BR112019027957B1 - SMOKING ARTICLE FOR IDENTIFYING AN ATTRIBUTE OF AN AEROSOL GENERATING ELEMENT FOR ADAPTIVE POWER OUTPUT AND AN ASSOCIATED METHOD - Google Patents

Abstract

A smoking article and a method for making a smoking article are provided. The smoking article includes an aerosol generating element configured to produce an aerosol in response to heat, a housing defining a cavity configured to receive the aerosol generating element therein, a heating element engaged with the housing and configured to provide heat. to the aerosol generating element, a power source in electrical communication with the heating element and configured to supply electrical energy thereto, the heating element produces heat in response to the electrical energy, an aerosol generating element identification device configured to identify an attribute of the aerosol generating element and a control device in communication with the aerosol generating element identification device and configured to modulate electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source to drive the heating element heating to heat the aerosol generating element to an aerosolization temperature associated with the identified attribute of the aerosol generating element.

Description

FUNDAMENTALS Field of Disclosure

[001] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices and systems, such as smoking articles; and more particularly, to aerosol delivery devices and systems that utilize electrically generated heat for aerosol production (e.g., smoking articles for purposes of producing tobacco components and other materials in an inhalable form, commonly referred to as electronic cigarettes) . The highly preferred components of such articles are manufactured or derived from tobacco, or such articles may be characterized as otherwise incorporating tobacco for human consumption and which are capable of vaporizing tobacco components and/or other tobacco-related materials to form an aerosol. inhalable for human consumption.

Description of related technique

[002] Many smoking devices have been proposed over the years as improvements or alternatives to smoking products that require combustion of tobacco for use. Many of these devices have been designed to provide the sensations associated with smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, but without providing considerable amounts of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products resulting from burning tobacco. To this end, numerous tobacco, flavor-generating, and medical inhaler products have been proposed that utilize electrical energy to vaporize or heat a volatile material or attempt to provide the sensations of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking without burning tobacco to a significant degree. See, for example, the various smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and alternative heat generating sources set forth in the prior art described in US Patent 7,726,320 to Robinson et al; and US Patent Application Publication 2013/0255702 to Griffith, Jr. et al.; and 2014/0096781 to Sears et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. See also, for example, the various types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electrically driven heat generating sources referenced by brand name and commercial source in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2015/0220232 by Bless et al. al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Additional types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electrically driven heat generating sources referenced by trademark and commercial source are listed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2015/0245659 by DePiano et al., which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[003] Certain tobacco products that employ electrical energy to produce heat for aerosol formation, and in particular, certain products that have been referred to as electronic cigarette products, are commercially available throughout the world. Representative products that resemble many of the attributes of traditional types of cigarettes, cigars or pipes have been marketed as ACCORD® by Philip Morris Incorporated; ALPHA™, JOYE 510™ and M4™ from InnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS™ and FLING™ by White Cloud Cigarettes; BLU™ from Lorillard Technologies, Inc.; COHITA™, COLIBRI™, ELITE CLASSIC™, MAGNUM™, PHANTOM™ and SENSE™ from EPUFFER® International Inc.; DuoPro™, Storm™ and VAPORKING® from Electronic Cigarettes, Inc.; EGAR™ from Egar Australia; eGo-C™ and eGo-T™ from Joyetech; ELUSION™ by Elusion UK Ltd; EONSMOKE® by Eonsmoke LLC; FINTM by FIN Branding Group, LLC; SMOKE® by Green Smoke Inc. USA; GREENARETTE™ by Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN™, HENDU™, JET™, MAXXQ™, PINK™ and PITBULL™ by SOMKE STIK®; HEATBAR™ by Philip Morris International, Inc.; HYDRO IMPERIAL™ and LXE™ from Crown7; LOGIC™ and THE CUBAN™ by LOGIC Technology; LUCI® by Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO® by Nicotek, LLC; NJOY® and ONEJOY™ by Sottera, Inc.; AT THE. 7™ by SS Choice LLC; ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE PREMIUM™ from PremiumEstore LLC; RAPP E-MYSTICK™ by Ruyan America, Inc.; RED DRAGON™ by Red Dragon Products, LLC; RUYAN® from Ruyan Group (Holdings) Ltd.; SF® by Smoker Friendly International, LLC; GREEN SMART SMOKER® by The Smart Smoking Electronic Cigarette Company Ltd.; SMOKE ASSIST® by Coastline Products LLC; SMOKING EVERYWHERE® by Smoking Everywhere, Inc.; V2CIGS™ from VMR Products LLC; VAPOR NINE™ by VaporNine LLC; VAPOR4LIFE® by Vapor 4 Life, Inc.; VEPPO™ by E-CigaretteDirect, LLC; VUSE® from RJ Reynolds Vapor Company; Mistic Menthol product from Mistic Ecigs; and the Vype product from CN Creative Ltd. However, other electrical aerosol delivery devices, and in particular those that have been characterized as so-called electronic cigarettes, have been marketed under the trade names COOLER VISIONS™; DIRECT E-CIG™; DRAGONFLY™; EMIST™; EVERSMOKE™; GAMUCCI®; HYBRID FLAME™; KNIGHT STICKS™; Royal Blues™; SMOKETIP®; SOUTH BEACH SMOKE™.

[004] In some cases, the heat or heating profile, produced by electrical energy to heat the aerosol generating element to form an aerosol, is essentially the same, regardless of the nature of the aerosol generating element. Accordingly, there may be some limitations of such an arrangement, including, for example, decreased battery life, heat-related damage of the aerosol generating element (i.e., burning), and/or reduced useful life of the aerosol generating element. aerosol (i.e., excess aerosol production per use).

[005] As such, it would be desirable to provide a smoking article with an arrangement for modulating the heat supplied to an aerosol generating element of an electrically driven smoking article with respect to an identified attribute of the aerosol generating element. It would also be desirable for the smoking article to comprise an arrangement for identifying the attribute of the aerosol generating element and controlling the heat output accordingly.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[006] A smoking article for identifying an attribute of an aerosol generating element for adaptive power output and an associated method is disclosed.

[007] In some aspects, a smoking article comprises an aerosol generating element configured to produce an aerosol in response to heat; a housing defining a cavity configured to receive the aerosol generating element therein; a heating element operatively engaged with the housing and configured to provide heat to the aerosol generating element; a power source in electrical communication with the heating element and configured to supply electrical energy thereto, the heating element producing heat in response to the electrical energy; an aerosol generating element identification device engaged with the housing and configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol generating element; and a control device in communication with the aerosol generating element identification device and configured to modulate electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source so as to direct the heating element to heat the aerosol generating element. aerosol at an aerosolization temperature associated with the identified attribute of the aerosol generating element.

[008] In some other aspects, a method of manufacturing a smoking article comprises operatively engaging a heating element with a housing defining a cavity configured to receive an aerosol generating element therein, the heating element being configured to provide heat. to the aerosol generating element to the aerosol generating element to produce an aerosol in response thereto; engaging a power source in electrical communication with the heating element, the power source being configured to supply electrical energy to the heating element, and the heating element producing heat in response to the electrical energy; engaging an aerosol generating element identification device with the housing, the aerosol generating element identification device being configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol generating element; and engaging a control device with the aerosol generating element identification device, the control device being configured to modulate electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source so as to direct the heating element to heat the aerosol generating element at an aerosolization temperature associated with the identified attribute of the aerosol generating element.

[009] In further aspects, a smoking article comprises a solid aerosol generating material configured to produce an aerosol in response to heat; a tubular housing defining a cavity configured to receive solid aerosol generating material therein; a heating element operatively engaged with the tubular housing and configured to provide heat to the solid aerosol generating material; a power source in electrical communication with the heating element and configured to supply electrical energy thereto, the heating element producing heat in response to the electrical energy; an aerosol generating element identification device engaged with the housing and configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the solid aerosol generating material; and a control device in communication with the aerosol generating element identification device and configured to modulate electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source so as to direct the heating element to heat the aerosol generating material. solid aerosol at an aerosolization temperature associated with the identified attribute of the solid aerosol generating material.

[0010] In still further aspects, a smoking article comprises an aerosol-generating liquid configured to produce an aerosol in response to heat; a tubular housing having a first end and a longitudinally opposite second end, the tubular housing including an outer wall defining a cavity configured to receive the aerosol generating liquid therein; a heating element configured to provide heat to the aerosol generating liquid; and a component housing having a longitudinal end operatively engaged with one of the first and second ends of the tubular housing and including: a power source in electrical communication with the heating element and configured to supply electrical energy thereto, the heating element producing heat in response to electrical energy; an aerosol generating element identification device engaged with the power source and configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol generating liquid; and a control device configured to modulate electrical energy supplied to the heating element so as to direct the heating element to heat the aerosol-generating liquid to an aerosolization temperature associated with the identified attribute of the aerosol-generating liquid.

[0011] The present disclosure includes, without limitation, the following modalities:

[0012] Embodiment 1: Smoking article comprising: an aerosol generating element configured to produce an aerosol in response to heat; a housing defining a cavity configured to receive the aerosol generating element therein; a heating element operatively engaged with the housing and configured to provide heat to the aerosol generating element; a power source in electrical communication with the heating element and configured to supply electrical energy thereto, the heating element producing heat in response to the electrical energy; an aerosol generating element identification device engaged with the housing and configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol generating element; and a control device in communication with the aerosol generating element identification device and configured to modulate electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source so as to direct the heating element to heat the aerosol generating element. aerosol at an aerosolization temperature associated with the identified attribute of the aerosol generating element.

[0013] Modality 2: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the housing comprises an external wall defining a cylindrical cavity.

[0014] Embodiment 3: The smoking article of any preceding embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the heating element comprises a first portion configured to extend around the outer wall and a second portion configured to extend within the cavity cylindrical.

[0015] Embodiment 4: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the control device is configured to modulate the electrical energy supplied to the first portion separately and discretely from the electrical energy supplied to the second portion of the heating element so as to provide individual control of the first and second portions.

[0016] Embodiment 5: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element identification device comprises an attribute identification detector configured to detect an attribute identifier identifying the attribute of the aerosol generating element.

[0017] Embodiment 6: The tobacco article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the attribute identifier comprises a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode, a QR code, or a radio frequency identification device (RFID) identifying the attribute of the aerosol generating element.

[0018] Embodiment 7: The tobacco article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the attribute identification detector comprises a camera, a wireless transceiver, or a scanner configured to detect, upon actuation thereof , the attribute identifier, to identify the attribute of the aerosol generating element associated therewith, and communicate the identification of the attribute to the control device.

[0019] Embodiment 8: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the attribute identifier is provided on a packaging of the aerosol generating element.

[0020] Embodiment 9: The smoking article of any preceding embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the attribute of the aerosol generating element is selected from the group consisting of an aroma, a heating profile of each constituent component of the aerosol generating element, a maximum aerosolization temperature among the constituent components of the aerosol generating element, a power measurement to control the power source relative to the maximum aerosolization temperature of the constituent components of the aerosol generating element, and combinations thereof.

[0021] Modality 10: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element identification device comprises a processor configured to execute an algorithm to identify, upon actuation thereof, the attribute of the aerosol generating element.

[0022] Embodiment 11: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element identification device is configured to analyze the aerosol generating element to determine the constituent components of the same, determine a maximum aerosolization temperature among the constituent components, and communicate the determined maximum aerosolization temperature to the control device, the control device modulating the electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source in response to the maximum aerosolization temperature determined.

[0023] Embodiment 12: The smoking article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element identification device is configured to receive user input regarding a maximum aerosolization temperature between the constituent components of the aerosol generating element, the control device modulating the electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source in response to the user input maximum aerosolization temperature.

[0024] Embodiment 13: The smoking article of any preceding embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element comprises an annular tobacco plug configured to be removably received within the cavity of the housing.

[0025] Embodiment 14: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element comprises an aerosol generating liquid received in a cartridge, the cartridge being removably engaged in the housing.

[0026] Embodiment 15: Method of manufacturing a smoking article, comprising: operatively engaging a heating element with a housing defining a cavity configured to receive an aerosol generating element therein, the heating element being configured to supply heat to the aerosol generating element for the aerosol generating element to produce an aerosol in response thereto; engaging a power source in electrical communication with the heating element, the power source being configured to supply electrical energy to the heating element, and the heating element producing heat in response to the electrical energy; engaging an aerosol generating element identification device with the housing, the aerosol generating element identification device being configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol generating element; and engaging a control device with the aerosol generating element identification device, the control device being configured to modulate electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source so as to direct the heating element to heat the aerosol generating element at an aerosolization temperature associated with the identified attribute of the aerosol generating element.

[0027] Embodiment 16: The method of any preceding embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein operatively engaging the heating element with the housing comprises operatively engaging the heating element with a tubular housing comprising an outer wall defining a cylindrical cavity .

[0028] Embodiment 17: The method of any preceding embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein operatively engaging the heating element with the tubular housing comprises operatively engaging a first portion of the heating element to extend around the outer wall and a second portion of the heating element to extend within the cylindrical cavity.

[0029] Embodiment 18: The method of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, comprising modulating, by the control device, the electrical energy supplied to the first portion separately and discretely from the electrical energy supplied to the second portion of the control element. heating, so as to provide individual control of the first and second portions of the heating element.

[0030] Embodiment 19: The method of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, comprising detecting an attribute identifier identifying the attribute of the aerosol generating element using an attribute identification detector of the generating element identification device of aerosol.

[0031] Embodiment 20: The method of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, comprising identifying the attribute of the aerosol generating element using a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode, a code QR, or an attribute identifier radio frequency identification device (RFID).

[0032] Embodiment 21: The method of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, comprising detecting the attribute identifier to identify the attribute of the aerosol generating element associated therewith, and communicating the identification of the attribute to the control device using, through actuation thereof, a camera, a wireless transceiver, or an attribute identification detector scanner.

[0033] Embodiment 22: The method of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, comprising providing the attribute identifier on a packaging of the aerosol generating element.

[0034] Modality 23: The method of any previous modality, or any combination of the previous modalities, comprising executing, by a processor of the aerosol generating element identification device, an algorithm to identify, upon actuation thereof, the attribute of the aerosol generating element.

[0035] Modality 24: The method of any previous modality, or any combination of the previous modalities, comprising analyzing, by the aerosol generating element identification device, the aerosol generating element to determine the constituent components thereof, determining a maximum aerosolization temperature between the constituent components, and communicating the determined maximum aerosolization temperature to the control device, and modulating, with the control device, the electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source in response to the maximum aerosolization temperature determined.

[0036] Embodiment 25: The method of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, comprising receiving, in the aerosol generating element identification device, user input regarding a maximum aerosolization temperature between the constituent components of the aerosol generating element, and modulating, with the control device, the electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source in response to the user input maximum aerosolization temperature.

