EP4623717A1

EP4623717A1 - System for refilling aerosol provision device, device and method

Info

Publication number: EP4623717A1
Application number: EP24165929.1A
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: WO2025202599A1

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 reservoir for storing aerosol-generating material to be transferred to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device; and 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. The transfer mechanism is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling device. Also described is an aerosol provision device, a refilling device and a method for refilling.

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 to use, as well as expensive, thereby discouraging users from using refillable aerosol provision devices.
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 reservoir for storing aerosol-generating material to be transferred to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device; and 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. The transfer mechanism is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling device.
In some examples, the transfer mechanism comprises a resilient wall of the aerosol provision device defining a wall of the aerosol-generating material storage portion or a volume fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the resilient wall is capable of being deformed from an at rest position to decrease the volume of the aerosol-generating material storage portion or the volume fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion under application of a suitable force, and to revert back to the at rest position when the suitable force is removed from the resilient wall to thereby cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling device.
In some examples, the resilient wall comprises an outer wall of the aerosol provision device.
In some examples, the resilient wall comprises a first region and a second region opposite the first region, the first and second region arranged such that first region moves towards the second region when a suitable force is applied to either, or both of, the first region and second region.
In some examples, the refilling device comprises an aerosol provision device receiving portion configured to receive the aerosol provision device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device.
In some examples, the aerosol provision device receiving portion is configured such that when the aerosol provision device is located in the aerosol provision device receiving portion, the resilient wall is located outside of the aerosol provision device receiving portion.
In some examples, the aerosol provision device receiving portion is configured with a second resilient wall arranged so as to at least partly overlap the resilient wall of the aerosol provision device when located in the aerosol provision device receiving portion, such that a suitable force applied to the second resilient wall is able to be applied to the resilient wall of the aerosol provision device.
In some examples, the transfer mechanism comprises a pumping mechanism arranged to, in operation, withdraw fluid from the aerosol-generating material storage portion to generate a negative pressure within the aerosol-generating material storage portion.
In some examples, the pumping mechanism is located in the refilling device, and wherein the refilling device comprises a conduit extending from the pumping mechanism and arranged fluidly couple to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device.
In some examples, the pumping mechanism is operated to generate a negative pressure sufficient to cause aerosol-generating material to be drawn into the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device.
In some examples, the system comprises an aerosol-generating material supply path extending between the reservoir of the refilling device and the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device, wherein aerosol-generating material stored in the reservoir of the refilling device is capable of being transferred along the aerosol-generating material supply path upon generation of the negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device to cause suction.
According to a second aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an aerosol provision device for aerosolising aerosol-generating material stored in an aerosol-generating material storage portion, the aerosol provision device including: a transfer mechanism for transferring aerosol-generating material from a refilling device to the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device. The transfer mechanism is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling device.
According to a third aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a refilling device for refilling an aerosol-generating material storage portion of an aerosol provision device arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion, the refilling device includes: a reservoir for storing aerosol-generating material to be transferred to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device; and 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. The transfer mechanism is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling device.
According to a fourth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a method for refilling an aerosol-generating material storage portion of an aerosol provision device arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion, the method including: coupling the aerosol provision device to a refilling device, the refilling device comprising a reservoir for storing aerosol-generating material to be transferred to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device; and operating a transfer mechanism to transfer 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. The transfer mechanism is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling device.
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 reservoir means for storing aerosol-generating material to be transferred to the aerosol-generating material storage means of the aerosol provision means; and 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. The transfer means is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage means of the aerosol provision means to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling means.
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, an aerosol provision device for use with the system of Figure 1 in more detail according to a first implementation, where the aerosol provision device is provided with a resilient chamber as a transfer mechanism for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refill and recharge device to the aerosol provision device;
Figure 3 schematically shows, in cross-section, a consumable for use with the system of Figure 1 in more detail;
Figure 4 schematically shows, in cross-section, a refill and recharge device of the system of Figure 1 in more detail according to a first implementation for use with the aerosol provision device of Figure 2;
Figure 5, highly schematically, shows the transfer mechanism of Figure 2 in isolation and in more detail;
Figure 6 schematically shows, in cross-section, an aerosol provision device for use with the system of Figure 1 in more detail according to a second implementation, where the aerosol provision device is provided with a resilient wall as a transfer mechanism for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refill and recharge device to the aerosol provision device;
Figure 7 schematically shows, in cross-section, a refill and recharge device of the system of Figure 1 in more detail according to a second implementation for use with the aerosol provision device of Figure 6;
Figure 8a schematically shows, in cross-section, a refill and recharge device of the system of Figure 1 in more detail according to a third implementation, in which the refill and recharge device comprises a pumping mechanism as the transfer mechanism for transferring aerosol-generating material from the refill and recharge device to the aerosol provision device;
Figure 8b schematically shows, in cross-section, a part of Figure 8a in more detail and in particular the fluid pathway between the aerosol provision device and the refill and recharge device and the pumping mechanism;
Figure 9 schematically shows, in cross-section, a modification of the refill and recharge device of Figure 4 in more detail, where the refill and recharge device comprises a lid; and
Figure 10 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, provided is a system comprising a transfer mechanism that is configured to transfer aerosol-generating material from a reservoir of a refilling device to an aerosol-generating material storage portion of an aerosol provision device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device. The transfer mechanism is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling device to refill the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device. Such a transfer mechanism provides a different approach to refilling the aerosol provision device. In some implementations, the transfer mechanism may be relatively inexpensive and/or relatively simple to operate, thereby reducing the overall costs and/or parts of the aerosol provision device and/or refilling device and allowing users to refill aerosol provision device with relative ease.
