CN113891661A

CN113891661A - Aerosol generating device with inclined heating chamber

Info

Publication number: CN113891661A
Application number: CN202080038890.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: L.S.布丘伊吉尔; M.普莱夫尼克; 井上纪彦
Original assignee: JT International SA
Current assignee: JT International SA
Priority date: 2019-06-07
Filing date: 2020-06-05
Publication date: 2022-01-04
Also published as: TW202100041A; WO2020245435A1; KR20220017948A; EP3979858A1; EP3979858B1; JP2022536024A; TWI772817B; PL3979858T3

Abstract

An aerosol-generating device (100) has a sloped heating chamber (104). The heating chamber (104) comprises an elongated cavity (106) having a cavity axis (a) extending centrally along the length of the elongated cavity (106). There is an aperture (108) in an outer surface (110) of the body (102), through which aperture (108) a substrate carrier (112) comprising aerosol generating material is insertable into the elongated cavity (106) of the heating chamber (104) along the cavity axis (a). The user-manipulated element (114) is arranged to be movable in a movement region (B) of the outer surface (110) of the body (102), which movement region (B) extends at least mainly on one side of the aperture (108). The cavity axis (a) is located in a direction extending from the aperture (108) that is inclined away from the moving region (B).

Description

Aerosol generating device with inclined heating chamber

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol generating device having a tilted heating chamber. The present disclosure is particularly, but not exclusively, applicable to a portable aerosol generating device which may be self-contained and cryogenic. Such devices may heat, rather than burn, tobacco or other suitable material by conduction, convection, and/or radiation to produce an aerosol for inhalation.

Background

Over the past few years, the popularity and use of risk-reducing or risk-modifying devices (also known as vaporizers) has increased rapidly, helping habitual smokers who want to quit smoking to quit traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and cigarettes. Rather than burning tobacco in conventional tobacco products, various devices and systems are available that heat or fire the aerosol substrate to produce an aerosol and/or vapor for inhalation.

One type of device where the risk is reduced or corrected is a heated substrate aerosol generating device or a heated non-burning device. This type of device generates an aerosol and/or vapour by heating a solid aerosol substrate (typically moist tobacco leaf) to a temperature typically in the range of 100 ℃ to 300 ℃. Heating, but not burning or burning, the aerosol substrate releases an aerosol and/or vapor containing the user-sought composition but containing little or even no toxic and carcinogenic by-products of burning and burning.

Existing aerosol generating devices tend to be rather small and compact, and this can make them inconvenient to use. For example, it may be helpful to provide a button to operate the device close to the area where the aerosol substrate is inserted in use. In such a case, the user's thumb or finger on the button may be in the way (e.g., hitting the user's nose) when the user also wants to draw vapor or aerosol from the device. In other examples, a slidable cover may be provided that selectively covers and uncovers an aperture through which, in use, an aerosol substrate is inserted. Such a cap may be moved by the user in order to insert the aerosol substrate into the device during use, or the user's hand may then get in the way (e.g. against the user's nose) by manipulating the cap or the cap itself when the user wishes to draw vapour or aerosol from the device.

Disclosure of Invention

Aspects of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure there is provided an aerosol-generating device comprising:

a body;

a heating chamber contained in the body, the heating chamber comprising an elongated cavity;

an aperture in the outer surface of the body through which a substrate carrier comprising aerosol generating material may be inserted into an elongate cavity of the heating chamber along a cavity axis extending centrally along the length of the elongate cavity; and

a user operated element arranged to be movable in a movement region of the outer surface of the body, the movement region extending at least predominantly on one side of the aperture;

wherein the cavity axis is in a direction extending from the aperture that is inclined away from the region of movement.

By arranging the cavity axis to be oriented away from the moving area, the direction along which the substrate carrier may be inserted into the heating chamber may follow a path which is spaced apart from the moving area by a larger distance outside the aperture than in case of other orientations. The heating chamber is more accessible. Furthermore, for other arrangements in which the location of the substrate carrier protruding from the heating chamber and in use being directly sucked by the user, or even the mouthpiece on which the user sucks, is defined by the axis of the cavity, the user may be able to place his face further away from the area of movement than would be the case in other arrangements. For example, the user's mouth may be closer to the orifice, while his nose is further from the area of movement. Thus, in one particular example, a portion of the substrate carrier protruding from the aperture in use may extend in the direction of a cavity axis, which may be inclined away from the movement region.

Optionally, the region of movement of the outer surface of the body has a region of movement axis orthogonal to the centroid of the region of movement, and the cavity axis is inclined away from the region of movement axis by an angle α in the range of 0 ° < α ≦ 45 °, preferably in the range of 10 ° < α ≦ 45 °, more preferably in the range of 15 ° < α ≦ 35 °, and most preferably equal to about 20 ° or about 30 °.

Optionally, the cavity axis and the movement region axis intersect or intersect inside the body.

Optionally, the user manipulable element protrudes from an outer surface of the body.

Optionally, the user manipulable element is movable towards the body.

Optionally, the user actuation element is movable relative to the aperture between a closed position in which the user actuation element covers the aperture and an open position in which the aperture is substantially unobstructed by the user actuation element.

Optionally, the user manipulable element is slidable on an outer surface of the body. The user manipulable member may be movable in an arc or a straight line.

Optionally, the aerosol generating device comprises a detector for detecting movement of the user-manipulable element and a controller for controlling operation of the aerosol generating device in response to detection of the movement.

Optionally, the body is elongate between the first and second ends, and the aperture and the user manipulation element are located on the second end of the body.

Optionally, the first end of the body has a flat portion, the aerosol generating device standing on part of the platform.

Optionally, the second end of the body is flat or generally convex.

Optionally, the outer surface of the body has a first pair of opposing faces and a second pair of opposing faces between the first end and the second end, the first pair of opposing faces being larger than the second pair of opposing faces.

Optionally, the aerosol generating device comprises a power storage device which is elongate and has a power storage device axis extending centrally along its length, the power storage device axis and the cavity axis converging towards each other towards the first end of the body.

Optionally, the perimeter of the aperture defines an aperture plane and the central axis of the elongate cavity is inclined relative to a plane perpendicular to the aperture plane.

Optionally, the substrate carrier is elongate and is positioned coaxially with the elongate cavity in use.

Optionally, the substrate carrier protrudes outwardly from the aperture when fully inserted into the elongated cavity.

