EP4623715A1

EP4623715A1 - System for refilling aerosol provision device, device and method

Info

Publication number: EP4623715A1
Application number: EP24165910.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: David Bishop; Howard ROTHWELL; Ugurhan Yilmaz; Christopher Daniels; Keiann WILLIAMS; Mark HARRIMAN; Andrews OHENE
Original assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Current assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Priority date: 2024-03-25
Filing date: 2024-03-25
Publication date: 2025-10-01
Also published as: WO2025202610A1

Abstract

Described is a system including: an aerosol provision device comprising an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision device arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion; a refilling device comprising a transfer mechanism for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refilling device to the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device; a refill pathway extending between the refilling device and the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, wherein the transfer mechanism is configured to enable the transfer of aerosol-generating material to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device; and a return pathway extending between the aerosol-generating material storage portion and the refilling device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, the return pathway separate from the refill pathway. The return pathway is configured to enable aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating material storage portion to pass back to the refilling device when the amount of aerosol-generating material in the aerosol-generating material storage portion exceeds a predetermined amount. Also described is an aerosol provision device, a refilling device, and a method of filling.

Description

Field

The present disclosure relates to systems for providing aerosol to a user including electronic aerosol provision systems such as nicotine delivery systems (e.g. electronic cigarettes and the like).

Background

Electronic aerosol provision systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are used by some as a replacement or alternative to cigarettes, for example such as those looking to reduce nicotine consumption.
Electronic aerosol provision systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) generally contain a reservoir of a source liquid containing a formulation, typically including nicotine, from which an aerosol is generated, e.g. through heat vaporisation. An aerosol source for an aerosol provision system may thus comprise a heater having a heating element arranged to receive source liquid from the reservoir, for example through wicking / capillary action. While a user inhales on the device, electrical power is supplied to the heating element to vaporise source liquid in the vicinity of the heating element to generate an aerosol for inhalation by the user. Such devices are usually provided with one or more air inlet holes located away from a mouthpiece end of the system. When a user sucks on a mouthpiece connected to the mouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn in through the inlet holes and past the aerosol source. There is a flow path connecting between the aerosol source and an opening in the mouthpiece so that air drawn past the aerosol source continues along the flow path to the mouthpiece opening, carrying some of the aerosol from the aerosol source with it. The aerosol-carrying air exits the aerosol provision system through the mouthpiece opening for inhalation by the user.
To help reduce material wastage and/or disposal of such electronic aerosol provision systems, some electronic aerosol provision systems are provided with refillable reservoirs, which can be refilled with aerosol-generating material and used for multiple times without disposal. However, the refilling process for such refillable aerosol provision systems can be difficult, particularly in ensuring the right amount of aerosol-generating material is provided to the reservoir.
Various approaches are described which seek to help address some of these issues.

Summary

According to a first aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a system including: an aerosol provision device comprising an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision device arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion; a refilling device comprising a transfer mechanism for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refilling device to the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device; a refill pathway extending between the refilling device and the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, wherein the transfer mechanism is configured to enable the transfer of aerosol-generating material to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device; and a return pathway extending between the aerosol-generating material storage portion and the refilling device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, the return pathway separate from the refill pathway. The return pathway is configured to enable aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating material storage portion to pass back to the refilling device when the amount of aerosol-generating material in the aerosol-generating material storage portion exceeds a predetermined amount.
In some examples, the return pathway comprises an opening in communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device when coupled to the refilling device, wherein aerosol-generating material is capable of passing through the opening of the return pathway.
In some examples, the return pathway comprises a conduit, and wherein the conduit is formed of a first part provided by the aerosol provision device and a second part provided by the refilling device, wherein the return pathway is formed by fluidly coupling the first part and the second part of the conduit when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device.
In some examples, the first part of the conduit comprises a first opening and the second part of the conduit comprises a second opening, and wherein the return pathway is formed by abutting the opening or the first part of the conduit with the opening of the second part of the conduit.
In some examples, the return pathway is formed by arranging one of the first part of the conduit or the second part of the conduit inside the other of the first part of the conduit or the second part of the conduit such that the one of the first part of the conduit or the second part of the conduit passes through the opening of the other of the first part of the conduit or the second part of the conduit.
In some examples, the one of the first part of the conduit or the second part of the conduit comprises a piercing element configured to pierce a septum arranged in the other of the first part of the conduit or the second part of the conduit.
In some examples, the return pathway includes at least one valve or moveable element configured to selectively permit aerosol-generating material to flow through the return pathway.
In some examples, the at least one valve is a one-way valve configured to permit the flow of aerosol-generating material in a first direction along the return pathway and to prevent or reduce the flow of aerosol-generating material in a second direction along the return pathway opposite to the first direction.
In some examples, the opening is provided at a position of the aerosol-generating material storage portion that defines a predetermined volume of the aerosol-generating material storage portion corresponding to the predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material, and wherein when the amount of aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating material storage portion exceeds the predetermined amount, the excess aerosol-generating material is able to exit the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the opening.
In some examples, the aerosol-generating material storage portion comprises an inlet for receiving aerosol-generating material from the refilling device and an outlet coupled to the opening of the return pathway, wherein the aerosol-generating material storage portion comprises a longitudinal axis and the outlet is offset from the inlet in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
In some examples, the outlet is provided at or adjacent to an end of the aerosol-generating material storage portion and wherein the inlet is provided at a position further from the end of the aerosol-generating material storage portion in the longitudinal direction than the outlet.
According to a second aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an aerosol provision device including an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision device arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion; an interface for coupling to a refilling device comprising a transfer mechanism for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refilling device to the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the interface when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device; a refill pathway extending to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and arranged to receive aerosol-generating material from the refilling device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device; and a return pathway extending from the aerosol-generating material storage portion and arranged to pass to the refilling device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, the return pathway separate from the refill pathway. The return pathway is configured to enable aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating material storage portion to pass back to the refilling device when the amount of aerosol-generating material in the aerosol-generating material storage portion exceeds a predetermined amount.
According to a third aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a refilling device for refilling an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material of an aerosol provision device, the aerosol provision device arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion, the refilling device including: a transfer mechanism for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refilling device to the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device; a refill pathway extending to the aerosol provision device and arranged to couple to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device; and a return pathway extending to the aerosol provision device and arranged to couple to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, the return pathway separate from the refill pathway. The return pathway is configured to enable aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating material storage portion to pass back to the refilling device when the amount of aerosol-generating material in the aerosol-generating material storage portion exceeds a predetermined amount.
According to a fourth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a method of filling an aerosol-generating material storage portion of an aerosol provision device for aerosolising aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion, the method including: coupling the aerosol provision device to a refilling device; activating a transfer mechanism of the refilling device for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refilling device to the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, wherein the aerosol-generating material is transferred to the aerosol-generating material storage portion via a refill pathway extending between the refilling device and the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device; and supplying excess aerosol-generating material that has been supplied to the aerosol-generating material storage portion back to the refilling device via a return pathway when the amount of aerosol-generating material in the aerosol-generating material storage portion exceeds a predetermined amount. The return pathway extends between the aerosol-generating material storage portion and the refilling device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, the return pathway being separate from the refill pathway.
According to a fifth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a system including aerosol provision means comprising an aerosol-generating material storage means for storing an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision means arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage means; refilling means comprising transfer means for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refilling means to the aerosol-generating material storage means when the aerosol provision means is coupled to the refilling means; refill path means extending between the refilling means and the aerosol-generating material storage means when the aerosol provision means is coupled to the refilling means, wherein the transfer means is configured to enable the transfer of aerosol-generating material to the aerosol-generating material storage means of the aerosol provision means; and return path means extending between the aerosol-generating material storage means and the refilling means when the aerosol provision means is coupled to the refilling means, the return path means separate from the refill path means. The return path means is configured to enable aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating material storage means to pass back to the refilling means when the amount of aerosol-generating material in the aerosol-generating material storage means exceeds a predetermined amount.
It will be appreciated that features and aspects of the invention described above in relation to the first and other aspects of the invention are equally applicable to, and may be combined with, embodiments of the invention according to other aspects of the invention as appropriate, and not just in the specific combinations described above.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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