[0037] Embodiment 26: Smoking article comprising: a solid aerosol generating material configured to produce an aerosol in response to heat; a tubular housing defining a cavity configured to receive solid aerosol generating material therein; a heating element operatively engaged with the tubular housing and configured to provide heat to the solid aerosol generating material; a power source in electrical communication with the heating element and configured to supply electrical energy thereto, the heating element producing heat in response to the electrical energy; an aerosol generating element identification device engaged with the housing and configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the solid aerosol generating material; and a control device in communication with the aerosol generating element identification device and configured to modulate electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source so as to direct the heating element to heat the aerosol generating material. solid aerosol at an aerosolization temperature associated with the identified attribute of the solid aerosol generating material.

[0038] Embodiment 27: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the tubular housing comprises an outer wall defining a cylindrical cavity.

[0039] Embodiment 28: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the heating element comprises a first portion configured to extend around the outer wall and a second portion configured to extend within the cavity cylindrical.

[0040] Embodiment 29: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the control device is configured to modulate the electrical energy supplied to the first portion separately and discretely from the electrical energy supplied to the second portion of the heating element so as to provide individual control of the first and second portions.

[0041] Embodiment 30: The smoking article of any preceding embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the solid aerosol generating material comprises an annular tobacco plug configured to be removably received within the cavity of the tubular housing, of so that an inner surface of the annular tobacco plug extends around the second portion of the heating element and so that the first portion of the heating element extends around an outer surface of the annular tobacco plug within the cylindrical cavity.

[0042] Embodiment 31: The smoking article of any preceding embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the tubular housing comprises a removal mechanism configured to remove the annular tobacco plug from within the cavity of the tubular housing.

[0043] Embodiment 32: The smoking article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the prior embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element identification device comprises an attribute identification detector configured to detect an attribute identifier identifying the attribute of the solid aerosol generating material.

[0044] Embodiment 33: The tobacco article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the attribute identifier comprises a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode, a QR code, or a radio frequency identification device (RFID) identifying the attribute of the solid aerosol generating material.

[0045] Embodiment 34: The tobacco article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the attribute identification detector comprises a camera, a wireless transceiver, or a scanner configured to detect, upon actuation thereof , the attribute identifier, to identify the attribute of the solid aerosol generating material associated therewith, and communicate the identification of the attribute to the control device.

[0046] Embodiment 35: The smoking article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the attribute identifier is provided on a package of solid aerosol generating material.

[0047] Embodiment 36: The smoking article of any preceding embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the attribute of the solid aerosol generating material is selected from the group consisting of an aroma, a heating profile of each constituent component of the solid aerosol generating material, a maximum aerosolization temperature among the constituent components of the solid aerosol generating material, a power measurement to control the power source relative to the maximum aerosolization temperature of the constituent components of the solid aerosol generating material solid aerosol generation, and combinations thereof.

[0048] Embodiment 37: The smoking article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element identification device comprises a processor configured to execute an algorithm to identify, upon actuation thereof, the solid aerosol generating material attribute.

[0049] Embodiment 38: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element identification device is configured to analyze the solid aerosol generating material to determine the constituent components thereof, determine a maximum aerosolization temperature among the constituent components, and communicate the determined maximum aerosolization temperature to the control device, the control device modulating the electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source in response to the aerosolization temperature maximum determined.

[0050] Embodiment 39: The smoking article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element identification device is configured to receive user input regarding a maximum aerosolization temperature between the constituent components of the solid aerosol generating material, the control device modulating the electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source in response to the user input maximum aerosolization temperature.

[0051] Embodiment 40: Smoking article comprising: an aerosol-generating liquid configured to produce an aerosol in response to heat; a tubular housing having a first end and a longitudinally opposite second end, the tubular housing including an outer wall defining a cavity configured to receive the aerosol generating liquid therein; a heating element configured to provide heat to the aerosol generating liquid; and a component housing having a longitudinal end operatively engaged with one of the first and second ends of the tubular housing and including: a power source in electrical communication with the heating element and configured to supply electrical energy thereto, the heating element producing heat in response to electrical energy; an aerosol generating element identification device engaged with the power source and configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol generating liquid; and a control device configured to modulate electrical energy supplied to the heating element so as to direct the heating element to heat the aerosol-generating liquid to an aerosolization temperature associated with the identified attribute of the aerosol-generating liquid.

[0052] Embodiment 41: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the heating element comprises a resistive coil.

[0053] Embodiment 42: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, in which the control device is configured to modulate the electrical energy supplied to the resistive coil.

[0054] Embodiment 43: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, in which the tubular housing is removable from the component housing.

[0055] Embodiment 44: The smoking article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the prior embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element identification device comprises an attribute identification detector configured to detect an attribute identifier identifying the attribute of the aerosol-generating liquid.

[0056] Embodiment 45: The tobacco article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the attribute identifier comprises a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode, a QR code, or a radio frequency identification device (RFID) identifying the attribute of the aerosol-generating liquid.

[0057] Embodiment 46: The tobacco article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the attribute identification detector comprises a camera, a wireless transceiver, or a scanner configured to detect, upon actuation thereof , the attribute identifier, to identify the attribute of the aerosol generating liquid associated therewith, and communicate the identity of the attribute to the control device.

[0058] Embodiment 47: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the attribute identifier is provided in a packaging of a cartridge for containing the aerosol generating liquid, in a packaging of the liquid aerosol-generating liquid, or in a cartridge receiving the aerosol-generating liquid.

[0059] Embodiment 48: The smoking article of any preceding embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the attribute of the aerosol generating liquid is selected from the group consisting of an aroma, a heating profile of each constituent component of the aerosol-generating liquid, a maximum aerosolization temperature among the constituent components of the aerosol-generating liquid, a power measurement to control the power source relative to the maximum aerosolization temperature of the constituent components of the aerosol-generating liquid, and combinations thereof.

[0060] Embodiment 49: The smoking article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element identification device comprises a processor configured to execute an algorithm to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol-generating liquid.

[0061] Embodiment 50: The smoking article of any previous embodiment, or any combination of the previous embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element identification device is configured to analyze the aerosol generating liquid to determine the constituent components of the same, determine a maximum aerosolization temperature among the constituent components, and communicate the determined maximum aerosolization temperature to the control device, the control device modulating the electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source in response to the maximum aerosolization temperature determined.

[0062] Embodiment 51: The smoking article of any prior embodiment, or any combination of the preceding embodiments, wherein the aerosol generating element identification device is configured to receive user input regarding a maximum aerosolization temperature between the constituent components of the aerosol generating liquid, the control device modulating the electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source in response to the user input maximum aerosolization temperature.

[0063] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be evident from reading the detailed description below, together with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements set forth in this disclosure or recited in any one or more of the claims, regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combined or otherwise recited in an embodiment description or specific claim here. This disclosure is intended to be read holistically so that any separable features or elements of the disclosure, in any of its aspects and modalities, are viewed as intended to be combinable, unless the context of the disclosure clearly indicates otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0064] Having thus described the disclosure in the general terms mentioned above, reference will now be made to the attached drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale and in which:

[0065] Figure 1A illustrates a schematic of an exemplary smoking article in an assembled configuration and including an aerosol generating element identification device in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0066] Figure 1B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the smoking article of Figure 1A;

[0067] Figure 2 illustrates a schematic of an exemplary aerosol generating element identification device in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0068] Figure 3A illustrates a schematic of a package containing a solid aerosol generating material, the package including an attribute identifier in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0069] Figure 3B illustrates a schematic of a packaging of a cartridge containing an aerosol-generating liquid, the packaging including an attribute identifier in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0070] Figure 3C illustrates a schematic of the cartridge of Figure 3B without any aerosol-generating liquid contained therein, the cartridge including an attribute identifier in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0071] Figure 4A illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary smoking article in an assembled configuration and including an aerosol generating element identification device in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure;

[0072] Figure 4B illustrates the cross-sectional view of the smoking article of Figure 4A;

[0073] Figure 5 illustrates a schematic of an exemplary smoking article in a disassembled configuration and including an aerosol generating element identification device in accordance with a still further aspect of the present disclosure; It is

[0074] Figure 6 illustrates a method flow chart for a method for making a smoking article in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0075] The present disclosure will now be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. These exemplary embodiments are described so that this disclosure is thorough and complete and fully conveys the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. In fact, disclosure can be incorporated in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the modalities set forth herein; rather, these modalities are provided so that this disclosure meets applicable legal requirements. As used in the specification and appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, “the” include plural references unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0076] The present disclosure provides descriptions of articles (and their manufacture) that use electrical energy to heat a material (preferably without burning the material to a significant degree) to form an aerosol and/or an inhalable substance; such articles are preferably sufficiently compact to be considered "portable" devices. In certain highly preferred aspects, the articles are characterized as smoking articles. As used herein, the term "smoking article" is intended to mean an article and/or device that provides many of the sensations (e.g., rituals of inhalation and exhalation, types of tastes or flavors, organoleptic effects, physical sensation, rituals of use, visual cues such as those provided by visible aerosol, and the like) of smoking a cigarette, cigar or pipe, without any substantial degree of combustion of any component of that article and/or device. As used herein, the term "smoking article" does not necessarily mean that, in operation, the article or device produces smoke in the sense of an aerosol resulting from byproducts of the combustion or pyrolysis of tobacco, but rather that the article or device produces vapors ( including vapors within aerosols which may be considered to be described as smoke-like) resulting from the volatilization or vaporization of certain components, elements and/or the like of the article and/or device. In highly preferred aspects, articles or devices characterized as smoking articles incorporate tobacco and/or tobacco-derived components.

[0077] The articles or devices of the present disclosure may also be characterized as vapor producing articles, aerosol delivery articles or drug delivery articles. Thus, these articles or devices are adaptable so as to deliver one or more substances in an inhalable form or state. For example, inhalable substances may be substantially in vapor form (i.e., a substance that is in the gaseous phase at a temperature below its critical point). Alternatively, inhalable substances may be in the form of an aerosol (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas). For the sake of simplicity, the term "aerosol" as used herein shall include vapors, gases and aerosol of a form or type suitable for human inhalation, whether visible or not, and of a form that may be considered smoke-like.

[0078] In use, the smoking articles of the present disclosure are subject to many of the physical actions of an individual when using a traditional type of smoking article (e.g., a cigarette, cigar, or pipe that is employed by lighting a flame and used by inhaling tobacco that is subsequently burned and/or carbureted). For example, the user of a smoking article of the present disclosure may hold it as a traditional type of smoking article, suck on one end of such article to inhale an aerosol produced by such article, and take puffs at selected time intervals.

[0079] The smoking articles of the present disclosure generally include several components provided within a housing. The overall design of the housing is variable, and the shape or configuration of the housing that defines the overall size and shape of the smoking article is also variable. Typically, a housing similar to the shape of a cigarette or cigar can be formed from a single unitary casing; or the housing may be formed of two or more separable parts. For example, a smoking article may comprise a housing which may be substantially tubular in shape and as such resembles the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar. In one aspect, a smoking article may comprise three outer components, bodies or housing portions that are joined together and are separable. For example, a smoking article may include, at one end, a power source portion comprising a housing or component housing containing one or more components (e.g., a rechargeable battery and/or various electronics, such as a controller, for controlling the operation of the smoking article), a mouthpiece portion, and a heat/aerosol generating portion therebetween, comprising a housing defining a cavity containing one or more components (e.g., a heating element and a solid tobacco and/or tobacco-related material to produce an aerosol)

[0080] In another aspect, a smoking article may comprise three components, bodies or housing portions that are joined and separable. Additionally or alternatively, the smoking article may include an additional housing component configured to be received within one or more of the three housing components. For example, the smoking article may include, at one end, an end cap portion, a mouthpiece portion comprising a housing containing one or more components (e.g., control components and/or various electronics for controlling the operation of the smoking article), and a power source portion therebetween comprising a component housing or casing containing one or more components (e.g., a rechargeable battery and/or other power source and/or various electronics, such as a controller , to control the operation of the smoking article. Additionally or alternatively, the end cap portion and/or the power source portion may be configured to receive a heat/aerosol generating portion therein comprising a body containing one or more. more components (e.g., a solid tobacco and/or tobacco-related material to produce an aerosol). Additionally, various smoking article designs and component arrangements can be appreciated upon consideration of commercially available electronic smoking articles. such as the representative products listed in the background art section of the present disclosure.

[0081] The smoking articles of the present disclosure most preferably comprise some combination of a power source (e.g., an electrical power source), at least one control component (e.g., an arrangement for actuating, controlling, regulating and interrupting power for heat generation, such as by controlling the flow of electrical current from the power source to other components of the article), a heater or heat-generating element (e.g., an electrical resistance heating element or component commonly referred to as an "atomizer"), an aerosol-generating element (e.g., a solid tobacco and/or tobacco-related material, an aerosol-generating liquid, etc.) and a mouth end region, portion, or tip to enable sucking of the tobacco article for aerosol inhalation (e.g., a defined airflow path through the article so that the generated aerosol can be sucked out of it). The alignment of components within the article is variable. In specific aspects, the aerosol generating element is disposed between a mouth end region and a power source. Other settings, however, are not deleted. For example, in some aspects, the power source is disposed between the mouth end region and the aerosol generating element.

[0082] Generally, the heater component can be positioned sufficiently close to the aerosol generating element so that heat from the heater component can volatilize the aerosol generating element (as well as one or more flavorings, medicaments or similar products that may also be provided for delivery to a user) and form an aerosol for delivery to the user. When the heating element heats the aerosol generating element, an aerosol is formed, released or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by a consumer. It should be noted that the preceding terms should be interchangeable, so that reference to releases, releases, releases or released includes form or generate, form or generate, form or generate and formed or generated. Specifically, an inhalable substance is released in the form of a vapor or aerosol or mixture thereof. Furthermore, the selection of various components of smoking articles can be appreciated after considering commercially available electronic smoking articles, such as the representative products listed in the background art section of the present disclosure.

[0083] In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, a smoking article incorporates a battery or other source of electrical power to provide sufficient electrical current flow to provide various functionalities to the article, such as resistive heating, powering control systems, powering indicators and the like. The power source can take on several aspects. Preferably, the power source is capable of providing sufficient power to rapidly heat the heating element to provide aerosol formation and power the article through use for the desired period of time. The power source is preferably sized to fit conveniently within the article so that the article is easily handled; and further, a preferred potency source is of a sufficiently light weight so as not to detract from a desirable smoking experience.

