EP4684656A1

EP4684656A1 - Delivery systems, devices and methods

Info

Publication number: EP4684656A1
Application number: EP24190061.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dominic Woodcock; Theresa O'DONNELL; Thomas VICKERY; Ross CABOT; Nicole EAST; Christopher Wright; Joanna SOFFE; Samuel ESSAM; Chloe WINNINGTON; Nadir HERMES; Sophie ICETON; Katiane ROCHA DE OLIVEIRA; Andrew Allan Burton; Kelly O'ROURKE
Original assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Current assignee: Nicoventures Trading Ltd
Priority date: 2024-07-22
Filing date: 2024-07-22
Publication date: 2026-01-28
Also published as: WO2026022468A1

Abstract

Described is an aerosol delivery system (1) for delivering an aerosol to a user, the aerosol delivery system including an aerosol-generating material storage portion (44) for storing an aerosol-generating material; an aerosol generator (48) for generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material; an air pathway (52) fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and arranged so as to be fluidly coupled with an outlet (50) of the aerosol delivery system; and a second material storage portion (144) for storing a second material. The second material storage portion is arranged such that the second material is capable of being delivered to the outlet of the aerosol delivery system via a second material air pathway (52b) extending at least from the second material storage portion. The aerosol delivery system is configured such that at least a part of the second material air pathway is capable of being selectively blocked so as to prevent the flow of the second material along the second material air pathway. Also described is an aerosol delivery device and a method.

Description

Field

This disclosure relates to delivery systems, which may include aerosol delivery systems such as nicotine delivery systems.

Background

Aerosol delivery systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) generally contain an aerosol-generating material, such as a chamber of a source solid or liquid, which may contain an active substance and / or a flavour, from which an aerosol or vapour is generated for inhalation by a user, e.g. through heat vaporisation. An aerosol delivery system typically comprises an aerosol generation area containing an aerosol generator, e.g. a heating element, arranged to vaporise or aerosolise a portion of aerosol-generating material (or precursor material) to generate a vapour or aerosol in the aerosol generation area. As a user inhales on the system and electrical power is supplied to the vaporiser, air is drawn into the system through an inlet hole and along an inlet air channel connecting to the aerosol generation area, where the air mixes with vaporised precursor material to form a condensation aerosol. There is an outlet channel connecting the aerosol generation area to an outlet in a mouthpiece and the air drawn into the aerosol generation area as a user inhales on the mouthpiece continues along the outlet flow path to the mouthpiece outlet, carrying the aerosol with it, for inhalation by the user.
Some electronic cigarettes may include a flavour element in the air flow path to impart additional flavours. Such systems may be referred to as hybrid devices, and the flavour element may, for example, include a portion of tobacco arranged in the air flow path between the aerosol generation area and the mouthpiece such that vapour / aerosol drawn through the device passes through the portion of tobacco before exiting the mouthpiece for user inhalation.
A potential drawback of existing delivery systems is of longevity of delivery of material from the flavour element (or more generally reservoirs of a second material), whereby the second material may be lost to the environment surrounding the aerosol delivery system as opposed to delivered to the user. Various approaches are described herein which seek to help address or mitigate some of these issues.
WO2023139369 , incorporated herein by reference, discloses an aerosol provision system for generating an aerosol. The aerosol provision system comprises a first reservoir for storing a first aerosol-generating material, wherein the aerosol provision system is configured to generate a first aerosol using the first aerosol-generating material. The aerosol provision system also comprises a second reservoir for storing an active substance, or second aerosol-generating material such that the aerosol provision system is configured to generate a second aerosol using the second aerosol-generating material. In this way, the first aerosol may be generated in a way which then allows the second aerosol, or active substance, to then be either added to, mixed with, and/or supplied alongside the first aerosol in a way which allows the user to effectively customise to what extent this first aerosol, which is delivered to the user, is supplemented with the second aerosol/active substance. Protection may be sought for any features disclosed in WO2023139369 in combination with the present disclosure.

Brief summary of the invention

According to a first aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an aerosol delivery system for delivering an aerosol to a user, the aerosol delivery system including an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material; an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material; an air pathway fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and arranged so as to be fluidly coupled with an outlet of the aerosol delivery system; and a second material storage portion for storing a second material. The second material storage portion is arranged such that the second material is capable of being delivered to the outlet of the aerosol delivery system via a second material air pathway extending at least from the second material storage portion. The aerosol delivery system is configured such that at least a part of the second material air pathway is capable of being selectively blocked so as to prevent the flow of the second material along the second material air pathway.
In some examples, the aerosol-generating material is a liquid aerosol-generating material, such as an e-liquid.
In some examples, the aerosol generator is a heater.
In some examples, the aerosol generator is provided in the air pathway so as to provide an aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating material to the air pathway.
In some examples, the second material is or comprises a flavouring and/or an active ingredient.
In some examples, the second material is provided in or on a storage medium, such as a porous material, for example such as a sponge or a foam.
In some examples, the second material storage portion is removable/detachable from the aerosol delivery system.
In some examples, the second material storage portion is provided downstream of the aerosol generator and/or the second material air pathway is coupled to the air pathway at a position downstream of the aerosol generator.
In some examples, the aerosol delivery system is configured such that, when the at least a part of the second material air pathway is blocked, the second material is prevented from exiting the aerosol delivery system via the at least a part of the second material air pathway.
In some examples, the aerosol delivery system is configured such that, when the at least a part of the second material air pathway is blocked, the second material is prevented from exiting the aerosol delivery system via the outlet of the aerosol delivery system.
In some examples, the aerosol delivery system is configured in use to prevent the delivery of the second material to the air pathway, such that only aerosol generated by the aerosol generator is present in the air stream supplied to the outlet.
In some examples, the aerosol delivery system further comprises a second material air pathway inlet, wherein the second material air pathway is arranged so as to be fluidly coupled with the second material air pathway inlet, and wherein the aerosol delivery system is configured such that, when the at least a part of the air pathway is blocked, the second material is prevented from exiting the aerosol delivery system via the second material air pathway inlet.
In some examples, the second material air pathway extends from the second material air inlet to the outlet via the second material storage portion such that, in use, inhaled air is capable of being drawn into the second material storage portion and through to the outlet to entrain the second material in the inhaled air.
In some examples, the second material air inlet is separate from an aerosol delivery system air inlet fluidly coupled to the air pathway.
In some examples, the aerosol delivery system comprises an aerosol delivery system air inlet fluidly coupled to the air pathway, and wherein the second material air inlet is the aerosol delivery system air inlet.
In some examples, the aerosol delivery system comprises a moveable element configured to move, relative to the second material air pathway, between a first configuration in which the moveable element is configured to block the flow of second material along the second material air pathway and a second configuration in which the moveable element is configured to permit the flow of second material along the second material air pathway.
In some examples, the moveable element is a valve, the valve being located in the second material air pathway and arranged to be in a closed state when in the first configuration and an open state when in the second configuration.
In some examples, the valve is coupled to an actuator for actuating the valve between the closed state and the open state.
In some examples, the actuator is configured to be manually actuated, e.g., by a user of the aerosol delivery system.
In some examples, the actuator is configured to be electronically actuated, e.g., by a suitable controller of the aerosol delivery system.
In some examples, the moveable element comprises a section of the second material air pathway, wherein the section of the second material air pathway is capable of being moved, relative to the remaining portion of the second material air pathway, such that in the first configuration the section of the second material air pathway is not fluidly coupled to the remaining portion of the second material air pathway, and in second configuration the section of the second material air pathway is fluidly coupled to the remaining portion of the second material air pathway.
In some examples, when the moveable element is in the second configuration, the first configuration is configured to block the flow of the second material along the second material air pathway.
In some examples, the moveable element comprises a main body in which the section of the second material air pathway is provided, and wherein in the first configuration, the main body of the moveable element is configured to block the remaining portion of the second material air pathway.
In some examples, the main body of the moveable element is configured to block the remaining portion of the second material air pathway such that the second material storage portion is not provided in fluid communication with the outlet of the aerosol delivery system.
In some examples, the moveable element is mounted in the aerosol delivery system such that the moveable element is capable of rotating about an axis, and wherein the moveable element is configured to switch between the first and second configurations by rotating the moveable element about the axis.
In some examples, the moveable element comprises a main body in which the section of the second material air pathway is provided, wherein the main body is shaped so as to be rotatable about the axis of the moveable element, such as having a cylindrical shape.
In some examples, the moveable element comprises an outer surface which is accessible to a user of the aerosol delivery system such that the user is able to interact with the outer surface to rotate the moveable element, and optionally, wherein the outer surface of the moveable element comprises knurling or protrusions to aid a user in gripping or moving the moveable element.
In some examples, the moveable element is configured to be biased to the first configuration, and wherein the moveable element is configured to move into the second configuration when a suitable force is applied to the moveable element.
In some examples, the moveable element is configured such that, when the suitable force is remove, the moveable element returns to the first configuration.
In some examples, the moveable element is biased to the first position using a biasing element, such as a spring or other resilient element.
In some examples, the moveable element comprises a main body in which the section of the second material air pathway is provided, wherein the main body is configured to move along a linear path relative to the aerosol delivery system when subjected to the suitable force.
In some examples, the moveable element is provided at an outlet of the aerosol delivery system, and wherein the second material air pathway extends to and into the moveable element.
In some examples, the moveable element is further configured to selectively block the air pathway.
In some examples, the moveable element is configured to move along a linear path, substantially parallel to the direction of emission of the aerosol from the outlet during normal use.
In some examples, the moveable element is a plug.
In some examples, the aerosol delivery system is further configured to block the at least a part of the second material air pathway a predetermined time after aerosol has been generated using the aerosol generator.
In some examples, the predetermined time is determined from the end of activation of the aerosol generator.
In some examples, the predetermined time is determined from the start of activation of the aerosol generator.
In some examples, the aerosol delivery system is configured to activate the aerosol generator in response to detection of a signal from an inhalation sensor indicative of a user inhaling on the aerosol delivery system.
In some examples, the predetermined time is set to be no greater than 60 seconds, no greater than 30 seconds, no greater than 20 seconds, no greater than 10 seconds, or no greater than 5 seconds. In some examples, the aerosol delivery system is further configured to provide an indication to a user of the aerosol delivery system a predetermined time after aerosol has been generated using the aerosol generator, wherein the indication indicates to a user to block the at least a part of the second material air pathway.
In some examples, the predetermined time is determined from the end of activation of the aerosol generator.
In some examples, the predetermined time is determined from the start of activation of the aerosol generator.
In some examples, the aerosol delivery system is configured to activate the aerosol generator in response to detection of a signal from an inhalation sensor indicative of a user inhaling on the aerosol delivery system.
In some examples, the predetermined time is set to be no greater than 60 seconds, no greater than 30 seconds, no greater than 20 seconds, no greater than 10 seconds, or no greater than 5 seconds. In some examples, the aerosol delivery system is configured to generate the indication using at least one of: a visual indicator configured to generate a visual indication, an audible indicator configured to generate an audible indication, and a haptic indicator configured to generate a haptic indication.
In some examples, the aerosol delivery system is configured to stop generating the indication when it is detected that the at least a part of the second material air pathway has been blocked.
In some examples, the aerosol delivery system is configured to receive a signal indicative of the user's desire to generate aerosol and, in response to the signal, cause the at least a part of the second material air pathway to be unblocked.
In some examples, the user's desire to generate aerosol is indicated to the aerosol delivery system via a press of a button or detection of an inhalation on the aerosol delivery system.
According to a second aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an aerosol delivery device for coupling with an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material and a second material storage portion for storing a second material to form an aerosol delivery system for delivering an aerosol to a user, the aerosol delivery device including an air pathway fluidly capable of being fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and arranged so as to be fluidly coupled with an outlet of the aerosol delivery device; and a second material air pathway capable of being fluidly connected to the second material storage portion, and extending at least from the second material storage portion. The aerosol delivery device is configured such that at least a part of the second material air pathway is capable of being selectively blocked so as to prevent the flow of the second material along the second material air pathway.
According to a third aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a method for configuring an aerosol delivery system for delivering an aerosol to a user, the aerosol delivery system comprising an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material, an air pathway fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and arranged so as to be fluidly coupled with an outlet of the aerosol delivery system, a second material storage portion for storing a second material, the method including selectively blocking at least a part of a second material air pathway extending at least from the second material storage portion to the outlet of the aerosol delivery system so as to prevent the flow of the second material along the second material air pathway.
A further example comprises an aerosol provision system for generating an aerosol, wherein the aerosol provision system comprises:

a first reservoir for storing a first aerosol-generating material, wherein the aerosol provision system is configured to generate a first aerosol using the first aerosol-generating material; and
a second reservoir for storing active substance(s), wherein the second reservoir comprises a second formulation, wherein the second formulation comprises one or more active substance(s) having boiling points in the range of from about 50 °C to about 300 °C; and
wherein the aerosol provision system comprises an outlet for delivering the second formulation from the second reservoir to a user of the aerosol provision system; and
wherein the second reservoir does not comprise an atomiser, a vaporiser, a heater/heating element, and/or a propellant.

In some examples, the second reservoir further comprises a porous substrate material.
A further example comprises an aerosol provision system for generating an aerosol, wherein the aerosol provision system comprises:

a first reservoir for storing a first aerosol-generating material, wherein the aerosol provision system is configured to generate a first aerosol using the first aerosol-generating material; and
a second reservoir for storing active substance(s), wherein the second reservoir comprises a second formulation and a porous substrate material, wherein the second formulation comprises one or more active substance(s); and

wherein the aerosol provision system comprises an outlet for delivering the second formulation from the second reservoir to a user of the aerosol provision system,
wherein the second reservoir does not comprise an atomiser, a vaporiser, a heater/heating element, and/or a propellant; and
wherein the porous substrate material comprises a sponge material, a fibrous material or combinations thereof, wherein the sponge material is formed of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polyurethane, polyester or combinations thereof and the fibrous material is formed of cellulose acetate, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(i-4 butanediol succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(PBAT), starch based materials, cotton, aliphatic polyester materials, polysaccharide polymers or a combination thereof.

In some examples, the second formulation comprises a carrier constituent, wherein the carrier constituent comprises one or more solvents.
In some examples, the carrier constituent consists of the one or more solvents.
In some examples, the one or more solvents comprises a proportion of the second formulation in the range of 1% to 50% of the second formulation.
In some examples, the one or more solvents are selected from the group consisting of ethanol, benzyl alcohol, propylene glycol or combinations thereof; preferably wherein the one or more solvents are selected from the group consisting of ethanol, benzyl alcohol or combinations thereof.
In some examples, the one or more solvents is ethanol.
In some examples, the one or more solvents is benzyl alcohol.
In some examples, the one or more active substances have boiling points in the range of from about 50 °C to about 300 °C.
In some examples, the active substance(s) have a boiling point in the range of from about 100°C to about 300 °C.
In some examples, the active substance(s) have a vapour pressure of from about 0.0001 mmHg to about 15 mmHg; preferably wherein the active substance(s) have a vapour pressure of from about 0.0001 mmHg to about 12 mmHg.
In some examples, the second formulation contained within the second reservoir is configured to deliver substantially all of one or more active substances in the gas-phase.
In some examples, the porous substrate material comprises a sponge material, a fibrous material or combinations thereof; preferably wherein the porous substrate material consists of a sponge material, a fibrous material or combinations thereof.
In some examples, the sponge material is formed of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polyurethane, polyester or combinations thereof; preferably wherein the sponge material consists of polyurethane. In some examples, the fibrous material is formed of cellulose acetate, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(i-4 butanediol succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(PBAT), starch based materials, cotton, aliphatic polyester materials and polysaccharide polymers or a combination thereof; preferably wherein the fibrous material consists of cellulose acetate.
In some examples, an airflow path extends through the porous substrate material towards the outlet, the porous substrate material comprising an upstream end further from the outlet and a downstream end closer to the outlet; and
wherein the second formulation is comprised within the porous substrate material and the concentration of the second formulation in the substrate material increases from the upstream end to the downstream end.
In some examples, the aerosol provision system comprises:

a third reservoir for storing active substance(s), wherein the third reservoir comprises a third formulation, wherein the third reservoir does not comprise an atomiser, a vaporiser, a heater/heating element, and/or a propellant; and
a selector component operable to move between a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein in the first configuration airflow from the second reservoir to the outlet is inhibited and airflow from the third reservoir to the outlet is facilitated, and wherein in the second configuration airflow from the third reservoir to the outlet is inhibited and airflow from the second reservoir to the outlet is facilitated.

In some examples, the selector component is operable to move between the first configuration and the second configuration by a rotational motion of the selector component between the first configuration and the second configuration.
In some examples, the selector component is operable to move between the first configuration and the second configuration by a detachment action in which the selector component is detached from the aerosol provision system and a reattachment action in which the selector component is attached to the aerosol provision system in the first configuration or the second configuration.
In some examples, the selector component is operable to move into a third configuration, wherein in the third configuration airflow from the second reservoir to the outlet is facilitated and airflow from the third reservoir to the outlet is facilitated.
In some examples, the selector component comprises the second reservoir and the third reservoir.
In some examples, the third formulation comprises one or more active substance(s) having boiling points in the range of from about 50 °C to about 300 °C and a carrier constituent, wherein the carrier constituent comprises one or more solvents.
In some examples, the third reservoir comprises a third porous substrate material.
In some examples, the second formulation and the third formulation are different.
A further example comprises a consumable, for use with an aerosol provision system, wherein the consumable comprises the second reservoir for storing active substance(s) and wherein the consumable is configured to be releasably coupled to the aerosol provision system.
In some examples, the consumable comprises the third reservoir for storing active substance(s), and wherein the consumable comprises the selector component.
A further example comprises an assembly comprising a consumable and an aerosol provision system.
In some examples, the aerosol provision system further comprises an aerosol provision device which comprises a section configured to receive the first reservoir that includes an interface arranged to cooperatively engage with an interface from the first reservoir so as to releasably couple the first reservoir to the aerosol provision device.
A further example comprises a method of providing a storage portion for an aerosol provision system, the method comprising:

providing a porous substrate material having a first end and a second end, separate from the first end,
dispersing a second formulation into the first end of the porous substrate material, the second formulation comprising an active substance and a carrier constituent for the active substance, wherein the carrier constituent comprises one or more solvents; and
locating the porous substrate material in an airflow path of the aerosol provision system such that the first end is closer than the second end to an outlet of the airflow path.

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. Protection may also be sought for any features disclosed in any one or more published documents referenced herein in combination with the present disclosure.
The invention further provides corresponding functional means and additional embodiments as claimed in the dependent claims.

Brief description of the figures

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

Figure 1 is a schematic cross-section view of an aerosol delivery system for delivering a first aerosol-generating material;
Figure 2 is a schematic cross-section view of the aerosol delivery system of figure 1, additionally comprising a delivery system for delivering a second material;
Figure 3 is a schematic cross-section view of another delivery system for delivering a first aerosol-generating material and a second material, the delivery system including blocking elements for blocking a part of the second material flow path;
Figure 4 is a schematic view of a blocking element of figure 3;
Figure 5 is a schematic cross-section view of another delivery system for delivering a first aerosol-generating material and a second material, the delivery system including valves for blocking a part of the second material flow path;
Figure 6 is a schematic cross-section view of another delivery system for delivering a first aerosol-generating material and a second material, the delivery system including a moveable element comprising a part of the second material flow path, wherein the moveable element is in a position in which the part of the second material flow path is disconnected from the remaining parts of the second material flow path;
Figure 7 is a schematic cross-section view the delivery system of figure 6, wherein the moveable element is in a position in which the part of the second material flow path is connected to the remaining parts of the second material flow path;
Figure 8 is a schematic view of an alternative moveable element of figures 6 and 7;
Figure 9 is a schematic cross-section view of another delivery system for delivering a first aerosol-generating material and a second material, the delivery system including a moveable element provided at the outlet of the aerosol delivery system, wherein the moveable element is in a closed position;
Figure 10 is a schematic cross-section view the delivery system of figure 9, wherein the moveable element is in an open position;
Figure 11 is a schematic cross-section view of another delivery system for delivering a first aerosol-generating material and a second material, the delivery system including a moveable element provided at the outlet of the aerosol delivery system, wherein the moveable element is a lid or cover;
Figure 12 is an example method for operating the aerosol delivery system including one or more moveable elements for blocking a part of the second material flow path; and
Figure 13 is a modification to the method of figure 12, wherein the modification includes providing an indication to a user.

Detailed description of the disclosure

Aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments are described herein. Some aspects and features may be implemented conventionally and these are not described in detail, for brevity.
The invention may generally provide a sub-assembly or sub-system suitable for use in a delivery system such as an aerosol delivery system or aerosol-free delivery system, or configured for use in an aerosol delivery system or aerosol-free delivery system. The sub-system may generally form part of a delivery system and in particular may form part of the reusable device and/or a consumable cartridge of a multi-part system.