Optionally, the substrate comprises a tobacco-containing material containing volatile tobacco flavor compounds that are released from the substrate upon heating. The substrate may include non-tobacco aerosol formers such as glycerin and propylene glycol.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure there is provided an aerosol-generating device comprising:

a body;

a user manipulation element movable relative to the aperture between a closed position in which the user manipulation element covers the aperture and an open position in which the aperture is substantially unobstructed by the user manipulation element, wherein when the user manipulation element is in the open position the user manipulation element is located over an open area on the outer surface, the open area of the outer surface having an open area axis orthogonal to the centroid of the open area,

wherein the central axis and the open area axis diverge from each other outside the body in a direction away from the body.

Optionally, the cavity axis and the open area axis intersect inside the body.

Optionally, the cavity axis diverges from the zone axis at an angle β in the range of 0 ° < β ≦ 45 °, preferably in the range of 10 ° < β ≦ 45 °, more preferably in the range of 15 ° < β ≦ 35 °, and most preferably equal to about 25 ° or about 30 °.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure there is provided an aerosol-generating device comprising:

a body;

a user-manipulable element movable relative to the aperture between a closed position in which the user-manipulable element covers the aperture and an open position in which the aperture is substantially unobstructed by the user-manipulable element, the open position of the user-manipulable element being displaced by a vector relative to the closed position of the user-manipulable element,

wherein the angle γ between the vector and the direction in which the axis of the cavity extends from the orifice is obtuse.

Optionally, the angle γ is in the range of 90 ° < γ ≦ 135 °, preferably in the range of 91 ° < γ ≦ 100 °, and more preferably equal to about 95 ° or about 100 °.

Optionally, the user operable element is movable along an arc between the closed position and the open position, wherein the vector is a chord of the arc.

Each of these aspects may include any one or more of the features mentioned in the other aspects above.

The present disclosure extends to any novel aspect or feature described and/or illustrated herein. Further features of the present disclosure are characterized by the other independent and dependent claims.

It should be noted that the term "comprising" as used in this document means "consisting at least in part of … …". Thus, in interpreting statements in this document which include the term "comprising", features other than that or those which follow the term may also be present. Related terms such as "include" and "include" are to be interpreted in the same manner. As used herein, "preceding" a noun refers to the plural and/or singular form of the noun.

As used herein, the term "aerosol" shall refer to a system of particles dispersed in air or gas (such as a mist, fog, or fog). Thus, the term "aerosolization (aerosolise or aerosize)" refers to making an aerosol and/or dispersing into an aerosol. It should be noted that the meaning of aerosol/aerosolization is consistent with each of volatilization, atomization, and vaporization as defined above. For the avoidance of doubt, aerosol is used to describe consistently a mist or droplet comprising atomised, volatilized or vapourised particles. Aerosols also include mists or droplets containing any combination of atomized, volatilized, or vaporized particles.

Preferred embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an aerosol-generating device having a user-manipulable element according to a first embodiment, wherein the user-manipulable element is in a closed position.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the aerosol generating device of fig. 1, with the user manipulable element in an open position.

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the aerosol-generating device of fig. 1, wherein the user-manipulable element is in the open position and the substrate carrier is inserted.

Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the aerosol-generating device of fig. 1, illustrating a first geometric arrangement.

Fig. 5A and 5B are schematic plan views of the aerosol generating device of fig. 1 with the user-manipulable element in a closed position and an open position, respectively, showing a first geometric arrangement.

Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the aerosol-generating device of fig. 1, illustrating a second geometric arrangement.

Fig. 7A and 7B are schematic plan views of the aerosol generating device of fig. 1 with the user-manipulable element in a closed position and an open position, respectively, illustrating a second geometric arrangement.

Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the aerosol-generating device of fig. 1, illustrating a third geometric arrangement.

Fig. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating device of fig. 1 showing another geometric relationship.

Figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an aerosol-generating device according to a second embodiment, showing a first geometric arrangement.

Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating device of fig. 10, illustrating a second geometric arrangement.

Fig. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating device of fig. 10, illustrating a third geometric arrangement.

Detailed Description

First embodiment

Referring to fig. 1, an aerosol-generating device 100, according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, includes a body 102 that houses a plurality of different components of the aerosol-generating device 100. The body 102 includes an outer surface 110 that defines the shape of the body 102. The outer surface 110 may be any shape as long as it is sized to match the components described in the aerosol-generating device 100. The outer surface 110 may be formed from any suitable material or even layer of material. The size and shape of the outer surface 110 is selected to provide a user with a convenient and comfortable grip on the aerosol-generating device 100.

The aerosol generating device 100 has a first end 120 which is shown facing the bottom of fig. 1 and is described as the bottom, base or lower end of the aerosol generating device 100 for convenience. The second end 122 of the aerosol generating device 100 (which is the end opposite the first end 120) is shown towards the top of fig. 1 and is described as the top or upper end of the aerosol generating device 100 for convenience. In use, a user typically orients the aerosol-generating device 100 with the first end 120 facing downward and/or in a distal position relative to the user's mouth, and the second end 122 facing upward and/or in a proximal position relative to the user's mouth.

The body 102 (in addition to the first end 120 and the second end 122) also has a first pair of opposing faces 110a and a second pair of opposing faces 110b that together form sides of the outer surface 110 and, together with the first end 120 and the second end 122 of the aerosol-generating device 100, form the outer surface 110. The first pair of opposing faces 110a is larger than the second pair of opposing faces 110b, such that the body 102 has a generally wide or flat plate-like shape. The second end 120 has a flattened portion, for example, to allow the aerosol-generating device 100 to be placed upright on a surface (i.e., the second end 122 is the uppermost portion). The body 102 shown in fig. 1 is elongated in a direction between the first end 120 and the second end 122 of the body 102.

The second end 122 includes the user actuation member 114. In the present embodiment, the user-manipulated element 114 is a closure member, which is shown in a closed position in fig. 1 and in an open position in fig. 2. The user operated element 114 is arranged to be movable between a closed position and an open position by sliding relative to the body 102. Typically, the user manipulable element 114 slides along the second end 122 of the aerosol generating device 100 when transitioning from the closed position to the open position and from the open position to the closed position. In other embodiments, the movement of the user manipulated element 114 between the open and closed positions may be rotary or articulated. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the second end 122 of the body 102 has a curved profile and the user operated element 114 is thus moved along a curved path between the open and closed positions.

The user manipulable element 114 is freely movable between the open and closed positions such that the user manipulable element 114 may stably rest at any point between the two positions. In other examples, the user-manipulated element 114 may be bi-stable such that the user-manipulated element 114 is stable in the open and closed positions, while being biased away from the (intermediate) position between the open and closed positions toward either the open or closed position. Typically in the case of bi-stability, the user manipulated element 114 is biased from a series of intermediate positions closest to the open position towards the open position and from a series of intermediate positions closest to the closed position towards the closed position.

