CN117460431A

CN117460431A - Aerosol supply device

Info

Publication number: CN117460431A
Application number: CN202280041501.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马修·保罗·赖特; 托马斯·丹尼尔·布龙博斯奇; 弗兰克·格雷顿·阿姆斯沃西; 肖恩·帕特里克·道林; 戴维·克莱门斯; 卢德米拉·韦斯特; 卢克·沃伦; 罗斯·卡伯特; 安通·科鲁斯
Original assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Current assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-11
Filing date: 2022-06-07
Publication date: 2024-01-26

Abstract

An aerosol provision device 702 is disclosed comprising a lid portion 706, a base portion 708 and a securing mechanism 710, wherein the securing mechanism 710 is configured to engage the lid portion 706 with the base portion 708 so as to hold an aerosol-generating article in place in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article. The lid portion 706 and the base portion 708 are configured to hold the aerosol-generating article in place between the lid portion 706 and the base portion 708.

Description

Aerosol supply device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an aerosol provision device, an aerosol provision system and a method of generating an aerosol.

Background

Smoking articles such as cigarettes, cigars, etc. burn tobacco during use to generate tobacco smoke. Attempts have been made to provide alternatives to these articles by creating products that release the compounds without burning. Examples of such products are so-called "heat not burn" products or tobacco heating devices or products that release compounds by heating rather than burning a material. The material may be, for example, tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine.

Aerosol supply systems are known which cover the above-mentioned devices or products. Common systems use a heater to generate an aerosol from a suitable medium, which is then inhaled by the user. The medium used typically needs to be changed or altered to provide a different aerosol for inhalation. It is known to use an induction heating system as a heater to generate an aerosol from a suitable medium. Induction heating systems generally include: a magnetic field generating means for generating a varying magnetic field; and a susceptor or heating material capable of heating by penetration with a varying magnetic field to heat a suitable medium.

Conventional aerosol provision devices include a cylindrical heating chamber into which a rod-shaped consumable is inserted.

However, next generation devices are considered in which consumables having a non-cylindrical shape, such as consumables including a flat substrate, are used. The planar substrate may comprise a susceptor (such as an aluminium substrate) heated by penetration with a varying magnetic field and may be inserted into an aerosol supply. This intended arrangement may present problems in that the susceptor may move in an undesirable manner relative to the aerosol supply means in use.

It is therefore desirable to provide an improved aerosol provision device.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one aspect, there is provided an aerosol provision device comprising:

a cover portion;

a base portion; and

a securing mechanism, wherein the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to hold the aerosol-generating article in place in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article;

wherein the lid portion and the base portion are configured to retain the aerosol-generating article in position between the lid portion and the base portion in use.

According to various embodiments, there is provided an aerosol provision device having a securing mechanism arranged to engage a lid portion and a base portion of the aerosol provision device so as to retain an aerosol-generating article in position between the lid portion and the base portion in use, thereby preventing unwanted movement of a susceptor, for example forming part of the aerosol-generating article.

Optionally, the aerosol-supplying device comprises one or more heating elements, and wherein the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to hold the aerosol-generating article in position in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article in a direction towards or away from the one or more heating elements; wherein the base portion and/or the heating portion comprises one or more heating elements.

Optionally, the aerosol-supplying device is configured such that, in use, the aerosol-generating article comprising the plurality of aerosol-generating regions is positioned such that the one or more aerosol-generating regions are located adjacent to a heating element of the one or more heating elements, wherein the aerosol-supplying device comprises a rotation device configured to rotate the aerosol-generating article relative to the heating element about the axis of rotation such that the one or more aerosol-generating regions are moved to a position adjacent to the heating element, and wherein the securing mechanism is configured such that the aerosol-generating article is rotatable relative to the heating element while preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article in directions other than rotation about the axis of rotation.

Optionally, the aerosol-supplying device comprises one or more heating elements defining a planar surface, and wherein the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to retain the substantially planar aerosol-generating article in a position parallel to the planar surface of the one or more heating elements in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the substantially planar aerosol-generating article in a direction substantially perpendicular to the planar surface.

Optionally, the one or more heating elements comprise a substantially planar heating element.

Optionally, the lid portion and/or the base portion comprises one or more walls configured to form an aerosol-chamber when the lid portion is engaged with the base portion, wherein, in use, the lid portion and/or the base portion apply pressure uniformly to the substantially planar aerosol-generating article through the one or more walls so as to prevent relative movement of the aerosol-generating article such that the spacing between the one or more heating elements and the substantially planar aerosol-generating article is maintained throughout the substantially planar aerosol-generating article.

Optionally, in use, the lid portion and/or the base portion apply pressure uniformly to the substantially planar aerosol-generating article by: (i) a perimeter or perimeter of one or more walls; and/or (ii) a plurality of radial struts of one or more walls extending toward the interior of the aerosol chamber.

Optionally, in use, the one or more walls are configured to embed or partially cut into the aerosol-generating article or the substantially planar aerosol-generating article.

Optionally, the one or more walls comprise one or more partially deformable regions.

Optionally: (i) The perimeter or perimeter of one or more walls includes one or more partially deformable regions; and/or (ii) the plurality of radial struts of the one or more walls comprise one or more partially deformable regions.

Optionally, the lid portion and/or the base portion comprises one or more struts, wherein, in use, the lid portion and/or the base portion applies pressure uniformly to the substantially planar aerosol-generating article through the one or more struts to prevent relative movement of the aerosol-generating article such that the spacing between the one or more heating elements and the substantially planar aerosol-generating article is maintained throughout the substantially planar aerosol-generating article.

Optionally, in use, the one or more struts are configured to be embedded or partially cut into the aerosol-generating article or the substantially planar aerosol-generating article.

Optionally, the one or more struts include one or more partially deformable regions.

Optionally, in use, the lid portion and/or the base portion apply pressure evenly to a first region of the substantially planar aerosol-generating article containing no aerosol-generating material, but not to a second region of the substantially planar aerosol-generating article containing aerosol-generating material, through the one or more walls and/or the one or more struts.

Optionally, the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to hold the aerosol-generating article or substantially planar aerosol-generating article in position at a distance of less than 10 μm from the one or more heating elements in use.

Optionally, the securing mechanism comprises a hinge; wherein the lid portion is connected to the base portion by a hinge to form a flip-top arrangement; wherein the device is configured to receive the aerosol-generating article when the hinge is in the open position; and wherein the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to hold the aerosol-generating article in position in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article when the hinge is in the closed position.

Optionally, the securing mechanism comprises a clamping mechanism configured to clamp the lid portion to the base portion so as to engage the lid portion with the base portion.

Optionally, the securing mechanism includes one or more magnetic elements configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion.

Optionally, the one or more magnetic elements comprise: one or more magnets located in one of the lid portion and the base portion; and a magnetic material located in the other of the cover portion and the base portion.

Optionally, the one or more magnetic elements comprise a magnetic stay configured to clamp the lid portion to the base portion.

Optionally, the securing mechanism comprises a snap-fit mechanism comprising a snap-fit element located in one of the lid portion and the base portion, the snap-fit element being configured to engage in a snap-fit manner with a complementary receiving element located in the other of the lid portion and the base portion.

Optionally, the securing mechanism includes one or more snap rings configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion.

Optionally, the securing mechanism comprises one or more first gripping elements in the lid portion and/or the base portion configured to grip one or more second gripping elements in the lid portion and/or the base portion, respectively, to engage the lid portion with the base portion.

Optionally, the securing mechanism includes a cam lock configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion.

Optionally, the cam lock comprises an eccentric cam configured to roll downwardly so as to hold the aerosol-generating article in position in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article.

Optionally, the lid portion and/or the base portion comprises a plenum for forming the aerosol-forming chamber, wherein the eccentric cam is configured to roll down to exert a force on the plenum so as to hold the aerosol-generating article in place by the plenum in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article.

Optionally, the aerosol-supply device further comprises a slidable platform configured to extend outwardly from the device to receive the aerosol-generating article; wherein the slidable platform is configured to retract into the device for inserting the aerosol-generating article into the device; and wherein the slidable platform is connected to the eccentric cam such that the eccentric cam is configured to roll downward when the slidable platform is retracted into the device.

Optionally, the slidable platform is configured to receive the aerosol-generating article when the hinge is in the open position, wherein the slidable platform is configured to retract into the device when the hinge is transitioned from the open position to the closed position.

Optionally, the cap portion comprises an integral mouthpiece.

Optionally, the aerosol-supplying device comprises one or more heating elements defining a curved surface, and wherein the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to retain the aerosol-generating article in a position adjacent the curved surface of the one or more heating elements in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article in a direction towards or away from the curved surface of the one or more heating elements.

Optionally, the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to retain, in use, the aerosol-generating article in a position adjacent to the curved surface of the one or more heating elements, the aerosol-generating article having a surface substantially conforming to the curved surface of the one or more heating elements.

Optionally, the aerosol-supply device further comprises a control circuit for controlling the one or more heating elements, the control circuit being configured to generate an amount of aerosol from one or more aerosol-generating regions of the aerosol-generating article by heating at least one of the one or more heating elements, wherein each of the one or more aerosol-generating regions corresponds to a respective one of the one or more heating elements.

Optionally, the one or more heating elements comprise one or more induction heating elements comprising one or more induction coils for generating a varying magnetic field for heating, in use, the one or more susceptor elements of the aerosol-generating article held in place by the fixing mechanism.

According to another aspect, there is provided an aerosol provision system comprising:

an aerosol supply device as described above; and

an aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device, wherein the aerosol-generating article comprises a plurality of portions of aerosol-generating material.

According to another aspect, there is provided a method of generating an aerosol comprising:

providing an aerosol provision arrangement as described above;

inserting an aerosol-generating article between the lid portion and the base portion; and

the lid portion is engaged with the base portion using a securing mechanism to hold the aerosol-generating article in place to prevent relative movement of the aerosol-generating article.

