequentially depositing a plurality of susceptor patches on a surface of a continuous web or band of aerosol-generating substrate with a predefined, regular spacing between each successive susceptor patch; (v) forming a continuous web or continuous band of aerosol-generating substrate and susceptor patches into a continuous rod; A method is provided in which step (iii) is carried out using a rotary cutting unit including a support drum supporting a continuous web of susceptor material therearound and a cutting drum having a plurality of circumferentially spaced cutting elements therearound, the cutting elements cooperating with the support drum to shear-cut the continuous web of susceptor material to form a plurality of susceptor patches.

[0007] The aerosol product produced by the method is for use in an aerosol-generating device to heat an aerosol-generating substrate without burning the aerosol-generating substrate to volatilize at least one component of the aerosol-generating substrate, thereby producing a heated vapor that cools and condenses to form an aerosol for inhalation by a user of the aerosol-generating device. The aerosol-generating device is a handheld, portable device.

[0008] Generally speaking, a vapor is a substance that is in the gas phase below its critical temperature, meaning that the vapor can be condensed into a liquid by increasing the pressure without decreasing the temperature. An aerosol, on the other hand, is fine solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in air or another gas. However, it should be noted that the terms "aerosol" and "vapor" may be used interchangeably herein, particularly with respect to the form of inhalable medium produced for inhalation by a user.

[0009] The methods according to the present disclosure facilitate the manufacture of aerosol products, and in particular allow for the consistent mass production of aerosol products with relative ease.

[0010] The predefined constant "spacing" between each successive susceptor patch is the shortest distance between successive (i.e., adjacent) susceptor patches, i.e., the distance or gap between the edges of successive (i.e., adjacent) susceptor patches.

[0011] The continuous rod formed by step (v) is oriented in the direction of travel of the continuous web or continuous band of aerosol-generating substrate. The continuous rod has a longitudinal axis. The longitudinal axis of the continuous rod is thus oriented in the direction of travel of the continuous web or continuous band of aerosol-generating substrate. Continuous and mass production of the aerosol product is thereby readily achieved.

[0012] Steps (i) and (ii) may be performed sequentially, in any order, or simultaneously.

[0013] Step (iii) may include uniformly cutting the continuous web of susceptor material at predefined, regular intervals so that the susceptor patches have substantially the same length in the direction of travel of the continuous web of susceptor material, thereby providing aerosol products produced by the method with consistent, repeatable properties.

[0014] The support drum may include a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses therearound, and cutting elements on the cutting drum may cooperate with the circumferentially spaced recesses to shear-sever the continuous web of susceptor material to form a plurality of susceptor patches while both the support drum and the cutting drum rotate.

[0015] The support drum may be a suction drum, and one or more of the continuous web of susceptor material and susceptor patches may be supported around the suction drum, for example, by suction. The continuous web of susceptor material and susceptor patches are securely supported and transported in a desired direction of travel by the suction drum through the suction or vacuum effect.

[0016] The predefined, constant interval between each successive susceptor patch can be obtained, for example, by allowing relative movement between the continuous web of susceptor material and the support drum for a predetermined period of time after the continuous web of susceptor material is cut to form a susceptor patch. In this manner, the continuous web of susceptor material remains stationary or advances at a reduced speed for a short period of time after the susceptor patch is cut from the continuous web of susceptor material. At the same time, there is no relative movement between the susceptor patch and the support drum, and thus the susceptor patch is transported by the support drum at a faster speed than the continuous web of susceptor material. This conveniently creates a predefined interval between the susceptor patch and the continuous web of susceptor material, thereby forming the above-mentioned predetermined, constant interval between successive susceptor patches when the continuous web of susceptor material is cut to form a subsequent susceptor patch. It should be understood that the predetermined period of time during which relative movement is allowed between the continuous web of susceptor material and the support drum, in combination with the rotational speed of the support drum, determines the spacing between each successive susceptor patch.

[0017] Relative movement between the continuous web of susceptor material and a support drum, such as a suction drum, can be achieved by reducing the suction force applied to the web of susceptor material, which can be easily achieved and easily controlled.

[0018] Each of the plurality of susceptor patches can have substantially the same dimensions, and the aerosol product produced by the method thus has consistent and repeatable properties.

[0019] Each susceptor patch may have a length of 5 mm to 50 mm, preferably 10 mm to 30 mm. In one embodiment, each susceptor patch may have a width of 0.1 mm to 5 mm, preferably 0.5 mm to 2 mm. In another embodiment, each susceptor patch may have a width of 0.1 mm to 7 mm, preferably 1 mm to 5 mm. Each susceptor patch may have a thickness of 1 μm to 500 μm, preferably 10 μm to 100 μm. Susceptor patches having these dimensions are particularly suitable for the production of aerosol products.

[0020] The predefined constant spacing between each successive susceptor patch may be between 1 mm and 20 mm, and preferably between 2 mm and 10 mm.

[0021] Step (iv) may include adhering susceptor patches to the surface of a continuous web or band of aerosol-generating substrate, thereby maintaining a predetermined, constant spacing between successive susceptor patches and thereby ensuring that the aerosol product produced by the method according to the present disclosure has consistent, repeatable properties.

[0022] Step (iv) may include pressing the susceptor patches onto the surface of the continuous web or band of aerosol-generating substrate. The pressing step may be performed using a cam roller. By pressing the susceptor patches onto the surface of the continuous web or band of aerosol-generating substrate, a predetermined, constant spacing between each successive susceptor patch can be maintained, thereby ensuring that the aerosol product produced by the method according to the present disclosure has consistent, repeatable properties. The use of a cam roller may be advantageous because it allows the pressing force to be easily applied at spaced locations along the continuous web or band of aerosol-generating substrate corresponding to the locations of the susceptor patches to be applied.

[0023] The continuous web or band of aerosol-generating substrate provided in step (i) may include a generally planar surface, which may have a centerline. Step (iv) may include sequentially attaching a plurality of susceptor patches to the generally planar surface substantially along the centerline. Accurate and consistent positioning of the susceptor patches along the centerline ensures that the aerosol product produced by the method according to the present disclosure has consistent and repeatable properties.

[0024] The method may further include (vi) cutting the continuous rod to form a plurality of individual aerosol product articles, each of which includes at least one susceptor patch, thereby facilitating continuous and mass production of the aerosol product articles.

[0025] Step (vi) can include cutting the continuous rod at locations between adjacent susceptor patches. By cutting the continuous rod in this manner, each individual aerosol product article formed by cutting the continuous rod includes a susceptor patch, thus ensuring that the aerosol product articles are consistent and repeatable. Also, because the susceptor patches are not cut during step (vi), wear during the cutting step (e.g., on the cutting unit) is minimized.

[0026] Step (vi) may include cutting the continuous rod substantially midway between adjacent susceptor patches. In this manner, the susceptor patches are spaced inward from both ends of the resulting aerosol product article and are not visible at either end of the aerosol product article. This may improve user acceptance of aerosol products manufactured by the methods of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the susceptors are fully embedded in the aerosol-generating substrate of the resulting aerosol product article, which may allow for more efficient aerosol or vapor generation because the susceptors are entirely surrounded by the aerosol-generating substrate, thereby maximizing heat transfer from the susceptor to the aerosol-generating substrate.