[0084] Examples of useful power sources include lithium ion batteries that are preferably rechargeable (e.g., a rechargeable lithium-manganese dioxide battery). In particular, lithium polymer batteries are usable as they provide greater safety. Other types of batteries - for example, N50-AAA CADNICA nickel-cadmium cells - can also be used. Still other examples of batteries that can be used in accordance with the disclosure are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2010/0028766 to Peckerar et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Thin film batteries may be used in certain aspects of dissemination. Any of these batteries or combinations thereof can be used in the power source, but rechargeable batteries are preferred due to cost and disposal considerations associated with disposable batteries. In aspects where disposable batteries are provided, the smoking article may include access for removing and replacing the battery. Alternatively, in aspects where rechargeable batteries are used, the smoking article may include charging contacts, for interaction with corresponding contacts on a conventional charging unit, derived from power from a standard 120 volt AC outlet or other sources. , such as an automobile electrical system or a separate portable power supply, including USB connections. An arrangement for recharging the battery may be provided in a portable charging case which may include, for example, a relatively larger battery unit which may provide multiple charges for the relatively smaller batteries present in the smoking article. The smoking article may further include components to provide a contactless inductive charging system so that the smoking article can be charged without being physically connected to an external power source. Thus, the smoking article may include components to facilitate the transfer of energy from an electromagnetic field to the rechargeable battery within the smoking article.

[0085] In some aspects, the power source may also comprise one or more capacitors. For example, the power source may include a combination of any number of batteries and/or capacitors. In some aspects, the power source may include at least one battery and at least one capacitor. Capacitors are able to discharge more quickly than batteries and can be charged between puffs, allowing the battery to be discharged into the capacitor at a lower rate than if it were used to power the heating element directly. For example, a supercapacitor - that is, an electrical double-layer capacitor (EDLC) - can be used separately or in combination with a battery. When used alone, the supercapacitor can be recharged before each use of the smoking article. Thus, the disclosure may also include a charger component that may be attached to the smoking article between uses to replenish the supercapacitor.

[0086] The smoking article may further include a variety of power management software, hardware and/or other electronic control components. For example, such software, hardware and/or electronic controls may include functionalities such as charging the battery, detecting battery charge and discharge status, performing power saving operations, preventing unintended or excessive battery discharge, and/or the like.

[0087] A "controller", "control component", "control device" and/or "control unit" according to the present disclosure may encompass a variety of elements useful in the present smoking article. Furthermore, a smoking article according to the disclosure may include one, two, or even more control units that may be combined into a unitary element or that may be present in separate locations within the smoking article, and individual control units can be used to convey different aspects of control. For example, a smoking article may include a control device that is integral to or otherwise combined with the battery so as to control the discharge of electrical energy from the battery. The smoking article may separately include a control device that controls other functions of the article, such as regulating the heating component to provide a specific heating temperature for the aerosol generating element in conjunction with a generating element identification device. of aerosol. Alternatively, a single controller may be provided that performs multiple control functions or all control functions of the article. Likewise, a sensor (e.g., a blow and/or suck sensor) used in the article may include a control device that controls the actuation of the discharge of energy from the power source in response to a stimulus. The separate smoking article may include a control device that controls other functions of the article. Alternatively, a single controller may be provided or associated with the sensor to perform multiple control functions or all control functions of the article. Thus, it can be seen that a variety of controller combinations can be combined in the present smoking article to provide the desired level of control over the entire functionality of the article.

[0088] The smoking article may also comprise one or more control devices useful for controlling the flow of electrical energy from the power source to other components of the article, such as a heating element. Specifically, the article may comprise a control unit that drives the flow of electrical current from the power source to the heating element. In accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure, the smoking article may include a push button that may be linked to a control circuit for manual control of the flow of electrical current, wherein a consumer may use the push button to turn on the article and/or trigger the flow of electrical current to the heating element. Various buttons may be provided for manually turning the article on and off, and for activating heating of a heating element, such as a resistive heating element, for aerosol generation. The one or more press buttons present may be substantially flush with an external surface of the smoking article.

[0089] Instead of (or in addition to) the push button, the smoking article may include one or more control devices responsive to consumer sucking on the article (i.e., puff-actuated heating). For example, the article may include a switch that is sensitive to changes in pressure or air flow as the consumer sucks on the article (i.e., a blow-operated switch). Other suitable current on/off mechanisms may include a temperature actuated on/off switch or a lip pressure actuated switch. An exemplary mechanism that can provide this blow-off capability includes a Model 163PC01D36 silicon sensor, manufactured by the MicroSwitch division of Honeywell, Inc., Freeport, Ill. With this sensor, the heating element can be activated quickly by a change in temperature. pressure when the consumer sucks the item. Additionally, flow sensing devices, such as those using hot wire anemometry principles, can be used to cause the heating element to energize sufficiently quickly after detecting a change in air flow. Another blow-operated switch that can be used is a pressure differential switch, such as Model No. MPL-502-V, Range A, from Micro Pneumatic Logic, Inc., Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Another suitable blow-driven mechanism is a sensitive pressure transducer (e.g., equipped with an amplifier or gain stage) which, in turn, is coupled to a comparator to detect a predetermined threshold pressure. Yet another suitable blow-driven mechanism is a reed that is deflected by the air flow, the movement of which is detected by a motion detection arrangement. Yet another suitable drive mechanism is a piezoelectric switch. Also useful is a properly connected Honeywell MicroSwitch Microbridge MicroSwitch air flow sensor, Part No. AWM 2100V from the MicroSwitch Division of Honeywell, Inc., Freeport, Ill. Other examples of demand-operated electrical switches that can be employed in a power circuit heating according to the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other suitable differential switches, analog pressure sensors, flow rate sensors or the like will be apparent to one skilled in the art with knowledge of the present disclosure. A pressure sensing tube or other passage providing fluid connection between the puff actuated switch and an air flow passage within the smoking article may be included so that pressure changes during puffing are readily identified by the switch. . A further description of current regulator circuits and other control units, including microcontrollers that may be useful in the present smoking article, is provided in US Patent Nos. 4,922,901, 4,947,874 and 4,947,875, all to Brooks et al. , US Patent 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., US Patent 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. and U.S. Patent 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0090] Capacitive sensing components, in particular, may be incorporated into the device in a variety of ways, to allow for various types of "starting" and/or "deactivating" one or more components of the device. Capacitive sensing may include the use of any sensor that incorporates technology based on capacitive coupling, including, but not limited to, sensors that sense and/or measure proximity, position or displacement, humidity, fluid level, pressure, or acceleration. Capacitive sensing can arise from electronic components that provide surface capacitance, projected capacitance, mutual capacitance, or self-capacitance. Capacitive sensors can generally detect anything that is conductive or has a different dielectric than air. Capacitive sensors, for example, can replace mechanical buttons (i.e. the push button mentioned above) with capacitive alternatives. Thus, a specific application of capacitive sensing according to the disclosure is a capacitive touch sensor. For example, a touchable portion (e.g., a touch pad) may be present on the smoking article, allowing the user to enter a variety of commands. Basically, the touch pad can supply power to the heating element in the same way as a push button, as already described above. In other aspects, capacitive sensing may be applied near the mouth end of the smoking article so that the presence and/or pressure of lips on the smoking article or sucking on the article may signal the device to deliver power to the smoking element. heating. In addition to touch capacitance sensors, motion capacitance sensors, liquid capacitance sensors, and accelerometers may be used in accordance with the disclosure to obtain a variety of responses from the smoking article. Furthermore, photoelectric sensors can also be incorporated into the smoking article of the invention.

[0091] The sensors used in the present smoking articles can expressly signal the flow of power to the heating element so as to heat the aerosol generating element and form an aerosol for inhalation by a user. Sensors can also provide other functions. For example, an "activation" sensor may be included. Other detection methods that provide similar function may be used similarly in accordance with the disclosure.

[0092] When the consumer sucks on the mouth end of the smoking article, a trigger mechanism may allow the unrestricted or uninterrupted flow of electrical current through the heating element to quickly generate heat. Due to rapid heating, it may be useful to include current regulation components to (i) regulate the flow of current through the heating element to control the heating of the resistive element and the temperature experienced thereby, and (ii) prevent overheating and the degradation of aerosol generating elements.

[0093] The current regulator circuit may be particularly time-based. Specifically, this circuit includes a mechanism for allowing uninterrupted flow of current through the heating element for an initial period of time during suction, and a timer device for subsequently regulating the flow of current until suction is complete. For example, subsequent regulation may include rapid activation/deactivation of current flow (e.g., on the order of approximately 1 to 50 milliseconds) to maintain the heating element within the desired temperature range. Furthermore, regulation may comprise simply allowing uninterrupted current flow until the desired temperature is reached and then completely turning off the current flow. The heating element can be reactivated by the consumer by initiating another blow on the article (or manually operating the button, depending on the specific switch aspect employed to activate the heater). Alternatively, subsequent regulation may involve modulating current flow through the heating element to maintain the heating element within a desired temperature range. In some aspects, to deliver the desired amount of the inhalable substance, the heating element may be energized for a duration of about 0.2 seconds to about 5.0 seconds, about 0.3 seconds to about 4.5 seconds. seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 4.0 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 3.5 seconds, or about 0.6 seconds to about 3.0 seconds. An example of a time-based current regulator circuit might include a transistor, a timer, a comparator, and a capacitor. Suitable transistors, timers, comparators and capacitors are commercially available and will be evident to the skilled artisan. Exemplary timers are those available from NEC Electronics as the C-1555C and from General Electric Intersil, Inc. as the ICM7555, as well as various other sizes and configurations of so-called "555 Timers". An exemplary comparator is available from National Semiconductor as the LM311. A further description of such time-based current regulator circuits and other control units that may be useful in the present smoking article is provided in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875, all to Brooks et al. , all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0094] Control units, in particular, can be configured to closely control the amount of heat supplied to the heating element. In some aspects, a current regulating component may function to stop current flow to the heating element once a set temperature is reached. This defined temperature may be in a range that is substantially high enough to volatilize the aerosol generating element and any other inhalable substances and provide an amount of aerosol equivalent to a typical puff on a conventional cigarette, as discussed herein. Although the heat required to volatilize the aerosol generating element into a volume sufficient to provide a desired volume for a single puff is variable, it may be particularly useful for the heating element to heat to a temperature of about 120°C or higher. about 130°C or higher, about 140°C or higher, or about 160°C. In some aspects, to volatilize an appropriate amount of the aerosol generating element, the heating temperature may be about 180°C or greater, about 200°C or greater, about 300°C or greater, or about 350°C. °C or higher. In further aspects, the set temperature for aerosol formation may be from about 120°C to about 350°C, about 140°C to about 300°C, or about 150°C to about 250°C. . The temperature and heating time may be controlled by one or more components contained in the smoking article. For example, temperature may be controlled by one or more components that may respond to user input to provide a specific desired temperature, such as an aerosol generating element heating temperature, a wait and/or similar. In some aspects, the temperature may be controlled by one or more components that may respond to user input, such that a user may select a desired aerosol generating heating temperature based on at least the constituent components of the element. aerosol generation. The current regulating component may also turn off and on the current to the resistive heating element once a set temperature has been reached, so as to maintain the set temperature for a set period of time.

[0095] In some aspects, a smoking article in accordance with the present disclosure may include an aerosol generating element identification device configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol generating element (such as a temperature aerosol generating heating element, or a heating profile of each of the constituent components of the aerosol generating element) and thereby communicate the attribute to the control device for modulating the electrical energy supplied to the heating element in order to heating the aerosol generating element to the desired aerosol generating heating temperature.

[0096] Additionally, the current regulating component can turn off and on the current to the heating element to maintain a first temperature that is lower than the aerosol formation temperature and then allow a current flow increased by response to a current drive control component to obtain second temperature which is greater than the first temperature and which is an aerosol formation temperature. This control can improve the response time of the article to aerosol formation so that aerosol formation begins almost instantly after a consumer initiates a puff. In some aspects, the first temperature (which may be characterized as the holding temperature) may be only slightly lower than the aerosol formation temperature defined above. Specifically, the holding temperature may be from about 50°C to about 150°C, about 70°C to about 140°C, about 80°C to about 120°C, or about 90°C. at around 110°C.

[0097] In addition to the above control elements, the smoking article may also comprise one or more indicators or indications. Such indicators or indications may be lights (e.g., light-emitting diodes) that may provide indication of multiple aspects of use of the inventive article. Additionally, LED indicators may be positioned at the distal end of the smoking article to simulate the color changes seen when a conventional cigarette is lit and sucked by a user. Other operating indications are also covered by this disclosure. For example, visual indicators of operation may also include changes in the color or intensity of light to show the progression of the smoking experience. Tactile operation indicators and sound operation indicators are similarly covered by the disclosure. Furthermore, combinations of such operating indicators may also be used in a single smoking article. According to another aspect, the smoking article may include one or more indicators or indications, such as, for example, a monitor configured to provide information corresponding to the operation of the smoking article, such as, for example, the amount of energy remaining in the source. of power, progression of the smoking experience, indication corresponding to the activation of a heating element, and/or the like.

[0098] A smoking article, according to the disclosure, may further comprise a heating element that heats an aerosol generating element to produce an aerosol for inhalation by a user. In various aspects, the heating element may be formed from a material that provides resistive heating when an electrical current is applied thereto. Preferably, the heating element exhibits an electrical resistance, making a resistive heating element useful for providing a sufficient amount of heat when electrical current flows therethrough. The interaction of the heating element with the aerosol generating element may be through, for example, heat conduction, heat radiation and/or heat convection.

[0099] Electrically conductive materials useful as resistive heating elements may be those with low mass, low density and moderate resistivity and which are thermally stable at temperatures experienced during use. Useful heating elements heat up and cool down quickly and therefore provide efficient use of energy. Rapid heating of the element may be beneficial to provide almost immediate volatilization of an aerosol generating element in the vicinity thereof. Rapid cooling (i.e., to a temperature below the volatilization temperature of the aerosol-generating element/component/composition/material) prevents substantial volatilization (and therefore waste) of the aerosol-generating element during periods when that aerosol formation is not desired. Such heating elements also allow relatively precise control of the temperature range experienced by the aerosol generating element, especially when time-based current control is employed. Useful electrically conductive materials preferably are chemically non-reactive with the materials to be heated (e.g., aerosol generating elements and/or other inhalable substance materials) so as not to adversely affect the taste or content of the aerosol or vapor that is produced. Examples of non-limiting materials that can be used as an electrically conductive material include carbon, graphite, carbon/graphite compounds, metals, metallic and non-metallic carbides, nitrides, silicides, intermetallic compounds, cermets, metallic alloys and metal foils. In particular, refractory materials can be useful. Several different materials can be mixed to achieve the desired properties of resistivity, mass, and thermal conductivity. In specific aspects, metals that may be used include, for example, nickel, chromium, nickel-chromium alloys (e.g., nichrome) and steel. Materials that may be useful for providing resistive heating are described in US Patent No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al.; US Patent 5,093,894 to Deevi et al.; 5,224,498 to Deevi et al.; US Patent 5,228,460 to Sprinkel Jr., et al.; US Patent No. 5,322,075 to Deevi et al.; US Patent No. 5,353,813 to Deevi et al.; US Patent No. 5,468,936 to Deevi et al.; US Patent No. 5,498,850 to Das; US Patent No. 5,659,656 to Das; US Patent No. 5,498,855 to Deevi et al.; US Patent 5,530,225 to Hajaligol; U.S. Patent No. 5,665,262 to Hajaligol; US Patent 5,573,692 to Das et al.; and US Patent 5,591,368 to Fleischhauer et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[00100] The heating element can be provided in various forms, such as in the form of a sheet, a foam, discs, spirals, fibers, wires, films, filaments, strips, tapes or cylinders. In some aspects, a resistive heating element in accordance with the present disclosure may be a conductive substrate, such as that described in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0255702 to Griffith et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its totality.

