Patent Description:
In recent years, demand for alternative articles that overcome the disadvantages of traditional cigarettes has increased. For example, demand for heating-type cigarettes that generate an aerosol when electrically heated by a dedicated device has increased.

The two factors that greatly influence the smoking satisfaction of the heating-type cigarettes are aerosol cooling performance and flavor persistence.

Generally, a heating-type cigarette includes a cooling part to allow a user to inhale an aerosol having an appropriate temperature, and in a case in which the performance of the cooling part is degraded, a high-temperature aerosol may be discharged as it is and smoking satisfaction of the user may be decreased.

Also, generally, a process of flavoring a heating-type cigarette is performed by directly adding (e.g., spraying) a flavoring liquid to a tobacco material or filter plug. However, such a flavoring method has a problem in that, since most of the flavor is expressed at an early stage of smoking, the flavor expressing property is rapidly degraded toward the end of smoking, and thus the smoking satisfaction of the user may be decreased. Further, when a flavoring liquid is added in an excessive amount, a problem in which a wrapper wrapping around the tobacco material or filter plug becomes wet and contaminated may occur.

<CIT> relates to an aerosol-generating article according to the preamble of independent claim <NUM>.

<CIT> relates to an aerosol-forming article comprising an aerosol-forming substrate and a terminal filter element. The terminal filter element comprises an upstream filter portion and an axially adjacent downstream filter portion. One of the upstream and downstream filter portions is a hollow bore filter element and the other is a solid filter element.

<CIT> relates to an aerosol-generating article having a tobacco rod, a first filter segment, a cooling structure, a second filter segment, and a coupling wrapper.

<CIT> relates to an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate and a cooling segment, wherein the cooling segment may be made of a cellulose acetate filter with a plurality of perforations.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to providing an aerosol-generating article with improved cooling performance and flavor persistence and a method of producing the same.

Objectives of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned objectives, and other unmentioned objectives should be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains from the description below.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an aerosol-generating article including an aerosol-forming substrate part and a cooling part disposed downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate part to cool an aerosol formed in the aerosol-forming substrate part, wherein a sheet-type material may be disposed on an inner wall of the cooling part, and the sheet-type material may include a polysaccharide material and a flavoring.

In some embodiments, the sheet-type material may be pleated or folded in a longitudinal direction.

In some embodiments, resistance to draw of the cooling part may be in a range of <NUM> mmH<NUM>O/mm to <NUM> mmH<NUM>O/mm.

In some embodiments, the polysaccharide material may be a cellulose-based material.

In some embodiments, the sheet-type material may include, with respect to a total of <NUM> parts by weight, <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight of the polysaccharide material and <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight of the flavoring.

In some embodiments, a thickness of the sheet-type material may be in a range of <NUM> to <NUM>.

In some embodiments, a melting point of the flavoring may be <NUM> or lower.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a sheet-type material including a polysaccharide material and a flavoring can be disposed in (applied to) a cooling part of an aerosol-generating article. When the sheet-type material comes into contact with a high-temperature air flow, the polysaccharide material may undergo a phase change and absorb a large amount of heat, and simultaneously, the flavoring covered by the polysaccharide material may be slowly discharged. Accordingly, cooling performance and flavor persistence of the aerosol-generating article can be improved, and smoking satisfaction of a user can be significantly improved.

Also, the sheet-type material may be disposed on (e.g., attached to) an inner wall of the cooling part. In this case, since the sheet-type material does not act as a factor that interferes with an airflow passing through the cooling part, a smooth airflow and appropriate resistance to draw can be ensured.

Also, a flavoring whose melting point is <NUM> or lower may be included in the sheet-type material. In this case, when the sheet-type material comes into contact with an airflow having a temperature of <NUM> or higher, the flavoring may undergo a phase change and further absorb the heat. Thus, the performance of the cooling part can be further improved. Considering the fact that an aerosol heating temperature of typical heating-type cigarette products is <NUM> or higher, the use of the flavoring described above can effectively improve aerosol cooling performance of most aerosol-generating articles. Further, since the phase-changed flavoring is easily volatilized, the flavor expressing property of the aerosol-generating article can also be improved.

In addition, as the performance of the cooling part is improved, the cooling part may be designed to have a shorter length as compared to conventional cooling parts, and accordingly, the degree of design freedom of the aerosol-generating article can be improved.

The advantageous effects according to the technical idea of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned advantageous effects should be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the description below.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods of achieving the same should become clear from embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In assigning reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components where possible even when the components are illustrated in different drawings. Also, in describing the present disclosure, when detailed description of a known related configuration or function is deemed as having the possibility of obscuring the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical or scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should not be construed in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Terms used in this specification are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In this specification, a singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Also, in describing components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. Such terms are only used for distinguishing one component from another component, and the essence, order, sequence, or the like of the corresponding component is not limited by the terms. In a case in which a certain component is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "linked" to another component, it should be understood that, although the component may be directly connected or linked to the other component, still another component may also be "connected," "coupled," or "linked" between the two components.

The terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" used herein do not preclude the possibility of presence or addition of one or more components, steps, operations, and/or devices other than those mentioned.

Prior to the description of various embodiments of the present disclosure, some terms used in the following embodiments will be clarified.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-forming substrate" may refer to a material that is able to form an aerosol. The aerosol may include a volatile compound. The aerosol-forming substrate may be a solid or liquid.

For example, solid aerosol-forming substrates may include solid materials based on tobacco raw materials such as reconstituted tobacco leaves, shredded tobacco, and reconstituted tobacco, and liquid aerosol-forming substrates may include liquid compositions based on nicotine, tobacco extracts, and/or various flavoring agents. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-listed examples.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol generation device" may refer to a device that generates an aerosol using an aerosol-forming substrate in order to generate an aerosol that can be inhaled directly into the user's lungs through the user's mouth. Some examples of the aerosol generation device will be described below with reference to <FIG>.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-generating article" may refer to an article that is able to generate an aerosol. The aerosol-generating article may include an aerosol-forming substrate. A typical example of the aerosol-generating article may include a cigarette, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the following embodiments, "puff" refers to inhalation by a user, and the inhalation may be a situation in which a user draws smoke into his or her oral cavity, nasal cavity, or lungs through the mouth or nose.

In the following embodiments, "longitudinal direction" may refer to a direction corresponding to a longitudinal axis of an aerosol-generating article.

In the following embodiments, "sheet" may refer to a thin layer component whose width and length are substantially larger than a thickness thereof. The term "sheet" may be interchangeably used with the term "web" or "film" in the art.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

<FIG> is an exemplary view schematically illustrating an aerosol-generating article <NUM> according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the aerosol-generating article <NUM> may include an aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM>, a cooling part <NUM>, a filter part <NUM>, and a wrapper <NUM>. However, only the components relating to the embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated in <FIG>. Therefore, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains should understand that the aerosol-generating article <NUM> may further include general-purpose components other than the components illustrated in <FIG>. Also, <FIG> only schematically illustrates some examples of aerosol-generating articles according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and a specific structure of the aerosol-generating article may be changed from that illustrated in <FIG>. <FIG> may be referenced for examples of aerosol-generating articles having different structures. Hereinafter, each component of the aerosol-generating article <NUM> will be described.

The aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> may serve to form an aerosol. Specifically, the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> may include an aerosol-forming substrate and may form an aerosol using the aerosol-forming substrate. For example, the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> may form an aerosol when heated by an aerosol generation device (e.g., <NUM> of <FIG>). The formed aerosol may be delivered to the oral region of a user via the cooling part <NUM> and the filter part <NUM> by a puff.

As illustrated, the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> may be disposed upstream of the cooling part <NUM> and abut an upstream end of the cooling part <NUM>. The aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> may further include the wrapper <NUM> that wraps around the aerosol-forming substrate.

The aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> is produced in the form of a rod and thus may also be referred to as "aerosol-forming rod <NUM>" or "tobacco rod <NUM>" in some cases. Alternatively, the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> may also be referred to as "medium portion <NUM>" in some cases.

Next, the cooling part <NUM> may serve to cool the aerosol formed in the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM>. The cooling part <NUM> may allow an aerosol having an appropriate temperature to be delivered to the user, thus improving smoking satisfaction of the user. The cooling part <NUM> may further include the wrapper <NUM> that wraps around a cooling structure.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, as illustrated, a sheet-type material <NUM> may be disposed in (applied to) the cooling part <NUM>. Here, the sheet-type material <NUM> is a material in the form of a sheet that contains a polysaccharide material and a flavoring, and by using the property of the polysaccharide material that undergoes a phase change and absorbs a large amount of heat, the sheet-type material <NUM> may improve performance of the cooling part <NUM>. Further, since the flavoring covered by the polysaccharide material is slowly expressed according to the phase change of the polysaccharide material, flavor persistence of the aerosol-generating article <NUM> may also be improved. That is, the sheet-type material <NUM> may serve as a cooling material as well as a flavor expressing material in the cooling part <NUM>. Materials constituting the sheet-type material <NUM> and a method of producing the same will be described in detail below. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the sheet-type material <NUM> will be referred to as "flavoring sheet <NUM>. " However, in some cases, the sheet-type material <NUM> may also be referred to as "cooling sheet <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be disposed on (e.g., attached to) an inner wall of the cooling part <NUM>. For example, as illustrated in <FIG>, in a case in which the cooling part <NUM> is formed of a tubular structure in which a hollow or cavity is formed, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be disposed on an inner wall of the structure (that is, an inner wall of the hollow). In this case, since the flavoring sheet <NUM> does not act as a factor that interferes with an airflow passing through the cooling part <NUM>, a smooth airflow and appropriate resistance to draw can be ensured. In some other embodiments, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be disposed in another form, and this will be described below with reference to <FIG>.