This is referred to as the open position of the user-manipulated element 114 as can be seen in fig. 2, because in this position the user-manipulated element 114 exposes the aperture 108, while the aperture 108 is substantially unobstructed by the user-manipulated element 114. The aperture 108 is provided in an outer surface 110 of the aerosol generating device 100. The aperture has a perimeter 128 intersecting the outer surface 110. The aperture 108 allows access to the interior of the aerosol generating device 100 by a user (when the aperture 108 is exposed as shown). In particular, the orifice 108 connects the exterior of the aerosol generating device 100 with the interior of the heating chamber 104 (not shown in fig. 2, but see, e.g., fig. 4). The aperture 108 is typically circular, but it should be understood that the aperture 108 may have another shape, such as square or triangular.

Figure 3 shows the aerosol generating device 100 in use. As can be seen, the substrate carrier 112 may be inserted into the aperture 108. The substrate carrier 112 is typically elongated (as shown) and has a first end for insertion through the aperture 108 and then into the heating chamber 104. The first end of the substrate carrier 112 comprises an aerosol substrate arranged to be heated to volatilize one or more components of the aerosol substrate. The aerosol substrate may typically comprise a tobacco-containing material that contains volatile compounds. The aerosol matrix may be a solid or semi-solid material. Examples of solids include powders, granules, pellets, chips, strands, foams, mousses, sheets. The aerosol substrate may comprise an aerosol former. Examples of aerosol formers include polyols such as glycerol, propylene glycol, and combinations thereof. The volatile compounds may include nicotine or other flavor compounds such as tobacco or non-tobacco volatiles. The aerosol substrate typically forms an aerosol, including a vapour, which the user can inhale when heated. The substrate carrier 112 has a second end opposite its first end through which a user can draw a vapor or aerosol. There may be a region between the first end (including the aerosol substrate) and the second end for condensing the vapour, cooling the vapour, filtering the vapour, etc. In some examples, only a hollow tube may be present. In any case, the user draws the vapor or aerosol through the substrate carrier 112 and out the second end of the substrate carrier 112. This is typically accomplished by the user placing the lips around the second end of the substrate carrier 112 and sucking through the substrate carrier 112. When the aerosol generating device 100 heats an aerosol substrate at a first end of the substrate carrier 112 to form a vapour or aerosol, a user may inhale the aerosol or vapour in this manner.

As can be seen in fig. 3, the user manipulation element 114 comprises a rounded protrusion that protrudes upwardly from the second end 122 of the aerosol generating device 100 (or generally away from the body 102). A user attempting to place their lips around the second end of the substrate carrier 112 (the end protruding from the aerosol generating device 100) risks the nose being disturbed by the protrusion. This may cause discomfort or discomfort to the user. However, as shown in fig. 3, when the substrate carrier 112 is inserted through the aperture 108 and into the aerosol generating device 100, the substrate carrier tilts away from the position of the user manipulated element 114 (when the user manipulated element is in the open position). This orients the second end of the substrate carrier 112 away from the ledge and allows room for the user's nose when the user places their lips on the second end of the substrate carrier 112.

Fig. 4 shows the arrangement of the components of the aerosol generating device 100 in more detail, wherein a cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating device 100 is shown. The heating chamber 104 has an elongated cavity 106, and the elongated cavity 106 has a cavity axis a (shown by the line denoted a-a in the figures) that extends centrally along the length of the elongated cavity 106. The cavity axis a may be used to define the above-mentioned inclined arrangement mentioned with reference to fig. 3. Although the substrate carrier 112 is not shown in fig. 4, it can be seen that the aerosol-generating device 100 is arranged to ensure that the substrate carrier 112 tilts away from the open position of the user-manipulable element 114 when the substrate carrier 112 is inserted into the heating chamber 104, as the heating chamber 104 (and the cavity axis a) are tilted. In this regard, the elongated cavity 106 acts as a guide to define the angle of inclination of the substrate carrier 112 inserted through the aperture 108 and into the heating chamber 104. The substrate carrier 112 is elongated, straight, and/or rod-shaped also facilitates this arrangement.

The user manipulation element 114 slides in a movement region B (shown by the line denoted B-B in the cross-sectional view of the figure). The user manipulated element 114 moves along a path, which in the illustrated embodiment is arcuate, to move between the open and closed positions. The second end 122 of the aerosol generating device 100 is generally convex and the shape of the convex determines the arc along which the user-manipulable element 114 slides.

As can be seen in fig. 4, the cavity axis a is inclined away from the movement area B. Fig. 5A and 5B show plan views of the second end 122 of the aerosol generating device 100, from which it can be seen that the movement region B (shown as the shaded region in fig. 5A and 5B) covers all the regions over which the user manipulable element 114 overlaps within its range of movement. A moving area B is shown bounded by a dashed line, where other features do not overlap the moving area B. For example, in fig. 5A, the lower portion of the movement region B is overlapped by the user actuation member 114 (shown by solid lines in its closed position), while the upper portion of the movement region B is shown by dashed lines indicating the outer range of positions that the user actuation member 114 will occupy when moved to its open position (the open position shown in fig. 5B).

Effectively, the area of movement B is the area outside the aerosol-generating device 100 that is below the user-manipulable element 114 when it is moved between the closed position (shown in figure 5A) and the open position (shown in figure 5B), including the area covered by the user-manipulable element 114 when it is in each of the closed and open positions. The movement of the user manipulated element 114 causes the area of movement B to be predominantly to one side of the aperture 108 (towards the top of fig. 5A and 5B). As shown in fig. 4, the cavity axis a is inclined away from the side of the aperture 108 where the moving area B is mainly located.

The centroid of the moving region B is the geometric center of the moving region B. The moving region B has a moving region axis C (shown by a line denoted by C-C in the drawing) defined orthogonal to the moving region B at the centroid of the moving region B. The movement region axis C extends through the centroid, at which point it is perpendicular to the outer surface 110 of the aerosol-generating device 100, or orthogonal to the movement region B. Returning to fig. 4, it can be seen that the cavity axis a is inclined away from the movement region axis C. The cavity axis a and the displacement area axis C are inclined away from each other by an angle a. In the illustrated embodiment, the angle α is shown as being about 20 °. More generally, the angle α is in the range of 15 ° < α ≦ 35 °. In other embodiments, the angle α may be in the range of 10 ° < α ≦ 45 ° or even in the range of 0 ° < α ≦ 45 °, depending on the exact geometry of the aerosol-generating device 100. The magnitude of the angle a may be selected to incline the cavity axis a away from the movement region B sufficiently to allow a user to place his lips around the second end of the (given length of) substrate carrier 112 and draw a vapor or aerosol through the substrate carrier 112 without his nose (or other part of his face) coming into contact with the user manipulation element 114.

