Flavor stick, non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler product, and production method for flavor stick

Abstract

A flavor stick comprises: a flavor rod that is inserted into a heating chamber of a flavor inhaler device and is heated from the outer periphery thereof by an external heater disposed in the side periphery of the heating chamber; and a mouthpiece part connected to the rear end of the flavor rod. The flavor rod comprises a plurality of tightly wound rods and an outer winding paper that is wound around the plurality of tightly wound rods bundled together. Each of the plurality of tightly wound rods comprise an inner winding paper, and a flavor source and an aerosol-generating substrate that are disposed on the inner side of the inner winding paper.

1 . A flavor stick comprising:
 a flavor rod configured to be inserted into a heating chamber of a flavor inhalation device and heated from an outer periphery by an external heater disposed in or on a side peripheral portion of the heating chamber; and   a mouthpiece connected to a rear end of the flavor rod,   wherein the flavor rod includes a plurality of thin rods and outer wrapping paper with which the plurality of thin rods are bundled and wrapped, and   wherein each of the plurality of thin rods includes inner wrapping paper, a flavor source, and an aerosol-source material, the flavor source and the aerosol-source material being disposed inside the inner wrapping paper.   
     
     
         2 . The flavor stick according to  claim 1 , wherein the inner wrapping paper of each of the plurality of thin rods is bonded to the outer wrapping paper. 
     
     
         3 . The flavor stick according to  claim 1 , wherein the mouthpiece includes a leakage-suppressing portion in a front end section thereof, the leakage-suppressing portion being connected to a rear end of the flavor rod and including an aerosol flow path and a blocking portion, the aerosol flow path extending in the axial direction and allowing an aerosol generated in the plurality of thin rods to flow therethrough, the blocking portion blocking a rear end of a gap formed between the outer wrapping paper and the plurality of thin rods. 
     
     
         4 . The flavor stick according to  claim 3 , wherein the gap includes an outer peripheral gap formed adjacent to an outer periphery of the flavor rod in cross-section, and the leakage-suppressing portion includes an outer peripheral blocking portion that faces the outer peripheral gap. 
     
     
         5 . The flavor stick according to  claim 3 , wherein the gap includes a central gap formed in a central region of the flavor rod in cross-section, and the leakage-suppressing portion includes a central blocking portion that faces the central gap. 
     
     
         6 . The flavor stick according to  claim 3 , wherein the aerosol flow path faces rear ends of the plurality of thin rods. 
     
     
         7 . The flavor stick according to  claim 3 , wherein a rear end of each of the plurality of thin rods extends along the blocking portion and the aerosol flow path, and
 wherein the blocking portion serves as a stopper in regions in which the blocking portion faces the rear ends of the thin rods, the stopper restraining the thin rods from being displaced when the flavor rod is inserted into the heating chamber.   
     
     
         8 . A non-combustion-type flavor inhalation product comprising:
 the flavor stick according to  claim 1 ; and   a flavor inhalation device used for inhalation from the flavor stick, the flavor inhalation device including a heating chamber that allows insertion of the flavor rod of the flavor stick and an external heater disposed in or on a side peripheral portion of the heating chamber.   
     
     
         9 . A method for manufacturing a flavor stick including a flavor rod and a mouthpiece, the flavor rod being configured to be inserted into a heating chamber of a flavor inhalation device and heated from an outer periphery by an external heater disposed in or on a side peripheral portion of the heating chamber, the mouthpiece being connected to a rear end of the flavor rod, the method comprising:
 a step of forming the flavor rod by bundling a plurality of thin rods, in each of which a flavor source containing an aerosol-source material is wrapped with inner wrapping paper, and wrapping the plurality of thin rods together with outer wrapping paper; and   a connecting step in which the flavor rod and the mouthpiece are arranged in series and wrapped together with tipping paper.   
     
     
         10 . The method for manufacturing the flavor stick according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein the step of forming the flavor rod includes
 a long-thin-rod forming step in which a plurality of long thin rods are formed in parallel with each other along a transport direction of a wrapping machine by wrapping the flavor source containing the aerosol-source material with long-sheet-shaped thin-rod wrapping paper continuously in a longitudinal direction, 
 a long-flavor-rod forming step in which the plurality of long thin rods are joined and wrapped together with long outer wrapping paper to form a long flavor rod, and 
 a cutting step in which the long flavor rod is cut to a predetermined length to form the flavor rod. 
   
     
     
         11 . The method for manufacturing the flavor stick according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein the step of forming the flavor rod includes
 a long-flavor-rod forming step in which a long flavor rod is formed by supplying double-length first components, each of which is twice as long as a first component that constitutes a portion of the mouthpiece, to long-sheet-shaped long outer wrapping paper at regular intervals while the long outer wrapping paper is transported along a transport path of a wrapping machine, supplying a plurality of double-length thin rods, which are twice as long as the thin rods, to rod-receiving spaces formed between the double-length first components to form bundles of the double-length thin rods, and then wrapping together the double-length first components and the bundles of the double-length thin rods arranged in series with the long outer wrapping paper, and 
 a cutting step in which the long flavor rod is cut at centers of the double-length first components in a length direction and centers of the double-length thin rods in the length direction to form intermediate assemblies in each of which the flavor rod is connected to the first component, and 
   wherein, in the connecting step, one of the intermediate assemblies and one or more second components that constitute another portion of the mouthpiece are wrapped together with the tipping paper while the one or more second components are arranged in series with the first component of the one of the intermediate assemblies.