Drawings

Various embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1A is a schematic view of an aerosol provision system comprising an aerosol provision device comprising a plurality of heating elements and an aerosol-generating article comprising a plurality of portions of aerosol-generating material, and fig. 1B is a schematic view of an aerosol provision system comprising an aerosol provision device comprising a single heating element and an aerosol-generating article comprising a plurality of portions of aerosol-generating material;

Fig. 2A is a top view of the aerosol-generating article of fig. 1A, fig. 2B is an end view along a longitudinal (length) axis of the aerosol-generating article, and fig. 2C is a side view along a width axis of the aerosol-generating article;

FIG. 3 is a top cross-sectional view of a heating element of the aerosol provision device of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 4 is a top view of an exemplary touch-sensitive panel for operating various functions of the aerosol provision system;

fig. 5 is an embodiment of a schematic representation of a cross-sectional view of an aerosol-supply system comprising an aerosol-supply device comprising a plurality of induction coils and an aerosol-generating article comprising a plurality of portions of aerosol-generating material and corresponding susceptor portions;

fig. 6A is a top view of the aerosol-generating article of fig. 5, fig. 6B is an end view along a longitudinal (length) axis of the aerosol-generating article, and fig. 6C is a side view along a width axis of the aerosol-generating article;

fig. 7A is a perspective view of an aerosol-supplying device having a lid portion and a base portion, wherein the lid portion is closed, and fig. 7B is a perspective view of the aerosol-supplying device, wherein the aerosol-supplying device comprises a rotation device configured to rotate an aerosol-generating article about a rotation axis relative to a heating element of the aerosol-supplying device, and wherein the lid portion is open;

Fig. 8A is a perspective view of an aerosol-supplying device, wherein the aerosol-supplying device comprises a rotation device configured to rotate an aerosol-generating article relative to a heating element of the aerosol-supplying device about a rotation axis, and wherein the lid portion is open and the circular planar aerosol-generating article is shown inserted into the aerosol-supplying device, fig. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the aerosol-supplying device, wherein the aerosol-supplying device comprises a rotation device configured to rotate the aerosol-generating article relative to the heating element of the aerosol-supplying device about the rotation axis, and wherein the lid portion is open and the circular planar aerosol-generating article is located on a base portion of the aerosol-supplying device, and fig. 8C shows the base portion of the aerosol-supplying device according to an embodiment;

fig. 9A shows an aerosol provision device with a securing mechanism comprising a magnetic stay configured to clamp a lid portion of the aerosol provision device to a base portion of the aerosol provision device, and fig. 9B shows an aerosol provision device with a securing mechanism comprising a magnetic stay configured to clamp a lid portion of the aerosol provision device to a base portion of the aerosol provision device; and

Fig. 10A is a perspective view of an aerosol provision device including a securing mechanism including a slidable snap ring configured to engage a lid portion of the aerosol provision device with a base portion, fig. 10B shows the aerosol provision device with the slidable snap ring removed, and fig. 10C shows the aerosol provision device in an open position.

Detailed Description

Aspects and features of certain embodiments and implementations are discussed/described herein. Some aspects and features of certain embodiments and implementations may be conventionally implemented, and for brevity, are not discussed/described in detail. Accordingly, it should be understood that aspects and features of the apparatus and methods discussed herein that are not described in detail may be implemented in accordance with any conventional technique for accomplishing these aspects and features.

The present disclosure relates to a "non-combustible" aerosol supply system. A "non-combustible" aerosol-supply system is a system in which the component aerosol-generating material of the aerosol-supply system (or a component thereof) does not burn or ignite to facilitate delivery of the aerosol to a user. Furthermore, as is common in the art, the terms "vapor" and "aerosol" and related terms such as "evaporation," "volatilization," and "aerosolization" are often used interchangeably.

In some implementations, the non-combustible aerosol supply system is an electronic cigarette, also known as an evaporation device or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), but it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol generating material is not necessary. Throughout the following description, the term "e-cigarette" or "e-cigarette" is sometimes used, but the term may be used interchangeably with the aerosol (vapor) supply system. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system is a hybrid system that uses a combination of aerosol-generating materials to generate an aerosol, wherein one or more of the aerosol-generating materials may be heated. Each aerosol-generating material may be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel, for example, and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the mixing system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. The solid aerosol-generating material may comprise, for example, a tobacco or non-tobacco product.

Typically, a non-combustible aerosol supply system may include a non-combustible aerosol supply device and an article (sometimes referred to as a consumable) for use with the non-combustible aerosol supply device. However, it is envisaged that the article itself comprising means for supplying power to the aerosol-generating component may itself form the non-combustible aerosol-supplying system.

A consumable is an article comprising or consisting of an aerosol-generating material, part or all of which is intended to be consumed by a user during use. The consumable may include one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol-generating area, a housing, a packaging material, a mouthpiece, a filter, and/or an aerosol modifier. The consumable may also comprise an aerosol generator, such as a heater, which emits heat to cause the aerosol-generating material to generate an aerosol in use. The heater may for example comprise a combustible material, a material that is heatable by conduction, or a susceptor.

Non-combustible aerosol supply systems typically (although not always) include a modular assembly that includes a reusable aerosol supply and a replaceable article. In some implementations, the non-combustible aerosol supply device may include a power source and a controller (or control loop). The power source may be, for example, an electrical power source such as a battery or a rechargeable battery. In some implementations, the non-combustible aerosol supply device may further comprise an aerosol generating component. However, in other implementations, the aerosol-generating article may comprise part or all of the aerosol-generating component.

An aerosol-generating component (aerosol generator) is a device configured to cause an aerosol-generating material to generate an aerosol. In some implementations, the aerosol-generating component is a heater capable of interacting with the aerosol-generating material to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating component is capable of generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol-generating component may be capable of generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material without the need to apply heat to the aerosol-generating component, for example by one or more of a vibrating member, a mechanical member, a pressurizing member, or an electrostatic member.

An aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating an aerosol, for example, when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. The aerosol-generating material may be in the form of, for example, a solid, liquid or semi-solid (such as a gel), which may or may not contain an active substance and/or a flavouring agent.

The aerosol-generating material may be present on or in a load bearing support (or load bearing member) to form a substrate. The load bearing support may be or comprise, for example, paper, card, cardboard, re-aerosol able material, plastic material, ceramic material, composite material, glass, metal or metal alloy.

In some implementations, an aerosol-generating article for use with a non-combustible aerosol-supplying device may include an aerosol-generating material or a region for receiving an aerosolizable material. In some implementations, an aerosol-generating article for use with a non-combustible aerosol-supplying device may comprise a mouthpiece, or alternatively, the non-combustible aerosol-supplying device may comprise a mouthpiece in communication with the aerosol-generating article. The region for receiving aerosol-generating material may be a storage region for storing the aerosolizable material. For example, the storage area may be a reservoir.

Fig. 1A is a cross-sectional view through a schematic representation of an aerosol provision system 1 according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The aerosol-supply system 1 comprises two main components, namely an aerosol-supply device 2 and an aerosol-generating article 4.

The aerosol provision device 2 comprises an outer housing 21, a power source 22, a control circuit 23, a plurality of aerosol-generating components 24, a receptacle or aerosol-forming chamber 25, a mouthpiece end 26, an air inlet 27, an air outlet 28, a touch-sensitive panel 29, an inhalation sensor 30 and an end of use indicator 31.

The outer housing 21 may be formed of any suitable material, such as a plastic material. The outer housing 21 is arranged such that the power source 22, the control circuit 23, the aerosol-generating component 24, the receptacle 25 and the inhalation sensor 30 are located within the outer housing 21. The outer housing 21 also defines an air inlet 27 and an air outlet 28, which will be described in more detail below. The touch-sensitive panel 29 and the end-of-use indicator are located outside the outer housing 21.

The outer housing 21 also includes a mouthpiece end 26. The outer housing 21 and the mouthpiece end 26 are formed as a single piece (i.e., the mouthpiece end 26 forms part of the outer housing 21). The mouthpiece end 26 is defined as an area of the outer housing 21 that includes the air outlet 28 and is shaped so that a user may comfortably arrange their lips around the mouthpiece end 26 to engage with the air outlet 28. In fig. 1A, the thickness of the outer housing 21 decreases towards the air outlet 28 to provide a relatively thin portion of the aerosol provision device 2 that can be more easily accommodated by the lips of a user. However, in other implementations, the mouthpiece end 26 may be a removable component separate from but capable of being coupled to the outer housing 21, and may be removed for cleaning and/or replaced with another mouthpiece end 26.

The power source 22 is configured to provide operating power to the aerosol provision device 2. Power source 22 may be any suitable power source, such as a battery. For example, power source 22 may include a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium ion battery. The power source 22 may be removable or form an integral part of the aerosol provision device 2. In some implementations, the power source 22 may be charged by the aerosol provision device 2 being connected to an external power supply, such as a main power source, via an associated connection port, such as a USB port (not shown), or via a suitable wireless receiver (not shown).

The control circuit 23 is suitably configured or programmed to control the operation of the aerosol provision device 2 to provide certain operational functions of the aerosol provision device 2. The control loop 23 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units/circuit elements associated with different aspects of the operation of the aerosol provision device. For example, control loop 23 may include logic subunits for controlling recharging of power source 22. Furthermore, the control loop 23 may comprise logic subunits for communication, for example to facilitate data transfer from or to the aerosol provision device 2. However, the primary function of the control loop 23 is to control aerosolization of the aerosol-generating material, as described in more detail below. It should be appreciated that the functionality of the control loop 23 may be provided in a variety of different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computers and/or one or more suitably configured application specific integrated circuits/circuitry/chips/chipsets configured to provide the required functionality. The control loop 23 is connected to the power source 23 and receives power from the power source 22 and may be configured to distribute or control the supply of power to other components of the aerosol provision device 2.

In the depicted implementation, the aerosol-supply device 2 further comprises a receptacle 25 arranged to receive the aerosol-generating article 4. The aerosol-generating article 4 comprises a carrier member 42 and an aerosol-generating material 44. The aerosol-generating article 4 is shown in more detail in fig. 2A to 2C. Fig. 2A is a top view of the aerosol-generating article 4, fig. 2B is an end view along a longitudinal (length) axis of the aerosol-generating article 4, and fig. 2C is a side view along a width axis of the aerosol-generating article 4.

The aerosol-generating article 4 comprises a carrier member 42, which in this implementation is formed by a card. The carrier member 42 forms a substantial part of the aerosol-generating article 4 and serves as a substrate on which the aerosol-generating material 44 is to be deposited.

As shown in fig. 2A-2C, the carrier member 42 is generally cube-shaped having a length l, a width w, and a thickness t _c . As a specific example, the carrier member 42 may be 30mm to 80mm in length, 7mm to 25mm in width, and between 0.2mm to 1mm in thickness. However, it should be understood that the above are exemplary dimensions of the carrier member 42, and that in other implementations the carrier member 42 may have different dimensions as appropriate. In some implementations, the carrier 42 may include a length and/or width extending the carrier 42 To facilitate the user's handling of the aerosol-generating article 4.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1 and 2A-2C, the aerosol-generating article 4 comprises a plurality of discrete portions of aerosol-generating material 44 disposed on a surface of the carrier member 42. More specifically, the aerosol-generating article 4 comprises six discrete portions of aerosol-generating material 44, labeled 44a to 44f, arranged in a two-by-three array. However, it should be understood that in other implementations, a greater or lesser number of discrete portions may be provided, and/or the portions may be arranged in a different array (e.g., a one by six array). In the illustrated embodiment, the aerosol-generating material 44 is disposed at discrete, discrete locations on a single surface of the component carrier 42. The discrete portions of aerosol-generating material 44 are shown as having a circular footprint, but it will be appreciated that the discrete portions of aerosol-generating material 44 may suitably take any other footprint, such as a square or rectangular footprint. As shown in fig. 2A-2C, the discrete portions of aerosol-generating material 44 have a diameter d and a thickness t _a . Thickness t _a Any suitable value may be taken, for example thickness t _a May be in the range of 50 μm to 1.5mm. In some embodiments, thickness t _a From about 50 μm to about 200 μm, or from about 50 μm to about 100 μm, or from about 60 μm to about 90 μm, suitably about 77 μm. In other embodiments, thickness t _a May be greater than 200 μm, for example from about 50 μm to about 400 μm, or to about 1mm, or to about 1.5mm.

The discrete portions of aerosol-generating material 44 are separated from one another such that each of the discrete portions may be individually or selectively energized (e.g., heated) to generate an aerosol. In some implementations, portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 may have a mass of no more than 20mg, such that the amount of material aerosolized by a given aerosol-generating component 24 at any time is relatively low. For example, the mass per serving may be equal to or lower than 20mg, or equal to or lower than 10mg, or equal to or lower than 5mg. Of course, it should be understood that the total mass of the aerosol-generating article 4 may be greater than 20mg.