[00101] Beneficially, a resistive heating element may be provided in a manner that allows the heating element to be positioned in intimate contact with or near the aerosol generating element (i.e., to provide heat to the aerosol generating element through, for example, conduction, radiation or convection). In other aspects, a resistive heating element can be provided in such a way that the aerosol generating element can be positioned proximate to the resistive heating element for substantially uniform distribution of heat for aerosolization of the aerosol generating element.

[00102] In certain aspects, a smoking article in accordance with the present disclosure may include an aerosol generating element that may include tobacco, a tobacco component, or a tobacco-derived material (i.e., a material found naturally in tobacco which can be isolated directly from tobacco or synthetically prepared). In some aspects, the aerosol generating element may include a mixture of flavorful and aromatic tobaccos in cut filler form. In another aspect, the aerosol generating element may include a reconstituted tobacco material, as described in US Patent No. 4,807,809 to Pryor et al; US Patent 4,889,143 to Pryor et al. and U.S. Patent 5,025,814 to Raker, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Additionally, a reconstituted tobacco material may include a reconstituted tobacco paper described for the type of cigarette described in Chemical and Biological Studies on New Cigarette Prototypes that Heat Instead of Burning Tobacco, RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company Monograph (1988), which content is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. For example, a reconstituted tobacco material may include a sheet-like material containing tobacco and/or tobacco-related materials. In some aspects, the aerosol generating element may be formed from a rolled roll of reconstituted tobacco material. In another aspect, the aerosol generating element may be formed from pieces, strips and/or the like of a reconstituted tobacco material.

[00103] According to another aspect, a smoking article according to the present disclosure may include an aerosol generating element that may include an inert porous material, such as, for example, a ceramic material. In another aspect, the aerosol generating element may include an inert porous material that does not substantially react, chemically and/or physically, with a tobacco-related material, such as, for example, a tobacco-derived extract.

[00104] Tobacco that may be employed may include, or may be derived from, tobaccos such as smoke-cured tobacco, burley tobacco, Oriental tobacco, Maryland tobacco, dark tobacco, dark burnt tobacco and Rustica tobacco, as well as other rare tobaccos or specialized or mixtures thereof. Various representative types of tobaccos, processed types of tobaccos, and types of tobacco blends are set forth in U.S. Patent No. 4,836,224 to Lawson et al.; US Patent 4,924,888 to Perfetti et al.; US Patent No. 5,056,537 to Brown et al.; US Patent No. 5,159,942 to Brinkley et al.; US Patent 5,220,930 to Gentry; US Patent 5,360,023 to Blakley et al.; US Patent No. 6,701,936 to Shafer et al.; US Patent 6,730,832 to Dominguez et al.; US Patent 7,011,096 to Li et al.; US Patent 7,017,585 to Li et al.; US Patent 7,025,066 to Lawson et al.; US Patent Application Publication 2004/0255965 to Perfetti et al.; PCT Publication No. WO 02/37990 to Bereman; and Bombick et al., Fund. Appl. Toxicol., 39, p. 11-17 (1997); the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[00105] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an aerosol generating element may include tobacco, a tobacco component and/or a tobacco-derived material that may be treated, manufactured, produced and/or processed to incorporate a material aerosol-forming agents (e.g. humectants such as, for example, propylene glycol, glycerin and/or the like) and/or at least one flavoring agent as well as a burn retardant (e.g. diammonium phosphate and/or other salt) configured to help prevent ignition, pyrolysis, combustion and/or burning of the aerosol generating element by the heating element. Various ways and methods for incorporating tobacco into smoking articles, and particularly smoking articles that are designed not to intentionally burn substantially all of the tobacco within such smoking articles, are set forth in the U.S. Patent. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al.; US Patent 7,647,932 to Cantrell et al.; US Patent 8,079,371 to Robinson et al.; US Patent 7,290,549 to Banerjee et al.; and US Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0215167 to Crooks et al.; the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[00106] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, flame/burn retardant materials and additives that may be included in the aerosol generating element may include organophosphate compounds, borax, hydrated alumina, graphite, potassium tripolyphosphate, dipentaerythritol, pentaerythritol and polyols. Others, such as salts of nitrogenous phosphonic acid, mono-ammonium phosphate, ammonium polyphosphate, ammonium bromide, ammonium borate, ethanolammonium borate, ammonium sulfate, halogenated organic compounds, thiourea and antimony oxides can be used , but are not preferred agents. In each aspect of flame retardant, burn retardant and/or abrasive materials used in the aerosol generating element and/or other components (alone or in combination with each other and/or other materials), the most preferably desirable properties are provided without undesirable outgassing or melting behavior.

[00107] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the aerosol generating element may also incorporate tobacco additives of the type traditionally used for the manufacture of tobacco products. These additives may include the types of materials used to improve the flavor and aroma of tobaccos used to produce cigars, cigarettes, pipes, and the like. For example, these additives may include various cigarette wrappers and/or coating components. See, for example, U.S. Patent 3,419,015 to Wochnowski; US Patent 4,054,145 to Berndt et al.; U.S. Patent No. 4,887,619 to Burcham, Jr. et al.; Watson US Patent 5,022,416; US Patent No. 5,103,842 to Strang et al.; and U.S. Patent 5,711,320 to Martin; the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Preferred coating materials include water, sugars and syrups (e.g., sucrose, glucose, and high fructose corn syrup), humectants (e.g., glycerin or propylene glycol), and flavoring agents (e.g., cocoa and licorice). These added components also include finishing materials (e.g., flavoring materials such as menthol). See, for example, U.S. Patent 4,449,541 to Mays et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other materials that may be added include those disclosed in US Patent 4,830,028 to Lawson et al. and US Patent 8,186,360 to Marshall et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[00108] For example, in some aspects, the aerosol generating element may comprise one or more different components, such as an aerosol forming material, including, for example, polyhydric alcohol (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol, or a mixture thereof). Representative types of other aerosol-forming materials are set forth in U.S. Patent 4,793,365 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al.; US Patent No. 5,101,839 to Jakob et al.; PCT WO 98/57556 to Biggs et al.; and Chemical and Biological Studies of New Cigarette Prototypes that Heat Instead of Burning Tobacco, RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company Monograph (1988); the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. In some aspects, an aerosol generating element may produce a visible aerosol by applying sufficient heat thereto (and cooling the air if necessary), and the aerosol generating element may produce an aerosol that may be considered "smoke" type. ”. In other aspects, the aerosol generating element may produce an aerosol that may be substantially non-visible, but which may be recognized as present by other characteristics, such as taste or texture. Thus, the nature of the aerosol produced may vary depending on the specific components of the aerosol generating element. The aerosol generating element may be chemically simple in relation to the chemical nature of the smoke produced by burning tobacco.

[00109] A wide variety of types of flavoring agents or materials may be employed that alter the sensorial or organoleptic character or conventional aerosol nature of the smoking article. Such flavoring agents may be provided from sources other than tobacco and may be natural or artificial in nature. Of particular interest are flavoring agents that are applied or incorporated into the aerosol generating element and/or the regions of the smoking article in which an aerosol is generated. Again, these agents may be supplied directly to a heating cavity proximate to the resistive heating element or may be supplied with the aerosol generating element. Examples of flavoring agents include vanillin, ethyl vanillin, cream, tea, coffee, fruit (e.g., apple, cherry, strawberry, peach, and citrus flavors including lime and lemon), maple, menthol, spearmint, peppermint, spearmint, green, wintergreen, nutmeg, clove, lavender, cardamom, ginger, honey, anise, sage, cinnamon, sandalwood, jasmine, cascarilla, cocoa, licorice and packages of flavorings and aromas of the type and character traditionally used to flavor cigarette tobaccos , cigar and pipe. Syrups, such as high fructose corn syrup, can also be used. Flavoring agents may also include acidic or basic characteristics (e.g., organic acids such as levulinic acid, succinic acid, and pyruvic acid). The flavoring agents may be combined with the aerosol generating material if desired. Exemplary plant-derived compositions that can be used are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publications Nos. 2012/0152265 and 2012/0192880, both by Dube et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The selection of such additional components is variable based on factors such as the desired sensory characteristics of the present article, and the present disclosure is intended to encompass any other additional components that may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art of tobacco and tobacco-related products or tobacco derivatives. See Gutcho, Tobacco Flavoring Substances and Methods, Noyes Data Corp. (1972) and Leffingwell et al., Tobacco Flavoring for Tobacco Products (1972), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[00110] Any of the materials, such as flavors, wrappers and the like, that may be useful in combination with a tobacco material to affect its sensory properties, including organoleptic properties, as already described herein, can be combined with the tobacco generating element. aerosol. Organic acids, in particular, can be incorporated into the aerosol generating element to affect the taste, sensation or organoleptic properties of drugs, such as nicotine, that can be combined with the aerosol generating element. For example, organic acids, such as levulinic acid, lactic acid, and pyruvic acid, may be included in the nicotine aerosol generating element in amounts until they are equimolar (based on total organic acid content) with the nicotine. Any combination of organic acids can be used. For example, the aerosol generating element may include about 0.1 to about 0.5 moles of levulinic acid per one mole of nicotine, about 0.1 to about 0.5 moles of pyruvic acid per one mole. of nicotine, about 0.1 to about 0.5 moles of lactic acid per one mole of nicotine, or combinations thereof, up to a concentration at which the total amount of organic acid present is equimolar to the total amount of nicotine present in the aerosol generating element. Several additional examples of organic acids employed to produce an aerosol generating element are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0344456 to Dull et al., which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

[00111] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the aerosol generating element may be configured as an extruded structure and/or substrate that may include, or may be essentially composed of, tobacco, tobacco-related material, glycerin, water and/or or a binder, although certain formulations may exclude the binder. The binder material may be any binder material commonly used for tobacco formulations, including, for example, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), gum (e.g., guar gum), xanthan, pullulan, and/or alginate. In some aspects, the binder material included in the aerosol generating element may be configured to substantially maintain a structural shape and/or integrity of the aerosol generating element. Various binders, binder properties, use of binders, and representative binder amounts are set forth in U.S. Patent 4,924,887 to Raker et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[00112] In another aspect, the aerosol generating element may include a plurality of microcapsules, grains, granules and/or the like with a tobacco-related material. For example, a representative microcapsule may be generally spherical in shape and may have an outer covering or shell that contains a liquid central region of an extract derived from tobacco and/or the like. In some aspects, the aerosol generating element may include a plurality of microcapsules substantially formed in a hollow cylindrical shape. In one aspect, the aerosol generating element may include a binder material configured to substantially maintain the structural shape and/or integrity of the plurality of microcapsules substantially formed in the hollow cylindrical shape.

[00113] In some aspects, the aerosol generating element may be configured as an extruded material, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2012/0042885 by Stone et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In yet another aspect, the aerosol generating element may include an extruded structure and/or substrate formed from marumarized and/or nonmarumarized tobacco. Marumarized tobacco is known, for example, from US Patent 5,105,831 to Banerjee, et al., which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Marumarized tobacco may include about 20 to about 50 percent (by weight) tobacco blend in powder form, with glycerol (about 20 to about 30 percent by weight), calcium carbonate (generally between 10 and 60 weight percent, generally 40 to about 60 weight percent), together with binding agents, as described herein, and/or flavoring agents.

[00114] The aerosol generating element can assume a variety of conformations based on the various amounts of materials used therein. For example, a useful aerosol generating element may comprise up to about 98% by weight to about 95% by weight, or up to about 90% by weight of a tobacco and/or tobacco material. A useful aerosol generating element may also comprise up to about 25% by weight, about 20% by weight, or about 15% by weight water - particularly about 2% to about 25%, about 5% to about 20% or about 7% to about 15% by weight of water. Flavors and the like (which may include medicaments such as nicotine) may comprise up to about 10%, up to about 8%, or up to about 5% by weight of the aerosol generating element.

[00115] Additionally or alternatively, the aerosol generating element may be configured as an extruded structure and/or a substrate that may include or may essentially be composed of tobacco, glycerin, water and/or binder material, and may further be configured to substantially maintain its structure throughout the aerosol generation process. That is, the aerosol generating element can be configured to substantially maintain its shape (i.e., the aerosol generating element does not continually deform under an applied shear stress) throughout the aerosol generating process. Although the aerosol generating element may include liquids and/or may have some moisture content, the aerosol generating element remains substantially solid throughout the aerosol generating process and substantially maintains structural integrity throughout the aerosol generating process. aerosol. Examples of tobacco and/or tobacco-related materials suitable for a substantially solid aerosol generating element are described in US Patent Application Publication 2015/0157052 to Ademe et al.; US Patent Application Publication 2015/0335070 to Sears et al.; US Patent No. 6,204,287 to White; and US Patent 5,060,676 to Hearn et al., which are all incorporated herein in their entirety by reference, respectively.

[00116] Additionally or alternatively, the aerosol generating element may be configured as a liquid capable of producing an aerosol upon application of sufficient heat, having ingredients commonly referred to as "smoke juice", "e-liquid" and "e-juice ". Exemplary formulations for an aerosol-generating liquid that may be used in accordance with the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent Publication 2013/0008457 to Zheng et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[00117] The amount of aerosol generating element that is used within the smoking article is such that the article exhibits acceptable sensory and organoleptic properties and desirable performance characteristics. For example, it is highly preferred that sufficient aerosol-forming material, such as, for example, glycerin and/or propylene glycol, is employed within the aerosol generating element in order to provide for the generation of a visible conventional aerosol which, in In many ways, it resembles the appearance of tobacco smoke. Typically, the amount of aerosol-forming material incorporated into the aerosol generating element of the smoking article is in the range of about 1.5 g or less, about 1 g or less, or about 0.5 g or less.

[00118] The amount of aerosol generating element may depend on factors such as the number of puffs desired per cartridge used with the smoking article. It is desirable that the aerosol generating element does not introduce significant degrees of unacceptable taste, foul-mouth sensation, or an overall sensory experience significantly different from that of a traditional type of cigarette that generates conventional smoke by burning tobacco cut filler. The selection of the specific aerosol-forming material, the amounts of these components used, and the types of tobacco material used, may be altered to control the overall chemical composition of the aerosol produced by the aerosol-generating element of the smoking article.