Introduction

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through an example aerosol delivery system 1 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure, providing an introduction to two-part aerosol delivery systems, the components therein and their functionality.
The aerosol delivery system 1 comprises two main parts, a reusable part 2 (sometimes referred to as a control unit) and a replaceable / disposable consumable cartridge part 4 (sometimes referred to as a consumable or an article). In normal use, the reusable part 2 and the cartridge part 4 are releasably coupled together at an interface 6. When the cartridge part 4 is exhausted or the user wishes to switch to a different cartridge part 4, the cartridge part 4 may be removed from the reusable part 2 and a replacement cartridge part 4 attached to the reusable part 2 in its place. The interface 6 may provide a structural, electrical and airflow path connection between the two parts 2, 4 and may be established in accordance with conventional techniques, e.g. based around a screw thread, magnetic or bayonet fixing with electrical contacts and openings for the electrical connection and airflow path between the two parts 2, 4 as appropriate. The specific manner by which the cartridge part 4 mounts to the reusable part 2 is not significant to the principles described herein, but for the sake of a concrete example is assumed here to comprise a magnetic coupling (not represented in figure 1). It will also be appreciated the interface 6 in some implementations may not support an electrical and / or airflow path connection between the respective parts 2, 4. For example, in some implementations an aerosol generator may be provided in the reusable part 2 rather than in the cartridge part 4, or the transfer of electrical power from the reusable part 2 to the cartridge part 4 may be wireless (e.g. based on electromagnetic induction), so that an electrical connection between the reusable part 2 and the cartridge part 4 is not needed. Furthermore, in some implementations the airflow through the system 1 might not go through the reusable part 2, so that an airflow path connection between the reusable part 2 and the cartridge part 4 is not needed. In some instances, a portion of the airflow path may be defined at the interface between portions of the reusable part 2 and cartridge part 4 when these are coupled together for use.
The cartridge / consumable part 4 may, in certain embodiments, be broadly conventional. In figure 1, the cartridge part 4 comprises a cartridge housing 42 formed of a plastics material. The cartridge housing 42 supports other components of the cartridge part 4 and provides the mechanical interface 6 with the reusable part 2. The cartridge housing 42 is generally circularly symmetrical about a longitudinal axis along which the cartridge part 4 couples to the reusable part 2. In this example, the cartridge part 4 has a length of around 4 cm and a diameter of around 1.5 cm. However, the specific dimensions, geometry, overall shapes and materials used may vary.
Within the cartridge housing 42 is a reservoir 44 that contains aerosol-generating material. In the example of figure 1, the reservoir 44 stores a supply of liquid aerosol generating material and the liquid reservoir 44 has an annular shape with an outer wall defined by the cartridge housing 42 and an inner wall that defines a flow path 52 through the cartridge part 4. The reservoir 44 is closed at each end with end walls to contain the aerosol generating material. The reservoir 44 may be formed conventionally, e.g. comprising a plastics material and/or integrally moulded with the cartridge housing 42.
The cartridge / consumable part 4 further comprises an aerosol generator 48, which in this example is located towards an end of the reservoir 44, opposite to a mouthpiece outlet 50. In a two-part system such as in figure 1, the aerosol generator 48 may be in either of the reusable part 2 or the cartridge part 4. For example, in some embodiments, the aerosol generator 48 (e.g. a heater, which may be in the form of a wick and coil arrangement as shown, a distiller, which may be formed from a sintered metal fibre material or other porous conducting material, or any suitable alternative aerosol generator) may be comprised in the reusable part 2, and is brought into proximity with a portion of aerosol generating material in the cartridge part 4 when the cartridge part 4 is engaged with the reusable part 2. In such embodiments, the cartridge part 4 may comprise a portion of aerosol generating material, and an aerosol generator 48 is at least partially inserted into or at least partially surrounds the portion of aerosol generating material as the cartridge part 4 is engaged with the reusable part 2.
In the example of figure 1, a wick 46 in contact with the aerosol generator 48 extends transversely across the flow path 52 with its ends extending into the reservoir 44 of the liquid aerosol generating material through openings in the inner wall. The openings in the inner wall of the reservoir 44 are sized to broadly match the dimensions of the wick 46 to provide a reasonable seal against leakage from the reservoir 44 into the flow path 52, without unduly compressing the wick 46, which may be detrimental to its fluid transfer performance.
The wick 46 and aerosol generator 48 are arranged in the flow path 52 such that a region of the flow path 52 around the wick 46 and heater 48 in effect defines a vaporisation region for the cartridge part 4. Aerosol generating material in the reservoir 44 infiltrates the wick 46 through the ends of the wick extending into the reservoir 44 and is drawn along the wick by surface tension / capillary action (i.e. wicking). The aerosol generator 48 in this example comprises an electrically resistive wire coiled around the wick 46. In figure 1, the aerosol generator 48 comprises a nickel chrome alloy (Cr20Ni80) wire and the wick 46 comprises a glass fibre bundle, but the specific aerosol generator configuration is not significant to the principles described. In use, electrical power may be supplied to the aerosol generator 48 to vaporise an amount of aerosol generating material drawn to the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48 by the wick 46. Vaporised aerosol generating material may then become entrained in air drawn along the cartridge airflow path from the vaporisation region towards the mouthpiece outlet 50 for user inhalation.
As noted above, the rate at which aerosol generating material is vaporised by the aerosol generator 48 will depend on the amount (level) of power supplied to the aerosol generator 48. Thus, electrical power can be applied to the aerosol generator 48 to selectively generate aerosol from the aerosol generating material in the cartridge part 4, and furthermore, the rate of aerosol generation can be changed by changing the amount of power supplied to the aerosol generator 48, for example through pulse width and/or frequency modulation techniques.
The reusable part 2 comprises an outer housing 12 having an opening that defines an air inlet 28 for the system 1, a power source 26 (e.g. a battery) for providing operating power for the system 1, control circuitry / controller 22 for controlling and monitoring the operation of the system 1, a first user input button 14, a second user input button 16, and a visual display 24. The outer housing 12 may be formed, e.g. from a plastics or metallic material and in this example has a circular cross section generally conforming to the shape and size of the cartridge part 4, to provide a smooth transition between the two parts 2, 4 at the interface 6. In this example, the reusable part 2 has a length of around 8 cm so the overall length of the system 1when the cartridge part 4 and the reusable part 2 are coupled together is around 12 cm. However, the specific dimensions, geometry, overall shapes and materials used may vary.
The air inlet 28 connects to an airflow path 51 through the reusable part 2. The reusable part airflow path 51 in turn connects to the flow path 52 across the interface 6 when the reusable part 2 and cartridge part 4 are connected together. Thus, when a user inhales on the mouthpiece opening 50, air is drawn in through the air inlet 28, along the reusable part airflow path 51, across the interface 6, through the aerosol generation area in the vicinity of the aerosol generator 48 (where vaporised aerosol generating material becomes entrained in the air flow), along the flow path 52, and out through the mouthpiece opening 50 for user inhalation.
The power source 26 in this example is rechargeable and may be a conventional type, e.g. of the kind normally used in electronic cigarettes and other applications requiring provision of relatively high currents over relatively short periods. The power source 26 may be recharged through a charging connector in the reusable part housing 12, for example a USB connector.
Optionally, first and/or second user input buttons 14, 16 may be provided, which in this example are conventional mechanical buttons, e.g. comprising a spring mounted component which may be pressed by a user to establish an electrical contact. The input buttons may be input devices for detecting user input and the manner in which the buttons are implemented is not significant. The buttons may be assigned functions such as switching the system 1 on and off, and/or adjusting user settings such as a power to be supplied from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48.
A display 24 may be provided to give a user a visual indication of various characteristics associated with the aerosol delivery system, e.g. current power setting information, remaining power source power, etc. The display may be implemented in various ways. In this example, the display 24 comprises a conventional pixilated LCD screen. In other implementations, the display may comprise one or more discrete indicators, e.g. LEDs, arranged to display information, e.g. through particular colours and/or flash sequences. More generally, the manner in which the display 24 is provided and information is displayed is not significant to the principles described herein - other embodiments may not include a visual display and/or may include other means for providing a user with information relating to operating characteristics of the system 1, e.g. using audio signalling.
A controller 22 is suitably configured / programmed to control the aerosol delivery system 1 to provide functionality as described herein, as well as for providing conventional operating functions of the system 1. The controller (processor circuitry) 22 may be considered to logically comprise various subunits / circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the operation of the system 1. In this example, the controller 22 comprises power supply control circuitry for controlling the supply of power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 in response to user input, user programming circuitry 20 for establishing configuration settings (e.g. user-defined power settings) in response to user input, as well as other functional units / circuitry associated functionality in accordance with the principles described herein and conventional operating aspects, such as display driving circuitry and user input detection circuitry. The functionality of the controller 22 can be provided in various different ways, e.g. using one or more programmed programmable computer(s) and / or one or more suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(s) / circuitry / chip(s) / chipset(s). The controller 22 may comprise an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), CPU, microprocessor or microcontroller. The operations of a controller and other electronic components are generally controlled by software/instructions running on the controller, which may be stored in non-volatile memory, (e.g. ROM), which may be integrated into the controller, or provided separately. The controller 22 may access the ROM to load and execute individual software as and when required.
The reusable part 2 comprises an airflow sensor 30, which is electrically connected to the controller 22. In most embodiments, the airflow sensor 30 comprises a so-called "puff sensor" or "inhalation sensor", in that the airflow sensor 30 is used to detect when a user is puffing or inhaling on the system 1. In some embodiments, the airflow sensor 30 comprises a switch in an electrical path providing electrical power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48. In such embodiments, the airflow sensor 30 generally comprises a pressure sensor configured to close the switch when subjected to a particular range of pressures, enabling current to flow from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 once the pressure in the vicinity of the airflow sensor 30 drops below a threshold value. The threshold value can be set to a value determined by experimentation to correspond to a characteristic value associated with the initiation of a user puff. In other embodiments, the airflow sensor 30 is connected to the controller 22, and the controller 22 distributes electrical power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 in dependence of a signal received from the airflow sensor 30 by the controller 22. The specific manner in which the signal output from the airflow sensor 30 (which may comprise a measure of capacitance, resistance or other characteristic of the airflow sensor, made by the controller 22) is used by the controller 22 to control the supply of power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 can be carried out in accordance with any approach known to the skilled person.
In the example shown in figure 1, the airflow sensor 30 is mounted to an optional printed circuit board (PCB). The airflow sensor 30 may comprise any sensor configured to determine a characteristic of airflow in an airflow path 51 disposed between air inlet 28 and mouthpiece opening 50, e.g. a pressure sensor or transducer (such as a membrane or solid-state pressure sensor), a combined temperature and pressure sensor, or a microphone (e.g. an electret-type microphone), which is sensitive to changes in air pressure, including acoustical signals. The airflow sensor 30 is situated within a sensor cavity or chamber 32, which comprises the interior space defined by one or more chamber walls. The sensor cavity 32 comprises a region internal to one or more chamber walls in which an airflow sensor 30 can be fully or partially situated. In some embodiments, the PCB comprises one of the chamber walls of a sensor housing comprising the sensor chamber / cavity 32.
A deformable membrane may be disposed across an opening communicating between the sensor cavity 32 containing the sensor 30, and a portion of the airflow path disposed between air inlet 28 and mouthpiece opening 50. The deformable membrane covers the opening, and is attached to one or more of the chamber walls according to approaches described further herein.
The aerosol delivery system 1 may comprise communication circuitry configured to connect to one or more further electronic devices (e.g., a storage / charging case, or a refill / charging dock) to enable data transfer between the system 1 and further electronic device(s). The communication circuitry may be integrated into the controller 22, or implemented separately. The communication circuitry may be configured to support wired or wireless communications between the aerosol delivery system 1 and other electronic devices such as a case, a dock, a computing device such as a smartphone or PC, a base station supporting cellular communications, a relay node providing an onward connection to a base station, a wearable device, or any other portable or fixed device. The controller 22, other components within the system 1 and other devices/systems may comprise one or more processors and data processing may be performed on any of these processors or on a remote processor, the data communicated by wire or wirelessly.
Wireless communications between the aerosol delivery system 1 and a further electronic device may be configured according to data transfer protocols such as Bluetooths, ZigBee, WiFi^®, Wifi Direct, GSM, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, NFC, RFID, or generally any other wireless, and/or wired, network protocol or interface. The communication circuitry may comprise any suitable interface for wired data connection, such as USB-C, micro-USB or Thunderbolt interfaces, and may comprise pin or contact pad arrangements configured to engage cooperating pins or contact pads on a dock, case, cable, or other external device which can be connected to the aerosol delivery system 1.