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.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the system 1 is provided with a transfer mechanism that is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in an aerosol-generating material storage portion (or herein reservoir 24) of the aerosol provision device 20 which causes a suction of aerosol-generating material stored in the refill/recharge pack 10 to be drawing into the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20. Different implementations for generating such a negative pressure in the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 are explained in more detail below. However, the implementations can broadly be categorised into two groups: implementations where the aerosol provision device 20 comprises the mechanism for generating the negative pressure in the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, and implementations where the refill/recharge pack 10 comprises the mechanism for generating the negative pressure in the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20.
A first implementation in which the aerosol provision device 20 comprises the mechanism for generating the negative pressure in the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20 will now be described.
Figure 2 schematically shows an aerosol provision device 20 comprising the mechanism for generating the negative pressure in the reservoir 24 of 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, electrical contacts 29a and 29b, and a resilient chamber 151 (forming a part of the transfer mechanism).
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. In the described implementation, beyond the distal end 20c of the outer housing 20a is located the resilient chamber 151. 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 20a, 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 via the reservoir refill mechanism 28. 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.
In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, the aerosol provision device 20 of Figure 2 further comprises the resilient chamber 151. As seen in Figure 2, the resilient chamber 151 is provided at a positon at the distal end 20c of the outer housing 20a of the aerosol provision device 20. The resilient chamber 151 is formed from a resilient material, e.g., such as rubber or a resilient polymer. The resilient chamber 151 includes a hollow interior in which air is located. The resilient chamber 151 is designed such that a user may squeeze the resilient chamber 151 (e.g., by placing their fingers / thumb on opposite sides of the resilient chamber 151 and squeezing the walls of the resilient chamber 151 together) to cause the volume within the resilient chamber 151 to decrease. The operation of the resilient chamber 151 is described in more detail below; however, the resilient chamber 151 is suitably configured such that when the user stops squeezing the resilient chamber 151 (that is, the squeezing force is stopped), the resilient chamber 151 is configured to return to its initial at rest position (that is, the position / shape prior to the user squeezing the resilient chamber 151 and broadly as shown in Figure 2). The material and design of the resilient chamber 151 may be set to perform this function.
In addition, the aerosol provision device 20 comprises a suction path 152 extending between and in fluid communication with the hollow interior of the resilient chamber 151 and the interior of the reservoir 24. Again, the function of the suction path 152 will be explained in more detail below. The resilient chamber 151 and suction path 152 together form the transfer mechanism for the aerosol provision device 20 and as such are configured to allow aerosol-generating material to be sucked into the reservoir 24 (e.g., via reservoir refill mechanism 28) by generating a negative pressure within the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20.
Although not shown in Figure 2, in some implementations, a detachable cap (not shown) may be provided that is capable of fitting over the resilient chamber 151 and engaging with the distal end 20c of the housing 20a. The cap, when coupled to the housing 20a, may have an outer profile / shape that broadly matches the outer profile of the housing 20a so as to provide smooth outer profile. The cap may, in some implementations, be considered an extension of the housing 20a. When the cap is coupled to the housing 20a, the cap provides protection for the resilient chamber 151 and acts to prevent activation of the resilient chamber 151 (e.g., squeezing thereof) when the aerosol provision device 20 is not being refilled. The cap is removed to allow access to the resilient chamber 151, e.g., for refilling of the reservoir 24.
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, 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 14aerosol-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 20c of the aerosol provision device 20, along with the resilient chamber 151, 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).
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 shown extending vertically downwards from the reservoir 14, , a second conduit 16b in fluid communication with the first conduit 16a and shown extending horizontally from the first conduit 16a towards and in fluid communication with a third conduit 16c shown extending vertically 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.
In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, when the aerosol provision device 20 is engaged with the refill/recharge pack 10 (e.g., the aerosol provision device 20 is installed in the receptacle 11), the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10 is provided in fluid communication with the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, via conduit 16 and reservoir refill mechanism 28. The way in which the reservoir 24 is refilled with aerosol-generating material is explained below with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 highly schematically shows the reservoir 24, resilient chamber 151 and suction path 152 of Figure 2 in isolation for clarity and for the purposes of explaining the present disclosure. As with Figure 2, the hollow interior of the resilient chamber 151 is provided in fluid communication with the interior of the reservoir 24 via the suction path 152.
As seen in Figure 4, the resilient chamber 151 protrudes from the refill/recharge pack 10 when the aerosol provision device 20 is engaged with the refill/recharge pack 10. In order to cause the reservoir 24 to be refilled with aerosol-generating material, when the aerosol provision device 20 is coupled to the refill/recharge pack 10 (and thus the reservoir refill mechanism 28 is fluidly coupled to conduit 16 and reservoir 14), the user is able to squeeze the walls of the protruding resilient chamber 151 to reduce the volume of the hollow interior of the resilient chamber 151. The resilient chamber 151 is provided with a pair of one-way valves; an air outlet valve 153 and an air inlet valve 154, both shown schematically in Figure 5. The one-way valves cooperate to control the exit and entry of air out of or into the hollow interior of the resilient chamber 151. When the resilient chamber 151 is compressed or squeezed by the user, the air outlet valve 153 permits air to exit the hollow interior of the resilient chamber 151. Conversely, the air inlet valve 154 is arranged so as to prevent air passing along the suction path 152 via the opening 152b of the suction path 152 coupled to the hollow interior of the resilient chamber 151. Hence, broadly speaking, when the resilient chamber 151 is compressed / squeezed, the air within the hollow interior of the resilient chamber 151 exits the hollow interior via the air outlet valve 153 and is prevented from passing to the reservoir 24 via the air inlet valve 154.