Meanwhile, specific processed forms of the flavoring sheet <NUM> may vary according to embodiments.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in <FIG>, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be processed to be pleated or folded in a longitudinal direction (that is, a direction MD) of the aerosol-generating article <NUM>. For example, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be pleated or folded according to at least one of a crimping process, a pleating process, a folding process, and a gathering process. Specifically, the crimping process is a process in which creep is assigned to a sheet surface through a difference between pressure and speed of a roller of a crimping device, and the crimping process may be divided into a wet process and a dry process. The wet process refers to a process in which base paper is soaked in water and then softened and crimped and undergoes a re-drying process. The dry process refers to a drying process using two dryers with different temperatures. Since the pleating process, folding process, and gathering process should already be familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art, further descriptions thereof will be omitted. According to the present embodiment, a plurality of channels may be formed in the flavoring sheet <NUM> in a longitudinal direction thereof by at least one of the processes described above, and a smooth airflow and appropriate resistance to draw may be ensured by the formed channels. Further, an area of contact between the flavoring sheet <NUM> and a high-temperature air flow is increased, and thus cooling performance may be improved.

Also, in some embodiments, a plurality of holes may be formed in the flavoring sheet <NUM> (see <FIG>). For example, the plurality of holes may be formed in the flavoring sheet <NUM> by a punching process. In this case, an area of contact between the flavoring sheet <NUM> and the airflow may be maximized, and thus the cooling performance may be further improved.

Also, in some embodiments, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be processed on the basis of a combination of the embodiments described above.

Description will be given by referring back to <FIG>.

The resistance to draw of the cooling part <NUM> may be designed to vary. In some embodiments, the resistance to draw of the cooling part <NUM> may be in a range of about <NUM> mmH<NUM>O/mm to <NUM> mmH<NUM>O/mm, preferably, about <NUM> mmH<NUM>O/mm to <NUM> mmH<NUM>O/mm, about <NUM> mmH<NUM>O/mm to <NUM> mmH<NUM>O/mm, about <NUM> mmH<NUM>O/mm to <NUM> mmH<NUM>O/mm, or about <NUM> mmH<NUM>O/mm to <NUM> mmH<NUM>O/mm. However, the resistance to draw of the cooling part <NUM> is not limited thereto.

The length, thickness, and/or circumference of the cooling part <NUM> may be designed to vary. For example, the length of the cooling part <NUM> may be about <NUM> or larger, and the circumference of the cooling part <NUM> may be in a range of about <NUM> to <NUM>. However, the length and circumference of the cooling part <NUM> are not limited thereto.

Next, the filter part <NUM> may perform a function of filtering an aerosol. To this end, the filter part <NUM> may include a filter material. Examples of the filter material may include a cellulose acetate fiber, paper, etc., but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The filter part <NUM> may be disposed downstream of the cooling part <NUM> and abut a downstream end of the cooling part <NUM>. Also, the filter part <NUM> may be disposed at a downstream end portion of the aerosol-generating article <NUM> and serve as a mouthpiece that comes into contact with the oral region of the user. The filter part <NUM> may further include the wrapper <NUM> that wraps around a filter material (plug).

Since the filter part <NUM> is also provided in the form of a rod, the filter part <NUM> may be referred to as "filter rod <NUM>" in some cases and may be produced in various shapes such as a cylindrical shape, a tubular shape including a hollow therein (e.g., a tubular cellulose acetate filter), and a recessed shape. Alternatively, since the filter part <NUM> serves as a mouthpiece, the filter part <NUM> may also be referred to as "mouthpiece part <NUM>.

Next, the wrapper <NUM> may refer to a wrapper that wraps around at least a portion of the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM>, the cooling part <NUM>, and/or the filter part <NUM>. The wrapper <NUM> may refer to a separate wrapper of the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM>, the cooling part <NUM>, or the filter part <NUM> or may refer to a wrapper, such as a tipping wrapper, that wraps around at least a portion of the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> and at least a portion of the filter part <NUM> together. The wrapper <NUM> may also collectively refer to all wrappers used in the aerosol-generating article <NUM>. The wrapper <NUM> may be made of porous or nonporous paper, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the wrapper <NUM> may be made of a metal foil or have a form in which paper and a metal foil are laminated with each other.

Meanwhile, although not illustrated in <FIG>, the aerosol-generating article <NUM> may further include a plug (not illustrated) disposed at an end. For example, the plug may be disposed at an upstream end of the aerosol-generating article <NUM> and serve to suitably control the overall length of the aerosol-generating article <NUM>. Also, in a case in which the aerosol-generating article <NUM> is inserted into an aerosol generation device (e.g., <NUM> of <FIG>), the plug may also serve to perform control so that the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> is disposed at a suitable position inside the aerosol generation device (e.g., <NUM> of <FIG>).