Figure 1 schematically shows a system for providing an aerosol to a user, including an aerosol provision device, an aerosol modifying agent release component, and a refill and recharge device according to an aspect of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 schematically shows, in cross-section, the aerosol provision device of the system of Figure 1 in more detail;
Figure 3 schematically shows, in cross-section, the consumable of the system of Figure 1 in more detail;
Figure 4 schematically shows, in cross-section, the refill and recharge device of the system of Figure 1 in more detail;
Figure 5a schematically shows, in cross-section a section of the refill and recharge device of Figure 4 showing a return pathway formed between the reservoir of the aerosol provision device and the reservoir of the refill and recharge device, where the return pathway is capable of allowing excess aerosol-generating material provided to the reservoir of the aerosol provision device to be supplied back to the reservoir of the refill and recharge device in accordance with the present disclosure;
Figure 5b schematically shows, in cross-section, the return pathway of Figure 5a in more detail in accordance with a first implementation of the return pathway;
Figure 5c schematically shows, in cross-section, an alternative implementation of the return pathway of Figure 5a;
Figure 6 schematically shows, in cross-section, a modification of the refill and recharge device of the system of Figure 1 in more detail, where the refill and recharge device comprises a lid; and
Figure 7 shows a flow chart depicting a method for refilling an aerosol provision device using a refill and recharge device according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments are discussed / described herein. Some aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be implemented conventionally and these are not discussed / described in detail in the interests of brevity. It will thus be appreciated that aspects and features of apparatus and methods discussed herein which are not described in detail may be implemented in accordance with any conventional techniques for implementing such aspects and features.
According to the present disclosure, a "non-combustible" aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is not combusted or burned in order to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.
In some embodiments, the delivery system is a non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a powered non-combustible aerosol provision system.
In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating material is not a requirement.
In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is a hybrid system to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, one or a plurality of which may be heated. Each of the aerosol-generating materials may be, for example, in the form of a solid, liquid or gel and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. The solid aerosol-generating material may comprise, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product.
Typically, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise a non-combustible aerosol provision device and a consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device.
In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to consumables comprising aerosol-generating material and configured to be used with non-combustible aerosol provision devices. These consumables are sometimes referred to as articles throughout the disclosure.
In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a non-combustible aerosol provision device thereof, may comprise a power source and a controller. The power source may, for example, be an electric power source.
In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise an area for receiving the consumable, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a mouthpiece, a filter and/or an aerosol-modifying agent.
In some embodiments, the consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise aerosol-generating material, an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a filter, a mouthpiece, and/or an aerosol-modifying agent.
In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered may be an aerosol-generating material. As appropriate, either material may comprise one or more active constituents, one or more flavours, one or more aerosol-former materials, and/or one or more other functional materials.
Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. Aerosol-generating material may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain an active substance and/or flavourants. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may comprise an "amorphous solid", which may alternatively be referred to as a "monolithic solid" (i.e. non-fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material that may retain some fluid, such as liquid, within it. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may for example comprise from about 50wt%, 60wt% or 70wt% of amorphous solid, to about 90wt%, 95wt% or 100wt% of amorphous solid.
The aerosol-generating material may comprise one or more active substances and/or flavours, one or more aerosol-former materials, and optionally one or more other functional material.
An aerosol-modifying agent is a substance, typically located downstream of the aerosol generation area, that is configured to modify the aerosol generated, for example by changing the taste, flavour, acidity or another characteristic of the aerosol. The aerosol-modifying agent may be provided in an aerosol-modifying agent release component, that is operable to selectively release the aerosol-modifying agent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be an additive or a sorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, comprise one or more of an active substance, a flavourant, a colourant, water, and a carbon adsorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be a solid, a liquid, or a gel. The aerosol-modifying agent may be in powder, thread or granule form. The aerosol-modifying agent may be free from filtration material.
The aerosol-former material may comprise one or more constituents capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol-former material may comprise one or more of glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate.
In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material and/or the aerosol-modifying agent comprises an active substance.
The active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active substance may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactives. The active substance may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active substance may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, cannabis or another botanical.
In some embodiments, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin or vitamin B12.
As noted herein, the active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of cannabis, such as one or more cannabinoids or terpenes.
As noted herein, the active substance may comprise or be derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof. As used herein, the term "botanical" includes any material derived from plants including, but not limited to, extracts, leaves, bark, fibres, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, husk, shells or the like. Alternatively, the material may comprise an active compound naturally existing in a botanical, obtained synthetically. The material may be in the form of liquid, gas, solid, powder, dust, crushed particles, granules, pellets, shreds, strips, sheets, or the like. Example botanicals are tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise, hemp, cocoa, cannabis, fennel, lemongrass, peppermint, spearmint, rooibos, chamomile, flax, ginger, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, licorice (liquorice), matcha, mate, orange skin, papaya, rose, sage, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, clove, cinnamon, coffee, aniseed (anise), basil, bay leaves, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lavender, lemon peel, mint, juniper, elderflower, vanilla, wintergreen, beefsteak plant, curcuma, turmeric, sandalwood, cilantro, bergamot, orange blossom, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, geranium, mulberry, ginseng, theanine, theacrine, maca, ashwagandha, damiana, guarana, chlorophyll, baobab or any combination thereof. The mint may be chosen from the following mint varieties: Mentha Arventis, Mentha c.v.,Mentha niliaca, Mentha piperita, Mentha piperita citrata c.v.,Mentha piperita c.v, Mentha spicata crispa, Mentha cardifolia, Memtha longifolia, Mentha suaveolens variegata, Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata c.v. and Mentha suaveolens
In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is tobacco.
In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa and hemp.
In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from rooibos and fennel.
In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material and/or aerosol-modifying agent comprises a flavour.
As used herein, the terms "flavour" and "flavourant" refer to materials which, where local regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste, aroma or other somatosensorial sensation in a product for adult consumers. They may include naturally occurring flavour materials, botanicals, extracts of botanicals, synthetically obtained materials, or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice (liquorice), hydrangea, eugenol, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, maple, matcha, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed (anise), cinnamon, turmeric, Indian spices, Asian spices, herb, wintergreen, cherry, berry, red berry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, clementine, lemon, lime, tropical fruit, papaya, rhubarb, grape, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruits, Drambuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, aloe vera, cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, khat, naswar, betel, shisha, pine, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange blossom, cherry blossom, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage, fennel, wasabi, piment, ginger, coriander, coffee, hemp, a mint oil from any species of the genus Mentha, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, lemongrass, rooibos, flax, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, mate, orange skin, rose, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, juniper, elderflower, basil, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, beefsteak plant, curcuma, cilantro, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene), flavour enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site activators or stimulators, sugars and/or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath freshening agents. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example, liquid such as an oil, solid such as a powder, or gas.
In some embodiments, the flavour comprises menthol, spearmint and/or peppermint. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components of cucumber, blueberry, citrus fruits and/or redberry. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises eugenol. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from tobacco.
In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from cannabis.
In some embodiments, the flavour may comprise a sensate, which is intended to achieve a somatosensorial sensation which are usually chemically induced and perceived by the stimulation of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve), in addition to or in place of aroma or taste nerves, and these may include agents providing heating, cooling, tingling, numbing effect. A suitable heat effect agent may be, but is not limited to, vanillyl ethyl ether and a suitable cooling agent may be, but not limited to eucolyptol, WS-3.
In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material and/or aerosol-modifying agent comprises an aerosol-former material. Examples of aerosol-former materials are provided above. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material and/or aerosol-modifying agent comprises one or more other functional materials, which may comprise one or more of pH regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.
An aerosol generator is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is a heater configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to heat energy, so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.
A susceptor is a material that is heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The susceptor may be an electrically-conductive material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes induction heating of the heating material. The heating material may be magnetic material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes magnetic hysteresis heating of the heating material. The susceptor may be both electrically-conductive and magnetic, so that the susceptor is heatable by both heating mechanisms. The device that is configured to generate the varying magnetic field is referred to as a magnetic field generator, herein.
In accordance with the present disclosure, a refilling device (or refill pack) is provided that is capable of refilling the reservoir of an aerosol provision device with aerosol-generating material. When the aerosol provision device and the refilling device are coupled together, a refill pathway extending between the refilling device and the reservoir of the aerosol provision device is provided. The refill pathway is provided to enable a transfer mechanism, such as a pump, to transfer the aerosol-generating material to the reservoir of the aerosol provision device. Additionally, when the aerosol provision device and the refilling device are coupled together, a separate return pathway extending between the refilling device and the reservoir of the aerosol provision device is provided. The return pathway enables any excess aerosol-generating material to be provided to back to the refilling device. The return pathway can therefore help to regulate the maximum amount of aerosol-generating material that is provided to the reservoir, which can help avoid instances of overfilling of the reservoir, which otherwise may lead to increased leakage of aerosol-generating material from the reservoir. Also, because the return pathway allows excess aerosol-generating material to be provided back to the refilling device, the refilling operation can be performed with minimal or no monitoring of the amount of aerosol-generating material in the reservoir either during or before the refilling operation starts while ensuring that the appropriate amount of aerosol-generating material is delivered to the reservoir, thereby reducing the possibility of under-filling of the reservoir.
Figure 1 schematically shows a system 1 for providing an aerosol to a user in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The system 1 comprises a refill and recharge device 10 (sometimes referred to herein as a refill/recharge pack 10), an aerosol provision device 20, and an aerosol modifying agent release component 30 (sometimes referred to herein as a consumable or article).
Figure 1 schematically shows each of these components separated from one another. Each of these components will be described in more detail below. However, by way of summary, the aerosol provision device 20 is arranged to engage with the consumable 30 (for example, the aerosol provision device 20 may comprise a receptacle 21 for receiving at least a part of the consumable 30), with the consumable 30 and aerosol provision device 20 together being operable to deliver aerosol to a user. The combination of the aerosol provision device 20 and consumable 30 may be referred to herein as an aerosol provision system. The refill/recharge pack 10 is arranged to engage with the aerosol provision device 20 (for example, the refill/recharge pack 10 may comprise a receptacle 11 for receiving at least a part of the aerosol provision device 20), with the refill/recharge pack 10 being operable to recharge and/or refill the aerosol provision device 20 when the aerosol provision device 20 is engaged with the refill/recharge pack 10.
Figure 2 schematically shows the aerosol provision device 20 in more detail, along with a schematic representation of the consumable 30, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that Figure 2 is not shown to any particular scale and the various components are only schematically shown. In addition, it should be appreciated that certain features of the aerosol provision device 20 are omitted from Figure 2, such as the various wiring and electrical connections between certain components, for example.
The aerosol provision device 20 comprises a housing 20a, the receptacle 21 (which in this example is formed by the housing 20a), a power source 22, control circuitry 23, an aerosol-generating material storage area (or herein referred to as a reservoir) 24, an aerosol-generating material transport element 25, an aerosol generator 26, an airflow path formed of an air inlet 27a, a vapour generation chamber 27b, air passage 27c, and outlet 27d, a reservoir refill mechanism 28 and electrical contacts 29a and 29b.
In the described example, the aerosol provision system (i.e., the combination of the consumable 30 and the aerosol provision device 20) is configured to have the shape and dimensions of a cigarette. That is, the aerosol provision system may be broadly cylindrical and have a total dimension in the length direction L (i.e., along a longitudinal axis thereof) of between 13 cm and 6 cm, or between 12 cm and 7 cm, or between 9 cm and 8 cm and a total width dimension W (i.e., perpendicular to the longitudinal axis) of between 5 to 10 mm, or between 7 to 9 mm. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the size and/or shape of the aerosol provision system may be different.
With reference to Figure 2, it can be seen that the width of consumable 30 is less than the width of the aerosol provision device 20, thereby providing a stepped profile at the relevant end of the aerosol provision system where the consumable 30 protrudes from the receptacle 21. In some implementations, the consumable 30 may be configured such that the protruding section has a similar width to the aerosol provision device 20. When the two are engaged, the protruding section of the consumable 30 protruding from the receptacle 21 forms a flush outer surface with the outer surface of the aerosol provision device 20. In other implementations, the consumable 30 may couple to the aerosol provision device 20 in a different manner, and may have a width dimension the same as the width dimension of the aerosol provision device 20 (for example, when the consumable 30 is attached at an end of the aerosol provision device 20).
In the described example, the aerosol provision system is intended to be held by a user during use and used in a similar manner to a cigarette. In this regard, providing the aerosol provision system with similar dimensions to a cigarette increases familiarity to users transitioning from cigarettes to electronic aerosol provision systems, which therefore may help ease such a transition. In some implementations, the aerosol provision system may also have a similar weight to a cigarette, for broadly similar reasons.
The outer housing 20a in the described implementation has an overall cylindrical shape. The outer housing 20a defines a proximal or mouth end 20b at which the receptacle 21 and consumable 30 (when present) are located and a distal end 20c, opposite the proximal end 20b. The outer housing 20a may be formed, for example, from a plastics or metallic material. In some implementations, the outer housing 20a may be circumscribed, at least partly, by a paper material or cellulose material. Within the outer housing 20a is located the various components of the aerosol provision device 20, such as the power source 22, control circuitry 23, etc.