When the resilient chamber 151 is released by the user (i.e., the user no longer compresses of squeezes the resilient chamber 151), the resilient chamber 151, by virtue of the resilient material forming the resilient chamber 151, is biased back to the original / at rest position. That is, as compared to the volume of the hollow interior of the resilient chamber 151 in the compressed state, the volume of the hollow interior increases as the resilient chamber 151 moves back towards the original / at rest position. As the hollow interior of the resilient chamber 151 increases in volume from the compressed state of the resilient chamber 151, air is not permitted to enter the hollow interior through the air outlet valve 153 (by virtue of the one-way nature of the air outlet valve 153). Rather, air is drawn into the hollow interior of the resilient chamber 151 from the reservoir 24 via any air that is in the reservoir 24 passing through opening 152a of the suction path 152, along the suction path 152, through air inlet valve 154 (which is configured as a one-way valve to permit air to pass in this direction), and into the hollow interior of the resilient chamber 151 via the opening 152b of the suction path 152.
In addition, the reservoir 24 is arranged such that fluid is not permitted to enter the reservoir 24 (or is impeded from entering the reservoir 24), through any other means other than the reservoir refill mechanism 28. For instance, the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and aerosol generator 26 are provided at an opening of the reservoir 24. In some implementations, air may be prevented from passing through the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and aerosol generator 26 by virtue of the ability of the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and/or aerosol generator 26 to retain aerosol-generating material (e.g., such as liquid aerosol-generating material) even when the reservoir 24 is inverted (as shown in Figure 4, for example). That is, any air pathways that may exist from the reservoir 24 to the outside the reservoir 24 (to vapour generation chamber 27b, for example) may be obstructed by liquid aerosol-generating material being retained in such air pathways. In other implementations, the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and/or aerosol generator 26 may be configured such that air is permitted to pass therethrough but is impeded. In particular, the rate of airflow through the air inlet valve 154 is set to be greater than the rate of airflow through the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and/or aerosol generator 26. For example, in some implementations, the air pathway (for example, the air inlet 27a, vapour generation chamber 27b, air passage 27c, and outlet 27d) may be provided with one of more valves or regulators which permit air to flow along the air pathway when a user inhales on the aerosol provision device 20, but that restrict or impede the flow of air along the air pathway (and particular in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 26) to thereby help prevent air ingress into the reservoir 24 through the aerosol generator 26. In other implementations, the air inlet 27a may be blocked by a sealing element or the like provided on the inner surface of the receptacle 11 when the aerosol provision device 20 is located in the receptacle 11, while the outlet 28d may be blocked by the engagement mechanism 17 (which may or may not comprise a suitable sealing element).
In other implementations, the reservoir 24 and aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and aerosol generator 26 may be configured differently, for example, where the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and aerosol generator 26 may be provided at a lower surface of the reservoir 24 when the aerosol provision device 20 is arranged for refilling. In such implementations, any residual aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 24 when the aerosol provision device 20 is installed in the receptacle 11 for refilling may act to form an air-impermeable barrier for any air pathways that exist through the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and aerosol generator 26.
Regardless of the particular implementation, it should be appreciated that by virtue of the resilient chamber 151 returning to its at rest / original position, air is withdrawn from the reservoir 24 and is unable to be replaced at all or at the same rate thereby causing a reduction in pressure relative to ambient pressure (i.e., a negative pressure) in the reservoir 24. Provided the negative pressure generated is sufficient, this negative pressure subsequently acts to suck or drawn in aerosol-generating material in the conduit 16 into the reservoir 24 via the reservoir refill mechanism 28 in order to balance the pressure within the reservoir 24. Broadly speaking, a negative pressure is capable of being generated when the rate of air passing through air inlet 154 is greater than the rate of air entering the reservoir 24 (which may be zero in instances where the reservoir 24 is sealed). Several factors may influence the rate of air passing through the air inlet 154, such as the configuration of the air inlet 154 itself, or the characteristics of the resilient chamber 151 (such as the size of the hollow interior, the difference in volume between the compressed and relaxed states of the resilient chamber 151, and the resilience of the resilient chamber 151, e.g., which may influence how quickly the resilient chamber 151 returns back to the original state). Accordingly, the system be set accordingly to generate a sufficient negative pressure, and hence suction force, to draw aerosol-generating material into the reservoir 24.
Therefore, it can be seen that compression and relaxation of the resilient chamber 151 can be used to refill the reservoir 24 by, in effect, sucking aerosol-generating material from the refill/recharge pack 10 into the reservoir 24. The resilient chamber 151 can be compressed and relaxed by a user multiple times, if for example, one cycle of compression and relaxation is insufficient to refill the reservoir 24 completely. With each cycle of compression and relaxation, the amount of aerosol-generating material that is within the reservoir 24 may increase.
In some implementations, to prevent aerosol-generating material passing along the suction path 152 and into the resilient chamber 151, a liquid-impermeable but gas-permeable membrane or valve may be located in the suction path 152 (e.g., at opening 152a of the suction path 152). In this way, air (or other gasses) are able to pass along the suction path 152 and to the hollow interior of the resilient chamber 151, but (liquid) aerosol-generating material is unable to pass by virtue of the membrane or valve. When the reservoir 24 is completely filled with aerosol-generating material, the resilient chamber 151 may be unable to return to the at rest / original state by virtue of the fact that the aerosol-generating material may block the opening 152a of the suction path 152, thereby preventing air from entering the hollow interior. This may act as a visual indicator to the user that the refilling process is complete. In some implementations, the resilient chamber 151 may be provided with a valve that is configured to (or the valve 153 may be configured to) permit air to enter the resilient chamber 151 at a slower rate (i.e., slower than air inlet valve 154) to allow the resilient chamber 151 to return to the at rest / initial state in the event the opening 152a of the suction path 152 is blocked by aerosol-generating material.
