EA037653B1 - Vaporizer cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

A refillable cartridge (10) for a vaporizer is disclosed. The refillable cartridge includes a body (12) housing a reservoir (34) for storing a vaporizing product. The refillable cartridge further includes a lower ceramic pad (42) with a through hole (44) providing access to the reservoir. The refillable cartridge further includes a lid (14) slidably fastened to the upper end of the body. The refillable cartridge further includes an upper ceramic pad (46) positioned at a lower end of the lid. The upper ceramic pad seals the through hole when the lid is slid to a first position and uncovers the through hole when the lid is slid to a second position.

Description

Cross-reference to related claims

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/433012, filed December 12, 2016, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/511047, filed May 25, 2017, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

State of the art

1. The field of technology to which the invention relates.

The present invention relates generally to vaporizers, and in particular to a vaporizer cartridge.

2. State of the art.

Vaporizers have recently emerged as a new product for the delivery of nicotine and other materials by smokeless inhalation. There are many embodiments of vaporizers, including an electronic cigarette. Most forms of implementation consist of a power source (usually a battery) and an evaporating device. In reusable e-cigarettes, these two elements are divided into a battery and a cartomizer to allow removal and replacement of the nicotine-containing cartomizer while maintaining the more expensive battery and associated circuitry (microcontroller, switch, indicator LED, etc.). said two elements are combined to integrate functions in one unit, which is removed after either battery power or nicotine-containing e-liquid is used up.

The e-liquid used to generate vapor in e-cigarettes is usually a solution of one or more of propylene glycol (PG) and / or vegetable glycerin (VG) and / or polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400) mixed with concentrated flavors and, if desired, a variable percentage liquid nicotine concentrate. This liquid can be referred to as E-liquid and is often sold in a bottle or in disposable cartridges or cartomizers. There are many different flavors of such e-liquids commercially available, including flavors that resemble the flavors of conventional tobacco, menthol, vanilla, coffee, cola, and various fruits. Various concentrations of nicotine are also possible, and denicotinized e-liquids are widely practiced.

The essence of the invention

In one aspect, a refillable vaporizer cartridge is disclosed. The refillable cartridge may include a housing enclosing a container for storing the vaporized material. The refillable cartridge may further include a bottom ceramic plate with a through hole for access to the container. The refillable cartridge may further include a cap that is movably secured to the upper end of the housing. The refillable cartridge may further include an upper ceramic plate located at the lower end of the cap. The upper ceramic plate can tightly close the through hole when the cap is slid to the first position and open the through hole when the cap is slid to the second position.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vaporizer cartridge;

fig. 2 is a side view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 1, with a closed cap;

fig. 3 is a side view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 1, with an open cap;

fig. 4 is a side view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 1, with an open cap and an inserted nozzle for filling the cartridge with evaporated material;

fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 1, with a closed cap, showing the internal structure;

fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 1, with an open cap, showing the internal structure; and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 1, with an open cap and an inserted nozzle for filling a cartridge with a vaporizable material, showing the internal structure.

Detailed description

The following detailed description and accompanying drawings characterize and depict some embodiments of the invention in order to enable a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art to make and use these embodiments. As such, the detailed description and illustration of these embodiments are illustrative in nature only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. It should also be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and in some cases, details may be missing that are not necessary for understanding the embodiments, such as manufacturing and assembly details. In the accompanying drawings, like numerals represent like components.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vaporizer cartridge 10. The cartridge 10 includes a body 12 and a cap 14. Cap 14 includes a mouthpiece 16 having a passageway 18 for passing inhaled vapor. The vaporizable material, such as liquid for electronic cigarettes, may or may not be stored within the housing 12. The outer surface of the housing 12 is dimensioned and shaped in addition to the vaporizer. For example, the vaporizer may have a cavity sized and shaped to receive the housing 12. In some embodiments, the cartridge 10 may include an atomizer assembly including an atomizer within the housing 12. When the atomizer is energized, it heats the e-liquid to convert her in steam. In other embodiments, the atomizer may be separate from the cartridge 10 such that the cartridge 10 supplies e-liquid to a separate atomizer, which then heats the e-liquid to vaporize. After vaporization, the vapor of the e-liquid is mixed with air supplied from an air source (e.g., the environment) and the air-vapor mixture flows out of the passage 18 in the mouthpiece 16.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a vaporizer cartridge 10, and FIG. 3 is a side view of cartridge 10 with cap 14 open. Cap 14 is secured to body 12 in a sliding structure such that cap 14 can be moved between the position shown in FIG. 2 and the position shown in FIG. 3. Cap 14 is secured to body 12 using techniques known to those skilled in the art, such as matching slots and laths. Cap 14 can be locked in each of the positions shown in FIG. 2 and 3. With the cap 14 in the position shown in FIG. 3, the inlet to the container within the housing 12 is open and allows the container to be filled with vaporizable material. In some embodiments, the cartridge 10 may contain a lock so that it can only be refilled when the cartridge is not connected to the vaporizer, in other embodiments, it can only be refilled when the cartridge 10 is connected to the vaporizer, and in other embodiments the cartridge can be refilled when it is either connected or not connected to the vaporizer.

