WO2024223829A1

WO2024223829A1 - Tobacco article for a heat-not-burn aerosol generating device and associated aerosol generating system

Info

Publication number: WO2024223829A1
Application number: PCT/EP2024/061548
Authority: WO
Inventors: Herman HIJMA; Erik SNIJDER; Eduardo Jose GARCIA GARCIA
Original assignee: Jt International Sa
Priority date: 2023-04-28
Filing date: 2024-04-26
Publication date: 2024-10-31

Abstract

The present invention concerns a tobacco article (12) for a heat-not-burn aerosol generating device (11), the tobacco article extending between a proximal end (14) and a distal end (13), and comprising a tobacco part (15) and a non-tobacco part (16); the tobacco part (15) comprising a first end (18) and the non-tobacco part comprising a second end (19); the tobacco article (12) defining an upstream airflow path and a downstream airflow path; the downstream airflow path extending from the distal end (13) to the proximal end (14) in contact with the tobacco part (15) and the non-tobacco part (16); the upstream airflow path extending from an air inlet to the distal end (13) outside the tobacco part (15) and being fluidically separated from and at least partially parallel to the downstream airflow path upstream of the distal end (13).

Description

Tobacco article for a heat-not-burn aerosol generating device and associated aerosol generating system

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a tobacco article for a heat-not-burn aerosol generating device. The present invention also concerns an aerosol generating system comprising such a tobacco article.

Particularly, the tobacco article according to the invention comprises for example a solid substrate able to form aerosol when being heated. Thus, the aerosol generating devices operating with such type of tobacco articles, also known as heat-not-burn devices, are adapted to heat, rather than burn, the substrate by conduction, convection and/or radiation, to generate aerosol for inhalation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The popularity and use of reduced-risk or modified-risk devices (also known as vaporisers) has grown rapidly in the past few years as an aid to assist habitual smokers wishing to quit smoking traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, and rolling tobacco. Various devices and systems are available that heat or warm vaporizable substances as opposed to burning tobacco in conventional tobacco products.

A commonly available reduced-risk or modified-risk device is the heated substrate aerosol generation device or heat-not-burn device. Devices of this type generate aerosol or vapour by heating an aerosol substrate that typically comprises moist leaf tobacco or other suitable vaporizable material to a temperature typically in the range 150°C to 350°C. Heating an aerosol substrate, but not combusting or burning it, releases aerosol that comprises the components sought by the user but not the toxic and carcinogenic byproducts of combustion and burning. Furthermore, the aerosol produced by heating the tobacco or other vaporizable material does not typically comprise the burnt or bitter taste resulting from combustion and burning that can be unpleasant for the user and so the substrate does not therefore require the sugars and other additives that are typically added to such materials to make the smoke and/or vapour more palatable for the user. Tobacco articles, usable with such type of aerosol generating devices can take various forms. Some of them can present an elongated stick or any other suitable shape, like for example a flat shape. Generally, such a tobacco article is received at least partially in a heating chamber of the device which comprises one or several heaters to heat the tobacco article.

When received at least partially in the heating chamber, the aerosol generating article is configured to generate aerosol which is delivered to the user via the mouthpiece. In some devices, when received in the heating chamber, a tobacco article generates pollution and condensation inside the device during its operation. Thus, the device should be regularly cleaned by the user. Additionally, air flow distribution and pressure drop of some tobacco articles are not satisfying and should be improved. These issues of some conventional tobacco articles and aerosol generating devices conduct to a poor user experience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One of the aims of the invention is to propose a tobacco article making it possible to avoid pollution and condensation generated by aerosol in the heating chamber of an aerosol generating device. This provides a more reliable and cleaner aerosol generating system. Additionally, airflow distribution and pressure drop are improved inside the tobacco article. The user experience can thus be considerably improved.

For this purpose, the invention relates to a tobacco article for a heat-not-burn aerosol generating device, the tobacco article extending along an article axis between a proximal end and a distal end, and comprising a tobacco part and a non-tobacco part extending along the article axis; the tobacco part comprising a first end and the non-tobacco part comprising a second end, the first end being adjacent to the distal end or closer to the distal end than the second end, the second end being adjacent to the proximal end or closer to the proximal end than the first end; the tobacco article defining an upstream airflow path and a downstream airflow path; the downstream airflow path extending from the distal end to the proximal end in contact with the tobacco part and the non-tobacco part; the upstream airflow path extending from an air inlet to the distal end outside the tobacco part, the upstream airflow path being fluidically separated from and at least partially parallel to the downstream airflow path upstream of the distal end. Provided with these features, airflow used to generate aerosol can be guided mainly through the tobacco article. Thus, any contact of the airflow with the heating chamber can be avoided or at least minimized. Thanks to these features, pollution and condensation which can be generated while operating the tobacco article, remain inside the article and can be easily evacuated from the device when the tobacco article is extracted. Additionally, the airflow used to generate aerosol can be entirely controlled inside the tobacco article by respective arrangements of the downstream and upstream airflow paths inside the article. Thus, airflow distribution inside the tobacco article can be optimized and an optimal pressure drop can be achieved.

According to some embodiments, at least the tobacco part of the tobacco article is contained in a wrapper. In some embodiments, both tobacco part and non-tobacco part are contained in a common wrapper.

The wrapper can separate fluidically the upstream airflow path from at least a part of the downstream airflow path. In some embodiment, the upstream airflow path can be separated from the outside of the tobacco article by the wrapper or by a sleeve. Particularly, when the tobacco article is at least partially received in a cavity of the aerosol generating device, the wrapper or sleeve can fluidically separate the upstream airflow path from walls delimiting the cavity. This means that any contact of the airflow used to generate aerosol by the tobacco article with the walls of the cavity is avoided. The cavity can for example form a heating chamber. At least some of the walls of the cavity can thus present heating elements. In this case, heating of the tobacco part is performed by conduction or convection. In other cases, heating can be performed by induction. For this purpose, the cavity receiving the tobacco part can comprise for example a coil arranged around the cavity.

In some embodiments, the wrapper can comprise paper. Alternatively or additionally, the wrapper can comprise a heat conducting material such as aluminium. This can improve or optimize heat transfer from the heating chamber to the tobacco part.

In some embodiments, the wrapper is porous.

In some other embodiments, the wrapper is fluidically impermeable. This can be achieved using an appropriate material or coating. The coating may be a water-based lacquer or a hot melt adhesive. For example, the wrapper, the barrier coating may have a water vapour transmission rate of 0 - 10 g/m²/day (at 23°C, 50% RH) and an oxygen transmission rate of <10 ccm/m²/day (at 23°C, 50% RH). Suitable materials for the outer wrapper and/or inner wrapper may be high barrier paper such as Avantguard S Gloss or Avantguard S Nature. Provided with these features, the wrapper can prevent any leakage from inside of the tobacco article. For example, such type of wrapper can contain condensation or other type of pollution inside the tobacco article. Thus, pollution of the heating chamber can be avoided.

According to some embodiments, the distal end of the tobacco article is sealed by a bottom wall delimiting a gap or end chamber with the first end of the tobacco part, the upstream airflow path and the downstream airflow path communicating via said gap or end chamber.

