EP4602942A1

EP4602942A1 - Component for aerosol-generating apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP4602942A1
Application number: EP24157752.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: designation of the inventor has not yet been filed The
Original assignee: Imperial Tobacco Ltd United Kingdom
Current assignee: Imperial Tobacco Ltd United Kingdom
Priority date: 2024-02-15
Filing date: 2024-02-15
Publication date: 2025-08-20
Also published as: WO2025172403A1

Abstract

A component for an aerosol-generating apparatus, the component comprising a body having an inner surface defining a chamber for receiving an aerosol-generating consumable, wherein the body is a unitary moulding such that the inner surface is free of split lines. An aerosol-generation apparatus comprising the component.

Description

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a component for an aerosol-generating apparatus.

BACKGROUND

A typical aerosol-generating apparatus may comprise a power supply, an aerosol-generating unit that is driven by the power supply, an aerosol precursor, which in use is aerosolised by the aerosol-generating unit to generate an aerosol, and a delivery system for delivery of the aerosol to a user. The aerosol precursor may be contained within a consumable. The power supply, aerosol-generating unit and delivery system may be contained within an aerosol-generating device. The consumable may be inserted into the aerosol-generating device to generate an aerosol. A drawback with known aerosol-generating apparatuses is that upon heating the consumable in a heating chamber, residue may be produced and this residue may leak from the consumable into the heating chamber whereby it may ingress along split lines formed by the abutment of adjacent components defining the heating chamber making it difficult to clean and potentially impacting device functionality.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a component for an aerosol-generating apparatus, the component comprising a body having an inner surface defining a chamber for receiving an aerosol-generating consumable, wherein the body is a unitary moulding such that the inner surface is free of split lines.
A split line may be understood to be an interface where two separate components abut. Due to imperfect contact and/or movement between the two components, residue can ingress between the components making it difficult to remove the residue via cleaning. Additionally, the ingress of residue between components may result in the residue coming into contact with other components (e.g. electronics) and cause them to malfunction. Thus, a chamber defined by a unitary moulded body such that an inner surface of the chamber is free of split lines may facilitate cleaning of the residue from the chamber and restrict unwanted ingress of residue to other components.
Optional features will now be set out. These are applicable singly or in any combination with any aspect or embodiment.
The body may be elongate such that it has a longitudinal axis. The chamber may also be elongate and may have a central axis which is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the body. An aerosol-generating consumable for use with the component may be elongate such that is has a longitudinal axis that is aligned with the central axis of the chamber when located in the chamber.
The inner surface of the body (defining the chamber) may be smooth and continuous (e.g. free from discontinuities where residue and/or debris can collect). Thus, cleaning of the chamber may be facilitated.
The body may comprise a base having an inner surface that partly defines the chamber. The base extends front to back of the body (in a depth direction of the body/chamber). It also extends in a width direction perpendicular to the depth direction. The depth direction and the width direction are each mutually perpendicular and perpendicular to the central axis of the chamber. Thus, the depth and width directions define a plane perpendicular to the central axis.
The inner surface of the base partly defines the chamber and may be smooth and continuous (e.g. free from discontinuities). The inner surface of the base may be substantially planar and may be normal to the central axis of the chamber. An end of an aerosol-generating consumable may abut the base when inserted into the chamber, i.e. the base may act as a stop for the consumable in the chamber.
The body may comprise opposing side walls upstanding from the base (i.e. in a height direction of the body/chamber). The inner surfaces of the side walls partly define the chamber and may be parallel to each other and parallel to the central axis of the chamber. The side walls extend from front to back of the body (in the depth direction of the body/chamber). They are spaced from each other in the width direction of the body/chamber.
Preferably, the transition between the base and each side wall inside the chamber (i.e. the transition between the inner surface of the base and the inner surface of each side wall) is a smooth curved transition (e.g. free from discontinuities). This avoids having any sharp transitions where residue can collect thereby facilitating cleaning of the inner surfaces (e.g. to remove residue).
The chamber may have a lower portion (adjacent the base) and an upper portion (distal the base). The lower portion may be for housing and/or supporting a heating element. The upper portion may be for supporting the consumable and/or guiding the consumable into the lower portion of the chamber.
The body may comprise a top opening into the chamber e.g. into the upper portion of the chamber for receiving the consumable. The upper portion of the chamber may be cylindrical (i.e. defined by a curved inner surface). The top opening may be circular. Thus, a perimeter of the top opening may be coincident with the curved inner surface of the cylindrical upper portion of the chamber.
The lower portion may have an enlarged dimension compared to the upper portion. For example, the lower portion may have a greater width and/or depth than the upper portion. For example, the lower portion may have a width and/or depth that is greater than the diameter of the cylindrical upper portion. The lower portion of the chamber may be a substantially cuboid chamber portion.
