A component for a delivery system and a method and apparatus for manufacturing a component for a delivery system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a component for a delivery system. The component includes a body formed from a sheet of material and at least one object held in a space within the body. The sheet material includes a first internal edge at least partially defining a boundary of the space. The present disclosure also relates to a method of manufacturing a component for a delivery system and to an apparatus for manufacturing a component for a delivery system. The present disclosure also relates to a rod configured to be cut at least once to form a plurality of components and to a delivery system including a component.

1 . A component for a delivery system, the component comprising:
 a body formed from a sheet of material, and   at least one object held in a space within the body,   wherein the sheet of material comprises a first internal edge at least partially defining a boundary of the space.   
     
     
         2 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the first internal edge is a cut edge of the sheet of material. 
     
     
         3 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material comprises a slit that forms the first internal edge. 
     
     
         4 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material comprises an aperture in the sheet of material, and wherein an edge of the aperture comprises the first internal edge of the sheet of material. 
     
     
         5 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material comprises a first external edge and a second external edge at axial ends of the sheet of material, wherein the first internal edge is substantially parallel to at least one of the first external edge or the second external edge. 
     
     
         6 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the first internal edge is configured to resist the at least one object from moving out of the space. 
     
     
         7 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the component comprises a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is a mouth end of the component and the second end is opposite to the first end, wherein the first internal edge is located: between the at least one object and the first end of the component, or between the at least one object and the second end of the component. 
     
     
         8 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the first internal edge forms a first wall portion. 
     
     
         9 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material further comprises a second internal edge at least partially defining a boundary of the space. 
     
     
         10 . The component according to  claim 9 , wherein the second internal edge has at least one feature in common with the first internal edge. 
     
     
         11 . The component according to  claim 9 , wherein the first internal edge and the second internal edge are axially spaced by a distance in a range of 3 mm to 50 mm. 
     
     
         12 . The component according to  claim 9 , wherein the second internal edge forms a second wall portion. 
     
     
         13 . The component according to  claim 1 , comprising at least one further object. 
     
     
         14 . The component according to  claim 13 , wherein the at least one further object is held in a second space within the body, and wherein the sheet of material comprises a third internal edge at least partially defining a boundary of the second space. 
     
     
         15 . The component according to  claim 14 , wherein the sheet of material further comprises a fourth internal edge at least partially defining the boundary of the second space. 
     
     
         16 . The component according to  claim 15 , wherein at least one of the third internal edge or the fourth internal edge has at least one feature in common with the first internal edge. 
     
     
         17 . The component according to  claim 13 , wherein the sheet of material further comprises a second internal edge at least partially defining a boundary of the space, and wherein the second internal edge and the third internal edge are separated by a distance in a range of 3 mm to 50 mm. 
     
     
         18 . The component according to  claim 15 , wherein at least one of: the third internal edge forms a third wall portion, or the fourth internal edge forms a fourth wall portion. 
     
     
         19 . A method of manufacturing a component for a delivery system, the method comprising:
 providing an assembly comprising at least one object and a sheet of material comprising a first internal edge; and,   arranging the sheet of material into a body such that the body comprises a space that receives the at least one object, wherein the first internal edge at least partially defines a boundary of the space.   
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein providing the assembly comprises forming the first internal edge in the sheet of material. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein forming the first internal edge in the sheet of material comprises cutting the sheet of material to form the first internal edge. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein forming the first internal edge comprises cutting the sheet material using at least one of a knife or a laser. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein forming the first internal edge comprises forming a slit in the sheet of material. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein forming the first internal edge comprises forming an aperture in the sheet of material such that an edge of the aperture comprises the first internal edge of the sheet of material. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein forming the aperture comprises forming a cut-out in the sheet of material. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein providing the assembly comprises providing the sheet of material comprising the first internal edge, and then providing the at least one object on the sheet of material. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein providing the assembly comprises providing the sheet of material, providing the at least one object on the sheet of material, and then forming the first internal edge in the sheet of material. 
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 19 , comprising crimping the sheet of material. 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 28 , comprising crimping the sheet of material after the first internal edge has been formed. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 28 , comprising crimping the sheet of material before the first internal edge is formed. 
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein the sheet of material of the assembly comprises a second internal edge, and wherein arranging the sheet of material into the body comprises arranging the sheet of material such that the second internal edge at least partially forms a boundary of the space. 
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 31 , wherein providing the assembly comprises forming the second internal edge in the sheet of material. 
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 31 , wherein the second internal edge is formed in the same manner as the first internal edge. 
     