The gap or end chamber ensures a smooth transition between the upstream airflow path and the downstream airflow path. For example, the upstream airflow path and the downstream airflow path can be arranged in respect to the gap or end chamber so as to cause a U-turn of the airflow passing from the upstream airflow path to the downstream airflow path. The upstream airflow path and the downstream airflow path can for example be arranged parallel to each other and guide airflow according to opposite directions.

In some embodiments, the bottom wall delimiting the gap or end chamber can be formed by at least two sheets of wrapper sealed on at least a part of their periphery or, alternatively, by a folded sheet of the wrapper. This wrapper can be an outer wrapper overlapping an inner wrapper wrapping the tobacco part. In other words, in this case, the outer wrapper can form an envelope receiving the tobacco part wrapped by the inner wrapper and forming a gap or end chamber with the first end of the tobacco part.

The gap or end chamber can be maintained by an appropriate support inserted between the bottom wall and the first end of the tobacco part. The support can be formed by a frame arranged at least partially around the tobacco part between the inner wrapper and the outer wrapper or the sleeve. The support can for example be made from thermoresistant plastic.

In some embodiments, the upstream airflow path is formed by one or several upstream channels extending along the article axis. Provided with these features, the airflow can enter the upstream airflow path through one or several inlets arranged close to the proximal end of the tobacco article. Then, the airflow can be guided by the upstream airflow path for example until the distal end of the tobacco article. At the distal end, the airflow is guided to the downstream airflow path through for example a U-turn. The or each upstream channel formed by the upstream airflow path can for example extend along a lateral wall of the tobacco article.

According to some embodiments, the tobacco article forms a flat shape.

This shape of the tobacco article can be particularly advantageous since it allows a very fast pre-heating of the tobacco substrate to generate aerosol, while ensuring a good vapor generation during a vaping phase. In the further description, a flat shape of the tobacco article may signify that at least one cross-sectional dimension of the tobacco article, called hereinafter width, is at least 3 times, advantageously 5 times and preferably 10 times, greater than another cross-sectional dimension of the tobacco article, called hereinafter depth. Preferably, these dimensions are measured according to perpendicular axes, each of said axes being perpendicular to the article axis.

According to some embodiments, the flat shape of the tobacco article defines at least two narrow lateral walls and two wide lateral walls.

In this case, the flat shape of the tobacco article means that the distance between its narrow lateral walls is at least 3 times, advantageously 5 times and preferably 10 times, greater than the distance between its wide lateral walls.

According to some embodiments, the or each upstream channel forming the upstream airflow path extends along a respective narrow lateral wall.

Thanks to these feature, the flat shape of the tobacco article is not affected by one or several channels of the upstream airflow path. Additionally, since in some cases, the tobacco article is at least slightly compressed by exerting pressure on its wide lateral walls, the or each upstream channel arranged along a respective narrow lateral wall can maintain its shape uncompressed. According to some embodiments, the or each upstream channel forming the upstream airflow path is formed between an inner wrapper wrapping at least the tobacco part and an outer wrapper overlapping at least partially with the inner wrapper.

The inner and the outer wrapper can be similar to those disclosed above. Particularly, the outer wrapper can be sealed at least partially along its periphery to form an envelope receiving the tobacco part wrapped in the inner wrapper.

Like for the gap or end chamber formed between the end of the tobacco part and the bottom wall, a support can be used between the inner wrapper and the outer wrapper to maintain the shape of the or each upstream channel. The support can form a frame extending at least partially around the tobacco part. In some embodiments, the same support can be used to maintain the shape of the gap or end chamber and the shape of the or each upstream channel extending along a respective narrow lateral wall of the tobacco article.

In some embodiments, no support is provided. In this case, at least the outer wrapper can be formed from a rigid material, such as cardboard for example.

According to some embodiments, the or each upstream channel extending along a respective narrow lateral wall of the tobacco article opens to the gap or end chamber formed between the first end of the tobacco part and the bottom wall of the tobacco article.

According to some embodiments, the tobacco part forms in cross-section a corrugated shape. The corrugated shape may define two peripheral valley regions and one or several central valley regions. Each valley region extends advantageously from the first end of the tobacco part until the non-tobacco part.

The corrugated shape of the tobacco part is particularly advantageous since it allows airflow passing through the tobacco part. Thus, the airflow can be evenly distributed on either side of the tobacco part.

According to some embodiments, the or each upstream channel forming the upstream airflow path is formed in a respective peripheral valley region of the tobacco part. In this case, the channels forming the downstream airflow path can be formed by the central valley regions. In some embodiments, the inner wrap wraps the tobacco part so as to be adjacent to walls delimiting the peripheral valley regions whereas the outer wrap overlaps the inner wrap and forms a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape of the tobacco article. In this case, the channels forming the upstream airflow path are formed in the gaps between the inner wrapper and the outer wrapper.

According to some embodiments, the non-tobacco part comprises a flow guiding element forming a corrugated shape in cross section. Preferably, the flow guiding element forms two peripheral flow channels and one or several central flow channels, each flow channel extending along the article axis.

The flow guiding element can be used to guide the airflow inside the non-tobacco part until the proximal end of the tobacco article. The flow guiding element can also cool and/or filter the aerosol before it achieves the user’s mouth. The flow guiding element can for example comprise paper and can further be used to maintain or rigidity the shape of the non-tobacco part.

According to some embodiments, at least one peripheral flow channel extends along a lateral wall delimiting the tobacco part and forms at least partially the upstream airflow path, and the central flow channel(s) form(s) a part of the downstream airflow path.

In other words, in this case, the or each peripheral flow channel extends beyond the non-tobacco part. For example, the or each peripheral flow channel extends from an air inlet formed close to the proximal end of the tobacco article until the first end of the tobacco part whereas each central flow channel extends from the tobacco part until the proximal end of the tobacco article.

According to some embodiments, the flow guiding element is formed by a corrugated sheet. Additionally, in some embodiments, said at least one peripheral flow channel extending along a lateral wall delimiting the tobacco part is formed by folding or rolling a periphery of the corrugated sheet or adjoining a tubular element to the corrugated sheet.

When at least one peripheral flow channel is formed by folding or rolling a periphery of the corrugated sheet, the flow guiding element can form a unique piece with the walls delimiting this peripheral flow channel. This can simplify considerably the manufacturing process of the tobacco article.

When at least one peripheral flow channel is formed by adjoining a tubular element, the tubular element can for example be glued or fixed in any other suitable way to the corrugated sheet. The tubular element can form a circular, triangular, rectangular or any other suitable cross-sectional shape.

According to some embodiments, the folded or rolled periphery of the corrugated sheet or the adjoined tubular element is affixed by an outer wrapper wrapping at least the non-tobacco part.

In this case, only one wrapper may be necessary to form the tobacco article. This can simply its manufacturing process and reduce the number of components of the tobacco article.

According to some embodiments, the or each upstream channel forming the upstream airflow path extends substantially through a center of the tobacco part.

For example, the or each upstream channel forming the upstream airflow path can be formed by a hollow tubular element inserted into the tobacco part. The hollow tubular element can have any suitable cross-sectional shape. It can have for example a circular or rectangular cross-sectional shape. An air inlet to the hollow tubular element can be arranged on a lateral wide wall delimiting the non-tobacco part. Thus, the air inlet can be formed by a curved element extending from a surface of the lateral wide wall until the hollow tubular element. The hollow tubular element can comprise or be made of paper.