[00119] In additional aspects, heating can be characterized in relation to the amount of aerosol to be generated. Specifically, the smoking article may be configured to deliver an amount of heat necessary to generate a defined volume of aerosol (e.g., about 0.5 ml to about 100 ml, or any other volume considered useful in a smoking article). , as otherwise described here). In certain cases, the amount of heat generated can be measured in relation to a two-second puff delivering about 35 ml of aerosol at a heating temperature of about 290 °C. In some aspects, the article preferably can deliver about 1 to about 50 Joules of heat per second (J/s), about 2 J/s to about 40 J/s, about 3 J/s to about 35 J /s, or about 5 J/s to 30 J/s.

[00120] The heating element is preferably in electrical connection with the power source of the smoking article, so that electrical energy can be supplied to the heating element to produce heat and subsequently aerosolize the aerosol generating element and any other inhalable substance provided by the smoking article. This electrical connection may be permanent (e.g., wired) or removable (e.g., wherein a resistive heating element is provided in a body or part that can be connected and disconnected from a power source).

[00121] Although a variety of materials for use in a smoking article in accordance with the present disclosure have been described above - such as heaters, batteries, capacitors, switching components, aerosol generating elements, aerosol forming materials and/or or similar, the disclosure should not be interpreted as limited only to the exemplified aspects. Instead, a person skilled in the art can recognize, based on the present disclosure, components similar in the field that can be interchanged with any specific component of the present disclosure. For example, US Patent 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr. discloses piezoelectric sensors that can be associated with the mouth end of a device to detect the user's lip activity associated with sucking and then trigger heating; US Patent 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. discloses a blow sensor for controlling the flow of energy in a heating charge matrix in response to pressure drop across a nozzle; US Patent No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al. discloses receptacles in a smoking device that include an identifier that detects a non-uniformity in the infrared transmissivity of an inserted component and a controller that performs a detection routine when the component is inserted into the receptacle; US Patent 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. describes a defined executable power cycle with several differential phases; US Patent No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al. discloses photonic-optronic components; US Patent No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al. discloses means for altering the resistance to sucking through a smoke device; US Patent No. 6,803,545 to Blake et al. discloses specific battery configurations for use in smoking devices; US Patent 7,293,565 to Griffen et al. discloses various charging systems for use with smoking devices; US Patent 8,402,976 to Fernando et al. discloses computer interface means for smoking devices to facilitate charging and enable computer control of the device; and US Patent Application Publication 2010/0163063 by Fernando et al. discloses identification systems for smoking devices; all prior disclosures being incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Additional examples of components related to electronic aerosol delivery articles and disclosure materials or components that may be used in the present article include U.S. Patent 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; US Patent No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.; US Patent No. 5,666,977 to Higgins et al.; US Patent 6,053,176 to Adams et al.; US Patent No. 6,204,287 to White; US Patent 6,196,218 to Voges; US Patent 6,810,883 to Felter et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 to Nichols; Hon US Patent 7,832,410; U.S. Patent No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi; US Patent 7,896,006 to Hamano; U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 to Shayan; US Patent 8,156,944, Hon 8,375,957; US Patent Publication 2006/0196518 and 2009/0188490 to Hon; US Patent 8,794,231 to Thorens et al; US Patent 8,915,254 and 8,925,555 to Monsees et al.; US Patent 8 851083 and US Patent Publication No. 2010/0024834 to Oglesby et al.; US Patent Publication 2010/0307518 to Wang; and Hon. WO 2010/091593. A variety of materials disclosed by the foregoing documents may be incorporated into the present provisions in various respects, and all foregoing disclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[00122] Although a tobacco article according to the disclosure may take on a variety of aspects, as discussed in detail below, a consumer's use of the tobacco article will be similar in scope. The foregoing description of use of the smoking article may be applied to the various aspects described through minor modifications, which may be apparent to one skilled in the art in light of the further disclosure provided herein. The above use description, however, is not intended to limit the use of the inventive article, but is provided to meet all necessary disclosure requirements herein.

[00123] Referring now to Figures 1A and 1B, an exemplary smoking article 100 is illustrated. In some aspects, the smoking article 100 generally comprises a nozzle portion 110, a housing 120 defining a cavity 122 associated with a heating element 130, and a component housing 140 including a power source 150, an identification device of aerosol generating element 160, and a control device 170. In some aspects, the component housing 140 and the housing 120 are formed separately, such that the heating element 130, the power source 150, the identification of aerosol generating element 160 and/or the control device 170 are discreetly disposed only in the housing 120 or only in the component housing 140, so that the housing 120 and the component housing 140 are easily separable. In other aspects, one or more of the heating element 130, the power source 150, the aerosol generating element identification device 160, and/or the control device 170 are included in an integrally formed housing unit.

[00124] The mouthpiece portion 110 of the smoking article 100, in some examples, defines a mouth engagement end (i.e., the end at which a consumer sucks to inhale aerosol from the smoking article) and a housing hitch that is longitudinally opposite the mouth hitch end. In some aspects, the nozzle portion 110 is engaged with the housing 120 such that the housing engagement end is permanently (i.e., integrally formed) or removably engaged with the housing 120. An interior of the nozzle portion 110 defines at least at least one orifice therethrough to provide a nozzle channel 112 through the nozzle portion 110 and into the housing 120 when engaged therewith. A filtration material (not shown) is, in some aspects, capable of being received within the nozzle portion 110.

[00125] Housing 120 defines, in some aspects, a first nozzle engagement end and a second longitudinally opposed component engagement end, which may be configured to operatively engage a tubular housing engagement end of component housing 140. An inlet defined in the component housing 140 or housing 120 allows air to be drawn into the smoking article 100. For example, and as illustrated in Figures 1A and 1B, an inlet or orifice 142 is defined in the component housing 140. In this case, upon engagement with the component housing 140, an air flow path 124 is defined between the cavity 122 of the housing 120 and an interior of the component housing 140. The air flow path 124 is arranged and configured to connect and fluidly communicate with an interior of the component housing 140 so as to provide air to be drawn into the cavity 122 through at least one orifice 142 defined within the component housing 140. nozzle 112 is also in fluid communication, through cavity 122, with airflow passageway 124. Consequently, in response to a suck at the mouth engagement end of nozzle portion 110, the air, in turn, is released. is sucked through the at least one orifice 142, through the interior of the component housing 140, through the airflow passageway 124, into the cavity 122 of the housing 120.

[00126] In another example, an inlet or orifice (not illustrated) is defined in the housing 120. This inlet or orifice is in fluid communication with an interior of the housing 120 or the cavity 122 so that, in response to a suck at the end coupling of the nozzle portion 110, the air in turn is sucked through the orifice defined in the housing 120 and into the cavity 122 of the housing 120.

[00127] Regardless of the arrangement of the inlet or orifice within the smoking article, the air drawn into the smoking article is configured to be sucked into the cavity 122 so as to interact with the aerosol generating element 180 and/or the heating element 130. Within the cavity 122 of the housing 120, air is mixed with the aerosol generated by the aerosol generating element 180 and the aerosol/air mixture is transported through the nozzle channel 112 to the coupling end of mouth of nozzle portion 110.

[00128] The aerosol generating element 180 is configured to produce an aerosol in response to heat. As is known to those skilled in the art, the aerosol generating element 180 may be comprised of two or more constituent components, each having a different aerosolization temperature. As such, identification of the constituent components of the aerosol generating element 180 may allow optimization of heating of the aerosol generating element 180 based on these constituent components. As mentioned previously, the constituent components of the aerosol generating element 180 include, in some aspects, tobacco, a tobacco component, or a tobacco-derived material (i.e., a material that is found naturally in tobacco that can be isolated directly from the tobacco or synthetically prepared). The tobacco employed includes, or is derived from, tobaccos such as smoke-cured tobacco, burley tobacco, Oriental tobacco, Maryland tobacco, dark tobacco, dark burnt tobacco and Rustica tobacco, as well as other rare or specialty tobaccos, or mixtures thereof. In another aspect, the constituent components of the aerosol generating element 180 include tobacco and/or tobacco-related material and an additional flavoring agent and/or other material that alters the sensory or organoleptic character or conventional aerosol nature of the smoking article. 100. These flavoring agents are supplied from sources other than tobacco and are natural or artificial in nature. In some aspects, flavoring agents are applied or incorporated into the aerosol generating element 180 and/or in the regions of the smoking article 100 where an aerosol is generated (i.e., the cavity 122).

[00129] Although, in some aspects, flavoring agents are applied directly to the aerosol generating element 180 and/or the cavity 122, in other aspects, a flavoring agent is provided by a separate substrate that is disposed proximate to the aerosol generating element. aerosol 180 and/or near cavity 122. Examples of flavoring agents include vanillin, ethyl vanillin, cream, tea, coffee, fruit (e.g., apple, cherry, strawberry, peach, and citrus flavors including lime and lemon), maple, menthol, spearmint, peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, nutmeg, clove, lavender, cardamom, ginger, honey, anise, sage, cinnamon, sandalwood, jasmine, cascarilla, cocoa, licorice and flavoring and aroma packs of the type and character traditionally used for flavoring cigarette, cigar and pipe tobacco. Syrups, such as high fructose corn syrup, are also employable. Flavoring agents also include in some aspects acidic or basic characteristics (e.g., organic acids such as levulinic acid, succinic acid, and pyruvic acid).

[00130] Notably, depending on the type of smoking article (e.g., an electronic cigarette, a 'heat not burn (HNB), etc.), the aerosol generating element 180 is variable in its shape, constituent components, composition, delivery method, receptacle, etc. In some examples, the aerosol generating element 180 comprises an annular tobacco plug configured to be removably received within the cavity 122 of the housing 120. In this case, the annular tobacco plug is formed as a solid tobacco and/or tobacco-related material. tobacco, and is constructed as a hollow cylinder extrudate, as illustrated in Figure 3A, to be described in more detail below. In another example, the aerosol-generating element 180 comprises an aerosol-generating liquid received in a cartridge, the cartridge being removably or otherwise refillably engaged and permanently engaged in the housing 120. In this case, the aerosol-generating liquid Aerosol is formed as an electronic liquid, as illustrated in Figure 3B, to be described in more detail below.

[00131] The housing 120 defining the cavity 122 of the smoking article 100 is configured, in some aspects, to receive the aerosol generating element 180 therein. As illustrated in Figures 1A, 1B, the housing 120 has in some aspects a substantially round cross-section; however, other cross-sectional shapes (e.g., oval, square, triangle, etc.) are also covered by the present disclosure. Regardless, the cavity 122 defined by the housing 120 is generally dependent on the cross-section of the housing 120, such that a tubular housing results in a substantially cylindrical cavity 122 having a substantially round cross-section. Therefore, the aerosol generating element 180 (e.g., a ring tobacco plug, an aerosol generating liquid received in a cylindrical cartridge, etc.) is, for example, configured with a diameter or otherwise a cross-sectional area cross section that allows the aerosol generating element 180 to be received within the cavity 122 and subsequently heated to produce an aerosol.

[00132] In some aspects, the heating element 130 is operatively engaged with the housing 120 and is configured to provide heat to the aerosol generating element 180. As illustrated in Figure 1B, for example, the heating element 130 is disposed within of cavity 122; however, in other examples, the heating element 130 is provided in the component housing 140 or otherwise in the housing 120 (i.e., surrounding a wall defining the cavity 122). In some cases, the heating element 130 comprises a resistive heating element (e.g., a resistive coil), although other types of heating elements (i.e., induction, microwave, radiative, etc.) are also contemplated. as needed or desired.

[00133] The power source 150 is configured to be, in some aspects, in electrical communication with the heating element 130 and to supply electrical energy thereto. In this way, the heating element 130 is configured to produce heat in response to electrical energy. As illustrated in Figure 1B, the power source 150 is included in the component housing 140 together with the control device 170, which are arranged in a variety of orders therein. The power source 150 comprises, in some aspects, a rechargeable or replaceable battery or any other type of power storage unit. Otherwise, in some aspects, the power source 150 comprises an inductive coil or some other type of power producer.

[00134] Although not expressly shown, it is understood that the smoking article 100 and the component housing 140 in particular include wiring or other conductive arrangements, as necessary, to provide electrical current from the power source 150 to the additional components and interconnecting the components for proper operation of the necessary functions provided by the smoking article 100. For example, the smoking article 100 includes wiring (not shown) within the component housing 140 and/or the housing 120 as necessary to provide electrical current to from the power source 150 of the component housing 140 to the heating element 130 located within the housing 120. In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, for example, the smoking article 100 includes wiring or other conductive arrangements (not shown) within of the component housing 140 and/or housing 120, as necessary, to provide electrical current from the power source 150 to the aerosol generating element identification device 160, as well as to any of one or more status indicators and/or other indicators positioned on or disposed within any one or a combination of the nozzle portion 110, housing 120 and/or component housing 140.

[00135] In some aspects, the aerosol generating element identification device 160 is engaged with the housing 120 and is configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol generating element 180 selected for use with the article of smoke 100. Engagement of the aerosol generating element identification device 160 comprises, for example, engagement with the housing 120, the component housing 140, or the nozzle portion 110. For example, and as illustrated in Figures 1A, 1B, the aerosol generating element identification device 160 is flush or substantially flush with the housing 120. Otherwise, the aerosol generating element identification device 160 projects from the housing 120, the component housing 140, or the 110 nozzle portion in a manner not excessively heavy for the consumer.

[00136] An example of an aerosol generating element identification device 200 is illustrated in Figure 2. In some cases, the aerosol generating element identification device 200 is similar to the aerosol generating element identification device 160 described above with reference to the aerosol generating element identification device in Figures 1A, 1B. In some aspects, the aerosol generating element identification device 200 is configured with at least one hardware processor (e.g., processor unit) 202 connected to the memory (e.g., storage device) 204. Generally, the processor 202 is any piece of computer hardware that is capable of processing information such as data, computer programs and/or other suitable electronic information. Processor 202 is comprised of a collection of electronic circuits, some of which may be packaged as an integrated circuit or multiple interconnected integrated circuits (an integrated circuit sometimes more commonly referred to as a "chip"). The processor 202 may be configured to execute computer programs, which may be stored on board the processor or otherwise stored in memory (of the same or another device).

[00137] Processor 202 may be a number of processors, a multiprocessor core, or some other type of processor, depending on the specific implementation. Furthermore, processor 202 may be implemented using a number of heterogeneous processor systems in which a primary processor is present with one or more secondary processors on a single chip. As another illustrative example, processor 202 is a symmetric multiprocessor system containing several processors of the same type. In yet another example, the processor 202 is incorporated as or otherwise includes one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or the like. Thus, although the processor 202 is capable of executing a computer program to perform one or more functions, the processor of various examples is capable of performing one or more functions without the assistance of a computer program.

