U.S. patent application number 16/468792 was filed with the patent office on 2020-03-26 for smoking system and tobacco product thereof.
This patent application is currently assigned to SHENZHEN SMOORE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED. The applicant listed for this patent is SHENZHEN SMOORE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED. Invention is credited to Pingkun LIU.
Application Number | 20200093172 16/468792 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 64454234 |
Filed Date | 2020-03-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200093172 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LIU; Pingkun |
March 26, 2020 |
SMOKING SYSTEM AND TOBACCO PRODUCT THEREOF
Abstract
A tobacco product comprising a mouthpiece and a cigarette stem.
One extremity of the cigarette stem is connected to the mouthpiece.
The cigarette stem has multiple tobacco segments connected in
series. The tobacco segments include a tobacco material and a phase
changing material. The phase changing material is provided in the
tobacco material.
Inventors: |
LIU; Pingkun; (Shenzhen,
Guangdong, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SHENZHEN SMOORE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED |
Shenzhen, Guangdong |
|
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
SHENZHEN SMOORE TECHNOLOGY
LIMITED
Shenzhen, Guangdong
CN
|
Family ID: |
64454234 |
Appl. No.: |
16/468792 |
Filed: |
May 27, 2017 |
PCT Filed: |
May 27, 2017 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2017/086273 |
371 Date: |
June 12, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A24F 47/00 20130101;
A24D 1/20 20200101; A24D 1/002 20130101; A24D 1/008 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A24D 1/00 20060101
A24D001/00 |
Claims
1. A smoking article, comprising: a mouthpiece, and a cigarette
rod, one end of the cigarette rod being connected to the
mouthpiece, the cigarette rod comprising a plurality of tobacco
segments connected sequentially, the tobacco segment comprising a
tobacco material and a phase change material disposed in the
tobacco material.
2. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the phase change
material is a solid-solid phase change material or a solid-liquid
phase change material.
3. The smoking article of claim 1, further comprising a receptacle
accommodating the phase change material, the phase change material
being a solid-liquid phase change material and located in the
receptacle, and the receptacle being made of a heat conductive
material having a melting point greater than or equal to
500.degree. C.
4. The smoking article of claim 3, wherein the receptacle is made
of aluminum foil.
5. The smoking article of claim 3, wherein a plurality of
receptacles are uniformly distributed in the tobacco material of
each of the tobacco segments.
6. The smoking article of claim 3, wherein the receptacle is made
of a heat conductive material having a melting point greater than
or equal to 500.degree. C.
7. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the phase change
material has a solid-liquid phase change temperature of 200.degree.
C. to 500.degree. C.
8. The smoking article of claim 7, wherein the phase change
material has a solid-liquid phase change temperature of 240.degree.
C. to 350.degree. C.
9. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein constituents of the
tobacco materials in the plurality of tobacco segments are
different.
10. The smoking article of claim 9, wherein a proportion of a
tobacco constituent contained in the tobacco material in the
plurality of tobacco segments capable of producing a smoke
constituent having a lower decomposition temperature gradually
decreases in a direction from one end of the cigarette rod adjacent
to the mouthpiece towards the other end thereof away from the
mouthpiece.
11. The smoking article of claim 1, further comprising a heat
insulation layer located between two adjacent tobacco segments.
12. The smoking article of claim 11, wherein the heat insulation
layer is further located between the mouthpiece and the tobacco
segment connected to the mouthpiece.
13. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece is a
filter.
14. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the phase change
material is sodium nitrate.
15. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the phase change
material is in a form of particle or filament.