The angle a may also be selected such that the heating chamber 104 does not project too much onto the body 102 of the aerosol-generating device 100, for example, in a direction extending between the second opposing face 110b of the outer surface 110 or perpendicular to the length (between the first end 120 and the second end 122) of the aerosol-generating device 100. This may help to make the aerosol-generating device 100 of a size and shape that is aesthetically pleasing and easier for a user to securely grip, e.g., not too wide. The exact value of the angle a may be selected to adapt the aerosol-generating device 100 to the size and shape of the user-manipulable element 114 and the desired shape and size of the outer surface 110.

Fig. 4 also shows a power storage device 126. The power storage means 126 is a battery in this embodiment for supplying power to a heater (not shown) that heats the chamber 104 in order to cause heating and thereby volatilisation of part of the aerosol substrate as described above. In embodiments where the power storage device 126 is a battery, the heating chamber 104 may include an electrical heater (not shown). The power storage device 126 is electrically coupled to the heating chamber 104 via the controller 118, which may be used to adjust the heating profile of the heater, for example to ensure that heating is initiated quickly to reduce the time between activation and generation of sufficient vapor or aerosol that a user may draw on the substrate carrier 112 (a moment referred to as first suck). Additionally or alternatively, the controller 118 may be used to prevent overheating of the aerosol substrate, for example by receiving temperature information from the heating chamber 104 and operating to maintain the temperature at or below a given threshold temperature.

As shown in fig. 4, the power storage device 126 has a generally cylindrical shape. The power storage device axis D (shown by the line denoted D-D in the figures) extends longitudinally along the center of the power storage device 126, and is therefore a central axis of cylindrical shape in this embodiment. As can be seen in the figures, the cavity axis a is inclined with respect to the power storage device axis D. More specifically, as shown, the cavity axis a and the power storage device axis D converge toward each other, toward the first end 120 of the body 102. In the embodiment shown, the cavity axis a is inclined relative to the power storage device axis D by an angle greater than the angle α between the cavity axis a and the movement region axis C. Stated differently, the power storage device axis D forms an angle with the movement region axis C such that the two axes C, D diverge as they extend outwardly from the second end 122 away from the aerosol-generating device 100. In contrast, however, in some embodiments, the power storage device axis D is parallel to the movement region axis C. Such an embodiment may be beneficial, for example, by reducing the width of the body 102 toward the second end 122 such that the body 102 does not expand outward toward the second end 122; and/or may have a uniform cross-sectional shape along its length, e.g., such that the body 102 is an oval cylinder or the like, which in turn may improve the comfort of a user holding the aerosol-generating device 100.

It should be noted that the extensions of the cavity axis a and the movement area axis C towards the first end 120 of the aerosol-generating device 100 intersect inside the body 102. However, this is not always the case, and in some embodiments, the cavity axis a and the movement region axis C intersect outside of the body 102 (e.g., below the first end 120), such as where the angle a is less than the angle shown in fig. 4. Similarly, the cavity axis a and the movement region axis C may not intersect, but merely each have such a point along its length, either inside the body 102 or outside the body 102: at this point, they are closest to each other, e.g., "crossing," and never actually meet. This may be the case when the shape of the aerosol-generating device 100 has little symmetry, particularly so that the cavity axis a and the movement region axis C lie in parallel planes. Likewise, in the illustrated embodiment, the cavity axis a and the power storage device axis D intersect when extending toward the first end 120. In the illustrated embodiment, the cavity axis a and the power storage device axis D must extend below the first end 120 to intersect. In other words, the intersection point is outside the body 102. In other embodiments, the intersection between the cavity axis a and the power storage device axis D is within the body 102. This may be varied by changing the tilt angle of the heating chamber 104 and/or the power supply 126. Also, when the symmetry is minimal, the cavity axis a and the power storage device axis D may instead only "cross" in the above sense without intersecting.

Referring to fig. 6, 7A and 7B, the geometry of the aerosol generating device 100 may be described in different ways with reference to the position of the user-manipulated element 114 in the open position. The open position of the user manipulation element 114 defines an open area F (shown by the line denoted F-F in the cross-sectional view of fig. 6 and by the shaded area denoted F in the plan views of fig. 7A and 7B). The opening region axis G (shown by the line denoted G-G in fig. 6) is defined as a line extending through the centroid of the opening region F, perpendicular to the outer surface 110 at that point, or orthogonal to the opening region F. The centroid of the opening region F is the geometric center of the opening region F. The opening region F has an opening region axis G (shown by a line denoted G-G in the figure) defined orthogonal to the opening region F at the centroid of the opening region F. As can be seen most clearly in fig. 7A and 7B, the opening area F is the "footprint" of the user manipulation element 114 in the open position.

An open area F is shown bounded by a dashed line, where the open area F is not overlapped by other features. For example, in fig. 7A, the user-manipulated element 114 is shown in its closed position, toward the lower portion of fig. 7A, by solid lines. In contrast, an open area F is shown by dashed lines, which defines a shaded area having the same shape and size as the user manipulated element 114, but located towards the top of fig. 7A. The open area encompasses the area that is overlapped by the user manipulation element 114 when the user manipulation element is in the open position; that is, the open area F indicates the position that the user operating member 114 will occupy when moved to its open position. In fig. 7B, the user manipulation element 114 is shown in the open position, and the user manipulation element 114 overlaps (by definition) the open area F. Effectively, the opening area F is the area outside the aerosol-generating device 100 that is below the user manipulation element 114 when the user manipulation element 114 is in the open position (in fig. 7B, the opening area F and the user manipulation element 114 are thus just aligned with each other).

It is clear that the open area F is located towards one side of the aperture 108 (towards the top of fig. 7A and 7B). Accordingly, because only the position of the user manipulation element 114 in the open position is considered in defining the open area F, the open area axis G is positioned on the side of the aperture 108 (toward the top of fig. 7A and 7B). As can be seen in fig. 6, 7A and 7B, the heating chamber 104 (and corresponding cavity axis a) is inclined away from the opening area F. In other words, the opening region axis G and the cavity axis a diverge from each other outside the body 102 in a direction outward from the second end 122 of the aerosol-generating device 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the angle β between the opening region axis G and the cavity axis a is about 25 °. More generally, the angle β is in the range of 15 ° < β ≦ 35 °. In other embodiments, the angle β may be in the range of 10 ° < β ≦ 45 ° or even in the range of 0 ° < β ≦ 45 ° depending on the exact geometry of the aerosol-generating device 100. As mentioned above, different tilt angles may be selected for various reasons (ergonomics, practicality, aesthetics, etc.) to accomplish different arrangements.

