Flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing apparatus and flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing method

Abstract

A flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing apparatus includes: a feeding apparatus configured to feed a gelled flavorant-containing sheet; a slit-forming portion configured to form one or more slits having a depth corresponding to an entirety or part of a thickness of the flavorant-containing sheet along a feed direction of the flavorant-containing sheet; and a drier configured to dry the flavorant-containing sheet in which the slits are formed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing apparatus comprising:
 a feeding apparatus configured to feed a gelled flavorant-containing sheet;   a slit-forming portion configured to form one or more slits having a depth corresponding to an entirety or part of a thickness of the flavorant-containing sheet along a feed direction of the flavorant-containing sheet; and   a drier configured to dry the flavorant-containing sheet in which the slits are formed.   
     
     
         2 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the one or more slits are one slit,   the slit-forming portion includes a slit-forming part configured to form the one slit, and   the slit-forming part is provided at a position that allows the one slit to be formed in a vicinity of one end in a width direction of the flavorant-containing sheet.   
     
     
         3 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the one or more slits are two slits,   the slit-forming portion includes two slit-forming parts configured to form the two slits,   one of the two slit-forming parts is provided at a position that allows the one of the two slits to be formed in a vicinity of one end in a width direction of the flavorant-containing sheet, and   the other of the two slit-forming parts is provided at a position that allows the other of the two slits to be formed in a vicinity of another end in the width direction.   
     
     
         4 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the one or more slits are a plurality of slits,   the slit-forming portion includes a plurality of slit-forming parts configured to form the plurality of slits,   the plurality of slit-forming parts are provided to be spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the flavorant-containing sheet.   
     
     
         5 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein:
 the flavorant-containing sheet includes a plurality of belt-like portions separated by the plurality of slits, and   the plurality of slit-forming parts are provided at positions that allow the plurality of slits to be formed so that lengths in the width direction of the plurality of belt-like portions of the flavorant-containing sheet are substantially equal to each other.   
     
     
         6 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a shaping portion configured to shape the flavorant-containing sheet before gelling by shaping slurry containing the flavorant into a sheet shape. 
     
     
         7 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the shaping portion includes:
 a first gap region defining a thickness of the flavorant-containing sheet before gelling which passes through the first gap region; and   a second gap region provided at one end in a width direction of the flavorant-containing sheet before gelling and having a gap dimension smaller than that of the first gap region, the second gap region defining a thickness of the flavorant-containing sheet before gelling which passes through the second gap region.   
     
     
         8 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 6 , further comprising a gelling apparatus provided at a position between the shaping portion and the slit-forming portion, the gelling apparatus being configured to gel the flavorant-containing sheet before gelling. 
     
     
         9 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 the slit-forming portion includes one or more slit-forming parts configured to form the one or more slits; and   one of the one or more slit-forming parts is provided at a position configured to separate the flavorant-containing sheet formed by the second gap region and the flavorant-containing sheet formed by the first gap region by one of the slits, or at a position configured to form the slits in the flavorant-containing sheet formed by the second gap region.   
     
     
         10 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a sheet-like substrate on which the flavorant-containing sheet is placed. 
     
     
         11 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the slit-forming portion includes:
 a slit-forming part configured to form the one slit, and   one or more holding portions configured to hold the one or more slit-forming parts so that a weight of the slit-forming parts acts on the flavorant-containing sheet.   
     
     
         12 . A flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing method comprising:
 shaping slurry containing a flavorant into a sheet shape by a shaping portion;   forming a gelled sheet by gelling the slurry formed into the sheet shape fed in a feed direction by a gelling apparatus;   forming one or more slits having a depth corresponding to an entirety or part of a thickness of the gelled sheet by a slit-forming portion; and   drying the gelled sheet including the one or more slits by a drier.   
     
     
         13 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing method according to  claim 12 , wherein the forming the one or more slits includes forming the one slit in a vicinity of one end in the width direction of the gelled sheet by the slit-forming portion. 
     
     
         14 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing method according to  claim 12 , wherein the forming the one or more slits includes forming two slits, the one of the two slits being formed in a vicinity of one end in the width direction of the gelled sheet, and the other of the two slits being formed in a vicinity of another end in the width direction of the gelled sheet by the slit-forming portion. 
     
     
         15 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing method according to  claim 12 , wherein the forming the one or more slits includes forming a plurality of slits by the slit-forming portion so that lengths of a plurality of belt-like portions of the gelled sheet separated in the width direction of the gelled sheet by the plurality of slits are substantially identical to each other. 
     
     
         16 . The flavorant-containing sheet manufacturing method according to  claim 12 , wherein the forming the one or more slits includes:
 holding one or more slit-forming parts by one or more holding portions configured to hold the one or more slit-forming parts, and   acting the weight of the slit-forming parts on the gelled sheet so as to form the one or more slits.