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.
With reference back to Figure 4, 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.
Figures 6 and 7 represent a second implementation in which the aerosol provision device 20 comprises the mechanism for generating the negative pressure in the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20.
Figure 6 schematically shows an aerosol provision device 20' in cross-section, while Figure 7 schematically shows a refill/recharge pack 10' in cross-section for use in refilling (and optionally recharging) the aerosol provision device 20', which is schematically shown. Figure 6 will be understood from Figure 2, and similar components are shown with the same reference signs. Likewise, Figure 7 will be understood from Figure 4 and similar components are shown with the same reference signs. A description is omitted for the similar components, and only the differences are described herein.
Figure 6 shows the aerosol provision device 20' according to this implementation. In Figure 2, the mechanism for generating the negative pressure in reservoir 24 (e.g., the resilient chamber 151) is provided at the distal end of the housing 20a. In Figure 6, the mechanism for generating the negative pressure in the reservoir 24 is provided in or as part of the housing 20a.
In Figure 6, the housing 20a includes a resilient wall 155 provided around the reservoir 24. The resilient wall 155 may extend completely around the reservoir 24 (e.g., in an annular shape in the described example), or the resilient wall 155 may be provided in discrete sections 155. The resilient wall 155 may be formed from broadly similar materials as the resilient chamber 151 of Figure 2. Similarly, the resilient wall 155 is configured so as to be deformed from its initial position by a user pressing on the resilient wall 155 or squeezing opposite sides of the resilient wall 155 together (e.g., in the direction towards the longitudinal axis of the aerosol provision device 20). Correspondingly, the resilient wall 155 is configured to return to its initial position once the force applied by the user is removed (i.e., the user stops pushing or squeezing the resilient wall 155). In a similar manner to the resilient chamber 151, when the resilient wall 155 is squeezed together, the volume defined by the resilient wall 155 also decreases.
However, unlike Figure 2, the resilient wall 155 is provided around the reservoir 24 (and in this implementation also the airflow path, and in particular air passage 27c). Accordingly, to permit the volume of the reservoir 24 to decrease in response to the resilient wall 155 being squeezed / compressed, the components of the aerosol provision device 20' that lie within the volume bounded by the resilient wall 155 are formed from a resilient or flexible material. Accordingly, in the present example, when the resilient wall 155 is compressed / squeezed, the air passage 27c and the reservoir (at least the side walls of the reservoir 24) are also urged toward the central longitudinal axis of the aerosol provision device 20. The overall result is that the volume of the reservoir 24 is decreased when the resilient walls 155 are compressed or squeezed in the direction of the central longitudinal axis of the aerosol provision device 20'.
In a similar manner to the resilient chamber 151 of Figure 2, the reservoir 24 is configured to permit air within the reservoir 24 to escape through a one-way valve (similar to outlet valve 153 of the resilient chamber 151 but further configured to prevent aerosol-generating material exiting the reservoir 24 via the outlet valve, e.g., by including a liquid-impermeable but gas-permeable membrane or valve, as described above) and to prevent air passing through the reservoir refill mechanism 28 (where the reservoir refill mechanism 28 may include or otherwise be configured to act as a one-way valve, similarly to air inlet valve 154). In this case, however, it should be appreciated that when the reservoir 24 is compressed, air may also escape the reservoir 24 through the aerosol generator 26 and/or aerosol-generating material transport element 25 in some implementations. It should also be appreciated that in some implementations, instead of, or in addition to, the reservoir refill mechanism 28 being configured to prevent air passing through the reservoir refill mechanism 28, a suitable one-way valve may be implemented in the conduit 16 (e.g., third conduit 16c) to prevent flow of air along the conduit 16 in the direction towards the reservoir 14.
In a similar manner to when the resilient chamber 151 is no longer being squeezed (i.e., the force is released), the resilient wall 155 and consequently the reservoir 24 are configured to return to their at rest / initial positions. In doing so the volume of the reservoir 24 is increased. As the volume of the reservoir 24 increases, the pressure within the reservoir 24 decreases. In this regard, in a similar manner to the implementation of Figures 2 and 4 above, the reservoir 24 is arranged such that fluid is not permitted to enter the reservoir 24 (or is impeded from entering the reservoir 24), through any other means other than the reservoir refill mechanism 28. (As described above, air may be prevented from passing through the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and aerosol generator 26 or the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and/or aerosol generator 26 may be configured such that air is permitted to pass therethrough but is impeded).
Accordingly, when the aerosol provision device 20' is coupled to the refill/recharge pack 10', in a similar manner to as described above, when the reservoir 24 moves from the compressed state to the relaxed / initial state, the negative pressure generated by the resilient wall 155 / resilient components of the reservoir 24 moving back to the relaxed / initial state causes aerosol-generating material to be drawn into the reservoir 24 via the reservoir refill mechanism 28 by virtue of the negative pressure generated in the reservoir 24, in a manner similar to that described in the context of Figures 2, 4 and 5.
Therefore, it can be seen that compression and relaxation of the resilient walls 155 of the housing 20a and the resilient components of the reservoir 24 can be used to refill the reservoir 24 by, in effect, sucking aerosol-generating material from the refill/recharge pack 10 into the reservoir 24. The resilient walls 155 can similarly be compressed and relaxed by a user multiple times, if for example, one cycle of compression and relaxation is insufficient to refill the reservoir 24 completely. With each cycle of compression and relaxation, the amount of aerosol-generating material that is within the reservoir 24 may increase.