Multi-material delivery

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view through an example delivery system 1 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure, providing an introduction to delivery systems configured to deliver multiple different materials, particularly from separate reservoirs. The system 1 may be an aerosol delivery system 1, configured to deliver one or more materials as an aerosol for inhalation by a user, or an aerosol-free delivery system 1, configured to deliver a sensory material (impacting one or more senses of the human body, particularly those of taste, smell and even touch (mouth feel)) not in aerosol form to a user. Of particular interest are aerosol delivery systems delivering at least one material as an aerosol, supplemented by a second material which may be delivered in aerosol or non-aerosol form. The second material may be delivered together with or separately to the first material. Second materials are further described below.
As illustrated in figure 2, the system 1 may comprise a reusable device part 2 (such as that described for figure 1), a first cartridge part 4a and a second cartridge part 4b. The first cartridge part 4a may be substantially the same as the cartridge part 4 described in figure 1. The second cartridge part 4b may be a system in itself and may be releasably connectable to existing wider systems, such as the reusable device part 2 or first cartridge part 4a, e.g. using an interference fit, or in other examples, both the first and second cartridge parts 4a and 4b may be integrally formed to provide a single cartridge part 4 that is releasably connectable to the reusable device part 2.
In the figure 2 example, the second cartridge part 4b comprises a second reservoir 144 for storing a second material, which may comprise a second aerosol-generating or sensory material, which may include a non-aerosol-generating material, and is further defined below. The overall system 1 is configured to generate aerosol comprising the second material (in aerosol or non-aerosol form), for receipt (e.g. smelling or inhaling) by a user. The second cartridge 4b stores and releases/delivers the second material to a flow path 52 of the delivery system 1, for receipt by the user at the mouthpiece outlet 50. The second material may generally be a liquid or a particulate.
Precisely though what route the second material is delivered to the mouthpiece outlet 50 may depend on the particular implementation at hand and the arrangement of the first and second cartridge parts 4a, 4b. The second cartridge part 4b comprises a second material flow path 52b that extends at least from the reservoir 144 (and potentially via any air inlet 128 of second cartridge part 4b) to the mouthpiece outlet 50 (or one of a plurality of mouthpiece outlets 50). The second material flow path 52b may either directly pass to the or a mouthpiece outlet 50, or indirectly via the flow path 52 of the first cartridge part 4a (that is, the second material flow path 52b passes to the flow path 52 before the flow path 52 reaches the mouthpiece outlet 50). In other examples, such as that shown in figure 2, the second cartridge part 4b comprises a through flow path 52a extending through the second cartridge part 4b to a mouthpiece outlet 50 defined at the end of the second cartridge part 4b and arranged so as to couple to the flow path 52 of the first cartridge 4a. In such implementations, the second material flow path 52b may be provided in fluid communication with the mouthpiece opening 50 (or one of a plurality thereof), either directly or via the through flow path 52a of the second cartridge part 4b. In other examples, the flow path 52 of the first cartridge part 4a may pass through the reservoir 144 of the second cartridge part 4b to deliver aerosol generated by the aerosol generator 48 to, and through, the reservoir 144 before being passed along the second material flow path 52b to the mouthpiece outlet 50. In broad summary, the second material flow path 52b may be provided parallel to the flow path 52 of the first cartridge part 4a or flow path 52a of the second cartridge part 4b and either terminate at a mouthpiece opening 50 or adjoin the flow path 52 prior to terminating at a mouthpiece opening, or the second material flow path 52b may be provided sequentially after the flow path 52 or flow path 52a whereby the second material flow path 52b terminates at the mouthpiece outlet 50.
In either implementation, the second material flow path 52b is provided in fluid communication with the reservoir 144 of the second cartridge part 4b such that the second material in the reservoir 144 is able to be provided to the mouthpiece outlet 50 via the second material flow path 52b through vaporisation of the second material. The mouthpiece outlet 50 may thus receive materials from a single or multiple flow paths. The second cartridge part 4b thus provides a second (downstream) material for a user which may be mixed with and/or supplied alongside the first (upstream) aerosol. The user may customise delivery of the first and/or second materials.
In some implementations, the second material is capable of vaporising, at least to some degree, at room temperature. Optionally, a second aerosol generator 148 may be provided and configured to generate a second aerosol from the second (aerosol-generating) material, e.g. by vibration and/or heating, for supplementing the first aerosol generated by the (first) aerosol generator 48. In some implementations, however, the second material is capable of vaporisation without an additional source of energy, such as heat. In such implementations, the aerosol delivery system 1 does not include a second aerosol generator 148.
In the figure 2 example, the second reservoir 144 is annular, akin to the first reservoir 44. In other examples, the second reservoir 144 may comprise multiple second reservoirs 144 (such as multiple discrete reservoirs 144 arranged radially), which may retain multiple different materials. The second reservoir 144 may store some or all of the second material freely, and/or in or on one or more substrate materials, such as a capillary material 146 (e.g., a porous substrate material). A flow path may extend through the second reservoir 144 and / or substrate material / capillary material 146 towards the outlet.
The system 1 may comprise a first air inlet 28 for supplying air to the first aerosol generator 48 (see figure 1) and a second air inlet 128 for separately supplying air to the second reservoir 144 and/or the second aerosol generator 148. Providing two separate air inlets 28, 128, may assist with providing a fresh source of air to the second reservoir 144 / second aerosol generator 148, and/or allow for different air flow rates to be delivered. In other examples, no second air inlet 128 is provided. In further examples (not shown), aerosol generated by the first aerosol generator 48 flows through the second reservoir 144, optionally through any capillary material 146, to entrain the second material. In some examples, the system 1 is configured to supply the second material downstream of the location at which the first aerosol is generated, such that this delivery of the second material does not impact any initial generation of the first aerosol by the system 1. Beneficially, the second cartridge 4b may allow the user to customise to what extent the first aerosol is supplemented with the second material as part of an end aerosol delivered to the user.
The subsequent sets of examples may incorporate one or more aspects outlined above, providing notable benefits.

Capillary materials

As outlined above, a reservoir for storing aerosol-generating and/or sensory material for a user may store some or all of the material freely, e.g. in a housing of the reservoir and/or in one or more capillary materials 146, such as a porous substrate material, which may act as a wicking material. The capillary or porous substrate material 146 may generally comprise a polymer material with micropores. Suitable capillary material(s) 146 may be manufactured using a phase separation process, a sintering process or a sol-gel process to provide suitable pores to transport aerosol-generating material.
In some examples, the capillary or porous substrate material 146 comprises or consists of a sponge material, a fibrous material or combinations thereof, optionally wherein the sponge material is formed of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polyurethane, polyester or combinations thereof and/or the fibrous material is formed of cellulose acetate, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(i-4 butanediol succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(PBAT), starch based materials, cotton, aliphatic polyester materials, polysaccharide polymers or a combination thereof. Optionally, the sponge material consists of polyurethane and/or the fibrous material consists of cellulose acetate.
The subsequent sets of examples may incorporate one or more aspects outlined above, providing notable benefits.