The aerosol-generating article 4 may comprise portions of a plurality of aerosol-generating materials all formed from the same aerosol-generating material. Alternatively, the aerosol-generating article 4 may comprise a plurality of portions of aerosol-generating material 44, wherein at least two portions are formed from different aerosol-generating materials.

The receptacle 25 is sized to removably receive the aerosol-generating article 4 therein. Although not shown in fig. 1A, the aerosol provision device 2 may include a lid portion and a base portion configured to be engaged with each other by a fixing mechanism, as will be described in detail later. Various configurations of the lid portion and the base portion are contemplated, for example, although not shown in fig. 1A, the aerosol-supply device 2 may comprise a hinged door or removable portion of the outer housing 21 to allow access to the receptacle 25 such that a user may insert and/or remove the aerosol-generating article 4 through the receptacle 25. The hinged door or movable portion of the outer housing 21 may also function to retain the aerosol-generating article 4 within the receptacle 25 when closed. When the aerosol-generating article 4 is exhausted or the user merely wishes to switch to a different aerosol-generating article 4, the aerosol-generating article 4 may be removed from the aerosol-supply device 2 and the replacement aerosol-generating article 4 positioned in place in the receptacle 25. Alternatively, the aerosol-supply device 2 may comprise a permanent opening in communication with the receptacle 25, and the aerosol-generating article 4 may be inserted into the receptacle 25 through the opening. In such an implementation, a retaining mechanism for retaining the aerosol-generating article 4 within the receptacle 25 of the aerosol-supply device 2 may be provided. As will be appreciated, the retaining means may comprise a securing means configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to retain the aerosol-generating article in position in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article 4. For example, the lid portion and the base portion may be configured to hold the aerosol-generating article 4 in place between the lid portion and the base portion.

As seen in fig. 1A, the aerosol provision device 2 comprises a plurality of aerosol-generating components 24. In the depicted implementation, the aerosol-generating component 24 is a heating element 24, more specifically, a resistive heating element 24. The resistive heating element 24 receives electrical current and converts the electrical energy into heat. The resistive heating element 24 may be formed of, or include, any suitable resistive heating material, such as nickel-chromium (Ni 20Cr 80), that generates heat when receiving an electrical current. In one implementation, the heating element 24 may include an electrically insulating substrate on which the resistive track is disposed.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional top view of the aerosol provision device 2, showing the arrangement of the heating element 24 in more detail. In fig. 1A and 3, the heating element 24 is positioned such that the surface of the heating element 24 forms part of the surface of the receptacle 25. I.e. the outer surface of the heating element 24 is flush with the inner surface of the receptacle 25. More specifically, the outer surface of the heating element 24 that is flush with the inner surface of the receptacle 25 is the surface of the heating element 24 that heats (i.e., its temperature rises) when an electric current is passed through the heating element 24.

The heating elements 24 are arranged such that when the aerosol-generating article 4 is received in the receptacle 25, each heating element 24 is aligned with a discrete portion of the corresponding aerosol-generating material 44. Thus, in this embodiment, the six heating elements 24 are arranged in a two-by-three array, generally corresponding to the arrangement of the two-by-three arrays of discrete portions of six aerosol-generating material 44 shown in fig. 2A-2C. However, as noted above, in different implementations, the number of heating elements 24 may be different, e.g., there may be 8, 10, 12, 14, etc. heating elements 24. In some implementations, the number of heating elements 24 is greater than or equal to six but not greater than 20.

More specifically, the heating elements 24 are labeled 24 a-24 f in fig. 3, and it should be understood that each heating element 24 is arranged to align with a corresponding portion of the aerosol-generating material 44, as indicated by the corresponding letter following the reference numeral 24/44. Thus, each heating element 24 may be activated individually to heat a corresponding portion of the aerosol-generating material 44. Although the heating element 24 is shown as being flush with the inner surface of the receptacle 25, in other implementations the heating element 24 may protrude into the receptacle 25. In either case, the aerosol-generating article 4 contacts the surface of the heating element 24 when present in the receptacle 25 such that heat generated by the heating element 24 is conducted through the carrier member 42 to the aerosol-generating material 44.

In some implementations, to increase the heat transfer efficiency, the receptacle 25 may include a component that applies a force to a surface of the carrier component 42 to press the carrier component 42 onto the heater element 24, thereby increasing the heat transfer efficiency by conduction to the aerosol-generating material 44. As will be appreciated, the lid portion of the aerosol provision device 2 may be configured to engage with the base portion by a securing mechanism such that the lid portion and/or the base portion comprise a component that applies a force to a surface of the carrier member 42 to press the carrier member 42 onto the heater element 42. Various configurations of the cover portion, the base portion, and the corresponding securing mechanism will be described in detail later.

Additionally or alternatively, the heater element 24 may be configured to move in a direction towards/away from the aerosol-generating article 4 and may be pressed into a surface of the carrier component 42 that does not contain the aerosol-generating material 44. In embodiments in which the aerosol-generating article 4 is configured to move in a specified or desired direction relative to the heater element 24, the securing mechanism configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to hold the aerosol-generating article in place to prevent relative movement of the aerosol-generating article does so by preventing relative movement in directions other than the specified or desired direction. For example, in embodiments in which the aerosol-generating article 4 is configured to rotate relative to the heater element 24 about an axis of rotation (as described below with respect to fig. 1B), e.g. in order to present a fresh region of aerosol-generating material on the aerosol-generating article 4 to the heater element 24, the securing mechanism may be configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion in order to enable the aerosol-generating article 4 to still rotate relative to the heater element 24, while preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article 4 in directions other than rotation about the axis of rotation.

In use, the aerosol provision device 2 (more specifically, the control circuit 23) is configured to deliver power to the heating element 24 in response to user input. Broadly, the control circuit 23 is configured to selectively apply power to the heating element 24 to subsequently heat a corresponding portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 to generate an aerosol. When a user inhales on the aerosol provision device 2 (i.e. at the mouthpiece end 26), air is drawn into the aerosol provision device 2 through the air inlet 27, enters the receptacle 25, mixes with aerosol generated by heating the aerosol generating material 44 in the receptacle, and is then drawn to the user's mouth via the air outlet 28. That is, the aerosol is delivered to the user through the mouthpiece end 26 and the air outlet 28.

The aerosol provision device 2 of fig. 1A includes a touch sensitive panel 29 and an inhalation sensor 30. In general, the touch sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30 act as a mechanism for receiving user input to cause aerosol generation, and thus may be more broadly referred to as a user input mechanism. The received user input may be said to be an indication of the user's desire to generate an aerosol.

The touch sensitive panel 29 may be a capacitive touch sensor and may be operated by a user of the aerosol provision device 2 placing their finger or another suitable conductive object (e.g. a stylus) on the touch sensitive panel 29. In the described implementation, the touch-sensitive panel 29 includes a region that can be pressed by a user to begin generating aerosols. The control loop 23 may be configured to receive a signal transmission from the touch-sensitive panel 29 and use the signal transmission to determine whether the user is pressing (i.e., activating) an area of the touch-sensitive panel 29. If the control loop 23 receives the signal transmission, the control loop 23 is configured to supply power from the power source 22 to the one or more heating elements 24. The power may be supplied for a predetermined period of time (e.g., three seconds) from the moment the touch is detected or in response to the length of time the touch is detected. In other implementations, the touch-sensitive panel 29 may be replaced by a user-actuatable button or the like.

The inhalation sensor 30 may be a pressure sensor or microphone or the like configured to detect a pressure drop or airflow caused by inhalation by a user on the aerosol provision device 2. The suction sensor 30 is in fluid communication with the airflow path (i.e., in fluid communication with the airflow path between the inlet 27 and the outlet 28). In a similar manner as described above, the control loop 23 may be configured to receive a signal transmission from the inhalation sensor and use the signal transmission to determine whether a user is inhaling on the aerosol supply system 1. If the control loop 23 receives the signal transmission, the control loop 23 is configured to supply power from the power source 22 to the one or more heating elements 24. The power may be supplied for a predetermined period of time (e.g., three seconds) from the moment the inhalation is detected, or in response to the length of time the inhalation is detected.

In the described embodiment, both the touch sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30 detect that the user desires to start generating aerosol for inhalation. The control loop 23 may be configured to supply power only to the heating element 24 when signal emissions from both the touch sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30 are detected. This may help to prevent accidental activation of the heating element 24 by accidental activation of one of the user input mechanisms. However, in other implementations, the aerosol provision system 1 may have only one of the touch sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30.

These aspects of the operation of the aerosol provision system 1 (i.e. suction detection and touch detection) may be performed per se according to known techniques (e.g. using conventional suction sensor and suction sensor signal processing techniques and using conventional touch sensor and touch sensor signal processing techniques).

In some implementations, in response to detecting signal emissions from one or both of the touch sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30, the control loop 23 is configured to sequentially supply power to each individual heating element 24. More specifically, the control loop 23 is configured to sequentially supply power to each individual heating element 23 in response to a detection sequence of signal emissions received from one or both of the touch sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30. For example, the control loop 23 may be configured to supply power to a first heating element 24 of the plurality of heating elements 24 when a signal emission is first detected (e.g., when first turned on from the aerosol provision device 2). When the signal emission ceases, or in response to detecting the passage of a predetermined time of signal emission, the control loop 23 records that the first heating element 24 has been activated (and thus that the corresponding discrete portion of aerosol-generating material 44 has been heated). The control loop 23 determines that the second heating element 24 is to be activated in response to receiving a subsequent signal transmission from one or both of the touch sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30. Thus, when the control loop 23 receives a signal transmission from one or both of the touch sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30, the control loop 23 activates the second heating element 24. This process is repeated for the remaining heating elements 24 such that all heating elements 24 are activated sequentially.

In practice, this operation means that for each inhalation one of the different discrete portions of aerosol-generating material 44 is heated and aerosol is thereby generated. In other words, a single discrete portion of aerosol-generating material is heated each time a user inhales.

Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol-supplying device 2 may comprise a movement mechanism configured for moving the aerosol-generating article to align discrete or fresh portions of the aerosol-generating article with one or more heating elements of the aerosol-supplying device 2.

For example, fig. 1B shows a schematic view of a portion of an aerosol provision device 2. The aerosol-supply device 2 has an aerosol-generating article 4 comprising an aerosol-generating medium 44 located within the aerosol-supply device 2. The combination of the aerosol-supply device 2 and the aerosol-generating article 4 forms an aerosol-supply system 1.

The aerosol-generating article 4 has a first surface 112 comprising an aerosol-generating medium. In the described implementation, the aerosol-generating article comprises a carrier layer 111 (sometimes referred to herein as carrier or substrate support layer) having a first surface for arranging an aerosol-generating medium. In this implementation, the combination of the surface of the carrier layer 111 and the surface of the aerosol-generating material forms the first surface 112 of the aerosol-generating article 4. In the described implementation, the aerosol-generating medium may be arranged in a plurality of media doses 44. The aerosol-generating article 4 has a second surface 116 opposite the first surface 112. The first surface 112 and the second surface 116 may be smooth or rough. The second surface 116 may be formed by the carrier layer 111.