The power source 22 in this implementation is a battery 22. The battery 22 is rechargeable and may be, for example, of the kind normally used in aerosol provision systems and other applications requiring provision of relatively high currents over relatively short periods. The battery 22 may be, for example, a lithium ion battery, although other battery chemistries may also be considered. The battery 22 is capable of being recharged via an external source (such as the refill/recharge pack 10, described later). In the present example, the aerosol provision device 20 includes a first electrical contact 29a at the distal end 20c of the outer housing 20a and a second electrical contact 29b at the proximal end 20b of the outer housing 20, positioned at an inner surface of the receptacle 21. The first and second electrical contacts 29a, 29b may be annular and extend around the outer surface of the outer housing 20a and the inner surface of the receptacle 21, accordingly. Broadly, the first electrical contact 29a is configured to couple to a positive terminal of an external power source (or alternatively a negative terminal) and the second electrical contact 29b is configured to couple to a negative terminal of an external power source (or alternatively a positive terminal). The electrical contacts 29a, 29b are electrically coupled to the terminals of the battery 22 (either directly or via suitable recharging circuitry) and can facilitate recharging of the battery 22. However, in other implementations, the electrical contacts 29a, 29b may be arranged differently (for example, at the same end of the housing 20a), or may be omitted if, for example, the battery 22 is to be recharged inductively using suitable wireless recharging circuitry provided in the housing 20a.
The control circuitry 23 is suitably configured / programmed to control the operations of the aerosol provision system. The control circuitry 23 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units / circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the aerosol provision system's operation and may be implemented by provision of a (micro)controller, processor, ASIC or similar form of control chip. The control circuitry 23 may be arranged to control any functionality associated with the aerosol provision system. By way of non-limiting examples only, the functionality may include the charging or re-charging of the battery 22, the discharging of the battery 22 (e.g., for providing power to the aerosol generator 26), in addition to other functionality such as controlling visual indicators (e.g., LEDs) / displays, communication functionality for communicating with external devices, etc. The control circuitry 23 may be mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB). Note also that the functionality provided by the control circuitry 23 may be split across multiple circuit boards and / or across components which are not mounted to a PCB, and these additional components and / or PCBs can be located as appropriate within the aerosol provision device 20. For example, functionality of the control circuitry 23 for controlling the (re)charging functionality of the battery 23 may be provided separately (e.g. on a different PCB) from the functionality for controlling the discharge of the battery 22.
In the described implementation, the reservoir 24 (which is an example of an aerosol-generating material storage area) is provided as part of the aerosol provision device 20, for example, within housing 20a. In the described implementation, the reservoir 24 may be integrally formed with the aerosol provision device 20. The reservoir 24 may be unable to be removed from the aerosol provision device 20. However, in other implementations, the reservoir 24 may be removable from the aerosol provision device 20 (e.g., provided as a separate but connectable component of the aerosol provision device 20). The reservoir 24 may comprise one or more walls that define a volume, within which an aerosol generating material is capable of being stored. In the present example, the reservoir 24 is configured to store a liquid aerosol-generating material, and may therefore be configured so as to reduce or prevent leakage of the aerosol-generating material out of the reservoir 24. The reservoir 24 may take any suitable shape, such as a cylindrical shape.
In the present example, at one end of the reservoir 24 (e.g., an end closest to the distal end 20c of the housing 20a), the reservoir 24 is provided in fluid communication with an aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and an aerosol generator 26. For example, the reservoir 24 may comprising an opening, within which the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 is located or extends.
The aerosol-generating material transport element 25 is configured to transport the aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 24 to the aerosol generator 26. The specific mechanism underlying how the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 functions may depend on the aerosol-generating material stored in the reservoir 24. In some implementations, where the aerosol-generating material is a liquid or other material capable of flowing, the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 may be configured to transport aerosol-generating material via capillary action. In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 may comprise a porous material (e.g., ceramic) or a bundle of fibres (e.g., glass or cotton fibres) which define a plurality of pores or interstices capable of drawing liquid from the reservoir 24 to be provided to the aerosol generator 26. Any suitable aerosol-generating material transport element 25 may be utilised having regard to the specific aerosol-generating material stored in the reservoir 24 and/or the type of aerosol generator 26 used.
The aerosol generator 26 is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material. In the described implementations, the aerosol generator 26 is a heater or heating element. The heating element is configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to heat energy, so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. The form of the heating element is not particularly limited. In some implementations, the heating element may be a planar structure. By way of example, the heating element may take the form of an electrically conductive plate or sheet, for example of titanium or other electrically resistive material such as NiChrome. However, in other implementations, the heating element may take other forms, such as an electrically resistive wire or trace or the like. The precise form of the heating element is not specific to the present disclosure; however, it is noted that some technologies may, currently, be more suited to implementation in the aerosol provision device 20 having the size requirements specified above. In some implementations, the heating element is electrically connected to the control circuitry 23 and battery 22, and heating of the heating element is achieved by passing an electrical current between locations on the heating element. In other implementations, the heating element may be a susceptor element which is intended to generate heat upon exposure to an alternating magnetic field (generated by a suitable magnetic field generator located in the aerosol provision device 20 and controlled by the control circuitry 23).
In the described implementation, the aerosol generator 26 is a heating element. However, in yet other implementations, the aerosol generator 26 may be configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator 26 may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.
In the described implementation, the aerosol generator 26 is integrally formed with the aerosol provision device 20. However, in other implementations, the aerosol generator 26 and/or the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 may be removable from the aerosol provision device 20. In implementations where the reservoir 24 is removable, the aerosol generator 26 and aerosol-generating material transport element 25 may be removable with the reservoir 24 (for example, the reservoir 24, aerosol-generating material transport element 25, and aerosol generator 26 may form a single component that is replaceable).
In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material transport component 25 may be integrated with the aerosol generator 26 to form a combined aerosol generator and aerosol-generating material transport component. For example, in some implementations, the aerosol generator 26 may comprise a porous, conductive plate or a plurality of sintered steel fibres forming a planar structure.
In other implementations, the aerosol-generating material transport component 25 may be omitted; for example, in configurations where the aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 24 is capable of being transported to the aerosol generator 26 without the aerosol-generating material transport component 25. However, it should also be acknowledged that the aerosol-generating material transport component 25 may be provided not only to facilitate transport of aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator 26, but also to regulate the transport of aerosol-generating material to the aerosol generator 26 (e.g., to provide a defined flow of aerosol-generating material).
The aerosol provision device 20 further comprises an airflow path formed of an air inlet 27a, a vapour generation chamber 27b, air passage 27c, and outlet 27d. Optionally, a pressure sensor 27e (or other suitable sensor) is provided in the airflow path. The air inlet 27a comprises one or more openings provided in the outer housing 20a. The air inlet 27a is provided in fluid communication with a vapour generation chamber 27b, which is a region around the aerosol generator 26 where vapour is initially generated and aerosol initially formed. In Figure 2, the vapour generation chamber 27b is shown as region extending the width of the reservoir 24, but it should be appreciated the vapour generation chamber 27b may take any suitable size or shape. The vapour generation chamber 27b is provided in fluid communication with the aerosol generator 26 such that it is capable of receiving generated vapour from the aerosol generator 26. The vapour generation chamber 27b is further provided in fluid communication with air passage 27c. The air passage 27c extends in the region between the reservoir 24 and the outer housing 20a, and passes either side of the reservoir 24, up to the outlet 27d provided at the base of the receptacle 21. Hence, it should be understood that the air pathway in the aerosol provision device 20 extends from the air inlet 27a to the outlet 27d at the base of the receptacle 21, via the vapour generation chamber 27b.
During use of the aerosol provision system, when a user inhales at a mouthpiece end of the aerosol provision system (for example a mouthpiece end of the consumable 30 / proximal end 20b of the housing 20a), air is drawn into the aerosol provision device 20 via the air inlet 27a, passes through the vapour generation chamber 27b where vaporised aerosol-generating material is entrained in the air, before being passed through the air passage 27c and to the air outlet 27d. As will be discussed in more detail below, the aerosol is then passed through the consumable 30 to impart at least one of a flavour and an active substance (e.g., nicotine) to the aerosol before being delivered to the user.
It should be appreciated that the specific form / arrangement of the airflow path is not specific to the principles of the present disclosure, and any suitable arrangement of the airflow path relative to the reservoir 24 may be utilised. For example, the air inlet 27a may be arranged at a different location than that shown in Figure 2, for instance at the distal end 20c of the housing 20a. In other implementations, the reservoir 24 may be an annular chamber having a central opening through which a singular air passage 27c passes, for example.
The aerosol provision device 20 further comprises a reservoir refill mechanism 28. The reservoir refill mechanism 28 is arranged in fluid communication with the reservoir 24 and is configured to allow the reservoir 24 to be refilled with aerosol-generating material, for example from the refill/recharge pack 10. For example, as the aerosol generator 26 is activated, some of the aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 24 is used up. The reservoir refill mechanism 28 is any suitable mechanism that allows the reservoir 24 to be refilled with aerosol-generating material. Refilling the reservoir 24 with aerosol-generating material allows the aerosol provision device 20 to be used multiple times, therefore improving the longevity of the aerosol provision device 20 and reducing material waste. In addition, the reservoir refill mechanism 28 is configured to provide a suitable seal (depending on the nature of the aerosol-generating material) to prevent the escape of aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 24. For example, in some implementations, the reservoir refill mechanism 28 may be valve, such as a spring-loaded ball valve, which is biased into a closed position but capable of being urged to an open position when the reservoir refill mechanism 28 is engaged with a suitable refilling mechanism (e.g., in the refill/recharge pack 10) for refilling of the reservoir 24 with aerosol-generating material. In other implementations, the reservoir refill mechanism 28 may comprise a septum capable of being pierced by a suitable needle or the like of a suitable refilling mechanism (e.g., in the refill/recharge pack 10). The reservoir refilling mechanism 28 is configured to allow aerosol-generating material to pass therethrough.
In the described example, the reservoir refill mechanism 28 is accessible through the receptacle 21. That is, the reservoir refill mechanism 28 is arranged such that the suitable refilling mechanism (e.g., in the refill/recharge pack 10) is capable of passing through an opening in the base of the receptacle 21 and interacting with the reservoir refill mechanism 28. In the present example, the air outlet 27d functions as the opening in the base of the receptacle 21 that allows both the aerosol to pass through the consumable 30 (when installed in the receptacle 21) and the suitable refilling mechanism (e.g., in the refill/recharge pack 10) to engage with the reservoir refill mechanism 28 (when the consumable 30 is not installed in the receptacle 21). However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the reservoir refill mechanism 28 may be arranged at an alternate location, for example, on a side of the housing 20a.
Broadly speaking, it should be appreciated that the aerosol provision device 20 of Figure 2 represents an example aerosol provision device 20. The exact arrangement of the components within the housing 20a, such as the aerosol generator 26, reservoir 24, air pathway, etc. may vary from implementation to implementation.
Figure 3 schematically shows the consumable 30 in more detail, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.
The consumable 30 comprises a housing 30a, a first, distal end retaining element 31, a second, proximal end retaining element 32, and an aerosol modifying agent 33.
The housing 30a of the consumable 30 may take any suitable shape, but in the present example is a cylindrical shape. The consumable 30 is sized so as to be received, at least partly, within the receptacle 21 of the aerosol provision device 20, and hence in this example, the receptacle 21 is also similarly cylindrical in shape. The housing 30a may be formed of any suitable material, for example a plastic material. In some implementations, the housing 30a may be formed from paper or a similar material such as card. Forming the housing 30a from paper or card may reduce the manufacturing cost of the consumable 30.
The housing 30a of Figure 3 is shown as being a tubular with openings at either ends thereof. At each end, a retaining element 31, 32 is provided. The retaining elements 31, 32 are positioned to extend across the openings of the tubular housing 30a. Accordingly, the retaining elements 31, 32 and the housing 30a define a volume therebetween. Within the volume is located the aerosol modifying agent 33. Accordingly, it should be understood that the retaining elements 31, 32 help to retain the aerosol modifying agent 33 within the consumable 30. In addition, the retaining elements 31, 32 are configured to allow air (and aerosol from the aerosol provision device 20) to pass through the retaining elements 31, 32. Hence, the retaining elements 31, 32 may take any suitable configuration that allows the retaining elements 31, 32 to both retain the aerosol modifying agent in the volume between the retaining elements 31, 32 and to allow air to pass therethrough. For example, in some implementations, the retaining elements 31, 32 comprise a planar mesh or a porous substrate. In some implementations, the retaining elements 31, 32, and in particular the retaining element 32 at the proximal end of the housing 30a, may be formed from a filter material, for example cellulose acetate. In such implementations, the retaining elements 31, 32 may also act as a filter for filtering certain constituents from the air flow that passes through the retaining elements 31, 32.
The aerosol modifying agent 33 may be any suitable aerosol modifying agent, for example any of the aerosol modifying agents listed above. In broad terms, the aerosol modifying agent 33 is configured to modify one or more properties of the aerosol that passes by or through the aerosol modifying agent 33. In accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure, the aerosol modifying agent 33 comprises an active substance. For example, in one implementation, the aerosol modifying agent 33 comprises nicotine. In accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure, the aerosol modifying agent 33 comprises a flavour or flavourant. For example, in one implementation, the aerosol modifying agent 33 comprises a tobacco flavouring.
In the described implementation, the aerosol modifying agent 33 is or comprises tobacco, for example, cut-rag tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, and/or treated tobacco. By using tobacco as the aerosol modifying agent 33, tobacco flavouring and nicotine may be imparted to aerosol passing through the consumable 30 and the aerosol modifying agent 33. In addition, the aerosol that is generated and modified by such a tobacco aerosol modifying agent 33 has similar flavours/tastes to smoke generated by cigarettes, thereby helping to facilitate switching of cigarette users to aerosol provision systems by improving the familiarity of the aerosol provision system to such cigarette users.
With reference to Figures 2 and 3, when the consumable 30 is engaged with the aerosol provision device 20, specifically when the consumable 30 is inserted into receptacle 21, the consumable 30 is inserted such that the distal end (i.e., the end comprising retaining element 31) is inserted first into the receptacle 21. That is, when the consumable 30 is inserted into the receptacle 21, the first, distal retaining element 31 is closest to the distal end 20c of the aerosol provision system 20.