Second material/substance

As outlined above, the second material may comprise any material or substance, such as a (second) aerosol-generating and/or sensory material, including those defined in the terminology paragraphs below, particularly an 'active' substance and/or a 'flavour' material (which may or may not be an aerosol-generating material, for generating a second, distinct aerosol).
In some examples, the second material/substance may specifically include or specifically exclude one or more active substances (as defined below), particularly nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or combinations thereof.
In some examples, the second material/substance does not consist essentially of water. In some examples, the second material/substance is not water-based, i.e. contains less than 50% water, particularly less than 40%, less than 30, less than 20% or less than 10% water, more particularly less than 5%, less than 4%, less than 3%, less than 2% or less than 1% water.
In some examples, the second material is delivered to the mouthpiece unheated, which may provide a key distinction to the first, aerosol-generating material, which is typically (but not always) heated to generate vapour, which is entrained into air flow to form an aerosol. In some examples, both the first and second materials are heated, but to different temperatures. For example, the system may comprise a heating element and be configured to heat the second material to a second temperature above ambient, but below the temperature at which significant vaporization would take place, such as ≤ 50°C, ≤ 60°C, ≤ 70°C, ≤ 80°C, ≤ 90°C, ≤ 100°C, ≤ 110°C, ≤ 120°C, ≤ 130°C, ≤ 140°C or ≤ 150°C, i.e. much lower than the typical operating temperatures of 200-250°C for existing aerosol generators as might be used to heat the first aerosol-generating material. Hence, in some examples, the system may be configured to generate the first aerosol at a first temperature e.g. by heating the first aerosol-generating material to a first temperature; and deliver the second material at a second temperature, optionally by heating the second material to a second temperature, wherein the first temperature is greater than the second temperature, e.g. with a differential of ≥ 50°C, ≥ 60°C, ≥ 70°C, ≥ 80°C, ≥ 90°C, ≥ 100°C, ≥ 110°C, ≥ 120°C, ≥ 130°C, ≥ 140°C or ≥ 150°C. The second material may be heated directly, e.g. using a dedicated heating element, or passively, e.g. from conducted / convected / radiated heat from heating the first aerosol-generating material.
It will be appreciated that the temperature at which either of the first aerosol is generated and/or the second material is delivered may vary depending on the composition of the respective materials and that certain substances within an e-liquid for an e-cigarette may have different properties or characteristics at different temperatures. Accordingly, certain materials/substances may be provided in one or multiple of the reservoirs, to suit the temperatures they will be subjected to in use.
The second material may be highly volatile, thus readily vaporise into a flow path, such as the first (aerosol) flow path 52a from the aerosol generator 48 or second material flow path 52b from reservoir 144. In particular, the formulation of the second material may comprise one or more active substance(s) having boiling points in the range of from about 50°C to about 300°C, or from about 100°C to about 300°C, and optionally a carrier constituent comprising one or more solvents. In some examples, one or more of the active and/or other substance(s) has a boiling point outside of the range of about 50°C to about 300°C (e.g. lower than 50°C or greater than 300°C). In some examples, the overall formulation has a boiling point in the range of from about 50°C to about 300°C. In some examples, the second formulation is an azeotrope-like or an azeotrope formulation. In other words, the one or more active and/or other substances and the optional carrier constituent may combine to form an azeotropic solution (composition or mixture). In some examples, the active and/or other substance(s) may individually have a boiling point outside of the range of about 50°C to about 300°C, but when provided in a formulation with other substances (e.g. a solvent, active and/or other substances) the boiling point may be adjusted by the presence of the other substances to be within the range of about 50°C to about 300°C (see for example, the discussion of azeotropic and azeotropic-like formulations below). In some examples, the carrier constituent consists of the one or more solvents. In some examples, the formulation of the second material is configured to deliver substantially all of one or more active substances in the gas phase.
As used herein, the term "azeotrope-like" relates to compositions that are strictly azeotropic or that generally behave like azeotropic mixtures. An azeotropic mixture is a system of two or more components in which the component concentration of a liquid composition and vapor composition are equal at the stated pressure and temperature. In practice, this means that the components of an azeotropic mixture have a constant-boiling or essentially constant-boiling points and generally cannot be thermodynamically separated during a phase change. The vapor composition formed by boiling or evaporation of an azeotropic mixture is identical, or substantially identical, to the original liquid composition. Thus, the concentration of components in the liquid and vapor phases of azeotrope-like compositions change only minimally, if at all, as the composition boils or otherwise evaporates. In contrast, boiling or evaporating non-azeotropic mixtures changes the component concentrations in the liquid phase. That is to say the active and/or other substance(s) and the optional carrier constituent form a solution which has approximately the same relative proportions in both a liquid and a vapour phase. In other words, if a liquid solution comprising the active and/or other substance and the carrier constituent transitions to a vapour phase, the constituent parts of the resultant vapour phase will be the same as those of the initial liquid solution.
In some examples, the one or more solvents constitutes a proportion of the second formulation in the range of 1% to 50% of the second formulation (e.g. the second formulation comprises of from about 1 %w/w to about 50%w/w of the one or more solvent(s)). In some examples, the solvent in the range of 1% to 50% is benzyl alcohol or phenyl carbinol. In particular, benzyl alcohol is preferred over other solvents due to its low potency or aroma activity (e.g. in terms of smell).
In some examples, the active constituent or substance may comprise one or more physiologically and/or olfactory active constituents which are included in the second material in order to achieve a physiological and/or olfactory response in the user. The active constituent or substance may for example be selected from nutraceuticals and nootropics. The active constituent may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active constituent may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, a vitamin such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, a cannabinoid, or a constituent, derivative, or combinations thereof. The active constituent may comprise a constituent, derivative or extract of tobacco or of another botanical. In some embodiments, the active constituent is a physiologically active constituent and may be selected from nicotine, nicotine salts (e.g. nicotine ditartrate/nicotine bitartrate), nicotine-free tobacco substitutes, other alkaloids such as caffeine, or mixtures thereof.
In some examples, the active and/or other substance(s) may comprise an aliphatic compound (e.g. a form of compound having a relatively stable long chain structure). For example, the active and/or other substance(s) may comprise a carbon chain having a chain length of at least 8. In some examples, the active and/or other substance(s) do not comprise a compound including or formed of a benzene ring (e.g. an activated benzene ring), which may be considered relatively unstable at least in comparison to aliphatic compounds (e.g. the active and/or other substance(s) may not include an aromatic compound). For example, the active and/or other substance(s) may comprise an olfactory active constituent comprising one or more aliphatic compounds and / or the active and/or other substance(s) do not comprise an aromatic compound. Furthermore, in some examples, the active and/or other substance(s) do not comprise a compound including oxygen sensitive ingredients such as unsaturated aldehydes and carboxylic acids.
In some examples, the one or more solvents are selected from the group consisting of ethanol, benzyl alcohol, propylene glycol or combinations thereof; optionally wherein the one or more solvents are selected from the group consisting of ethanol, benzyl alcohol or combinations thereof.
In some examples, the active substance(s) have a vapour pressure of from about 0.0001 mmHg to about 15 mmHg; optionally wherein the active substance(s) have a vapour pressure of from about 0.0001 mmHg to about 12 mmHg.
In some examples, a porous substrate material comprising a sponge material, such as a polyurethane sponge, is preferred in combination with an active and/or other substance having a boiling point in the range between 158°C and 180°C and also a vapour pressure between 0mmHg and 3.8mmHg, and / or an active and/or other substance having a boiling point in the range between 130°C and 160°C and also a vapour pressure between 9mmHg and 12mmHg, without a carrier constituent or with a carrier constituent comprising Benzyl Alcohol in the range of 1% to 50% by weight of the second formulation. In particular the above combination provided improved delivery. In some examples, a porous substrate material comprising a sponge material, such as a polyurethane sponge, is preferred in combination with an active and/or other substance having a boiling point in the range between 158°C and 180°C and a vapour pressure of greater than 3.8mmHg, and / or an active and/or other substance having a boiling point in the range between 130°C and 160°C and also a vapour pressure between 3.8mmHg and 9mmHg or greater than 12mmHg and a fixative comprising a compound having a vapour pressure of less than 2mmHG.
Without being bound by theory, by providing a consumable in which an active and/or other substance having properties that enable delivery of an aerosol without heating of the substance (as described above, e.g. a boiling in the range between 158°C and 180°C and with a vapour pressure between 0mmHg and 3.8mmHg, or a boiling point in the range between 130°C and 160°C and with a vapour pressure between 9mmHg and 12mmg), the presence of carbonyls and metals in the aerosol to be delivered is reduced (e.g. in comparison to a heated consumable having the same formulation).
The following sets of examples are each particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for supplying / delivering only a small amount of a second material (which may be highly volatile) to a flow path such as an aerosol stream from an aerosol generator, whilst the bulk of the second material remains contained with minimal exposure to air, to restrict evaporation and prolong longevity.