The body may include a top part opposing the base and spaced by the two opposing sides walls. Thus, the top part of the body and base are spaced from each other (in a height direction of the body/chamber). The upper portion of the chamber may be provided within the top part. Thus, the top part may include the curved inner surface and the top opening. Additionally, the top part may include a lower inner surface that partly defines the lower portion of the chamber i.e. the upper limit of the lower portion. The lower inner surface of the top part may be planar and may be parallel to the inner surface of the base.
The top part of the body may include a lower opening (i.e. at the lower inner surface) that allows a consumable to pass from the upper portion (through the top opening) to the lower portion of the chamber. The transition between the top part and each of the two opposing side walls (i.e. the lower inner surface of the top part and the inner surfaces of the side walls) may be smooth and continuous. Likewise, the transition between the lower inner surface of the top part and the curved inner surface of the top part (i.e. defining the upper portion of the chamber) may be smooth and continuous. Thus, a perimeter of the lower opening in the top part may be filleted. The top opening and lower opening may each be circular.
The body may comprise a front surface and opposing rear surface, each extending substantially in the width/height directions of the body/chamber. The front and rear surface are outwardly-facing. The front surface and/or the rear surface may be curved (e.g. convexly curved) in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the chamber.
The front surface of the body may comprise a front window opening into the chamber e.g. into the lower portion of the chamber. The rear surface of the body may comprise a rear window opening into the chamber e.g. into the lower portion of the chamber. Thus, the front and rear window facilitate access to the lower portion of the chamber to allow cleaning.
The transition between the inner surfaces defining the lower portion of the chamber (i.e. the inner surfaces of the base and side walls and lower inner surface of the top part of the body) and the front/rear surfaces (i.e. via the front and/or rear windows) may be rounded (e.g. smooth and continuous). Thus, a perimeter of the front and/or rear windows may be filleted. This may reduce the likelihood of injury when cleaning the lower portion of the chamber (i.e. on a sharp edge) and/or facilitate moulding.
The front and rear windows may be substantially aligned with each other e.g. along a window axis between the front and rear surfaces of the body substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the chamber. Thus, a geometric centre of the/each window may lie on the window axis. The window axis may transect the central axis of the chamber at the geometric centre of the lower portion of the chamber. A substantially planar portion of the front and/or rear window may be substantially parallel with a width-height plane parallel with the central axis of the chamber.
Each of the front and/or rear window may have a lower edge proximal the base. Thus, the lower edge forms part of the perimeter of each respective window. The lower edge of the/each window may be aligned (e.g. coincident) with the inner surface of the base. In this way, cleaning of the inner surface of the base may be facilitated. Likewise, an upper edge of the each window may be aligned (e.g. coincident) with the lower inner surface of the top part of the body.
The front and/or rear window may have a width and/or height substantially matching the width and/or height of the lower portion of the chamber. The front and/or rear window may have a perimeter that is substantially rectangular. It/they may have a stadium-shaped perimeter i.e. rectangular with rounded corners. The front window may be geometrically similar/identical to the rear window.
The side walls may be thinnest (i.e. have their minimum width dimension) where they meet the window(s). The side walls may be thickest (have a greatest width dimension) at a midpoint in their depth dimension. The inner surfaces of the side walls may be smooth and continuous e.g. in a depth and/or height direction of the body/chamber (e.g. free from discontinuities). For example, the inner surfaces of the side walls may be curved inwardly into the chamber e.g. convex in a plane transverse to the central axis.
The body may include a recess in the front surface and/or the rear surface. In this way, the weight of the body may be reduced. The recess may include thermal insulation. The component may include a cover to occlude the recess. The cover may have an outer surface. The outer surface may be curved (e.g. convexly curved) in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the chamber. The outer surface of the cover may be flush with the front or rear surface of the body. Thus, a transition from the outer surface of the cover to the front/rear surface of the body may be smooth. The cover and/or the body may include one or more attachment features for securing the cover to the body e.g. clips.
The cover may include a aperture. The aperture may be planar (i.e. the outer surface of the cover through which the aperture is located may be planar) or the aperture may be convexly curved (i.e. the outer surface of the cover through which the aperture is located may be convexly curved e.g. in a plane normal to the central axis). The aperture may be aligned with the respective window (e.g. the front window for a recess in the front surface, the rear window for a recess in the rear surface). The aperture may be sized and or shaped to match the respective window e.g. the aperture may be stadium-shaped. Thus, the height and/or width of the aperture may correspond to the height and/or width of the respective window.
The cover and/or the body may include one or more alignment features. In this way, secure alignment of the cover and body may be facilitated. Thus, the cover and/or body may include a first mating feature and the body and/or cover may include a second (reciprocating) mating feature. The first and second mating features may be configured to cooperatively engage with one another. Example mating features may include any one or more, plugs and sockets, ridges and grooves, and/or pins and recesses. For example, the cover may include one or more ridges. The one or more ridges may respectively project from one or more edges of the cover that abut the body. The body may include one or more grooves to respectively receive the one or more ridges thereby facilitating secure alignment of the cover with the body.