[0027] Each susceptor patch may include one or more inductively heatable susceptor materials, such as, but not limited to, aluminum, iron, nickel, stainless steel, carbon steel, and alloys thereof, such as nickel-chromium or nickel-copper. When an electromagnetic field is applied to its vicinity during use of the aerosol product article in the aerosol generating device, the susceptor material may generate heat due to eddy currents and magnetic hysteresis losses, resulting in electromagnetic-to-thermal energy conversion.

[0028] The aerosol-generating substrate can be any type of solid or semi-solid material. Exemplary types of aerosol-generating solids include powders, granules, pellets, shreds, strands, particles, gels, strips, loose-leaf, cut-leaf, cut-filler, porous materials, foam materials, or sheets. The aerosol-generating substrate may comprise a plant-derived material, particularly tobacco. It may advantageously comprise, for example, reconstituted tobacco containing tobacco and any one or more of cellulose fiber, tobacco stem fiber, and inorganic fillers such as CaCO3.

[0029] Accordingly, aerosol-generating devices intended for use with aerosol-producing articles may be referred to as "heated tobacco devices," "heated-non-combustible tobacco devices," "devices for vaporizing tobacco products," etc., which should be interpreted as devices suitable for achieving these effects. The features disclosed herein are equally applicable to devices designed to vaporize any aerosol-generating substrate.

[0030] The continuous rod may be surrounded by a wrapper, and thus the method may further comprise wrapping the continuous rod with a wrapper.

[0031] The aerosol product article may be substantially stick-shaped and generally resemble a cigarette having a tubular region in which the aerosol-generating substrate is arranged in a suitable manner. The aerosol product article may include a filter segment, e.g., comprising cellulose acetate fibers, at the proximal end of the aerosol product article. The filter segment may constitute a mouthpiece filter and may be coaxially aligned with the aerosol-generating substrate, e.g., constituted by a plurality of aerosol-generating zones. Some designs may also include one or more vapor collection regions, cooling regions, and other structures. For example, the aerosol product article may include at least one tubular segment upstream of the filter segment. The tubular segment may function as a vapor cooling region. The vapor cooling region may advantageously allow heated vapor generated by heating the aerosol-generating substrate to cool and condense, for example, through the filter segment, to form an aerosol with properties suitable for inhalation by a user.

[0032] The aerosol-generating substrate may contain an aerosol former. Examples of aerosol formers include polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin or propylene glycol, and mixtures thereof. Typically, the aerosol-generating substrate may contain about 5% to about 50% aerosol former by dry weight. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating substrate may contain about 10% to about 20% aerosol former by dry weight, and in some cases about 15% aerosol former by dry weight.

[0033] Upon heating, the aerosol-forming substrate may release volatile compounds, which may include flavor compounds such as nicotine or tobacco flavorings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1a] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a first embodiment of an aerosol production article. [Figure 1b] FIG. 1b is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1a. [Figure 2a]1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus and method for producing a first embodiment of the aerosol product shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b. FIG. [Figure 2b] 2b is a plan view of the aerosol-generating substrate and susceptor patch as they move in the direction indicated by the arrow through the apparatus shown in FIG. 2a. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a section of a continuous web of susceptor material showing bonded and non-bonded regions. [Figure 4] 2b is a functional diagram of a portion of the apparatus and method of FIG. 2a, illustrating generally the formation of susceptor patches from a continuous web of susceptor material and the attachment of the susceptor patches to the surface of a continuous web of aerosol-generating substrate. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a susceptor cutting unit. [Figure 6] 2b is a schematic diagram of a strip cutting unit of the apparatus of FIG. 2a; [Figure 7a] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a second embodiment of an aerosol-generating article. [Figure 7b] FIG. 7b is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 7a. [Figure 8a] 7a and 7b are schematic diagrams of a first embodiment of an apparatus and method for producing the second example aerosol product shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b. [Figure 8b] 8b is a plan view of the aerosol-generating substrate and susceptor patch as they move in the direction indicated by the arrow through the apparatus shown in FIG. 8a. [Figure 9] 8b is a schematic diagram of a strip cutting unit of the apparatus of FIG. 8a. [Figure 10a] 7a and 7b are schematic diagrams of a second embodiment of an apparatus and method for producing the second example aerosol product shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b. [Figure 10b] 8b is a plan view of the aerosol-generating substrate and susceptor patch as they move in the direction indicated by the arrow through the apparatus shown in FIG. 8a. [Figure 11]10b is a functional diagram of a portion of the apparatus and method of FIG. 10a, illustrating generally the formation of susceptor patches from a continuous web of susceptor material and the attachment of the susceptor patches to the surface of a continuous strip of aerosol-generating substrate. [Figure 12] 10b is a schematic diagram of a strip cutting unit of the apparatus of FIG. 10a; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0036] Aerosol Product (Example 1) 1a and 1b, there is shown a first embodiment of an aerosol product article 1 for use in an aerosol generating device that includes an induction heating system for inductively heating the aerosol product article 1, thereby generating an aerosol for inhalation by a user of the device. Such devices are known in the art and will not be described in further detail herein. The aerosol product article 1 is elongated and generally cylindrical, having a distal end 11a and a proximal (or oral) end 11b. The circular cross-section facilitates handling of the article 1 by a user and insertion of the article 1 into a cavity or heating compartment of the aerosol generating device.

[0037] The aerosol product article 1 includes an aerosol-generating substrate 10 having a first end 10a and a second end 10b, and an inductively heatable susceptor 12. The aerosol-generating substrate 10 and the inductively heatable susceptor 12 are located within and enclosed by a wrapper 14. The wrapper 14 includes a substantially electrically non-conductive and non-magnetically permeable material. In the illustrated embodiment, the wrapper 14 is a paper wrapper and may include cigarette paper.

[0038] The aerosol product 1 may have an overall length, measured between the distal end 11a and the proximal (oral) end 11b, of 30 mm to 100 mm, preferably 50 mm to 70 mm, and most preferably about 55 mm. The aerosol-generating substrate 10 may have an overall length, measured between the first end 10a and the second end 10b, of 5 mm to 50 mm, preferably 10 mm to 30 mm, and most preferably about 20 mm. The aerosol product 1 may have a diameter of 5 mm to 10 mm, preferably 6 mm to 8 mm, and most preferably about 7 mm.

[0039] The aerosol-generating substrate 10 includes a plurality of elongated first zones 15 containing aerosol-generating material. The plurality of elongated first zones 15 constitute aerosol-generation zones 16 and are oriented substantially in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol product article 1. The elongated first zones 15 are typically free of folds in the longitudinal direction to ensure that the airflow path is uninterrupted and that uniform airflow through the article 1 can be achieved.

[0040] The inductively heatable susceptor 12 includes a plurality of elongated second bands 13 comprising inductively heatable susceptor material. The plurality of elongated second bands 13 form susceptor bands 18 and are oriented substantially in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-producing article 1. The elongated second bands 13 are free of folds in the longitudinal direction to prevent hot spots in the aerosol-generating substrate 10.

[0041] The aerosol product article 1 includes a plurality of elongated third zones 17 (see FIG. 1b) containing aerosol-generating material. The elongated third zones 17 also constitute the aerosol-generation zones 16 and are oriented substantially in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol product article 1. The elongated third zones 17 have the same length as the elongated first zones 15, and therefore all of the aerosol-generation zones 16 in the aerosol product article 1 have the same length. The elongated second zones 13 are adhered to the elongated third zones 17, and the elongated second zones 13 and the elongated third zones 17 have the same width. In a preferred embodiment, the elongated first zones 15 also have the same width as the elongated second zones 13 and the elongated third zones 17.

