Aroma cartridge

Abstract

The present invention provides an aroma cartridge that makes it possible to overcome a problem that characteristically arises in an aroma cartridge that does not use any tobacco component and that uses a non-tobacco material not including a large quantity of fibers; i.e., a decrease in aspiration quantity of an aerosol smoke and a fragrance component released from the non-tobacco material, due to blockage of gas flow passages within an aroma-generating sheet to be heated or an aroma-generating base material to be heated and between aroma-generating sheets to be heated or aroma-generating base materials to be heated, the aroma cartridge being characterized in that at least one of means for optimizing aspiration of the smoke and the fragrance component and/or a gas-generation-maintaining material for maintaining generation of the smoke and the fragrance component is provided to an aroma generator to be heated and/or a mouthpiece.

1 . An aroma cartridge comprising:
 an aroma generator to be heated, in which is wound an aroma-generating substrate to be heated which is in contact with a heating element and which includes an aerosol former and a fragrance component;   a mouthpiece comprising a filter for filtering an aerosol smoke and a fragrance component released from the aroma generator to be heated due to heating by the heating element; and   a cartridge exterior body wound so as to connect the aroma generator to be heated and the mouthpiece adjacent to each other in a longitudinal direction,   at least one of means for optimizing aspiration of the smoke and the fragrance component and a gas-generation-maintaining material for maintaining generation of the smoke and the fragrance component is included in at least one of the aroma generator to be heated and the mouthpiece.   
     
     
         2 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 1 ,
 the filter being obtained by molding fibers into a cylindrical shape, and the filter constituting all or a portion of the mouthpiece, and   the aspiration optimization means including a cavity provided in the filter in the longitudinal direction so as not to penetrate through the filter.   
     
     
         3 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 1 , the filter constituting a portion of the mouthpiece, and a portion remaining within the mouthpiece other than the filter being a void formed by the cartridge exterior body. 
     
     
         4 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 2 , at least one of the cavity being arranged in at least either end part in the longitudinal direction of the filter. 
     
     
         5 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 2 , the cavity being arranged in rotationally symmetrical positions about a center axis of a cylinder existing in the longitudinal direction of the filter. 
     
     
         6 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 2 , shape of the cavity being columnar or conical. 
     
     
         7 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 1 ,
 the mouthpiece having:   a support member for preventing the aroma generator to be heated from moving toward the mouthpiece; and   the filter, the filter being adjacent to the support member in the longitudinal direction.   
     
     
         8 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 1 ,
 the mouthpiece having:   a cooling member for cooling a component that is volatilized upon heating of the aroma generator to be heated; and   the filter, the filter being adjacent to the cooling member in the longitudinal direction.   
     
     
         9 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 1 ,
 the mouthpiece having:   a support member for preventing the aroma generator to be heated from moving toward the mouthpiece, the support member being adjacent in the longitudinal direction to the aroma generator to be heated;   a cooling member for cooling a component that is volatilized upon heating of the aroma generator to be heated, the cooling member being adjacent to the support member in the longitudinal direction; and   the filter, the filter being adjacent to the cooling member in the longitudinal direction.   
     
     
         10 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 1 ,
 the mouthpiece having a support member including a through hole, for preventing the aroma generator to be heated from moving toward the mouthpiece,   center axes of the support member and a cylinder of the through hole substantially coinciding, and   the aspiration optimization means including a shape reinforcement member fixedly or movably arranged in the through hole.   
     
     
         11 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 10 ,
 the shape reinforcement member   having the center axis in a plane thereof, and   comprising one or more plate-shaped members in contact with an inner wall of the through hole.   
     
     
         12 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 10 ,
 the shape reinforcement member comprising   a concentric cylinder having substantially the same center axis as the center axis and having a radius smaller than a radius of the through hole, and   a plate-shaped member arranged on an external peripheral side of the concentric cylinder so as to contact an inner wall of the through hole in a radial direction of the concentric cylinder.   
     
     
         13 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 12 , the concentric cylinder being hollow. 
     
     
         14 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 10 ,
 the mouthpiece comprising:   the support member; and   a filter obtained by molding fibers into a cylindrical shape, the filter being adjacent to the support member in the longitudinal direction.   
     
     
         15 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 10 ,
 the mouthpiece comprising:   the support member;   a cooling member for cooling a component that is volatilized upon heating of the aroma generator to be heated, the cooling member being adjacent to the support member in the longitudinal direction; and   a filter obtained by molding fibers into a cylindrical shape, the filter being adjacent to the cooling member in the longitudinal direction.   
     
     
         16 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 14 ,
 wherein the cavity is arranged in the filter in the longitudinal direction so as not to penetrate through the filter.   
     
     
         17 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 1 , the aspiration optimization means including a heat insulation member arranged so as to be interposed between the aroma generator to be heated and the mouthpiece. 
     
     
         18 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 1 , the aspiration optimization means including at least any of a partition wall material arranged on an end part on the mouthpiece side of the aroma generator to be heated, and a cover material arranged on an end part of the aroma generator to be heated on an opposite side to the mouthpiece. 
     
     
         19 - 118 . (canceled) 
     
     
         119 . The aroma cartridge according to  claim 15 , wherein the cavity is arranged in the filter in the longitudinal direction so as not to penetrate through the filter.