Overall description of the aerosol-generating article <NUM> according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been given above with reference to <FIG>. According to the above description, the flavoring sheet <NUM> including a polysaccharide material and a flavoring may be disposed in (applied to) the cooling part <NUM> of the aerosol-generating article <NUM>. When the flavoring sheet <NUM> comes into contact with a high-temperature airflow, the polysaccharide material may undergo a phase change and absorb a large amount of heat, and simultaneously, the flavoring covered by the polysaccharide material may be slowly discharged. Accordingly, the cooling performance and flavor persistence of the aerosol-generating article <NUM> may be improved, and smoking satisfaction of the user may be significantly improved.

Hereinafter, various modifications of the above-described aerosol-generating article <NUM> will be introduced with reference to <FIG> and so on. However, for clarity of the present disclosure, description of contents overlapping with the previous embodiments will be omitted.

<FIG> is an exemplary view illustrating an aerosol-generating article <NUM> according to a first modification of the present disclosure. In particular, <FIG> and <FIG> illustrate an example in which the flavoring sheet <NUM> is disposed on an inner wall of a cooling part (e.g., <NUM>). Also, in <FIG> and so on, illustration of a wrapper (e.g., <NUM>) has been omitted for convenience.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the aerosol-generating article <NUM> may include an aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM>, the cooling part <NUM>, a first filter part <NUM>, and a second filter part <NUM>.

The aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> and the cooling part <NUM> may correspond to the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> and the cooling part <NUM>, respectively, of <FIG>. Thus, descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The first filter part <NUM> may be disposed upstream of the cooling part <NUM> and disposed between the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> and the cooling part <NUM>. As illustrated, the first filter part <NUM> may be a segment having a hollow formed therein. For example, the first filter part <NUM> may be a tubular cellulose acetate filter or a paper tube. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The first filter part <NUM> may perform a filtering function for an aerosol and may also perform a cooling function for the aerosol passing through the hollow.

In a case in which the cooling part <NUM> is disposed downstream of the first filter part <NUM> having the hollow formed therein, a high-temperature aerosol formed in the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> may be primarily cooled while passing through the hollow of the first filter part <NUM>. Also, the primarily-cooled aerosol may enter the cooling part <NUM>, and accordingly, performance of the cooling part <NUM> due to the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be well preserved until the end of smoking, and the flavor expressing property may also be maintained well. For example, in a case in which a high-temperature aerosol immediately enters the cooling part <NUM>, a substance (e.g., polysaccharide material) forming the flavoring sheet <NUM> may rapidly undergo a phase change and cause the cooling performance to be gradually degraded, and a relatively large amount of flavoring may be delivered at an early stage of smoking. However, such phenomena may be significantly mitigated in the structure illustrated in <FIG>.

Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the aerosol-generating article <NUM> may be designed so that the first filter part <NUM> is disposed downstream of the cooling part <NUM>, and the cooling part <NUM> is disposed between the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> and the first filter part <NUM>.

Also, in some embodiments, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may also be applied to the first filter part <NUM>. In such a case, the cooling performance, flavour persistence, and flavour expressing property of the aerosol-generating article <NUM> may be further improved.

Also, in some embodiments, an average cross-sectional area of the hollow of the cooling part <NUM> may be greater than an average cross-sectional area of the hollow of the first filter part <NUM> by a factor of about <NUM>, preferably, by a factor of about <NUM> or <NUM>, and more preferably, by a factor of about <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>. In this case, since an airflow (e.g., mainstream smoke) that moves from the hollow of the first filter part <NUM> to the hollow of the cooling part <NUM> rapidly spreads, and thus an area and time of contact with external air (e.g., air entering through perforations formed in the cooling part <NUM>) are increased, the aerosol cooling performance may be further improved.

Also, in some embodiments, an inner diameter ratio between the first filter part <NUM> and the cooling part <NUM> may be in a range of about <NUM>:<NUM> to <NUM>:<NUM>, preferably in a range of about <NUM>:<NUM> to <NUM>:<NUM> or <NUM>:<NUM> to <NUM>:<NUM>. As a specific example, in a case in which the inner diameter of the first filter part <NUM> is <NUM>, the inner diameter of the cooling part <NUM> may be in a range of <NUM> to <NUM>, preferably, in a range of <NUM> to <NUM>, and more preferably, in a range of <NUM> to <NUM>. Within such numerical ranges, the aerosol cooling performance may be significantly improved.

Next, the second filter part <NUM> may be disposed downstream of the cooling part <NUM> and perform a filtering function for the cooled aerosol. As illustrated, the second filter part <NUM> may be a segment in which a hollow is not formed. The second filter part <NUM> may correspond to the filter part <NUM> of <FIG>, and thus further description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, in order to provide convenience in understanding, a filter part (e.g., <NUM>) having a hollow formed therein will be referred to as "first filter part," and a filter part (e.g., <NUM>) in which a hollow is not formed will be referred to as "second filter part," regardless of the arrangement order of the filter parts.