16. A smoking system, comprising: a smoking device comprising a
heating pot, the heating pot comprising a plurality of heating
elements connected sequentially, each of the heating elements being
provided with a heating chamber, the heating chambers of the
plurality of heating elements forming an accommodating chamber
configured to accommodate a smoking article, the plurality of
heating elements independently controlling temperature and heating
sequentially in a direction from an insertion opening, towards an
air inlet hole; and a smoking article, the smoking article
comprising: a mouthpiece, and a cigarette rod, one end of the
cigarette rod being connected to the mouthpiece, the cigarette rod
comprising a plurality of tobacco segments connected sequentially,
the tobacco segment comprising a tobacco material and a phase
change material disposed in the tobacco material; wherein the
cigarette rod is inserted into the accommodating chamber, and the
plurality of tobacco segments are in one-to-one correspondence with
the plurality of heating elements.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of
smoking device, particularly relates to a smoking system and a
smoking article thereof.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Conventional cigarettes have been in the mainstream of
tobacco consumption for more than 100 years. With the change of
people's lifestyle and consumption concepts, the rapid advancement
of science and technology, and the continuous acceleration of the
speed of commodity upgrading, the needs and concerns of tobacco
consumers are constantly changed. At the same time, influenced by
factors such as tobacco control and public opinion, the development
of conventional cigarettes has been restricted, and the emergence
of new types of cigarettes has become inevitable.
[0003] Electric heating of low-temperature cigarettes is a
low-temperature cigarette that produces nicotine smoke by heating
tobacco substances with electric power as a heat source. When
conventional electrically heated low-temperature cigarettes are
smoked, the total particulate matter is lower during the initial
puffs, but it tends to gradually increase until eventually, giving
consumers a feeling of increasing smoke intensity. When a
conventional cigarette is smoked by a heating chamber in an
integrated heating manner, the smoke begins to be extremely weak
and then increases rapidly, and then the amount of smoke decreases
significantly as the number of suctions increases. This is mainly
because it utilizes the previous puffs to reach the optimum
temperature, so that the tobacco article produces a high
concentration of aerosol, however, as the smoking progresses, the
aerosol is depleted. Compared with conventional cigarettes, the
released amount of smoke is uncontrollable, the sensory differences
between the different number of suctions are large, and the sensory
characteristics tend to be weakened in the late stage of
smoking.
SUMMARY
[0004] Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a smoking system and
a smoking article thereof that have a relatively uniform released
amount of smoke during a smoking process.
[0005] A smoking article includes a mouthpiece and a cigarette rod.
One end of the cigarette rod is connected to the mouthpiece. The
cigarette rod includes a plurality of tobacco segments connected
sequentially. The tobacco segment includes a tobacco material and a
phase change material disposed in the tobacco material.
[0006] A smoking system includes a smoking device and the smoking
article. The smoking device includes a heating pot. The heating pot
includes a plurality of heating elements connected sequentially.
Each of the heating elements is provided with a heating chamber.
The heating chambers of the plurality of heating elements form an
accommodating chamber configured to accommodate the smoking
article. The plurality of heating elements independently control
temperature and heat sequentially in a direction from the insertion
opening toward the air inlet hole. The cigarette rod is inserted
into the accommodating chamber, and the plurality of tobacco
segments are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of
heating elements.
[0007] The details of one or more embodiments of the disclosure are
set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below.
Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be
apparent from the description and drawings, and from the
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] To illustrate the technical solutions according to the
embodiments of the present invention or in the prior art more
clearly, the accompanying drawings for describing the embodiments
or the prior art are introduced briefly in the following.
Apparently, the accompanying drawings in the following description
are only some embodiments of the present invention, and persons of
ordinary skill in the art can derive other drawings from the
accompanying drawings without creative efforts.
[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a smoking system according to
an embodiment;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a smoking device in the
smoking system of FIG. 1;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a smoking article in the
smoking system of FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a smoking article of another
embodiment of the smoking system of FIG. 1; and
[0013] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a receptacle and a phase
change material in the smoking system of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Embodiments of the invention are described more fully
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The
various embodiments of the invention may, however, be embodied in
many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the
embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are
provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and
will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in
the art. Elements that are identified using the same or similar
reference characters refer to the same or similar elements.
[0015] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and
scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this
invention belongs. The terms used herein is for the purpose of
describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit
the present disclosure. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes
any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed
items,
[0016] Referring to FIG. 1, a smoking system 10 according to an
embodiment includes a smoking device 100 and a smoking article 200.