During use of the aerosol provision system (i.e., the combination of the consumable 30 and the aerosol provision device 20), a user places their mouth at the proximal end of the consumable 30 containing the retaining element 32. When the user inhales, air is drawn into the aerosol provision device 20 through the air inlet 27a. In some implementations, the aerosol provision device 20 comprises the pressure sensor 27e (or a similar sensor, such as a flow sensor) which is capable of sensing reduce pressure or air flow through the airflow path as a result of a user inhalation. When the pressure sensor 27e senses air flow (for example, a drop in pressure) resulting from a user inhalation, the control circuitry 23 detects such a drop and subsequently supplies power to the aerosol generator 26 (from battery 22) to cause the aerosol generator 26 to activate, i.e., heat, and generate vapour. In other implementations, the aerosol provision device 20 may comprise a user input mechanism, such as a button (not shown), on the housing 20a of the aerosol provision device 20 which is able to be actuated by a user to cause activation of the aerosol generator 26. When the aerosol generator 26 is activated, aerosol-generating material supplied to the aerosol generator is vaporised / aerosolised and released into the vapour generation chamber 27b. As described above, the vapour is entrained into the airflow and forms an aerosol before being passed along the air passage 27c and out via the outlet 27d. Once the aerosol exits the outlet 27d, the aerosol passes through the retaining element 31 of the consumable 30, through or past the aerosol modifying agent 33, and out of the consumable 30 via the retaining element 32 to be delivered to the user's mouth.
Hence, it should be understood that the aerosol modifying agent 33 acts to modify at least one property of the aerosol that is generated by the aerosol generator 26. In the described implementation, the properties include at least one of: the flavour and the presence of an active substance (such as nicotine). However, it should be appreciated that other properties, for example temperature of the aerosol, may also be affected by the aerosol modifying agent 33.
The consumable 30 is separable from the aerosol provision device 20. In use, when the aerosol modifying agent in the consumable 30 is exhausted (in that it no longer imparts flavour and/or nicotine to the aerosol to an acceptable level), the consumable 30 may be removed from the aerosol provision device 20 and a replacement consumable 30 attached to the device 20 in its place. Provided the reservoir 24 contains sufficient aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision system can continue to generate aerosol via the aerosol generator 26. In the event that insufficient aerosol-generating material is present in the reservoir 24, the reservoir 24 may be refilled with aerosol-generating material, via the reservoir refill mechanism 28. Therefore, it should be understood that the aerosol provision device 20 is generally regarded as reusable, and usable with multiple (e.g., sequential) consumables 30 which may be regarded as disposable.
The aerosol-generating material may be any suitable aerosol-generating material, as described above. For example, the aerosol-generating material may be a liquid aerosol-generating material, which may be referred to herein as a source liquid, e-liquid or liquid. The source liquid may be broadly conventional, and may contain nicotine and / or other active ingredients, and / or one or more flavours, as described above. In some implementations, the source liquid may contain no nicotine.
In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material stored in the reservoir 24 is free from active ingredients (such as nicotine) and / or flavourants. Without wishing to be bound by theory, when the aerosol-generating material is heated, aerosol-forming material is vaporised / aerosolised and this acts as a transport medium for components such as the active ingredients and / or flavourants which may, in some implementations, not be directly vaporised by the aerosol generator 26 in use. While it is expected that some of the active ingredients and / or flavourants are transported from the aerosol generator 26 by the vaporised aerosol-former material, it has been found that some of the active ingredients / flavourants can be left in contact with the aerosol generator 26. This can lead to residues forming on the aerosol generator 26. These residues can build up on the aerosol generator 26 over time and may subsequently impact the performance of the aerosol generator 26 to provide aerosol to the user. By using an aerosol-generating material that is free from active ingredients (such as nicotine) and/or flavourants, when the aerosol-generating material is aerosolised by the aerosol generator 26 (e.g., via heating), it has been found that a relatively lower amount of residues of the aerosol-generating material are left behind on the aerosol generator 26 (e.g., after vaporisation), therefore prolonging the operational lifetime of the aerosol generator 26. For example, it has been found that in systems that aerosolise an aerosol-generating material that comprises nicotine, for example, the performance of the aerosol generator 26 (e.g., in terms of the mass of aerosol produced for a given puff) starts to decrease after around 5,000 puffs (or discrete activations of the aerosol generator 26). Conversely, in systems that aerosolise an aerosol-generating material that is free of nicotine, for example, the performance of the aerosol generator 26 may not start to decrease until around 20,000 puffs. Accordingly, the lifetime of the aerosol generator 26, and hence of the aerosol provision device 20, may be relatively increased by using such an aerosol-generating material.
In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material is free from any active ingredients and/or flavourants. "Free from" as used herein means that the aerosol-generating material does not contain any active ingredients and/or flavourants or contains no greater than negligible or trace amount of the active ingredients and/or flavourants. More concretely, the aerosol-generating material comprises an active ingredient in an amount of no greater than 0.01 wt.% based on the weight of the aerosol-generating material (such as a liquid aerosol-generating material) and/or the aerosol-generating material comprises one or more flavourants in an amount of no greater than 0.01 wt.% based on the weight of the aerosol-generating material (such as a liquid aerosol-generating material).
In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material comprises, consists of, or essentially consists of an aerosol-former material. As described above, the aerosol-former material may comprise one or more constituents capable of forming an aerosol. In some implementations, the aerosol-former material may comprise one or more of glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1 ,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate. In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material may comprise water.
In some implementations, the aerosol-generating material selected from the group comprising, or consisting of: propylene glycol, (vegetable) glycerol, and water. The aerosol-generating material may comprise or consist of any one or combination of the above. In the aerosol provision device 20 of the described implementation, the aerosol generator 26 is provided as an integral part of the aerosol provision device 20. As noted above, the aerosol provision device 20 is intended to be used with multiple consumables 30 and thus the aerosol generator 26 is intended to be used multiple times over a prolonged period of use. In addition, the aerosol generator 26 may be used for a longer period than aerosol provision systems that have a disposable, integrated reservoir and heater (for example, in the form of a disposable cartomiser). Hence, the aerosol generator 26 integrally provided with the aerosol provision device 20 may be more prone to build-up of residue over time which may affect performance if used with an aerosol-generating material having other constituents, such as a flavour or an active substance, for example. Therefore, by using an aerosol-generating material that is free from active ingredients and / or flavourants, the aerosol generator 26 can be used for a longer period of time with relatively lower levels of residual build-up, thereby maintaining acceptable performance for longer.
However, in such implementations, while use of the aerosol-generating material that is free from active ingredients and / or flavourants has certain advantages, the aerosol generated therefrom is typically unflavoured and does not contain an active substance (such as nicotine). Particularly for consumers who are transitioning from cigarettes or the like to aerosol provision systems, the presence of flavour and/or active substance may be qualities in an aerosol that these consumers are looking to be provided with, and the absence of these qualities may lead to such users reverting back to cigarettes or the like. Therefore, as described above, the consumable 30 comprises an aerosol modifying agent 33, which is positioned along the airflow path (e.g., at the air outlet 27d of the aerosol provision device 20) such that the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator 26 passes to or through the aerosol modifying agent 33 to modify a characteristic of the aerosol. In the described implementation, the aerosol modifying agent 33 is capable of imparting a (tobacco) flavour and/or active substance (nicotine) to the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator 26 as the aerosol passes to or through the aerosol modifying agent 33 (which, as noted above, may be or comprise a tobacco or tobacco based substance). In this way, despite the aerosol-generating material not containing any flavour (at least beyond any flavour of the propylene glycol / (vegetable) glycerol) and/or active substance, the aerosol modifying agent 33 is capable of providing flavour and/or an active substance to the aerosol that is delivered to the user.
It should be appreciated, however, that in other implementations the aerosol-generating material may contain an active substance and/or flavour. In such implementations, the consumable 30 may be configured to modify additional or alternative characteristics of the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating material. For example, the consumable 30 may impart an additional flavour, and/or reduce the temperature of the aerosol, and/or impart an additional active substance.
In the above example, the receptacle 21 provides a location where the consumable 30 couples or otherwise engages with the aerosol provision device 20. In the above example, the consumable 30 is held in place in the receptacle 21 by friction-fit. That is, the diameter of the receptacle 21 may be the same size as (or slightly smaller than, e.g., 0.1 or less of a mm) the diameter of the consumable 30. However, in other implementations, the consumable 30 may be engaged with the receptacle 21 in other ways, for example based around a screw thread, latch mechanism, bayonet fixing or magnetic coupling. In addition, it should be appreciated that the receptacle 21 represents only an example of a suitable interface for interfacing with and engaging the consumable 30. In other implementations, the consumable 30 may be engaged with the aerosol provision device 20 in any suitable way.
In the described example, in use, the user places their mouth on the outer housing 30a of the consumable 30 (at the proximal end thereof). However, it should be appreciated that in some implementations, the consumable 30 may be completely contained within the aerosol provision device 20. Accordingly, a part of the housing 20a (for example, a removable cover that provides access to the receptacle 21) may alternatively form the mouthpiece for the aerosol provision system.
In other implementations, the consumable 30 may be omitted and instead the aerosol provision device 20 is provided with a mouthpiece through which the aerosol generated by the aerosol generator 26 from the aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 24 is capable of being delivered to a user.
Figure 4 schematically shows the refill/recharge pack 10 in more detail, along with a schematic representation of the aerosol provision device 20, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that Figure 4 is not shown to any particular scale and the various components are only schematically shown. In addition, it should be appreciated that certain features of the refill/recharge pack 10 are omitted from Figure 4, such as the various wiring and electrical connections between certain components, for example.
The refill/recharge pack 10 comprises a housing 10a, receptacle 11 for receiving the aerosol provision device 20, power source 12, control circuitry 13, reservoir 14, transfer mechanism 15, aerosol-generating material conduit 16a, 16b and 16c, aerosol provision device engagement mechanism 17, and electrical contacts 18a, 18b.
The refill/recharge pack 10 is configured to have the shape and dimensions of a cigarette pack. That is, the refill/recharge pack 10 may be broadly cuboidal and have a dimension in the length direction L (i.e., along a longitudinal axis thereof) of between 14 cm and 6 cm, or between 13 cm and 7 cm, or between 10 cm and 8 cm, a total width dimension W (i.e., perpendicular to the longitudinal axis) of between 8 cm and 5 cm, or between 7 cm and 5.5 cm, and a total depth dimension (not shown in Figure 4, but perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis and width direction) of between 3 cm and 1 cm, or between 2.5 cm and 1.5 cm. The dimension in the length direction L may be dependent on the length of the aerosol provision device 20.
In the example of Figure 4, the refill/recharge pack 10 comprises the receptacle 11 which is sized so as to receive the aerosol provision device 20. For example, the receptacle 11 may define a cylindrical recess having a similar width / diameter and length as the aerosol provision device 20. The receptacle 11 has a longitudinal axis that is parallel with the length dimension of the refill/recharge pack 10. In Figure 4, the distal end of the aerosol provision device 20 protrudes out of the receptacle 11 when the aerosol provision device 20 is fully inserted. This may aid in allowing a user to remove the aerosol provision device 20 from the refill/recharge pack 10 by providing a region of the aerosol provision device 20 for the user to grip (e.g., with their thumb and forefinger). In some implementations, the aerosol provision device 20 may be fully enclosed within the receptacle 11. In such implementations, a mechanism may be implemented to help lift the aerosol provision device 20 from the receptacle 11 for removal from the refill/recharge pack 10.
The refill/recharge pack 10 is intended to receive the aerosol provision device 20 between uses of the aerosol provision device 20 / system, to recharge the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20 and to refill the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20. When the user removes the aerosol provision device 20 from the refill/recharge pack 10 after recharging and refilling is complete, the action is similar to removing a cigarette from a cigarette packet. In this regard, providing the refill/recharge pack 10 with similar dimensions to a cigarette pack increases familiarity to users transitioning from cigarettes to electronic aerosol provision systems, which therefore may help ease such a transition. In some implementations, the refill/recharge pack 10 may also have a similar weight to a cigarette pack, for broadly similar reasons.
The outer housing 10a in the described implementation has an overall cuboidal shape having a top surface (through which the receptacle 11 is accessible), a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and one or more side surfaces extending therebetween and perpendicular thereto. The outer housing 10a may be formed, for example, from a plastics or metallic material. In some implementations, the outer housing 10a may be circumscribed, at least partly, by a paper material or cellulose material. Within the outer housing 10a is located the various components of the refill/recharge pack 10, such as the power source 12, control circuitry 13, etc.
The power source 12 in this implementation is a battery 12. The battery 12 may be rechargeable, for example a lithium ion battery, although other battery chemistries may also be considered. The battery 12 is capable of being recharged via an external source (such as via a connection to mains power through a suitable cable, not shown, or via inductive charging). In some implementations, the battery 12 may not be rechargeable. In such implementations, the outer housing 10a may comprise a door or hatch that allows for the battery 12 to be replaced with a fresh (i.e., charged) battery 12. The battery 12 is intended to be used to recharge the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20, and thus has a capacity at least equal to the capacity of the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20. However, in some implementations, the capacity of the battery 12 of the refill/recharge pack 10 may be greater, for example 5 or more, 10 or more, or 20 or more times greater than the capacity of the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20. This means that the refill/recharge pack 10 is capable of recharging the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20 multiple times on a single charge.
The control circuitry 13 is suitably configured / programmed to control the operations of the refill/recharge pack 10. The control circuitry 13 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units / circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the refill/recharge pack's operation and may be implemented by provision of a (micro)controller, processor, ASIC or similar form of control chip. The control circuitry 13 may be arranged to control any functionality associated with the refill/recharge pack 10. By way of non-limiting examples only, the functionality may include the charging or re-charging of the battery 12 (e.g., from the external source), the discharging of the battery 12 (e.g., for recharging the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20), and the transfer of aerosol generating material from the reservoir 14 to the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20. In some examples, other functionality such as controlling visual indicators (e.g., LEDs) / displays of the refill/recharge pack 10, communication functionality for communicating with external devices, etc. may also be controlled by the control circuitry 13. The control circuitry 13 may be mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB). Note also that the functionality provided by the control circuitry 13 may be split across multiple circuit boards and / or across components which are not mounted to a PCB, and these additional components and / or PCBs can be located as appropriate within the refill/recharge pack 10.
The refill/recharge pack 10 further comprises a reservoir 14 configured to store aerosol-generating material. In the present example, the reservoir 14 is configured to store a liquid aerosol-generating material, and may therefore be configured so as to reduce or prevent leakage of the aerosol-generating material out of the reservoir 14. The reservoir 14 may take any suitable shape, such as a cuboidal shape.
The aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 14 is intended to be transferred to the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 when the aerosol provision device 20 is installed in the receptacle 11. The reservoir 14 is intended to be used to refill the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, and thus in some implementations has a volume at least equal to the volume of the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20. However, in some implementations, the volume of the reservoir 12 of the refill/recharge pack 10 may be greater, for example 5 or more, 10 or more, or 20 or more times greater than the volume of the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20. This means that the refill/recharge pack 10 is capable of refilling the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 multiple times from the reservoir 12 of the refill/recharge pack 10.