[0042] The first elongated zone 15, the second elongated zone 13, and the third elongated zone 17 are arranged to form a generally rod-shaped aerosol product article 1 and may be randomly dispersed throughout the cross-section of the rod-shaped aerosol product article 1 so as to have a plurality of different orientations within the cross-section of the aerosol product article 1. Although not apparent from FIG. 1b, it should be understood that a sufficient number of the first elongated zones 15 are provided to substantially fill the cross-section of the aerosol-generating substrate 10, and a smaller number of the first elongated zones 15 are shown merely for illustrative purposes. It should also be noted that any suitable number of the second elongated zones 13 may be positioned on the aerosol-generating substrate 10, depending on the heating requirements. Advantageously, each of the second elongated zones 13 is surrounded by a first elongated zone 15, thereby ensuring that heat transfer to the first elongated zones 15 is maximized and that the possibility of contact between the second elongated zones 13 is minimized.

[0043] As best seen in Figure 1a, each of the plurality of elongated first bands 15 has a distal end 15a, and each of the plurality of elongated second bands 13 has a distal end 13a. The distal end 15a of the first elongated band 15 forms the first end 10a of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and, correspondingly, the distal end 11a of the aerosol product article 1. The second elongated band 13 is shorter than the first elongated band 15 and the third elongated band 17. The distal end 13a of the second elongated band 13 is located inward from the distal end 15a of the first elongated band 15. The distal end 13a of the second elongated band 13 is therefore not visible at the distal end 11a of the aerosol product article 1.

[0044] The aerosol product article 1 includes a mouthpiece segment 20 located downstream of an aerosol-generating substrate 10. The aerosol-generating substrate 10 and the mouthpiece segment 20 are coaxially arranged inside a packaging material 14 to hold the components in place and form the rod-shaped aerosol product article 1.

[0045] In the illustrated embodiment, the mouthpiece segment 20 includes the following components, arranged coaxially and sequentially in the downstream direction, i.e., from the distal end 11a to the proximal (mouth) end 11b of the aerosol product 1: a cooling segment 22, a central hole segment 23, and a filter segment 24. The cooling segment 22 includes a hollow paper tube 22a having a thickness greater than that of the paper wrapper 14. The central hole segment 23 may include a hardening mixture containing cellulose acetate fibers and a plasticizer and functions to increase the strength of the mouthpiece segment 20. The filter segment 24 typically includes cellulose acetate fibers and serves as a mouthpiece filter. As heated vapor flows from the aerosol-generating substrate 10 toward the proximal (mouth) end 11b of the aerosol product 1, the vapor cools and condenses as it passes through the cooling segment 22 and the central hole segment 23, forming an aerosol with properties suitable for inhalation by a user through the filter segment 24.

[0046] The first elongated zone 15 and the third elongated zone 17 typically comprise a plant-derived material such as tobacco. The first elongated zone 15 and the third elongated zone 17 may advantageously comprise reconstituted tobacco, which includes tobacco and any one or more of cellulose fiber, tobacco stem fiber, and an inorganic filler such as CaCO3.

[0047] First elongated zone 15 and third elongated zone 17 typically contain an aerosol former such as glycerin or propylene glycol. Typically, first elongated zone 15 and third elongated zone 17 contain about 5% to about 50% aerosol former content on a dry weight basis. Upon heating, first elongated zone 15 and third elongated zone 17 release volatile compounds, optionally including flavor compounds such as nicotine or tobacco flavorings.

[0048] When a time-varying electromagnetic field is applied around the second elongated band 13 during use of the article 1 in an aerosol-generating device, heat is generated in the second elongated band 13 due to eddy currents and magnetic hysteresis losses. Heat is transferred from the second elongated band 13 to the first elongated band 15 and the third elongated band 17, heating the first elongated band 15 and the third elongated band 17 without burning them, releasing one or more volatile compounds and thereby generating vapor. When a user inhales through the filter segment 24, the heated vapor is drawn downstream through the article 1 from the first end 10a of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 toward the second end 10b of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and toward the filter segment 24. As described above, as the heated vapor flows through the cooling segment 22 and the central hole segment 23 toward the filter segment 24, the heated vapor cools and condenses to form an aerosol with properties suitable for inhalation by a user through the filter segment 24.

[0049] Preparation of Aerosol Product (Example 1) Referring to Figure 2a, there is shown a schematic diagram of an apparatus 30 and method for producing the first embodiment of the aerosol product article 1 described above with reference to Figures 1a and 1b. Figure 2b is a plan view of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and susceptor patch 28 as they move through the apparatus 30 in the direction of the arrows in Figure 2b.

[0050] The apparatus 30 includes a substrate supply reel 32 (e.g., a first bobbin) that carries a continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 having a substantially flat surface, and a first feed roller 36 for controlling the feeding of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10. The apparatus 30 may also include a web tension adjuster and a web edge control system, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, although these additional components are not required in the context of the present disclosure and have therefore been omitted for the sake of brevity.

[0051] The apparatus 30 includes a susceptor supply reel 38 (e.g., a second bobbin) that carries a continuous web 40 of susceptor material, feed rollers 42, 44 for controlling the feeding of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material, an adhesive application unit 46, and a susceptor cutting unit 48.

[0052] The apparatus 30 further includes an optional heater 50 , a ribbon cutting unit 52 , a feed roller 54 , a rod forming unit 56 , and a rod cutting unit 58 .

[0053] Preparation of susceptor patches During operation, the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 is continuously fed from the substrate supply reel 32. Simultaneously, the continuous web 40 of susceptor material is continuously fed from the susceptor supply reel 38 via feed rollers 42, 44 to the adhesive application unit 46. The adhesive application unit 46 applies an adhesive 47 to the surface of the continuous web of susceptor material 40. In the illustrated embodiment, the adhesive application unit 46 applies the adhesive 47 intermittently to the surface of the continuous web of susceptor material 40 across the entire width of the web 40. In this manner, discontinuous tacky regions 60 (see FIGS. 3 and 4 ) are formed on the surface of the continuous web of susceptor material 40, and tack-free regions 62 are formed between adjacent tacky regions 60 in the direction of travel of the continuous web of susceptor material 40.

[0054] The continuous web 40 of susceptor material is fed from the adhesive application unit 46 to a susceptor cutting unit 48, which continuously cuts the continuous web 40 of susceptor material to form a plurality of susceptor patches 28. As best seen in FIG. 2b, the continuous web 40 of susceptor material, and therefore the susceptor patches 28, have a width that is substantially smaller than the width of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10. For example, the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 may have a width of approximately 140 mm, and the continuous web 40 of susceptor material, and therefore the susceptor patches 28, may have a width of approximately 0.1 mm to 5 mm. In some embodiments, the susceptor patches 28 may have a length of approximately 5 mm to 50 mm in the direction of travel of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material and a thickness of approximately 1 μm to 500 μm.