FIG. 4 is a side view of cartridge 10 with nozzle 20 inserted into inlet 22 that is open when cap 14 is pushed to the open position. In some embodiments, the cap is slid in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge. With the nozzle 20 inserted into the inlet 22 (see FIG. 6), the container can be filled with vaporizable material.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of cartridge 10 showing the internal structure of an exemplary embodiment. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the body 12 has a generally hollow cylindrical shape. Other shapes are possible, for example a hollow elongated rectangular parallelepiped or a hollow elliptical cylinder. Wall 21 defines an outer surface 24 of housing 12 and an inner cavity 26. An inner cavity 26 opens at an upper end 28 and a lower end 30 to accommodate component placement. The inner cavity 26 may be divided into discrete spaces by one or more baffles 32. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the inner cavity 26 is divided into a container 34 and an air channel 36.

The atomizer assembly 38 is located at the lower end 30 of the cavity 26 and may be secured with a press fit, adhesive, threaded connection, or other attachment means. For example, atomizer assembly 38 may include an external thread that mates with an internal thread at the lower end 30 of cavity 26. Atomizer assembly 38 may be a standard atomizer known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Atomizer assembly 38 receives material from container 34 and heats the vaporized material until it vaporizes. The steam mixes with the air stream and flows into the mouthpiece 16 through the air channel 36.

At the upper end 28, a lid 40 is secured within the cavity 26. The lid 40 is secured to the body 12 by conventional means, such as a press fit, adhesive, thread, or the like. The lid 40 includes a lower ceramic plate 42 disposed on the outer surface of the lid 40. The lower ceramic plate 42 has a through hole 44 extending from the outer surface of the plate into a container 34. In the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the lower ceramic plate 42 is closed with a cap 14 tightly covering the through hole so that material cannot flow through the lower ceramic plate.

Cap 14 includes a corresponding upper ceramic plate 46 for tightly closing the through hole of the lower ceramic plate 42. In the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the upper ceramic plate 46 contacts the lower ceramic plate 42 and seals the through hole tightly to prevent material leakage. In addition, in the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the outlet 19 of the mouthpiece 16 aligns with the port 36, allowing air to flow from the port to the mouthpiece 16.

FIG. 6 depicts the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 with the cap 14 shifted into the second configuration. In this second configuration, the upper ceramic plate 46 is laterally displaced such that it no longer covers the through hole 44 and allows access to the container 34 through the through hole 44. In some embodiments, the upper ceramic plate 46 may cover the passage 36 in the second configuration.

FIG. 7 depicts the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, in a second configuration, but with a nozzle 20 inserted into the through hole 44. A vaporizable material, for example, a liquid for electric

- 2,037653 throne cigarettes can be delivered by the attachment 20 into the container 34. After the desired amount of material is delivered to the container, the attachment 20 is removed from the through hole and the cap 14 is slid laterally back into the configuration shown in FIG. 5. The upper ceramic plate 46 and the lower ceramic plate 42 are positioned against each other to block the flow of material from the container through the through hole. The ceramic plates are abrasion resistant, which allows them to be slid back and forth without losing their sealing ability. Since the material generally has a higher viscosity than water or many other fluids, it does not flow through the interface of the ceramic plates.