     
         34 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein providing the assembly comprises proving a continuous web of the sheet of material. 
     
     
         35 . The method according to  claim 34 , comprising forming a plurality of internal edges in the continuous web at regularly spaced intervals. 
     
     
         36 . The method according to  claim 34 , wherein the method comprises moving the continuous web along a conveyance path and providing the at least one object at regular intervals as the continuous web moves along the conveyance path. 
     
     
         37 . The method according to  claim 34 , wherein the web has a width in a range of 30 to 400 mm. 
     
     
         38 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein arranging the sheet of material into the body comprises gathering the sheet of material together to form the body. 
     
     
         39 . The method according to  claim 38 , wherein at least one of: a first wall portion is defined by gathering the first internal edge of the sheet of material, or a second wall portion is defined by gathering the second internal edge of the sheet of material. 
     
     
         40 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein the assembly comprises at least one further object. 
     
     
         41 . The method according to  claim 40 , wherein the sheet of material of the assembly comprises a third internal edge, wherein arranging the sheet of material into the body comprises arranging the sheet of material such that the body comprises a second space that receives the at least one further object, and wherein the third internal edge at least partially defines a boundary of the second space. 
     
     
         42 . The method according to  claim 41 , wherein the sheet of material of the assembly comprises a fourth internal edge, wherein arranging the sheet of material into the body comprises arranging the sheet of material such that the fourth internal edge at least partially defines a boundary of the second space. 
     
     
         43 . The method according to  claim 42 , wherein a least one of the third internal edge or the fourth internal edge is formed in the same manner as the first internal edge. 
     
     
         44 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein the method comprises detecting information indicative of at least one internal edge of the sheet of material. 
     
     
         45 . The method according to  claim 44 , comprising controlling a position that the at least one object is supplied relative to the sheet of material based on the information indicative of the at least one internal edge detected by a sensor. 
     
     
         46 . The method according to  claim 45 , comprising controlling an object supply device based on the information indicative of the position of the at least one internal edge detected by the sensor in order to control the position that the at least one object is supplied relative to the sheet of material. 
     
     
         47 . An apparatus for manufacturing a component for a delivery system, the apparatus comprising:
 an edge forming device configured to form a first internal edge in a sheet of material;   an object supply device configured to position at least one object on the sheet of material; and   a body forming device configured to arrange the sheet of material into a body such that the body comprises a space that receives the at least one object, wherein the first internal edge at least partially defines a boundary of the space.   
     
     
         48 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , wherein the edge forming device is configured to form the first internal edge in the sheet of material by cutting the sheet of material to form the first internal edge. 
     
     
         49 . The apparatus according to  claim 48 , wherein the edge forming device comprises at least one of: one or more knives or one or more lasers configured to cut the sheet material. 
     
     
         50 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , wherein the edge forming device is configured to form an aperture in the sheet of material such that an edge of the aperture comprises the first internal edge of the sheet of material. 
     
     
         51 . The apparatus according to  claim 50 , wherein the edge forming device is configured to form a cut-out in the sheet of material to form the aperture. 
     
     
         52 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , wherein the edge forming device is configured to form the first internal edge prior to the object supply device positioning the at least one object on the first portion of the sheet of material. 
     
     
         53 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , wherein the edge forming device is configured to form the first internal edge after the object supply device has positioned the at least one object on the first portion of the sheet of material. 
     
     
         54 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , comprising a crimping device configured to crimp the sheet of material. 
     
     
         55 . The apparatus according to  claim 54 , wherein the crimping device is configured to: crimp the sheet of material prior to the edge forming device forming the first internal edge, or crimp the sheet of material after the edge forming device has formed the first internal edge. 
     