[00138] Memory 204 is generally any piece of computer hardware capable of storing information such as, e.g., data, computer programs (e.g., computer-readable program code), and/or other information on a suitable or temporary basis and/or permanent basis. Memory 204 may include volatile and/or non-volatile memory and may be fixed or removable. Examples of suitable memory 204 include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, a flash memory, a pen drive, a removable computer floppy disk, an optical disk, a magnetic tape, or some combination of the previous ones. Optical discs may include compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), compact disc read/write (CD-R/W), DVD, or the like. In several instances, memory 204 is referred to as a computer-readable storage medium. Computer-readable storage medium 204 is a non-transitory device capable of storing information, and is distinguishable from computer-readable transmission media, such as electronic transient signals capable of transporting information from one location to another. A computer-readable medium, as described herein, may generally refer to a computer-readable storage medium or computer-readable transmission medium.

[00139] As indicated above, program code instructions (e.g., an algorithm) may be stored in memory 204, and executed by processor 202, to implement functions of the smoking article described herein. As will be appreciated, any suitable program code instruction can be loaded into a computer or other programmable apparatus from a computer-readable storage medium to produce a specific machine, so that the specific machine implements the functions specified herein. These program code instructions may also be stored on a computer-readable storage medium that may direct a computer, processor, or other programmable apparatus to function in a specific manner to thereby generate a specific machine or article of manufacture. Instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium may produce an article of manufacture, wherein the article of manufacture implements the functions described herein. Program code instructions may be retrieved from a computer-readable storage medium and loaded into a computer, processor, or other programmable device to configure the computer, processor, or other programmable device to perform operations to be performed on the computer, processor, or other programmable device. programmable device.

[00140] The retrieval, loading, and execution of program code instructions may be executed sequentially, such that one instruction is retrieved, loaded, and executed at a time. In some example implementations, retrieval, loading, and/or execution may be performed in parallel, so that multiple instructions are retrieved, loaded, and/or executed together. Execution of program code instructions may produce a computer-implemented process such that instructions executed by a computer, processor, or other programmable apparatus provide operations for implementing the functions described herein.

[00141] The execution of instructions by the processor 202, or the storage of instructions on the computer-readable storage medium 204, supports combinations of operations to perform the specified functions. In this manner, the aerosol generating element identification device 160 described in conjunction with the smoking article 100 includes the processor 202 and the computer readable storage medium or memory 204 coupled to the processor 202, wherein the processor 202 is configured to execute an algorithm stored in memory 204. It should also be understood that one or more functions and combinations of functions may be implemented by special purpose computer systems based on hardware and/or processors that perform the specified functions or hardware combinations of special purpose and program code instructions.

[00142] Returning to Figures 1A, 1B, in some exemplary implementations, the aerosol generating element identification device 160 comprises an attribute identification detector configured to detect an attribute identifier identifying an attribute of the aerosol generating element 180 In some examples, the attribute of the aerosol generating element 180 is encoded (i.e., stored) within the attribute identifier. The attribute identifier comprises, for example, a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode, a QR code, or a radio frequency identification device (RFID) identifying the attribute of the energy-generating element. aerosol 180. An attribute of the aerosol generating element 180 stored in the attribute identifier is, in some aspects, selected from the group consisting of constituent components (e.g., flavors, tobacco-derived nicotine, water, glycerol, propylene glycol) of the aerosol generating element, a heating profile of each constituent component of the aerosol generating element, a maximum aerosolization temperature between the constituent components of the aerosol generating element, a power measurement for controlling the power source relative to at the maximum aerosolization temperature between the constituent components of the aerosol generating element and combinations thereof. For example, the attribute of the aerosol generating element 180 stored in an attribute identifier comprises the constituent components of the aerosol generating element 180, which include a tobacco-derived nicotine, a flavor, and various other ingredients, e.g., 4, 8% nicotine, glycerol, water, propylene glycol and natural and artificial flavors. In this manner, the attribute identifier identifying the attribute is provided in a packaging of the aerosol generating element 180 for detection by the attribute identification detector.

[00143] More particularly, for example, and as illustrated in Figures 3A-3C, an attribute identifier (i.e., an exemplary QR code) is provided in exemplary packaging. In particular, in Figure 3A, a schematic generally indicated as reference numeral 300A illustrates the package 302A. Package 302A is any type of package sufficient to contain an aerosol-generating material, such as a solid aerosol-generating material 180A, e.g., a ring tobacco plug. An attribute identifier 304A is, as illustrated in Figure 3A, for example, provided on the packaging 302A of the solid aerosol generating material 180A.

[00144] Figure 3B illustrates a scheme generally indicated as reference number 300B. In Figure 3B, a package 302B is provided, which, in some aspects, is any type of package of a tubular housing or cartridge 306 for containing an aerosol-generating material, such as an aerosol-generating liquid 180B, e.g. an electronic liquid. An attribute identifier 304B is, as illustrated in Figure 3B, for example, provided on the packaging 302B of the cartridge 306 of the aerosol generating liquid 180B. In Figure 3C, a schematic generally indicated as reference number 300C is provided. In Figure 3C, the cartridge 306 of Figure 3B is illustrated. Compared to Figure 3B, in Figure 3C, an attribute identifier 304C corresponding to the attribute identifier 304B provided on the packaging of the cartridge 306 is also provided on the cartridge 306 itself. In other aspects (not shown), the cartridge 306 illustrated in Figures 3B, 3C is configured to be refillable for receiving the aerosol generating liquid 180B therein. Cartridge 306 is configured to receive aerosol generating liquid 180B from a refill container comprising its own attribute identifier. In this manner, the cartridge 306 may be refillable to receive different aerosol-generating liquids 180B from different refill containers, where the refill containers provide identifiable information about the aerosol-generating liquid 180B contained therein.

[00145] Returning to Figures 1A, 1B, the aerosol generating element identification device 160 in the form of the attribute identification detector comprises, for example, a camera, a wireless transceiver, or a scanner configured to detect, upon performance thereof, the attribute identifier (e.g., 304A-304C, Figures 3A-3C), in order to identify the attribute of the aerosol generating element 180 associated therewith, and communicate the identification of the attribute to the control device 170 .The attribute identification detector is actionable, in some aspects, after recognition of the attribute identifier (e.g., automatic optical QR code recognition). Otherwise, a drive mechanism linked to the attribute identification detector and/or the smoking article itself 100 renders the aerosol generating element identification device 160 capable of detecting the attribute identifier. Thus, in some aspects, the control device 170 is configured to be in communication with the aerosol generating element identification device 160 to modulate the electrical power supplied to the heating element 130 by the power source 150, in response to the attribute identified, so as to direct the heating element 130 to heat the aerosol generating element 180 to an aerosolization temperature associated with the identified attribute of the aerosol generating element 180.

[00146] In some aspects, the component housing 140 includes additional wiring or other conductive arrangements as necessary to provide electrical current from the power source 150 to the control device 170 and provide electrical connections between the control device 170 and the heating element 130 and/or the aerosol generating element identification device 160 so as to allow the control device 170 to modulate the electrical power supplied to the heating element 130 by the power source 150. In specific aspects, the smoking article 100 includes an electrical circuit in which the control device 170 associated with the electrical circuit delivers, controls or modulates the electrical energy supplied to the heating element 130 by the power source 150, in response to the identified attribute, so as to direct the heating element 130 to heat the aerosol generating element 180 to an aerosolization temperature associated with the identified attribute of the aerosol generating element 180.

[00147] More particularly, the electrical circuit associated with the control device 170 includes appropriate wiring or other appropriate electrical conductors that electrically connect the control device 170 and the aerosol generating element identification device 160. As such, identification by aerosol generating element identification device 160 of an attribute of the aerosol generating element causes the identified attribute to be transmitted to the control device 170, so that the control device 170 can modulate the electrical power supplied to the aerosol generating element. heating 130.

[00148] In some exemplary implementations, the aerosol generating element identification device 160 does not comprise an attribute identification detector configured to detect an attribute identifier in a package of the aerosol generating element 180. Instead, and Referring again to exemplary aerosol generating element identification device 160, the processor 202 of aerosol generating element identification device 160, 200 is configured in some examples to execute an algorithm stored in memory 204 that causes the aerosol generating element identification device 160 identifies, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol generating element 180. For example, execution of the algorithm results in elemental analysis of the aerosol generating element 180 as directed by the device of identification of aerosol generating element 160. In this case, the elemental analysis includes spectroscopy, chemical analysis, spectrometry, x-rays, or a combination thereof, to identify the attribute of the aerosol generating element 180. The devices associated with this analysis elemental analysis (e.g., probes, x-ray tubes, etc.) are, in some aspects, in communication with the processor 202 of the aerosol generating element identification device 160 to perform elemental analysis. The attribute identifiable by elemental analysis includes, for example, constituent components (e.g., a flavor, nicotine) of the aerosol generating element 180, a heating profile of each constituent component of the aerosol generating element 180, an aerosolization temperature maximum among the constituent components of the aerosol generating element 180, a power measurement for controlling the power source with respect to the maximum aerosolization temperature among the constituent components of the aerosol generating element 180, and combinations thereof.

[00149] In some aspects, the processor 202 of the aerosol generating element identification device 160 is configured to execute an algorithm stored in memory 204 upon actuation of a drive mechanism (not shown) associated with the smoking article 100 and/or or to the aerosol generating element identification device 160 itself. Otherwise, reception of the aerosol generating element 180 in the cavity 122, as indicated by a sensor, for example, triggers the processor 202 to begin executing the algorithm stored in memory 204. Other ways of triggering the processor 202 to begin executing running the algorithm are also covered here. Regardless, the attribute identified from the executed algorithm is configured to be stored, in some aspects, by memory 204 for later analysis and/or comparison.

[00150] In other examples, the processor 202 is configured to execute an algorithm stored in memory 204 that causes the aerosol generating element identification device 160 to determine a maximum aerosolization temperature among the constituent components identified by the generating element of aerosolization element 180. Using the identified attribute of the constituent components thereof, the aerosol generating element identification device 160 is capable of comparing the aerosolization temperatures between the constituent components of the aerosol generating element 180 and determining the aerosolization temperature maximum between the constituent components.

[00151] In still other examples, the processor 202 is configured to execute an algorithm stored in memory 204 that causes the aerosol generating element identification device 160 to communicate the determined maximum aerosolization temperature to the control device 170. As such, in this case, the control device 170 is configured to modulate the electrical energy supplied to the heating element 130 by the power source 150 in response to the determined maximum aerosolization temperature. It is desirable to allow modulated heat output to the aerosol generating element 180 based on a maximum aerosolization temperature, as this minimizes the likelihood of overheating the aerosol generating element 180, which improves the user experience of any flavorings. constituents. Furthermore, modulation of the electrical energy supplied to the heating element 130 by the power source 150 results in optimization of the amount of power used and extends the overall service life of the power source 150.

[00152] In additional exemplary implementations, the aerosol generating element identification device 160 is configured to receive user input regarding a maximum aerosolization temperature between constituent components of the aerosol generating element 180. In this manner, the device control element 170 is configured to modulate the electrical power supplied to the heating element 130 by the power source 150 in response to the maximum user input aerosolization temperature.

[00153] In such an implementation, instead of using an attribute identification algorithm or detector to detect an attribute identifier in a package of the aerosol generating element 180, the aerosol generating element identification device 160 is configured with a user interface 206 that allows the user to input the attribute(s) of the aerosol generating element 180 into the aerosol generating element identification device 160.

[00154] More particularly, and referring to Figure 2 the processor 202 in some example is connected to one or more interfaces 206 to display, transmit and/or receive information. Interfaces 206 include, in some aspects, a communications interface (e.g., communications unit) and/or one or more user interfaces. The communications interface is configured to transmit and/or receive information, such as to and/or from other circuits within the smoking article (i.e., the control unit 170). The communications interface is in electrical communication with the control unit 170 through appropriate circuitry and/or other connections to transmit the determined maximum aerosolization temperature to the control device 170 as well as any other information (e.g., power measurement) to the control device 170.

[00155] The user interface includes, in some aspects, a screen 208 and/or one or more user input interfaces (e.g., input/output unit). The screen 208 of the aerosol generating element identification device 160 is configured to present or otherwise display information to a user, suitable examples of which include a liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting diode (LED) display ), plasma display panel (PDP) or similar. In some aspects, the screen 208 and the user input interfaces are the same (e.g., a touch screen) so that the user can trigger the aerosol generating element identification device 160 by entering the aerosolization temperature. maximum between the constituent components of the aerosol generating element 180 in the screen 208.

[00156] Accordingly, the smoking article 100 is configured to provide a smoking or smoke-like sensation to a consumer. More particularly, the smoking article 100 is configured to be actuated by a drive mechanism (not shown) to provide the consumer with a satisfactory sensory experience by identifying an attribute of the aerosol generating element (e.g., the aerosolization temperature between constituent components of the aerosol generating element 180) and subsequently modulate the electrical energy supplied to the heating element 130 by the power source 150, in response to the identified attribute, so as to direct the heating element 130 to heat the heating element generating aerosol 180 at an aerosolization temperature associated with the identified attribute of the aerosol generating element 180 to reduce the likelihood of burning the constituent components of the aerosol generating element 180 and thereby promoting such a satisfactory experience for the user. In some aspects, the actuation mechanism is a button, a blow sensor, a flow sensor, or any other consumer-activated mechanism. For example, where the actuating mechanism is a push button, the push button is connected to a control circuit for manual control of the flow of electrical current, wherein the consumer uses the button to turn on the smoking article 100 and/or or to drive flow of electrical current to the heating element 130. In this case, one or more buttons are provided for manual on and off performance of the smoking article 100, which sends a signal to actuate the control device 170 to direct the energy from the power source 150 to the heating element 130.

[00157] The control device 170, in communication with the aerosol generating element identification device 160 is configured to modulate the energy or electrical power directed from the power source 150 to the heating element 130 based on and response to the identified attribute of the aerosol generating element 180. As such, the heating element 130 produces heat to be supplied to the aerosol generating element 180 within the cavity 122 that is modulated based on the attribute of the aerosol generating element 180 The aerosol generating element 180, in turn, produces and delivers an aerosol, in response to heat, wherein the aerosol is suitable for inhalation by the consumer. In another example, the actuation mechanism is a flow sensor (not shown), so that the smoking article 100 is activated only upon application of a suck (that is, at times of use by the consumer exerting a suck on the portion of nozzle 110). In this case, the flow sensor is configured to detect a puff by the consumer or suck on the article, which then sends a signal to actuate the control device 170.

[00158] Referring now to Figures 4A-4B, a smoking article 400 is illustrated. The smoking article 400 comprises components similar to the components of the smoking article 100 illustrated in Figures 1A, 1B. For reasons of brevity, substantially similar components will not be described again in detail.

[00159] In some aspects, the smoking article 400 generally comprises a nozzle portion 410, a tubular housing 420 defining a cavity 422 associated with a heating element 430, and a component housing 440 including a power source 450, an aerosol generating element identification device 460 and a control device 470. A solid aerosol generating material 480 is configured to be received within the cavity 422 of the tubular housing 420.