According to some embodiments, the tobacco article may further comprise a carrier comprising a frame, the frame defining a central space receiving at least the tobacco part. In some embodiments, the central space can also be configured to receive the non-tobacco part. Advantageously, the frame is also used to link the tobacco article with an external mouthpiece forming for example an additional cooling and/or filtering element. This external mouthpiece can present a tubular element affixed on the frame in the extension of the downstream airflow path. According to some embodiments, the or each upstream channel is formed by the frame and a sleeve sealed with the frame or a wrapper attached to the frame. The or each channel can thus extend laterally and be delimited by a narrow lateral wall of the tobacco article, the frame and the sleeve or wrapper. An air inlet to the or each upstream channel can also be formed between the sleeve and the frame.

The carrier and/or the sleeve can comprise or be formed from paper, plastic, aluminum or any other suitable material. In some embodiments, the carrier can be formed of different pieces made for example of different materials. In some embodiments, the sleeve can be replaced by a wrapper.

During the manufacturing, the carriers for a plurality of tobacco articles can be laterally connected to each other to form a perforated stip. Then, a tobacco article can be inserted in the corresponding central space of each carrier during the manufacturing or manually by the user. Then, the carrier with the received tobacco article can be detached from the strip by breaking the perforations.

In some embodiments, the carrier can be formed as a paper casing. The paper casing is configured to receive the tobacco article and may further extend to form a hollow mouthpiece. The casing may comprise one or several air inlets opening to the channels forming the upstream airflow path.

In some embodiments, the frame comprises at least two layers, each layer comprising cutouts forming at least partially the corresponding upstream airflow channel. At least some portions of the cutouts can be superposed to form an end chamber.

In some embodiments, the air inlet is formed by one or several calibrated holes or perforations in a wrapper wrapping at least the tobacco part and/or the non-tobacco part. The calibrated holes can be arranged in any suitable way on the wrapper. For example, the calibrated holes can be arranged on lateral walls formed by the wrapper. For example, the calibrated holes form a total open surface area comprised between 0,5 mm² and 5 mm².

The calibrated holes are calibrated to ensure the desired pressure drop by the tobacco article. In such a case, an accurate resistance to draw can be achieved. The calibrated holes can for example be formed by laser cuts. According to some embodiments, the tobacco part is receivable in a cavity of the aerosol generating device. Additionally, in some embodiments, the air inlet is designed to be arranged closer to the proximal end than to the distal end, preferably in the first quarter of length from the proximal end, so as to be outside the cavity.

Thanks to these features, airflow can enter the upstream airflow path outside the cavity. Thus, no airflow contacts the walls of the cavity.

Thus, air can be aspired from the outside of the device and no internal components of the device enters in contact with the airflow. Additionally, pollution and condensation can be avoided not only inside the cavity but also inside the whole device.

According to some embodiments, the tobacco article further comprises a positioning member designed to position the tobacco part inside the cavity of the aerosol generating device so as the air inlet is arranged outside the cavity.

The positioning member prevents against an erroneous insertion of the tobacco article in the cavity so as the air inlet can always be positioned outside the cavity. Preferably, the positioning member is formed by a shoulder formed on a lateral wall of the tobacco article. Thus, the non-tobacco part can present a greater cross-sectional area preventing its insertion inside the cavity.

The present invention also concerns an aerosol generating system comprising:

- a tobacco article as defined above;

- a heat-not-burn aerosol generating device configured to operate with the tobacco article.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention and its advantages will be better understood upon reading the following description, which is given by way of non-limiting example and which is made with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol generating system, the aerosol generating system comprising an aerosol generating device and a tobacco article usable with the aerosol generating device; - Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating system of Figure 1 according to plane II where the tobacco article is inserted into the aerosol generating device;

- Figure 3 is a perspective view (complete at the left part and partial at the right part) of the tobacco article according to a first embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the tobacco article of Figure 3 according to plane IV;

- Figure 5 is a perspective view of the tobacco article according to a second embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 6 is a schematic view showing airflow circulation inside the tobacco article of Figure 5;

- Figure 7 is a perspective view (complete at the left part and partial at the right part) of the tobacco article according to a third embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 8 is a schematic view of different examples of a flow guiding element inserted inside the tobacco article of Figure 7;

- Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the tobacco article of Figure 7 according to plane IX;

- Figure 10 is a perspective view (complete at the left part and partial at the right part) of the tobacco article according to a fourth embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 1 1 is a cross-sectional view of the tobacco article of Figure 10 according to plane XI;

- Figure 12 is a perspective view of the tobacco article according to a fifth embodiment of the invention; - Figure 13 is a schematic view showing airflow circulation inside the tobacco article of Figure 12, the left part of the Figure corresponding to a cross-sectional view of the tobacco article of Figure 12 according to plane XIII;

- Figure 14 is a partial perspective view of the tobacco article according to a sixth embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of the tobacco article of Figure 14 according to plane XV;

- Figure 16 is a view of a plurality carriers used for manufacturing the tobacco article of Figure 14;

- Figure 17 is a partial perspective view of the tobacco article according to a seventh embodiment of the invention; and

- Figure 18 is an expanded view of the tobacco article according to an eighth embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Before describing the invention, it is to be understood that it is not limited to the details of construction set forth in the following description. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways.

The expression “substantially equal to” is understood hereinafter as an equality at plus or minus 10% and preferably at plus or minus 5%.

As used herein, the term “aerosol generating device” or “device” may include a vaping device to deliver an aerosol to a user, including an aerosol for vaping, by means of a heater element explained in further detail below. The device may be portable. “Portable” may refer to the device being for use when held by a user. The device may be adapted to generate a variable amount of aerosol, e.g. by activating the heater element for a variable amount of time (as opposed to a metered dose of aerosol), which can be controlled by a trigger. The trigger may be user activated, such as a vaping button and/or inhalation sensor. The inhalation sensor may be sensitive to the strength of inhalation as well as the duration of inhalation to enable a variable amount of vapour to be provided (so as to mimic the effect of smoking a conventional combustible smoking article such as a cigarette, cigar or pipe, etc.). The device may include a temperature regulation control to drive the temperature of the heater and/or the heated aerosol generating substance (aerosol pre-cursor) to a specified target temperature and thereafter to maintain the temperature at the target temperature that enables efficient generation of aerosol.

As used herein, the term “aerosol” may include a suspension of vaporizable material as one or more of: solid particles; liquid droplets; gas. Said suspension may be in a gas including air. Aerosol herein may generally refer to/include a vapour. Aerosol may include one or more components of the vaporizable material.

As used herein, the term “vaporizable material” or “precursor” may refer to a smokable material which may for example comprise nicotine or tobacco and an aerosol former. Tobacco may take the form of various materials such as shredded tobacco, granulated tobacco, tobacco leaf and/or reconstituted tobacco. Suitable aerosol formers include: a polyol such as sorbitol, glycerol, and glycols like propylene glycol or triethylene glycol; a non-polyol such as monohydric alcohols, acids such as lactic acid, glycerol derivatives, esters such as triacetin, triethylene glycol diacetate, triethyl citrate, glycerin or vegetable glycerin. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating agent may be glycerol, propylene glycol, or a mixture of glycerol and propylene glycol. The substrate may also comprise at least one of a gelling agent, a binding agent, a stabilizing agent, and a humectant.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 shows an aerosol generating system 10 comprising an aerosol generating device 11 , also called heat-not-burn aerosol generating device, and an aerosol generating article 12, also called tobacco article 12. The aerosol generating device 11 is intended to operate with the tobacco article 12. In the example of Figure 1 , the tobacco article 12 is extracted from the aerosol generating device 1 1. In the example of Figure 2, the tobacco article 12 is inserted into the aerosol generating device 1 1 .

