Aerosol-generating article comprising a tubular element

Abstract

An aerosol-generating article having an upstream end and a downstream end is provided, the aerosol-generating article defining a longitudinal direction between the upstream end and the downstream end, the aerosol-generating article including: an aerosol-forming substrate; a tubular element disposed downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate and extending along the longitudinal direction, the tubular element including an air inlet; and a flavour substrate disposed downstream of the air inlet, the flavour substrate including a flavour material configured to be fluid permeable when a temperature of the flavour material is equal to or greater than a permeability transition temperature of the flavour material, and being configured to be substantially fluid impermeable when the temperature of the flavour material is lower than the permeability transition temperature of the flavour material, the flavour material being a gel composition. An aerosol-generating system including the aerosol-generating article and an aerosol-generating device is also provided.

1 .- 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . An aerosol-generating article having an upstream end and a downstream end, the aerosol-generating article defining a longitudinal direction between the upstream end and the downstream end, the aerosol-generating article comprising:
 an aerosol-forming substrate;   a tubular element disposed downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate and extending along the longitudinal direction, the tubular element comprising an air inlet; and   a flavour substrate disposed downstream of the air inlet, the flavour substrate comprising a flavour material configured to be fluid permeable when a temperature of the flavour material is equal to or greater than a permeability transition temperature of the flavour material, and being configured to be substantially fluid impermeable when the temperature of the flavour material is lower than the permeability transition temperature of the flavour material, wherein the flavour material is a gel composition.   
     
     
         17 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein the tubular element defines at least one airflow channel establishing an uninterrupted fluid communication between an upstream end of the tubular element and a downstream end of the tubular element, and   wherein the flavour substrate is further configured to allow a fluid flowing along the airflow channel to flow downstream of the flavour substrate when the temperature of the flavour material is equal to or greater than a permeability transition temperature of the flavour material and to prevent a fluid flowing along the airflow channel from flowing downstream of the flavour substrate when the temperature of the flavour material is lower than the permeability transition temperature of the flavour material.   
     
     
         18 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 16 , wherein the flavour material is thermo-reversible. 
     
     
         19 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 16 , wherein the permeability transition temperature of the flavour material is between 70 degrees Celsius and 80 degrees Celsius. 
     
     
         20 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 16 , wherein a resistance-to-draw of the aerosol-generating article when the temperature of the flavour material is equal to or greater than the permeability transition temperature of the flavour material is at least 10 mm H 2 O greater than a resistance-to-draw of the aerosol-generating article when the temperature of the flavour material is lower than the permeability transition temperature of the flavour material. 
     
     
         21 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 16 , wherein a resistance-to-draw of the aerosol-generating article when the temperature of the flavour material is equal to or greater than the permeability transition temperature of the flavour material is at least 20 mm H 2 O greater than a resistance-to-draw of the aerosol-generating article when the temperature of the flavour material is lower than the permeability transition temperature of the flavour material. 
     
     
         22 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 16 , wherein a resistance-to-draw of the aerosol-generating article when the temperature of the flavour material is equal to or greater than the permeability transition temperature of the flavour material is at least 30 mm H 2 O greater than a resistance-to-draw of the aerosol-generating article when the temperature of the flavour material is lower than the permeability transition temperature of the flavour material. 
     
     
         23 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 16 , wherein a distance between the upstream end of the aerosol-forming substrate and the downstream end of the flavour substrate is less than about 40 millimetres. 
     
     
         24 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 16 , further comprising a regulating member disposed on the tubular element and being movable relative to the tubular element, such that the regulating member is configured to vary a size of the air inlet. 
     
     
         25 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein the tubular element further comprises an inner tube and an outer tube, the outer tube being disposed around the inner tube,   wherein an outer airflow channel is longitudinally delimited by the inner tube and the outer tube,   wherein an inner airflow channel is longitudinally delimited by the inner tube, and   wherein at least the inner airflow channel is configured for substrate aerosol to flow towards the downstream end.   
     
     
         26 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 25 , wherein the flavour substrate is disposed within the outer airflow channel. 
     
     
         27 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 25 ,
 further comprising at least one permeability control element,   wherein the at least one permeability control element is configured to be fluid permeable when the temperature of the at least one permeability control element is equal to or greater than a permeability transition temperature of the at least one permeability control element,   wherein the at least one permeability control element is further configured to be substantially fluid impermeable when the temperature of the at least one permeability control element is lower than the permeability transition temperature of the at least one permeability control element, and   wherein the at least one permeability control element is disposed within the outer airflow channel, the at least one permeability control element being further configured to prevent a fluid from flowing along the outer airflow channel downstream of the permeability control element when the temperature of the at least one permeability control element is lower than the permeability transition temperature of the at least one permeability control element, and to allow a fluid to flow along the outer airflow channel downstream of the permeability control element when the temperature of the at least one permeability control element is equal to or greater than the permeability transition temperature of the at least one permeability control element.   
     
     
         28 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 26 , wherein the flavour substrate is a permeability control element. 
     
     
         29 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 27 ,
 further comprising a spanning element disposed within the outer airflow channel,   wherein the outer airflow channel comprises the air inlet and the air inlet is disposed downstream of the spanning element.   
     
     
         30 . The aerosol-generating article according to  claim 16 , further comprising a filter disposed downstream of the tubular element. 
     
     
         31 . An aerosol-generating system, comprising:
 the aerosol-generating article according to  claim 16 ; and   an aerosol-generating device comprising a heater, the heater comprising a substrate heating element configured to heat the aerosol-generating article and a downstream heating element disposed downstream of the substrate heating element.   
     
     
         32 . The aerosol-generating system of  claim 31 ,
 wherein the substrate heating element is a substrate inductive heating arrangement, comprising a substrate inductor coil and a substrate susceptor, and   wherein the downstream heating element is a downstream inductive heating arrangement, comprising a downstream inductor coil and a downstream susceptor.