Selective Blocking

In accordance with the present disclosure, the aerosol delivery system 1 is configured to selectively block at least a part of the second material flow path 52b, so as to selectively prevent the flow of the second material along the second material flow path 52b. In particular, when the aerosol delivery system 1 is not being used to deliver aerosol to the user, i.e., when the user is not inhaling on the aerosol delivery system 1, the second material flow path 52b may be blocked to allow any second material that consequently vaporises (e.g., from the bulk second material in the reservoir 144) to be prevented from flowing along the second material flow path 52b and potentially escaping from the aerosol delivery system 1, e.g., through the mouthpiece outlet 50 or inlet 128.
By providing such blocking, any second material that is vaporised between uses of the aerosol delivery system 1 is able to more readily accumulate in the reservoir 144 / second material flow path 54b such that, when a user next inhales on the aerosol delivery system 1, a relatively greater amount of the second material can be provided to the user, which otherwise would be lost from the aerosol delivery system 1, in conjunction with the aerosol generated from the first cartridge part 4a. This may help improve overall user experience (e.g., by delivering more of the second material per inhalation), or alternatively by reducing material usage (e.g., by delivering the same amount of the second material per inhalation with a reduced total amount of the second material in the reservoir 144). Potentially, it is thought this may also improve longevity of the second cartridge 4b (e.g., owing to the fact that the vaporisation of the second material may decrease as the concentration of the vaporised second material in the air increases in the reservoir 144).
In addition, in some implementations, the present disclosure has the additional advantage of being able to allow a user to customise the delivery of the second material, e.g., by maintaining a blocked second material flow path 52b during inhalation on the aerosol delivery system 1.
Figure 3 schematically shows the first cartridge part 4a and second cartridge part 4b of an aerosol delivery system 1 capable of selectively blocking at least a part of the second material flow path 52b in accordance with a first example of the present disclosure.
In the example of figure 3, the first cartridge part 4a is substantially the same as the cartridge part 4 as described with respect to figure 1. In particular, the first cartridge part 4a comprises a housing 42, a reservoir 44 (or more generally an aerosol-generating material storage portion) which in this example is adapted to store a liquid aerosol-generating material (such as an e-liquid), an aerosol generator 48 (taking the form of an electrically resistive coil in this implementation, and provided in conjunction with a wick 46) and a mouthpiece opening 50 that communicates with a flow path 52 (or an air pathway) along which inhaled air is able to pass from an opening at the interface 6, past the aerosol generator 48 where aerosol generated from the liquid aerosol-generating material is entrained in the airflow before being delivered to the user through the mouthpiece opening 50.
Figure 3 also schematically shows a second cartridge part 4b, which is similar to the second cartridge part 4b described in figure 2. The second cartridge part 4b may be releasably coupled to the first cartridge part 4a or integrally formed with the first cartridge part 4a. In this example, the second cartridge part 4b is provided coupled to a side of the first cartridge part 4a, as opposed to an end of the first cartridge part 4a as per the configuration shown in figure 2, for example.
The second cartridge part 4b similarly comprises a reservoir 144 (or more generally a second material storage portion) for storing a second material, which in this example is held in a porous material 146 located in the reservoir 144, and an air inlet 128 and a second material flow path 52b both fluidly coupled to the reservoir 144 such that air that passes through the air inlet 128 into the second cartridge 4b is able to pass into the reservoir 144, through and/or around the porous substrate 146 to entrain the second material into the air flow, and along the second material flow path 52b. Because of the side-mounted configuration of the second cartridge part 4b in this implementation, the first cartridge part 4a is suitably adapted to allow the second material flow path 52b to pass through the reservoir 44 to communicatively couple to the flow path 52 of the first cartridge 4a. In other implementations, such as described above, the second material flow path 52b may alternatively extend to a second mouthpiece opening separate from the mouthpiece opening 50 of the first cartridge 4a. Broadly speaking, the configuration of the first and second cartridge parts 4a, 4b as shown in figure 3 may be considered a `parallel' or 'side-by-side' configuration of the cartridge parts 4a, 4b, whereas the configuration of the first and second cartridge parts 4a, 4b as shown in figure 2 may be considered a 'series or 'sequential' configuration of the cartridge parts 4a, 4b. Although figure 3 shows a parallel configuration of the cartridge parts 4a, 4b, it should be appreciated that the principles described herein may be applied additionally to series configurations of the cartridge parts 4a, 4b.
As seen in figure 3, the second cartridge 4b is provided with two moveable elements or blocking elements 150a, 150b. The blocking elements 150a, 150b are shown, schematically, in more detail in figure 4. The blocking elements 150a, 150b are arranged to move relative to the reservoir 144 of the second cartridge 4b. More specifically, the blocking elements 150a, 150b are arranged to move linearly along a direction indicated by the double-headed arrows in figure 3, perpendicular to the second material flow path 52b. The second cartridge 4b correspondingly comprises recesses into which the blocking elements 150a, 150b are able to be received and moved within. Although not shown, the blocking elements 150a, 150b and/or the corresponding recesses may comprise features (such as protrusions and recesses) that act to prevent the blocking elements 150a, 150b being removed from the second cartridge 4b but that still permit the relative motion as described above.
As seen in figure 4, the blocking elements 150a, 150b each comprise a rectangular body including an opening 151 in the middle thereof. The blocking elements 150a, 150b are each moveable, relative to the second material flow path 52b, between a first configuration in which the opening 151 is in fluid communication with the inlet 128 and/or second material flow path 52b, and a second configuration in which the opening 151 is out of fluid communication with the inlet 128 and/or second material flow path 52b such that a part of the rectangular body of the blocking element 150a, 150b intercepts and blocks the inlet 128 and/or second material flow path 52b. In the present example, when the blocking element 150a, 150b is in the protracted position (i.e., protruding from the second cartridge 4b as shown in figure 4), the lower part of the rectangular body of the blocking elements 150a, 150b intercepts the second material flow path 52b, thereby preventing the flow of air / second material along the second material flow path 52b. For example, any air that enters the inlet 128 is prevented from being able to pass to the reservoir 144 and/or any air/second material is prevented from passing from the reservoir 144 along the second material flow path 52b to the flow path 52 or to the inlet 128. Conversely, when the blocking element 150a, 150b is in the retracted position (i.e., pushed into the second cartridge 4b), the opening 151 is now brought into alignment with the inlet 128 and/or second material flow path 52b, such that by virtue of the opening 151, the flow of air / second material along the second material flow path 52b is now permitted via the opening 151. For example, air that enters the inlet 128 is able to pass through the opening 151 in the blocking element 150a to then pass to the reservoir 144 and air/second material is able to pass through the opening 151 in the blocking element 150b to pass along the second material flow path 52b to the flow path 52 or to inlet 128.
It should therefore be understood that when the blocking elements 150a, 150b are in the closed or protracted position, the second material is prevented from exiting the reservoir 144 and, in effect, is retained within the reservoir 144 as described above. Thus, any second material that is vaporised when the blocking elements 150a, 150b are in the closed or protracted position is kept within the reservoir 144 (or the volume defined between the blocking elements 150a, 150b and the reservoir 144). As should be appreciated, when the blocking elements 150a, 150b are moved to the open or retracted position, a user inhaling on the aerosol delivery system 1 is able to receive the second material that has been vaporised and stored in the reservoir 144, in addition to any second material that is subsequently vaporised as a result of the passing air through the reservoir 144.
In the example of figure 3, the blocking elements 150a, 150b are configured to be manually actuated. That is, a user actuates the blocking elements 150a, 150b by pressing on the rectangular body of the blocking elements 150a, 150b to cause the blocking elements 150a, 150b to move from the protracted position to the retracted position. In some examples, the user is also required to actuate the blocking elements 150a, 150b by pulling on the rectangular body of the blocking elements 150a, 150b to cause the blocking elements 150a, 150b to move from the retracted position to the protracted position. The blocking elements 150a, 150b and/or recesses are suitably configured to allow such actuation (e.g., the blocking element 150a, 150b may still protrude from the second cartridge 4b to some extent in the retracted position to allow the user to grip an end of the blocking element 150a, 150b).
However, in other implementations, the blocking elements 150a, 150b may be biased to a particular configuration, e.g., the closed or protracted position. For example, a biasing element (not shown), such as a spring, may be positioned between the base of the recess and the blocking elements 150a, 150b. When the user presses the blocking element 150a, 150b to cause the blocking element 150a, 150b to move to the retracted position, the biasing element is compressed. When the user releases the blocking element 150a, 150b, for example when the user has stopped inhaling, the biasing element causes the blocking element 150a, 150b to return to the protracted position. Thus, for a user to inhale the second material from the reservoir 144, the blocking elements 150a, 150b are depressed for the duration of the inhalation, and once the blocking elements 150a, 150b are released, the blocking elements return to a closed position.
In some implementations, the blocking elements 150a, 150b may be joined together, for example, via a bar or the like, such that both blocking elements 150a, 150b may be simultaneously actuated by a user. This may be a more convenient mechanism for a user to operate both blocking elements 150a, 150b, particularly when the blocking elements 150a, 150b are biased to a particular position (i.e., the closed position). This may enable the user to actuate both blocking elements 150a, 150b using a single hand or single finger, for example.
In alternative implementations, the blocking elements 150a, 150b may be electronically actuated, e.g., under control of the control circuitry 22. The aerosol delivery system 1 may be provided with a suitable motor or similar component capable of actuating the blocking elements 150a, 150b. The control circuitry 22 may control the blocking elements 150a, 150b in response to receiving a user input, e.g., such as a button press through user input mechanisms 14, 16, or automatically e.g., in response to another trigger or condition being realised, such as detection of the start or end of an inhalation. The blocking elements 150a, 150b may be biased or not biased to a particular position or configuration, as described above.
In the described example, the blocking elements 150a, 150b may be actuated independently. To prevent vaporised second material escaping the reservoir 144 between uses of the aerosol delivery system 1, it may be advantageous to actuate both blocking elements 150a, 150b (i.e., to the protracted positions) at the same or similar times. However, it should be appreciated that a reduction in the escape of vaporised second material from the reservoir 144 may be realised by actuating only one of the blocking elements 150a, 150b. Broadly speaking, the reservoir 144 may be considered to comprise an inlet or more generally a second material air pathway inlet (such as air inlet 128 and part of second flow path 52b extending from the inlet 128 to the reservoir 144) and an outlet or more generally a second material air pathway outlet (such as the part of the second flow path 54b extending from the reservoir 144 to the mouthpiece outlet 50 / flow path 52). By selectively blocking the inlet and/or the outlet of the reservoir 144, any volatised second material is able to be retained in the reservoir 144. By selectively blocking either of the inlet or outlet of the reservoir 144, a greater proportion of the vaporised second material is able to be retained in the reservoir 144 compared to situations where neither of the inlet or outlet is selectively blocked. In some implementations, blocking the outlet of the reservoir 144 may have the greatest impact on retaining vaporised second material in the reservoir 144 owing, in part, to the orientation that a user may typically hold the aerosol delivery system 1. In other implementations, the reservoir 144 may not comprise an inlet (and instead when a user inhales on the aerosol delivery system 1, the user simply draws the volume of air contained within the reservoir 144, whereby this volume of air is replenished once the user stops inhaling and air can flow along the outlet to the reservoir 144). In such cases, only the outlet of the reservoir 144 can be selectively blocked.
It should be appreciated that the blocking elements 150a, 150b as shown and described in figure 3 and 4 represent an example of a moveable element 150a, 150b. However, the blocking element 150a, 150b may take any suitable form that allows the selective blocking of the second material flow path 52b of the second cartridge 4b. For example, the blocking elements 150a, 150b may alternatively be configured to rotate relative to the second cartridge 4b as opposed to linearly moveable as described above.
In some further examples, the moveable elements comprise valves 250a, 250b. Figure 5 schematically shows an implementation in which the aerosol delivery system 1 comprises valves 250a, 250b.
Figure 5 will be understood from Figure 3, with the main difference being that the blocking elements 150a, 150b have been replaced with valves 250a, 250b. More specifically, the blocking element 150a is replaced with valve 250a which is located between the reservoir 144 and the inlet 128 along the second material flow path 52b, while the blocking element 150b is replaced with valve 250b which is located between the reservoir 144 and the flow path 52 at a location along the second material flow path 52b.