In some implementations, the reservoir 14 may be integrally formed with the refill/recharge pack 10, and may or may not be refillable. However, in other implementations, the reservoir 14 may be removable from the refill/recharge pack 10. In these implementations, once the reservoir 14 is depleted, the reservoir 14 may be removed and replaced with a new (full) reservoir 14.
In the present implementation, at the base of the receptacle 11 of the refill/recharge pack 10, an aerosol provision device engagement mechanism 17 for engaging with the aerosol provision device 20 is provided. The engagement mechanism 17 is sized so as to be received in the receptacle 21 of the aerosol provision device 20. That is, the aerosol provision device 20 is inserted into the receptacle 11, proximal end 20b first such that as the aerosol provision device 20 is lowered into the receptacle 11, the engagement mechanism 17 aligns with and engages the receptacle 21 of the aerosol provision device 20.
As described previously, the reservoir refill mechanism 28 is accessible through the base of the receptacle 21. The engagement mechanism 17 is configured to engage with the reservoir refill mechanism 28 so as to facilitate refilling of the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20. In particular, the engagement mechanism 17 comprises a protrusion 17a at an end thereof that is arranged to protrude through the outlet 27d of the aerosol provision device 20 and engage with, and actuate (e.g., move the spring-loaded ball valve of) the reservoir refill mechanism 28. The protrusion 17a may be suitably shaped to engage with the reservoir refill mechanism 28, and may take different forms in dependence on the specific reservoir refill mechanism 28 employed in the aerosol provision device 20. For example, if the reservoir refill mechanism 28 is a septum, the protrusion 17a may take the form of a needle.
The refill/recharge pack 10 comprises an aerosol-generating material conduit formed of three parts; a first conduit 16a in fluid communication with the reservoir 14 and extending to an input of the transfer mechanism 15, a second conduit 16b in fluid communication with the output of the transfer mechanism 15 and extending to and in fluid communication with a third conduit 16c extending through the engagement mechanism 17 and the protrusion 17a and terminating at an opening at the end of the protrusion 17a. Together, the first, second and third conduits16a, 16b, 16c are referred to herein as aerosol-generating material conduit 16. The aerosol-generating material conduit 16 (or conduit 16) is configured to allow aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 14 to pass along the conduit 16 and to the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 via the reservoir refill mechanism 28. That is, the conduit 16 is capable of supplying aerosol-generating material to an opening in the protrusion 17a, which when the aerosol provision device 20 is installed in the receptacle 11, supplies aerosol-generating material to the reservoir 24 to refill the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20. In the present example, the conduit 16 is configured to transport liquid aerosol-generating material to the opening in the protrusion 17a.
The refill/recharge pack 10 further comprises a transfer mechanism 15, which in this implementation is in fluid communication with the conduit 16. The transfer mechanism 15 may be any mechanism suitable of driving the transfer of aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 14 along the conduit 16 and to the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20.
Any suitable transfer mechanism 15 may be used in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. In the described implementation, the transfer mechanism 15 is a peristaltic pump. A peristaltic pump typically works through rotary motion, where a rotatable component comprises a number of rollers or the like that act to compress a flexible tube as they rotate, forcing the fluid to move through the tube. The conduit 16 is provided either side of the transfer mechanism 15 (i.e., coupling to an inlet and an outlet of the transfer mechanism 15). However, other pumps may be used in place of the peristaltic pump. In addition, the transfer mechanism 15 may alternatively include other mechanisms, such as a plunger or the like in the reservoir 14 and arranged to change the volume of the reservoir 14 to force aerosol-generating material along the conduit 16. In this case, it should be appreciated that the transfer mechanism 15 is not located on the conduit 16. The transfer mechanism 15 may be provided at a suitable location in the refill/recharge pack 10.
In some implementations, the transfer mechanism 15 may be electronically operated. For example, a motor provided in the refill/recharge pack 10, under control of the control circuitry 13, may be used to drive the peristaltic pump or other transfer mechanism 15. The battery 12 may be used to supply power to the transfer mechanism 15 in such implementations. Control of the motor may be dependent on a suitable detection process for detecting that the aerosol provision device 20 is located in the receptacle 11; that is, the transfer mechanism 15 may be operable to transfer aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 14 when the aerosol provision device 20 is determined to be present in the receptacle 11. Alternatively, the transfer mechanism 15 may be mechanically and manually operated by a user; for example, by a rotatable arm coupled to the rotational axis of the peristaltic pump and provided on the outer surface of the housing 10a.
Hence, in general, the refill/recharge pack 10 is configured to cause aerosol-generating material provided in the reservoir 14 to pass to the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 when the aerosol provision device 20 is located in the receptacle 11. Accordingly, the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 is capable of being refilled with aerosol-generating material by the refill/recharge pack 10.
In addition, the refill/recharge pack 10 comprises electrical contacts 18a and 18b. The electrical contacts 18a, 18b are arranged in the refill/recharge pack 10 such that they are able to be brought into electrical connection with the electrical contacts 29a, 29b of the aerosol provision device 20 when the aerosol provision device 20 is located in the receptacle 11. More specifically, a first electrical contact 18a of the refill/recharge pack 10 is arranged so as to electrically connect with the first electrical contact 29a of the aerosol provision device 20, and a second electrical contact 18b is arranged so as to electrically connect with the second electrical contact 29b of the aerosol provision device 20.
In Figure 4, the first electrical contact 18a of the refill/recharge pack 10 is provided at a location toward the opening of the receptacle 11 such that when the aerosol provision device 20 is inserted into the receptacle 11, the first electrical contact 29a at the distal end 20c of the aerosol provision device 20 is capable of being bought into electrical connection with the first electrical contact 18a of the refill/recharge pack 10. The first electrical contact 18a may take any suitable form; for example, the electrical contact 18a may be an annular ring provided extending, coaxially, with the axis of the receptacle 11. In other implementations, the electrical contact 18a may comprise one or more contact pads provided at a surface of the receptacle 11. In some implementations, the radial extent of the first electrical contact 29a of the aerosol provision device 20 about the longitudinal axis of the aerosol provision 20 and the radial extent of the first electrical contact 18a of the refill/recharge pack 10 about the longitudinal axis of the receptacle 11 is such that the aerosol provision device 20 can be inserted at any rotational position about the longitudinal axis of the aerosol provision device 20 relative to the receptacle 11 and still provide electrical contact between the first electrical contacts 18a, 29a. For example, the electrical contact 29a may extend 360° around the longitudinal axis of the aerosol provision device 20, and the electrical contact 18a may extend between 1° to 360° around the longitudinal axis of the receptacle 11.
In Figure 4, the second electrical contact 18b of the refill/recharge pack 10 is provided at a location on the outer surface of the engagement mechanism 17. In this case, when the aerosol provision device 20 is inserted into the receptacle 11, the second electrical contact 29b located within the receptacle 21 of the aerosol provision device 20 is capable of being bought into electrical connection with the second electrical contact 18b of the refill/recharge pack 10 when the engagement mechanism 17 engages with the receptacle 21. The second electrical contact 18b may take any suitable form; for example, the electrical contact 18b may be an annular ring provided extending, coaxially, with the axis of the engagement mechanism 17. In other implementations, the electrical contact 18b may comprise one or more contact pads provided at a surface of the engagement mechanism 17. In some implementations, the radial extent of the second electrical contact 29b of the aerosol provision device 20 about the longitudinal axis of the receptacle 21 and the radial extent of the second electrical contact 18a of the refill/recharge pack 10 about the longitudinal axis of the engagement mechanism 17 is such that the aerosol provision device 20 can be inserted at any rotational position about the longitudinal axis of the aerosol provision device 20 relative to the receptacle 11 and still provide electrical contact between the second electrical contacts 18b, 29b. For example, the electrical contact 29b may extend 360° around the longitudinal axis of the receptacle 21, and the electrical contact 18b may extend between 1° to 360° around the longitudinal axis of the engagement mechanism 17.
When the aerosol provision device 20 is installed in the receptacle 11 of the refill/recharge pack 10, the refill/recharge pack 10 is configured to recharge the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20. The battery 12 of the refill/recharge pack 10 is electrically connected (potentially via recharging circuitry of the control circuitry 13) to the first electrical contact 18a and the second electrical contact 18b. When the aerosol provision device 20 is inserted into the receptacle 11, and the first electrical contact 29a of the aerosol provision device 20 bought into electrical connection with the first electrical contact 18a of the refill/recharge pack 10 and the second electrical contact 29b of the aerosol provision device 20 bought into electrical connection with the second electrical contact 18b of the refill/recharge pack 10, the refill/recharge pack 10 is configured to cause recharging of the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20 by applying suitable power from the battery 12 of the refill/recharge pack 10. Although not shown in Figure 4, the refill/recharge pack 10 and/or the aerosol provision device 20 may have suitable circuitry to control and/or monitor the recharging of the battery 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, for example to help ensure the recharging is performed safely and accurately.
Hence, in this example, the refill/recharge pack 10 is also configured to cause electrical power provided in the battery 12 of the refill/recharge pack 10 to pass to the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20 when the aerosol provision device 20 is located in the receptacle 11. Accordingly, the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20 is capable of being recharged with electrical power by the refill/recharge pack 10.
In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, a return pathway is provided that extends between the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 and the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10 when the aerosol provision device 20 is coupled to the refill/recharge pack 10 (e.g., installed in the receptacle 11 of the refill/recharge pack 10). The return pathway enables excess aerosol-generating material provided to the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 during a refilling operation performed by the refill/recharge pack 10 to be supplied back to the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10.
Excess aerosol-generating material is an amount of aerosol-generating material beyond a predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material. The predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material may be influenced by the capacity or volume of the reservoir 24 capable of storing aerosol-generating material therein, and thus the excess aerosol-generating material is typically any aerosol-generating material that is supplied to the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 after the amount of aerosol-generating material currently stored in the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 reaches the predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material. For example, if the capacity of the reservoir 24 is 2 ml, any aerosol-generating material supplied to the reservoir 24 when the reservoir contains 2 ml is considered excess aerosol-generating material.
Hence, it should be appreciated that by employing a return pathway for the excess aerosol-generating material, provided enough aerosol-generating material is supplied to the reservoir 24 to fill the reservoir 24 to the predetermined amount, the reservoir 24 can accurately be filled with the predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material even if addition (excess) aerosol-generating material is supplied to the reservoir 24. In other words, the return pathway can help ensure that the reservoir 24 is not overfilled with aerosol-generating material (which might lead to leakage of the aerosol-generating material) and, in some instances, can help ensure that the reservoir 24 is filled with a known (i.e., predetermined) amount of aerosol-generating material (which can help reduce the chances of dry-out of the aerosol generator 26 during use of the aerosol provision device 20).
Figure 5a schematically shows a part of the refill/recharge pack 10 and aerosol provision device 20 of Figure 4 (in particular, the top-part of Figure 4). Figure 5a will be understood from Figure 4 and like components are shown with like reference signs. A detailed description of these components is not repeated for conciseness. As with Figure 4, the aerosol provision device 20 of Figure 5a is shown installed in the receptacle 11.
Figure 5a differs from Figure 4 in that the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 is shown in more detail in Figure 4. Other features of the aerosol provision device 20 are still omitted for clarity, including for example the air pathway in the aerosol provision device 20. Additionally shown in Figure 5a is the return pathway which extends between the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 and the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10 and is described in more detail with respect to Figure 5b. As can be seen in Figure 5a, however, the return pathway is, in effect, a pathway formed of a pathway in the aerosol provision device selectively sealed by valve arrangement 202 and a pathway in the refill/recharge pack 10 selectively sealed by valve arrangement 102. These two pathways are brought into fluid communication with one another to form the return pathway.
Turning to Figure 5b, Figure 5b schematically shows in more detail the arrangement of the return pathway of Figure 5a (in particular, the region depicted by the dashed circle in Figure 5a).
As noted above, the return pathway is formed, in part, from a pathway in the aerosol provision device 20. The pathway in the aerosol provision device 20 extends from the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 to an opening 201 provided in the housing 20a of the aerosol provision device 20. In Figure 5b, the aerosol provision device return pathway is defined by a conduit or tubular housing 203 extending from the reservoir 24 (e.g., from an opening in the housing of the reservoir 24) to the opening 201 in the housing 20a. Hence, the aerosol provision device return pathway (i.e., the part of the return pathway provided by the aerosol provision device 20) is the pathway defined by the tubular housing 203. The tubular housing 203 may take any suitable form or shape, but in this example is a tubular housing 203 having a circular cross-section.
It should be appreciated that Figure 5b does not show the air pathway in the aerosol provision device 20 (and in particular air passage 27c). However, it should be appreciated that the tubular housing 203 in this example passes through (but is separate from) the air passage 27c. Air/aerosol in the air passage 27c is capable of passing around the tubular housing 203. In other implementations, the tubular housing 203 may be offset from the air passage 27c such that the two are broadly provided at different radial positions (relating to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol provision device 20) such that the two do not intersect.
Also shown in Figure 5b is a one-way valve 202. In particular, the one-way valve 202 is a duckbill valve configured to permit the flow of fluid (such as liquid aerosol-generating material) along the aerosol provision device return pathway in the direction from the reservoir 24 to the opening 201 in the housing 20a. Correspondingly, the one-way valve 202 is configured to prevent, or reduce, the flow of fluid (such as liquid aerosol-generating material) along the aerosol provision device return pathway in the opposite direction, i.e., from the opening 201 in the housing 20a to the reservoir 24. The duckbill valve is an example of a suitable one-way valve and it should be appreciated that in other implementations other valve arrangements may be used in place of duckbill valve that perform the same or similar functions.
Additionally, the return pathway is formed, in part, from a pathway in the refill/recharge pack 10. The refill/recharge pack return pathway (i.e., the part of the return pathway provided by the refill/recharge pack 10) broadly extends from the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10 to an opening 101. However, unlike the aerosol provision device 20, the opening 101 is provided at the end of a moveable / extendable conduit or tubular housing 103. The tubular housing 103 of the refill/recharge pack 10 is broadly similar to the tubular housing 203 of the aerosol provision device 20 and extends from the reservoir 14 to an opening 101. However, as noted above, a gap, schematically shown in Figure 5b by the reference sign G, may exist between the housing 20a of the aerosol provision device 20 and the inner surface of the receptacle 11 when the aerosol provision device 20 is installed in the receptacle 11. While this is somewhat exaggerated in Figure 5b, nonetheless, in some implementations, in order to form a fluid connection between the refill/recharge pack return pathway and the aerosol provision device return pathway, the tubular housing 103 of the refill/recharge pack 10 is configured to move between a retracted position, in which the tubular housing 103 does not extend into the volume defined by the receptacle 11, and an extended position in which the tubular housing 103 does extend into the receptacle 11 to allow the opening 101 at the end of the tubular housing 103 to be brought into contact with the opening 201 at the end of tubular housing 203 of the aerosol provision device 20. In some implementations, the tubular housing 103 may automatically be moved into the extended position when the aerosol provision device 20 is installed in the receptacle 11, for example, via a mechanical lever / button located at the base of the receptacle 11 that is actuated when the proximal end 20b of the aerosol provision device 20 engages with the mechanical lever / button, or via the control circuitry 13 detecting the presence of the aerosol provision device 20 in the receptacle 11 and controlling, e.g., via a movement mechanism powered by the battery 12, the extension of the tubular housing 103. In other implementations, the user may be required to perform an action that causes the tubular housing 103 to extend into the receptacle 11 (e.g., by actuating a lever mechanically coupled to the tubular housing 103) prior to commencing refilling.