[0055] To minimize contamination of the susceptor cutting unit 48 by the adhesive 47 applied to the continuous web 40 of susceptor material by the adhesive application unit 46, the susceptor cutting unit 48 cuts the continuous web 40 of susceptor material at non-sticky regions 62, i.e., locations between sticky regions 60 on the surface of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material. This can be achieved by synchronizing the operation of the susceptor cutting unit 48 with the movement of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 5 , the susceptor cutting unit 48 includes a rotary cutting unit 64 that includes a support drum 66 and a cutting drum 68. The support drum 66 circumferentially supports the continuous web of susceptor material 40 and includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses 70 therearound. The support drum 66 is typically a suction drum, and the continuous web of susceptor material 40 and the susceptor patches 28 are supported therearound by suction force applied through suction ports 67. The cutting drum 68 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced cutting elements 72, e.g., protruding cutting blades, therearound, which cooperate with (e.g., extend into) the circumferentially spaced recesses 70 while both the support drum 66 and the cutting drum 68 rotate synchronously in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 5 . This results in successive shear cutting of the continuous web of susceptor material 40 to form a plurality of susceptor patches 28.

[0057] Susceptor patch adhesion The susceptor patches 28 provided by the susceptor cutting unit 48 may be attached to the surface of the continuous web 40 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10, such that there is a constant and predetermined gap 74 between the edges of each successive susceptor patch 28, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 2b and 4. The constant and predetermined gap 74 may be, for example, 1 mm to 20 mm. To create the constant and predetermined gap 74 between the edges of adjacent susceptor patches 28, the susceptor cutting unit 48 allows relative movement between the continuous web 40 of susceptor material and the support drum 66 for a predetermined period of time immediately after the continuous web 40 of susceptor material carried by the support drum 66 is cut by the cutting drum 68 to form the susceptor patches 28. This relative movement allows the continuous web 40 of susceptor material to remain stationary or to travel at a reduced speed for a short period of time after the susceptor patches 28 are cut from the continuous web 40 of susceptor material. Relative movement between the continuous web 40 of susceptor material and the support drum 66 may be achieved, for example, by reducing the suction force applied by the support drum 66 to the continuous web 40 of susceptor material, while maintaining sufficient suction force between the cut susceptor patches 28 and the support drum 66 to ensure there is no relative movement between the susceptor patches 28 and the support drum 66. In this manner, the susceptor patches 28 cut from the continuous web 40 of susceptor material by the susceptor cutting unit 48 are transported at a faster speed and for a shorter period of time than the continuous web 40 of susceptor material from which the susceptor patches 28 were cut, thereby creating the desired constant and predetermined spacing 74 between the edges of adjacent susceptor patches 28.

[0058] The susceptor patches 28 coated with adhesive 47 are successively and sequentially adhered to the surface of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 substantially along the centerline of the continuous web 34. Adjacent susceptor patches 28 are spaced apart in the direction of travel of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate by a constant, predetermined gap 74 between the edges of the susceptor patches 28, which is generated when the susceptor patches 28 are formed in the susceptor cutting unit 48. To ensure sufficient adhesion between the susceptor patches 28 and the substantially flat surface of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10, the susceptor patches 28 may be pressed onto the substantially flat surface by a cam roller 76, as illustrated in FIG. 2a. The rotation of the cam roller 76 is synchronized with the movement of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10, so that a pressing force is applied to successive susceptor patches 28 but not to the spaced-apart areas between successive susceptor patches 28.

[0059] Depending on the properties of the adhesive 47 applied to the continuous web 40 of susceptor material (and thus the susceptor patches 28) by the adhesive application unit 46, the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 and the susceptor patches 28 adhered thereto may be heated by an optional heater 50. This may help cure or fix the adhesive 47, thereby ensuring a good bond between each susceptor patch 28 and the surface of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates 10. The heating temperature must be carefully selected based on the properties of both the aerosol-generating substrates 10 and the adhesive 47 to ensure that sufficient heating is achieved to cure or fix the adhesive 47 while simultaneously avoiding or at least minimizing the release of volatile components from the aerosol-generating substrates 10.

[0060] Cutting the belt The continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 having spaced-apart susceptor patches 28 adhered thereto is fed to a band cutting unit 52 (best seen in FIG. 6 ), which simultaneously cuts the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 and the susceptor patches 28 to form a plurality of continuous aerosol-generation zones 16 and a plurality of susceptor zones 18. In an embodiment, the band cutting unit 52 cuts the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 and the susceptor patches 28 to form aerosol-generation zones 16 and susceptor zones 18 having band widths of approximately 1 mm. It should be understood, therefore, that if the susceptor patches 28 have a width of 5 mm as described above, then cutting each susceptor patch 28 results in five susceptor zones 18.

[0061] The ends of the susceptor bands 18 formed by cutting the susceptor patches 28 are longitudinally spaced apart by the same predetermined constant intervals 74 that existed between the edges of adjacent susceptor patches 28. As shown in FIGS. 2a and 6, the band cutting unit 52 is a rotary cutter unit 78 that includes a first cutting drum 80 and a second cutting drum 82. The first cutting drum 80 includes a first cutting formation 84 extending in the circumferential direction, and the second cutting drum 82 includes a second cutting formation 86 extending in the circumferential direction. The first cutting formation 84 and the second cutting formation 86 cooperate (e.g., intermesh) to shear-cut the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and the susceptor patches 28 in the traveling direction of the continuous web 34 to form a plurality of aerosol-generation zones 16 and a plurality of susceptor zones 18. 2b and 6, the aerosol-generation zone 16 formed by cutting the central region of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 having the susceptor patch 28 adhered to its surface has the susceptor zone 18 (i.e., the elongated second zone 13) adhered to it, and is the aerosol-generation zone 16 formed by cutting this central region to form the elongated third zone 17. On the other hand, the aerosol-generation zone 16 formed by cutting the side regions of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 on the opposite side from the susceptor patch 28 does not have the susceptor zone 18 adhered to it, and is the aerosol-generation zone 16 formed by cutting these side regions to form the elongated first zone 15.

[0062] Rod formation The aerosol-generation zone 16 and the susceptor zone 18 are conveyed to the rod-forming unit 56 where the aerosol-generation zone 16 and the susceptor zone 18 are formed into a continuous rod 88. If desired, a continuous sheet of wrapper paper (not shown) may be supplied to the rod-forming unit 56 from a supply reel (not shown) or may be supplied (again from a supply reel) to a separate packaging unit which may be located downstream of the rod-forming unit 56. As the sheet of wrapper paper is transported and guided through the rod-forming unit 56 or the separate packaging unit, the sheet may be wound around the aerosol-generation zone 16 and the susceptor zone 18 such that the continuous rod 88 is circumscribed by the wrapper material 14.

[0063] Cutting the rod The continuous rod 88 (optionally surrounded by a wrapper 14) is then transferred to the rod cutting unit 58, where it is cut to length at appropriate locations to form a plurality of aerosol product articles 1. The aerosol product articles 1 formed by the rod cutting unit 58 may have a length of 5 mm to 50 mm, preferably 10 mm to 30 mm. It should be understood that this length corresponds to the length of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 described above with reference to FIGS. 1a and 1b. The continuous rod 88 is preferably repeatedly cut by the rod cutting unit 58 substantially midway between the ends of the susceptor band 18 formed by cutting the series of susceptor patches 28. In this manner, the susceptor band 18 is not cut by the rod cutting unit 58, thereby reducing wear on the cutting elements. Furthermore, because the susceptor band 18 is shorter than the aerosol-generation zone 16, the ends of the susceptor band 18 are not visible at either end of the aerosol product articles 1 formed by the rod cutting unit 58. It will be appreciated that this type of method is particularly suitable for mass production of the aerosol product 1.