The valves 250a, 250b represent a moveable element in that at least a part of the valve 250a, 250b is configured to move in order to realise different configurations. In particular, the valve 250a, 250b can be arranged in a first configuration or position in which the valves 250a, 250b are open such that air/second material is permitted to flow through the valves 250a, 250b (and thus from the inlet 128 and along the second material flow path 52b), and a second configuration in which the valves 250a, 250b are closed such that air/second material is not permitted to flow through the valves 250a, 250b (and thus is unable to flow from the inlet 128 and/or along the second material flow path 52b). The operation is broadly the same as described in relation to the blocking elements 150a, 150b - that is, each of the valves 250a, 250b can be selectively actuated to block a portion of the second material flow path 52b. The valves 250a, 250b may be configured in any suitable way to be moveable between the first and second configurations. For example, the valves 250a, 250b may comprise a duckbill valve, a ball valve, butterfly valve, etc.
In some implementations, the valves 250a, 250b are coupled to an actuator (not shown) for causing the valve 250a, 250b to move between the first and second configurations. The actuator may be manually operated by a user, or electronically operated by a motor or the like under control of the control circuitry 22 in response to a user input or automatically in response to another trigger as described above. In some implementations, the valves 250a, 250b may be biased to a particular configuration, such as the closed configuration, and subsequently require actuation in order to be moved to the open configuration. In some implementations, the valves 250a, 250b may be actuated in response to a user inhalation. For example, this may be as a result of the aerosol delivery system 1 detecting the presence of a user inhalation and electronically causing the valves 250a, 250b to actuate in response to the detected inhalation. Alternatively, the valves 250a, 250b may be inhalation (puff) actuated, whereby the valves 250a, 250b are caused to move to the open configuration as a user inhales on the aerosol delivery system 1, i.e., in response to the changing pressures within the aerosol delivery system 1. Such an implementation may be more suited to a series configuration of the cartridge parts 4a, 4b with the valves 250a, 250b suitably arranged to be actuated by a user inhalation.
In other implementations, the aerosol delivery system 1 is configured to cause a section of the second material flow path 52b to be moved into and out of fluid communication with the remaining parts of the second material flow path 52b.
Figures 6 and 7 schematically show a further implementation of the aerosol delivery system 1 adapted to selectively block the second material flow 52b. In this implementation, the aerosol delivery system 1 is provided with a moveable element 350 that includes a section of the second material flow path 352b. The moveable element 350 is able to be moved so as to bring the section of the second material flow path 352b into and out of engagement with the remaining portion of the second material flow path 52b. Figure 6 shows the moveable element in a first, closed configuration in which the section of the second material flow path 352b is not in fluid communication with the remaining portion of the second material flow path 52b, while figure 7 shows the moveable element in a second, open configuration in which the section of the second material flow path 352b is in fluid communication with the remaining portion of the second material flow path 52b.
Figures 6 and 7 schematically show a part of the second cartridge part 4b in isolation from the first cartridge part 4a and control part 2 for ease of explanation of the principles of this implementation. However, it should be understood that the implementation described in the context of figures 6 and 7 may be applied to any of the aerosol provision systems 1 as described herein.
Figures 6 and 7 each schematically show, in cross-section, the second cartridge part 4b comprising a reservoir 144, porous substrate 146, inlet 128 and second material flow path 52b. In addition, each of figures 6 and 7 show a moveable element 350 positioned downstream of the reservoir 144. With reference to the general configurations of the aerosol provision system 1 of figures 3 and 5, it should be understood that the moveable element 350 is also located upstream of the flow path 52 of the first cartridge part 4a, however this is not visible in figures 6 and 7 for ease of explanation. The moveable element 350 includes a section of the second material flow path 352b. The section of the second material flow path 352b may be, for example, a tubular opening/passage or the like provided in the main body of the moveable element 352b and extending from one side of the body of the moveable element 350 to the other 350 (that is, the section of the second material flow path 352b provides a passage through the moveable element 352b).
In figure 6, the moveable element 350 is located in a first, closed position. In this position, the moveable body 350 is located in a protracted position (i.e., protruding from the second cartridge 4b). In this position, the moveable element 350 is located such that the section of the second material flow path 352b is not fluidly coupled to the remaining parts of the second material flow path 52b. Instead, and in a similar manner to the blocking elements 150a, 150b of figure 3, the main body of the moveable element not including the section of the second material flow path 352b intercepts and blocks the second material flow path 52b. That is, air/second material is prevented from passing in the direction of the reservoir 144 to the flow path 52 along the second material flow path 52b (or vice versa) because the moveable element 350 acts as an obstruction to air/second material flowing along the second material flow path 52b.
Although not shown in detail in figures 6 and 7, the second cartridge part 4b comprises a recess in which the moveable element 350 is located. The recess is sized to allow movement of the moveable element 350 relative to the second cartridge 4b, and in this particular implementation, the moveable element 350 is configured to move in a linear fashion as indicated by the double headed arrows in figures 6 and 7. In a similar manner to the implementation of figure 3, the moveable element 350 and/or recess may be configured to retain the moveable element 350 within the recess but simultaneously allow movement between the first, closed position and the second, open position. In addition, the recess of this example comprises a biasing element 354, such as a spring, which biases the moveable element 350 into a given position; namely, in this implementation, the first, closed position of figure 6.
In figure 7, the moveable element 350 is located in a second, closed position. In this position, the moveable body 350 is located in a retracted position (i.e., push into the second cartridge 4b or, as shown in figure 7, protruding from the second cartridge 4b but by a lesser extent than in figure 6). The moveable element 350 is pressed or otherwise moved into the second, closed position by application of a suitable force (e.g., from a user's finger) in the direction of movement of the moveable element 350 (e.g., in this implementation, towards the central axis of the second cartridge 4b). The suitable force is such that the biasing force provided by the biasing element 354 is overcome to allow such movement. In the implementation of figure 7, this is shown schematically by the compression of spring 354. As described above, while the suitable force is being applied the moveable element 350 remains in the second, closed position. However, when the suitable force is removed, e.g., the user removes their finger from the moveable element 350, the biasing element 354 causes the moveable element 350 to return back to the first, closed position.
In the second, open position, the moveable element 350 is located such that the section of the second material flow path 352b is now fluidly coupled to the remaining parts of the second material flow path 52b. That is, the main body of the moveable element 350 is moved such that the section of the second material flow path 352b of the moveable element 350 is brought into fluid communication with the remaining parts of the second material flow path 52b. That is, air/second material is now capable of passing in the direction of the reservoir 144 to the flow path 52 along the second material flow path 52b (or vice versa) by virtue of the section of the second material flow path 352b of the moveable element 350 now coupling with the remaining parts of the second material flow path 52b. Overall, it should be appreciated that the section of the second material flow path 352b, in essence, completes the second material flow path 52b thereby allowing second material in the reservoir 144 to pass along the second material flow path 52b.
In these implementations, the selective blocking of the second material flow path 52b is realised by removing a section of the second material flow path 52b, thereby providing a discontinuity of the second material flow path 52b. Although the implementations of figures 6 and 7 show a linear movement of the moveable element 350 relative to the second cartridge part 4b, it should be appreciated that any form of movement relative to the second cartridge part 4b that is capable of removing the second section of the second material flow path 352b from the second material flow path 52b is possible. For example, figure 8 schematically shows, in isolation, a moveable element 350' according to a second example, whereby the moveable element 350' is formed as a flat cylinder. Figure 8 shows the moveable element 350' when viewing a circular face of the flat cylinder. As can be seen, the moveable element 350' similarly comprises the section of the second material flow path 352b which similarly extends from one side of the moveable element 350' to the other to provide a channel/passage therethrough. In this implementation, the moveable element 350' is moveably attached to the second cartridge part 52b such that the moveable element is capable of rotation, i.e., about a central axis of the flat cylinder. Figure 8 shows a double-headed arrow indicating the direction of rotation. It should be appreciated that the function of such an implementation is substantially the same as described above. That is, the moveable element 350' is capable of being in a first, closed position in which the section of the second material flow path 352b is not provided in fluid communication with the remaining parts of the second material flow path 52b, and is rotatable to a second position in which the section of the second material flow path 352b is in fluid communication with the remaining parts of the second material flow path 52b. In some implementations, the moveable element 350' may be similarly biased to the first, closed position, thus requiring application of a suitable force to rotate and maintain the moveable element 350' in the second, open position.
In any of the described implementations, the moveable element 350, 350' may be actuated manually or electronically. When the moveable element 350, 350' is actuated manually, the moveable element 350, 350' has at least a part which is exposed to a user to allow the user to interact with the moveable element 350, 350' in order to apply a suitable force thereto to move the moveable element (e.g., via linear movement or rotational movement). The exposed part of the moveable element 350, 350' may be provided with features that allow the user to more easily interact with the moveable element 350, 350', such as knurling or other protrusions or the like. In implementations in which the moveable element 350, 350' is electronically actuated, the moveable element 350, 350' may not be exposed (i.e., the user may not be able to directly interact with the moveable element 350, 350').
In the implementations described above, the moveable element 350, 350' is biased to a position - namely, the first, closed position. However, it should be appreciated that this may not necessarily be the case for all implementations. In cases where the moveable element 350, 350' is not biased to a particular position, the moveable element 350, 350' is actuated to move from the first position to the second position and from the second position to the first position.
In the implementations described above, the moveable element 350, 350' is provided at the outlet of the reservoir 144 of the second cartridge part 4b (e.g., between the flow path 52 and the reservoir 144). However, it should be appreciated that the moveable element 350, 350' may be additionally or alternatively provided at the inlet of the reservoir 144 in implementations where an inlet is provided. In some instances where the moveable element 350, 350' is provided at both the inlet and the outlet of the reservoir 144, the moveable elements may be configured to move at the same time. For example, the moveable element at the inlet may be mechanically coupled to the moveable element at the outlet.
Alternatively, in some implementations, the moveable element 350, 350' may be configured such that the section of the second material flow path 352b of the moveable element 350, 350' includes the reservoir 144. That is, the reservoir 144 may be moved out of the second material flow path 52b by movement of the moveable element 350, 350'. In such implementations, the inlet and outlet of the reservoir 144 may be blocked by the walls of the recess in which the moveable element 350, 350' is able to move. Such a configuration may enable both the inlet and outlet of the reservoir 144 to be selectively blocked using only a single moveable element 350, 350', although the moveable element 350, 350' in such implementations may be larger than in the implementations above.
In the implementations described previously, the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350' have been arranged in the second cartridge part 4b. However, the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350' may be located at other locations in the aerosol delivery system 1. That is, the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350' may be located in the first cartridge part 4a and/or the control part 2, provided that the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350' are suitably arranged to cause the second material flow path 52b to be selectively blocked via movement of the moveable elements.
Figures 9 and 10 schematically shows another implementation of a moveable element 450 suitable for selectively blocking the second material flow path 52b, whereby the moveable element 450 is located at the mouthpiece outlet 50 and along the flow path 52 of the first cartridge part 4a. Figures 9 and 10 will be understood from either of figures 3 or 5, and only the differences herein will be described.