Figure 7 shows the aerosol provision device 20' coupled to the refill/recharge pack 10'. Because the mechanism for generating the negative pressure in reservoir 24 (e.g., the resilient wall 155) is provided in or as part of the housing 20a, the refill/recharge pack 10' is modified from that shown in Figure 4. In particular, as can be seen in Figure 7, the refill/recharge pack 10' includes an opening extending through the housing 10a and to the receptacle 11 of the refill/recharge pack 10'. In the described implementation, the opening includes a resilient wall 156 spanning the opening. The resilient wall 156 may be formed from a suitable resilient material (such as the material used to form resilient wall 155). Hence, in this implementation, it should be appreciated that, at least a part of, the resilient wall 155 is capable of being compressed / moved through the opening when the resilient wall 156 of the refill/recharge pack 10 is pressed / pushed and when the aerosol provision device 20' is installed in the receptacle 11 (as shown in Figure 7). In use, therefore, a user is able to push the resilient wall 155 via pushing their finger or a suitable implement on the resilient wall 156 of the refill/recharge pack 10', thereby causing the reservoir 24 to decrease in volume as described above. In other implementations, the resilient wall 156 may be omitted and the opening left as an opening to allow the user to directly contact the resilient wall 155.
The refill/recharge pack 10' is otherwise as the refill/recharge pack 10 of Figure 4.
Accordingly, the first implementation (as described with respect to Figures 2, 4 and 5) and the second implementation (as described with Figures 6 and 7) provide examples of a transfer mechanisms for generating a negative pressure that form a part of the aerosol provision device 20, 20'. In both implementations, the mechanism for generating a negative pressure comprises a resilient element (e.g., resilient chamber 151, resilient wall 155) that forms a part of the outer surface of the aerosol provision device 20, 20'. Broadly, the resilient element is configured such that a volume defined between the resilient element (e.g., between a first region of the resilient element, such as the left-hand region of the resilient chamber 151 of Figure 2 or the left-hand resilient wall 155 of Figure 6, and a second region of the resilient element, such as the right-hand region of the resilient chamber 151 of Figure 2 or the right-hand resilient wall 155 of Figure 6) is capable of being decreased by moving the first region relatively towards the second region when a suitable force is applied thereto. In the context of the implementation of Figure 7, it should be appreciated that one region of the resilient element (e.g., resilient wall 155) is moved in the direction towards the other while the other region is kept relatively stationary, while in other implementations (e.g., such as described in Figure 2) both regions of the resilient element may be moved towards each other.
In either implementation, the resilient element is configured to cause a decrease in a volume that is either fluidly coupled to the reservoir 24, or is the reservoir 24, when the resilient element is compressed or squeezed (or more generally, a force is applied thereto). By virtue of the resilience of the resilient element, when the resilient element reverts back to the at rest position when the force of the resilient element is removed, a negative pressure is generated in the reservoir 24, which causes suction of aerosol-generating material from the refill/recharge pack 10, 10' to refill the reservoir 24.
The examples of the resilient elements of the first implementation (as described with respect to Figures 2, 4 and 5) and the second implementation (as described with Figures 6 and 7) are provided to highlight the principles of the present disclosure. The specific construction of the resilient element, as well as the aerosol provision device 20, 20', may vary from that shown. For example, in some implementations, the resilient chamber 151 of Figures 2 may be formed within the housing 20a of the aerosol provision device 20 and is capable of being deformed by virtue of resilient walls 155 formed in the housing 20a of the aerosol provision device.
In the examples of the first implementation and the second implementation above, the resilient elements are capable of generating a negative pressure by using a user's physical effort in deforming the resilient elements / volume. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the refill/recharge pack 10, 10' may be modified to include an electrically operated actuation mechanism (e.g., such as a push rod or rotating cam) that is configured to apply a suitable force to the resilient element to cause the volume to be decreased. For example, such an actuation mechanism may be controlled by the control circuitry 13 and powered by the battery 12.
In addition, it should be appreciated that while the aerosol provision devices 20, 20' are described above as being suitable for use with the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', the aerosol provision devices 20, 20' having the resilient elements may not be limited to being refilled by such refill/recharge packs 10, 10'.
In accordance with the present disclosure, a third implementation is now described in which the refill/recharge pack 10" comprises the mechanism for generating the negative pressure in the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20.
Figures 8a and 8b schematically represent the third implementation.
Figure 8a schematically shows a refill/recharge pack 10" and aerosol provision device 20" according to the third implementation. Figure 8a will be broadly understood from Figures 4 and 7 and generally like components are shown with like reference signs. A detailed description of these components is not repeated for conciseness.
The aerosol provision device 20" of Figure 8a is largely similar to the aerosol provision device 20 of Figure 2 and aerosol provision device 20' of Figure 6 except is not provided with the resilient elements described in relation to these implementations. In particular, the aerosol provision device 20" does not comprise a volume that is fluidly coupled to or forms the reservoir 24 and is capable of being changed. Rather, the reservoir 24 (not shown in Figure 8a) is rigid. Certain features of the aerosol provision device 20" are omitted from Figure 8a for clarity, including for example the air pathway in the aerosol provision device 20". However, although not shown in Figure 8a, the aerosol provision device 20" comprises the housing 20a, the receptacle 21, power source 22, control circuitry 23, 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.
However, the aerosol provision device 20" of Figure 8a differs from the aforementioned aerosol provision devices 20, 20' by including a fluid pathway that extends between the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20' and the outer housing 20a of the aerosol provision device 20'. Additionally, the refill/recharge pack 10" includes a fluid pathway that extends a position inside the receptacle 11 (or between the outer housing 20a of the aerosol provision device 20" when the aerosol provision device 20" is installed in the receptacle 11) and the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10".