The tobacco article 12 extends between a proximal end 14 and a distal end 13 along an article axis X. The proximal end 14 is intended to be closer to a user than the distal end 13 when the tobacco article 12 is operated with the aerosol generating device 11 to generate aerosol. The distal end 13 is designed to be received inside the aerosol generating device 11 as it will be explained in further detail below.

As it is shown in Figure 2, the tobacco article 12 comprises a tobacco part 15 and a non-tobacco part 16 arranged along the article axis X. The tobacco part 15 comprises a first end 18 adjacent to or facing the distal end 13 of the tobacco article 12. Particularly, as it will be explained below in reference to different embodiments of the tobacco article 12, the first end 18 of the tobacco part 15 can be adjacent to the distal end 13 of the tobacco article 12 or can be spaced from this distal end 13 to form a gap. The non-tobacco part 16 comprises a second end 19 adjacent to or facing the proximal end 14 of the tobacco article 12, depending on the embodiments. In any case, the first end 18 is closer to the distal end 13 comparing to the second end 19 and the second end 19 is closer to the proximal end 14 comparing to the first end 18.

According to different embodiments, the tobacco article 12 has a generally flat shape. In some embodiments, both tobacco part 15 and the non-tobacco part 16 present a generally flat shape. In this case, the tobacco part 15 and the non-tobacco part 16 can have similar cross-sections having for example substantially the same cross-sectional area. In a variant, the cross-sectional area of the non-tobacco part 16 is greater than the cross- sectional area of the tobacco part 15. In some other embodiments, only the tobacco part 15 presents a generally flat shape and the non-tobacco part 16 presents any other suitable shape, for example substantially circular cylindrical shape. The flat shape of the tobacco article 12 forms at least a pair of narrow lateral walls and a pair of lateral wide walls, extending along the tobacco article X. Advantageously, the flat shape of at least the tobacco part 15 has a rectangular cross-section so as it is delimited by said pairs of narrow and wide lateral walls.

The tobacco part 15 may for example be slightly longer than the non-tobacco part 16. For example, the length of the tobacco part 15 according to the article axis X may be comprised between 10 and 25 mm, for example, substantially equal to 18 mm. The width and/or the depth of the tobacco part 15 may be substantially equal to or less than respectfully the width and/or the depth of the non-tobacco part 16. The length of the non- tobacco part 16 according to the article axis X may be substantially comprised between 8 and 20 mm, for example be equal to 15 mm. The above-mentioned length values for both tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16 can be selected within a range of +/- 40%, for example. The tobacco part 15 and the non-tobacco part 16 may be fixed one to the other by one or several wrappers as it will be explained in reference to different embodiments of the tobacco article 12.

The non-tobacco part 16 comprises a core intended to act for example as a cooling element to cool slightly the vapour before it is inhaled by the user. The core may comprise for this purpose for example corrugated paper. The core may be formed through an extrusion and/or rolling process into a stable shape. Advantageously, the core is arranged inside the non-tobacco part 16 to be entirely in contact with the internal surface of the wrapper delimiting this non-tobacco part 16. Additionally or alternatively, the core acts as a filter. The core may be formed by a flow guiding element having a corrugated cross- sectional shape.

The tobacco part 15 comprises a vaporizable material and is intended to be heated by a heating chamber, as it will be explained in further detail below. The tobacco part 15 may have a corrugated cross-sectional shape.

As it will be explained below in reference to different embodiments, the tobacco article 12 defines an upstream airflow path and a downstream airflow path. The downstream airflow path extends from the distal end 13 to the proximal end 14 in contact with or adjacent to the tobacco part 15 and the non-tobacco part 16. The upstream airflow path extends from an air inlet to the distal end 13 outside the tobacco part 15. The upstream airflow path comprises one or several upstream channels guiding fresh air from the outside of the tobacco article 12 until the tobacco part 15. The downstream airflow path comprises one or several downstream channels guiding aerosol formed further to heating the tobacco part 15. Advantageously, the or each downstream channel extends through both tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16. Additionally, the or each upstream channel is fluidically isolated from the or each downstream channel. As a result, air is forced through the upstream channel and through the downstream channel without possible shortcut from one to the other.

Referring to Figure 1 , the aerosol generating device 1 1 comprises a device body 40 extending along a device axis Y between an open end 41 and a closed end 42. The open end 41 is designed to receive at least partially the tobacco article 12, notably the tobacco part 15 of the tobacco article 12. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating device 1 1 may further comprise a mouthpiece designed to be mounted on the open end 41 of the device body 40, for example once the tobacco article 12 is inserted in the device body 40 through the open end 41. In this case, the mouthpiece may for example be designed to receive the non-tobacco part 16. In some other embodiments, no mouthpiece is provided with the device. In this case, the non-tobacco part 16 can act as a mouthpiece or an external mouthpiece can be used.

The device body 40 comprises various internal components of the aerosol generating device 1 1. Particularly, these internal components can comprise in particular a battery, a controller and at least one heating element (e.g., a ceramic or film heater) for heating tobacco article when inserted in a heating chamber, etc. Among these components, only a heating chamber 60 will be explained in further detail in reference to Figure 2. As it is shown in this Figure 2, the heating chamber 60 is adapted to receive and heat the tobacco part 15 of the tobacco article 12. The heating chamber 60 extends according to the device axis Y between an open end 61 adjacent to the open end 41 of the device body 40 and a closed end 62 opposite to the open end 61 . The heating chamber 60 has a cross-sectional shape complementary to the cross-sectional shape of the tobacco part 15 of the tobacco article 11 . For example, when the tobacco part 15 is flat-shaped, the heating chamber 60 has also a flat shape. In this case, the heating chamber 60 can for example be delimited at least by a pair of wide walls and a pair of narrow walls extending parallel to the device axis Y. The heating chamber 60 further includes a heating element powered by the battery in order to heat the tobacco part 15. The heating element can comprise for example one or several resistive elements attached for example to the wide walls of the heating chamber. In this case, the wide walls can act as heat transferring elements from the heating elements to the tobacco part. The wide walls can be designed to be in contact with at least one wrapper wrapping the tobacco part 15 to heat it by conduction and in some cases, slightly compress the tobacco part 15 between the wide walls. According to other embodiments, a gap can be formed between the lateral wide walls the tobacco article 12 to heat the tobacco part 15 by convection. According to still another embodiment, at least one heating element presents a coil arranged around the heating chamber 60 and designed to heat the tobacco part 15 by induction.

FIRST EMBODIMENT OF THE TOBACCO ARTICLE

Figures 3 and 4 show a tobacco article 12 according to a first embodiment. According to this embodiment, the tobacco article 12 comprises an inner wrapper 121 and an outer wrapper 122 overlapping at least partially the inner wrapper 121. The inner wrapper 121 wraps together the tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16. Particularly, the inner wrapper 121 can extend around the article axis X and is delimited according to this axis by the first end 18 of the tobacco part 15 and the second end 19 of the non-tobacco part 16, while keeping these ends transversally opened in respect with the article axis X. The inner wrapper 121 can be formed from one or several sheets. Particularly, when the non-tobacco part 16 and the tobacco part 15 have substantially the same cross- sectional shape and dimensions, a single sheet can be used to form the inner wrapper 121 . When the non-tobacco 16 part and the tobacco part 15 have different cross-sectional shapes or dimensions, the inner wrapper 121 can comprise several sheets used to wrap the parts 15, 16 close to their shape. The inner wrapper 121 can comprise paper and can be made impermeable for example using an appropriate selection of thickness, density and/or a coating made of impermeable material.

