CN111093405A

CN111093405A - Consumable cartridge for an aerosol-generating device

Info

Publication number: CN111093405A
Application number: CN201880060447.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: A·R·J·罗根; 罗伯特·阿利松
Original assignee: JT International SA
Current assignee: JT International SA
Priority date: 2017-09-25
Filing date: 2018-09-24
Publication date: 2020-05-01
Also published as: WO2019057976A1; JP2020534832A; CA3076853A1; US20200253275A1; RU2020111147A; KR20200057007A; EP3687322A1; RU2020111147A3

Abstract

A consumable cartridge for an aerosol-generating device is disclosed. The cartridge (10) contains an aerosol-forming material (14), such as tobacco, which can release vapour upon receiving heat from a heater. The cartridge (10) includes a housing (12) with a tab (24) that moves between an open position and a closed position, wherein the open position extends from the housing (12) to allow the tab to be quickly cooled so that a user can easily grasp the tab (24) and withdraw the cartridge (10) from the aerosol generating device.

Description

Consumable cartridge for an aerosol-generating device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a consumable cartridge for an aerosol-generating device.

Background

Many new generations of smoking devices have been introduced in an attempt to provide an alternative to traditional cigarettes. One such device is described in EP 2772148a 2. In this arrangement, the smoking device is provided with a mouthpiece, a housing, an electric heater, and a battery. The consumable cartridge may be mounted in a device adjacent to the heater. The consumable cartridge has an outer shell surrounding a tobacco material. The cartridge also includes perforations and an aeration well (aeration well). The heater may heat the outer shell of the cartridge such that the tobacco contained therein heats up without burning, thereby releasing the aerosol. The user may then inhale the aerosol or vapor through the mouthpiece.

After a period of use, the consumable cartridge is exhausted. The user may then remove and replace the consumable cartridge.

After the tobacco is exhausted, it is desirable to safely and easily remove the hot cartridge from the device.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a consumable cartridge for an aerosol-generating device, the consumable cartridge comprising: a housing; an aerosol-forming material disposed within the housing, the aerosol-forming material being adapted to form an aerosol upon receiving heat from the aerosol-generating device; and a tab disposable in a position extending from the housing, wherein a user can grasp the tab to remove the consumable cartridge from the aerosol-generating device.

In this way, a user can grasp the tab and easily withdraw the consumable cartridge from the aerosol-generating device. The user may grasp the tab between opposing fingers of the user's hand. In one example, the tab may be a sheet of material extending away from the housing. The tab preferably allows heat to dissipate more quickly because it can be located away from the thermal enclosure. Thus, the provision of the tab improves the ease with which the user removes the thermal shell.

The aerosol generating device may provide heat to the enclosure, wherein the enclosure conductively transfers the heat to the aerosol-forming material without directly combusting the material. The aerosol-generating device may further comprise a heating chamber having a heater operatively arranged to heat the consumable cartridge without combustion.

Preferably, the tab is configured to move between a first position and a second position. In this way, the tab may protrude away from the housing only when the tab is required by the user for extraction. For example, the tab may be in the first position when the aerosol generating device is in operation. In the first position, the tab may be positioned flush with a wall of the housing. When the aerosol-generating device is not operating, the tab may be moved or moved to a second position that allows a user to easily grasp and withdraw a consumable cartridge from the device. In the second position, the tab may extend away from the wall of the housing and remain in contact with the housing at the end of the housing. In an advantageous embodiment, the tab is movable in the axial direction of the cartridge.

In another embodiment, the body has a slot for receiving the tab.

In another embodiment, the tab is attached to the lid of the cartridge. Thus, the tab may be formed from a single piece with the cover. The tab and the cover as a single piece facilitate the manufacturing process of the capsule.

Thus, the tab and the top surface of the cartridge may be formed from a single sheet of material.

The tab may be disposed at an end of the housing. The consumable cartridge may be received in a chamber of the aerosol-generating device in which an end of the tabbed housing is exposed.

Preferably, the tab is formed by at least one line of weakness at a surface of the housing. In this manner, the tabs may be disposed along the surface of the housing and may be broken and extend outwardly when needed for use. For example, the tab may be torn to provide an extension, such as a flap that is separate from the housing.