In some cases, the cavity axis a and the extension of the open area axis G toward the first end 120 of the aerosol-generating device 100 intersect inside the body 102. However, this is not always the case, and in some embodiments, the cavity axis a and the open area axis G intersect outside of the body 102 (e.g., below the first end 120), for example, where the angle β between the cavity axis a and the open area axis G is less than the angle shown in fig. 6. Similarly, the cavity axis a and the open area axis G may not intersect, but merely have points along their lengths within the body 102 or outside the body 102, respectively: at which point they are closest to each other, e.g., "crossing," and never actually meet. This may be the case when the shape of the aerosol-generating device 100 has little symmetry, particularly so that the cavity axis a and the open area axis G lie in parallel planes.

Likewise, in the illustrated embodiment, the cavity axis a and the power storage device axis D (not shown in fig. 6, but see fig. 4) intersect when extending toward the first end 120. In other words, this intersection point is outside the body 102. In other embodiments, the intersection between the cavity axis a and the power storage device axis D is within the body 102. This may be varied by changing the tilt angle of the heating chamber 104 and/or the power supply 126. Also, when the symmetry is minimal, the cavity axis a and the power storage device axis D may instead only "cross" in the above sense without intersecting.

With reference to fig. 8, the geometry of the aerosol-generating device 100 may also be described with reference to the displacement of the user-manipulated element 114. In fig. 8, a vector H is plotted between the closed position of the user actuation element 114 and the open position of the user actuation element 114. Because the user-manipulated element 114 travels along a curved path between the closed position and the open position, the centroid of the side view of the user-manipulated element 114 is used in FIG. 8 to unambiguously define the end point of the vector H. Because the movement of the user actuation member 114 between the open and closed positions is arcuate, the vector H is a chord of this arc. In other cases, the centroid of the volume of the user manipulated element 114 may be used to unambiguously define the start and end points of the vector H. In yet another example, the points on the outer surface of the user manipulation element 114 that intersect the cavity axis a when the user manipulation element 114 is in the closed position are positions that can be used to unambiguously define the start and end points of the vector H.

As can be seen in this figure, the vector H may extend back (to the left of the closed position of fig. 8) to intersect the cavity axis a. An angle γ is formed between the vector H and the cavity axis a. This angle γ is the angle between the vector H and the direction in which the cavity axis a extends from the aperture 108. The angle γ is an obtuse angle. In the illustrated embodiment, the angle γ is approximately 95 °. More generally, the angle γ is in the range 91 ° < γ ≦ 100 °. In other embodiments, the angle γ may be in the range of 90 ° < γ ≦ 135 °, depending on the exact geometry of the aerosol-generating device 100. As mentioned above, different tilt angles may be selected for various reasons (ergonomics, practicality, aesthetics, etc.) to implement different arrangements.

In the present definition, the magnitude of the angle γ depends not only on the inclination of the heating chamber 104 and the cavity axis a, but also on the curvature of the second end 122 of the aerosol generating device 100 and the angular distance spanned by the curve of the user-manipulated element 114 about the second end 122, wherein a steeper curve and a greater distance traveled by the user-manipulated element 114 along the curve each increase the angle γ, under otherwise identical conditions. As described above, vector H may be defined using another point of user-manipulated element 114 than the centroid, so long as the start and end points of the vector use the same point. Since the user manipulated element 114 takes a curved path when moving between its open and closed positions, the direction and length of the vector H will change if a point other than the centroid is selected. However, this does not affect the establishment of the geometric description of the tilt, as long as the value of the angle γ is suitably modified (and thus the angle may not be an obtuse angle).

In fig. 9, another geometric relationship of the components of the aerosol generating device 100 is emphasized. Here, the perimeter 128 of the orifice 108 is shown as defining an orifice plane E (shown by the line denoted E-E in the cross-sectional view of this figure). That is, the edge(s) of the aperture 108 that define the perimeter 128 of the aperture lie within the aperture plane E. In other words, a two-dimensional shape, typically circular, may be formed by the perimeter 128 of the aperture 108, as viewed looking toward the aperture 108. The two-dimensional shape lies on an orifice plane E, which is the plane defined by the orifice 104. Of course, in variations of this embodiment, the perimeter 128 of the aperture 108 may define a non-planar shape, such as a curved plane that curves in one or more directions.

The orifice plane E defines an orifice axis J (shown by the line denoted J-J in fig. 8) that extends through the center (e.g., centroid) of the orifice 108, perpendicular or orthogonal to the orifice plane E. Obviously, in the illustrated embodiment, the orifice axis J is not aligned with the cavity axis a. Rather, the orifice axis J and the cavity axis a diverge from one another outside the body 102 in a direction away from the aerosol-generating device 100 from an intersection at the centroid of the orifice 108. In other words, the cavity axis a is inclined relative to the orifice axis J. It should be noted that this arrangement decouples the tilt of the heating chamber 104 (embodied in the direction of the cavity axis a) from the shape and orientation of the outer surface 110 at the point where the aperture 108 is formed in this outer surface 110 (embodied by the direction of J, which may be considered as the normal axis of the outer surface 110 at the centroid of the aperture 108 if the aperture is covered in a flush manner with the surrounding outer surface 110). In other words, the inclination of the heating chamber 104 does not require the outer surface 110 to be any particular shape or have any particular orientation. In particular, the cavity axis a need not be orthogonal to the outer surface 110. It should be noted that the geometries defined above with respect to the inclination of the cavity axis a with respect to the movement region B, the movement region axis C, the opening region F, the opening region axis G and/or the vector H may equally be defined with respect to the inclination of the orifice plane E or the orifice axis J with respect to the movement region B, the movement region axis C, the opening region F, the opening region axis G and/or the vector H, but the magnitude of the angles is different.

Of course, in variations of this embodiment, the orifice plane E defined by the perimeter 128 of the orifice 108 may not be two-dimensional or flat, but rather a non-planar shape, such as a curved plane that curves in one or more directions. In such a variation, the orifice axis J may still be defined because it extends only through the center or centroid of the orifice 108, perpendicular or orthogonal to the orifice plane E (at the center or centroid).