[0064] Final assembly Further units (not shown) may be located downstream of rod cutting unit 58 and may be configured to provide one or more additional components, such as mouthpiece segments 20 described above, and to assemble these with the individual aerosol product articles 1 formed by rod cutting unit 56 to form finished aerosol product articles 1, for example of the type shown in FIG. 1. In this case, a separate packaging unit may be provided downstream of rod cutting unit 58, whereby the assembled components may be packaged simultaneously to form finished aerosol product articles 1. The further units may form part of apparatus 30, or may be separate, stand-alone units that form part of the final assembly line.

[0065] Aerosol Product (Example 2) 7a and 7b, there is shown a second embodiment of an aerosol product article 2 for use in an aerosol generating device that includes an induction heating system for inductively heating the aerosol product article, thereby generating an aerosol for inhalation by a user of the device. The aerosol product article 2 is similar to the aerosol product article 1 described above with reference to Figures 1a and 1b, and corresponding components are identified using the same reference numerals.

[0066] The aerosol product article 2 includes an aerosol-generating substrate 10 having a first end 10a and a second end 10b, and an inductively heatable susceptor 12. The aerosol-generating substrate 10 and the inductively heatable susceptor 12 are located within and enclosed by a wrapper 14. The wrapper 14 includes a substantially electrically non-conductive and non-magnetically permeable material. In the illustrated embodiment, the wrapper 14 is a paper wrapper and may include cigarette paper.

[0067] The aerosol product 2 typically has a total length, measured between the distal end 11a and the proximal (oral) end 11b, of 30 mm to 100 mm, preferably 50 mm to 70 mm. The aerosol-generating substrate 10 typically has a total length, measured between the first end 10a and the second end 10b, of 5 mm to 50 mm, preferably 10 mm to 30 mm. The aerosol product 1 typically has a diameter of 5 mm to 10 mm, preferably 6 mm to 8 mm.

[0068] The aerosol-generating substrate 10 includes a plurality of elongated first zones 15 containing aerosol-generating material. The plurality of elongated first zones 15 constitute aerosol-generation zones 16 and are oriented substantially in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol product article 2. The elongated first zones 15 are typically free of folds in the longitudinal direction to ensure that the airflow path is uninterrupted and that uniform airflow through the article 2 can be achieved.

[0069] The inductively heatable susceptor 12 includes elongated second bands 13 comprising inductively heatable susceptor material. The elongated second bands 13 may therefore be considered as band- or blade-shaped elongated susceptors 12 oriented substantially in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol product article 2. As can be clearly seen in Figure 7b, each of the elongated first bands 15 has a width that is smaller than the width of the elongated second bands 13.

[0070] The aerosol product article 2 includes at least one elongated carrier zone 17 having a first major surface 17a and a second major surface 17b. The elongated carrier zone 17 contains an aerosol-generating material and thus also constitutes an aerosol-generation zone 16. The elongated carrier zone 17 is oriented substantially in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol product article 2. The elongated carrier zone 17 has the same length as the first elongated zone 15, and therefore all of the aerosol-generation zones 16 in the aerosol product article 2 have the same length.

[0071] The elongated second strip 13 is adhered to an elongated carrier strip 17, which, as can be clearly seen in Figure 7b, has a width greater than that of the elongated second strip 13. The elongated second strip 13 has opposing first and second surfaces 13b, 13c. The second surface 13c is adhered to the second major surface 17b of the elongated carrier strip 17 and is entirely covered by the elongated carrier strip 17, and more particularly by the second major surface 17b.

[0072] The elongated first zone 15, the elongated second zone 13, and the elongated carrier zone 17 are arranged to form a generally rod-shaped aerosol product article 2, and the elongated first zones 15 may be randomly dispersed throughout the cross-section of the rod-shaped aerosol product article 2 so that they have a plurality of different orientations within the cross-section of the aerosol product article 2. Although not apparent from FIG. 7b, it should be understood that a sufficient number of elongated first zones 15 are provided to substantially fill the cross-section of the aerosol-generating substrate 10, and a smaller number of elongated first zones 15 are shown merely for illustrative purposes. The elongated second zone 13 and the elongated carrier zone 17 are roughly centered within the cross-section of the aerosol-generating substrate 10, and thus the aerosol product article 2. Such an arrangement helps ensure uniform heat transfer from the elongated second zone 13 to the elongated first zone 15.

[0073] As best seen in Figure 7b, the centrally located elongated carrier band 17 and the elongated second bands 13 adhered thereto define a first region 5 and a second region 6 within the cross-section of the aerosol-generating substrate 10, and hence the aerosol product article 2. The first region 5 faces a first major surface 17a of the elongated carrier band 17, and the second region 6 faces a second major surface 17b of the elongated carrier band 17. Both the first region 5 and the second region 6 include a plurality of elongated first bands 15.

[0074] As best seen in Figure 7a, each of the plurality of elongated first bands 15 has a distal end 15a, and the elongated second band 13 has a distal end 13a. The distal end 15a of the elongated first band 15 forms the first end 10a of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and, correspondingly, the distal end 11a of the aerosol product article 2. The elongated second band 13 is shorter than the elongated first band 15 and the elongated carrier band 17. The distal end 13a of the elongated second band 13 is located inward from the distal end 15a of the elongated first band 15. The distal end 13a of the elongated second band 13 (i.e., the elongated susceptor 12) is therefore not visible at the distal end 11a of the aerosol product article 2.

[0075] The aerosol product article 2 includes a mouthpiece segment 20 located downstream of the aerosol-generating substrate 10. The aerosol-generating substrate 10 and the mouthpiece segment 20 are coaxially arranged inside a wrapper 14 to hold the components in place and form the rod-shaped aerosol product article 2. The mouthpiece segment 20 has the same structure and includes the same components as the mouthpiece segment 20 described above in relation to the first embodiment of the aerosol product article 1.

[0076] The elongated first zone 15 and the elongated carrier zone 17 typically comprise a plant-derived material such as tobacco. The elongated first zone 15 and the elongated carrier zone 17 may advantageously comprise reconstituted tobacco, which includes tobacco and any one or more of cellulose fiber, tobacco stem fiber, and an inorganic filler such as CaCO3.

[0077] The elongated first zone 15 and the elongated carrier zone 17 typically contain an aerosol former such as glycerin or propylene glycol. Typically, the elongated first zone 15 and the elongated carrier zone 17 contain about 5% to about 50% aerosol former content on a dry weight basis. Upon heating, the elongated first zone 15 and the elongated carrier zone 17 release volatile compounds, optionally including flavor compounds such as nicotine or tobacco flavorings.

[0078] When a time-varying electromagnetic field is applied around the elongated second band 13 during use of the article 2 in an aerosol-generating device, heat is generated in the elongated second band 13 due to eddy currents and magnetic hysteresis losses. Heat is transferred from the elongated second band 13 to the elongated first band 15 and the elongated carrier band 17, heating them without burning and releasing one or more volatile compounds, thereby generating vapor. When a user inhales through the filter segment 24, the heated vapor is drawn downstream through the article 2 from the first end 10 a of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 toward the second end 10 b of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and toward the filter segment 24. As the heated vapor flows through the cooling segment 22 and the central hole segment 23 toward the filter segment 24, it cools and condenses to form an aerosol with properties suitable for inhalation by a user through the filter segment 24.