The refill/recharge pack return pathway is defined by the tubular housing 103 and, when extended, is capable of forming a fluid connection with the tubular housing 203 of the aerosol provision device 20, thereby forming the overall return pathway. It should be appreciated that either (or both of) the end of the tubular housing 203 in the aerosol provision device 20 having the opening 201 and/or the end of the tubular housing 103 in the refill/recharge pack 10 having the opening 101 may be provided with a sealing element (such as a rubber O-ring or the like) to form a liquid- or fluid-tight seal when the tubular housing 103 of the refill/recharge pack 10 coupled with the tubular housing 203 of the aerosol provision device 20. The tubular housing 103 of the refill/recharge pack 10 may take any suitable form or shape, but typically corresponds to the form and shape of the tubular housing 203 of the aerosol provision device 20, and hence in this example is a tubular housing 103 having a circular cross-section.
Also shown in Figure 5b is a one-way valve 102. The one-way valve 102 is similar to the one-way valve 202 in the tubular housing 203 of the aerosol provision device 20. In particular, the one-way valve 102 is a duckbill valve configured to permit the flow of fluid (such as liquid aerosol-generating material) along the refill/recharge pack return pathway, in this case, in the direction from the opening 101 to the reservoir 14. Correspondingly, the one-way valve 102 is configured to prevent, or reduce, the flow of fluid (such as liquid aerosol-generating material) along the refill/recharge pack return pathway in the opposite direction, i.e., from the reservoir 14 to the opening 101 in the tubular housing 103. The duckbill valve is an example of a suitable one-way valve and it should be appreciated that in other implementations other valve arrangements may be used in place of duckbill valve that perform the same or similar functions.
Accordingly, when the refill/recharge pack return pathway and the aerosol provision device return pathway are fluidly coupled together, the return pathway is formed. When the refill/recharge pack 10 is controlled to refill the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, the transfer mechanism 15 begins operating to transfer aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 14, along the conduit 16, and to the reservoir 24 via the reservoir refill mechanism 28. As the transfer mechanism 15 is operated, the amount of aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 24 increases with time.
It should be appreciated that as the amount of aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 24 increases with time, eventually the amount of aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 24 is sufficient to flow into the tubular housing 203 (e.g., via an opening of the tubular housing 203 on side of the reservoir 24, otherwise referred to herein as the outlet of the reservoir 24). As the transfer mechanism 15 continues to provide aerosol-generating material to the reservoir 24, the amount of aerosol-generating material reaches the one-way valve 202 and with sufficient force (e.g., provided by continued operation of the transfer mechanism 15) the aerosol-generating material is capable of flowing through the one-way valve 202 and to the opening 101 of the tubular housing 103 of the refill/recharge pack 10 and additionally through the one-way valve 102 and to the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10. When the transfer mechanism 15 stops providing aerosol-generating material to the reservoir 24, the one-way valves 102, 202 close in the absence of the applied force to prevent backflow of aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10 along the return pathway.
In this way, it can be seen that when there is excess aerosol-generating material provided to the reservoir 24, the excess aerosol-generating material is able to escape the reservoir 24 and be returned to the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10 via the return pathway.
The reservoir 24 defines a volume for receiving the aerosol-generating material, which is generally defined by the walls of the reservoir 24. However, the presence of the outlet of the reservoir 24 helps define another volume within the reservoir 24 that is capable of storing a predetermined quantity of aerosol-generating material. More specifically, in the described example, the volume is defined from the base or bottom wall of the reservoir 24 comprising the reservoir refill mechanism 28 up to and including the opening of the tubular housing 203 (this may be defined e.g., by the edge or portion of the opening closest to the base or bottom wall of the reservoir 24). This volume is less than the maximum capacity of the reservoir 24, although this need not be the case for each and every implementation (for example, in other implementations, the outlet may be provided on the wall of the reservoir 24 comprising the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and aerosol generator 26).
By selecting the position of the outlet of the reservoir 24 coupled to or forming the return pathway, the amount of aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 24 can be regulated to a predetermined amount. For example, as the reservoir 24 is filled with aerosol-generating material from the reservoir refill mechanism 28, the amount of aerosol-generating material gradually increases until the amount of aerosol-generating material reaches the outlet of the reservoir 24. At this point, the aerosol-generating material starts to flow along the tubular housing 203 and, as described above, out through the one-way valve 202. Accordingly, it should be understood that the volume defined between the outlet of the reservoir 24 and the base of the reservoir 24 (in this example, the wall of the reservoir 24 comprising the reservoir refill mechanism 28) defines a predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material and, during refilling, the maximum permitted amount of aerosol-generating in the reservoir 24 is equal to that of the predetermined amount, potentially within e.g., 1% or 2% of the predetermined volume to accommodate any residual liquid that may be held in the tubular housing 203 when the one-way valve 202 closes.
The above described implementation therefore provides a way of regulating the amount of aerosol-generating material provided to the reservoir 24 during a refilling operation that can be implemented without any monitoring of the amount of aerosol-generating material level in the reservoir 24, or of the amount of aerosol-generating material provided by the transfer mechanism 15. Rather, the refilling operation can commence and, provided the refilling operation is performed for a duration that allows sufficient aerosol-generating material to be provided to the reservoir 24, the return pathway ensures the predetermined amount of aerosol-generating is provided to the reservoir 24.
In this regard, to ensure that the transfer mechanism 15 is operated for a suitable duration, in the context of an electronically controlled transfer mechanism 15, the control circuitry 13 may be configured with a timer capable of measuring a time at which the refilling operation commences (i.e., when aerosol-generating material starts to flow from the reservoir 14) and is stops the refilling operation when a predetermined time has elapsed. The predetermined time may be set taking into consideration the typical operational parameters of the transfer mechanism 15 (e.g., such as an operating flow rate) and the predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material to be transferred to the reservoir 24. For example, if the predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material is 1.8 ml and the flow rate of the transfer mechanism 15 is 0.1 ml/s, then the predetermined time may be set to 18 seconds. In some implementations, the predetermined time may be set to be greater than time required to supply the predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material to account for any variations in the flow rate, for example. In either case, it should be appreciated that regardless of the amount of aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 24 when the aerosol provision device 20 is first coupled to the refill/recharge pack 10, the amount of aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 24 at the end of the refilling operation is equal (or approximately equal to) the predetermined amount. In the context of a manually operated transfer mechanism 15, the control circuitry 13 may be configured to cause an indicator (e.g., such as a display or LED or another type of feedback mechanism) to inform the user when stop actuating the mechanically operated transfer mechanism 15. Alternatively, in other implementations, a window or the like may be provided in both the refill/recharge pack 10 and the aerosol provision device 20 that allows for the user to visually inspect the reservoir 24 to determine whether sufficient aerosol-generating material has been provided to the reservoir 24.
As described above, in the present implementation, the volume defining the predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material is the volume between the wall comprising the reservoir refill mechanism 28 and the opening to the tubular housing 203. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the reservoir 24 may be filled differently (e.g., from the side or from the top wall of the reservoir 24). The volume defining the predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material is therefore defined by the surface / wall of the reservoir 24 that first receives aerosol-generating material during refilling and on which the aerosol-generating material starts to pool / collect. In normal use, the refill/recharge pack 10 is typically held upright in the position as shown in Figures 4 or 5a, with the longitudinal axis of the refill/recharge pack 10 and aerosol provision device 20 broadly parallel with the direction along which gravity acts. Therefore, the surface / wall of the reservoir 24 that first receives aerosol-generating material during refilling is typically the surface / wall of the reservoir 24 that is closest to the ground / Earth and hence aerosol-generating material tends to flow to / pool on this surface by virtue of the effect of gravity.
Therefore, more generally, the outlet of the reservoir 24 is provided at a position of the reservoir 24 that defines a predetermined volume of the reservoir 24 corresponding to the predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material. When the amount of aerosol-generating material provided to the reservoir 24 exceeds the predetermined amount, the excess aerosol-generating material is able to exit the reservoir 24 via the outlet of the reservoir 24. Moreover, the excess aerosol-generating material is provided back to the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10 via the return pathway and is therefore capable of being re-used (e.g., to refill the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 in a subsequent refilling operation).
With reference to Figure 5a, the opening of the tubular housing 203 is provided at a different position to the position at which the aerosol-generating material is supplied to, and enters, the reservoir 24. For instance, aerosol-generating material is supplied to the reservoir 24 via the reservoir refill mechanism 28, e.g., through an inlet or opening thereof, which is located broadly at the bottom of the reservoir 24 relative to the orientation of the refill/recharge pack 10 and aerosol provision device 20 as shown in Figure 5a. The opening of the tubular housing 203 on the side of the reservoir 24, which may otherwise be referred to as an outlet of the reservoir 24, is offset from the inlet of the reservoir 24 in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the reservoir 24. It should be appreciated that in this implementation, the predetermined volume is defined between the inlet and outlet of the reservoir 24.
Additionally, the outlet of the reservoir 24 (i.e., the opening of the tubular housing 203 on the side of the reservoir 24) is provided near to an end of the reservoir 24. In this example, this is the end of the reservoir 24 comprising the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and the aerosol generator 26. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and the aerosol generator 26 may be arranged differently, and/or refilling of the reservoir 24 may not take place with the aerosol generator 26 positioned as shown in Figure 5a. In this implementation, the inlet of the reservoir refill mechanism 28 is provided at a position further from the end of the reservoir 24 (i.e., the end comprising the aerosol generator 26) in the longitudinal direction than the outlet of the reservoir 24 (i.e., the tubular housing 203).
It should be appreciated that the return pathway is provided as a separate pathway to the refill pathway (which is defined in the described implementation by conduit 16). As has been described above, this ensures that the return pathway is capable of providing the excess aerosol-generating material back to the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10 while the refill pathway is providing aerosol-generating material to the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20.
In the described implementation, one-way valves 102 and 202 are provided in the tubular housing 103 and 203 that function to allow aerosol-generating material to pass one way (i.e., out of the reservoir 24) but not the other. Moreover, the one-way valves 102, 202 act to seal the respective housings 103, 203 when refilling is not proceeding. In particular, in the context of the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, the one-way valve helps prevent aerosol-generating material exiting the reservoir 24 and contaminants entering the reservoir 24. It should be appreciated, however, that alternative mechanisms to valves may be used. For example, in some implementations, one or both of the tubular housings 103, 203 may alternatively be provided with a door or hatch that selectively obstructs the aerosol provision device return pathway and the refill/recharge pack return pathway. The doors or hatches may be opened, for example when the aerosol provision device 20 is inserted into the receptacle 11, to allow fluid communication of the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 with the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10. In such implementations, where in effect the return pathway does not comprise any obstruction to fluid flow when the aerosol provision device 20 is installed in the receptacle 11, the refill/recharge pack return pathway may be arranged such that aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 14 is, in normal use, unable to readily flow along the return pathway to the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device. For example, unlike as shown in Figure 5a, the opening of the return pathway on the side of the reservoir 14 may be positioned towards the top of the reservoir 14, directed into a headspace of the reservoir 14. (Conversely, it should be appreciated that as shown in Figure 5a, when the level of aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 14 is above the opening of the return pathway on the side of the reservoir 14, that aerosol-generating material would be capable of flowing along the return pathway in the direction from the reservoir 14 to the reservoir 24 in the absence of an structure to prevent this flow). Regardless of whether a valve or a door/hatch is used, in general the tubular housings are provided with some structure that prevents the egress of aerosol-generating material out to the respective reservoir 14, 24 when the aerosol provision device 20 is not being refilled or the refill/recharge pack 10 is not refilling the aerosol provision device 20.
It has been described above that the return pathway is formed from tubular housings 103, 203 or conduits that are brought into abutment with one another to form the return pathway. However, in other implementations, the return pathway may be formed differently.
Figure 5c schematically represents a further example of the return pathway suitable which may be used in the aerosol provision system 20 / refill/recharge pack 10 of Figure 5a. Figure 5c shows a similar view to Figure 5b, and thus will be understood from Figure 5b.
In the arrangement of Figure 5c, the aerosol provision device 20 is configured in a similar manner to Figure 5b except that, in place of one-way valve 202, a septum 204 is shown extending across the tubular housing 203. The septum 204 is arranged to, in effect, seal the tubular housing 203 to prevent aerosol-generating material escaping the reservoir 24 and other material, e.g., contaminants, entering the reservoir 24. The septum 204 is formed from a suitable material, such as silicone or a silicone mixture, although other materials may be employed. The septum 204 is designed to be pierced by a piercing element and to be resealed when the piercing element is removed.
Further, Figure 5c shows a modification of the tubular housing 103. In particular, in this implementation, the tubular housing 103 is arranged to take the form of a hollow needle arranged at one end with a piercing element 103a (e.g., an angled wall forming a point). At the end of the tubular housing 103, the opening 101 is provided (i.e., the opening of the hollow needle).
In much the same way as before, the tubular housing 103 is designed to move between a retracted position in which the tubular housing 103 does not extend into the receptacle 11 and an extended position in which the tubular housing 103 extends into the receptacle 11. As before, a movement mechanism for moving the tubular housing 103 is not shown in Figure 5c, but it will be appreciated that any suitable mechanism capable of moving the tubular housing 103 between the retracted and extended positions may be employed. Unlike Figure 5b, however, in the implementation of Figure 5c, the opening of the tubular housing 103 is not extended so as to abut with the opening of the tubular housing 203 of the aerosol provision device 20.
Figure 5c shows the tubular housing 103 of the refill/recharge pack 10 in an intermediate position between fully retracted and fully extended. As can be seen, in this intermediate position, the opening 101 overlaps the opening 201 of the tubular housing 203 of the aerosol provision device 20. When the tubular housing 103 is extended further, the piercing element 103a extends towards the septum 204 and eventually engages with and pierced through the septum 204. In the fully extended position, the piercing element 103a and the opening 101 are located on the side of the septum 204 in fluid communication with the reservoir 24.