The outer wrapper 122 overlaps partially the inner wrapper 121 . As shown in Figure 3, the outer wrapper 122 is in offset with the inner wrapper 121 according to the article axis X. Particularly, the outer wrapper 122 extends around the article axis X and is delimited according to this axis X by an air inlet end 125 and the distal end 13 of the tobacco article 12. The air inlet end 125 is advantageously arranged between the second end 19 of the non-tobacco part 16 and a junction point between the tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16. At the distal end 13 of the tobacco article 12, the outer wrapper 122 is sealed and forms a gap or end chamber 128 with the first end 18 of the tobacco part 15. At the air inlet end 125, the outer wrapper 122 is opened to form one or several air inlets 130 between the inner wrapper 121 and the outer wrapper 122. The outer wrapper 122 has a greater cross-section than the inner wrapper 121 so as form one or several upstream channels 132 delimited by an external surface of the inner wrapper 121 and an internal surface of the outer wrapper 122.

Particularly, the or each upstream channel 132 extends between an air inlet 130 and the distal end 13 of the tobacco article 12, according to the article axis X. Advantageously, in case of a flat-shaped tobacco article 12, two channels are formed on opposite sides of the tobacco article 12. For example, when the tobacco part 15 forms a pair of lateral narrow walls and a pair of lateral wide walls extending along the article axis X, each channel 132 is adjacent to a respective lateral narrow wall of the tobacco part 15. To form the upstream channels 132 on opposite side of the tobacco article 12, the outer wrapper 122 can comprise two rectangular sheets sealed together at the periphery of three of their sides, including the bottom side and two lateral sides. The air inlets 130 are thus formed on the unsealed side, i.e., the front side, as it is shown in Figure 3.

To maintain the shape of the or each upstream channel 132, a support 135 can be provided. Advantageously, the support 135 can also maintain the shape of the gap or end chamber 128. In the example of Figure 3, this support 135 can for example comprise a frame comprising two longitudinal parts extending along the upstream channels 132 and a transversal part connecting the longitudinal parts and arranged in the gap 128. The tobacco part 15 can be received in a central space delimited by the frame.

Alternatively or additionally, the outer wrapper 122 can be made from a rigid material such as cardboard or moulded cellulose pulp to maintain the shape of the or each upstream channel 132 and/or the gap or end chamber 128.

The outer wrapper 122 and/or inner wrapper 121 can comprise paper. As the inner wrapper 121 , the outer wrapper 122 can also be made fluid impermeable by adding a barrier coating made of fluid barrier material. The coating may be a water-based lacquer or a hot melt adhesive. For example, the wrapper, the barrier coating may have a water vapour transmission rate of 0 - 10 g/m²/day (at 23°C, 50% RH) and an oxygen transmission rate of <10 ccm/m²/day (at 23°C, 50% RH). Suitable materials for the outer wrapper and/or inner wrapper may be high barrier paper such as Avantguard S Gloss or Avantguard S Nature.

As shown in Figure 4, the or each upstream channel 132 forms an upstream airflow path intending to guide an airflow from the outside of the tobacco article 11 until the gap or end chamber 128. From the gap or end chamber 128 until the second end 19 of the nontobacco part 16, one or several downstream channels forming a downstream airflow path guiding the airflow through both tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16 are formed. Thus, in the gap or end chamber 128, the airflow is turned at 180° to flow according to an opposite direction inside the tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16. In the example of Figure 4, the arrows represented with a continuous line show the airflow direction in the upstream airflow path and the arrows represented with a dashed line show the airflow direction in the downstream airflow path. In the example of Figure 3, the non-tobacco part 16 has a greater cross-section than the tobacco part 15. Particularly, the non-tobacco part 16 can have a greater depth than the tobacco part 15. For example, the ratio of the depth of the non-tobacco part to the depth of the tobacco part may be comprised between 5:1 to 1 ,5:1. For example, the depth of the non-tobacco part is about 2,5-8 mm and the depth of the tobacco part is about 0,8-3 mm. In this case, a shoulder 140 is formed in the transition between the tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16 on at least one wide lateral wall of the tobacco article 12, preferably on each wide lateral walls of the article. This shoulder 140 can act as a positioning member while inserting the tobacco article 12 in the heating chamber 60. Particularly, in this case, the shoulder prevents the non-tobacco part 16 from being inserted inside the heating chamber 60 and ensures the positioning of the or each air inlet 130 outside the heating chamber 60. Advantageously, the or each air inlet 130 is positioned outside the device body 40 or inside a chamber of the device communicating with the outside.

SECOND EMBODIMENT OF THE TOBACCO ARTICLE

Figures 5 and 6 show a tobacco article 12 according to a second embodiment. As in the previous embodiment, the tobacco article 12 according to the second embodiment comprises an inner wrapper 221 and an outer wrapper 222 overlapping at least partially the inner wrapper 221 . Also as in the previous embodiment, a gap or end chamber 228 and at least one upstream channel 232, preferably a pair of lateral upstream channels 232, are formed between the wrappers 221 , 222. Particularly, the or each upstream channels 232 extends between an air inlet 230 and the gap or end chamber 228. As in the previous embodiment, the or each air inlet 230 is arranged between the second end 19 of the non- tobacco part 16 and a junction point between the tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16.

According to the second embodiment, the tobacco part 15 forms in cross-section a corrugated shape, as shown in the bottom part of Figure 6. This corrugated shape defines two peripheral valley regions 242 and one or several central valley regions 244. Each valley region extends advantageously along the article axis X from the first end 18 of the tobacco part 15 until the non-tobacco part 16.

The or each central valley regions 244 forms a part of a downstream channel. Particularly, the or each central valley regions 244 forms the part of the corresponding downstream channel which extends through the tobacco part 15 of the tobacco article 12. On the contrary, at least one of the peripheral valley regions 242 forms an upstream channel 232. Advantageously, both peripheral valley regions 242 are used to form respective upstream channels. In this case, the inner wrapper 221 wraps the tobacco part 15 so as to be adjacent to walls of the tobacco article delimiting the peripheral valley regions 242 whereas the outer wrapper 222 overlaps the inner wrapper and forms a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape of the tobacco article 12. In this way, the gaps formed between the inner wrapper 221 and the outer wrapper 222 forms the upstream channels 232. The distal end of the tobacco article is also devoid of inner wrapper so as to leave the downstream channels open to the gap or end chamber 228. On the contrary, the outer wrapper 222 extends rectangularly beyond the distal end of the tobacco article on a certain length to form the gap or end chamber 228. For example, the length of the gap or end chamber in the axial direction X may be about 1 -3 mm.

As in the previous embodiment, airflow entering through the air inlets 230 flows first through the upstream channels 232 formed by the gaps between the inner wrapper 221 and the outer wrapper 222, and then turns in the gap or end chamber 228 to flow through the downstream channels formed by the central valley regions 244 and the non-tobacco part 16.