Preferably, the tab is hingedly attached to the housing to allow movement between the first and second positions. In this way, after the weakening line has been broken, the tab can be pivoted away from the first position alongside the casing to a second extracted position. A material hinge may be provided between the tab and the housing. Thus, the tab may be formed of a foldable material. The foldable material may be a sheet of metal, such as aluminum.

Preferably, the tab includes a visual indicator to indicate temperature. In this way, the user can see if the tab is too hot to grasp. The tabs may be heated by conduction from the housing. Providing a color indicator may allow the user to know whether it is safe to grasp the tab.

Preferably, the temperature information on the tab is provided using color. In this manner, the user can easily determine the temperature of the tab. For example, thermochromic ink may be used to present a warning sign when the tab is too hot, or thermochromic crystals may be used to provide different colors for different temperature bands.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an aerosol-generating device comprising: a heater; and a consumable cartridge as defined above.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of generating an aerosol, the method comprising: inserting a consumable cartridge or pod containing an aerosol-forming material into a heating chamber of an aerosol-generating device; moving a tab from a first position to a second position to expose an outlet from the consumable cartridge; applying heat to the aerosol-forming material in the consumable cartridge with the device; the pod is withdrawn from the device by grasping the tab.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a front view of a cartridge with a tab in a closed position in one embodiment of the invention;

figure 1B is a front view of the cartridge with the tab in an open position;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the cartridge depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detailed top view of the tab depicted in FIG. 2;

figures 4A and 4B are front views of a cartridge in another embodiment of the invention with the tabs in the closed and open positions, respectively; and is

Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary electronic cigarette configured to receive a cartridge in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed Description

Figures 1A, 1B and 2 show a cartridge 10 in a first embodiment of the invention. The cartridge 10 has a generally cylindrical shape with a circular cross-section and a flat top. However, other shapes are also possible, such as square or cubical shapes. The cartridge 10 has a housing 12 which contains an aerosol-forming material 14, such as tobacco. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a number of other products and ingredients (such as flavors or tobacco derivatives) may be disposed within the housing 12.

As illustrated in fig. 5, the cartridge 10 is configured to be received in a cartridge receptacle 56 of the electronic cigarette 50. The e-cigarette 50 includes a mouthpiece portion 52 and a body portion 54. The body portion 52 includes a cartridge body 56, a power supply unit 58, and a control circuit 60. The nozzle portion includes a nozzle 53 and a vapor flow passage 55. The mouthpiece portion 52 may further include a piercing element 80. The piercing element 80 is configured to open the cartridge 10 by piercing the vent 12 in the top portion 14 of the cartridge 10 so that vapors can exit the cartridge 10 through the vent 12 in the top portion 14.

In one embodiment, the cartridge 10 includes

apertures

16, 18 in the top surface 20 that serve as inlets or outlets for outside air. When the

apertures

16, 18 are provided, the piercing element 80 may be omitted from the e-cigarette 50. In another embodiment, the top surface 20 is sealed so that it can be punctured when positioned inside the cartridge receptacle 56 of the e-cigarette 50. The cartridge 10 also has a bottom surface 22 for conducting heat from a heater in the aerosol generating device to the remainder of the cartridge 10. A tab 24 is provided in the top surface 20. Tab 24 has a top end 26, two sides 28, and a bottom end 30. The user pulls on the tip 26 to break the open perforation or line of weakness extending along the sides 28. The bottom end 30 acts as a material hinge about which the remainder of the tab 24 can pivot. The tab 24 can pivot about the bottom end 30 from a flat, closed position to an open position in which the tab is substantially perpendicular to the top surface 20. In the open position, the user can securely grasp the tab 24 and remove the cartridge 10 from the aerosol-generating device. The tab 24 may be attached to the top surface 20 of the cartridge 10. Thus, the tab 24 may be formed from a single piece with the top surface 20. The manufacture of the cartridge 10 is facilitated by the tab 24 and the top surface 20 as a single piece. The tab 24 is preferably formed of a foldable material. The foldable material may be a metal film, such as aluminum foil. Thus, the tab is part of the top surface 20 and is formed from a single sheet.