The aerosol-supplying device 2 has an energy source for heating the heating element 24, which energy source is arranged to face the second surface 116 of the aerosol-generating article 4. The energy source for heating the heating element 24 is an element of the aerosol-supplying device 2 that transfers energy from a power source, such as a battery (not shown), to the aerosol-generating medium to generate an aerosol from the aerosol-generating medium 44. In the embodiments described below, the energy source for heating the heating element 24 is a heater, such as a resistive heater, which supplies energy (in the form of heat) to the aerosol-generating medium to generate an aerosol from the aerosol-generating medium. The aerosol-supplying device 2 has a movement mechanism 130 arranged to move the aerosol-generating article 4, and in particular the aerosol-generating medium portion 44 (or, in some cases, the dose). The portion 44 of aerosol-generating medium is preferably rotationally movable relative to the heating element 24 such that the portion of aerosol-generating medium is in this case presented to the heating element 24 alone. The aerosol-supplying device 2 is arranged such that the at least one dose 44 of aerosol-generating medium is rotated about the axis a at an angle θ to the second surface 116. The control circuit 23 is configured to actuate both the heating element 24 and the movement mechanism 130 such that the aerosol-generating article 4 rotates in order to align the discrete portion 44 with the heating element 24. In this implementation, the aerosol-generating article 4 is substantially flat. In this implementation, the carrier layer 111 of the article 4 may be formed partially or entirely of paper or card.

The aerosol-generating article 4 in fig. 1B has a plurality (e.g. five) doses (or portions) 44 of aerosol-generating medium. In other embodiments, the aerosol-generating article 4 may have a greater or lesser dose 44 of aerosol-generating medium. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating article 4 may have doses 44 of aerosol-generating medium arranged in discrete doses, as shown in fig. 1B.

In other embodiments, the dose 44 may be in the form of a disc, which may be continuous or discontinuous in the circumferential direction of the aerosol-generating article 4. In other embodiments, the dose 44 may be in the form of a ring, or any other shape. The aerosol-generating article 4 may or may not have a rotationally symmetric distribution of doses 44 about the axis a at the first surface 112. If desired, the symmetrical distribution of doses 44 will be such that an equivalently positioned dose (within a rotationally symmetrical distribution) receives an equivalent heating profile from heating element 24 as it rotates about axis A.

The aerosol-generating article 4 of the present embodiment comprises an aerosol-generating medium disposed on the carrier layer 111 of the aerosol-generating article 4.

However, in other implementations, the aerosol-generating article 4 may be formed from only the aerosol-generating medium, i.e. in some implementations, the aerosol-generating article 4 may consist entirely of the aerosol-generating medium. In other implementations, the aerosol-generating article 4 may have a layered structure made of a variety of materials. In one embodiment, the aerosol-generating article 4 may have a layer formed from at least one of a thermally conductive material, an inductive material, a permeable material, or an impermeable material.

In some implementations, the carrier layer 111 of the substrate may be or may include a metal element arranged to be heated by a varying magnetic field. In such implementations, the energy source for the heating element 24 may comprise an induction coil that, when energized, causes heating within the metal element of the aerosol-generating article 4. The degree of heating may be affected by the distance between the metal element and the induction coil.

The arrangement shown in fig. 1B operates by directing (or moving) a plurality of doses of aerosol-generating material to the heating element 24. While this arrangement of fig. 1B may slightly increase the complexity of the movement mechanism 130 providing movement to the aerosol-generating article 4, it is advantageous because only one heating element 24 is required to heat portions of multiple aerosol-generating media. For example, a single heating element 24 in the arrangement of fig. 1B requires only one control mechanism (such as control loop 23), rather than multiple heaters requiring multiple control mechanisms. Thus, this arrangement may reduce the cost and control complexity associated with the operation and control of the heating element 24.

The shape of the aerosol provision device 2 may be a smoke shape (longer in one dimension than in the other two dimensions) or may be other shapes. In an embodiment, the aerosol provision device 2 may have a longer shape in two dimensions than in another dimension, for example like an optical disc player or the like. Alternatively, the shape may be any shape capable of properly accommodating the aerosol-generating article 4, the energy source of the heating element 24 and the movement mechanism 130.

In addition to being configured to rotate the single heating element 24 and the movement mechanism 130 of the aerosol-generating article 4 of fig. 1B in place of the plurality of heating elements 24 of fig. 1A, it will be appreciated that the aerosol-supply device of fig. 1B may include one or more other features described with respect to fig. 1A, such as, for example, the inhalation sensor 30.

Returning now to fig. 1A, in other implementations, the control loop 23 may be configured to activate the first heating element 24 multiple times (e.g., twice) or each of the plurality of heating elements 24 before determining that the second heating element 24 should be activated in response to subsequent signal emissions from one or both of the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30, and when all of the heating elements 24 have been activated once, detection of the subsequent signal emissions causes the heating elements to be activated sequentially a second time.

Such sequential actuation may be referred to as a "sequential actuation mode" which is primarily designed to deliver consistent aerosols per inhalation (e.g., which may be measured in terms of total aerosols generated or total components delivered). Thus, this mode may be most effective when each portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 of the aerosol-generating article 4 is substantially identical (i.e. when the portions 44a to 44f are formed of the same material).

In some other implementations, in response to detecting signal emissions from one or both of the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30, the control loop 23 is configured to simultaneously supply power to one or more heating elements 24. For example, the control loop 23 may be configured to supply power to one or more heating elements 24 such that each inhalation may heat two or more portions 44 of aerosol-generating material.

In such implementations, the control loop 23 may be configured to supply power to selected ones of the heating elements 24 in response to a predetermined configuration. The predetermined configuration may be a configuration selected or determined by a user. For example, the touch sensitive panel 29 may include an area that allows a user to individually select which heating element 24 to activate when the control loop 23 receives a signal transmission from one or both of the touch sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30. In some implementations, the user may also set the power level to be supplied to each heating element 24 of the heating elements 24 in response to receiving the signal transmission.

Fig. 4 is a top view of a touch-sensitive panel 29 according to such an implementation. Fig. 4 schematically shows the external housing 21 and the touch sensitive panel 29 as described previously. The touch-sensitive panel 29 includes: six zones 29a to 29f, corresponding to each of the six heating elements 24; and a region 29g corresponding to a region for indicating that the user desires to begin inhaling or generating aerosol (as previously described). The six areas 29a to 29f each correspond to a touch-sensitive area that can be touched by a user to control the delivery of power to each of the six corresponding heating elements 24. In the depicted implementation, each heating element 24 may have multiple states, such as: in the off state, no power is supplied to the heating element 24; a low power state, a first level of power is supplied to the heating element 24; and a high power state in which a second level of power is supplied to the heating element 24, wherein the second level of power is greater than the first level of power. However, in other implementations, fewer or more states of the heating element 24 may be obtained. For example, each heating element 24 may have an off state in which power is not supplied to the heating element 24 and an on state in which power is supplied to the heating element 24.

Thus, the user can set which heating elements 24 (and subsequently which portions of the aerosol-generating material 44) will be heated (and optionally to what extent) by interacting with the touch-sensitive panel 29 before aerosol is generated. For example, the user may repeatedly click on regions 29 a-29 f to cycle through different states (e.g., off, low power, high power, off, etc.). Alternatively, the user may hold down the areas 29a to 29f to cycle through different states, wherein the duration of the press determines the state.

The touch sensitive panel 29 may be provided with one or more indicators for each of the areas 29a to 29f to indicate which state the heating element 24 is currently in. For example, the touch-sensitive panel may include one or more LEDs or similar lighting elements, and the intensity of the LEDs is indicative of the current state of the heating element 24. Alternatively, colored LEDs or similar lighting elements may be provided, and the color indicates the current state. Alternatively, the touch-sensitive panel 29 may include a display element (e.g., which may be located below the transparent touch-sensitive panel 29 or disposed adjacent to the areas 29 a-29 f of the touch-sensitive panel 29) that displays the current state of the heating element 24.

When the user has set the configuration of heating elements 24, in response to detecting the emission of a signal from one or both of touch-sensitive panel 29 (and more specifically region 29g of touch-sensitive panel 29) and inhalation sensor 30, control loop 23 is configured to supply power to the selected heating elements 24 according to the preset configuration.

Thus, such simultaneous activation of the heating element 24 may be referred to as a "simultaneous activation mode" which is primarily designed to deliver customizable aerosols from a given aerosol-generating article 4 in order to allow users to customize their experience on a session-by-session or even on a puff-by-puff basis. Thus, this mode may be most effective when the portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 of the aerosol-generating article 4 are different from each other. For example, portions 44a and 44b are formed of one material, portions 44c and 44d are formed of a different material, and so on.

Thus, with this mode of operation, a user can select which portions are aerosolized at any given time, thereby selecting which aerosol combinations are provided.

In both the simultaneous start-up mode and the sequential start-up mode, the control loop 23 may be configured to generate an alarm signal indicating the end of use of the aerosol-generating article 4, for example when each heating element 24 has been sequentially activated a predetermined number of times, or when a given heating element 24 has been activated a predetermined number of times and/or has been activated for a given cumulative activation time and/or has been activated at a given cumulative activation power. In fig. 1A, the aerosol provision device 2 comprises an end of use indicator 31, which in this implementation is an LED. However, in other implementations, end of use indicator 31 may include any mechanism capable of providing an alert signal to a user. The end of use indicator 31 may be an optical element that transmits an optical signal, a sound generator that transmits an audible signal, and/or a vibrator that transmits a tactile signal. In some implementations, the indicator 31 may be combined or otherwise provided by a touch-sensitive panel (e.g., if the touch-sensitive panel includes a display element). When the alarm signal is output, the aerosol provision device 2 may prevent a subsequent activation of the aerosol provision device 2. When the user changes the aerosol-generating article 4 and/or turns off the alarm signal by a manual means such as a button (not shown), the alarm signal may be turned off and the control loop 23 reset.

In more detail, in an implementation employing a sequential activation mode, the control loop 23 may be configured to count the number of signal emissions received from one or both of the touch sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30 during use, and once the count reaches a predetermined number, the aerosol-generating article 4 is determined to reach the end of its lifetime. For example, for an article 4 comprising six discrete portions of aerosol-generating material 44, the predetermined number may be six, twelve, eighteen, etc., depending on the exact implementation at hand.

In implementations employing a simultaneous activation mode, the control loop 23 may be configured to count the number of times one or each discrete portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 is heated. For example, the control circuit 23 may count the number of times the nicotine-containing portion is heated and determine that the lifetime of the aerosol-generating article 4 is over when the number of times reaches a predetermined number.

Alternatively, the control circuit 23 may be configured to count each discrete portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 as it is heated. Each portion may have the same or a different predetermined number and the control circuit 23 determines that the lifetime of the aerosol-generating article 4 is over when any one count of each portion of aerosol-generating material reaches the predetermined number.

In either implementation, the control loop 23 may also consider the following: the length of time that the portion of aerosol-generating material is heated and/or the temperature to which the portion of aerosol-generating material is heated. In this regard, the control loop 23 may be configured to calculate a cumulative parameter indicative of the heating conditions experienced by each portion of the aerosol-generating material 44, rather than calculating discrete activations. The parameter may be the cumulative time, for example, whereby the temperature of the material usage is used to adjust the length of time added to the cumulative time. For example, a portion heated for three seconds at 200 ℃ may contribute to an accumulation time of three seconds, while a portion heated for three seconds at 250 ℃ may contribute to an accumulation time of four seconds and a half.