[00160] In some exemplary aspects, the nozzle portion 410 is engaged with the housing 420 such that the housing engagement end is either permanently (i.e., integrally formed) or removably engaged with the housing 420. Where the portion of nozzle portion 410 is removably engaged with housing 420, and as illustrated in Figure 4B, each of the housing engagement ends of the nozzle portion 410 and a nozzle engagement end of the housing 420 is provided with a plurality of threads, of so that the nozzle portion 410 can be threadedly received in the nozzle engaged end of the housing 420. In this way, when the nozzle portion 410 is removed from the housing 420, an interior of the cavity 422 defined by the housing 420 is accessible to receive the solid aerosol generating material 480 therein. Other engagement mechanisms for engaging the nozzle portion 410 with the housing 420 are also contemplated herein.

[00161] In some aspects, when the nozzle piece portion 410 is engaged with the housing 420, an interior of the nozzle portion 410 defines at least one orifice therethrough to provide a nozzle channel 412 through the nozzle portion 410 and into the housing 420. A filtration material 414 is, in some aspects, capable of being received within the nozzle channel 412. In some aspects, the filtration material 414 is cellulose acetate or otherwise includes an absorbent material or adsorbent capable of reducing predetermined levels of particles generated from heating the solid aerosol generating material 480.

[00162] In some aspects, the tubular housing 420 is configured to operatively engage a tubular housing engagement end of the component housing 440. An inlet defined in the component housing 440 or housing 420 allows air to be drawn into the article. For example, and as illustrated in Figure 4B, an inlet or orifice 442 is defined in component housing 440. As shown in Figures 4A, 4B, the component engagement end of housing 420 is longitudinally opposite the nozzle engagement of the housing 420. After engagement with the component housing 440, in some cases, an air flow path 424 is defined between the cavity 422 of the housing 420 and an interior of the component housing 440. In some cases , the airflow passageway 424 is arranged and configured to connect and fluidly communicate with an interior of the component housing 440 so as to allow air to be sucked into the cavity 422 through at least one defined orifice 442 within the component housing 440. Furthermore, the nozzle channel 412 is also in fluid communication, through the cavity 422, with the airflow passageway 424. Consequently, in response to a suck on the mouth engagement end of the nozzle portion 410, air is in turn sucked through at least one orifice 442, through the interior of the component housing 440, through the airflow passageway 424, into the cavity 422 of the housing. 420.

[00163] In another example, an inlet or orifice (not illustrated) is defined in the housing 420. This inlet or orifice is in fluid communication with an interior of the housing 420 or the cavity 422 so that, in response to a suck at the end of the nozzle portion 410, the air is in turn sucked through the orifice defined in the housing 420 and into the cavity 422 of the housing 420.

[00164] Regardless of the arrangement of the inlet or orifice within the smoking article, the air drawn into the smoking article is configured to be sucked into the cavity 422 to interact with the aerosol generating element 480 and/or the heating 430. Within cavity 422 of housing 420, air is mixed with aerosol produced by heated aerosol generating element 480 and the aerosol/air mixture is transported through nozzle channel 412 to the mouth engagement end of the nozzle portion 410.

[00165] In some aspects, the solid aerosol generating material 480 is configured to be removed from the cavity 422 of the tubular housing 420. For example, after the solid aerosol generating material 480 is "used up", so that there is no more aerosol capable of being generated therefrom, it is advantageous to remove the solid aerosol generating material 480 and replace it with another solid aerosol generating material 480. To do this, in some exemplary implementations, the tubular housing 420 comprises a removal mechanism 444 configured to remove solid aerosol generating material 480 (e.g., a ring tobacco plug) from within the cavity 422 of the tubular housing 420. The removal mechanism 444 comprises, for example, a biasing mechanism or any other type of mechanism that applies pressure to the solid aerosol-generating material 480 along a longitudinal axis thereof to push the solid aerosol-generating material 480 toward an opening of the cavity 422 for removal of the aerosol-generating material solid 480 by disengaging the nozzle portion 410 from the tubular housing 420.

[00166] The heating element 430 is, in some aspects, operatively engaged with the tubular housing 420 and is configured to provide heat to the solid aerosol generating material 480 in order to aerosolize said material. Where the tubular housing 420 comprises an outer wall 426 defining the cavity 422, the heating element 430 comprises a first portion 432 configured to extend around the outer wall 426 and a second portion 434 configured to extend within the cavity 422 defined by the outer wall. 426. More particularly, in some aspects, the first portion 432 is configured with a diameter greater than the diameter of the second portion 434. An insulating sleeve 428 in some exemplary implementations is provided around an outer circumference of the outer wall 426 to provide properties improved insulation insulation for smoke article 400.

[00167] As such, in such cases, the solid aerosol generating material 480 comprises an annular tobacco plug (e.g., 180A, Figure 3A) configured to be removably received within the cavity 422 of the tubular housing 420, such that a inner surface of the annular tobacco plug extends around the second portion 434 of the heating element 430 and the first portion 432 of the heating element 430 extends over an outer surface of the annular tobacco plug within the cylindrical cavity 422. In this manner, the material solid aerosol generating device 480 is configured to be replaceably and removably received by the cavity 422 of the tubular housing 420 upon disengagement of the nozzle portion 410 and the tubular housing 420.

[00168] The heating element 430 is, in some aspects, in electrical communication with the power source 450. The power source 450 in some exemplary implementations is configured to supply electrical power to the heating element 430, such that the heating element 430 heating element 430 produces heat in response to electrical energy. The power source 450 comprises, in some aspects, a rechargeable or replaceable battery.

[00169] In some aspects, the power source 450 comprises wiring that provides power to the aerosol generating element identification device 460, which is engaged or engageable with the nozzle portion 410, the tubular housing 420, or the component housing. 440. As illustrated in Figure 4A, the aerosol generating element identification device 460 is engaged with the component housing 440, although the aerosol generating element identification device 460 is configured to be provided anywhere in the nozzle 410, tubular housing 420, or component housing 440.

[00170] Similar to the aerosol generating element identification device 160 described above, the aerosol generating element identification device 460 is configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the solid aerosol generating material 480. The attribute of the solid aerosol generating material 480, in some aspects, is selected from the group consisting of an aroma, a heating profile of each constituent component of the solid aerosol generating material 480, a maximum aerosolization temperature between the constituent components of the solid aerosol generating material 480, a power measurement for controlling the power source 430 relative to the maximum aerosolization temperature of the constituent components of the solid aerosol generating material 480 and combinations thereof.

[00171] In some exemplary implementations, the aerosol generating element identification device 460 comprises an attribute identification detector configured to detect an attribute identifier identifying the attribute of the solid aerosol generating material 480 (e.g., Figure 3A ). In such aspects, the attribute identifier comprises a UPC barcode, a QR code, or an RFID device identifying the attribute of the solid aerosol generating material 480. To detect the attribute identifier, the attribute identification detector comprises, for example, a camera, a wireless transceiver, or a scanner configured to detect, upon actuation thereof, the attribute identifier, to identify the attribute of the solid aerosol generating material 480 associated therewith, and communicate the identification of the attribute to the control device 470. For example, the attribute identification detector 460 is configured to detect the attribute identifier on a package containing a new ring tobacco plug (e.g., Figure 3A).

[00172] In other exemplary implementations, the aerosol generating element identification device 460 comprises a processor (e.g., 202) configured to execute an algorithm to identify, upon actuation thereof, the attribute of the solid aerosol generating material 480. For example, the processor of the aerosol generating element identification device 460 is configured to execute an algorithm stored in memory (e.g., (204) to cause the aerosol generating element identification device 460 to analyze the solid aerosol generating material 480 to determine the constituent components thereof, determine a maximum aerosolization temperature between the constituent components, and communicate the determined maximum aerosolization temperature to the control device 470.

[00173] In this manner, the control device 470 is in communication with the aerosol generating element identification device 460 and is configured to modulate the electrical power supplied to the heating element 430 by the power source 450, in response to the attribute identified, so as to direct the heating element 430 to heat the solid aerosol generating material 480 to the maximum aerosolization temperature determined in response to reception of the maximum aerosolization temperature determined from the aerosol generating element identification device 460.

[00174] In another exemplary implementation, the aerosol generating element identification device 460 is configured to receive user input regarding a maximum aerosolization temperature between constituent components of the solid aerosol generating material 480. For example, and As described above, a user interface (e.g., 206) and/or a display (e.g., 208) are configured to receive user input regarding attributes of the aerosol generating element 480, e.g., aerosolization temperatures for constituent components of the solid aerosol generating material 480. The aerosol generating element identification device 460 is configured, in some aspects, to analyze user inputs and identify what the aerosolization temperature input is. In this manner, the aerosolization temperature is then transmitted to the control device 470, such that the control device 470 is configured to modulate the electrical power supplied to the heating element 430 by the power source 450 in response to the maximum aerosolization temperature of user input.

[00175] In some aspects, where the heating element 430 comprises the first portion 432 and the second portion 434, the control device 470 is configured to modulate the electrical power supplied to each portion 432, 434 independently. More particularly, the control device 470 is configured to modulate the electrical power supplied to the first portion 432 separately and discretely from the electrical power supplied to the second portion 434 of the heating element 430 so as to provide individual control of the first and second portions. 432, 434. As such, the first portion 432 is capable of being heated to a higher temperature, a lower temperature, or substantially the same temperature with respect to the second portion 434. More information on independent control of separate heating portions of a heating element can be found in US Patent Application Publication 2016/0360785 by Bless et al.

[00176] Referring now to Figure 5, a smoking article 500 is illustrated. The smoking article 500 comprises components similar to the components of the smoking article 100 illustrated in Figures 1A, 1B. For reasons of brevity, substantially similar components will not be described again in detail.

[00177] In some aspects, the smoking article 500 generally comprises a nozzle portion 510, a tubular housing 520 defining a cavity 522 associated with a heating element 530, and a component housing 540 including a power source 550, an aerosol generating element identification device 560 and a control device 570. An aerosol generating liquid 580 is configured to be received within the cavity 522 of the tubular housing 520.

[00178] In some exemplary aspects, the nozzle portion 510 is engaged with housing 520 such that the housing engagement end is permanently (i.e., integrally formed) or removably engaged with housing 520. As illustrated in Figure 5, the nozzle portion 510 is integrally formed and engaged with the housing 520 so that the two are irremovably engaged with each other. An interior of the nozzle portion 510 defines at least one orifice therethrough to provide a nozzle channel 512 through the nozzle portion 510 and into the housing 520. In some aspects, the nozzle channel 512 is defined through a passage tubular 514. A filtration material (not shown) is capable of being received within the nozzle channel 512 and/or the nozzle portion 510.

[00179] In some aspects, the tubular housing 520 is configured as having a first end and a longitudinally opposed second end. In some aspects, at the first end is the nozzle portion 510 and at the longitudinally opposite second end is an engagement mechanism for operatively engaging a longitudinal end of the component housing 540. Alternatively, in other aspects, at the longitudinally opposite second end is the of nozzle 510 and at the first end is the engagement mechanism for operatively engaging the longitudinal end of the component housing 540.

[00180] Upon engagement between the housing 520 and the component housing 540, in some cases, an air flow path 524 is defined between the cavity 522 of the housing 520 and an interior of the component housing 540. In some cases , the airflow passageway 524 is arranged and configured to connect and fluidly communicate with a central passageway 544 defined at an engagement interface between the component housing 540 and the tubular housing 520 so as to supply air to be sucked in. into the cavity 522 through at least one orifice 542 defined within the component housing 540. Furthermore, the nozzle channel 512 is also in fluid communication, through the cavity 522, with the air flow passageway 524. Accordingly, in response to a suck at the mouth engagement end of the nozzle portion 510, air is in turn sucked through at least one orifice 542, through the interior of the component housing 540, through the air passageway. air flow 524, into cavity 522 of housing 520. Within cavity 522 of housing 520, air is mixed with an aerosol generated from aerosol generating liquid 580 and the aerosol/air mixture is transported through the nozzle channel 512 for the mouth engagement end of the nozzle portion 510.

[00181] The heating element 530 engaged with the tubular housing 530 is configured to provide heat to the aerosol generating liquid 580. In some aspects, the heating element 530 is configured as a resistive heating element, such as a resistive coil. In such aspects, the resistive heating element 530 comprises terminals 532 (e.g., positive and negative terminals) at its opposite ends to facilitate the flow of current through the heating element 530 and to attach appropriate wiring (not illustrated) to form an electrical connection of the heating element 530 to the power source 550 when the tubular housing 520 is operatively engaged with the component housing 540.

[00182] Engagement or disengagement of the component housing 540 and the tubular housing 520 is possible through an engagement mechanism 546 disposed at the longitudinal end of the component housing and a corresponding engagement mechanism 528 disposed at either the first or the second end of the tubular housing. Engagement mechanisms 546, 528 provide operative engagement between the component housing 540 and the tubular housing 520 so that the two can be easily removed from each other, such as to remove and replace the tubular housing 520. Information Additional information regarding engagement mechanisms can be found, for example, in US Patent 8,910,639 to Chang et al.

[00183] In some aspects, the cavity 522 of the tubular housing 520 is non-refillable. In this manner, after the consumer consumes the aerosol generating liquid 580, the tubular housing 520 is removable from the component housing 540 and is disposable, and another tubular housing 520 containing a quantity of aerosol generating liquid 580 can be replaced. at the longitudinal end of the component housing 540. As such, the tubular housing 520 with the nozzle portion 510 is configured as a replaceable cartridge (e.g., 306, Figures 3B, 3C). In other aspects, the cavity 522 of the tubular housing 520 is refillable. In this manner, after the consumer consumes the aerosol-generating liquid 580, the tubular housing 520 may remain operatively engaged with the component housing 540 or is removed from the component housing 540 for refilling. As such, the tubular housing 520 with the nozzle portion 510 contained therein is configured as a refillable cartridge.

[00184] The heating element 530 is, in some aspects, operatively engaged with the tubular housing 520 and is configured to provide heat to the aerosol generating liquid 580, in order to aerosolize said liquid. To do this, the heating element 530 is, in some aspects, in electrical communication with the power source 550. The power source 550 in some exemplary implementations is configured to supply electrical power to the heating element 530, such that the heating element 530 produces heat in response to electrical energy. The power source 550 comprises, in some aspects, a rechargeable or replaceable battery. In some aspects, the power source 550 comprises wiring supplying power to the aerosol generating element identification device 560, which is engaged or engageable with the nozzle portion 510, the tubular housing 520, or the component housing 540. As illustrated In Figure 5, the aerosol generating element identification device 560 is engaged in the component housing 540, although the aerosol generating element identification device 560 is configured to be provided in either nozzle portion 510, the housing tubular 520 or component housing 540.