In another embodiment, the tab 24 may be movable in the axial direction of the cartridge 20. Thus, the cartridge may have a longitudinal or axial slot to receive the tab.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the tab 24 may be provided at a location on the cartridge 10 that depends on the direction in which the cartridge 10 is drawn from the aerosol-generating device.

Fig. 3 shows a detailed view of the tab 24. Warning indicia 32 are printed on the tab 24 using thermochromic ink. When the tab 24 is cold enough to be touched by hand, the warning sign 32 is not visible. The warning sign 32 becomes visible when the tab 24 is hot and may potentially injure the user. In another arrangement, the entire tab may be printed with thermochromic ink such that the color of the tab indicates its temperature. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a variety of other thermochromic materials (e.g., thermochromic liquid crystals) may be provided on the tab 24.

Figures 4A and 4B show a cartridge 110 in a second embodiment of the invention, with tabs 124 in the closed and open positions respectively. The cartridge 110 has a housing 112 that contains an aerosol-forming material 114, such as tobacco.

The cartridge 110 includes

apertures

116, 118 in the top surface 120 that serve as inlets or outlets for outside air. The cartridge also has a bottom surface 122 for conducting heat from a heater in the aerosol generating device to the remainder of the cartridge 110.

In this arrangement, the tab 124 in the closed position extends down a side surface 126 of the cartridge 110. Prior to inserting the cartridge 110 into the aerosol-generating device, the tab 124 is moved to the open position by sliding the tab 124 in a direction extending from the cartridge 110. When the tab 124 is provided along the side surface 126 of the cartridge 110, the tab 124 may be longer and therefore easier for a user to grasp on when withdrawing the cartridge 110.

Features 128 are located on the outer surface of the tab 124 that increase the friction between the user's thumb and the tab 124 so that the tab 124 is easily pushed to the open position. The side surface 126 of the housing 112 also has features that allow the sliding action to function. The side surface 126 has grooves 130 on each side of the tab 124 when in the closed position of the tab, which retain the tab 124 and can act as a track on which the tab 124 slides between the open and closed positions.

Alternative configurations of tabs for use on a consumable cartridge will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

The aerosol-forming material may comprise a carrier material, which may comprise a mixture of Propylene Glycol (PG) and/or glycerol (G). Preferably, the support material has a composition of at least 20 wt%. The aerosol-forming material may comprise ground tobacco particles (e.g. in addition to the carrier material). The aerosol-forming material may comprise other materials such as flavourants, water and the like.

Claims

1. A consumable cartridge for an aerosol-generating device, the consumable cartridge comprising:

a housing;

an aerosol-forming material disposed within the housing, the aerosol-forming material being adapted to form an aerosol upon receiving heat from the aerosol-generating device; and

a tab disposable in a position extending from the housing, wherein a user can grasp the tab to remove the consumable cartridge from the aerosol-generating device.

2. The consumable cartridge of claim 1, wherein the tab is configured to move between a first position and a second position.

3. The consumable cartridge of claims 1 and 2, wherein the tab is formed by at least one line of weakness at a surface of the outer shell.

4. The consumable cartridge of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tab is hingedly attached to the housing to allow movement between the first position and the second position.

5. The consumable cartridge of any of the preceding claims, wherein the tab comprises a visual indicator, wherein the visual indicator indicates temperature.

6. The consumable cartridge of claim 5, wherein color is used to provide temperature information.

7. The consumable cartridge of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tab is a foldable material, preferably a metal sheet, such as aluminium foil.

8. The consumable cartridge of claim 7, wherein the tab and the top surface of the cartridge are formed from a single sheet.

9. An aerosol generating device comprising:

a heater; and

the consumable cartridge of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the aerosol-forming substance is capable of forming an aerosol upon receiving heat from the heater.

10. Use of a cartridge for a device according to claim 9.

11. A method of generating an aerosol comprising:

inserting a consumable cartridge comprising an aerosol-forming material into a heating chamber of an aerosol-generating device;

moving a tab from a first position to a second position to expose an outlet from the consumable cartridge;

applying heat to the aerosol-forming material in the consumable cartridge with the device;

the consumable cartridge is withdrawn from the device by grasping the tab.