The above-described techniques for determining the end of life of the aerosol-generating article 4 should not be understood as an exhaustive list of methods of determining the end of life of the aerosol-generating article 4, and indeed any other suitable method may be employed in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

In the implementation of the aerosol-supply system 1 described above, a plurality of (discrete) portions 44 of aerosol-generating material are provided, which portions may be selectively aerosolized using the aerosol-generating component 24. Such an aerosol provision system 1 has advantages over other systems designed for heating large amounts of material. In particular, for a given inhalation, only the portion(s) 44 of the selected aerosol-generating material are aerosolized, thereby making the system as a whole more energy efficient.

In a heating system, several parameters affect the overall efficiency of this system in delivering a sufficient amount of aerosol to the user on a per puff basis. On the one hand, the thickness of the aerosol-generating material 44 is important, as this affects the speed at which the aerosol-generating material 44 reaches the operating temperature (and subsequently generates an aerosol). This may be important for several reasons, but may allow for more efficient use of energy from the power source 22, as the heating element may not need to be activated as long as compared to heating a thicker portion of material. On the other hand, the total mass of heated aerosol-generating material 44 affects the total amount of aerosol that can be generated and subsequently delivered to a user. Furthermore, the temperature to which the aerosol-generating material 44 is heated may affect the rate at which the aerosol-generating material 44 reaches the operating temperature and the amount of aerosol generated.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view through a schematic of an aerosol provision system 200 according to another arrangement. The aerosol provision system 200 includes components substantially similar to those described with respect to fig. 1A. However, the reference number is increased by 200. To improve efficiency, unless otherwise indicated, components having similar reference numerals should be understood to be substantially identical to corresponding components in fig. 1A-1B and 2A-2C.

The aerosol provision device 202 comprises an outer housing 221, a power source 222, a control circuit 223, an inductive heating element such as an inductive coil 224a, a receptacle or aerosol-forming chamber 225, a mouthpiece end 226, an air inlet 227, an air outlet 228, a touch-sensitive panel 229, an inhalation sensor 230 and an end-of-use indicator 231. The induction heating element may comprise one or more of the following: (i) A flat spiral coil, wherein the spiral coil comprises a circular or oval spiral coil, a square or rectangular spiral coil, a trapezoidal spiral coil, or a triangular spiral coil; (ii) A multi-layer induction arrangement wherein subsequent full or partial turns of the coil are disposed on adjacent layers, optionally wherein a first layer is spaced apart from a second layer in a first direction and a third layer is spaced apart from the second layer in an opposite direction to be present in or adjacent to the first layer such that the multi-layer induction arrangement forms a staggered structure; or (iii) a three-dimensional induction coil, such as a regular spiral or conical induction coil, optionally with a varying spiral pitch. The aerosol provision device 202 may include a lid portion, a base portion, and a securing portion substantially similar to those described above with respect to fig. 1A.

The aerosol-generating article 204 comprises a carrier component 242, an aerosol-generating material 244 and a susceptor element 244b, as shown in more detail in fig. 6A to 6C. Fig. 6A is a top view of the aerosol-generating article 204, fig. 6B is an end view along a longitudinal (length) axis of the aerosol-generating article 204, and fig. 6C is a side view along a width axis of the aerosol-generating article 204.

Fig. 5 and 6A-6C illustrate an aerosol provision system 200 that uses induction to heat an aerosol-generating material 244 to generate an aerosol for inhalation. In the depicted implementation, the aerosol-generating component 224 is formed from two components, namely an induction coil 224a located in the aerosol-supply device 202 and a susceptor 224b located in the aerosol-generating article 204.

Thus, each aerosol-generating component 224 comprises elements distributed between the aerosol-generating article 204 and the aerosol-supplying device 202.

Induction heating is a process in which an electrically conductive object (called a susceptor) is heated by penetrating the object with a varying magnetic field. This process is described by faraday's law of induction and ohm's law. The induction heater may comprise an electromagnet and means for passing a varying current, such as an alternating current, through the electromagnet. When the electromagnet and the object to be heated are suitably positioned relative to each other, one or more eddy currents are generated inside the object when the resultant varying magnetic field generated by the electromagnet penetrates the object. This object has a resistance to the flow of current. Thus, when such eddy currents are generated in the object, the eddy currents flow against the resistance of the object causing the object to be heated. This process is known as joule heating, ohmic heating or resistive heating.

Susceptors are heating materials that can be heated by penetration with a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The susceptor may be an electrically conductive material such that induction heating of the heating material is achieved with a varying magnetic field penetrating the susceptor. The heating material may be a magnetic material such that hysteresis heating of the heating material is achieved by penetrating the heating material with a varying magnetic field. The susceptor may be electrically conductive and magnetic such that the susceptor can be heated by both heating mechanisms. The device configured to generate a varying magnetic field is referred to herein as a magnetic field generator.

Hysteresis heating is a process of heating an object made of a magnetic material by penetrating the object with a varying magnetic field. Magnetic materials can be considered to include a number of atomic-scale magnets or magnetic dipoles. When a magnetic field penetrates such a material, the magnetic dipole aligns with the magnetic field. Thus, when a changing magnetic field (such as an alternating magnetic field, e.g., a magnetic field generated by an electromagnet) penetrates a magnetic material, the orientation of the magnetic dipole changes with the changing applied magnetic field. This magnetic dipole reorientation causes heat to be generated in the magnetic material.

When an object is both electrically conductive and magnetic, penetrating the object with a varying magnetic field causes joule heating and hysteresis heating in the object. Furthermore, the use of magnetic materials may enhance the magnetic field, which may enhance joule heating.

In the depicted implementation, the susceptor 224b is formed of aluminum foil, but it should be understood that other metals and/or conductive materials may be used in other implementations. As shown in fig. 6C, the carrier member 242 includes a plurality of susceptors 224b that are sized and positioned to correspond to discrete portions of the aerosol-generating material 244 disposed on the surface of the carrier member 242. That is, the susceptor 224b has a width and length similar to the discrete portions of aerosol-generating material 244.

Susceptor 224b is shown embedded in carrier part 242. However, in other implementations, the susceptor 224b may be disposed on a surface of the carrier member 242. In another implementation (not shown), the susceptor may be disposed as a layer substantially covering the carrier part 242.

The aerosol provision device 202 includes a plurality of induction coils 224a, shown schematically in fig. 5. The induction coil 224a is shown adjacent to the susceptor 225 and is generally a flat coil arranged such that the axis of rotation about which a given coil is wound extends into the susceptor 225 and is generally perpendicular to the plane of the carrier member 242 of the aerosol-generating article 204. The exact windings are not shown in fig. 5, it being understood that any suitable induction coil may be used.

Control loop 223 includes a mechanism to generate an alternating current that is delivered to one or more induction coils 224 a. As described above, the alternating current generates an alternating magnetic field which in turn heats the corresponding susceptor 224 b. The heat generated by the susceptor 224b is correspondingly transferred to the portion of the aerosol-generating material 244.

As described above with respect to fig. 1A-1B and fig. 2A-2C, control loop 223 is configured to supply current to induction coil 224a in response to receiving signal emissions from touch-sensitive panel 229 and/or suction sensor 230. As previously described, any technique for selecting which heating elements 24 to heat by the control loop 23 may be similarly applied to select which induction coils 224a to energize (and thus which portions of the aerosol-generating material 244 are subsequently heated) in response to receiving signal emissions from the touch-sensitive panel 229 and/or the inhalation sensor 230 by the control loop 223 to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user.

Although an inductively heated aerosol-supply system has been described above in which the induction coil 224a and the susceptor 224b are distributed between the aerosol-generating article 204 and the aerosol-supply device 202, an inductively heated aerosol-supply system in which the induction coil 224a and the susceptor 224b are located only within the aerosol-supply device 202 may also be provided. For example, referring to fig. 5, the susceptor 224b may be disposed above the induction coil 224a and arranged such that the susceptor 224b contacts the lower surface of the carrier member 242.

Thus, fig. 5 depicts a more specific implementation in which inductive heating may be used in the aerosol provision device 202 to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user, to which the techniques described in this disclosure may be applied.

Although an array of aerosol-generating components 24 (e.g. heater elements) has been described above as being provided with a system for powering discrete portions of aerosol-generating material, in other implementations the aerosol-generating article 4 and/or the aerosol-generating components 24 may be configured to move relative to one another. That is, the aerosol-generating component 24 may have fewer discrete portions of aerosol-generating material 44 disposed on the carrier component 42 of the aerosol-generating component 4 such that relative movement of the aerosol-generating article 4 and the aerosol-generating component 24 is required in order to be able to individually energize each discrete portion of aerosol-generating material 44. For example, the movable heating element 24 may be disposed within the receptacle 25 such that the heating element 24 may move relative to the receptacle 25. Thus, the movable heating element 24 may translate (e.g., in the width and length directions of the carrier member 42) such that the heating element 24 may be aligned with respective ones of the discrete portions of the aerosol-generating material 44. This approach may reduce the number of aerosol-generating components 42 required while still providing a similar user experience.

While an implementation in which discrete, spatially distinct portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 are deposited on the carrier member 42 has been described above, it will be appreciated that in other implementations the aerosol-generating material may not be provided as discrete, spatially distinct portions, but rather may be provided as a continuous sheet of aerosol-generating material 44. In these implementations, certain areas of the sheet of aerosol-generating material 44 may be selectively heated to generate an aerosol in substantially the same manner as described above. Regardless of whether the portions are spatially distinct, however, the present disclosure describes portions of the heated (or otherwise aerosolized) aerosol-generating material 44. In particular, an area (corresponding to a portion of the aerosol-generating material) may be defined on the continuous sheet of aerosol-generating material based on the dimensions of the heating element 24 (or more specifically, the surface of the heating element 24 that is designed to be at an elevated temperature). In this regard, the corresponding region of the heating element 24 may be considered to define a region or portion of the aerosol-generating material when projected onto the sheet of aerosol-generating material. According to the present disclosure, each region or portion of aerosol-generating material may have a mass of no more than 20mg, whereas the total continuous sheet may have a mass of more than 20 mg.

Although an implementation in which the aerosol provision device 2, 202 may be configured or operated using the touch-sensitive panel 29, 229 mounted on the aerosol provision device 2, 202 has been described above, the aerosol provision device 2, 202 may be configured or controlled remotely. For example, the control loop 23, 223 may be provided with a corresponding communication circuit (e.g. bluetooth) that enables the control loop 23, 223 to communicate with a remote device such as a smartphone. Thus, the touch sensitive panel 29, 229 may actually be implemented using an APP or the like running on a smart phone. The smartphone may then send user inputs or configurations to the control loop 23, 223, and the control loop 23, 223 may be configured to operate based on the received inputs or configurations.

While implementations have been described above in which an aerosol is generated by energizing (e.g., heating) the aerosol-generating material 44, 244 for subsequent inhalation by a user, it should be appreciated that in some implementations the generated aerosol may pass through or over an aerosol-modifying component to modify one or more characteristics of the aerosol prior to inhalation by the user. For example, the aerosol-generating device 2, 202 may comprise a gas-permeable insert (not shown) inserted downstream of the aerosol-generating material 44, 244 in the airflow path (e.g. the insert may be positioned in the outlet 28, 228). The insert may comprise a material that alters any one or more of taste, temperature, particle size, nicotine concentration, etc. The aerosol passes through the insert before entering the mouth of the user. For example, the insert may comprise tobacco or treated tobacco. Such systems may be referred to as hybrid systems. The insert may comprise any suitable aerosol-modifying material, which may include the aerosol-generating materials described above.

