Smoking Substitute Consumable

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol-forming article comprising: an aerosol-forming substrate; and a filter element having a hollow bore extending from the downstream axial end of the substrate to the downstream axial end of the article.

1 . An aerosol-forming article comprising: an aerosol-forming substrate; and a filter element having a hollow bore extending from the downstream axial end of the substrate to the downstream axial end of the article. 
     
     
         2 . An article according to  claim 1  wherein the article is a heat not burn (HNB) consumable. 
     
     
         3 . An article according to  claim 1  or  2  wherein the axial length of the filter element is between 25 and 45 mm. 
     
     
         4 . An article according to any one of  claims 1 - 3  wherein the hollow bore through the filter element is uniform along its axial length. 
     
     
         5 . An article according to any one of  claims 1  to  3  wherein the hollow bore through the filter element varies along the axial length. 
     
     
         6 . An article according to  claim 5  wherein the filter element comprises an upstream filter portion and a terminal filter portion and the bore diameter of the upstream filter portion is greater than the bore diameter of the terminal filter portion. 
     
     
         7 . An article according to  claim 5  wherein the filter element comprises an upstream filter portion and a terminal filter portion and the bore diameter of the upstream filter portion is equal to the bore diameter of the terminal filter portion. 
     
     
         8 . An article according to  claim 6  or  7  further comprising a filter portion axially interposed and adjacent the upstream and terminal filter portions. 
     
     
         9 . An article according to  claim 8  wherein the diameter of the bore within the intermediate portion is larger than the diameter in both the upstream and terminal filter portions. 
     
     
         10 . An article according to  claim 8  or  9  wherein the intermediate filter portion has a greater axial length than the upstream and terminal filter portions. 
     
     
         11 . A system comprising a smoking substitute article according to any one of  claims 1 - 10 , and a device comprising a heating element. 
     
     
         12 . A system according to  claim 11  wherein the device comprises a main body for housing the heating element and the heating element comprises an elongated heating element. 
     
     
         13 . A method of using the system according to  claim 11  or  12 , the method comprising:
 inserting the article into the device; and 
 heating the article using the heating element. 
 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 13  comprising inserting the article into a cavity within a main body of the device and penetrating the article with the heating element upon insertion of the article. 
     
     
         15 . An aerosol-forming substrate comprising a plurality of first elongate shreds of plant material and a plurality of second elongate shreds of plant material, each first shred having longitudinal edges spaced by a first transverse width and each second shred having longitudinal edges spaced by a second transverse width, wherein the first transverse width is different to the second transverse width. 
     
     
         16 . An aerosol forming substrate according to  claim 15  wherein a first region of the substrate comprises a greater proportion of first shreds than second shreds. 
     
     
         17 . An aerosol-forming substrate according to  claim 16  wherein the first region is disposed at a periphery of the substrate. 
     
     
         18 . An aerosol-forming substrate according to any one of  claims 15 - 17 , wherein a second region of the substrate comprises a greater proportion of second shreds than of the first shreds. 
     
     
         19 . An aerosol-forming substrate according to  claim 18  wherein the second region is disposed at a central portion of the substrate, which is spaced from a periphery of the substrate. 
     
     
         20 . An aerosol-forming substrate according to any one of  claims 15 - 19  that is cylindrical and the proportion of first shreds to second shreds varies in a radial direction. 
     
     
         21 . An aerosol-forming substrate according to any one of  claims 15 - 20  wherein the ratio of the greater of the first and second transverse width to the lesser of the first and second transverse width may is between 1.5:1 and 3:1. 
     
     
         22 . An aerosol-forming substrate according to  claim 21  wherein the lesser of the first and second transverse width is between 0.6 mm and 1.4 mm and the greater of the first and second transverse width is between 1.6 mm and 2.4 mm. 
     
     
         23 . An aerosol-forming substrate according to any one of  claims 15 - 22 , wherein the first and second shreds are aligned substantially parallel to one another. 
     
     
         24 . An aerosol-forming article comprising an aerosol-forming substrate according to any one of  claims 15 - 23 . 
     
     
         25 . An aerosol-forming article according to  claim 24  wherein the article is a heat-not-burn (HNB) consumable. 
     
     
         26 . A smoking substitute system comprising an aerosol-forming article according to  claim 24  or  25  and a device comprising a heating element. 
     
     
         27 . A system according to  claim 26  wherein the device comprises a main body for housing the heating element and the heating element comprises an elongated heating element. 
     
     
         28 . A web of plant material comprising a plurality of first elongate shreds of plant material and a plurality of second elongate shreds of plant material, each first shred having longitudinal edges spaced by a first transverse width and each second shred having longitudinal edges spaced by a second transverse width, wherein the first transverse width is different to the second transverse width. 
     
     
         29 . A web of plant material according to  claim 28  comprising one or more of said first shreds at opposing longitudinal edges of the web, and a plurality of said second shreds located at a central portion of the web between the longitudinal edges of the web. 
     
     
         30 . A method for forming a web of plant material, the method comprising:
 providing a sheet of plant material;   dividing the plant material using a plurality of longitudinally-extending slits to form a plurality of first elongate shreds of plant material and a plurality of second elongate shreds of plant material, each first shred having longitudinal edges spaced by a first transverse width and each second shred having longitudinal edges spaced by a second transverse width, wherein the first transverse width is different to the second transverse width.   
     
     
         31 . A method according to  claim 30  wherein the longitudinally-extending slits are formed by passing the sheet of plant material through a pair of interdigitated transverse stacks of rotary cutting blades wherein the rotary cutting blades are unevenly spaced so as to form the first and second shreds of respective first and second transverse widths. 
     
     
         32 . A method for forming an aerosol forming article, the method comprising:
 forming a web of plant material using the method according to  claim 29  or  30 ;   gathering the web of plant material to form a cylindrical rod;   cutting the cylindrical rod to form a cylindrical aerosol-forming substrate; and   circumscribing the aerosol-forming substrate using a wrapping layer.   
     
     
         33 . A method according to  claim 32  wherein the gathering of the web of plant material is performed so as to form a first region comprising a greater proportion of first shreds than second shreds. 
     
     
         34 . A method according to  claim 33  wherein the first region is at, or proximate to the circumferential peripheral surface of the cylindrical aerosol-forming substrate when formed.