<FIG> is an exemplary view illustrating an aerosol-generating article <NUM> according to a second modification of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in <FIG>, similar to the first modification described above, the aerosol-generating article <NUM> may include an aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM>, a cooling part <NUM>, a first filter part <NUM>, and a second filter part <NUM>. However, different from the first modification described above, the second filter part <NUM> is disposed between the cooling part <NUM> and the first filter part <NUM>, and the first filter part <NUM> is disposed downstream of the second filter part <NUM> and serves as a mouthpiece.

<FIG> is an exemplary view illustrating an aerosol-generating article <NUM> according to a third modification of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in <FIG>, similar to the structure illustrated in <FIG>, the aerosol-generating article <NUM> may include an aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM>, a cooling part <NUM>, and a filter part <NUM>.

The aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> and the filter part <NUM> may correspond to the aerosol-forming substrate part <NUM> and the filter part <NUM>, respectively, of <FIG>, and thus, descriptions thereof will be omitted.

In the present modification, as illustrated, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be disposed (applied) in a rolled form inside the cooling part <NUM> instead of being disposed on an inner wall of the cooling part <NUM>. Alternatively, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be disposed in a folded form inside the cooling part <NUM>. For example, as illustrated in <FIG>, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be disposed to be rolled or folded in irregular patterns (see "<NUM>-<NUM>"), disposed to be rolled in a vortex form (see "<NUM>-<NUM>") or a concentric form (see "<NUM>-<NUM>"), or disposed in a form of being folded several times (e.g., a form of being folded to secure an airflow path in the longitudinal direction; see "<NUM>-<NUM>"). When the flavoring sheet <NUM> is disposed in the above-listed forms, an airflow path may be secured in the longitudinal direction, and thus a smooth airflow and appropriate resistance to draw may be ensured. Also, an area of contact between the flavoring sheet <NUM> and a high-temperature airflow is increased, and thus the aerosol cooling performance may be improved.

In some embodiments, the flavoring sheet <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> (that is, the sheet before rolling or folding) may be a sheet that is pleated or folded as illustrated in <FIG>. In this case, since the rolling or folding process may be easily performed, workability may be improved.

Also, in some embodiments, the flavoring sheet <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> may be processed so that a plurality of holes <NUM> are formed therein as illustrated in <FIG>. For example, the plurality of holes <NUM> may be formed in the flavoring sheet <NUM> by a punching process. In this case, an area of contact between the flavoring sheet <NUM> and the airflow may be maximized, and thus the cooling performance may be further improved.

In the embodiments described above, a diameter of the hole <NUM> may be in a range of about <NUM> to <NUM>, preferably, about <NUM> to <NUM>, about <NUM> to <NUM>, about <NUM> to <NUM>, or about <NUM> toe <NUM>. Within such numerical ranges, a smooth airflow and appropriate resistance to draw may be ensured. Further, an area of contact between the flavoring sheet <NUM> and a high-temperature airflow is significantly increased, and thus the cooling performance may be improved even more.

The aerosol-generating articles <NUM> to <NUM> according to some modifications of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to <FIG>. Hereinafter, the flavoring sheet <NUM> and a method of producing the same according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

The flavoring sheet <NUM> may be produced through producing a sheet composition in a liquid phase (e.g., slurry state) and drying the produced sheet composition. Here, the liquid phase may not only include a liquid state but also include a state in which a liquid and solid are mixed (e.g., slurry state). For example, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be produced by stretching (casting) the sheet composition on a predetermined substrate and drying the sheet composition. However, a method of producing the flavoring sheet <NUM> is not limited thereto, and a specific method of producing the flavoring sheet <NUM> may vary.

A thickness of the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be designed to vary.

In some embodiments, the thickness of the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be less than or equal to about <NUM>, preferably, in a range of about <NUM> to <NUM>, about <NUM> to <NUM>, or about <NUM> to <NUM>. It was confirmed that, within such numerical ranges, the flavoring sheet <NUM> has appropriate durability and flexibility and workability is ensured. For example, when the thickness of the flavoring sheet <NUM> is too thin, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may have low durability, and thus the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be easily damaged in the process of being processed (e.g., crimped, rolled, folded, etc.) or disposed. Conversely, when the thickness of the flavoring sheet <NUM> is too thick, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may have low flexibility, and thus the flavoring sheet <NUM> may break during processing such as rolling or folding. Alternatively, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may not be attached well to an inner wall of a cooling part (e.g., <NUM>).

Meanwhile, a specific composition of the sheet composition may be designed to vary.

In some embodiments, the sheet composition may include distilled water, a solvent such as ethanol, a polysaccharide material, and a flavoring. The flavoring sheet <NUM> produced from such a sheet composition may hold a large amount of flavor and have excellent flavor retention, and thus flavor persistence of an aerosol-generating article (e.g., <NUM>) may be significantly improved. Hereinafter, each material constituting the sheet composition will be described.