[0079] Aerosol Product Preparation (Example 2): Embodiment 1 Referring to Figure 8a, there is shown a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of an apparatus 130 and method for producing the second example of the aerosol product article 2 described above with reference to Figures 7a and 7b. Figure 8b is a plan view of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and susceptor patch 28 as they move through the apparatus 130 in the direction of the arrows in Figure 8b. The apparatus 130 and method are similar to the apparatus 30 and method described above with reference to Figures 2-6, and corresponding components are identified using the same reference numerals.

[0080] The apparatus 130 includes a substrate supply reel 32 (e.g., a first bobbin) carrying a continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 having a generally flat surface with a centerline 118, and a first feed roller 36 for controlling the feeding of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10. The apparatus 130 may also include a web tension adjuster and a web edge control system, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, although these additional components are not required in the context of the present disclosure and therefore have been omitted for the sake of brevity.

[0081] The apparatus 130 includes a susceptor supply reel 38 (e.g., a second bobbin) that carries a continuous web 40 of susceptor material, feed rollers 42, 44 for controlling the feeding of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material, an adhesive application unit 46, and a susceptor cutting unit 48.

[0082] The apparatus 130 further includes an optional heater 50 , a ribbon cutting unit 52 , a feed roller 54 , a rod forming unit 56 , and a rod cutting unit 58 .

[0083] Preparation of susceptor patches During operation, a continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 is continuously fed from substrate supply reel 32. Simultaneously, susceptor patches 28 are prepared in exactly the same manner as described above in connection with apparatus 30 and the corresponding method, and the details will not be repeated. As will become apparent from the following description, each susceptor patch 28 corresponds to an elongated second band 13 (i.e., an elongated susceptor 12) in the finished aerosol product article 2, as described above with reference to Figures 7a and 7b.

[0084] Susceptor patch adhesion The susceptor patches 28 provided by the susceptor cutting unit 48 may be applied to the surface of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 so that there is a constant, predetermined spacing 74 between the edges of each successive susceptor patch 28, as shown, for example, in Figures 8b and 4. The constant, predetermined spacing 74 may be, for example, 1 mm to 20 mm, and is achieved in the same manner as described above in connection with the apparatus 30 and corresponding method.

[0085] The susceptor patches 28 coated with adhesive 47 are adhered consecutively, one after the other, to the flat surface of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 substantially along the centerline 118. Exposed side regions 190 of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates are thereby formed on both sides of the susceptor patches 28 (see FIG. 8b). This is because, as described above, the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 is substantially wider than the susceptor patches 28. Adjacent susceptor patches 28 are also spaced apart in the direction of travel of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 by constant, predetermined intervals 74 between the edges of the susceptor patches 28, which are created when the susceptor patches 28 are formed in the susceptor cutting unit 48.

[0086] To ensure sufficient adhesion between the susceptor patches 28 and the generally flat surface of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10, the susceptor patches 28 may be pressed onto the generally flat surface by a cam roller 76, as illustrated in Figure 8a. The rotation of the cam roller 76 is synchronized with the movement of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10, so that a pressing force is applied to successive susceptor patches 28 but not to spaced-apart areas between successive susceptor patches 28.

[0087] Depending on the nature of the adhesive 47 applied to the continuous web of susceptor material 40 (and thus the susceptor patches 28) by the adhesive application unit 46, the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 and the susceptor patches 28 adhered thereto may be heated by an optional heater 50. As mentioned above, this may help cure or set the adhesive 47, thereby ensuring a good bond between each susceptor patch 28 and the flat surface of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10.

[0088] Cutting the belt A continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 having spaced-apart susceptor patches 28 adhered to its planar surface is fed to a band cutting unit 52 (best seen in FIG. 9 ). The band cutting unit 52 cuts only the exposed side regions 190 of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates 10, without cutting the susceptor patches 28, to form a plurality of continuous aerosol-generation zones 16 together with the susceptor patches 28. In an embodiment, the band cutting unit 52 cuts the exposed side regions 190 of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 to form aerosol-generation zones 16 having a band width of approximately 1 mm.

[0089] 8a and 9, the band cutting unit 52 is a rotary cutter unit 78 and includes a first cutting drum 80 and a second cutting drum 82. The first cutting drum 80 includes a circumferentially extending first cutting formation 84, and the second cutting drum 82 includes a circumferentially extending second cutting formation 86. The first cutting formation 84 and the second cutting formation 86 cooperate (e.g., interdigitate) to shear-cut the exposed side regions 190 of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 in the direction of travel of the continuous web 34 to form a continuous aerosol-generation band 16, specifically, the elongated first band 15 shown in FIGS.

[0090] To provide for cutting only the exposed side regions 190 of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 to form the elongated first bands 15, the first cutting drum 80 and the second cutting drum 82 define a non-cutting region 92 therebetween, which accommodates the susceptor patches 28 and the portions of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 to which the susceptor patches 28 are adhered. In the illustrated embodiment, the first cutting drum 80 is formed without the first cut formations 84 in the non-cutting region 92. Similarly, the second cutting drum 82 is also formed without the second cut formations 86 in the non-cutting region 92. Furthermore, the first cutting drum 80 includes a circumferentially extending recess 94 in the surface of the non-cutting region 92, whereby at least a portion of the susceptor patch 28 is accommodated in the circumferentially extending recess 94 during cutting of the exposed side region 190 of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10. It will be understood that, therefore, when the exposed side region 190 of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 is cut to form the elongated first bands 15 by cooperation between the first cutting formations 84 and the second cutting formations 86 on the first cutting drum 80 and the second cutting drum 82, respectively, the central portion of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 that is accommodated in the non-cutting region 92 and that has not been cut into bands constitutes the elongated carrier band 17 described above with reference to FIG.

[0091] Rod formation The aerosol-generation zone 16, elongated carrier strip 17, and adhered susceptor patches 28 formed by cutting the exposed side regions 190 of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 are conveyed to the rod-forming unit 56, where they are formed into a continuous rod 88. If desired, a continuous sheet of wrapper paper (not shown) may be supplied to the rod-forming unit 56 from a supply reel (not shown), or may be supplied (again from a supply reel) to a separate packaging unit that may be located downstream of the rod-forming unit 56. As the sheet of wrapper paper is transported and guided through the rod-forming unit 56 or the separate packaging unit, the sheet may be wound around the aerosol-generation zone 16 and the susceptor patches 28 such that the continuous rod 88 is circumscribed by the wrapper material 14.

[0092] Cutting the rod The continuous rod 88 (optionally surrounded by a wrapper 14) is then transferred to the rod cutting unit 58, where it is cut to length at appropriate locations to form a plurality of aerosol product articles 2. The aerosol product articles 2 formed by the rod cutting unit 58 may have a length of 5 mm to 50 mm, preferably 10 mm to 30 mm. It should be understood that this length corresponds to the length of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 described above with reference to FIGS. 7a and 7b. The continuous rod 88 is preferably repeatedly cut by the rod cutting unit 58 substantially midway between the edges of the susceptor patches 28. In this manner, the susceptor patches 28 are not cut by the rod cutting unit 58, thereby reducing wear on the cutting elements. Furthermore, because the susceptor patches 28 are shorter than the aerosol-generation zone 16, the ends of the individual susceptor patches 28 (i.e., the elongated second zone 13) are not visible at either end of the aerosol product articles 2 formed by the rod cutting unit 58. It will be appreciated that this type of method is particularly suitable for mass production of the aerosol product 2.