The body may include a frame defining the front window or the rear window. Thus, the frame may have an inner perimeter (i.e. defining the window) that is substantially rectangular (e.g. stadium-shaped). The frame (e.g. a top of the frame distal the central axis of the chamber) may be flush with an outer surface of the cover. In this way, likelihood of ingress of matter (e.g. residue, debris) between the frame and the cover may be reduced. The frame may extend into the aperture in the cover.
The frame may engage with the cover such that the ingress of matter (e.g. residue, debris) between the fame and the cover is restricted. Thus, the frame may abut the cover (e.g. along a perimeter of the cover). The frame may have an outer perimeter that contacts the perimeter of the aperture.
The body may be configured to receive a heating system for heating an aerosol-generating consumable e.g. to generate an aerosol for inhalation. The body may include a base opening through the base to receive a heating element (e.g. an elongate heating element). The base opening may be aligned (e.g. coincident) with the central axis of the chamber. Thus, an elongate heating element can be removably inserted into the chamber via the base opening. The base opening may be shaped to match the elongate heating element e.g. circular.
Alternatively, the body may include an (elongate) heating element. The elongate heating element may be located in the chamber e.g. the lower portion of the chamber. Thus, the elongate heating element may be embedded in the base and extend into the chamber. The heating element (e.g. a longitudinal axis of the elongate heating element) may be aligned with the central axis of the chamber.
The body may include a first flange portion at a top of the body (e.g. proximal the upper portion of the chamber). In this way, the first flange portion may act as a stop to prevent the component sliding too far into an aerosol-generating apparatus with which the component is engaged. The first flange portion may be proximal the top opening in the body and may project from the front and/or rear surfaces of the body. The cover may include a second flange portion that may cooperate with the first flange portion to form a substantially complete flange that encircles the central axis of the chamber. In this way, the complete flange may restrict over insertion of the component into an apparatus.
In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides an aerosol-generating apparatus comprising the component of the first aspect.
The aerosol-generating apparatus may include an elongate heater element that extends into the chamber (e.g. the lower portion of the chamber) of the component via the base opening in the base of the body. In this way, the elongate heating element may heat an aerosol-generating consumable located in the chamber. The component may be removably engaged with the aerosol-generating apparatus such that the component can be removed for cleaning.
The component may be slidable (e.g. parallel to the central axis of the chamber) within a recess of the aerosol-generating apparatus e.g. to selectively expose either the front window and/or the rear window. The apparatus may include a housing (e.g. a tubular housing) in which the component is slideable. Thus, the tubular housing may define a recess. In this way, a user may be prevented from accessing the lower portion of the chamber when an aerosol-generating consumable is being heated thus improving safety. In a heating (lowered) position of the component relative to the housing, the elongate heating element may be located in the lower portion of the chamber and the/each window may be occluded. In a cleaning (elevated) position of the component relative to the housing, the elongate heating element may not be located the lower portion of the chamber and the/each window may be exposed (i.e. accessible by a user). Thus, sliding the component from the heating position to the cleaning position may withdraw the elongate heating element from the chamber.
Hence, when a user has finished using the apparatus to generate an aerosol, the user may slide the component relative to the tubular housing (e.g. from the heating position, to the cleaning position) to expose either or both windows, thus allowing the user access to the lower portion of the chamber to clean any residue from the consumable.
The tubular housing may be elongate and have a (central) longitudinal axis. When the component is engaged with the housing, the central axis of the chamber may be parallel (and coincident) with the longitudinal axis of the tubular housing. An inner surface of the tubular housing may abut an outer surface of the component (e.g. the front and/or rear surfaces of the body and/or the outer surface of the cover). Thus, an inner surface of the tubular housing may be sized and shaped to match the outer surface of the component. The cross-section of a base of the component (e.g. the base of the body and/or a base portion of the cover) in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the chamber may taper inwards towards the central axis in a direction away from the top opening. Thus, insertion of the component into the tubular housing may be facilitated.
The preceding summary is provided for purposes of summarizing some examples to provide a basic understanding of aspects of the subject matter described herein. Accordingly, the above-described features should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Moreover, the above and/or proceeding examples may be combined in any suitable combination to provide further examples, except where such a combination is clearly impermissible or expressly avoided. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following text and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Aspects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of examples in reference to the appended drawings in which like numerals denote like elements.

Fig. 1 is a block system diagram showing an example aerosol generating apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a block system diagram showing an example implementation of the apparatus of Fig. 1, where the aerosol generating apparatus is configured to generate aerosol from a solid precursor.
Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example implementation of the apparatus of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a component 100 according to the first aspect.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the body 110 of the component 100 of Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the cover 120 of the component 100 of Fig. 4.
Fig. 7 is a side view of the component 100 of Fig. 4 showing the engagement of the body 110 with the cover 120 to form the component 100.
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the component 100 of Fig. 4 showing the interface between the rear window 140 and the cover 120.
Fig. 9A is a first schematic to illustrate the detail of section A-A in Fig. 7 with the cover 120 disengaged from the body 110.