THIRD EMBODIMENT OF THE TOBACCO ARTICLE

Figures 7 to 9 show a tobacco article 12 according to a third embodiment. Contrary to the previous embodiments, no overlap wrapper is provided in the third embodiment. For example, the tobacco article 12 may comprise a single wrapper 321 assembling together the tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16. The wrapper 321 can be wrapped around the article axis X to form a generally rectangular cross-section of the tobacco article 12, possibly with rounded edges. The wrapper 321 is sealed at the distal end 13 of the tobacco article 12 to form a gap or end chamber 328 between the first end 18 of the tobacco part 15 and the distal end 13 of the tobacco article 12. The tobacco part 15 can have a corrugated cross- sectional shape similar to the shape disclosed in relation with the second embodiment.

According to the third embodiment, the non-tobacco part 16 comprises a core forming a flow guiding element 325. This flow guiding element 325 has a corrugated cross-sectional shape, following for example a zig-zag template. The corrugated cross-sectional shape of the flow guiding element 325 forms two peripheral flow channels 342 and one or several central flow channels 344, each flow channel 342, 344 extending along the article axis X. The central flow channels 344 can be formed by a zigzag cross-sectional shape of the flow guiding element 325.

The or each central flow channel 344 forms a part of a downstream channel. Particularly, the or each central flow channel 344 forms the part of the corresponding downstream channel which extends through the non-tobacco part 16 of the tobacco article 12. In some cases, at least one central flow channel 344 can be at least partially extended inside the tobacco part 15 by a central valley region of the tobacco part 15 as explained in relation with the previous embodiment.

At least one of the peripheral flow channels 342 is used to form an upstream channel 332 forming the upstream airflow path. Advantageously, both peripheral flow channels 342 are used to form respective upstream channels 332. Particularly, the or each upstream channel 332 extends between an air inlet 330 and the gap or end chamber 328 formed at the distal end 13 of the tobacco article 12. As it is visible in Figure 8, the or each upstream channel 332 is in offset according to the article axis X with the central flow channels 344. In other words, the or each upstream channel 332 extends along a part of the non-tobacco part 16 and along the whole tobacco part 15. Particularly, in the example of Figure 8, the upstream channels 332 extend along the whole length of the lateral narrow walls of the tobacco part 15. In other words, the upstream channels 332 in this example form a pair of legs extending from a central portion of the non-tobacco part 16 and adapted to receive between them the tobacco part 15.

According to the example shown at the right part of Figure 8, each upstream channel 332 extends according to the whole length of the non-tobacco part 16 but presents an entirely closed portion 350A and a half-opened portion 350B. The half-opened portion 350A presents a lateral opening forming the corresponding air inlet 330. According to the example shown at the left part of Figure 8, each upstream channel 332 extends only partially according to the length of the non-tobacco part 16 and presents only a laterally closed portion 350A which opens to the corresponding air inlet 330.

The wrapper 321 is adapted to ensure that the or each air inlet 330 opens to the outside of the tobacco article 12, preferably on a lateral narrow wall of the tobacco article 12. For this purpose, the wrapper 321 can define a cutout for each air inlet 330 which forms an opening communicating with this air inlet 330 when the wrapper 321 is wrapped around the article axis. As shown in Figure 7, such a cutout can extend along the article axis X on the corresponding narrow wall of the tobacco article 12.

The or each upstream channel 332 can be formed from the same sheet as the central flow channels 344 as shown in Figure 9. For example, the or each upstream channel 332 can be formed by rolling or folding a periphery of the sheet forming a central portion the flow guiding element 325. In the example of Figure 9, each upstream channel 332 has a circular cross-section.

According to another example, the or each upstream channel 332 is formed from a tubular element separated from the sheet forming the central flow channels 344. In this case, the tubular element can be affixed to said sheet for example by the wrapper 321 and/or using any other appropriate means such as glue for example. For example, the tubular elements may be formed of rolled paper, spirally wound paper or be formed by extrusion.

As in the previous embodiments, airflow entering through the air inlets 330 flows first through the upstream channels 332 formed by the peripheral flow channels 342, and then turns in the gap or end chamber 328 to flow through the downstream channels formed by the tobacco part 15 and the central flow channels 344 of the non-tobacco part 16.

FOURTH EMBODIMENT OF THE TOBACCO ARTICLE

Figures 10 and 1 1 show a tobacco article 12 according to a fourth embodiment. The tobacco article 12 according to this embodiment is similar to the tobacco article 12 according to the third embodiment and also comprises a wrapper 421 , advantageously a unique wrapper 421 , and a flow guiding element 425 forming the non-tobacco part 425. Similarly, the wrapper 421 is sealed at the distal end 13 of the tobacco article 12 to form a gap or end chamber 428 with the first end 18 of the tobacco part 15. As in the previous case, the flow guiding element 425 has a corrugated shape forming two peripheral flow channels 442 and one or several central flow channels 444, each flow channel 442, 444 extending along the article axis X.

The central flow channels 444 are similar to the central flow channels 344 explained in reference to the third embodiment. Also as in the previous case, at least one of the peripheral flow channels 442 is used to form an upstream channel 432. Advantageously, each peripheral flow channel 442 forms an upstream channel 432. As in the previous case, the or each upstream channel 432 extends between an air inlet 430 and the gap or end chamber 428.

Contrary to the previous embodiment, the or each upstream channel 432 forms a noncircular cross-section. For example, the or each upstream channel 432 can form a triangular cross-section. Advantageously, as shown in Figure 11 , the triangular cross-section is formed by folding a periphery of the sheet forming the central flow channels 444. Advantageously, this sheet has a zigzag cross-sectional shape so as folding of its periphery leads to the triangular cross-section of the or each upstream channel 432 as it shown in Figure 1 1. According to another example, the or each upstream channel 432 is formed by a separate tubular element which is affixed to said sheet.

According to the fourth embodiment, the wrapper 421 is wrapped around the article axis X to form a general cross-sectional shape of the tobacco article 12 which is different from the cross-sectional shape of the tobacco article 12 according to the third embodiment. For example, in case of a triangular cross-sectional shape of the or each upstream channel 432, the general cross-sectional shape of the tobacco article 12 may form a trapezoid, advantageously an isosceles trapezoid. In some cases, the edges of the trapezoid can be rounded. As can be seen in figure 10, the air inlets 430 are formed by a cutout in the wrapper 421 at the location where the upstream channels end.

FIFTH EMBODIMENT OF THE TOBACCO ARTICLE

Figures 12 and 13 show a tobacco article 12 according to a fifth embodiment. The tobacco article 12 according to this embodiment also comprises at least one upstream channel 532 forming the upstream airflow path. Contrary to the previous embodiments, this upstream channel 532 extends through a center of the tobacco part 15 from an air inlet 530 to a gap or end chamber 528 formed between the distal end 13 of the tobacco article 12 and the first end 18 of the tobacco part 15. As in the previous embodiments, the gap or end chamber 528 can be formed by sealing a wrapper 521 at the distal end 13 of the tobacco article 12. The wrapper may also be sealed in the axial direction by a single sealing seam (if the wrapper is formed of a single tubular containment layer) or, alternatively, a pair of side seams as an envelop (if the wrapper is formed of two containment layers). According to this embodiment, the upstream channel 532 can for example be formed by a tubular insert 560 inserted in the center of the tobacco part 15, extending along the the article axis X, and opening to the air inlet 530 using a curved element 561 . In this case, the air inlet 530 can be arranged on a lateral wide wall of the tobacco article 12. Additionally, as it is shown at the right part of Figure 13, the air inlet 530 can be arranged between the second end 19 of the non-tobacco part 16 and a junction point between the tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16. In other words, the air inlet 530 is arranged in the non-tobacco part 16, for example, where the thickness of the non-tobacco part 16 progressively increases.