The user manipulated element 114 is described above as a closure member that is selectively movable to cover or uncover the aperture 108. However, in other embodiments, the user manipulable element 114 has a different function. In some embodiments, the user manipulation element 114 is a button configured to move in a direction toward the body 102 to control operation of the aerosol-generating device 100. In such embodiments, the movement region B extends only as far as the perimeter of the button, wherein movement is only towards and away from the body 102 of the aerosol-generating device 100. Such a region of movement B may look like the open region F shown in fig. 7A and 7B, because the "footprint" of movement is limited to the region on the second end 122 of the aerosol generating device 100 directly beneath the user-manipulable element 114, in which case "beneath" means towards the body 102. This moving area B may be entirely to one side of the aperture 108 (to the right of the aperture 108 in the case where the aerosol generating device 100 is oriented as shown in figure 4). It should be noted, however, that while such a change to the definition of the moving area B will slightly change the position of the centroid (e.g. to axis G in fig. 7), the above definition relating to the inclination of the heating chamber 104 with respect to the axis perpendicular to the moving area B at the centroid of the moving area B still holds, although the angle a has a different (larger) value. It should also be noted that the user-manipulable element 114 in the form of a button still protrudes from the aerosol-generating device 100, for example as a protrusion, and thus the reason for including the inclined heating chamber 104 is still true. In some cases, even if the user manipulation element 114 does not protrude (or protrudes much less than that shown in fig. 4), it may still be advantageous to tilt the heating chamber 104, as this allows the user to operate the button with a thumb or finger without hitting the nose in doing so.

In yet further embodiments, the user manipulable element 114 may be arranged to move both over the full range of the movement region B shown in fig. 4 and from the open position shown in fig. 4 closer to the body 102, for example to control the aerosol generating device 100. In this case, the movement zone B and the movement zone axis C are still as shown in fig. 4, and the above discussion regarding this arrangement still applies.

Embodiments in which the user operating element 114 is operated as a push button may include biasing means to urge the user operating element 114 away from the body 102. This may allow the user manipulation element 114 to be in a state in which the user manipulation element 114 is not pressed by default, and thereby avoid a malfunction. The user manipulable element 114 may cause the aerosol generating device 100 to activate and run a heating cycle when the user manipulable element 114 is depressed (or held for a predetermined amount of time), or in some cases, the aerosol generating device 100 may only operate when the user manipulable element 114 is depressed, and heating may cease when the user manipulable element 114 is released. In either case, the controller 118 may be arranged to determine the position of the user operated element 114 and to selectively activate the heater based on the determined position of the user operated element 114. In yet further embodiments, the controller 118 may be configured to prevent heating when the user manipulated element 114 is detected to be in the closed position.

As used herein, a heating cycle refers to a predetermined period of time during which power is delivered to the heater. For example, the total time to complete the heating cycle may be the time it takes to heat all or most of the volatizable material in the aerosol substrate (e.g., the portion that the user desires to inhale) and form a vapor or aerosol. The heating cycle may include delivering a predetermined power over a predetermined time, delivering a series of predetermined powers over corresponding predetermined times, or it may operate as a feedback loop, measuring the temperature (e.g., heating a portion of the chamber 104) and adjusting the delivered power to bring the temperature closer to the desired temperature.

Figure 4 shows an example of the operating mechanism of the user-manipulable member 114 in the form of a sliding closure. Curved guides are provided to limit the movement of the user actuation member 114 and to limit its movement. This may help to prevent the user-manipulated element 114 from sliding too far in either direction and ensure that the closed position does cover the aperture 108 to prevent dust or dirt from entering the heating chamber 104. The curved guide may have a sensor at each end to detect the position of the user manipulated element 114. The guide may also ensure that the user manipulation element 114 may be pressed towards the body 102 only when the user manipulation element 114 is in the open position. This may help to ensure that the aerosol-generating device 100 cannot be activated and that the substrate carrier 112 cannot be inserted into the heating chamber 104 when the user-manipulated element 114 covers the aperture 108.

Second embodiment

Referring to fig. 10-12, the aerosol-generating device 100 according to the second embodiment is identical to the aerosol-generating device 100 according to the first embodiment, except that the second end 122 of the aerosol-generating device 100 is generally planar or flat. The same reference numbers are used in the drawings to refer to the same or like features, and for the sake of brevity only the differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be described below.

In the second embodiment, the user manipulable element 114 comprises a protrusion projecting outwardly from the second end 122 of the aerosol generating device 100. As shown in fig. 10, both the heating chamber 104 and the cavity axis a are inclined away from the position of the user manipulation element 114 in the open position. This orients the second end of the substrate carrier 112 inserted into the heating chamber 104 away from the user manipulation element 114 and leaves room for the user's nose when the user places their lips on the second end of the substrate carrier 112.

Fig. 10 emphasizes the tilted arrangement using a similar geometric representation as described for the first embodiment with reference to fig. 4, 5A and 5B. Although the substrate carrier 112 is not shown in fig. 10, it can be seen that the aerosol-generating device 100 is arranged to ensure that the substrate carrier 112 tilts away from the open position of the user-manipulable element 114 when the substrate carrier 112 is inserted into the heating chamber 104, as the heating chamber 104 (and the cavity axis a) are tilted. In this regard, the elongated cavity 106 of the heating chamber 104 acts as a guide to define the angle of inclination of the substrate carrier 112 inserted through the aperture 108 and into the heating chamber 104.

The user manipulated element 114 slides in a movement region B (here shown by line B-B in cross section). The closed position of the user-actuated element 114 is shown in phantom and the open position is shown in solid. The moving area B extends as far as the outer range of these positions. The user manipulated element 114 also moves in a straight line to move along the planar or flat second end 122 between the open and closed positions. As can be clearly seen in fig. 10, the cavity axis a is inclined away from the movement area B.

The moving region B has a moving region axis C (shown by line C-C in the cross-sectional view of fig. 10). The cavity axis a is inclined relative to the displacement zone axis C. More specifically, the cavity axis a and the movement area axis C are inclined away from each other by an angle α. In this embodiment, the angle α is about 30 °. More generally, the angle α is in the range of 15 ° < α ≦ 35 °. In a variation of the second embodiment, the angle α may be in the range of 10 ° < α ≦ 45 ° or even in the range of 0 ° < α ≦ 45 °, depending on the exact geometry of the aerosol-generating device 100. The magnitude of the angle a may be selected to incline the cavity axis a away from the movement region B sufficiently to allow a user to place their lips around the protruding ends of the substrate carrier 112 and draw vapor or aerosol through the substrate carrier 112 without their nose (or other parts of their face) touching the user manipulable element 114. In another aspect of the range of values, the angle α may be selected such that the heating chamber 104 does not project too far in a direction perpendicular to the length of the aerosol generating device 100. This may help make the aerosol-generating device 100 aesthetically pleasing and make it easier for a user to securely grip. The exact value of a may be selected to adapt the aerosol-generating device 100 to the size and shape of the user-manipulable element 114 and the desired shape and size of the outer surface 110.