Although it has been described above that the heating element 24 is arranged to provide heat to the aerosol-generating material (or a portion thereof) at an operating temperature at which an aerosol is generated from the portion of the aerosol-generating material, in some implementations the heating element 24 is arranged to preheat the portion of the aerosol-generating material to a preheat temperature (below the operating temperature). At the preheat temperature, a lesser amount of aerosol is or no aerosol is generated when the portion is heated at the preheat temperature. In particular, in some implementations, the control loop is configured to supply power/energy before the first predetermined period begins (i.e., before a signal transmission is received that indicates the intent of the user to inhale the aerosol). However, increasing the temperature of the aerosol-generating material from the pre-heating temperature to the operating temperature requires less energy, thereby increasing the responsiveness of the system, but the overall energy consumption increases. This may be particularly applicable to relatively thick portions of aerosol-generating material, for example thicknesses above 400 μm, which requires a relatively large supply of energy to reach the operating temperature. However, in such implementations, the energy consumption (e.g., from power source 22) may be relatively higher.

It should be appreciated that while each heating element 24 may provide the same heating profile to a respective aerosol-generating region 24, one or more heating elements 24 may be configured to provide different heating profiles to respective aerosol-generating regions 24. For example, the aerosol-generating region 24 located away from the mouthpiece 28 may be heated according to a heating profile that generates a greater amount of aerosol than the aerosol-generating region 24 located closer to the mouthpiece 28, which may offset the additional loss of aerosol due to condensation along the increased travel distance, thereby providing more consistent aerosol delivery from the different aerosol-generating regions 24.

Although an implementation has been described above in which the aerosol-generating device 2, 202 comprises an end of use indicator 31, 231, it will be appreciated that the end of use indicator 31, 231 may be provided by another device remote from the aerosol-supplying device 2, 202. For example, in some implementations, the control loop 23, 223 of the aerosol provision device 2, 202 may include a communication mechanism that allows for data transmission between the aerosol provision device 2, 202 and a remote device, such as a smart phone or smart watch. In these implementations, when the control loop 23, 223 determines that the aerosol-generating article 4, 204 has reached its end of use, the control loop 23, 223 is configured to send a signal to the remote device, and the remote device is configured to generate an alert signal (e.g., using a display of a smartphone). As described above, other remote devices and other mechanisms for generating an alert signal may be used.

Furthermore, when portions of aerosol-generating material are provided on the carrier member 42, 242, these portions may in some implementations comprise weakened areas, such as through holes or areas of relatively thin aerosol-generating material, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the carrier member 42, 242. This may be the case when the hottest part of the aerosol-generating material is the region that directly contacts the carrier component (in other words, where heat is applied primarily to the surface of the aerosol-generating material that contacts the carrier component 42, 242). Thus, the through holes may provide a passage for the generated aerosol to escape and be released into the environment/airflow by the aerosol provision device 22, 202 without the aerosol potentially accumulating between the carrier part 42, 242 and the aerosol generating material 44, 244. This accumulation of aerosol can reduce the heating efficiency of the system, as in some implementations, the accumulation of aerosol can cause the aerosol-generating material to lift from the carrier component 42, 242, thereby reducing the efficiency of heat transfer to the aerosol-generating material 44, 244. Each portion of the aerosol-generating material 44, 244 may suitably be provided with a weaker region.

In some implementations, the aerosol-generating article 4, 204 may comprise an identifier, such as a readable bar code or RFID tag, and the aerosol-supplying device 2, 202 comprises a corresponding reader. The aerosol-generating article 4, 204 may be configured to read an identifier on the aerosol-generating article 4, 204 when the aerosol-generating article 4, 204 is inserted into the receptacle 25, 225 of the aerosol-supplying device 2, 202. The control loop 23, 223 may be configured to identify the presence of the aerosol-generating article 4, 204 (and thus allow heating and/or resetting of the end-of-life indicator) or to identify the type of part of the aerosol-generating article 4, 204 and/or the position relative to the aerosol-generating material. This may affect which portions of the control loop 23, 223 are aerosolized and/or the manner in which those portions are aerosolized, for example by adjusting the aerosol-generating temperature and/or the heating duration. Any suitable technique for identifying the aerosol-generating article 4, 204 may be employed.

However, in accordance with the present disclosure, the inventors have found that in some cases the aerosol-supplying device 2, 202 has one or more aerosol-generating components designed to heat portions of the aerosol-generating material of the aerosol-generating article 4, 204 to generate an aerosol, in some cases such that even if the heating conditions of each of the one or more aerosol-generating components are expected to be substantially the same, the amount or quality of aerosol delivered to a user per puff is not consistent.

For example, as discussed, the aerosol-generating article 204 comprising the aerosol-generating material may comprise a substrate (e.g., paper, card, foil) comprising a first side and a second side, wherein the aerosol-generating material is disposed on the first side of the substrate. In this case, the substrate may act as a carrier for the aerosol-generating material. In some implementations, the substrate may be or may include a metal element arranged to be heated by a varying magnetic field. In such implementations, the energy source for heating may include an induction coil (such as induction coil 224 a) that, when energized, causes heating within the metal element of the substrate or article 4, 204. The degree of heating may be affected by the distance between the metal element and the induction coil. For example, as shown in fig. 5, there is a spacing between the induction coil 224a and the aerosol-generating article 204 in the indicated z-direction. Thus, such variation in spacing along the z-direction across the aerosol-generating article 204 may change the inductive coupling between each induction coil 224a and the corresponding susceptor 224b of the aerosol-generating article 204. Such variations may cause the amount or quality of aerosol delivered to the user per puff to be inconsistent even though the heating conditions of the different aerosol-generating components of the aerosol-generating article are expected to be substantially the same.

For example, without wanting to be bound by theory, in implementations in which the metal element is mechanically flexible (such as formed from a metal foil), the metal foil may move downward due to the force generated by the varying magnetic field. For example, without wanting to be bound by theory, it is believed that the metal foil will move up and down under the influence of the pulsed electromagnetic field.

Furthermore, in implementations in which the aerosol-generating article comprises a metal foil laminated or otherwise adhered to a substrate, in use, the induced temperature of the foil may be sufficient to melt the adhesive or laminate such that the metal foil is free to move relative to the aerosol-supply device 202. As will be appreciated, the foregoing may be equally applicable to implementations that include resistive heaters (in addition to or instead of inductive heaters).

Furthermore, the aerosol-supplying device 202 may comprise a wireless temperature sensor to measure the temperature of the aerosol-generating article 204 in use. If there is a change in the separation between the induction coil 224a (or resistive heater) and the aerosol-generating article 204 in the indicated z-direction, as a result, the wireless temperature measurement may be inaccurate. Accordingly, it is desirable to maintain a uniform spacing between the induction coil 224a (or resistive heater) and the aerosol-generating article 204 in order to enable better wireless temperature sensing.

Fig. 7A-7B and 8A-8C illustrate various perspective views of components of an aerosol supply system 700 included in accordance with various embodiments. The aerosol provision system 700 comprises two main components, namely an aerosol provision device 702 and an aerosol-generating article 704 (see fig. 8A and 8B).

Referring now to fig. 7A and 7B, the aerosol provision device 702 includes a lid portion 706 and a base portion 708. The aerosol provision device 702 further comprises a securing mechanism 710. The securing mechanism 710 is configured to engage the lid portion 706 with the base portion 708. Once engaged, the lid portion 706 and the base portion 708 retain the aerosol-generating article 704 in position between the lid portion and the base portion in use (as shown in fig. 8A and 8B) to prevent relative movement of the aerosol-generating article 704.

In some implementations, the securing mechanism 710 is configured to engage the lid portion 706 with the base portion 708 to hold the aerosol-generating article 704 in place in use, the aerosol-generating article 704 comprising a metal foil bonded to a substrate, thereby preventing relative movement of the metal foil with respect to the substrate of the aerosol-generating article 704. That is, in use, when the aerosol-supplying device 702 is configured to heat the aerosol-generating article 704 to generate an aerosol, the securing mechanism 710 is configured to engage the lid portion 706 with the base portion 708 so as to retain the aerosol-generating article 704 in a position between the lid portion and the base portion, thereby preventing movement of the metal foil relative to the substrate, such as preventing partial or complete separation of the foil from the substrate. Thus, the relative movement of the aerosol-generating article 704 is also considered to refer to movement of one portion of the aerosol-generating article 704 (such as the metal foil) relative to another portion of the aerosol-generating article 704 (such as the substrate or support).

In some implementations, the aerosol provision device 702 includes one or more heating elements (e.g., heating element 732 as shown in fig. 8A-C). As shown in fig. 8A-8C, a heating element 732 is disposed within or forms a part of the base portion 708. However, alternatively or additionally, one or more heating elements may be provided in the lid portion 706. Thus, the lid portion 706 and the base portion 708 engage to prevent relative movement of the aerosol-generating article 704 in a direction towards or away from the one or more heating elements 732, e.g., to prevent movement of the aerosol-generating article 704 in the z-direction (when in use) away from or towards the heating elements 732 of the aerosol-supplying device 702, as indicated in fig. 8B. Although only one heater 732 is shown in fig. 8A-8C, it should be understood that more than one heater 732 may be provided, such as two or three heaters. In some embodiments, the one or more heating elements 732 comprise one or more induction heating elements comprising one or more induction coils for generating a varying magnetic field for heating, in use, one or more susceptor elements of the aerosol-generating article 704 (such as a metal foil) held in place by the fixing mechanism 710. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more heating elements 732 may be resistive heating elements.

In an embodiment, the one or more heating elements 732 define a planar surface, as shown in fig. 8A-8C. In such embodiments, in use, the securing mechanism 710 is configured to engage the lid portion 706 with the base portion 708 so as to hold the substantially planar aerosol-generating article 704 in place parallel to the planar surface, thereby preventing relative movement of the substantially planar aerosol-generating article 704 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the planar surface (such as in the z-direction as shown in fig. 8B).

As will be appreciated, the one or more heating elements 732 may include a substantially planar heating element, such as a flat spiral induction coil. However, in other embodiments, one or more of the heating elements 732 may be non-planar, but define a planar surface, such as a tapered induction coil, wherein the base of the tapered induction coil defines the planar surface.

Fig. 9A-9B illustrate various perspective views of components of an aerosol provision system 900 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The aerosol supply system 900 includes components substantially similar to those described below with respect to fig. 7A-7B and 8A-8C. However, the reference numerals start with "9" instead of "7", so that the reference numeral 902 denotes the aerosol supply device 902. In order to improve efficiency, unless otherwise indicated, components having similar reference numerals should be understood to be substantially identical to corresponding components in fig. 7A to 7B and 8A to 8C.

