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EP-3772248-B1 - AN AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE COMPRISING A HEATABLE ELEMENT

EP3772248B1EP 3772248 B1EP3772248 B1EP 3772248B1EP-3772248-B1

Inventors

  • COURBAT, Jerome Christian
  • MALGAT, ALEXANDRE

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20190328

Claims (15)

  1. An aerosol-generating article (10) comprising: a plurality of elements assembled in the form of a rod having a mouth end (24) and a distal end (26) upstream from the mouth end (24), the plurality of elements including an aerosol-forming substrate (14) and a plug element (12) located upstream of the aerosol-forming substrate (14), wherein the plug element (12) is cylindrical and formed from a non-inductively-heatable material (27); a susceptor material (15) arranged in thermal communication with the aerosol-forming substrate (14); and a layer of inductively-heatable material (32, 132) arranged in contact with the non-inductively-heatable-material (27).
  2. An aerosol-generating article (10) according to claim 1, wherein the plug element (12) is a cylindrical tube formed from the non-inductively-heatable material (27), the tube having an outer circumferential surface (28) and an inner circumferential surface (30), and wherein the layer of inductively-heatable material (32, 132) is arranged in contact with at least one of the inner circumferential surface (30) and the outer circumferential surface (28).
  3. An aerosol-generating article (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inductively-heatable material (32, 132) comprises at least one of a layer of foil and a layer of metallised paper coupled to the non-inductively heatable material (27).
  4. An aerosol-generating article (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inductively-heatable material (32, 132) comprises a layer of metallic material coated or deposited onto the non-inductively heatable material (27).
  5. An aerosol-generating article (10) according to any preceding claim, wherein the inductively-heatable material (32) is disposed in at least one continuous band extending around at least a portion of the non-inductively-heatable material (27).
  6. An aerosol-generating article (10) according to claim 5, wherein the plug element (12) has a length extending in a longitudinal direction between the mouth end (24) and the distal end (26) of the aerosol-generating article (10), wherein the at least one continuous band of inductively-heatable material (32) has a width extending in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the width of the at least one continuous band of inductively-heatable material (32) is between 50 percent and 100 percent of the length of the plug element (12).
  7. An aerosol-generating article (10) according to any preceding claim, wherein the layer of inductively-heatable material (32, 132) has a thickness of between about 100 nanometres and about 50 micrometres.
  8. An aerosol-generating system (40) comprising: an aerosol-generating article (10) according to any preceding claim; and an aerosol-generating device (50), the aerosol-generating device (50) comprising: a cavity (54) for receiving the aerosol-generating article (10); and an inductor (56) for generating a fluctuating electromagnetic field within the cavity (54).
  9. An aerosol-generating system (40) according to claim 8, wherein the inductor (56) is arranged to heat the susceptor material (15) of the aerosol-generating article (10), when received in the cavity (54), to a temperature of between 200 degrees Celsius and 400 degrees Celsius and simultaneously heat the layer of inductively-heatable material (32, 132) to a temperature of between 50 degrees Celsius and 150 degrees Celsius.
  10. An aerosol-generating system (40) according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising a power supply (62) and a controller (64) arranged to supply power from the power supply (62) to the inductor (56) to generate the fluctuating electromagnetic filed within the cavity (54).
  11. An aerosol-generating system (40) according to claim 10, further comprising a detection circuit arranged to detect the presence of the inductively-heatable material (32) within the cavity (54).
  12. An aerosol-generating system (40) according to claim 11, wherein the controller (64) is arranged to supply power to the inductor (56) only when the detection circuit detects the presence of the inductively-heatable material (32) within the cavity (54).
  13. An aerosol-generating system (40) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the detection circuit comprises a first electrode (58) and a second electrode (60) arranged to receive at least a portion of the inductively-heatable material (32) between the first and second electrodes (58, 60) when the aerosol-generating article (10) is received within the cavity (54).
  14. An aerosol-generating system (40) according to claim 13, wherein the controller (64) is arranged to measure at least one of a resistance and a capacitance between the first and second electrodes (58, 60) to detect the presence of the inductively-heatable material (32) within the cavity (54).
  15. A method of generating an aerosol from an aerosol-generating article (10) according to any of claims 1 to 7, the method comprising the steps of: positioning the aerosol-generating article (10) in a fluctuating electromagnetic field; and inductively heating the susceptor material (15) to a temperature of between 200 degrees Celsius and 400 degrees Celsius and simultaneously inductively heating the layer of inductively-heatable material (32, 132) to a temperature of between 50 degrees Celsius and 150 degrees Celsius.

