IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,201,141
Granted Patent B2
US 12,201,141 · App. 17/570,940 · Granted Jan 21, 2025

Smoking article for use with an internal heating element

Inventors: Pande Mitrev (Carouge, CH); Thomas Badertscher (Cernier, CH)
Assignee: Philip Morris Products S.A.
A24D1/20A24F40/20A24F40/46
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,201,141
App. No.
17/570,940
Granted
Jan 21, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A smoking article for an aerosol-generating device is provided, including: an aerosol-forming substrate disposed at an extreme upstream end of the article; and a support element disposed immediately downstream of the substrate, the substrate including a gathered crimped sheet of homogenised tobacco material having a plurality of substantially parallel ridges or corrugations extending along or parallel to a longitudinal axis of the article, the tobacco material being penetrable by a heating element of the device having a diameter of between 40 percent and 70 percent of a diameter of the substrate without bending of the article by more than 7 degrees relative to the axis and without tearing or ripping of an outer wrapper of the article, and the support element abuts the substrate and is configured to resist downstream movement of the substrate during insertion of the heating element into the substrate.

Claims (15)

1. A smoking article for an aerosol-generating device, the smoking article comprising:

an aerosol-forming substrate disposed at an extreme upstream end of the smoking article; and

a support element disposed immediately downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate,

wherein the aerosol-forming substrate comprises a gathered crimped sheet of homogenised tobacco material having a plurality of substantially parallel ridges or corrugations, the substantially parallel ridges or corrugations extending along or parallel to a longitudinal axis of the smoking article, the tobacco material thereby being configured to be penetrable by a heating element of the aerosol-generating device having a diameter of between 40 percent and 70 percent of a diameter of the aerosol-forming substrate without bending of the smoking article by more than 7 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the smoking article and without tearing or ripping of an outer wrapper of the smoking article, and

wherein the support element abuts the aerosol-forming substrate, the support element being configured to resist downstream movement of the aerosol-forming substrate during insertion of the heating element of the aerosol-generating device into the aerosol-forming substrate.

2. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the support element is further configured to resist a penetration force of at least 2.5 N during insertion of the heating element of the aerosol-generating device into the aerosol-forming substrate.

3. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the support element is further configured to resist a penetration force of at least 4 N during insertion of the heating element of the aerosol-generating device into the aerosol-forming substrate.

4. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the support element comprises a hollow tubular element.

5. The smoking article according to claim 4 , wherein an internal diameter of the hollow tubular element is between 35 percent and 55 percent of an external diameter of the hollow tubular element.

6. The smoking article according to claim 4 , wherein the support element further comprises a hollow cellulose acetate tube.

7. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the support element is resistant to exposure to a temperature of at least 150° C. for a period at least 6 minutes.

8. The smoking article according to claim 1 , further comprising an aerosol-cooling element disposed downstream of the support element.

9. The smoking article according to claim 8 , wherein the aerosol-cooling element is disposed immediately downstream of the support element and abuts the support element.

10. The smoking article according to claim 8 , wherein the aerosol-cooling element comprises a gathered sheet of biodegradable polymeric material.

11. The smoking article according to claim 1 , further comprising a filter disposed at an extreme downstream end of the smoking article.