As shown in fig. 7A-7B, 8A-8C, and 9A-9B, the aerosol-supplying device 702, 902 comprises a rotating device 736, 936 configured to rotate the aerosol-generating article 704 about an axis of rotation (as is illustrated in fig. 8B). The rotating means 736, 936 are configured to rotate the aerosol-generating article 704 relative to the heating element 732 such that one or more fresh aerosol-generating regions of the aerosol-generating article 704 are moved into proximity of the heating element 732. As will be appreciated, in embodiments that include rotation means 736, 936, the securing mechanism 710 is configured to enable rotation of the aerosol-generating article 704 relative to the heating element 732 while preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article 704 in directions other than rotation about the axis of rotation, such as in the z-direction as indicated in fig. 8B.

In an embodiment, the aerosol-generating article 704 may comprise one or more tracks, wherein the lid portion 706 and/or the base portion 708 are configured to apply a force along the one or more tracks to enable rotation of the aerosol-generating article 704 while preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article 704 in directions other than rotation about the axis of rotation. In some embodiments, the one or more tracks may include areas of the aerosol-generating article 704 that do not contain any aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the one or more tracks may include a region of the aerosol-generating article 704 comprising a metal foil.

Referring particularly to fig. 7A-7B and 8A-8B, the lid portion 706 may include a plenum 712 and a mouthpiece 714. The plenum 712 may include a mouthpiece 714. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece 714 and plenum 712 may be integral with the cap portion 706. It should be appreciated that the integral mouthpiece 714 and cap portion 706 ensure uniform compression on the aerosol-generating article 704. That is, if the mouthpiece 714 and the cap portion 706 are a single, unitary piece, there is substantially no additional mechanical play or change caused by the connection between the mouthpiece 714 and the cap portion 706. As a result, the force exerted by the lid portion 706 on the aerosol-generating article 704 is substantially constant on the lid-facing upper surface of the aerosol-generating article 704. Additionally or alternatively, the lid portion 706 may further include a lid insert 716 (see fig. 8B) that may be configured to retain the plenum 712 and/or the mouthpiece 714 to an outer housing of the lid portion 706 via one or more securing members, such as pins.

Referring again to fig. 7A-7B and 8A-8C, the securing mechanism 710 may include a hinge 734 such that the lid portion 706 is connected to the base portion 708 by the hinge 734, forming a flip-type arrangement. That is, for example, as shown in fig. 8A-8B, the aerosol-supply device 702 may be configured to receive the aerosol-generating article 704 when the hinge 734 is in the open position. As shown, for example, in fig. 7A, the securing mechanism 710 may be configured to engage the lid portion 706 with the base portion 708 to hold the aerosol-generating article 704 in place in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article 704 when the hinge 734 is in the closed position.

Still referring to fig. 7A-7B and 8A-8C, the securing mechanism 710 may include one or more magnetic elements configured to engage the lid portion 706 with the base portion 708. For example, as shown in fig. 7B, the base portion 708 may include a magnet 720 configured to be magnetically attracted to a corresponding magnetically receptive region 722 of the lid portion 706. Alternatively or additionally, the cover portion 706 may include one or more magnets 720 and the base portion may include a corresponding magnetically receptive region 722. Although only a single securing mechanism 710 is shown in fig. 7A and 7B, it should be understood that two or more such securing mechanisms may be provided to co-axially or uniformly secure the cover portion 706 to the base portion 708.

In some embodiments, the one or more magnets 720 may be formed from one or more of neodymium iron boron (NdFeB), samarium cobalt (SmCo), alnico, and ceramic or ferrite magnets.

In some embodiments, the one or more corresponding magnetically receptive regions 722 may include a temporary magnet, for example, one or more of iron, iron alloy, nickel alloy, cobalt alloy, gadolinium alloy, dysprosium, and dysprosium alloy.

In some embodiments, one of the lid portion 706 and the base portion 708 may include an electromagnet. In such embodiments, the electromagnet may be actuated to generate a magnetic field to attract one or more magnets 720 or magnetically receptive regions 722 in the other of the lid portion 706 and the base portion 708. In some embodiments, the lid portion 706 and the base portion 708 may each include an electromagnet to attract each other when the electromagnet is actuated. A control loop, such as control loop 23 in fig. 1A and 1B, may be configured to actuate the electromagnet.

As shown in fig. 7B, the one or more corresponding magnetically receptive regions 722 may each include a recess for receiving a respective one of the one or more magnets 720. However, in some embodiments, at least one of the one or more corresponding magnetically receptive regions 722 may be flush or flush with the base-facing wall of the lid portion 706 to engage with a respective one of the one or more magnets 720, wherein the respective one of the one or more magnets 720 is flush or flush with the lid-facing wall of the base portion 708. In some embodiments, both the one or more magnets 720 and the one or more corresponding magnetically receptive regions 722 may be flush or flush.

In some embodiments, the aerosol provision device 702 may further comprise a clamping mechanism configured to clamp the lid portion to the base portion so as to engage the lid portion with the base portion.

Turning now to fig. 9A and 9B, an aerosol supply system 900 is illustrated that includes an aerosol supply device 902 having an additional or alternative securing mechanism 910. The securing mechanism 910 may include magnetic braces 924 configured to clamp the lid portion 906 to the base portion 908, as shown in fig. 9A. Fig. 9B shows the aerosol provision system 900 with the securing mechanism 910 unattached and expanding upward. As shown, the base portion may include one or more magnets 926 or one or more magnetic regions 926 configured to cooperate with the magnetic braces 924 to clamp the lid portion 906 to the base portion 908.

Fig. 10A to 10C illustrate various perspective views of components of an aerosol provision system 1000 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The aerosol provision system 1000 includes components substantially similar to those described below with respect to fig. 7A-7B, 8A-8C, and 9A-9B. However, the reference numeral starts with "10" instead of "7" or "9", so that the reference numeral 1002 denotes an aerosol supply device 1002. In order to improve efficiency, unless otherwise indicated, components having similar reference numerals should be understood to be substantially identical to corresponding components in fig. 7A to 7B, 8A to 8C, and 9A to 9B.

In some embodiments, the aerosol provision device 2, 202, 702, 902, 1002 as described above may additionally or alternatively comprise a securing mechanism comprising a snap-fit mechanism. The snap-fit mechanism may include a snap-fit element located in one of the lid portion 706, 906, 1006 and the base portion 708, 908, 1008 that is configured to snap-fit engage with a complementary receiving element located in the other of the lid portion 706, 906, 1006 and the base portion 708, 908, 1008.

In some embodiments, the aerosol provision device 2, 202, 702, 902, 1002 as disclosed above may additionally or alternatively include a securing mechanism including one or more first gripping elements in the lid portion 706, 906, 1006 and/or the base portion 708, 908, 1008 configured to grip one or more second gripping elements in the lid portion 706, 906, 1006 and/or the base portion 708, 908, 1008, respectively, in order to engage the lid portion 706, 906, 1006 with the base portion 708, 908, 1008. For example, in one embodiment, as shown in fig. 8B, the lid portion 706 may include one or more first gripping elements in the form of protrusions 728 configured to grip one or more second gripping elements in the form of lips 730 disposed in the base portion 708. As will be appreciated, one or more of the first and second gripping elements 728, 730 may be formed of a particular material that enables a secure grip between the respective gripping elements and also provides a seal to prevent aerosol from leaking or otherwise escaping from the aerosol supply device 702 when in use.

In some embodiments, the aerosol provision device 2, 202, 702, 902, 1002 may additionally or alternatively include a securing mechanism including one or more snap rings configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion. For example, in one embodiment, as shown in fig. 10A and 10B, the securing mechanism 1010 may include a snap ring, such as a slidable snap ring 1032, configured to clamp the cover portion 1006 to the base portion 1008 to engage the cover portion 1006 with the base portion 1008. Alternatively or additionally, the securing mechanism 1010 may include a rotatable snap ring.

In some embodiments, the lid portion and/or the base portion may include one or more walls configured to form an aerosol chamber or aerosol-forming chamber when the lid portion is engaged with the base portion. The lid portion and/or the base portion may apply pressure uniformly to the substantially planar aerosol-generating article through the one or more walls to prevent relative movement of the aerosol-generating article such that a spacing between the one or more heating elements and the substantially planar aerosol-generating article is maintained throughout the substantially planar aerosol-generating article. That is, the aerosol-supplying device is configured to maintain a region of the aerosol-generating article to be heated such that the z-distance (e.g., the distance between a heating element such as an induction coil and a metal foil of the aerosol-generating article) is uniform across the entire region of the aerosol-generating article. This may be achieved by configuring the aerosol-supplying device such that the walls of the forming chamber in which the aerosol is formed are uniformly clamped to the aerosol-generating article.

In some embodiments, in use, the lid portion and/or the base portion may apply pressure uniformly to the substantially planar aerosol-generating article by: (i) a perimeter or perimeter of one or more walls; and/or (ii) a plurality of radial struts of one or more walls extending toward the interior of the aerosol chamber. For example, in one embodiment, as shown in fig. 8B, the cap portion 706 may include one or more walls in the form of one or more protrusions 728, wherein a distal end of the one or more protrusions 728 may be configured to apply pressure uniformly to the aerosol-generating article 704 in use.

As shown in fig. 7B, the aerosol-supply device 702 may include radial struts 738 extending toward the interior of the aerosol-forming chamber. In some embodiments, radial struts 738 may be linear. Additionally or alternatively, however, radial struts 738 may be curvilinear. The one or more walls may be configured to embed or partially cut into the aerosol-generating article or the substantially planar aerosol-generating article in use. The one or more walls may include one or more partially deformable regions. For example, the partly deformable regions may be interconnected so as to seal the aerosol-forming chamber around the aerosol-generating article. Furthermore, the one or more partially deformable regions may ensure that the spacing between the one or more heating elements and the aerosol-generating article is maintained throughout the aerosol-generating article. The periphery or perimeter of the one or more walls may include one or more partially deformable regions, and/or the plurality of radial struts of the one or more walls may include one or more partially deformable regions.

The cover portion and/or the base portion may include one or more struts. In use, the lid portion and/or the base portion may apply pressure uniformly to the substantially planar aerosol-generating article via the one or more struts to prevent relative movement of the aerosol-generating article such that the spacing between the one or more heating elements and the substantially planar aerosol-generating article is maintained throughout the substantially planar aerosol-generating article. That is, one or more struts may be finger-like and may hold the aerosol-generating article in place. The one or more struts may include one or more deformable regions. That is, the one or more struts may be one or more deformable struts, may be finger-shaped, and may hold the aerosol-generating article in place. For example, this may allow for easy insertion of the aerosol-generating article into the aerosol-supply device, while ensuring that the aerosol-generating article may be very close to the heater. As will be appreciated, it may be relatively easy for a user to insert an aerosol-generating article into an aerosol-supply device, as one or more struts or "fingers" may deform to allow the article to be inserted, but after the article has been inserted, the one or more struts may push the consumable into a predetermined position. The one or more struts or "fingers" can maintain a constant pressure on the consumable, and thus a constant z-distance separation (as described above). The one or more struts may be configured to be embedded or partially cut into the aerosol-generating article or the substantially planar aerosol-generating article. In use, the lid portion and/or the base portion may apply pressure uniformly through the one or more walls and/or the one or more struts to a first region of the substantially planar aerosol-generating article which does not comprise aerosol-generating material, but not to a second region of the substantially planar aerosol-generating article which comprises aerosol-generating material. For example, the first region may comprise a susceptor (such as a metal foil) but be substantially free of aerosol-generating material, and the second region may comprise a susceptor (such as a metal foil) and aerosol-generating material.

