US 12,389,938 B2
Aerosol-generating article having a tubular support element
Stefanos Papakyrillou, Neuchatel (CH)
Assigned to Philip Morris Products S.A., Neuchatel (CH)
Appl. No. 17/600,694
Filed by Philip Morris Products S.A., Neuchatel (CH)
PCT Filed Mar. 19, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/057660
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 1, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/200820, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 8, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 19167434 (EP), filed on Apr. 4, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0175022 A1, Jun. 9, 2022
Int. Cl. A24D 1/20 (2020.01); A24D 1/04 (2006.01); A24D 3/17 (2020.01); A24F 40/20 (2020.01); A24F 40/46 (2020.01)
CPC A24D 1/20 (2020.01) [A24D 1/04 (2013.01); A24D 3/17 (2020.01); A24F 40/20 (2020.01); A24F 40/46 (2020.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An aerosol-generating article having an upstream end and a downstream end, the aerosol-generating article defining a longitudinal direction extending between the upstream end and the downstream end, the aerosol-generating article comprising:
a plug of aerosol-forming substrate at the upstream end of the aerosol-generating article, the aerosol-forming substrate comprising an aerosol former;
a hollow tubular support element positioned immediately downstream of the plug of aerosol-forming substrate; and
a filter segment at the downstream end of the aerosol-generating article and positioned immediately downstream of the hollow tubular support element,
wherein the aerosol-generating article has a length extending in the longitudinal direction between the upstream end and the downstream end,
wherein the plug of aerosol-forming substrate has a length extending in the longitudinal direction between a first end of the plug of aerosol-forming substrate and a second end of the plug of aerosol-forming substrate,
wherein the hollow tubular support element has a length extending in the longitudinal direction between a first end of the hollow tubular support element and a second end of the hollow tubular support element,
wherein a ratio of the length of the hollow tubular support element to the length of the aerosol-generating article is between 0.3 to 1 and 0.5 to 1,
wherein a ratio of the length of the plug of aerosol-forming substrate to the length of the hollow tubular support element is between 0.5 to 1 and 0.8 to 1,
wherein the hollow tubular support element comprises:
a peripheral wall defining a tubular shape of the hollow tubular support element, the peripheral wall defining an inner volume, and
a radial structure extending radially within the inner volume from at least a first point on the peripheral wall to at least a second point on the peripheral wall so that at least two airflow passages are defined by the peripheral wall and the radial structure, the at least two airflow passages extending in the longitudinal direction, and the radial structure comprising a wall portion intersecting a longitudinal axis of the hollow tubular support element,
wherein the first end of the hollow tubular support element is positioned immediately downstream of the plug of aerosol-forming substrate, and
wherein the radial structure is shaped to define a recess at the first end of the hollow tubular support element, the recess extending into the inner volume defined by the peripheral wall.