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EP-4739156-A1 - IMPROVED UPSTREAM ELEMENT

EP4739156A1EP 4739156 A1EP4739156 A1EP 4739156A1EP-4739156-A1

Abstract

An upstream element (20) for an aerosol-generating article (10). The upstream element (20) is formed of an non-woven material. The upstream element (20) includes a particle retention feature that includes a plurality of longitudinal folds. Each longitudinal fold is spaced from its adjacent longitudinal fold or longitudinal folds by a distance of between 25 micrometres and 1000 micrometres. Each longitudinal fold has a height which corresponds to the distance between adjacent longitudinal folds and is between 25 micrometres and 1000 micrometres.

Inventors

  • PAPAKYRILLOU, Stefanos

Assignees

  • Philip Morris Products S.A.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240628

Claims (15)

  1. 1 . An upstream element for an aerosol-generating article, wherein the upstream element is formed of an non-woven material and comprises a particle retention feature including a plurality of longitudinal folds, wherein each longitudinal fold is spaced from its adjacent longitudinal fold or longitudinal folds by a distance of between 25 micrometres and 1000 micrometres, and wherein the or each longitudinal fold has a height, which height corresponds to the distance between adjacent longitudinal folds and is between 25 micrometres and 1000 micrometres.
  2. 2. The upstream element according to claim 1 , wherein the non-woven material is an airlaid non-woven material.
  3. 3. An upstream element according to claim 2, wherein the airlaid non-woven material comprises a biodegradable material, for example wherein the airlaid non-woven material comprises cellulose fibres.
  4. 4. An upstream element according to claim 3, wherein the airlaid non-woven material comprises at least 90 percent by weight cellulose.
  5. 5. An upstream element according to claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the airlaid nonwoven material comprises a fibre web material, for example wherein the airlaid non-woven material comprises bonded webs.
  6. 6. An upstream element according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the airlaid non-woven material has a weight per surface area of at least 15 grams per metre squared and/or wherein the airlaid non-woven material has a weight per surface area of up to 600 grams per metre squared.
  7. 7. An upstream element according to any of claims 2 to 6, wherein the airlaid non-woven material is a sheet, for example wherein the sheet has a width of between 400 millimetres and 500 millimetres, or wherein the sheet has a width of between 120 millimetres and 210 millimetres.
  8. 8. An upstream element according to any of claims 2 to 7, wherein the airlaid non-woven material is a crimped non-woven material.
  9. 9. An upstream element according to any of claims 2 to 8, wherein the upstream element has a length of 5 millimetres.
  10. 10. An upstream element according to any of claims 2 to 9, wherein the upstream element has a resistance to draw of 1.53 millimetres H2O per millimetre of length of the upstream element.
  11. 11. An upstream element according to any of claims 2 to 10, wherein the airlaid non-woven material has a bulk density inside the upstream element of about 0.13 milligrams per cubic millimetre.
  12. 12. A method of manufacturing the upstream element according to claim 1 , the method comprising forming the longitudinal folds in a sheet of non-woven material, forming a cylinder from the non-woven material, wrapping the cylinder and cutting the cylinder into one or more plugs.
  13. 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the method comprises airlaying the sheet of non-woven material.
  14. 14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the method comprises wetlaying the sheet or non-woven material.
  15. 15. The method according to claim 13 or claim 14, the method further comprising embossing the airlaid non-woven material or the wetlaid non-woven material.

Description

IMPROVED UPSTREAM ELEMENT The present disclosure relates to an upstream element for an aerosol-generating article. The present disclosure also relates to a method of manufacturing an upstream element. The present disclosure also relates to an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate for generating an inhalable aerosol upon heating and an aerosol-generating device configured to heat the aerosol-generating substrate of the aerosol-generating article. Aerosol-generating articles in which an aerosol-generating substrate comprising aerosolgenerating material, such as a tobacco-containing material, is heated rather than combusted are known in the art. Typically, in heated aerosol-generating articles, an aerosol is generated by the transfer of heat from a heat source to a physically separate aerosol-generating substrate. In use, volatile compounds are released from the aerosol-generating substrate by heat transfer from the heat source to the aerosol-generating substrate and are entrained in air drawn through the aerosolgenerating article. As the released compounds cool, they condense to form an aerosol that is inhaled by the user. One known type of heated aerosol-generating article, commonly referred to as a heat-not- burn tobacco product or heated tobacco product, comprises a solid aerosol-generating substrate comprising tobacco material, which is heated to produce an inhalable aerosol. A number of handheld aerosol-generating devices configured to heat aerosol-generating substrates of heated aerosol-generating articles are known in the art. These include electrically- operated aerosol-generating devices in which an aerosol is generated by the transfer of heat from one or more electrical heating elements of the aerosol-generating device to the aerosolgenerating substrate of the heated aerosol-generating article. Known handheld electrically operated aerosol-generating devices typically comprise a battery, control electronics and one or more electrical heating elements for heating the aerosol-generating substrate of a heated aerosolgenerating article designed specifically for use with the aerosol-generating device. Some known electrically heated aerosol-generating devices comprise an internal heating element that is configured to be inserted into the aerosol-generating substrate of a heated aerosol-generating article. For example, WO 2013/098410 A2 discloses an aerosol-generating system comprising an aerosol-generating article and an electrically-operated aerosol-generating device comprising a heating element in the form of a blade that is inserted into the aerosolgenerating substrate of the aerosol-generating article. Other known electrically-operated aerosol-generating devices comprise one or more external heating elements. For example, WO 2020/115151 A1 discloses an aerosol-generating system comprising an aerosol-generating article and an electrically-operated aerosol-generating device comprising an external heating element that circumscribes the periphery of the aerosolgenerating article. Electrically-operated aerosol-generating devices comprising an inductor configured to inductively heat aerosol-generating substrates of heated aerosol-generating articles are also known. For example, WO 2015/176898 A1 discloses an aerosol-generating system comprising an aerosol-generating article comprising an elongate susceptor in thermal contact with the aerosol-generating substrate and an electrically-operated aerosol-generating device having an inductor for heating the aerosol-generating substrate. In use, the fluctuating or alternating electromagnetic field produced by the inductor induces eddy currents in the susceptor, causing the susceptor to heat up as a result of one or both of resistive losses (Joule heating) and, where the susceptor is magnetic, hysteresis loses. Heat generated in the susceptor is transferred to the aerosol-generating substrate by conduction. It is known that the aerosol-generating substrate of an aerosol-generating article may absorb water from the air, for example, during storage of the aerosol-generating article. The aerosol-generating substrate may absorb water from the air until an equilibrium point is reached, at which point the water content of the aerosol-generating substrate may be equal to the relative humidity of the environment. Heating of the aerosol-generating substrate during use of the aerosol-generating article may result in evaporation of the absorbed water, for example, prior to the evaporation of nicotine and glycerine in the aerosol-generating substrate. The resulting water vapour may carry a significant amount of energy and may increase the temperature of aerosol delivered to a user. This may result in an uncomfortable sensory experience for the user during at least the initial puffs by the user. This phenomenon is referred to as ‘warm aerosol perception’ and may be particularly problematic in warm and humid environments. In some instances, warm a