The smoking device 100 is used to heat the smoking article 200. The
smoking device 100 heats the smoking article 200 within a certain
temperature range and controls the smoking article 200 to be
non-combusting, so that the nicotine and part of the tobacco flavor
constituent can be transferred to the smoke for smoking, which can
greatly reduce the released amount of tar and harmful
constituents.
[0017] Referring also to FIG. 2, the smoking device 100 includes a
housing 120 and a heating pot 140. The housing 120 is provided with
a receiving chamber and an air inlet 122 in communication with the
receiving chamber. The heating pot 140 is disposed in the receiving
chamber. The heating pot 140 includes a plurality of heating
elements 142 that are sequentially connected. In one embodiment,
the heating element 142 can be a ceramic structure provided with a
heating circuit. There may be 2 to 15 heating elements 142. Each of
the heating elements 142 is provided with a heating chamber 142a,
and the heating chambers 142a of the plurality of heating elements
142 form an accommodating chamber 144 for accommodating the smoking
article 200. Both ends of the accommodating chamber 144 are
provided with an insertion opening 146 for inserting the smoking
article 200 and an air inlet hole 148 in communication with the air
inlet 122, respectively. The plurality of heating elements 142
independently control temperature and sequentially heat the smoking
article 200 in a direction from the insertion opening 146 towards
the air inlet hole 148.
[0018] Referring also to FIG. 3, the smoking article 200 includes a
mouthpiece 240 and a cigarette rod 220. In one embodiment, the
mouthpiece 240 may be a filter. One end of the cigarette rod 220 is
connected to the mouthpiece 240. The cigarette rod 220 includes a
plurality of tobacco segments 242 that are sequentially connected.
The tobacco segment 242 includes a tobacco material 244 and a phase
change material 246 disposed in the tobacco material 244. The
cigarette rod 220 can be inserted into the accommodating chamber
144, and the plurality of tobacco segments 242 are in one-to-one
correspondence with the plurality of heating elements 142.
[0019] The plurality of tobacco segments 242 of the smoking article
200, in cooperation with the heating pot 140 having the plurality
of heating elements 142 independently controlling temperature,
facilitates controlling the temperature of the different tobacco
segments 242. Since the plurality of heating elements 142
independently control the temperature and sequentially heat from
the insertion opening 146 towards the air inlet hole 148, the
plurality of tobacco segments 242 of the smoking article 200 may be
sequentially heated in a direction from one end adjacent to the
mouthpiece 240 towards the other end away from the mouthpiece 240.
The high-concentration aerosol produced during the overall heating
is avoided, and the released amount of smoke during the smoking
process is relatively uniform, thereby balancing the sensory
difference between the different number of suctions and improving
the consistency of the smoke taste. Since the phase change material
246 absorbs or releases a large amount of heat during a phase
change process, it is possible to delay the heating and cooling and
prevent the temperature from increasing or decreasing too fast,
thereby better controlling the temperature of the smoking article
200.
[0020] In addition, if the heating sequence of the heating pot 140
to the smoking article 200 is reversed from that of the present
embodiment, that is, the smoking article 200 is sequentially heated
in a direction from the smoking article 200 towards the mouthpiece
240, since the gas stream flowing through the heated tobacco
segment 242 has a higher temperature, the gas stream heats the
tobacco segment 242 that flows later, resulting in a part of the
smoke constituent in the unheated tobacco segment 242 being
sublimated or the smoke constituent having a lower decomposition
temperature being released. Therefore, the part of the smoke
constituent in the tobacco segment 242 heated later is passed away
in advance, resulting in inconsistent smoke taste when the
different tobacco segments 242 are heated. Moreover, heating the
unheated portion of the cigarette too early may result in the
veneration of a part of smoke or the thermal degradation of the
portion of the cigarette due to heat, thereby changing its own
quality. Reheating the previously heated portion may result in an
unpleasant odor or harmful constituent. In the present embodiment,
in a manner from one end adjacent to the mouthpiece 240 towards the
other end away from the mouthpiece 240, the heated gas stream can
be prevented from flowing through the unheated tobacco segment 242,
thereby avoiding the aforementioned problems of inconsistencies in
the smoke taste and causing unpleasant odor or harmful
constituents.