Although not shown in fig. 10, the aerosol generating device 100 may include a power storage device 126 and a controller 118, as set forth above with respect to the first embodiment. The power storage device 126 may have a corresponding power storage device axis D that is inclined relative to the cavity axis a, as described with respect to the first embodiment, for example with reference to fig. 4.

It should be noted that the extensions of the cavity axis a and the movement area axis C towards the first end 120 of the aerosol-generating device 100 intersect inside the body 102. However, this is not always the case, and in some examples, the intersection of the cavity axis a and the movement region axis C is outside of the body 102 (e.g., below the first end 120), such as where the angle a is less than the angle shown in fig. 10. Similarly, the cavity axis a and the movement region axis C may not intersect, but merely have points along their lengths within the body 102 or outside the body 102, respectively: at this point they are closest to each other, e.g. "crossed", and never actually meet, as described with reference to the first embodiment.

Fig. 11 emphasizes the tilted arrangement using a similar geometric representation as described for the first embodiment with reference to fig. 6, 7A and 7B. The user-manipulable element 114 is shown in an open position in fig. 11, such that the aperture 108 is uncovered. This open position in turn defines an open area F (shown by the line F-F in the cross-sectional view of fig. 11). The opening area axis G (shown by the line denoted G-G in the figures) is again defined as the line extending through the centroid of the opening area F, perpendicular to the outer surface 110 at that point. It can be seen that the heating chamber 104 (and corresponding cavity axis a) is inclined away from the opening area F. In other words, the open area axis G and the cavity axis a radiate from each other outside the body 102 in a direction away from the body 102. In the second embodiment, the angle β formed by the opening region axis G and the cavity axis a is about 30 °. More generally, the angle β is in the range of 15 ° < β ≦ 35 °. In a variation of the second embodiment, the angle β may be in the range of 10 ° < β ≦ 45 ° or even in the range of 0 ° < β ≦ 45 °, depending on the exact geometry of the aerosol-generating device 100. It can be seen that this is another way of describing the inclination of the heating chamber 104 and the cavity axis a, using a different geometry than that provided in fig. 10.

In some cases, the cavity axis a and the extension of the open area axis G toward the first end 120 of the aerosol-generating device 100 intersect inside the body 102. However, this is not always the case, and in some examples, the intersection between cavity axis a and open area axis G is outside of body 102 (e.g., below first end 120), such as where the angle β between cavity axis a and open area axis G is less than the angle shown in fig. 11. As described above, the cavity axis a and the open area axis G may instead only "intersect" in the above sense without intersecting.

Fig. 12 emphasizes a tilted arrangement using a similar geometrical representation as described for the first embodiment with reference to fig. 8. A vector H is drawn between the closed position of the user actuation member 114 and the open position of the user actuation member 114. Because the user actuation member 114 travels along a straight path between these positions, any point on the user actuation member 114 can be used as long as the same point is used for the start and end points of the vector, and the same vector H will result (which is not the case for the convex variant shown in fig. 8 in general). It can be seen that the vector H may extend back (to the left in fig. 12) to intersect the cavity axis a. An angle γ is formed between the vector H and the cavity axis a. In more detail, the angle γ is the angle between the vector H and the direction in which the cavity axis a extends from the aperture 108. The angle γ is an obtuse angle, and this represents another way of defining the inclination of the heating chamber 104 and the cavity axis a.

In a second embodiment, the angle γ is about 100 °. More generally, the angle γ is in the range 91 ° < γ ≦ 100 °. In a variation of the second embodiment, the angle γ may be in the range of 90 ° < γ ≦ 135 °, depending on the exact geometry of the aerosol-generating device 100. As mentioned above, different tilt angles may be selected for various reasons (ergonomics, practicality, aesthetics, etc.) to implement different arrangements. As can be seen in fig. 12, the movement of the user actuation element 114 between the open position and the closed position is a straight line in this embodiment, and the vector H is aligned with this straight line.

Although the user-manipulated element 114 is shown in fig. 10 as a closure that is slidable to selectively cover or uncover the aperture 108, in other examples, the user-manipulated element 114 may have a different function. For example, the user manipulation element 114 may be a button configured to move in a direction toward the body 102, e.g., to control operation of the aerosol-generating device 100. In this case, the moving area B will only extend as far as the protrusion forming the button (the moving area will look more like area F in fig. 7a and 7B) because the "footprint" of movement is limited to the area on the second end 122 of the aerosol generating device 100 directly under the user-manipulable element 114 and is mostly or even entirely to one side of the aperture 108 (in fig. 10, to the right of the aperture). It should be noted, however, that while such a change to the definition of the moving region B will slightly change the location of the centroid (e.g., to axis G of fig. 7A and 7B), the above definition relating to the tilt of the heating chamber 104 relative to the centroid of the moving region remains. It should be noted that the button still protrudes from the aerosol-generating device 100, and therefore the reason for including the inclined heating chamber 104 is still true. In some cases, even if the button does not protrude (or protrudes much less than that shown in fig. 10), it may still be advantageous to tilt the heating chamber 104, as this allows the user to operate the button with a thumb or finger without hitting the nose in doing so.

In yet a further example, the user manipulation element 114 may be arranged to both move over the full range of the movement region B shown in fig. 10, and move from the open position shown in fig. 10 closer to the body 102, for example to control the aerosol generating device 100. In this case, the movement region axis C is still as shown in fig. 10, and the discussion above regarding this arrangement still applies.

In the second embodiment, a given inclination of the cavity axis a results in angles α and β having equal values, since the second end 122 is planar or flat. This is visible because the angles α and β are in each case measured between the inclined cavity axis a and the normal of the second end 122 of the plane. A further relationship between gamma and alpha or beta can be derived in the case where the second end 122 is planar. For a given angle of inclination of the cavity axis a and in case the second end 122 is planar or flat, the relationship between γ and α or β is γ +90 ° + β +90 °.

Definitions and alternative embodiments

As can be appreciated from the above description, many features of these different embodiments are interchangeable with one another. The present disclosure extends to additional embodiments that incorporate features from different embodiments that are not specifically mentioned in combination.

Embodiments have been described in which the user manipulable element 114 is a door that selectively covers and uncovers the aperture 108; wherein the user manipulable element 114 is not movable to cover the aperture 108 but rather acts as a button for activating the aerosol generating device 100; and wherein the user operated element is both a door and a button. The inclination of the heating chamber 104 and other geometries of the aerosol generating device 100 are substantially the same in each of these embodiments, but may be most accurately defined using the different definitions provided and have different (if overlapping) advantages depending on the functionality of the user manipulation element 114.