Fig. 9B is a second schematic to illustrate the detail of section A-A of Fig. 7 with the cover 120 engaged with the body 110.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Before describing several examples implementing the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited by specific construction details or process steps set forth in the following description and accompanying drawings. Rather, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the systems, apparatuses and/or methods described herein could be embodied differently and/or be practiced or carried out in various alternative ways.
Unless otherwise defined herein, scientific and technical terms used in connection with the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) shall have the meanings that are commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, and known techniques and procedures may be performed according to conventional methods well known in the art and as described in various general and more specific references that may be cited and discussed in the present specification.
Any patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publications mentioned in the specification are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
All examples implementing the present disclosure can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While particular examples have been described, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the systems, apparatus, and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the concept, spirit, and scope of the inventive concept(s). All such similar substitutions and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the inventive concept(s) as defined by the appended claims.
The use of the term "a" or "an" in the claims and/or the specification may mean "one," as well as "one or more," "at least one," and "one or more than one." As such, the terms "a," "an," and "the," as well as all singular terms, include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Likewise, plural terms shall include the singular unless otherwise required by context.
The use of the term "or" in the present disclosure (including the claims) is used to mean an inclusive "and/or" unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or unless the alternatives are mutually exclusive. For example, a condition "A or B" is satisfied by any of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).
As used in this specification and claim(s), the words "comprising, "having," "including," or "containing" (and any forms thereof, such as "comprise" and "comprises," "have" and "has," "includes" and "include," or "contains" and "contain," respectively) are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.
Unless otherwise explicitly stated as incompatible, or the physics or otherwise of the embodiments, examples, or claims prevent such a combination, the features of examples disclosed herein, and of the claims, may be integrated together in any suitable arrangement, especially ones where there is a beneficial effect in doing so. This is not limited to only any specified benefit, and instead may arise from an "ex post facto" benefit. This is to say that the combination of features is not limited by the described forms, particularly the form (e.g. numbering) of example(s), embodiment(s), or dependency of claim(s). Moreover, this also applies to the phrase "in one embodiment," "according to an embodiment," and the like, which are merely a stylistic form of wording and are not to be construed as limiting the following features to a separate embodiment to all other instances of the same or similar wording. This is to say, a reference to 'an,' 'one,' or 'some' embodiment(s) may be a reference to any one or more, and/or all embodiments, or combination(s) thereof, disclosed. Also, similarly, the reference to "the" embodiment may not be limited to the immediately preceding embodiment. Further, all references to one or more embodiments or examples are to be construed as non-limiting to the claims.
The present disclosure may be better understood in view of the following explanations, wherein the terms used that are separated by "or" may be used interchangeably:
As used herein, an "aerosol generating apparatus" (or "electronic(e)-cigarette") may be an apparatus configured to deliver an aerosol to a user for inhalation by the user. The apparatus may additionally/alternatively be referred to as a "smoking substitute apparatus", if it is intended to be used instead of a conventional combustible smoking article. As used herein a combustible "smoking article" may refer to a cigarette, cigar, pipe or other article, that produces smoke (an aerosol comprising solid particulates and gas) via heating above the thermal decomposition temperature (typically by combustion and/or pyrolysis). An aerosol generated by the apparatus may comprise an aerosol with particle sizes of 0.2 to 7 microns, or less than 10 microns, or less than 7 microns. This particle size may be achieved by control of one or more of: heater temperature; cooling rate as the vapour condenses to an aerosol; flow properties including turbulence and velocity. The generation of aerosol by the aerosol generating apparatus may be controlled by an input device. The input device may be configured to be user-activated, and may for example include or take the form of an actuator (e.g. actuation button) and/or an airflow sensor.
Each occurrence of the aerosol generating apparatus being caused to generate aerosol for a period of time (which may be variable) may be referred to as an "activation" of the aerosol generating apparatus. The aerosol generating apparatus may be arranged to allow an amount of aerosol delivered to a user to be varied per activation (as opposed to delivering a fixed dose of aerosol), e.g. by activating an aerosol generating unit of the apparatus for a variable amount of time, e.g. based on the strength/duration of a draw of a user through a flow path of the apparatus (to replicate an effect of smoking a conventional combustible smoking article).
The aerosol generating apparatus may be portable. As used herein, the term "portable" may refer to the apparatus being for use when held by a user.
As used herein, an "aerosol generating system" may be a system that includes an aerosol generating apparatus and optionally other circuitry/components associated with the function of the apparatus, e.g. one or more external devices and/or one or more external components (here "external" is intended to mean external to the aerosol generating apparatus).
As used herein, an "external device" and "external component" may include one or more of a: a charging device, a mobile device (which may be connected to the aerosol generating apparatus, e.g. via a wireless or wired connection); a networked-based computer (e.g. a remote server); a cloud-based computer; any other server system.
An example aerosol generating system may be a system for managing an aerosol generating apparatus. Such a system may include, for example, a mobile device, a network server, as well as the aerosol generating apparatus.