Hence, it should be appreciated that the return pathway is similarly formed from the tubular housing 203 of the aerosol provision device 20 and tubular housing 103 (in the form of a hollow needle), but in this implementation, the two housings 103, 203 overlap to provide the return pathway. Therefore, during refilling, any excess aerosol-generating material is capable of flowing through the opening 101 and along tubular housing 103 to the reservoir 14. Although not shown in Figure 5c, a valve or door or the like may be implemented between the opening 101 and the reservoir 14 as described above.
When the tubular housing 103 is removed from the septum 204, i.e., is retracted, the septum 204 reseals to provide the barrier preventing escape of aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 24.
Hence, it should be appreciated that the return pathway may be implemented in a variety of different manners, but in each case there the return pathway is formed from an aerosol provision device return pathway being provided in fluid communication with a refill/recharge pack 10 return pathway.
In the examples described in Figures 5b and 5c, the tubular housing 103 is described as being moveable between a retracted position and an extended position. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the tubular housing 203 may be additionally or alternatively moveable between a retracted position (in which the tubular housing is within the housing 20a of the aerosol provision device 20) to an extended position (in which the tubular housing extends from the housing 20a of the aerosol provision device 20).
While the above has described implementations of the return pathway that include a moveable tubular housing 103 between retracted and extended positions, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the tubular housing 103 (and/or tubular housing 203) may be relatively static. In such implementations, in order to ensure a suitable fluid seal is provided between the tubular housings 103, 203, a resilient element may be positioned around the opening 101 of the tubular housing 103 of the refill/recharge pack (or additionally, or alternatively, around the opening 201 of the tubular housing 203). The resilient element is arranged such that, when the aerosol provision device 20 is installed in the receptacle 11, the resilient element extends across the gap G and surrounds both openings 101, 201 of the tubular housings. By providing a resilient element, when the aerosol provision device 20 is inserted into the receptacle 11, the resilient element is able to deform to allow the aerosol provision device 20 to be inserted into the receptacle but to have enough resilience that it is able to maintain an appropriate shape to extend around both openings 101, 201. In this way, the return pathway may additionally be formed from the resilient element which, in effect, bridges the gap between the two openings 101, 201.
In respect of the implementations described so far, in order to ensure that the aerosol provision device 20 is inserted into the receptacle 11 in the appropriate orientation such that the opening 101 of the tubular housing 103 is able to align with the opening 201 of the tubular housing 203, the aerosol provision device 20 may be provided with a keying feature (such as a protrusion) which is configured to be received by a corresponding receiving feature in the receptacle 11 (such as a groove running longitudinally along the axis of the receptacle 11) adapted to receive the keying feature. The keying feature may take any suitable form that allows this function to be performed. In addition, it should be appreciated that the receptacle 11 may alternatively have the keying feature while the aerosol provision device 20 has a suitable receiving feature. Accordingly, the aerosol provision device 20 may only be inserted into the receptacle 11 in a particular orientation to help ensure alignment of the openings 101, 201.
Although the return pathway has been shown in a particular manner in Figures 5a to 5c, it should be appreciated that the return pathway may take any suitable form and be provided in any suitable configuration.
In the described implementation, the refill/recharge pack 10 is configured to both refill the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 and to recharge the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20. However, in some implementations, the refill/recharge pack 10 may be configured to refill the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 only. That is, the recharging circuitry and electrical contacts 29a, 29b may be omitted. Additionally, depending on how the transfer mechanism 15 is operated, and in particular whether the transfer mechanism 15 requires electrical power to operate, the battery 12 of the refill/recharge pack 10 may be omitted. In implementations where the refill/recharge pack 10 is only configured to refill the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, the refill/recharge pack 10 may be referred to as a refill pack 10 or refilling device 10.
The configuration of the refill/recharge pack 10 as shown in Figure 4 is to be understood as an example of the refill/recharge pack 10; however, in other implementations, the refill/recharge pack 10 may be configured differently. For example, the position of the electrical contacts 18a, 18b may be different from what is shown in Figure 4. Additionally, the conduit 16, transfer mechanism 15, and engagement mechanism 17 may be different from what is shown. Various aspects of the refill/recharge pack 10 may also depend on the configuration of the aerosol provision device 20 (or vice versa).
In the example shown in Figure 4, the reservoir 14 is located next to the receptacle 11 of the refill/recharge pack 10. This configuration may help achieve overall dimensions of the refill/recharge pack 10 consistent with cigarette packs, as described above. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the position of the reservoir 14 relative to the receptacle 11 may be different from that shown.
In the example shown in Figure 4, the conduit 16 extends from the base of the reservoir 14 and is fed, in effect, in a direction towards the opening of the receptacle 11 when passing along the engagement mechanism 17. However, in other implementations, the conduit 16 and engagement mechanism 17 may be differently configured. For example, if the reservoir refill mechanism 28 is provided on a side of the aerosol provision device 20 / reservoir 24, the engagement mechanism 17 may similarly be provided extending from a side of the receptacle 11. In such implementations, the engagement mechanism 17 may be configured to move between a retracted position (in which the engagement mechanism 17 is moved out of the receptacle 11 therefore not impacting the ability to position the aerosol provision device 20 in the receptacle 11) to an extended position (in which the engagement mechanism 17 is moved into the receptacle 11 to engage with the reservoir refill mechanism 28 of the aerosol provision device 20). The conduit 16 may be arranged accordingly, for example, extending from a side of the reservoir 14. In addition, a moveable engagement mechanism 17 is not limited to the side of the receptacle 11. For example, the engagement mechanism 17 as shown in Figure 4 may alternatively be configured to extend / retract.
In the example shown in Figure 4, the aerosol provision device 20 is inserted with the distal end 20c protruding from the receptacle 11 (or otherwise arranged near the opening of the receptacle 11). In this orientation, the inlet to the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 (comprising the reservoir refill mechanism 28) is closer to the engagement mechanism 17 than the aerosol generator 26. In other words, if one assumes that the surface of the refill/recharge pack 10 comprising the opening to the receptacle 11 is a top surface, the aerosol generator 26 is closer to the top surface than the reservoir refill mechanism 28. During refilling, when aerosol-generating material is passed into the reservoir 24 via the reservoir refill mechanism 28, any air that is located in the reservoir 24 is displaced by the aerosol-generating material from the refill/recharge pack 10 via the aerosol generator 26 / aerosol-generating material transport element 25. That is to say, the displaced air may exit the reservoir 24 by following a similar pathway that the aerosol-generating material would otherwise follow in normal operation from the reservoir 24 to the aerosol generator 26. This configuration means that the pressure within the reservoir 24 can be equalised and refilling can be performed uninhibited without provision of a separate air release valve or the like provided in the reservoir 24. In addition, it should be noted that during use of the aerosol provision system, the consumable 30 when installed in the receptacle 21 acts to block or obscure from sight the reservoir refill mechanism 28, thereby providing a sleeker visual appearance to the user.
However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the refill/recharge pack 10 and/or aerosol provision device 20 may be configured differently. In some implementations, the reservoir 24 may be provided with an air release valve.
In the described implementation, the engagement mechanism 17 acts dually to function as a mechanism for refilling the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 and as a mechanism for recharging the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the engagement mechanism 17 may be configured to perform only one of these functions, with the other function being implemented using different components and/or a second engagement mechanism.
Figure 6 schematically shows a modification of the refill/recharge pack 10 of Figure 4. Figure 6 will be understood from Figure 4, and like components are provided with like reference signs. A description thereof is omitted for conscience.
In Figure 6, the refill/recharge pack 10 comprises a lid 10b which selectively allows access to receptacle 11 when the lid 10b is opened or removed. In some implementations, the lid 10b is a separately component to the housing 10a, that may be removed and coupled to the housing 10a. In other implementations, the lid 10b is movably mounted to the housing 10a of the refill/recharge pack 10. In particular implementations, the lid 10b is arranged to rotate about an axis parallel to the width direction in a hinge-like manner. The lid 10b is capable of moving between a closed position in which the opening of the receptacle 11 is obscured by the lid 10b, and an open position in which the opening of the receptacle 11 is exposed and an aerosol provision device 20 is able to be inserted therein. Cigarette packs often comprise a lid, and thus providing lid 10b on the refill/recharge pack 10 provides increased familiarity to users transitioning to non-combustible aerosol provision systems. As seen in Figure 6, when lid 10b is present, the overall length dimension of the refill/recharge pack 10 includes the extent of the lid 10b in the longitudinal direction.
Figure 7 is a flow diagram representing an example method of refilling an aerosol provision device 20 in accordance with the present disclosure.
The method starts at step S1, where the aerosol provision device 20 is coupled to refill/recharge pack 10. With reference to Figures 1 to 4, this step may include ensuring that the receptacle 21 is free of a consumable 30, inserting the aerosol provision device 20 into the receptacle of the refill/recharge pack 10, and engaging the engagement mechanism 17 with the receptacle 21. Once the aerosol provision device 20 is located in the receptacle 11, it should be appreciated that the conduit 16 and reservoir 14 is fluidly coupled to the reservoir refill mechanism 28 and reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, and the electrical contacts 18a, 18b are electrically coupled to electrical contacts 29a, 29b.
At step S2, the method comprises refilling the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 with aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10. As described above, aerosol-generating material is capable of passing along the conduit 16 from the reservoir 14 to the reservoir refill mechanism 28 and to the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, under actuation of the transfer mechanism 15. The pathway that aerosol-generating material follows from the reservoir 14 to the reservoir 24 is also referred to as the refill pathway and, as noted above, is separate from the return pathway. In some implementations, the refilling process starts automatically upon detection of the aerosol provision device 20 in the receptacle 11. In other implementations, the refilling process starts upon receipt of an instruction to do so, e.g., from a user. The refilling process is performed until the reservoir 24 is filled with aerosol-generating material.
In the present implementation, the control circuitry 13 of the refill/recharge pack 10 is configured to determine when the transfer mechanism 15 has been operated for a predetermined time from when the transfer mechanism 15 starts operating to transfer aerosol-generating material along the refill pathway to the reservoir 24 (as described in more detail above). At step S3, the control circuitry 13 determines whether the predetermined time has elapsed. If the predetermined time has elapsed, i.e., a YES at step S3, then the method proceeds to step S4 where the operation of the transfer mechanism 15 is stopped and subsequently aerosol-generating material is no longer supplied to the reservoir 24. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, i.e., a NO at step S3, then the method proceeds back to step S2 and continues to operate the transfer mechanism 15. As described above, alternative implementations are possible to help ensure the transfer mechanism 15 is operated for a sufficient duration in order to transfer a sufficient amount of aerosol-generating material to the reservoir 24.
During steps S2 and S3, as described above, the amount of aerosol-generating material that is in the reservoir 24 may exceed the predetermined amount. In such implementations, during steps S2 and S3, any excess aerosol-generating material that is supplied to the reservoir 24 is able to be provided back to the refill/recharge pack via the return pathway.
Although not shown in Figure 7, the method may comprise the step of recharging the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20 with power from the battery 12 of the refill/recharge pack 10. As described above, electrical power is capable of passing from the battery 12 to the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20 via the electrical contacts 18a, 18b on the refill/recharge pack 10 and electrical contacts 29a, 29b on the aerosol provision device 10. In some implementations, the recharging process starts automatically upon detection of the aerosol provision device 20 in the receptacle 11. In other implementations, the recharging process starts upon receipt of an instruction to do so, e.g., from a user. The recharging process is performed until the battery 22 is recharged, or until the reservoir 24 is refilled with aerosol-generating material. This step may be performed in parallel with, or separately from, steps S2 to S4.
After step S4, the aerosol provision device 20 is ready to be removed from the refill/recharge pack 10. The user may choose to remove the aerosol provision device 20 as soon as the refill (and recharge operation) is complete, or leave the aerosol provision device 20 in the refill/recharge pack 10 until a later time. Once the aerosol provision device 20 is removed from the refill/recharge pack 10, the user inserts a consumable 30 into the receptacle 24 to form the aerosol provision system and the aerosol provision system is then ready for use. When the aerosol provision devices requires refilling and/or recharging, the user performs the method of Figure 7 once again.
In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, there is also provided a system including aerosol provision means (including aerosol provision device 20) comprising an aerosol-generating material storage means (including reservoir 24) for storing an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision means arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage means; refilling means (including refill/recharge pack 10) comprising transfer means (including transfer mechanisms 15) for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refilling means to the aerosol-generating material storage means when the aerosol provision means is coupled to the refilling means; refill path means (including conduit 16) extending between the refilling means and the aerosol-generating material storage means when the aerosol provision means is coupled to the refilling means, wherein the transfer means is configured to enable the transfer of aerosol-generating material to the aerosol-generating material storage means of the aerosol provision means; and return path means (including tubular housings 103, 203) extending between the aerosol-generating material storage means and the refilling means when the aerosol provision means is coupled to the refilling means, the return path means separate from the refill path means. The return path means is configured to enable aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating material storage means to pass back to the refilling means when the amount of aerosol-generating material in the aerosol-generating material storage means exceeds a predetermined amount.
Thus, there has been described a system including: an aerosol provision device comprising an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision device arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion; a refilling device comprising a transfer mechanism for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refilling device to the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device; a refill pathway extending between the refilling device and the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, wherein the transfer mechanism is configured to enable the transfer of aerosol-generating material to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device; and a return pathway extending between the aerosol-generating material storage portion and the refilling device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, the return pathway separate from the refill pathway. The return pathway is configured to enable aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating material storage portion to pass back to the refilling device when the amount of aerosol-generating material in the aerosol-generating material storage portion exceeds a predetermined amount. Also described is an aerosol provision device, a refilling device, and a method of filling.
While the above described embodiments have in some respects focussed on some specific example aerosol provision systems, it will be appreciated the same principles can be applied for aerosol provision systems using other technologies. That is to say, the specific manner in which various aspects of the aerosol provision system function are not directly relevant to the principles underlying the examples described herein.
The various embodiments described herein are presented only to assist in understanding and teaching the claimed features. These embodiments are provided as a representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. It is to be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects described herein are not to be considered limitations on the scope of the invention as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other embodiments may be utilised and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. Various embodiments of the invention may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, appropriate combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc, other than those specifically described herein. In addition, this disclosure may include other inventions not presently claimed, but which may be claimed in future.