The distilled water and the solvent such as ethanol may be factors for controlling the viscosity of the slurry-type sheet composition.

Next, the polysaccharide material may be a material for covering and fixing the flavoring and may be a sheet-forming substance for forming a sheet. Examples of the polysaccharide material may include cellulose-based materials such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), methyl cellulose (MC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and agar. Such cellulose-based materials have a property of easily absorbing heat through a phase change upon contact with a high-temperature aerosol, and thus the flavoring sheet <NUM> may be utilized as a cooling material as well as a flavor expressing material.

In some embodiments, the sheet composition may include modified cellulose among various polysaccharide materials. Here, "modified cellulose" may refer to cellulose in which a specific functional group is substituted in a molecular structure. Examples of modified cellulose may include HPMC, MC, CMC, and ethyl cellulose (EC), but modified cellulose is not limited thereto. For example, HPMC may have a grade in a range of about <NUM> to <NUM> according to a proportion and molecular weight in which a hydroxypropyl group and a methyl group (or methoxy group) are substituted. The viscosity of modified cellulose may be determined according to the grade. More specifically, physicochemical characteristics of HPMC relate to a proportion of the methoxy group and a proportion and molecular weight of the hydroxypropyl group, and according to the The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), types of HPMC may be classified into HPMC1828, HPMC2208, HPMC2906, HPMC2910, and the like according to proportions of the methoxy group and hydroxypropyl group. Here, the first two numbers may be a proportion of the methoxy group, and the last two numbers may be a proportion of the hydroxypropyl group. As a result of continuous experiments by the inventors of the present disclosure, the flavoring sheet <NUM> produced from a sheet composition including modified cellulose was confirmed as having excellent physical properties and holding a large amount of flavor.

Next, examples of the flavoring may include menthol, nicotine, nicotine salt, a leaf tobacco extract, a leaf tobacco extract containing nicotine, a natural vegetable flavoring (e.g., cinnamon, sage, herb, chamomile, kudzu, amacha, clove, lavender, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, lemon, orgae, cinnamon, caraway, jasmine, ginger, coriander, vanilla extract, spearmint, peppermint, cassia, coffee, celery, cascarilla, sandalwood, cocoa, ylang-ylang, fennel, anise, licorice, St. John's bread, plum extract, peach extract, etc.), sugars (e.g., glucose, fructose, isomerized sugar, caramel, etc.), cocoa (e.g., powder, extract, etc.), esters (e.g., isoamyl acetate, linalyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, linalyl butyrate, etc.) ketones (e.g., menthone, ionone, damascenone, ethyl maltol, etc.), alcohols (e.g., geraniol, linalool, anetol, eugenol, etc.), aldehydes (e.g., vanillin, benzaldehyde, anisaldehyde, etc.), lactones, (e.g., γ-undecalactone, γ-nonalactone, etc.), an animal flavoring (e.g., musk, ambergris, civet, castoreum, etc.), and hydrocarbons (e.g., limonene, pinene, etc.). The flavoring may be used in a solid state or may be used by being dissolved or dispersed in an appropriate solvent, e.g., propylene glycol, ethyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, or triethyl citrate. Also, a flavoring that is easily dispersed in a solvent by addition of an emulsifier, e.g., a hydrophobic flavoring or an oil-soluble flavoring, may be used. These flavorings may be used alone or used as a mixture. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the examples described above.

In some embodiments, a flavoring whose melting point is <NUM> or lower may be used. In this case, when the sheet-type material comes into contact with an airflow having a temperature of <NUM> or higher, the flavoring may undergo a phase change and further absorb the heat. Thus, performance of a cooling part (e.g., <NUM>) may be further improved. Considering the fact that a heated aerosol generally has a temperature of <NUM> or higher, the use of the above flavorings may effectively improve cooling performance of most aerosol-generating articles (e.g., <NUM>). Further, since the phase-changed flavoring is easily volatilized, the flavor expressing property of the aerosol-generating article (e.g., <NUM>) may also be improved. An example of the flavoring whose melting point is <NUM> or lower may include menthol, but the flavoring is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include low methoxyl pectin (LM-pectin). LM-pectin is a low ester-pectin or low methoxyl pectin in which relatively little esterification is performed. Specifically, LM pectin may be pectin that contains a carboxyl group by less than about <NUM>% in a molecular structure. Due to having a characteristic of not gelating when cooled unlike carrageenan, LM-pectin may lower the viscosity of the slurry-type sheet composition (e.g., to about <NUM> cp to <NUM> cp). Further, since the slurry-type sheet composition can be produced without an emulsifier, a safety problem due to emulsifiers may not occur.

