Polymer-Coated Paper Cooling Segment for Heat-Not-Burn Aerosol

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current heat-not-burn smoking articles face challenges in achieving high cooling performance of vaporized aerosol components while minimizing filtration properties of aerosols, leading to unsatisfactory user experience due to low volatile flavor delivery and high filtration of aerosol components.

Innovation Solution

A cooling segment utilizing polymer-coated paper with a polymer layer on a paper base, which enhances cooling efficiency and reduces filtration by maintaining porosity and incorporating volatile flavor components to stabilize and gradually release flavors during inhalation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a filter segment filled with a large amount of fibers or paper is used as a cooling segment, then the filtering function of smoke components is improved, but the aerosol is overly filtered and the satisfactory sensation of the user cannot be ensured

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefiltering functionVSAvoiduser sensation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a porous polymer coating on the paper substrate with controlled porosity (30-70%) to allow aerosol passage while providing cooling. The porous structure enables vaporized aerosol components to cool and condense without being fully filtered, resolving the contradiction between filtering function and user sensation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The cooling segment comprises a composite structure of paper substrate coated with polymer material. This composite provides both the mechanical strength of paper and the thermal cooling properties of polymer, while maintaining appropriate porosity to balance filtration and aerosol delivery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If the filling density of fibers or paper is high, then the filtering function is improved, but the volatile flavor component is filtered and delivered in an insufficient amount

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefiltering functionVSAvoidvolatile flavor component delivery
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The porous polymer coating with controlled porosity (30-70%) allows volatile flavor components to pass through while providing cooling. The pore structure enables selective transport of vaporized components without excessive filtration, ensuring sufficient flavor delivery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the physical parameters of the cooling segment by controlling polymer coating thickness (5-50 μm) and porosity (30-70%), which optimizes the balance between filtration and volatile component delivery. These parameter adjustments allow vaporized aerosol components and flavors to pass through effectively.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Temperature

If a polymer sheet is gathered or differently processed to provide low resistance support, then the cooling performance is improved, but the formability and structural stability are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling performanceVSAvoidstructural stability
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a composite of paper substrate and polymer coating where the paper provides structural stability and the polymer provides cooling performance. This composite structure maintains formability while delivering effective cooling of vaporized aerosol components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The thin polymer coating (5-50 μm) on the paper substrate acts as a flexible cooling layer that can be gathered or processed while maintaining structural integrity. The thin film structure provides adequate cooling surface area without compromising the mechanical stability of the cooling segment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The polymer-coated paper cooling segment achieves high cooling performance and low filtration properties, ensuring stable delivery of volatile flavors throughout inhalation, thereby enhancing user experience.

Implementation Method 1

a vaporized aerosol component cools primarily in a cooling segment and condenses from the vapor into particles, thereby forming an aerosol

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat transfer: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

the polymer layer has a porous structure

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPorosity: Porosity

Implementation Method 3

a volatile flavor component is contained in a tobacco-containing segment, the amount of the volatile flavor component volatilized is small in some cases since a heating temperature is low

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVaporization: Evaporation

Data Source

PatentEP3881688B1Cooling segment and method for producing same, noncombustible heating-smoking article and noncombustible heating-smoking system
Publication Date: 2024.04.10 JAPAN TOBACCO INC
  • EP3881688B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3881688B1 patent drawingFigure 3(a)~3(b)
  • EP3881688B1 patent drawingFigure 4(a)~4(b)

AI summary

Provided is a cooling segment that exhibits high cooling performance of a vaporized aerosol component and low filtration properties of an aerosol. The cooling segment for a heat-not-burn smoking article, contains a polymer-coated paper including a paper and a polymer layer that contains a polymer and that is provided on the paper.