[0021] In one of the embodiments, the smoking article 200 further
includes a heat insulation layer 260 located between two adjacent
tobacco segments 242 to avoid heat conduction and interaction
between the tobacco segments 242. In addition, in one embodiment,
the heat insulation layer 260 may also be located between the
mouthpiece 240 and the tobacco segment 242 connected to the
mouthpiece 240 to prevent heat from being conducted to the
mouthpiece 240. Referring also to FIG. 4, in another embodiment,
the adjacent tobacco segments 242 may be directly connected without
providing the heat insulation layer 260, which can also achieve the
effect of increasing the consistency of the smoke taste and prevent
the temperature from increasing or decreasing too fast.
[0022] The phase change material 246 includes a solid-solid phase
change material and a solid-liquid phase change material, and the
phase change material 246 has a phase change temperature of
200.degree. C. to 500.degree. C., preferably 240.degree. C. to
350C. Regarding the solid-liquid phase change materials, in order
to prevent the phase change material 246 from being drawn into the
oral cavity after melting, and referring also to FIG. 5, in one
embodiment, the smoking article 200 may further include a
receptacle 280 for accommodating the phase change material 246. The
phase change material 246 is located in the receptacle 280. In
addition, the receptacle 280 is made of a heat conductive material
having a melting point generally greater than or equal to
500.degree. C. The melting point of the receptacle 280 needs to be
higher than the heating temperature of the heating element 142. The
heating temperature of the heating element 142 generally ranges
front 200.degree. C. to 500.degree. C. The nicotine and most
tobacco flavoring constituents can be transferred to the smoke at a
temperature of 200.degree. C. to 500.degree. C., and excessive
temperatures can easily produce harmful gases or ignite the smoking
article 200. Moreover, in one embodiment, the heating temperature
of the heating element 142 generally ranges from 200.degree. C. to
350.degree. C. The lower temperature control, on the one hand,
facilitates safe control and avoids scalding. On the other hand,
nicotine and tobacco flavoring constituents can be released at a
relatively smooth rate, and the taste of smoking is better.
[0023] In one embodiment, the receptacle 280 is made of aluminum
foil. The receptacle 280 has good heat conductivity to facilitate
heat homogenization within the tobacco segment 242. The shape of
the receptacle 280 may be similar to a capsule, and the phase
change material 246 is enclosed in the receptacle 280. In one
embodiment, there are a plurality of receptacles 280, and the
plurality of receptacles 280 are uniformly distributed in the
tobacco material 244 of each of the tobacco segments 242, which is
more advantageous for heat homogenization within the tobacco
segment 242.
[0024] The phase change material 246 may be in a form of particle,
filament, or the like. In one embodiment, the phase change material
246 has a solid-liquid phase change temperature of 200.degree. C.
to 500.degree. C. When the heating element 142 heats the phase
change material 246 to the solid-liquid phase change temperature,
the phase change material 246 melts, and the phase change material
246 absorbs a large amount of heat during the phase change process,
thereby preventing the temperature from increasing too fast. When
the temperature of the phase change material 246 is less than the
solid-liquid phase change temperature, the phase change material
246 solidifies, and the phase change material 246 releases a large
amount of heat during the phase change process, thereby preventing
the temperature from decreasing too fast. In one embodiment, the
phase change temperature of the phase change material 246 may also
be selected between 240.degree. C. to 350.degree. C. For example,
the phase change material 246 may be, for example, sodium nitrate
NaNO.sub.3.