While the above description has shown that the movement region B, the opening region F, and the vector H extend or lie on a side of the aperture 108 that is offset in a direction between the second pair of opposing faces 110B towards the centroid of the second end 122 of the aerosol generating device 100 and away from the edge of the second end 122 (e.g., to the right in fig. 1-4, 6, and 8-12), this need not always be the case. For example, the movement region B, the opening region F, and the vector H may extend to or be located at the left, front, or rear of the aerosol-generating device 100 (as oriented in fig. 1-4, 6, and 8-12), e.g., closer to the edge of the second end 122 than to the centroid of the second end 122. As described above, the cavity axis a remains inclined away from the movement area B, the opening area F, or the vector H, however the direction of inclination differs depending on the position of the movement area B, the opening area F, or the vector H.

The first embodiment described above relates to a convexly curved second end 122. The convex shape in this case is generic rather than specific, for example covering a shape formed by a series of planar segments angled relative to each other to form a generally convex shape. Likewise, the curved second end 122 is shown as a circular arc, but this may be generalized to a convex second end 122 having any curved shape. The second embodiment covers the following cases: the second end 122 is not convex, but rather is a flat planar surface, but again, this is general and not specific. For example, the edge of second end 122 may be curved, e.g., have a radius, and second end 122 may have features thereon that disrupt its generally planar nature, such as one or more protrusions, undulations, or notches.

It will be apparent that the principles described herein may be applied to aerosol-generating devices 100 for receiving a wide variety of substrate carriers 112. In fact, any replaceable substrate carrier can be used, with the inclination generally improving access. When the substrate carrier 112 is elongate and protrudes from the aerosol-generating device 100 in use (e.g. such that it is intended for a user to interact with the protruding end of the substrate carrier 112), there is an additional benefit: the mouth and face of the user are more appropriately spaced from the aerosol generating device 100, as described above. Indeed, the tilted arrangement described herein is useful because it provides design freedom in the shape of the outer surface 110 and the user manipulation element 114, while allowing a range of different aerosol generating devices 100 to each use conventionally designed substrate carriers 112, thus benefiting from the economics of mass production of the substrate carriers 112 (as there is no need to design different substrate carriers 112 for each aerosol generating device 100).

The above-listed descriptions of various geometric arrangements refer to different planes and axes. While these definitions rely on certain portions of the aerosol-generating device 100 (e.g., the orifice perimeter 128, the elongated cavity 106, the open area B, etc.), the axes and planes are virtual or imaginary. As such, they are typically beyond the structural boundaries of the associated components, such as beyond the body 102 of the aerosol-generating device 100 or outward from the outer surface of the aerosol-generating device 100.

As used herein, the term "vapor" (vapour or vapor) refers to: (i) the liquid is naturally converted into a form by the action of a sufficient degree of heat; or (ii) liquid/moisture particles suspended in the atmosphere and visible as a vapour/smoke cloud; or (iii) a fluid that fills the space like a gas but can be liquefied only by pressure below its critical temperature. The term "vapourisation" (vaporise or vaporize) in accordance with this definition means: (i) change to or cause change to steam; and (ii) wherein the particles change physical state (i.e., change from liquid or solid to gaseous).

Claims

1. An aerosol-generating device (100) comprising:

a body (102);

a heating chamber (104) housed in the body (102), the heating chamber (104) comprising an elongated cavity (106);

an aperture (108) in an outer surface (110) of the body (102) through which aperture (108) a substrate carrier (112) comprising aerosol generating material is insertable into an elongate cavity (106) of the heating chamber (104) along a cavity axis (a) extending centrally along the length of the elongate cavity (106), a perimeter (128) of the aperture (108) defining an aperture plane (E), wherein an aperture axis (J) is orthogonal to the aperture plane (E) at the centroid of the aperture (108); and

a user manipulation element (114) arranged to be movable in a movement region (B) of the outer surface (110) of the body (102), the movement region (B) extending at least predominantly on one side of the aperture (108) and having a movement region axis (C) orthogonal to the movement region (B) at a centroid of the movement region (B); wherein the aperture axis (J) and the cavity axis (A) both lie in a direction extending from the aperture (108) that is inclined away from the movement region axis (C).

2. An aerosol-generating device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the cavity axis (A) is inclined away from the movement-area axis (C) by an angle a in the range 0 ° < a ≦ 45 °.

3. An aerosol-generating device (100) according to claim 2, wherein the cavity axis (a) and the movement-region axis (C) intersect inside the body (102).

4. The aerosol-generating device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the user-manipulated element (114) protrudes from an outer surface (110) of the body (102).

5. The aerosol-generating device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the user-manipulable element (114) is movable towards the body (102).

6. An aerosol-generating device (100) according to any preceding claim, wherein the user-manipulable element (114) is movable relative to the aperture (108) between a closed position in which the user-manipulable element (114) covers the aperture (108), and an open position in which the aperture (108) is substantially unobstructed by the user-manipulable element (114).

7. The aerosol-generating device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the user-manipulated element (114) is slidable on the outer surface (110) of the body (102).

8. An aerosol-generating device (100) according to any preceding claim in which the user-manipulable element (114) is movable along an arc.

9. The aerosol-generating device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body (102) is elongate between a first end (120) and a second end (122), and the aperture (108) and the user-manipulated element (114) are located on the second end (122) of the body (102).

10. The aerosol-generating device (100) according to claim 10, wherein the second end (122) of the body (102) is generally convex.

11. The aerosol-generating device (100) according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein between the first end (120) and the second end (122), the outer surface (110) of the body (102) has a first pair of opposing faces (110a) and a second pair of opposing faces (110b), the first pair of opposing faces (110a) being larger than the second pair of opposing faces (110 b).

12. The aerosol generating device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a power storage device (126), the power storage device (126) being elongate and having a power storage device axis (D) extending centrally along its length, the power storage device axis (D) and the cavity axis (a) converging towards each other towards the first end (120) of the body (102).

13. An aerosol-generating device (100) according to any preceding claim, and the substrate carrier (112), wherein the substrate carrier (112) is elongate and is positioned coaxially with the elongate cavity (106) in use.

14. An aerosol-generating device (100) according to claim 13, and the substrate carrier (112), wherein the substrate carrier (112) protrudes outwardly from the aperture (108) when fully inserted into the elongate cavity (106).

15. An aerosol-generating device (100) according to any preceding claim, wherein the aerosol-generating device (100) comprises a detector for detecting movement of the user-manipulable element (114) and a controller (118) for controlling operation of the aerosol-generating device (118) in response to detection of the movement.