As used herein, an "aerosol" may include a suspension of precursor, including as one or more of: solid particles; liquid droplets; gas. Said suspension may be in a gas including air. An aerosol herein may generally refer to/include a vapour. An aerosol may include one or more components of the precursor.
As used herein, a "precursor" may include one or more of a: liquid; solid; gel; loose leaf material; other substance. The precursor may be processed by an aerosol generating unit of an aerosol generating apparatus to generate an aerosol. The precursor may include one or more of: an active component; a carrier; a flavouring. The active component may include one or more of nicotine; caffeine; a cannabidiol oil; a non-pharmaceutical formulation, e.g. a formulation which is not for treatment of a disease or physiological malfunction of the human body. The active component may be carried by the carrier, which may be a liquid, including propylene glycol and/or glycerine. The term "flavouring" may refer to a component that provides a taste and/or a smell to the user. The flavouring may include one or more of: Ethylvanillin (vanilla); menthol, Isoamyl acetate (banana oil); or other. The precursor may include a substrate, e.g. reconstituted tobacco to carry one or more of the active component; a carrier; a flavouring.
As used herein, a "storage portion" may be a portion of the apparatus adapted to store the precursor. It may be implemented as fluid-holding reservoir or carrier for solid material depending on the implementation of the precursor as defined above.
As used herein, a "flow path" may refer to a path or enclosed passageway through an aerosol generating apparatus, e.g. for delivery of an aerosol to a user. The flow path may be arranged to receive aerosol from an aerosol generating unit. When referring to the flow path, upstream and downstream may be defined in respect of a direction of flow in the flow path, e.g. with an outlet being downstream of an inlet.
As used herein, a "delivery system" may be a system operative to deliver an aerosol to a user. The delivery system may include a mouthpiece and a flow path.
As used herein, a "flow" may refer to a flow in a flow path. A flow may include aerosol generated from the precursor. The flow may include air, which may be induced into the flow path via a puff by a user.
As used herein, a "puff" (or "inhale" or "draw") by a user may refer to expansion of lungs and/or oral cavity of a user to create a pressure reduction that induces flow through the flow path.
As used herein, an "aerosol generating unit" may refer to a device configured to generate an aerosol from a precursor. The aerosol generating unit may include a unit to generate a vapour directly from the precursor (e.g. a heating system or other system) or an aerosol directly from the precursor (e.g. an atomiser including an ultrasonic system, a flow expansion system operative to carry droplets of the precursor in the flow without using electrical energy or other system). A plurality of aerosol generating units to generate a plurality of aerosols (for example, from a plurality of different aerosol precursors) may be present in an aerosol generating apparatus.
As used herein, a "heating system" may refer to an arrangement of at least one heating element, which is operable to aerosolise a precursor once heated. The at least one heating element may be electrically resistive to produce heat from the flow of electrical current therethrough. The at least one heating element may be arranged as a susceptor to produce heat when penetrated by an alternating magnetic field. The heating system may be configured to heat a precursor to below 300 or 350 degrees C, including without combustion.
As used herein, a "consumable" may refer to a unit that includes a precursor. The consumable may include an aerosol generating unit, e.g. it may be arranged as a cartomizer. The consumable may include a mouthpiece. The consumable may include an information carrying medium. With liquid or gel implementations of the precursor, e.g. an e-liquid, the consumable may be referred to as a "capsule" or a "pod" or an "e-liquid consumable". The capsule/pod may include a storage portion, e.g. a reservoir or tank, for storage of the precursor. With solid material implementations of the precursor, e.g. tobacco or reconstituted tobacco formulation, the consumable may be referred to as a "stick" or "package" or "heat-not-burn consumable". In a heat-not-burn consumable, the mouthpiece may be implemented as a filter and the consumable may be arranged to carry the precursor. The consumable may be implemented as a dosage or pre-portioned amount of material, including a loose-leaf product.
As used herein, an "information carrying medium" may include one or more arrangements for storage of information on any suitable medium. Examples include: a computer readable medium; a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) transponder; codes encoding information, such as optical (e.g. a bar code or QR code) or mechanically read codes (e.g. a configuration of the absence or presents of cut-outs to encode a bit, through which pins or a reader may be inserted).
As used herein "heat-not-burn" (or "HNB" or "heated precursor") may refer to the heating of a precursor, typically tobacco, without combustion, or without substantial combustion (i.e. localised combustion may be experienced of limited portions of the precursor, including of less than 5% of the total volume).
Referring to Fig. 1, an example aerosol generating apparatus 1 includes a power supply 2, for supply of electrical energy. The apparatus 1 includes an aerosol generating unit 4 that is driven by the power supply 2. The power supply 2 may include an electric power supply in the form of a battery and/or an electrical connection to an external power source. The apparatus 1 includes a precursor 6, which in use is aerosolised by the aerosol generating unit 4 to generate an aerosol. The apparatus 2 includes a delivery system 8 for delivery of the aerosol to a user.