During operation of the tobacco article, airflow enters the upstream channel 532 through the air inlet 530. It flows then through the upstream channel 532 until achieving the gap or end chamber 528 where it turns at 180° and enters the downstream airflow path extending through both tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16.

According to some examples, similarly to the first embodiment, the non-tobacco part 16 of the tobacco article 12 according to the fifth embodiment can form a greater cross- sectional area than the tobacco part 15. In this case, similarly to the first embodiment, a shoulder 540 is formed in the transition between the tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16, advantageously on one of the wide lateral walls of the tobacco article 12. This shoulder 540 can act as a positioning member while inserting the tobacco article 12 in the heating chamber 60. Particularly, in this case, the shoulder 540 ensures the positioning of the air inlet 530 outside the heating chamber 60 and advantageously outside the device body 40.

SIXTH EMBODIMENT OF THE TOBACCO ARTICLE

Figures 14 to 16 show a tobacco article 12 according to a sixth embodiment. According to this embodiment, the tobacco article 12 further comprises a carrier presenting a frame 620. The frame 620 defines a central space 623 receiving at least the tobacco part 15 as previously defined. Advantageously, the central space 623 receives the tobacco part 15 together with the non-tobacco part 16. These parts can be wrapped together by an inner wrapper 621 .

According to the sixth embodiment, the tobacco article can further comprise a mouthpiece 624 mounted on the frame 620 in the extension of the downstream flow path. Particularly, the mouthpiece 624 can present a tubular element facing the second end 19 of the non-tobacco part 16. In some examples, the mouthpiece 624 can comprise or is adapted to receive a filtering and/or cooling and/or flavoring element.

A sleeve 622 (not shown in Figure 14) can be further used to assemble together the frame 620 and the mouthpiece 624 with the tobacco part 15 wrapped together with the nontobacco part 16 by the inner wrapper 621. Alternatively, an outer wrapper similar to the outer wrapper 122 explained in relation with the first embodiment is used instead of the sleeve 622.

At least one upstream channel forming the upstream airflow path can be formed by the frame 620 and the sleeve 622. The sleeve 622 is for example sealed with the frame 620. In the example of Figure 15, four upstream channels 632 are formed. Particularly, a pair of upstream channels 632 can be formed on each side of the tobacco part 15 to be adjacent to its narrow lateral wall. In some examples, a pair of upstream channels 632 arranged on the same side of the tobacco part 15 can be fluidically communicating. For example, in this case, the frame 620 can be provided with holes.

Like in the previous embodiments, each upstream channel 632 extends between an air inlet 630 and a gap or end chamber 628 formed for example between the frame 620 and the first end 18 of the tobacco part 15. The or each air inlet can be formed by one or several holes in the sleeve 622 (or in the outer wrapper according to different examples). These holes can be calibrated to ensure the desired pressure drop through the tobacco article 12. The calibrated holes can be arranged in any suitable way on the sleeve 622.

Referring to Figure 16, a plurality of frames 620 can be produced in a form of a perforated break-away strip. Particularly, the frames 620 can be attached laterally with breakable links. In some examples, the mouthpiece 624 and the frame 620 are formed of a single piece made of paper, cardboard, moulded cellulose pulp, plastic or combinations thereof. The mouthpiece may for example be formed by injection moulding, casting, pressforming or extrusion.

SEVENTH EMBODIMENT OF THE TOBACCO ARTICLE

Figure 17 shows a tobacco article 12 according to a seventh embodiment. As in previous embodiment, the tobacco article 12 according to the seventh embodiment further comprises a carrier. In this embodiment, the carrier presents a casing 720 receiving entirely the tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16 and having also a flat shape. The casing 720 can for example comprise paper or be formed of paper. The tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16 can be wrapped together by an inner wrapper before being received in the casing 720.

The casing 720 extends according to the article axis X and according to some examples, may further comprise a mouthpiece portion 724 arranged in the extension of the downstream flow path passing through the tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16. Particularly, the mouthpiece portion 724 can extend from the second end 19 of the non- tobacco part 16 until the proximal end 14 of the tobacco article 12. The mouthpiece portion 724 can be hollow. In some examples, the mouthpiece portion 724 can comprise or be adapted to receive a filtering and/or cooling and/or flavoring element.

The casing 720 further comprises an enlarged portion 726 extending between the distal end 13 of the tobacco article 12 and one or several air inlets 730 arranged to face the non-tobacco part 16. In other words, the enlarged portion 726 of the casing 720 extends according to the article axis X along the whole length of the tobacco part 15 and a portion of the non-tobacco part 16. The enlarged portion 726 presents an enlarged cross-sectional shape to form at least one upstream channel between the tobacco part 15 and a narrow wall of the casing 720. In the example of Figure 17, two upstream channels 732 are formed. Particularly, an upstream channel 732 is formed on each side of the tobacco part 15 between a lateral narrow wall of the tobacco part 15 and a lateral narrow wall of the casing 720. When the tobacco and non-tobacco parts 15, 16 are wrapped by the inner wrapper, each upstream channel 732 can be fluidically separated from these parts 15, 16 by the inner wrapper. When no inner wrapper is provided, the each upstream channel 732 can be formed by a separate tubular element inserted between the corresponding narrow walls of the casing 720 and the tobacco part 15.

As in the previous embodiments, each upstream channel 732 extends between the corresponding air inlet 730 and a gap or end chamber 728 formed for example by the casing 720 between the first end 18 of the tobacco part 15 and the distal end 13 of the tobacco article 12.

The casing 720 further comprises a narrowed portion 727 extending between the mouthpiece portion 724 and the enlarged portion 726. Particularly, the narrowed portion 727 extends according to the article axis X along the portion of the non-tobacco part 16 which is not covered by the enlarged portion 726. The narrowed portion 727 presents a cross-section which fits the cross-section of the non-tobacco part 16. Particularly, substantially no gap is formed between the non-tobacco part 16 and walls delimiting the narrowed portion 727.

The or each air inlet 730 is formed in the transition between the narrowed portion 727 and the enlarged portion 726. This transition can form a shoulder perpendicular to the article axis X or forming an angle less than 90° with this axis.

EIGHTH EMBODIMENT OF THE TOBACCO ARTICLE

Figure 18 shows a tobacco article 12 according to an eighth embodiment. According to this embodiment and similarly to the sixth embodiment explained in reference to Figures 14 to 16, the tobacco article 12 further comprises a carrier presenting a frame 820. The frame 820 defines a central space 823 receiving at least the tobacco part 15 as previously defined. Advantageously, as shown in Figure 18, the central space 823 receives only the tobacco part 15 without the non-tobacco part 16. The non-tobacco part 16 can be fixed to the frame 820 in the extension of the tobacco part 15. These parts can be wrapped together by a common wrapper 821 . According to this embodiment, the wrapper 821 can comprise at least two separate sheets 821 A, 821 B attached to opposite surfaces of the frame 820 to fix at least the tobacco part 15 in the central space 823. In some embodiments, the sheets 821 A, 821 B can also fixe the non-tobacco part 15 to the frame 820. As previously explained, the wrapper 821 can comprise aluminum and/or paper.