     
         56 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , wherein the edge forming apparatus is configured to form a second internal edge in the sheet of material, and wherein the body forming device is configured to arrange the sheet of material into the body such that the second internal edge at least partially defines a boundary of the space. 
     
     
         57 . The apparatus according to  claim 56 , wherein the edge forming apparatus is configured to form the second internal edge in the same manner as the first internal edge. 
     
     
         58 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , wherein the apparatus is configured to feed a continuous web of the sheet of material along a conveyance path. 
     
     
         59 . The apparatus according to  claim 58 , wherein the edge forming device is configured to form at least one of: a plurality of first internal edges in the continuous web at regularly spaced intervals, or a plurality of second internal edges in the continuous web at regularly spaced intervals. 
     
     
         60 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , comprising a supply of the sheet of material. 
     
     
         61 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , wherein the object supply device is configured to position at least one further object on the sheet of material. 
     
     
         62 . The apparatus according to  claim 61 , wherein the edge forming device is configured to form a third internal edge in the sheet of material, and wherein the body forming device is configured to arrange the sheet of material into the body such that the body comprises a second space that receives the at least one further object, wherein the third internal edge at least partially forms a boundary of the second space. 
     
     
         63 . The apparatus according to  claim 62 , wherein the edge forming device is configured to form a fourth internal edge in the sheet material, and wherein the body forming device is configured to arrange the sheet of material into the body such that the fourth internal edge at least partially defines the boundary of the second space. 
     
     
         64 . The apparatus according to  claim 63 , wherein the edge forming apparatus is configured to form at least one of the third internal edge or the fourth internal edge in the same manner as the first internal edge. 
     
     
         65 . The apparatus according to  claim 47 , wherein the apparatus comprises at least one sensor configured to detect information indicative of at least one internal edge of the sheet of material. 
     
     
         66 . The apparatus according to  claim 65 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a controller configured to control a position that the at least one object is supplied relative to the sheet of material based on the information indicative of the at least one internal edge detected by the sensor. 
     
     
         67 . The apparatus according to  claim 66 , wherein the controller controls the object supply device based on the information indicative of the position of the at least one internal edge detected by the sensor in order to control the position that the at least one object is supplied relative to the sheet of material. 
     
     
         68 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the first internal edge is substantially linear. 
     
     
         69 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the first internal edge extends in a range of 10% to 95% across a width of the sheet of material. 
     
     
         70 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the first internal edge has a length in a range of 5 mm to 360 mm. 
     
     
         71 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material comprises a first external edge and a second external edge that extend substantially parallel to a central axis of the component, wherein the first internal edge is spaced from at least one of the first external edge and a second external edge. 
     
     
         72 . The component according to  claim 71 , wherein the first internal edge is substantially perpendicular to at least one of the first external edge or the second external edge. 
     
     
         73 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material subtends about a central axis of the component. 
     
     
         74 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material is crimped. 
     
     
         75 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material comprises cellulose. 
     
     
         76 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material comprises at least one of: paper, cotton, tobacco, lyocell, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polylactic acid (PLA), poly(F-caprolactone)(PCL), poly(1-4 butanediol succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(PBAT), starch based materials, aliphatic polyester materials, polysaccharide polymers; non-woven material; or biodegradable material. 
     
     
         77 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material of the component has a length in a range of 5 mm to 50 mm. 
     
     
         78 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material of the component has a width in a range of 30 mm to 400 mm. 
     
     
         79 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material of the component has a thickness in a range of 20 microns to 1000 microns. 
     
     
         80 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material of the component has a basis weight in a range of 20 gsm to 200 gsm. 
     
     
         81 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one object comprises one or more capsules. 
     
     
         82 . The component according to  claim 13 , wherein the at least one further object comprises one or more capsules. 
     
     
         83 . The component according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of material comprises a coating. 
     
     
         84 . The component manufactured according to the method of  claim 19 . 
     
     
         85 . A rod configured to be cut at least once to form a plurality of the components according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         86 . A delivery system comprising the component of  claim 1  and an aerosol provision system.