According to various embodiments, the securing mechanism may include a cam lock configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion. The cam lock may comprise an eccentric cam configured to roll downwardly so as to hold the aerosol-generating article in position in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article. The lid portion and/or the base portion may comprise a plenum for forming the aerosol-forming chamber, wherein the eccentric cam is configured to roll downwardly to exert a force on the plenum so as to retain the aerosol-generating article in position by the plenum in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article. According to various embodiments, the aerosol-supply device may further comprise a slidable platform configured to extend outwardly from the aerosol-supply device to receive the aerosol-generating article. The slidable platform may be configured to retract into the aerosol-supply device for inserting the aerosol-generating article into the aerosol-supply device, wherein the slidable platform is connected to the eccentric cam such that the eccentric cam is configured to roll downward when the slidable platform is retracted into the aerosol-supply device. The slidable platform may be configured to receive the aerosol-generating article when the hinge is in the open position, wherein the slidable platform is configured to retract into the aerosol-supplying device when the hinge is brought from the open position to the closed position.

The one or more heating elements may define a curvilinear surface. For example, the one or more heating elements may include a flat spiral coil that has been rolled around the cylinder such that a surface defined by the flat spiral coil substantially conforms to the cylindrical surface. The securing mechanism may be configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to retain the aerosol-generating article adjacent the curved surface of the one or more heating elements in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article in a direction towards or away from the curved surface of the one or more heating elements. The securing mechanism may be configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to, in use, maintain the aerosol-generating article adjacent to the curved surface of the one or more heating elements, the aerosol-generating article having a surface substantially conforming to the curved surface of the one or more heating elements.

It will be appreciated that reducing the spacing between the aerosol-generating article and the heater ensures better heating efficiency. According to various embodiments, the aerosol-generating article or substantially planar aerosol-generating article may be maintained in a position of less than 10 μm from the one or more heating elements in use.

While the above embodiments focus in certain aspects on some specific exemplary aerosol-generating systems, it should be understood that the same principles may be applied to aerosol-generating systems using other techniques. That is, the particular manner in which the various aspects of the aerosol-generating system function is not directly related to the underlying principles of the embodiments described herein.

To solve various problems and advance the art, the present disclosure shows various embodiments by way of illustration. The advantages and features of the present disclosure are merely representative samples of embodiments and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. These advantages and features are presented only to aid in the understanding and teaching of the claimed invention. It is to be understood that the advantages, implementations, examples, functions, features, structures and/or other aspects of the disclosure are not to be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other implementations may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. The various embodiments may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of the various combinations of elements, components, features, parts, steps, components, and the like disclosed. In addition to those specifically described herein, it will therefore be understood that features of the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims in combinations other than those explicitly set out in the claims. The present disclosure may include other inventions not presently claimed but which may be claimed in the future.

Claims

1. An aerosol provision device comprising:

a cover portion;

a base portion; and

a securing mechanism, wherein the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to hold an aerosol-generating article in position in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article;

2. An aerosol provision device according to claim 1, further comprising one or more heating elements, wherein the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to hold the aerosol-generating article in place in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article in a direction towards or away from the one or more heating elements, and wherein the base portion and/or heating portion comprise the one or more heating elements.

3. An aerosol-supplying device according to claim 2, wherein, in use, an aerosol-generating article comprising a plurality of aerosol-generating regions is positioned such that one or more aerosol-generating regions are located adjacent a heating element of the one or more heating elements, wherein the aerosol-supplying device comprises a rotation device configured to rotate the aerosol-generating article relative to the heating element about an axis of rotation such that one or more aerosol-generating regions are moved to a position adjacent the heating element, and wherein the securing mechanism is configured to enable rotation of the aerosol-generating article relative to the heating element while preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article in directions other than rotation about the axis of rotation.

4. An aerosol-supplying device according to any of claims 1, 2 and 3, further comprising one or more heating elements defining a planar surface, wherein the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to retain a substantially planar aerosol-generating article in a position parallel to the planar surface of the one or more heating elements in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the substantially planar aerosol-generating article in a direction substantially perpendicular to the planar surface.

5. An aerosol provision device according to any of claims 2, 3 and 4, wherein the one or more heating elements comprise substantially planar heating elements.

6. An aerosol provision device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the lid portion and/or the base portion comprises one or more walls configured to form an aerosol chamber when the lid portion is engaged with the base portion, wherein, in use, the lid portion and/or the base portion applies pressure uniformly to a substantially planar aerosol-generating article through the one or more walls so as to prevent relative movement of the aerosol-generating article such that the spacing between the one or more heating elements and the substantially planar aerosol-generating article is maintained throughout the substantially planar aerosol-generating article.

7. An aerosol provision device according to claim 6, wherein, in use, the lid portion and/or the base portion apply pressure uniformly to a substantially planar aerosol-generating article by: (i) a perimeter or perimeter of the one or more walls; and/or (ii) a plurality of radial struts of the one or more walls extending toward the interior of the aerosol chamber.

8. An aerosol provision device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein, in use, the one or more walls are configured to embed or partially cut into an aerosol-generating article or a substantially planar aerosol-generating article.

9. The aerosol provision device of any one of claims 6, 7 and 8, wherein the one or more walls comprise one or more partially deformable regions.

10. The aerosol provision device of claim 9, wherein: (i) The perimeter or perimeter of the one or more walls includes one or more partially deformable regions; and/or (ii) the plurality of radial struts of the one or more walls comprise one or more partially deformable regions.

11. An aerosol-supplying device according to any of claims 2 to 10, wherein the lid portion and/or the base portion comprises one or more struts, wherein, in use, the lid portion and/or the base portion applies pressure evenly to a substantially planar aerosol-generating article through the one or more struts to prevent relative movement of the aerosol-generating article such that the spacing between the one or more heating elements and the substantially planar aerosol-generating article is maintained throughout the substantially planar aerosol-generating article.

12. An aerosol provision device according to claim 11, wherein, in use, the one or more struts are configured to embed or partially cut into an aerosol-generating article or a substantially planar aerosol-generating article.

13. The aerosol provision device of claim 11 or 12, wherein the one or more struts comprise one or more partially deformable regions.

14. An aerosol-supplying device according to any of claims 6 to 13, wherein, in use, the lid portion and/or the base portion applies pressure evenly through the one or more walls and/or the one or more struts to a first region of a substantially planar aerosol-generating article that does not comprise aerosol-generating material, but not to a second region of the substantially planar aerosol-generating article that comprises aerosol-generating material.

15. An aerosol provision device according to any of claims 2 to 14, wherein the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to hold an aerosol-generating article or a substantially planar aerosol-generating article in position at a distance of less than 10 μm from the one or more heating elements in use.

16. An aerosol-supplying device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the securing mechanism comprises a hinge, wherein the lid portion is connected to the base portion by the hinge to form a flip-top arrangement, wherein the aerosol-supplying device is configured to receive an aerosol-generating article when the hinge is in an open position, and wherein the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to retain the aerosol-generating article in position in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article when the hinge is in a closed position.

17. An aerosol provision device according to any preceding claim, wherein the securing mechanism comprises a clamping mechanism configured to clamp the lid portion to the base portion so as to engage the lid portion with the base portion.

18. An aerosol provision device according to any preceding claim, wherein the securing mechanism comprises one or more magnetic elements configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion.

19. The aerosol provision device of claim 18, wherein the one or more magnetic elements comprise: one or more magnets located in one of the lid portion and the base portion; and a magnetic material located in the other of the lid portion and the base portion.

20. The aerosol provision device of claim 18 or 19, wherein the one or more magnetic elements comprise a magnetic stay configured to clamp the lid portion to the base portion.

21. An aerosol provision device according to any preceding claim, wherein the securing mechanism comprises a snap-fit mechanism comprising a snap-fit element located in one of the lid portion and the base portion, the snap-fit element being configured to engage in a snap-fit manner with a complementary receiving element located in the other of the lid portion and the base portion.

22. An aerosol provision device according to any preceding claim, wherein the securing mechanism comprises one or more snap rings configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion.

23. An aerosol provision device according to any preceding claim, wherein the securing mechanism comprises one or more first gripping elements in the lid portion and/or the base portion configured to grip one or more second gripping elements in the lid portion and/or the base portion, respectively, so as to engage the lid portion with the base portion.

24. An aerosol provision device according to any preceding claim, wherein the securing mechanism comprises a cam lock configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion.

25. An aerosol provision device according to claim 24, wherein the cam lock comprises an eccentric cam configured to roll downwardly so as to hold an aerosol-generating article in position in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article.

26. An aerosol provision device according to claim 25, wherein the lid portion and/or the base portion comprises a plenum for forming an aerosol-forming chamber, wherein the eccentric cam is configured to roll downwardly to exert a force on the plenum so as to retain an aerosol-generating article in position by the plenum in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article.

27. An aerosol provision device according to claim 25 or 26, wherein the aerosol provision device further comprises a slidable platform configured to extend outwardly from the device to receive an aerosol-generating article, wherein the slidable platform is configured to retract into the device so as to insert the aerosol-generating article into the device, and wherein the slidable platform is connected to the eccentric cam such that the eccentric cam is configured to roll downwardly when the slidable platform is retracted into the device.

28. An aerosol provision device according to claim 27, wherein the slidable platform is configured to receive the aerosol-generating article when the hinge is in an open position, wherein the slidable platform is configured to retract into the device when the hinge is brought from the open position to the closed position.

29. An aerosol provision device according to any preceding claim, wherein the cap portion comprises an integral mouthpiece.

30. An aerosol-supplying device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising one or more heating elements defining a curved surface, and wherein the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to retain an aerosol-generating article in a position adjacent the curved surface of the one or more heating elements in use, thereby preventing relative movement of the aerosol-generating article in a direction towards or away from the curved surface of the one or more heating elements.

31. An aerosol provision device according to claim 30, wherein the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to, in use, retain an aerosol-generating article having a surface substantially conforming to the curved surface of the one or more heating elements in a position adjacent to the curved surface of the one or more heating elements.

32. An aerosol provision device according to any one of claims 2 to 31, further comprising a control loop controlling the one or more heating elements, the control loop being configured to generate an amount of aerosol from one or more aerosol-generating regions of the aerosol-generating article by heating at least one of the one or more heating elements, wherein each of the one or more aerosol-generating regions corresponds to a respective one of the one or more heating elements.

33. An aerosol provision device according to any one of claims 2 to 32, wherein the one or more heating elements comprise one or more induction heating elements comprising one or more induction coils for generating a varying magnetic field for heating, in use, one or more susceptor elements of an aerosol-generating article held in place by the securing mechanism.

34. An aerosol provision device according to any preceding claim, wherein the securing mechanism is configured to engage the lid portion with the base portion so as to hold an aerosol-generating article in position in use, the aerosol-generating article comprising a metal foil bonded to a substrate so as to prevent relative movement of the metal foil with respect to the substrate of the aerosol-generating article.

35. An aerosol provision system comprising:

an aerosol provision device according to any preceding claim; and

an aerosol-generating article for use with the aerosol-generating device, the aerosol-generating article comprising a plurality of portions of aerosol-generating material.

36. A method of generating an aerosol comprising:

providing an aerosol provision device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 34;

the lid portion is engaged with the base portion with the securing mechanism to hold the aerosol-generating article in place to prevent relative movement of the aerosol-generating article.