Electrical circuitry (not shown in figure 1) may be implemented to control the interoperability of the power supply 4 and aerosol generating unit 6.
In variant examples, which are not illustrated, the power supply 2 may be omitted since, e.g. an aerosol generating unit implemented as an atomiser with flow expansion may not require a power supply.
Fig. 2 shows an implementation of the apparatus 1 of Fig. 1, where the aerosol generating apparatus 1 is configured to generate aerosol by a-heat not-burn process.
In this example, the apparatus 1 includes a device body 50 and a consumable 70.
In this example, the body 50 includes the power supply 4 and a heating system 52. The heating system 54 includes at least one heating element 54. The body may additionally include any one or more of electrical circuitry 56, a memory 58, a wireless interface 60, one or more other components 62.
The electrical circuitry 56 may include a processing resource for controlling one or more operations of the body 50, e.g. based on instructions stored in the memory 58.
The wireless interface 60 may be configured to communicate wirelessly with an external (e.g. mobile) device, e.g. via Bluetooth.
The other component(s) 62 may include an actuator, one or more user interface devices configured to convey information to a user and/or a charging port, for example (see e.g. Fig. 3).
The body 50 is configured to engage with the consumable 70 such that the at least one heating element 54 of the heating system 52 penetrates into the solid precursor 6 of the consumable. In use, a user may activate the aerosol generating apparatus 1 to cause the heating system 52 of the body 50 to cause the at least one heating element 54 to heat the solid precursor 6 of the consumable (without combusting it) by conductive heat transfer, to generate an aerosol which is inhaled by the user.
Fig. 3 shows an example implementation of the aerosol generating device 1 of Fig. 2.
As depicted in Fig. 3, the consumable 70 is implemented as a stick, which is engaged with the body 50 by inserting the stick into an aperture at a top end 53 of the body 50, which causes the at least one heating element 54 of the heating system 52 to penetrate into the solid precursor 6.
The consumable 70 includes the solid precursor 6 proximal to the body 50, and a filter distal to the body 50. The filter serves as the mouthpiece of the consumable 70 and thus the apparatus 1 as a whole. The solid precursor 6 may be a reconstituted tobacco formulation.
In this example, the at least one heating element 54 is a rod-shaped element with a circular transverse profile. Other heating element shapes are possible, e.g. the at least one heating element may be blade-shaped (with a rectangular transverse profile) or tube-shaped (e.g. with a hollow transverse profile).
In this example, the body 50 includes a cap 51. In use the cap 51 is engaged at a top end 53 of the body 50. Although not apparent from Fig. 5, the cap 51 is moveable relative to the body 50. In particular, the cap 51 is slidable and can slide along a longitudinal axis of the body 50.
The body 50 also includes an actuator 55 on an outer surface of the body 50. In this example, the actuator 55 has the form of a button.
The body 50 also includes a user interface device configured to convey information to a user. Here, the user interface device is implemented as a plurality of lights 57, which may e.g. be configured to illuminate when the apparatus 1 is activated and/or to indicate a charging state of the power supply 4. Other user interface devices are possible, e.g. to convey information haptically or audibly to a user.
The body may also include an airflow sensor which detects airflow in the aerosol generating apparatus 1 (e.g. caused by a user inhaling through the consumable 70). This may be used to count puffs, for example.
In this example, the consumable 70 includes a flow path which transmits aerosol generated by the at least one heating element 54 to the mouthpiece of the consumable.
In this example, the aerosol generating unit 4 is provided by the above-described heating system 52 and the delivery system 8 is provided by the above-described flow path and mouthpiece of the consumable 70.
Referring to Figs. 4 to 8, a component 100 for an aerosol-generating apparatus comprises a body 110 and a cover 120. Both the body 110 and the cover 120 are elongate such that the component 100 is elongate. The component 100 is configured to receive a heat-not-burn aerosol-generating consumable for the aerosol-generating apparatus and may be implemented in any of the preceding examples.
The body 110 and the cover 120 are configured to mutually engage with one another to form the component 100 as shown in Figs. 4 and 7. The component 100 has a rounded rectangular (i.e. stadium-shaped) cross-section in its elongate direction. The body 110 and cover 120 are each configured such that the component 100 flanges outwards towards the top 101 of the component 100 and narrows inwards towards the bottom 102 of the component 100. Thus, the body has a first flange portion 180 and the cover has a second flange portion 190. The first flange portion 180 and the second flange portion 190 collectively form a complete flange that extends around the central axis 105. The complete flange may prevent the component 100 being over inserted into an aerosol-generating apparatus (e.g. a tubular housing of said apparatus). Additionally, the bottom 102 of the component 100 is rounded to aid insertion of the component 100 into an aerosol-generating apparatus.
The body 110 forms the main structure of the component 100 with the cover 120 being engageable with the body 110. The body 110 has a first end 111 and a second end 112. The second end 112 is distal the first end 111. The body 110 flares outwards into the first flange portion 180 towards the first end 111 and narrows inwards towards the second end 112. The body 110 has an inner surface defining a chamber 130 for receiving the heat-not-burn aerosol-generating consumable. The body 110 is a unitary moulding such that the chamber 130 is free of split lines. The chamber 130 is elongate and has a central axis 105.