Priority Claims (2)
EP 12173054 · Jun 21, 2012 · regional
EP 13159647 · Mar 15, 2013 · regional
Continuity (2)
Continuation 14408132
Related Publication 20220125099A1 · Apr 28, 2022
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Russian Office Action issued Jun. 8, 2017 in Patent Application No. 2014153639 (with English Translation), 11 pages. [cited by applicant]
Russian Office Action issued Jun. 23, 2017 in Patent Application No. 2014153008 (with English Translation), 11 pages. [cited by applicant]
Taiwanese Search Report with English translation mailed on Jul. 10, 2017 in the corresponding Taiwanese Patent Application No. 101151338, 10 pages. [cited by applicant]
Chinese Office Action issued Jul. 10, 2020 in corresponding Chinese Application No. 201810597257.8 (with English translation), 10 pages. [cited by applicant]
China Tobacco Yearbook: 1998-1999 (vol. 2) (compiled by the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, Beijing: The Economic Daily Press, Dec. 2000, pp. 573-574), 3 pages. [cited by applicant]
International Preliminary Report on Patentability issued Nov. 13, 2014 in PCT/EP213/062869 filed Jun. 20, 2013. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report issued Nov. 26, 2013 in PCT/EP2013/062869. [cited by applicant]
Extended Search Report issued Nov. 5, 2012 in European Patent Application No. 12173054.3. [cited by applicant]
Extended European Search Report issued Dec. 20, 2019 in European Application No. 19189686.9. [cited by applicant]
Notice of Allowance issued Oct. 31, 2019 in Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-7012246. [cited by applicant]
“Special Filter Rod-Part 1: Acetate Fiber Flute Filter Rod” China Tobacco Industry Standard YC/T 223-1-2007, Jul. 5, 2007, 11 pages (11 pages). [cited by applicant]
Chinese Office Action issued on Feb. 13, 2018 in Patent Application No. 201380044053.7 with English translation, dated Feb. 13, 2018 (254 pages). [cited by applicant]
Korean Search Report issued on Dec. 16, 2015 in Patent Application No. 10-2014-7036378. [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued Sep. 11, 2017 in European Patent Application No. 12 821 115.8. [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued on Jul. 29, 2016 in Russian Patent Application No. 2015101642/12(002456) (submitting English translation only). [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued Mar. 22, 2016 in Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-517760 (submitting English translation only). [cited by applicant]
Korean Office Action issued Apr. 8, 2016 in Patent Application No. 10-2014-7036378 (English translation only). [cited by applicant]
Combined Office Action and Search Report issued Apr. 19, 2017 in Taiwanese Patent Application No. 102121900 (submitting English translation only). [cited by applicant]
Combined Chinese Office Action and Search Report issued on Aug. 2, 2016 in Patent Application No. 201380044053.7 (submitting English translation only). [cited by applicant]
Chinese Office Action received in the corresponding Chinese application No. 201280061528.9 (Date of Notification: May 3, 2017). [cited by applicant]
Chinese Office Action dated Mar. 8, 2017(English translation only) received in corresponding Chinese Application No. 201280064910.5, (7 pages). [cited by applicant]
English translation only of Japanese Office Action dispatched on Oct. 17, 2016 in Japanese Patent Application No. JP 2014-549499, (3 pages). [cited by applicant]
English translation only of Chinese Office Action dated Nov. 25, 2016 in corresponding Chinese Application No. 201280061528.9, ( 4 pages). [cited by applicant]
International Search Report Issued Jul. 5, 2013 in PCT/EP12/077077 filed Dec. 28, 2012. [cited by applicant]
Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority Issued Jul. 5, 2013 in PCT/EP12/077077 filed Dec. 28, 2012. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report issued Feb. 6, 2014 in PCT/EP2012/077092 filed Dec. 28, 2012. [cited by applicant]
Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority issued Feb. 6, 2014 in PCT/EP2012/077092 filed Dec. 28, 2012. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report Issued Jun. 11, 2013 in PCT/EP12/077091 filed Dec. 28, 2012. [cited by applicant]
Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority Issued Jun. 11, 2013 in PCT/EP12/077091 filed Dec. 28, 2012. [cited by applicant]
Combined Office Action and Search Report issued Jan. 14, 2016 in Chinese Patent Application No. 201280061528.9 (with English translation only). [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued Dec. 8, 2015 in Kazakhstani Patent Application No. 2014/1655.1 (English translation only). [cited by applicant]
Combined Office Action and Search Report issued Dec. 14, 2015 in Chinese Patent Application No. 201280061532.5 (English translation only). [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued Mar. 21, 2015 in Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-7012121 (with English translation only). [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued Dec. 9, 2021 in co-pending U.S. Appl. No. 14/402,482, 11 pages. [cited by applicant]
Combined Chinese Office Action and Search Report issued Dec. 13, 2021 in corresponding Chinese Patent Application No. 201910426523.5 (with English translation), 21 pages. [cited by applicant]
“Effect of Polyethylene Glycol, Triacetin and Glycerin on the Cellulose Acetate Plasticizing”, Korean Polymer Society, vol. 39, No. 4, pp. 649-654 (2015) (R4), http://dx.doi.org/10.7317/pk.2015.39.4.649 (with partial ma… [cited by applicant]