[0093] Final assembly Further units (not shown) may be located downstream of rod cutting unit 58 and may be configured to provide one or more additional components, such as mouthpiece segments 20 described above, and to assemble these with the individual aerosol product articles 2 formed by rod cutting unit 56 to form finished aerosol product articles 2, for example of the type shown in FIG. 7. In this case, a separate packaging unit may be provided downstream of rod cutting unit 58, whereby the assembled components may be packaged simultaneously to form the finished aerosol product articles 2. The further units may form part of apparatus 130, or may be separate, stand-alone units that form part of the final assembly line.

[0094] Aerosol Product Preparation (Example 2): Embodiment 2 Referring to Figure 10a, there is shown a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of an apparatus 230 and method for producing the second example of the aerosol product article 2 described above with reference to Figures 7a and 7b. Figure 10b is a plan view of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and susceptor patch 28 as they move through the apparatus 230 in the direction of the arrows in Figure 10b. The apparatus 230 and method are similar to the apparatus 30, 130 and methods described above with reference to Figures 2-6 and 8-9, and corresponding components are identified using the same reference numerals.

[0095] The apparatus 230 includes a substrate supply reel 32 (e.g., a first bobbin) carrying a continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 having a substantially flat surface, and a first feed roller 36 for controlling the feeding of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10. The apparatus 230 may also include a web tension adjuster and a web edge control system, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, although these additional components are not required in the context of the present disclosure and have therefore been omitted for the sake of brevity.

[0096] The apparatus 230 further includes a rotary cutter unit 290, which may include, for example, a circular cutting knife. The rotary cutter unit 290 cuts the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 along one edge 19 to separate the continuous strip 218 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 from the continuous web 34. The continuous strip 218 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 corresponds to the elongated carrier strip 17 of the finished aerosol product article 2 described above with reference to Figures 7a and 7b. The continuous strip 218 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 has a substantially flat surface and is transported away from the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrates 10 by transport rollers 92, 94, for example, upward as best seen in Figure 10a, so that the continuous strip 218 and the continuous web 34 can be processed separately by the apparatus 230.

[0097] The apparatus 230 also includes a susceptor supply reel 38 (e.g., a second bobbin) that carries a continuous web 40 of susceptor material, feed rollers 42, 44 for controlling the feeding of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material, an adhesive application unit 46, and a susceptor cutting unit 48.

[0098] The apparatus 230 further includes an optional heater 50 , a feed roller 51 , a strip cutting unit 52 , a feed roller 54 , a rod forming unit 56 , and a rod cutting unit 58 .

[0099] Preparation of susceptor patches During operation, the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 is continuously fed from the substrate supply reel 32, and a continuous band 218 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 is separated from the edge 19 of the continuous web 34 by the rotary cutter unit 290 as described above and transferred from the continuous web 34 by the transfer rollers 92, 94. Simultaneously, the continuous web 40 of susceptor material is continuously fed from the susceptor supply reel 38 via feed rollers 42, 44 to the adhesive application unit 46. The adhesive application unit 46 applies an adhesive 47 to the surface of the continuous web of susceptor material 40. In the illustrated embodiment, the adhesive application unit 46 applies the adhesive 47 intermittently to the surface of the continuous web of susceptor material 40 and across the entire width of the web 40. In this manner, discontinuous tacky areas 60 (see Figures 3 and 11) are formed on the surface of the continuous web of susceptor material 40, and non-tacky areas 62 are formed between adjacent tacky areas 60 in the direction of travel of the continuous web of susceptor material 40.

[0100] The continuous web 40 of susceptor material is fed from the adhesive application unit 46 to a susceptor cutting unit 48, which continuously cuts the continuous web 40 of susceptor material to form a plurality of susceptor patches 28. The structure and operation of the susceptor cutting unit 48 is identical to that described above in connection with Figure 5. As will become apparent from the following description, each susceptor patch 28 corresponds to an elongated second band 13 (i.e., an elongated susceptor 12) in the finished aerosol product article 2, as described above with reference to Figures 7a and 7b.

[0101] 10b, the continuous web of susceptor material 40, and therefore the susceptor patches 28, have a width that is smaller than the width of the continuous strip 218 of aerosol-generating substrate 10. For example, the continuous web of susceptor material 40, and therefore the susceptor patches 28, may have a width of about 0.1 mm to 7 mm. In some embodiments, the susceptor patches 28 may have a length of about 5 mm to 50 mm in the direction of travel of the continuous web of susceptor material 40, and a thickness of about 1 μm to 500 μm.

[0102] To minimize contamination of the susceptor cutting unit 48 by the adhesive 47 applied to the continuous web 40 of susceptor material by the adhesive application unit 46, the susceptor cutting unit 48 cuts the continuous web 40 of susceptor material at non-sticky regions 62, i.e., locations between sticky regions 60 on the surface of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material. This can be achieved by synchronizing the operation of the susceptor cutting unit 48 with the movement of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material.

[0103] Susceptor patch adhesion The susceptor patches 28 provided by the susceptor cutting unit 48 may be applied to a flat surface of the continuous band 218 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 so that there is a constant, predetermined spacing 74 between the edges of each successive susceptor patch 28, as shown, for example, in Figures 10b and 11. The constant, predetermined spacing 74 may be, for example, 1 mm to 20 mm, and is achieved in the same manner as described above in connection with the apparatus 30 and corresponding method.

[0104] The susceptor patches 28 coated with adhesive 47 are successively and sequentially adhered to the flat surface of the continuous strip 218 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 substantially along the center of the continuous strip 218. Adjacent susceptor patches 28 are spaced apart in the direction of travel of the continuous strip 218 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 by constant, predetermined intervals 74 between the edges of the susceptor patches 28, which are created when the susceptor patches 28 are formed in the susceptor cutting unit 48.

[0105] To ensure sufficient adhesion between the susceptor patches 28 and the generally flat surface of the continuous band 218 of aerosol-generating substrate 10, the susceptor patches 28 may be pressed onto the generally flat surface by a cam roller 76, as shown in Figure 10a. The rotation of the cam roller 76 is synchronized with the movement of the continuous band 218 of aerosol-generating substrate 10, so that a pressing force is applied to successive susceptor patches 28 but not to spaced-apart areas between successive susceptor patches 28.

[0106] Depending on the nature of the adhesive 47 applied to the continuous web 40 of susceptor material (and thus the susceptor patches 28) by the adhesive application unit 46, the continuous strip 218 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 and the susceptor patches 28 adhered thereto may be heated by an optional heater 50. As mentioned above, this may help cure or set the adhesive 47, thereby ensuring good bonding between each susceptor patch 28 and the flat surface of the continuous strip 218 of aerosol-generating substrate 10.

[0107] Cutting the belt After the continuous band 218 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 has been separated from the edge 19 of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 by the rotary cutter unit 290, the remaining web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 is fed to a band cutting unit 52 (best seen in FIG. 12 ). The band cutting unit 52 cuts the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 across its entire width to form a plurality of continuous aerosol-generating bands 16 that correspond to the elongated first bands 15 in the finished aerosol product article 2 described above with reference to FIGS. 7 a and 7 b. In an embodiment, the band cutting unit 52 cuts the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 to form aerosol-generating bands 16 having a band width of about 1 mm.