Claims

A system comprising:
an aerosol provision device comprising an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision device arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion;

a refilling device comprising a transfer mechanism for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refilling device to the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device;

a refill pathway extending between the refilling device and the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, wherein the transfer mechanism is configured to enable the transfer of aerosol-generating material to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device; and

a return pathway extending between the aerosol-generating material storage portion and the refilling device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, the return pathway separate from the refill pathway,

wherein the return pathway is configured to enable aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating material storage portion to pass back to the refilling device when the amount of aerosol-generating material in the aerosol-generating material storage portion exceeds a predetermined amount.
The system of claim 1, wherein the return pathway comprises an opening in communication with the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device when coupled to the refilling device, wherein aerosol-generating material is capable of passing through the opening of the return pathway.
The system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the return pathway comprises a conduit, and wherein the conduit is formed of a first part provided by the aerosol provision device and a second part provided by the refilling device, wherein the return pathway is formed by fluidly coupling the first part and the second part of the conduit when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device.
The system of claim 3, wherein the first part of the conduit comprises a first opening and the second part of the conduit comprises a second opening, and wherein the return pathway is formed by abutting the opening or the first part of the conduit with the opening of the second part of the conduit.
The system of claim 3, wherein the return pathway is formed by arranging one of the first part of the conduit or the second part of the conduit inside the other of the first part of the conduit or the second part of the conduit such that the one of the first part of the conduit or the second part of the conduit passes through the opening of the other of the first part of the conduit or the second part of the conduit.
The system of claim 5, wherein the one of the first part of the conduit or the second part of the conduit comprises a piercing element configured to pierce a septum arranged in the other of the first part of the conduit or the second part of the conduit.
The system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the return pathway includes at least one valve or moveable element configured to selectively permit aerosol-generating material to flow through the return pathway.
The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one valve is a one-way valve configured to permit the flow of aerosol-generating material in a first direction along the return pathway and to prevent or reduce the flow of aerosol-generating material in a second direction along the return pathway opposite to the first direction.
The system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the opening is provided at a position of the aerosol-generating material storage portion that defines a predetermined volume of the aerosol-generating material storage portion corresponding to the predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material, and wherein when the amount of aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating material storage portion exceeds the predetermined amount, the excess aerosol-generating material is able to exit the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the opening.
The system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aerosol-generating material storage portion comprises an inlet for receiving aerosol-generating material from the refilling device and an outlet coupled to the opening of the return pathway, wherein the aerosol-generating material storage portion comprises a longitudinal axis and the outlet is offset from the inlet in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
The system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the outlet is provided at or adjacent to an end of the aerosol-generating material storage portion and wherein the inlet is provided at a position further from the end of the aerosol-generating material storage portion in the longitudinal direction than the outlet.
An aerosol provision device comprising:
an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision device arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion;

an interface for coupling to a refilling device comprising a transfer mechanism for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refilling device to the aerosol-generating material storage portion via the interface when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device;

a refill pathway extending to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and arranged to receive aerosol-generating material from the refilling device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device; and

a return pathway extending from the aerosol-generating material storage portion and arranged to pass to the refilling device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, the return pathway separate from the refill pathway,

wherein the return pathway is configured to enable aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating material storage portion to pass back to the refilling device when the amount of aerosol-generating material in the aerosol-generating material storage portion exceeds a predetermined amount.
A refilling device for refilling an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material of an aerosol provision device, the aerosol provision device arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion, the refilling device comprising:
a transfer mechanism for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refilling device to the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device;

a refill pathway extending to the aerosol provision device and arranged to couple to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device; and

a return pathway extending to the aerosol provision device and arranged to couple to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, the return pathway separate from the refill pathway,

wherein the return pathway is configured to enable aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating material storage portion to pass back to the refilling device when the amount of aerosol-generating material in the aerosol-generating material storage portion exceeds a predetermined amount.
A method of filling an aerosol-generating material storage portion of an aerosol provision device for aerosolising aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion, the method comprising:
coupling the aerosol provision device to a refilling device;

activating a transfer mechanism of the refilling device for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refilling device to the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, wherein the aerosol-generating material is transferred to the aerosol-generating material storage portion via a refill pathway extending between the refilling device and the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device; and

supplying excess aerosol-generating material that has been supplied to the aerosol-generating material storage portion back to the refilling device via a return pathway when the amount of aerosol-generating material in the aerosol-generating material storage portion exceeds a predetermined amount, wherein the return pathway extends between the aerosol-generating material storage portion and the refilling device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device, the return pathway being separate from the refill pathway.
A system comprising:
aerosol provision means comprising an aerosol-generating material storage means for storing an aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision means arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage means;

refilling means comprising transfer means for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refilling means to the aerosol-generating material storage means when the aerosol provision means is coupled to the refilling means;

refill path means extending between the refilling means and the aerosol-generating material storage means when the aerosol provision means is coupled to the refilling means, wherein the transfer means is configured to enable the transfer of aerosol-generating material to the aerosol-generating material storage means of the aerosol provision means; and

return path means extending between the aerosol-generating material storage means and the refilling means when the aerosol provision means is coupled to the refilling means, the return path means separate from the refill path means,

wherein the return path means is configured to enable aerosol-generating material provided to the aerosol-generating material storage means to pass back to the refilling means when the amount of aerosol-generating material in the aerosol-generating material storage means exceeds a predetermined amount.