LM-pectin may contain a carboxyl group by less than about <NUM>%, less than about <NUM>%, less than about <NUM>%, less than about <NUM>%, or less than about <NUM>% in a molecular structure. The lower the content of carboxyl group in the molecular structure of LM-pectin, the lower the viscosity of a slurry including LM-pectin.

Also, in some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include a bulking agent. The bulking agent may be a material that increases the total mass of components other than distilled water (that is, dry mass) to increase the volume of the flavoring sheet <NUM> being produced but does not affect the original function of the flavoring sheet <NUM>. Specifically, the bulking agent may have characteristics of increasing the volume of the flavoring sheet <NUM> but not adversely affecting the flavor retaining function of the flavoring sheet <NUM> while not substantially increasing the viscosity of the slurry. Preferably, the bulking agent may be starch, modified starch, or starch hydrolyzate but is not limited thereto.

Modified starch refers to starch acetate, oxidized starch, hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate, hydroxypropyl starch, distarch phosphate, monostarch phosphate, phosphorylated distarch phosphate, or the like.

Starch hydrolyzate refers to a material obtained by a process that includes a process of hydrolyzing starch. For example, starch hydrolyzate may include a material obtained by directly hydrolyzing starch (that is, dextrin) or a material obtained by heating and hydrolyzing starch (that is, indigestible dextrin). For example, the bulking agent may be dextrin, more specifically, cyclodextrin.

Generally, starch hydrolyzate may be starch hydrolyzate having a dextrose equivalent (DE) value in a range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>, preferably, starch hydrolyzate having a DE value in a range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>. For example, as the starch hydrolyzate having a DE value in a range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>, Pinedex #<NUM> (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co. Ltd), Pinefiber (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co. Ltd), TK-<NUM> (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co. Ltd), or the like may be utilized.

Here, "DE" is an abbreviation of "dextrose equivalent," and the DE value indicates a degree of hydrolysis of starch, that is, a saccharification rate of starch. In the present disclosure, the DE value may be a value measured by the Willstatter-Schudel method. Characteristics of hydrolyzed starch (starch hydrolyzate), for example, characteristics such as a molecular weight of starch hydrolyzate and arrangement of sugar molecules constituting starch hydrolyzate, may not be constant for each moledule of starch hydrolyzate and may be present with a certain distribution or variation. Due to the distribution or variation of the characteristics of starch hydrolyzate or a difference in cut sections, each molecule of starch hydrolyzate may exhibit different physical properties (e.g., DE value). In this way, starch hydrolyzate is a set of molecules exhibiting different physical properties, but a measurement result (that is, DE value) by the Willstatter-Schudel method is considered a representative value indicating the degree of hydrolysis of starch.

Preferably, starch hydrolyzate may be selected from the group consisting of dextrin having a DE value in a range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>, indigestible dextrin having a DE value in a range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>, and a mixture thereof. For example, as the dextrin having a DE value in a range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>, Pinedex #<NUM> (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co. Ltd) may be utilized. As the indigestible dextrin having a DE value in a range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>, Pine fiber (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co. Ltd) may be utilized.

Also, in some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include a plasticizer. The plasticizer may add appropriate flexibility to the flavoring sheet <NUM> and thus improve the physical property of the sheet. For example, the plasticizer may include at least one of glycerin and propylene glycol but is not limited thereto.

Also, in some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include an emulsifier. The emulsifier may allow a highly fat-soluble flavoring and a water-soluble polysaccharide material to be mixed well and increase the amount of flavor held in the flavoring sheet <NUM>. An example of the emulsifier may include lecithin, but the emulsifier is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the flavoring sheet <NUM> produced from the above-described sheet composition may have various content ratios (composition ratios).

In some embodiments, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may include, with respect to a total of <NUM> parts by weight, about <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight of the polysaccharide material and about <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight of the flavoring. Of course, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may further include an appropriate amount of moisture. The flavoring sheet <NUM> configured in this way confirmed as significantly improving the flavor persistence and cooling performance of an aerosol-generating article (e.g., <NUM>).

In some embodiments, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may include, with respect to a total of <NUM> parts by weight, about <NUM> to about <NUM> parts by weight of moisture, about <NUM> to about <NUM> parts by weight of modified cellulose, and about <NUM> to about <NUM> parts by weight of flavoring.

Also, in some embodiments, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may include, with respect to a total of <NUM> parts by weight, about <NUM> to about <NUM> parts by weight of moisture, about <NUM> to about <NUM> parts by weight of polysaccharide material, about <NUM> to about <NUM> parts by weight of LM-pectin, and about <NUM> to about <NUM> parts by weight of flavoring.