The refill/recharge pack 10" is broadly similar to the refill/return pack of Figure 4, except for the provision of the fluid pathway from the receptacle 11 to the reservoir 14 and the pumping mechanism 15 that is provided in fluid communication with the fluid pathway.
Turning to Figure 8b, Figure 8b schematically shows in more detail the arrangement of the fluid pathway of Figure 8a (in particular, the region depicted by the dashed circle in Figure 8a).
As noted above, the aerosol provision device 20" comprises a fluid pathway and the refill/recharge pack 10" comprises a fluid pathway. When the aerosol provision device 20" is installed in the receptacle 11, the fluid pathway of the aerosol provision device 20" is coupled to the fluid pathway of the refill/recharge pack 10". This allows for a fluid pathway to be established between the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20" and the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10".
The fluid 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 8b, the aerosol provision device fluid 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. 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 8b 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 8b 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 air and/or liquid aerosol-generating material) along the fluid 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 air and/or liquid aerosol-generating material) along the fluid 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.
The fluid pathway in the refill/recharge pack 10" broadly extends from the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10" to an opening 101. The fluid pathway is similarly defined by a tubular housing 103 having the opening 101 at one end. Unlike the aerosol provision device 20", the opening 101 may be provided at the end of conduit or tubular housing 103 that extends into the receptacle 11. Because there is provided a gap G between the housing 20a of the aerosol provision device 20" and the receptacle 11 (which is exaggerated in Figure 8b), the opening 101 may be moveable in a direction towards the aerosol provision device 20" in the receptacle 11 (i.e., by virtue of a movable, i.e., retractable or extendable, tubular housing 103) or the tubular housing 103 may be formed of a resilient material at least in the region that extends into the receptacle 11 that is capable of resiliently engaging with the opening 201 of the aerosol provision device 20". Regardless of the particular solution implemented, a fluid connection between the two fluid pathways is able to be formed in a suitable manner. In some implementations, 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" is 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 8b 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 air and/or liquid aerosol-generating material) along the fluid 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 air and/or liquid aerosol-generating material) along the fluid 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.
Additionally, as seen in Figure 8a and 8b, the refill/recharge pack 10" comprises a pumping mechanism 15 fluidly coupled to the fluid pathway (specifically, in this instance, the pumping mechanism 15 is provided fluidly coupled to tubular housing 103 between opening 101 and the reservoir 14). In this implementation, the pumping mechanism 15 is configured to pump fluid (air and/or aerosol-generating material) from the reservoir 24 to the reservoir 14. The pumping mechanism 15 comprises an inlet that receives fluid from the reservoir 24 (that is, the inlet is fluidly coupled to the reservoir 24 via openings 201 and 101), and an outlet that expels fluid into the reservoir 14. The pumping mechanism 15 may be any suitable type of pumping mechanism that is capable of pumping air or gas, and in this implementation, also aerosol-generating material although, as described below in more detail, the primary function of the pumping mechanism 15 is to pump air from the reservoir 24.
When the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20" is to be refilled with aerosol-generating material, the aerosol provision device 20" is coupled to the refill/recharge pack 10" as described above and as shown in Figure 8a. This results in the fluid pathway of the aerosol provision device 20" and the fluid pathway of the refill/recharge pack 10" being fluidly coupled to form the pathway between the reservoir 24 and reservoir 14. This also results in the reservoir refill mechanism 28 being fluidly engaged with the conduit 16, as described in the context of the first and second implementations above.
In response to a signal to start the refilling operation (which may, for example, be detection of the aerosol provision device 20" in the receptacle 11 via a suitable sensor, or in response to a user input received, e.g., via a button on the housing 10a), the control circuitry 13 of the refill/recharge pack 10" starts operating the pumping mechanism 15. In the event the reservoir 24 is empty or partially empty of aerosol-generating material, the pumping mechanism 15 starts pumping the air that occupies the volume of the reservoir 24 out of the reservoir 24 via the fluid pathway comprising, in order, the tubular housing 203, one-way valve 202, opening 201, opening 101, one-way valve 102 and tubular housing 103.
In the same manner as described above, the reservoir 24 is arranged such that fluid is not permitted to enter the reservoir 24 (or is impeded from entering the reservoir 24) through any other means other than the reservoir refill mechanism 28. (As described above, air may be prevented from passing through the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and aerosol generator 26 or the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and/or aerosol generator 26 may be configured such that air is permitted to pass therethrough but is impeded). Accordingly, provided the rate of airflow out of the reservoir 24 is greater than the rate of airflow into the reservoir 24 (e.g., through the aerosol-generating material transport element 25 and aerosol generator 26), a negative pressure is generated in the reservoir 24 by virtue of the fact that fluid (air) is drawn out of the reservoir 24. Hence, provided the negative pressure generated is sufficient, this negative pressure similarly acts to suck or drawn in aerosol-generating material in the conduit 16 into the reservoir 24 via the reservoir refill mechanism 28 in order to balance the pressure within the reservoir 24 (in a similar manner to the first and second implementations).
In the third implementation, the negative pressure is generated by the pumping mechanism 15 drawing air out of the reservoir 24 to thereby cause the aerosol-generating material to be sucked into the reservoir 24 from the conduit 16 (that is fluidly coupled to reservoir 14). In comparison to the first and second implementations, the negative pressure is not generated by a change in volume of the reservoir 24 or an element fluidly coupled to the reservoir 24, but is instead generated by withdrawal of the contents of the reservoir 24 (specifically, the air).