[0025] In one of the embodiments, constituents of the tobacco
materials 244 in the plurality of tobacco segments 242 are
different. The constituent of each of the tobacco segments 242 may
be adjusted as desired to provide a better taste. For example,
different tobacco segments 242 employ different types of tobacco
materials 244 to change the taste and flavor during the smoking
process, thereby enriching the smoking experience. In one
embodiment, a proportion of a tobacco constituent contained in the
tobacco material 244 in the plurality of tobacco segments 242
capable of producing a smoke constituent having a lower
decomposition temperature gradually decreases in a direction from
one end of the cigarette rod 220 adjacent to the mouthpiece 240
towards the other end thereof away from the mouthpiece 240. Since
the smoke produced from the tobacco segment 242 away from the
mouthpiece 240 flows through the tobacco segment 242 adjacent to
the mouthpiece 240, although the tobacco segment 242 adjacent to
the mouthpiece 240 has already released the smoke, a small amount
of low-temperature decomposition smoke is still released when a
subsequent smoke with a certain amount of heat enters. Therefore,
the proportion of the constituent gradually decrease in a direction
from one end adjacent to the mouthpiece 240 towards the other end
away from the mouthpiece 240, which is more conducive to improving
the consistency of the smoke taste.
[0026] Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, in one of the embodiments,
the smoking device 100 generally further includes a power supply
assembly 160 that supplies power to the heating pot 140, which may
be connected to the housing 120 outside the housing 120. In other
embodiments, the power supply assembly 160 may also be located
inside the housing 120. Alternatively, the smoking device 100
itself does not have the power supply assembly 160, and the smoking
device 100 is detachably connected to the external power supply
assembly 160 to supply power to the heating pot 140.
[0027] In order to more accurately control and monitor the
temperature of the heating pot 140, in one of the embodiments, the
heating pot 140 further includes a plurality of temperature sensors
152. At least one temperature sensor 152 is disposed on each of the
heating elements 142. In one embodiment, the heating pot 140 also
includes a heat insulation washer 154 located between the adjacent
heating elements 142 to avoid heat conduction and interaction
between the heating elements 142.
[0028] In one embodiment, the smoking device 100 may further
include a controller disposed in the receiving chamber to control
the independent power supply to the plurality of heating elements
142. The temperature sensor 152 may be communicatively coupled to
the controller, and the controller may control the power supply to
the heating element 142 in accordance with the temperature measured
by the temperature sensor 152 to more accurately adjust the
temperature of the heating element 142.
[0029] In one of the embodiments, a preheating passage 156 is
formed between an inner wall of the housing 120 and an outer wall
of the heating pot 140. One end of the preheating passage 156 is in
communication with the air inlet 122, and the other end thereof is
in communication with the air inlet hole 148. When using the
smoking article 200, the external air enters the preheating passage
156 through the air inlet 122, is preheated by the outer wall of
the heating pot 140, and enters the accommodating chamber 144
through the air inlet hole 148 to enter the smoking article 200.
The preheating passage 156 is designed so that, on the one hand,
the temperature of the outer wall of the heating pot 140 can be
reduced, thereby reducing the temperature of the housing 120 and
preventing scalding, on the other hand, the heat of the heating pot
140 can be efficiently utilized to avoid energy waste.
[0030] In one embodiment, the housing 120 has a circular tubular
shape, and the heating element 142 can also have a circular tubular
shape. The smoking article 200 may be heated more uniformly, and
the air inlet 122 and the insertion opening 146 both located at an
opening at one end of the housing 120. In addition, in an
embodiment in Which the smoking device 100 is provided with the
power supply assembly 160, the power supply assembly 160 may be
located at the other end of the housing 120, and the overall
arrangement is more reasonable and convenient for holding and
using.
[0031] Although the respective embodiments have been described one
by one, it shall be appreciated that the respective embodiments
will not be isolated. Those skilled in the art can apparently
appreciate upon reading the disclosure of this application that the
respective technical features involved in the respective
embodiments can be combined arbitrarily between the respective
embodiments as long as they have no collision with each other. Of
course, the respective technical features mentioned in the same
embodiment can also be combined arbitrarily as long as they have no
collision with each other.
[0032] Although the invention is illustrated and described herein
with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not
intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various
modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range
of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the
invention.
* * * * *