Some embodiments of the present invention include methods for filling or refilling the refillable cartridge of the present invention as described herein. For example, some methods comprise the step of providing a refillable cartridge of the present invention; a step of transversely shifting the cap from the first position of the cap to a second position; and a step of feeding the evaporated material through the through hole into the container. In other embodiments, the methods further comprise laterally displacing the cap from a second position to a first position after the vaporized material is introduced into the container.

Certain other embodiments of the present invention relate to kits comprising a refillable cartridge of the present invention along with instructions for filling or refilling the container. In some embodiments, the kits further comprise a nozzle for feeding the evaporated material into the container. In some other embodiments, the kits further comprise a vaporizable material, typically within a container, to contain a particular vaporizable material. In still other embodiments, the kits comprise a refillable cartridge of the present invention, instructions for filling or refilling the container, a nozzle for feeding the vaporizable material into the container, and the vaporizable material typically within a container to contain the particular vaporized material. In some embodiments, the upper ceramic plate 46 and the lower ceramic plate 42 are pressed against each other. This compression can be provided by guides configured to guide the cap 14 as it slides over the top of the housing in the closing direction. In some embodiments, the cartridge may contain a lock so that it can only be refilled when not in the vaporizer, or so that it can only be refilled when in the vaporizer.

The above description is for explanation and not limitation. From the above description, those skilled in the art will appreciate various modifications of the invention other than those described herein. These modifications are also intended to be within the scope of the concepts described herein. The disclosures of each patent, patent application and publication mentioned or described herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety into this application.

The foregoing description of possible embodiments of the present disclosure is not intended to be an exhaustive listing of all such embodiments or all of the embodiments of the described embodiments. The description of some forms of implementation should not be construed to exclude other forms of implementation. For example, those skilled in the art will understand how to carry out the invention in a variety of other ways, using equivalents and alternatives that do not depart from the scope of the invention. In addition, unless the preceding description indicates otherwise, none of the components described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. It is therefore intended that the embodiments disclosed in the specification are to be construed as illustrative, with the precise scope and spirit of the invention being defined by the following claims.

The invention clearly disclosed in this application can be properly practiced in the absence of any element that is not specifically disclosed in this application. The invention clearly disclosed in this application can also be properly practiced in the absence of any element that is not specifically disclosed in this application, and which does not significantly affect the basic and new characteristics of the claimed invention.

Claims (13)

CLAIM 1. Refillable cartridge for a vaporizer, comprising a housing having a wall defining a cavity, the housing enclosing a container for storing evaporated material; a lid comprising a lower ceramic plate disposed near the upper end of the housing, the lower ceramic plate having a through hole to provide access to the container; cap located next to the lid and secured with the possibility of sliding towards the upper - 3 037653 end of the housing, the cap being movable in a linear direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge; and an upper ceramic plate disposed at the lower end of the cap, the upper ceramic plate tightly covering the through hole when the cap is in the first position and opening the through hole when the cap is pushed to the second position. 2. The refillable cartridge of claim 1, wherein the cap comprises a mouthpiece having a passage for supplying inhaled vapor to a user of the vaporizer from the atomizer within the vaporizer. 3. A refillable cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an atomizer for converting the vaporizable material into vapor for inhalation. 4. A refillable cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cartridge does not contain an atomizer in the housing for converting the vaporized material to vapor for inhalation. 5. A refillable cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the cap is in the first position, the upper and lower ceramic plates are pressed against each other, thereby creating a seal between the upper and lower ceramic plates. 6. A refillable cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the cap is pushed into the second position, the through hole is open, thereby providing access to the container for filling or refilling the container with vaporizable material. 7. A method of refilling a refillable cartridge, comprising the following steps, which provide a refillable cartridge according to any one of claims 1-6; the cap is shifted in the specified linear direction to shift the cap from the first position to the second position; and the evaporated material is fed through the through hole into the container. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of sliding the cap from the second position to the first position after the vaporizable material is fed into the container. 9. A refillable cartridge according to any one of claims 1-6, further comprising a vaporizable material in a container. 10. A kit containing a refillable cartridge according to any one of claims 1-6 and instructions for filling or refilling the container. 11. The kit of claim 10, further comprising a nozzle for feeding the evaporated material into the container. 12. The kit of claim 10, further comprising a volatile material. 13. Refillable cartridge according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the lower ceramic plate is located on the outer surface of the cap.