In the example of Figure 8a, 8b, the fluid pathway is further coupled to the reservoir 14. Accordingly, the pumping mechanism 15 is arranged to expel any pumped air into the reservoir 14. Any air that is expelled into the reservoir 14 may either escape the reservoir 14 if, for example, a suitable air release valve is provided in the reservoir 14, or the air may increase the pressure within the reservoir 14 (thereby helping to drive the aerosol-generating material along the conduit 16). In the event that the reservoir 24 becomes full with aerosol-generating material, any continued operation of the pumping mechanism 15 causes aerosol-generating material in the reservoir 24 to start moving along the fluid pathway to the reservoir 14. In this way, any excess aerosol-generating material that is supplied to the reservoir 24 is able to be easily removed and may prevent instances of damage to the pumping mechanism 15 or reservoir 24. However, in other implementations, the output of the pumping mechanism 15 may not be coupled to the reservoir 14 and may instead be coupled to the external environment (e.g., through a vent hole provided in the refill/recharge pack 10"). In such implementations, the fluid pathway and/or pumping mechanism 15 may be provided with a suitable component (such as a liquid-impermeable but gas-permeable membrane or valve) that prevents or reduced aerosol-generating material exiting the reservoir 24 through the fluid pathway and/or pumping mechanism 15.
Accordingly, in accordance with the third implementation, the transfer mechanism comprises a pumping mechanism 15 capable of, in operation, withdrawing fluid (in particular air) from the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20" to generate a negative pressure within the reservoir 24. The negative pressure causes suction of aerosol-generating material from the refill/recharge pack 10" to allow the reservoir 24 to be refilled with aerosol-generating material.
In the described implementations, the pumping mechanism 15 is provided in the refill/recharge pack 10". However, in other implementations, the pumping mechanism 15 may be alternatively located in the aerosol provision device 20" (for example, positioned between the reservoir 24 and the opening 201). In such implementations, the pumping mechanism 15 may be controlled by the control circuitry 23 and powered by the power source 22 of the aerosol-provision device 20".
In the described implementations, the pumping mechanism 15 is electrically operated. For example, the pumping mechanism 15 may be provided with, or coupled to, an electric motor that operates the pumping mechanism 15 when supplied with power. However, in other implementations, the pumping mechanism 15 may be manually operated, for example via a rotatable handle or the like provided on the outer housing 10a of the refill/recharge pack 10".
Hence, overall, the system 1 of the present disclosure provides a transfer mechanism, provided on or in the aerosol provision device 20, 20' or in the refill/recharge pack 10", capable of generating a negative pressure within the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" which causes drawing or sucking of the aerosol-generating material from the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 10" to refill the reservoir 24. In this way, the reservoir 234 is capable of being refilled, and subsequently, the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" is capable of being reused multiple times to provide aerosol to a user.
In the described implementations, the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 10" is configured to both refill the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" and to recharge the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20". However, in some implementations, the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 10" may be provided for the purposes of refilling the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" only. That is, the recharging circuitry and electrical contacts 29a, 29b may be omitted. Additionally, depending on how the transfer mechanism is operated, and in particular whether the transfer mechanism requires electrical power to operate, the battery 12 of the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 10" may be omitted. In implementations where the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 10" is only configured to refill the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20", the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 10" may be referred to as a refill pack 10, 10', 10" or refilling device 10, 10', 10".
The configuration of the refill/recharge pack 10 as shown in Figure 4 (or refill/recharge packs 10', 10" of Figures 6 and 8a) 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 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. 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 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 9 schematically shows a modification of the refill/recharge pack 10 of Figure 4. Figure 9 will be understood from Figure 4, and like components are provided with like reference signs. A description thereof is omitted for conscience.
In Figure 9, the refill/recharge pack 10 comprises a lid 10b which selectively allows access to receptacle 11 and/or resilient chamber 151 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 or the resilient chamber 151 are 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, or the resilient chamber 151 is exposed. 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 9, 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.
In Figure 9, the lid 10b is provided to accommodate the resilient chamber 151 and therefore acts as a cover to protect the resilient chamber 151 when the aerosol provision devices 20 is stored therein. However to operate the resilient chamber 151 for the purposes of refilling the reservoir 24, the lid 10b is removed or opened.
It should also be appreciated that similar modifications are possible for refill/recharge pack 10' and 10". That is, the refill/recharge pack 10' of the second implementation (shown in Figure 7) may be provided with a similar lid 10b and the refill/recharge pack 10" of the third implementation (shown in Figure 8a) may be provided with a similar lid 10b. However, it should be noted that the refill/recharge pack 10' of the second implementation and the refill/recharge pack 10" of the third implementation may be operated to refill the reservoir 24 when the lid 10b is in the closed position.
Figure 10 is a flow diagram representing an example method of refilling aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" using the recharge/refill pack 10, 10', 10" in accordance with the present disclosure.
The method starts at step S1, where the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" is coupled to refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 10". This step may include ensuring that the receptacle 21 is free of a consumable 30, inserting the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" into the receptacle of the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 10", and engaging the engagement mechanism 17 with the receptacle 21. Once the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" is located in the receptacle 11, it should be appreciated that the conduit 16 and reservoir 14 are fluidly coupled to the reservoir refill mechanism 28 and reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20", and the electrical contacts 18a, 18b are electrically coupled to electrical contacts 29a, 29b.