Description

The present invention relates to an aerosol-generating article comprising a susceptor, a plug element, and a layer of inductively-heatable material. The present invention also relates to an aerosol-generating system comprising the aerosol-generating article, and a method of generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating article. Known inductively heatable aerosol-generating articles comprises an aerosol-forming substrate, such as a tobacco plug, and an elongate susceptor arranged in the aerosol-forming substrate. Typically, the aerosol-generating article comprises a plurality of elements in the form of a rod and is adapted to be used in an electrically operated aerosol-generating device comprising an inductor for generating heat in the elongate susceptor. The position of the elongate susceptor may depend on the manufacturing method of the aerosol-forming substrate comprising the susceptor. To prevent an exposed portion of the elongate susceptor at a distal end of the article, which may result in the susceptor being moved or displaced during handling or transport of the article, some articles comprise a plug element at a distal end of the article, upstream of the aerosol-forming substrate. However, since the plug element remains cooler than the aerosol-forming substrate during heating of the susceptor, undesirable condensation of aerosol within the plug element may occur. WO2017/153443 A1 discloses an aerosol-generating article comprising a plurality of elements arranged in the form of a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end. The plurality of elements comprises an aerosol-forming substrate and a plug element located upstream of and adjacent the aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the plug element is preferably substantially cylindrical and preferably made of a heat resistant material. An elongate susceptor is located in the aerosol-forming substrate. When located within a fluctuating electromagnetic field, eddy currents induced in the susceptor cause heating of the susceptor and therefore heating of the aerosol-forming substrate. It would be desirable to provide an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-forming substrate and a susceptor arranged in the aerosol-forming substrate that mitigates or overcomes such problems with known articles. According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an aerosol-generating article comprising a plurality of elements assembled in the form of a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end. The plurality of elements includes an aerosol-forming substrate and a plug element located upstream of the aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the plug element is cylindrical and formed from a non-inductively-heatable material. The aerosol-generating article also comprises a susceptor material arranged in thermal communication with the aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol-generating article also comprises a layer of inductively-heatable material arranged in contact with the non-inductively-heatable-material. As used herein, the terms 'upstream' and 'downstream' are used to describe the relative positions of elements, or portions of elements, of the aerosol-generating article in relation to the direction in which a user draws on the aerosol-generating article during use. The aerosol-generating article is in the form of a rod that comprises two ends: a mouth end, or proximal end, through which aerosol exits the aerosol-generating article and is delivered to a user, and a distal end. In use, a user may draw on the mouth end. The distal end may also be referred to as the upstream end and is upstream of the mouth end. Advantageously, the plug element prevents direct contact with a distal end of the susceptor material and may inhibit or prevent the susceptor material becoming moved or displaced during handling or transport of the aerosol-generating article. Advantageously, the layer of inductively-heatable material may be inductively heated when the susceptor material is inductively heated to heat the aerosol-forming substrate. Advantageously, inductive heating of the inductively-heatable material results in heating of the plug element formed from a non-inductively-heatable material. Advantageously, heating the plug element may reduce or prevent the condensation of aerosol on or within the plug element. The plug element has a cylindrical shape. The layer of inductively-heatable material may be arranged in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the plug element. The plug element may be a cylindrical tube formed from the non-inductively-heatable material, the tube having an outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface. The layer of inductively-heatable material may be arranged in contact with at least one of the inner circumferential surface and the outer circumferential surface of the plug element. The layer of inductively-heatable material may comprise at least one of a metal a