At least one upstream channel forming the upstream airflow path can be formed by the frame 820. For this purpose, the frame 820 can comprise one or several layers, each layer comprises cutouts defining one or several upstream channels. Each layer can be made of paper, cardboard, moulded cellulose pulp, plastic or combinations thereof. The thickness of each layer can be comprised for example between 0,3 mm and 0,8 mm, advantageously between 0,45 mm and 0,5 mm.

In the example of Figure 18, the frame 820 comprises two layers 820A, 820B. These layers 820A, 820B define cutouts forming a pair of upstream channels 832 on each side of the tobacco part 15. In some cases, another upstream channel 832 can extend through the center of the frame 820. Each upstream channel 832 extends between an air inlet 830 and an end chamber 828 formed by the frame 820 at the first end 18 of the tobacco part 15. The or each air inlet can be wrapper 821 . These holes can be calibrated to ensure the desired pressure drop through the tobacco article 12. The or each end chamber 828 is formed by superposed cutouts of the layers 820A, 820B. In the example of Figure 18, the layer 820A comprises lateral cutouts forming lateral portions of the corresponding upstream channels 832 and transversal cutouts forming transversal portions of the corresponding upstream channels 832. The layer 820B comprises only transversal cutouts which are superposed at least partially with the transversal cutouts of the layer 820A to form the corresponding end chamber 828. As in the previous embodiments, the tobacco part 15 can form a corrugated shape defining downstream channels. The or each end chamber 828 can for example be arranged in the extension of the corresponding downstream channel.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS OF THE TOBACCO ARTICLE

Other embodiments are still possible. These embodiments can comprise any suitable combination of the features disclosed in relation with the previously mentioned embodiments. It should also be noted that the embodiments disclosed above are described only by differences. Thus, features that may be common for at least some embodiments are not specified in relation with each embodiment.

Claims

1. A tobacco article (12) for a heat-not-burn aerosol generating device (1 1 ), the tobacco article extending along an article axis (X) between a proximal end (14) and a distal end (13), and comprising a tobacco part (15) and a non-tobacco part (16) extending along the article axis (X); the tobacco part (15) comprising a first end (18) and the non-tobacco part comprising a second end (19), the first end (18) being adjacent to the distal end (13) or closer to the distal end (13) than the second end (19), the second end (19) being adjacent to the proximal end (14) or closer to the proximal end (14) than the first end (19); the tobacco article (12) defining an upstream airflow path and a downstream airflow path; the downstream airflow path extending from the distal end (13) to the proximal end (14) in contact with the tobacco part (15) and the non-tobacco part (16); the upstream airflow path extending from an air inlet (130; 230; 330; 430; 530; 630; 730; 830) to the distal end (13) outside the tobacco part (15), the upstream airflow path being fluidically separated from and at least partially parallel to the downstream airflow path upstream of the distal end (13).

2. The tobacco article (12) according to claim 1 , wherein the upstream airflow path is fluidically separated from the outside of the tobacco article (12).

3. The tobacco article (12) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distal end (13) of the tobacco article (12) is sealed by a bottom wall delimiting a gap or end chamber (128; 228; 328; 428; 528; 628; 728; 828) with the first end (18) of the tobacco part (15), the upstream airflow path and the downstream airflow path communicating via said gap or end chamber (128; 228; 328; 428; 528; 628; 728; 828).

4. The tobacco article (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upstream airflow path is formed by one or several upstream channels (132; 232; 332; 432; 532; 632; 732; 832) extending along the article axis (X).

5. The tobacco article (12) according to claim 4, wherein:

- the tobacco article (12) forms a flat shape defining at least two narrow lateral walls and two wide lateral walls; - the or each upstream channel (132; 232; 332; 432; 632; 732; 832) extends along a respective narrow lateral wall.

6. The tobacco article (12) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the or each upstream channel (132; 232; 632) is formed between an inner wrapper (121 ; 221 ; 621 ) wrapping at least the tobacco part (15) and an outer wrapper (122; 222; 622) overlapping at least partially with the inner wrapper (121 ; 221 ; 621 ).

7. The tobacco article (12) according to claim 6, wherein:

- the tobacco part (15) forms in cross-section a corrugated shape defining two peripheral valley regions (242; 342; 442) and one or several central valley regions (244; 344; 444);

- the or each upstream channel (232; 332; 432) is formed in a respective peripheral valley region (242; 342; 442) of the tobacco part (15).

8. The tobacco article (12) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein:

- the non-tobacco part (16) comprises a flow guiding element (325; 425) forming two peripheral flow channels (342; 442) and one or several central flow channels (344; 444), each flow channel extending along the article axis (X);

- at least one peripheral flow channel (342; 442) extends along a lateral wall delimiting the tobacco part (15) and forms at least partially the upstream airflow path;

- the central flow channel(s) (344; 444) form(s) a part of the downstream airflow path.

9. The tobacco article (12) according to claim 8, wherein:

- the flow guiding element (325; 425) is formed by a corrugated sheet;

- said at least one peripheral flow channel (342; 442) extending along a lateral wall delimiting the tobacco part (15) is formed by folding or rolling a periphery of the corrugated sheet or adjoining a tubular element to the corrugated sheet; preferably, the folded or rolled periphery of the corrugated sheet or the adjoined tubular element is affixed by an outer wrapper (321 ; 421 ) wrapping at least the non-tobacco part (16).

10. The tobacco article (12) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the or each upstream channel (532) extends substantially through a center of the tobacco part (15).

1 1 . The tobacco article (12) according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising a carrier comprising a frame (620; 820), the frame (620; 820) defining a central space (623; 823) receiving at least the tobacco part (15); wherein the or each upstream channel (632; 832) is formed by the frame and a sleeve sealed (622) with the frame (620) or a wrapper (821 ) attached to the frame (820).

12. The tobacco article (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the air inlet (130; 230; 330; 430; 530; 630; 730; 830) is formed by one or several calibrated holes or perforations in a wrapper or sleeve wrapping or receiving at least the tobacco part (15) and/or the non-tobacco part (16).

13. The tobacco article (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein:

- the tobacco part (15) is receivable in a cavity of the aerosol generating device (11 ); and

- the air inlet (130; 230; 330; 430; 530; 630; 730; 830) is designed to be arranged closer to the proximal end (14) than to the distal end (13), preferably in the first quarter of length from the proximal end (14), so as to be outside the cavity, advantageously outside the aerosol generating device (1 1 ), when the tobacco part (15) is received in the cavity.

14. The tobacco article (12) according to claim 14, further comprising a positioning member (140; 540) designed to position the tobacco part (15) inside the cavity of the aerosol generating device (1 1 ) so as the air inlet (130; 530) is arranged outside the cavity; preferably the positioning member (140; 540) being formed by a shoulder formed on a lateral wall of the tobacco article (12).

15. An aerosol generating system (10) comprising:

- a tobacco article (12) according to any one of the preceding claims;

- a heat-not-burn aerosol generating device (11 ) configured to operate with the tobacco article (12).