The method then proceeds to refill the reservoir 24 of the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" with aerosol-generating material from the reservoir 14 of the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 10". At step S2, the method comprises operating the transfer mechanism (which may include actuating the resilient chamber 151, resilient wall 155 or pumping mechanism 15 as described above). This step may be electronically controlled or manually actuated depending on the particular implementation at hand, as described above. Equally, depending on the implementation at hand, the transfer mechanism may be operated continuously (e.g., in the case of pumping mechanism 15) or intermittently (e.g., the case of resilient chamber 151 or resilient wall 155). In some implementations, the transfer mechanism may start operation automatically upon detection of the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" in the receptacle 11. In other implementations, the transfer mechanism starts operation upon receipt of an instruction to do so, e.g., from a user. In yet other implementations, the transfer mechanism starts when a user actuates the transfer mechanism.
At step S3, a negative pressure is generated in the reservoir 24 by operation of the transfer mechanism (in the manner as described above). Accordingly, aerosol-generating material is capable of being sucked into the reservoir 24 via the reservoir refill mechanism 28 coupled to conduit 16 which is in turn coupled to the reservoir 14 The transfer mechanism may be operated at step S2 as desired to cause the reservoir 24 to be filled with aerosol-generating material. This may be electronically controlled (e.g., the transfer mechanism may be operated for a predetermined time period or until a monitored parameter indicates the refilling is complete), or many be manually controlled.
Although not shown in Figure 7, the method may optionally comprise the step of recharging the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" with power from the battery 12 of the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 10". As described above, electrical power is capable of passing from the battery 12 to the battery 22 of the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" via the electrical contacts 18a, 18b on the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 10" and electrical contacts 29a, 29b on the aerosol provision device 10, 10', 10". In some implementations, the recharging process starts automatically upon detection of the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 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, step S2.
After step S3, the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" is ready to be removed from the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 10". The user may choose to remove the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" as soon as the refill (and, optionally, recharge operation) is complete, or leave the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" in the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 10" until a later time. Once the aerosol provision device 20, 20', 20" is removed from the refill/recharge pack 10, 10', 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 10 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 reservoir means (including reservoir 14) for storing aerosol-generating material to be transferred to the aerosol-generating material storage means of the aerosol provision means; and transfer means (including transfer mechanism including resilient chamber 151) 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. The transfer means is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage means of the aerosol provision means to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling means.
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 reservoir for storing aerosol-generating material to be transferred to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device; and 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. The transfer mechanism is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling device. Also described is an aerosol provision device, a refilling device and a method for refilling.
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 reservoir for storing aerosol-generating material to be transferred to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device; and

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,

wherein the transfer mechanism is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling device.
The system of claim 1, wherein the transfer mechanism comprises a resilient wall of the aerosol provision device defining a wall of the aerosol-generating material storage portion or a volume fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion, wherein the resilient wall is capable of being deformed from an at rest position to decrease the volume of the aerosol-generating material storage portion or the volume fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion under application of a suitable force, and to revert back to the at rest position when the suitable force is removed from the resilient wall to thereby cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling device.
The system of claim 2, wherein the resilient wall comprises an outer wall of the aerosol provision device.
The system of claim 2 or 3, wherein the resilient wall comprises a first region and a second region opposite the first region, the first and second region arranged such that first region moves towards the second region when a suitable force is applied to either, or both of, the first region and second region.
The system of any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the refilling device comprises an aerosol provision device receiving portion configured to receive the aerosol provision device when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device.
The system of claim 5, wherein the aerosol provision device receiving portion is configured such that when the aerosol provision device is located in the aerosol provision device receiving portion, the resilient wall is located outside of the aerosol provision device receiving portion.
The system of claim 5, wherein the aerosol provision device receiving portion is configured with a second resilient wall arranged so as to at least partly overlap the resilient wall of the aerosol provision device when located in the aerosol provision device receiving portion, such that a suitable force applied to the second resilient wall is able to be applied to the resilient wall of the aerosol provision device.
The system of claim 1, wherein the transfer mechanism comprises a pumping mechanism arranged to, in operation, withdraw fluid from the aerosol-generating material storage portion to generate a negative pressure within the aerosol-generating material storage portion.
The system of claim 8, wherein the pumping mechanism is located in the refilling device, and wherein the refilling device comprises a conduit extending from the pumping mechanism and arranged fluidly 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 system of claim 8 or 9, wherein the pumping mechanism is operated to generate a negative pressure sufficient to cause aerosol-generating material to be drawn into the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device.
The system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the system comprises an aerosol-generating material supply path extending between the reservoir of the refilling device and the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device, wherein aerosol-generating material stored in the reservoir of the refilling device is capable of being transferred along the aerosol-generating material supply path upon generation of the negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device to cause suction.
An aerosol provision device for aerosolising aerosol-generating material stored in an aerosol-generating material storage portion, the aerosol provision device comprising:
a transfer mechanism for transferring aerosol-generating material from a refilling device to the aerosol-generating material storage portion when the aerosol provision device is coupled to the refilling device,

wherein the transfer mechanism is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling device.
A refilling device for refilling an aerosol-generating material storage portion of an aerosol provision device arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion, the refilling device comprising:
a reservoir for storing aerosol-generating material to be transferred to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device; and

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,

wherein the transfer mechanism is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling device.
A method for refilling an aerosol-generating material storage portion of an aerosol provision device arranged to aerosolise aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage portion, the method comprising:
coupling the aerosol provision device to a refilling device, the refilling device comprising a reservoir for storing aerosol-generating material to be transferred to the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device; and

operating a transfer mechanism to transfer 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 transfer mechanism is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage portion of the aerosol provision device to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling device.
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 reservoir means for storing aerosol-generating material to be transferred to the aerosol-generating material storage means of the aerosol provision means; and
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,

wherein the transfer means is configured to operatively generate a negative pressure in the aerosol-generating material storage means of the aerosol provision means to cause suction of the aerosol-generating material from the refilling means.