[00185] Similar to the aerosol generating element identification device 160 described above, the aerosol generating element identification device 560 is configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol generating liquid 580. attribute of the aerosol generating liquid 580, in some aspects, is selected from the group consisting of an aroma, a heating profile of each constituent component of the aerosol generating liquid 580, a maximum aerosolization temperature among the constituent components of the aerosol generating liquid 580, aerosol generation 580, a power measurement for controlling the power source 530 relative to the maximum aerosolization temperature of the constituent components of the aerosol generating liquid 580 and combinations thereof.

[00186] In some exemplary implementations, the aerosol generating element identification device 560 comprises an attribute identification detector configured to detect an attribute identifier identifying the attribute of the aerosol generating liquid 580 (e.g., Figures 3B, 3C). In such aspects, the attribute identifier comprises a UPC barcode, a QR code, or an RFID device identifying the attribute of the aerosol generating liquid 580. To detect the attribute identifier, the attribute identification detector comprises , for example, a camera, a wireless transceiver, or a scanner configured to detect, upon actuation thereof, the attribute identifier, to identify the attribute of aerosol generating liquid 580 associated therewith, and communicate the attribute identification to the control device 570. For example, where the smoking article 500 requires a non-refillable cartridge, the attribute identification detector is configured to detect the attribute identifier provided in a packaging of a new tubular housing or cartridge containing the liquid aerosol generating liquid 580 (e.g., Figure 3B), or the attribute identifier otherwise is provided on the new tubular housing or on the cartridge itself containing the aerosol generating liquid 580 (e.g., Figure 3C). In another example, where the smoking article 500 requires refilling from a refillable tubular cartridge, the attribute identification detector is configured to detect the attribute identifier in a package containing the refill aerosol generating liquid 580.

[00187] In other exemplary implementations, the aerosol generating element identification device 560 comprises a processor (e.g., 202) configured to execute an algorithm to identify, upon actuation thereof, the attribute of the aerosol generating liquid 580 For example, the processor of the aerosol generating element identification device 560 is configured to execute an algorithm stored in memory (e.g., 204) to cause the aerosol generating element identification device 560 to analyze the liquid. aerosol generation device 580 to determine the constituent components thereof, to determine a maximum aerosolization temperature among the constituent components, and communicate the determined maximum aerosolization temperature to the control device 570.

[00188] In this way, the control device 570 is in communication with the aerosol generating element identification device 560 and is configured to modulate the electrical energy supplied to the heating element 530 (e.g., the resistive coil) by the source of power 550, in response to the identified attribute, so as to direct the heating element 530 to heat the aerosol generating liquid 580 to the determined maximum aerosolization temperature in response to receiving the determined maximum aerosolization temperature from the identification device of aerosol generating element 560.

[00189] In another exemplary implementation, the aerosol generating element identification device 560 is configured to receive user input regarding a maximum aerosolization temperature between constituent components of the aerosol generating liquid 580. For example, and as described above, a user interface (e.g., 206) and/or a display (e.g., 208) is configured to receive user input regarding attributes of the aerosol generating liquid 580, e.g., aerosolization temperatures for constituent components of the aerosol generating liquid 580. The aerosol generating element identification device 560 is configured, in some aspects, to analyze user inputs and identify what the aerosolization temperature input is. In this manner, the aerosolization temperature is then transmitted to the control device 570, such that the control device 570 is configured to modulate the electrical power supplied to the heating element 530 by the power source 550 in response to the maximum aerosolization temperature of user input.

[00190] Referring now to Figure 6, a method flow chart is provided for a method for making a smoking article, generally designated 600. The smoking article manufactured in method 600 may be smoking article 100, 400, 500 or a substantially similar one.

[00191] In step 602, a heating element is operatively engaged in a housing defining a cavity configured to receive an aerosol generating element therein, the heating element being configured to supply heat to the aerosol generating element so that the aerosol generating element produces an aerosol in response thereto.

[00192] In step 604, a power source is engaged in electrical communication with the heating element, with the power source being configured to supply electrical energy to the heating element, and the heating element producing heat in response to the electrical energy .

[00193] In step 606, an aerosol generating element identification device is engaged in the housing, with the aerosol generating element identification device being configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol generating element aerosol.

[00194] In step 608, a control device is engaged with the aerosol generating element identification device, with the control device being configured to modulate the electrical energy supplied to the heating element by the power source, in response to the attribute identified, so as to direct the heating element to heat the aerosol generating element to an aerosol temperature associated with the identified attribute of the aerosol generating element.

[00195] Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure will be remembered to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs having the benefit of the teachings presented in the previous descriptions and associated drawings. Therefore, it should be understood that the disclosure should not be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein and that modifications and other embodiments should be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used only in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims (27)

1. Smoking article, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises: a housing (120) defining a cavity (122) configured to receive an aerosol generating element (180) including a plurality of constituent components having different aerosolization temperatures and configured to produce an aerosol in response to heat; a heating element (130, 430, 530) operatively engaged with the housing (120) and configured to supply heat to the aerosol generating element (180); a power source (150, 450, 550) in electrical communication with the heating element (130, 430, 530) and configured to supply electrical energy thereto, the heating element (130, 430, 530) producing heat in response to electrical energy; an aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560) engaged with the housing (120) and configured to identify, upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol generating element (180), the attribute being associated with at least one maximum of the different aerosolization temperatures of the plurality of constituent components of the aerosol generating element (180), the attribute being identifiable by an identifier attribute (304A, 304B, 304C) provided directly on the aerosol generating element (180), being identifiable in response to analysis of the plurality of constituent components of the aerosol generating element (180) by the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560), or being identifiable in response to user input to the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560) relative to the maximum of different aerosolization temperatures among the plurality of constituent components of the aerosol generating element (180); and a control device (170, 470, 570) in communication with the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560) and configured to modulate electrical power supplied to the heating element (130, 430 , 530) by the power source (150, 450, 550) in response to the identified maximum of the different aerosolization temperatures so as to direct the heating element (130, 430, 530) to heat the aerosol generating element (180) at a temperature based on the identified maximum aerosolization temperatures. 2. The smoking article of claim 1, characterized by the fact that the housing (120) comprises an outer wall (426) defining a cylindrical cavity (422, 522) for receiving the aerosol generating element ( 180). 3. Smoking article according to claim 2, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the heating element (130, 430, 530) comprises a first portion (432) configured to extend around the outer wall (426) and a second portion (434) configured to extend within the cylindrical cavity (422, 522). 4. Smoking article according to claim 3, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the control device (170, 470, 570) is configured to modulate electrical energy supplied to the first portion (432) separately and discretely from the electrical energy supplied to the second portion (434) of the heating element (130, 430, 530), so as to allow individual control of the first and second portions (432, 434). 5. The smoking article of any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by the fact that the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560) comprises an attribute identification detector (460) configured to detect an attribute identifier (304A, 304B, 304C) identifying the attribute of the aerosol generating element (180). 6. Tobacco article according to claim 5, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the attribute identifier (304A, 304B, 304C) comprises a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode, a QR code , or a radio frequency identification device (RFID) identifying the attribute of the aerosol generating element (180). 7. The tobacco article of claim 5, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the attribute identification detector (460) comprises a camera, a wireless transceiver, or a scanner configured to detect, upon actuation thereof, the identifier of attribute (304A, 304B, 304C), to identify the attribute of the aerosol generating element (180) associated therewith, and communicate the identification of the attribute to the control device (170, 470, 570). 8. Smoking article according to claim 5, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the attribute identifier (304A, 304B, 304C) is provided in a packaging (302A, 302B) of the aerosol generating element (180). 9. Smoking article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the attribute of the aerosol generating element (180) is further identifiable from one or more of an aroma of the aerosol generating element (180) aerosol generating element (180), a heating profile of each of the plurality of constituent components of the aerosol generating element (180), or a power measurement for controlling the power source (150, 450, 550) relative to the maximum of the different aerosolization temperatures of the plurality of constituent components of the aerosol generating element (180) and combinations thereof. 10. The smoking article of any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by the fact that the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560) comprises a processor (202) configured to execute an algorithm to identify, through its action, the attribute of the aerosol generating element (180). 11. The smoking article of claim 10, characterized by the fact that the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560) is configured to analyze the aerosol generating element ( 180) to determine the plurality of constituent components thereof, determine the maximum of the different aerosolization temperatures among the plurality of constituent components of the attribute of the aerosol generating element (180), and communicate the determined maximum of the different aerosolization temperatures of the attribute to the control device (170, 470, 570) which is configured to modulate the electrical energy of the power source (150, 450, 550) in response to the determined maximum of the different aerosolization temperatures of the attribute. 12. The smoking article of claim 10, characterized by the fact that the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560) is configured to receive user input regarding the maximum input of different aerosolization temperatures between the plurality of constituent components of the aerosol generating element (180), the control device (170, 470, 570) is configured to modulate the electrical energy supplied to the heating element (130, 430, 530) by the power source (150, 450, 550) in response to maximum user input from different aerosolization temperatures. 13. The smoking article of any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized by the fact that the aerosol generating element (180) comprises an annular tobacco plug configured to be removably received within the cavity (122) defined in the housing (120) for receiving the aerosol generating element (180). 14. The smoking article of any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized by the fact that the aerosol generating element (180) comprises an aerosol generating liquid (180B, 580) received in a cartridge ( 306), the cartridge (306) being removably engaged in the housing (120). 15. The smoking article of claim 1, characterized by the fact that the aerosol generating element (180) is a solid aerosol generating material (480), the housing is a tubular housing (420, 520) defining the cavity (422, 522) that is configured to receive a solid aerosol generating material (480), and the attribute is identifiable by the attribute identifier (304A, 304B, 304C) provided directly by the aerosol generating material solid (480). 16. The smoking article of claim 1, characterized by the fact that the aerosol generating element (180) is an aerosol generating liquid (180B, 580), and the housing includes: a tubular housing (420, 520) having a first end and an opposing second longitudinal end, the tubular housing (420, 520) including an outer wall (426) defining a cavity configured to receive the aerosol generating liquid therein; a component housing (140, 440, 5204) having a longitudinal end operatively engaged with one of the first and second ends of the tubular housing (420, 520), and wherein the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200 , 460, 560) is coupled to the power source (150, 450, 550) and the attribute is identifiable by analyzing the plurality of constituent components of the aerosol generating liquid (180B, 580) by the identification device of the aerosol generating element. aerosol (160, 200, 460, 560). 17. Method for making a smoking article, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises: operatively engaging a heating element (130, 430, 530) with a housing (120) defining a cavity (122) configured to receive a generating element aerosol (180), including a plurality of constituent components therein, the heating element (130, 430, 530) being configured to supply heat to the aerosol generating element (180) for the aerosol generating element (180) to produce an aerosol in response thereto; engaging the power source (150, 450, 550) in electrical communication with the heating element (130, 430, 530), the power source (150, 450, 550) being configured to supply electrical power to the heating element ( 130, 430, 530) and the heating element (130, 430, 530) producing heat in response to electrical energy; engaging an aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560) with the housing (120), the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560) being configured to identify , upon actuation thereof, an attribute of the aerosol generating element (180), the attribute being associated with at least one maximum of the different aerosolization temperatures among the plurality of constituent components of the aerosol generating element (180), the attribute being identifiable by an attribute identifier (304A, 304B, 304C) provided directly on the aerosol generating element (180), being identifiable in response to analysis of the plurality of constituent components of the aerosol generating element (180) by the identification device of aerosol generating element (160, 200, 460, 560), or being identifiable in response to user input to the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560) relative to the maximum of different aerosolization temperatures between the plurality of constituent components of the aerosol generating element (180); and engaging a control device (170, 470, 570) with the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560), the control device (170, 470, 570) being configured to modulate the electrical energy supplied to the heating element (130, 430, 530) by the power source (150, 450, 550) in response to the identified maximum of the different aerosolization temperatures so as to direct the heating element (130, 430, 530) to heat the aerosol generating element (180) to a temperature based on the identified maximum of the different aerosolization temperatures. 18. Method, according to claim 17, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it provides a housing (120) comprising providing a tubular housing (420, 520) comprising an outer wall (426) defining a cylindrical cavity (422, 522 ) to receive the aerosol generating element (180). 19. Method according to claim 17, characterized by the fact that operatively engages the heating element (130, 430, 530) with the housing (120) which comprises operatively engaging a first portion (432) of the heating element heating element (130, 430, 530) to extend around the outer wall (426) and a second portion (434) of the heating element (130, 430, 530) to extend within the cavity (422, 522). 20. Method, according to claim 19, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises modulating, by the control device (170, 470, 570), the electrical energy supplied to the first portion (432) separately and discretely from the energy electrical supply supplied to the second portion (434) of the heating element (130, 430, 530), so as to allow individual control of the first and second portions (432, 434) of the heating element (130, 430, 530). 21. Method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, characterized by the fact that it comprises detecting an attribute identifier (304A, 304B, 304C) identifying the attribute of the aerosol generating element (180) using a detector attribute identification number (460) of the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560). 22. The method of claim 21 is characterized by the fact that it comprises identifying the attribute of the aerosol generating element (180) using a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode, a QR code, or a radio frequency identification device (RFID) attribute identifier (304A, 304B, 304C). 23. The method of claim 21, characterized by the fact that it comprises detecting the attribute identifier (304A, 304B, 304C) to identify the attribute of the aerosol generating element (180) associated therewith, and communicating the attribute identification to the control device (170, 470, 570) using, upon actuation thereof, a camera, a wireless transceiver, or an attribute identification detector scanner (406). 24. The method of claim 21, characterized by the fact that it comprises providing the attribute identifier (304A, 304B, 304C) on a package (302A, 302B) of the aerosol generating element (180). 25. Method, according to any one of claims 17 to 24, characterized by the fact that it comprises executing, by a processor (202) the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560) , an algorithm to identify, through its action, the attribute of the aerosol generating element (180). 26. Method, according to claim 25, characterized by the fact that it comprises analyzing, by the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560), the aerosol generating element (180) to determine the plurality of constituent components thereof, determine the maximum of the different aerosolization temperatures among the plurality of constituent components of the attribute of the aerosol generating element, and communicate the determined maximum of the different aerosolization temperatures of the attribute to the control device (170, 470, 570), and modulating, with the control device (170, 470, 570), the electrical energy supplied by the power source (150, 450, 550) in response to the determined maximum of the different aerosolization temperatures of the attribute. 27. Method, according to claim 25, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises identifying, in the aerosol generating element identification device (160, 200, 460, 560), identifying the attribute of the aerosol generating element (180 ) of user input relative to the maximum of different aerosolization temperatures between the plurality of constituent components of the aerosol generating element (180), and modular, with the control device (170, 470, 570), the electrical energy provided to the heating element (130, 430, 530) by the power source in response to maximum user input of different aerosolization temperatures.