[0108] 10a and 12, the band cutting unit 52 is a rotary cutter unit 78 and includes a first cutting drum 80 and a second cutting drum 82. The first cutting drum 80 includes a circumferentially extending first cutting formation 84, and the second cutting drum 82 includes a circumferentially extending second cutting formation 86. The first cutting formation 84 and the second cutting formation 86 cooperate (e.g., intermesh) to shear-cut the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 in the direction of travel of the continuous web 34 to form a plurality of aerosol-generation bands 16, specifically, the elongated first bands 15 shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b.

[0109] Rod formation The aerosol-generation zone 16, formed by cutting the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10, is conveyed to the rod-forming unit 56, where the aerosol-generation zone 16 is formed into a continuous rod 88. The continuous band 218 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 having the adhered susceptor patches 28 is also conveyed by the feed roller 51 to the rod-forming unit 56 and joined with the aerosol-generation zone 16 to form the continuous rod 88. If desired, a continuous sheet of wrapper paper (not shown) may be supplied to the rod-forming unit 56 from a supply reel (not shown) or may be supplied (again from a supply reel) to a separate packaging unit that may be located downstream of the rod-forming unit 56. As the sheet of wrapper paper is transported and guided through the rod-forming unit 56 or the separate packaging unit, the sheet may be wound around the aerosol-generation zone 16 and the susceptor patches 28 such that the continuous rod 88 is circumscribed by the wrapper material 14.

[0110] Cutting the rod The continuous rod 88 (optionally surrounded by a wrapper 14) is then transferred to the rod cutting unit 58, where it is cut to length at appropriate locations to form a plurality of aerosol product articles 2. The aerosol product articles 2 formed by the rod cutting unit 58 may have a length of 5 mm to 50 mm, preferably 10 mm to 30 mm. It should be understood that this length corresponds to the length of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 described above with reference to FIGS. 7a and 7b. The continuous rod 88 is preferably repeatedly cut by the rod cutting unit 58 substantially midway between the edges of the susceptor patches 28. In this manner, the susceptor patches 28 are not cut by the rod cutting unit 58, thereby reducing wear on the cutting elements. Furthermore, because the susceptor patches 28 are shorter than the aerosol-generation zone 16, the ends of the individual susceptor patches 28 (i.e., the elongated second zone 13) are not visible at either end of the aerosol product articles 2 formed by the rod cutting unit 58. It will be appreciated that this type of method is particularly suitable for mass production of the aerosol product 2.

[0111] Final assembly Further units (not shown) may be located downstream of rod cutting unit 58 and may be configured to provide one or more additional components, such as mouthpiece segments 20 described above, and to assemble these with the individual aerosol product articles 2 formed by rod cutting unit 56 to form finished aerosol product articles 2, for example of the type shown in FIG. 7. In this case, a separate packaging unit may be provided downstream of rod cutting unit 58, whereby the assembled components may be packaged simultaneously to form the finished aerosol product articles 2. The further units may form part of apparatus 230, or may be separate, stand-alone units that form part of the final assembly line.

[0112] While exemplary embodiments have been described in the preceding paragraphs, it should be understood that various modifications can be made to these embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims, and therefore, the breadth and scope of the claims should not be limited to the exemplary embodiments described above.

[0113] Any combination of the above-described features in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the present disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

[0114] Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, throughout this specification and the claims, the words "comprises," "including," and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, i.e., "including but not limited to," as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense.

Claims

1. A method for continuously producing an aerosol product (1, 2), said method comprising: (i) providing a continuous web (34) of aerosol-generating substrate (10); (ii) providing a continuous web of susceptor material (40); (iii) successively cutting the continuous web of susceptor material (40) to form a plurality of susceptor patches (28); (iv) sequentially depositing the plurality of susceptor patches (28) on a portion of the surface of the continuous web (34) of the aerosol-generating substrate (10) with a predefined, constant spacing (74) between each successive susceptor patch (28); (v) cutting the continuous web of the aerosol-generating substrate (10) into strips along the longitudinal direction of the continuous web of the aerosol-generating substrate (10), and then forming the continuous web of the aerosol-generating substrate (10) and the susceptor patches (28) into a continuous rod (88); A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (iii) comprises uniformly cutting the continuous web of susceptor material at predefined, regular intervals so that the susceptor patches have substantially the same length in the direction of travel of the continuous web of susceptor material.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein step (iii) is carried out using a rotary cutting unit (64) including a support drum (66) supporting the continuous web (40) of susceptor material therearound and a cutting drum (68) having a plurality of circumferentially spaced cutting elements (72) therearound, the cutting elements (72) working in cooperation with the support drum (66) to shear cut the continuous web (40) of susceptor material to form the plurality of susceptor patches (28).

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the support drum (66) includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses (70) therearound, and the cutting elements (72) on the cutting drum (68) cooperate with the circumferentially spaced recesses (70) to shear-cut the continuous web (40) of susceptor material to form the plurality of susceptor patches (28) while both the support drum (66) and the cutting drum (68) rotate.

5. 5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein the support drum (66) is a suction drum, and the continuous web of susceptor material (40) and one or more of the susceptor patches (28) are supported around the periphery of the suction drum by suction.

6. 6. The method of claim 3, wherein the predefined constant spacing between each successive susceptor patch is achieved by allowing relative movement between the continuous web of susceptor material and the support drum for a predetermined period of time immediately after cutting the continuous web of susceptor material to form a susceptor patch.

7. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the relative movement between the continuous web of susceptor material (40) and the support drum (66) is achieved by reducing the suction force applied to the continuous web of susceptor material (40).

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein each of the plurality of susceptor patches (28) has substantially the same dimensions.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the length of each susceptor patch (28) is between 5 mm and 50 mm, preferably the length of each susceptor patch (28) is between 10 mm and 30 mm.

10. 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined regular interval (74) between each successive susceptor patch (28) is between 1 mm and 20 mm, preferably the predefined regular interval is between 2 mm and 10 mm.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein step (iv) comprises adhering the susceptor patch (28) to the surface of the continuous web (34) of the aerosol-generating substrate (10).

12. 12. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (iv) comprises pressing the susceptor patch (28) onto the surface of the continuous web (34) of the aerosol-generating substrate (10), preferably wherein the pressing step is carried out using a cam roller (76).

13. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the continuous web (34) of aerosol-generating substrate (10) provided in step (i) comprises a generally planar surface having a centerline (118), and step (iv) comprises adhering the plurality of susceptor patches (28) sequentially to the generally planar surface substantially along the centerline (118).

14. The method comprises: The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising: (vi) cutting the continuous rod (88) to form a plurality of individual aerosol product articles (1, 2), each of which includes at least one susceptor patch (28).

15. The method of claim 14, wherein step (vi) comprises cutting the continuous rod (88) at locations between adjacent susceptor patches (28).

16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein step (vi) comprises cutting the continuous rod (88) substantially midway between adjacent susceptor patches (28).

17. A method described in any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the portion of the continuous web to which the plurality of susceptor patches (28) are attached in step (iv) is formed as a continuous strip (218) cut from the continuous web (34).

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