The chamber 130 includes a lower portion 136 for housing and/or supporting a heating element and an upper portion 134 for supporting the consumable and for guiding the consumable into the lower portion 136 of the chamber 130. The upper portion 134 is proximal the first end 111 of the body 110 and the lower portion 136 proximal the second end 112 of the body 110. The lower portion 136 is adjacent the upper portion 134 such that a consumable can pass into the lower portion 136 via the upper portion 134.
The upper portion 134 of the chamber 130 is cylindrical whilst the lower portion 136 of the chamber 130 is substantially rectangular. Thus, the upper portion 134 is sized and shaped to support a cylindrical consumable. The width/depth dimensions of the lower portion 136 are each greater than the diameter of the upper cylindrical portion 134. Thus, the lower portion 136 is enlarged with respect to the upper portion 134. The geometric centre of the upper portion 134 and the geometric entre of the lower portion 136 are each coincident with the central axis 105.
The body 110 includes a base 162 opposing a top part 161 and two opposing side walls 163, 164 upstanding from the base 162. The top part 161 of the body 110 includes an inner curved surface that defines the upper cylindrical portion 134 of the chamber 130. The top part 161 also includes an inner lower surface that partly defines the lower portion 136 of the chamber 130. The base 162 and the two opposing side walls 163, 164 also have inner surfaces that, along with the lower inner surface of the top part 161 of the body 110, collectively define the lower portion 136 of the chamber 130.
The transition between the inner surface of the base 162 and each of the inner surfaces of the two opposing side walls 163, 164 is curved (e.g. smooth and continuous). The transition between the lower inner surface of the top part 161 and each of the inner surfaces of the two opposing side walls 163, 164 is also curved (e.g. smooth and continuous).
The inner surface of the base 162 and the lower inner surface of the top part 161 are each planar and are parallel to one another. The inner surfaces of the two opposing side walls 163, 164 oppose one another and are each convexly curved in a plane normal to the central axis 105. The lower inner surface of the top part 161 defines the boundary between the upper portion 134 and the lower portion 136 of the chamber 130.
Upon insertion of a consumable, a central axis of the consumable may be parallel to the central axis 105. The top part 161 of the body 110 has a top opening 132 for receiving a consumable into the upper portion 134 of the chamber 130 at the first end 111 of the body 110. The top opening 132 is circular and concentric with the central axis 105. The top part 161 includes a circular lower opening (not visible) at the lower end of the upper portion 134 of the chamber 130 such that a consumable can pass from the upper portion 134 into the lower portion 136 of the chamber for heating by a heating system (not shown) in order to generate an aerosol for inhalation.
Each of the body 110 and the cover 120 is a unitary moulding formed from polyetheretherketone (PEEK). This material is thermally stable at high temperatures making the component 100 heat resistant and therefore suitable for receiving a consumable to be heated by a heating system (not shown). The body 110 includes a compartment (not visible) located towards the first end 111 that is occluded by the cover 120 when engaged with the body 110. The compartment may house additional parts of the component 100 such as thermal insulation.
As shown in Fig. 6, the cover 120 is shaped and sized to interface with the body 110 to form the component 100. Thus, the cover 120 also has a first end 121 and a second end 122. The cover 120 flares outwards into the second flange portion 190 towards the first end 121 and narrows inwards towards the second end 122. The cover 120 includes a first ridge 125 on a first edge 126 of the cover 120 that abuts the body 110. The cover 120 includes a second ridge 127 on a second edge 128 of the cover 120 that abuts the body 110. The first edge 126 and the second edge 128 are located on opposite sides of the cover 120. The body 110 includes a groove (not visible) on an edge (not visible) of the body 110 that abuts the cover 120. When the cover 120 engages with the body 110 to form the component 100, the first ridge 125 and the second ridge 127 each interface with the groove. Thus, the cover 120 is securely aligned with the body 110.
The body 110 includes a front surface 118 and opposing rear surface (not visible). The front surface 118 of the body 110 includes a front window 150 to the chamber 130. The rear surface includes a rear window 140 to the chamber 130. The windows facilitate cleaning of the lower portion 136 and any heating element that may be located in the lower portion 136. The front window 150 and the rear window 140 each include substantially planar portions that are each perpendicularly offset from and parallel to a plane in the width height direction coincident with the central axis 105. The front window 150 and the rear window 140 are located on opposite sides of the central axis 105. The front surface 118 of the body 110 is convexly curved in a plane transverse to the central axis 105 such that the front window 150 is also convexly curved in the same plane. This facilitates cleaning access to the chamber 130.