In some embodiments, with respect to a total of <NUM> parts by weight of the flavoring sheet <NUM>, the plasticizer may be included by about <NUM> to about <NUM> parts by weight, preferably, about <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight. For example, the flavoring sheet <NUM> may include, with respect to a total of <NUM> parts by weight, about <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight of polysaccharide material, about <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight of flavoring, and about <NUM> to <NUM> parts by weight of plasticizer. Within such numerical ranges, a sheet having appropriate flexibility (physical property) may be formed, and since processing (e.g., crimping, rolling, folding, etc.) of the flavoring sheet <NUM> is easy, workability may be improved. For example, in a case in which the amount of added plasticizer is too small, flexibility of the sheet may be decreased and thus the sheet may be easily damaged during processes, and in a case in which the amount of added plasticizer is too large, the sheet may not be formed well.

The flavoring sheet <NUM> and a method of producing the same according to some embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above. Hereinafter, various types of aerosol generation devices <NUM> to which the above-described aerosol-generating article (e.g., <NUM>) is applicable will be described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> are exemplary block diagrams illustrating aerosol generation devices <NUM>. Specifically, <FIG> illustrates a cigarette-type aerosol generation device <NUM>, and <FIG> illustrate hybrid-type aerosol generation devices <NUM> that use a liquid and a cigarette together. Hereinafter, each aerosol generation device <NUM> will be described.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the aerosol generation device <NUM> may include a heater <NUM>, a battery <NUM>, and a controller <NUM>. However, this is only a preferred embodiment for achieving the objectives of the present disclosure, and, of course, some components may be added or omitted as necessary. Also, the components of the aerosol generation device <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> represent functional components that are functionally distinct, and the plurality of components may be implemented in a form of being integrated with each other in an actual physical environment, or a single component may be implemented in a form of being divided into a plurality of specific functional components. Hereinafter, each component of the aerosol generation device <NUM> will be described.

The heater <NUM> may be disposed to heat a cigarette <NUM> inserted thereinto. The cigarette <NUM> may include a solid aerosol-forming substrate and generate an aerosol when heated. The generated aerosol may be inhaled by a user through the oral region of the user. The operation, heating temperature, etc. of the heater <NUM> may be controlled by the controller <NUM>.

Next, the battery <NUM> may supply power used to operate the aerosol generation device <NUM>. For example, the battery <NUM> may supply power to allow the heater <NUM> to heat the aerosol-forming substrate included in the cigarette <NUM> and may supply power required for the operation of the controller <NUM>.

Also, the battery <NUM> may supply power required to operate electrical components such as a display (not illustrated), a sensor (not illustrated), and a motor (not illustrated) which are installed in the aerosol generation device <NUM>.

Next, the controller <NUM> may control the overall operation of the aerosol generation device <NUM>. For example, the controller <NUM> may control the operation of the heater <NUM> and the battery <NUM> and may also control the operation of other components included in the aerosol generation device <NUM>. The controller <NUM> may control the power supplied by the battery <NUM>, the heating temperature of the heater <NUM>, and the like. Also, the controller <NUM> may check a state of each of the components of the aerosol generation device <NUM> and determine whether the aerosol generation device <NUM> is in an operable state.

The controller <NUM> may be implemented with at least one processor. The processor may also be implemented with an array of a plurality of logic gates or implemented with a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory which stores a program that may be executed by the microprocessor. Also, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains should clearly understand that the controller <NUM> may also be implemented with other forms of hardware.

Hereinafter, the hybrid-type aerosol generation devices <NUM> will be briefly described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates the aerosol generation device <NUM> in which a vaporizer <NUM> and the cigarette <NUM> are disposed in parallel, and <FIG> illustrates the aerosol generation device <NUM> in which the vaporizer <NUM> and the cigarette <NUM> are disposed in series. However, an internal structure of the aerosol generation device <NUM> is not limited to those illustrated in <FIG>, and the arrangement of components may be changed according to a design method.

In <FIG>, the vaporizer <NUM> may include a liquid reservoir configured to store a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a wick configured to absorb the aerosol-forming substrate, and a vaporizing element configured to vaporize the absorbed aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol. The vaporizing element may be implemented in various forms such as a heating element or a vibration element. Also, in some embodiments, the vaporizer <NUM> may be designed to have a structure that does not include the wick.

The aerosol generated in the vaporizer <NUM> may pass through the cigarette <NUM> and be inhaled through the oral region of the user. The vaporizing element of the vaporizer <NUM> may also be controlled by the controller <NUM>.

The exemplary aerosol generation devices <NUM>, to which the aerosol-generating article (e.g., <NUM>) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied have been described above with reference to <FIG>.

Claim 1:
An aerosol-generating article (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) comprising:
an aerosol-forming substrate part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>); and
a cooling part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) disposed downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) to cool an aerosol formed in the aerosol-forming substrate part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), wherein a sheet-type material (<NUM>) is disposed on an inner wall of the cooling part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), and
the sheet-type material (<NUM>) includes a polysaccharide material and a flavoring,
characterized in that the cooling part (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) is a tubular structure in which a hollow is formed, wherein the sheet-type material (<NUM>) is disposed on an inner wall of the hollow.