The front window 150 is substantially aligned with the rear window 140 along a window axis substantially perpendicular to the central axis 105. Thus, the opposing side walls 163, 164 extend from the front window 150 to the rear window 140. At a plane coincident with the central axis 105 and aligned in a width-height direction, the lower portion 136 of the chamber 130 has a width of 14mm and a height of 12mm. The inner surfaces defining the lower portion 136 are smooth and continuous. The rear window 140 is defined by a frame 113 that is part of the body 110.
The cover 120 peripherally surrounds the rear window 140. The cover 120 includes an aperture 123 that is sized and shaped such that the perimeter 124 of the aperture 123 follows an outer perimeter 115 of the frame 113. The frame 113 extends into the aperture 123. Thus, the likelihood of residue and/or debris entering an interface between the body 110 and cover 120 is reduced. The aperture 123 is located through an outer curved surface of the cover 120. The cover 120 abuts the outer perimeter 115 of the frame 113. The front window 150 and the rear window 140 each have a rounded (i.e. smooth and continuous) perimeter. Thus, the frame 113 has a rounded inner perimeter such that the rear window 140 has a rounded perimeter. The front window 150 has a rounded and filleted perimeter 152.
Fig. 9A and 9B are schematics to illustrate the interaction of the cover 120 with the body 110. The views shown are illustrative of the section labelled A-A in Fig. 7. Fig. 9A illustrates the component 100 where the cover 120 is disengaged from the body 110. The perimeter 124 of the aperture 123 in the cover 120 is clearly illustrated. The frame 113 has outer perimeter 115. As shown in Fig. 9B, when the cover 120 is engaged with the body 110, the outer perimeter 115 of the frame 113 abuts the perimeter 124 of the aperture 123 in the cover 120. The bold arrow in Fig. 9A indicates the direction of movement of the cover 120 to engage with the body 110. The top of the frame 113 is flush with the outwardly-facing surface of the cover 120.
In use, the component 100 forms part of an aerosol-generating apparatus into which a consumable can be inserted into the chamber 130 and heated via a heating system. The component 100 may be slidably installed within an elongate housing of the aerosol-generating apparatus such that the component 100 is slideable between a heating position where the front window 150 and the rear window 140 are occluded and a cleaning position where the front window 150 and the rear window 140 are exposed. In the heating position, an elongate heating element may extend into the lower portion 134 of the chamber 130 via a base opening (not shown) in the base 162. In the second position, the elongate heating element may be withdrawn from the chamber 130. In other embodiments, the elongate heating chamber may be permanently embedded in the base 162.
The component 100 may be used with a cylindrical, heat-not-burn consumable containing a solid aerosol precursor such as reconstituted tobacco. Upon, heating (e.g. via penetration by the elongate heating element) the consumable will generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user. The consumable may also produce residue and/or debris that remains in the lower portion 136 after the consumable has been removed from the chamber 130. The smooth and continuous nature of the inner surface of the lower portion 136 means that a user is able to more easily clean residue and/or debris from the lower portion 136 via the front window 150 and/or the rear window 140. Additionally, the tight abutment of the perimeter 124 of the aperture 123 in the cover 120 with the outer perimeter 115 of the frame 113 defining the rear window 140 prevents residue and/or debris entering the interface between the cover 120 and the body 110 thus facilitating a better user experience of the apparatus.

Claims

A component for an aerosol-generating apparatus, the component comprising a body having an inner surface defining a chamber for receiving an aerosol-generating consumable, wherein the body is a unitary moulding such that the inner surface is free of split lines.
A component according to claim 1, wherein the body comprises a base and two opposing side walls upstanding from the base and wherein the chamber comprises a lower portion for housing and/or supporting a heating element and an upper portion for guiding the aerosol-generating consumable into the lower portion of the chamber.
A component according to claim 2, wherein a transition between the base and each side wall inside the chamber is a smooth curved transition.
A component according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the lower portion has an enlarged dimension compared to the upper portion.
A component according to claim 4, wherein the lower portion has a greater width and/or depth than the upper portion.
A component according to claim 5, wherein the upper portion of the chamber is substantially cylindrical and the lower portion has a width and/or depth that is greater than the diameter of the substantially cylindrical upper portion.
A component according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the lower portion of the chamber is a substantially cuboid chamber portion.
A component according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the body comprises a front surface and opposing rear surface and wherein the front surface of the body comprises a front window opening into the lower portion of the chamber.
A component according to claim 8, wherein the rear surface of the body comprises a rear window opening into the lower portion of the chamber.
A component according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the front and/or rear window has width and/or height substantially matching the width and/or height of the lower portion of the chamber.
A component according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the side walls have their minimum width dimension where they meet the/each window.
A component according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the front surface or the rear surface includes a recess and the component includes a cover removably engaged with the body to occlude the recess.
A component according to claim 12, wherein the cover includes an aperture and the aperture is aligned with the respective window in the front surface or the rear surface.
A component according to any one of claims 2 to 13, wherein the inner surfaces of the side walls are convex in a plane transverse to a central longitudinal axis of the chamber.
An aerosol-generating apparatus comprising the component of any preceding claim.