In figures 9 and 10, instead of the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b in the second cartridge part 4b, the aerosol delivery system 1 is provided with a moveable element 450 at the outlet 50 of the aerosol delivery system 1. The moveable element 450 represents a plug or sleeve which is arranged to be inserted into the mouthpiece outlet 50 and extend along the flow path 52 of the first cartridge part 4a. The moveable element 450 is moveable with respect to the first cartridge part 4a / control unit 2, as will be described in more detail below. The moveable element 450 comprises a central channel 452 that runs along the axis of the moveable element 450, and a side channel 452b that branches off the central channel 452 and extends to the side of the moveable element 450. Figures 9 and 10 show the moveable element 450 highly schematically and certain distances between a wall of the flow path 52 and the outer surface of the moveable element 450 are shown in an exaggerated manner for clarity.
Figure 9 shows the moveable element 450 arranged in a first, open position. In this example, the moveable element 450 is pushed into the flow path 52 of the first cartridge part 4a. It can be seen from figure 9 that flanges at the end of the moveable element 450 that extend outside of the first cartridge 4a abut against an end of the first cartridge 4a to limit movement of the moveable element 450 into the first cartridge 4a. In this first, open position, it can be seen that the side channel 452b is positioned such that it is in fluid communication with the second material flow path 52b. That is, in this position, any second material that flows along the second material flow path 52b in the direction towards the flow path 52 (e.g., as a user inhales on the aerosol delivery system 1), is capable of being received by the side channel 452b and subsequently provided to the central channel 452 of the moveable element 450. This configuration provides the second material flow path 52b such that it extends to and into the moveable element 450 by virtue of the side channel 452b.
It should further be appreciated that the central channel 452 is arranged in fluid communication with the flow path 52 and is therefore capable of receiving aerosol generated by the aerosol generator 48 that flows along the flow path 52. Consequently, it can be seen that when the moveable element 450 is in the first, open position, the second material received via the side channel 452b is capable of mixing with the aerosol received via the central channel 452 of the moveable element 450 before being delivered to the mouthpiece outlet 50. Note that in these implementations, the moveable element 450 and central channel 452 extends beyond the mouthpiece outlet 50. Hence, by virtue of the fact that the moveable element 450 protrudes from the first cartridge part 4a and extends beyond the outlet 50 of the cartridge 4a, the moveable element 450 may, in effect, form the mouthpiece of the aerosol delivery system 1 in this implementation whereby the user's lips may contact and engage with the moveable element 450, and aerosol (including the second material) is delivered to the user via the central channel 452 of the moveable element 450.
In figure 10, the moveable element 450 is moved to a second, closed position. The moveable element 450 may be moved in a linear direction, e.g., along the direction of extent of the flow path 52 and as shown by the double-headed arrow in figure 10, to move from the first, open position to the second closed position. Although not shown, the inner wall of the flow path 52 and/or the outer surface of the moveable element 450 may be provided with suitable mechanisms (such as protrusions and recesses accommodating the protrusions) that allow for the movement of the moveable element 450 to be limited and hence not be removed from the aerosol delivery system 1 / first cartridge part 4a. As can be seen, in this particular implementation, the moveable element 450 is moved such that the flanges of the moveable element 450 are brought away from the end of the first cartridge part 4a such that there is a gap between the flanges and the ends of the first cartridge part 4a. In this second, closed position, it can be seen that the side channel 452b is brought out of alignment with the second material flow path 52b, such that the side channel 452b is no longer capable of receiving the second material from the second material flow path 52b. In addition, a distal end of the moveable element 450 (where the distal end of the moveable element 450 is the end opposite the flanges of the moveable element 450 that is received in the flow path 52) is now positioned to block the exit of the second material flow path 52b. That is, as has broadly been described above, the distal end of the moveable element 450 acts to block the second material flow path 52b such that second material that flows along the second material flow path 52b is not able to be delivered to the flow path 52 / central channel 452 by virtue of the obstruction provided by the distal end of the moveable element 450.
Thus, in the implementation described above, a moveable element 450 is provided at an end of the aerosol delivery system 1 that is capable of being moved between a first position in which a second material flow path is capable of fluidly communicating with the outlet of the aerosol delivery system 1 (e.g., via the side channel 452b and central channel 452) and a second position in which the second material flow path is prevented or blocked from fluidly communicating with the outlet of the aerosol delivery system 1. In particular, the moveable element 450 is provided in such a way as to block an end or opening of the second material flow path, and consequently may not be provided in the second cartridge 4b and/or the second material flow path.
The implementation described above is an example of a suitable moveable element 450. However, it should be appreciated that the configuration of the moveable element 450 is not limited to the implementation shown in figures 9 and 10. For example, the moveable element 450 may be configured such that the position as shown in figure 10 (where the flanges of the moveable element 450 are separated from the end of the first cartridge 4a by a gap) may be alternatively configured to be the open position, e.g., by positioning the side channel closer to the distal end of the moveable element 450. Conversely, the position as shown in figure 9 (where the flanges of the moveable element 450 abut the end of the first cartridge 4a) may be alternatively configured to be the closed position. Additionally, the shape and configuration of the moveable element 450 may be dependent on the configuration of the first and second cartridge parts 4a, 4b. For example, in the configuration of figure 2, the moveable element 450 may have a similar T-shape configuration, but is provided within the outlet 50 of the aerosol delivery system 1 and wherein the flanges of the T-shaped moveable element 450 block the outlet(s) of the reservoir 144 to thereby block the second material flow path 52b when the moveable element 450 is arranged such that the flanges abut the ends of the reservoir 144. Adaptations of the moveable element 450 for use in a particular configuration of the aerosol delivery system 1 are within the purview of the skilled person.
In yet another implementation, the moveable element 550 may be a lid or plug or the like which is designed to similarly block the second material flow path 52b when in a first position, but which is removed from the flow path 52 and/or the first cartridge 4a to be in a second position in which the second material flow path 52b is capable of fluidly communicating with the outlet 50.
Figure 11 schematically shows such an implementation with a moveable element 550 as a lid for the aerosol delivery system 1. As noted above, the moveable element 550 in this implementation is arranged having a portion that extends into the flow path 52 of the first cartridge 4a and a flange that extends radially outward from the central axis of the moveable element 550. Figure 11 shows the moveable element 550 in a first, closed position. In this position, the moveable element 550 is inserted into the flow path 52 and the flanges contact the end of the first cartridge 4a. In this position, as seen in figure 11, the portion of the moveable element 550 that extends into the flow path 52 is positioned such that it blocks the opening to the second material flow path 52b, thereby preventing the flow of second material into the flow path 52. In this example, unlike the moveable element 450 in figure 10, the moveable element 550 also blocks the flow of aerosol along the flow path 52 / mouthpiece outlet 50.
In order to permit both aerosol to flow along the flow path 52 and second material to enter the flow path 52 from reservoir 144, the moveable element 550 is removed from the flow path 52 to provide the moveable element 550 in the second, open position. In particular, the moveable element 550 is pulled (e.g., in the direction of the arrow in figure 11) such that it is removed from the flow path 52. It should be appreciated that when the moveable element 550 is removed from the flow path 52, both aerosol and second material that enters the flow path 52 is able to flow along the flow path 52 and to the mouthpiece outlet 50 for inhalation by a user. The moveable element 550 may be attached to the first cartridge 4a or control unit 2 (e.g., via a tether) or may be loose. It should be appreciated that to move the moveable element 550 back into the first, closed position, the moveable element 550 is reinserted into the flow path 52.
As with the moveable element 450, the moveable element 550 may take any suitable form, which may be dependent on the specific configuration of the first and second cartridges 4a, 4b and the second material flow path 52b. In the describe implementations, the moveable element 550 blocks both the flow path 52 and the second material flow path 52b when the moveable element 550 is coupled to the first cartridge part 4a. However, in other implementations, the moveable element 550 may block only the second material flow path 52b. For example, in some implementations, where the second material flow path 52b has a dedicated mouthpiece outlet 50, the moveable element 550 may be configured to be inserted into, or cover, the dedicated mouthpiece outlet 50.
In addition, the moveable element 550 being a lid or plug has been described in the context of blocking the mouthpiece outlet 50 / outlet of the reservoir 144. However, it should be appreciated that a similar moveable element 550 may be provided to additionally or alternatively block the inlet 128 / inlet of the reservoir 144. Again, the specific shape and configuration of the moveable element 550 may depend on the specific arrangement of the first cartridge 4a and second cartridge 4b.
As described above, to help reduce the amount of second material that is lost to the environment outside of the aerosol delivery system 1, particularly between uses, the second material flow path 52b can be blocked, e.g., by a suitable moveable element 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550. When the second material flow path 52b is blocked, any vaporised second material from the porous substrate 146 is held within the volume defined by the moveable element 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 or is prevented from flowing in a particular direction to escape the aerosol delivery system 1.
Figure 12 represents an example method for using the aerosol delivery system 1 according to the present disclosure.
The method starts at step S1. At step S1, the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 are moved to the open position (i.e., such that the second material is capable of flowing from the reservoir 144 to the outlet 50 and/or air is capable of flowing from the inlet 128 to the reservoir 144), if they are not already in the open position. Step S1 may involve a user manually actuating the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 to the open position, e.g., by pressing or otherwise actuating the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550. This may also include actuating the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 via the user's breath, e.g., as described in respect of valves 250a, 250b. Alternatively, the user may provide an input to the control circuitry 22 to cause the control circuitry 22 to move the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 to the open position. In some examples, the input to the control circuitry 22 may be a button press via inputs 14, 16 of the control unit 2, which may be independent of the user's intention to actually generate aerosol at that time, or the input to the control circuitry 22 may be via a mechanism (e.g., a button or a puff sensor 30 or the like) that is configured to provide a signal that causes the aerosol generator 48 to begin operating. In either of these implementations, once the signal has been provided to the control circuitry 22, the control circuitry 22 may cause the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 to move to the open position.
At step S2, the aerosol generator 48 is activated and the aerosol generator 48 is controlled to generate aerosol from the aerosol-generating material in reservoir 44. The way in which the aerosol is generated is not significant to the principles of the present disclosure. However, as described above, an example may be via heating the aerosol-generating material to vaporise the aerosol-generating material. Typically, the aerosol delivery system 1 will begin generating aerosol from the moment a button is pressed or a puff sensor 30 detects a user's inhalation, or the like.
During step S2 (and potentially also during step S1, e.g., if a signal is received from a button/puff sensor 30 that causes the aerosol generator to start operation), the user is expected to inhale on the aerosol delivery system 1, i.e., at the mouthpiece outlet 50. Air that is inhaled through air inlet 28 passes along the flow path 52 and by the aerosol generator 48 where vaporised aerosol-generating material is entrained in the airflow. Equally, air that is inhaled through the air inlet 128 (if present) or that is present in the reservoir 144 passes along the second material flow path 52b to introduce second material into the flow path 52. The combined aerosol from the aerosol generator 48 and the second material from reservoir 144 is delivered to the user via the mouthpiece outlet 50.
At step S3, activation of the aerosol generator 48 is stopped (i.e., the aerosol generator 48 ceases operation). The precise mechanism by which the aerosol generator 48 is stopped may depend on the particular implementation. In some implementations, the aerosol generator 48 may be configured to activate for a predetermined time period from the moment of activation of the aerosol generator 48 (e.g., from the moment a button is pressed or a puff sensor 30 detects an inhalation). In other implementations, the aerosol generator 48 may be configured to activate for the duration of a user's input (e.g., for the duration the user presses the button or for the duration the puff sensor 30 detects a user is inhaling on the aerosol delivery system 1). In either case, the aerosol generator 48 is stopped after a period of time and the aerosol delivery system 1 ceases aerosol generation.
At step S4, after aerosol generation has stopped, the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 may be moved into the closed position. Again, as with step S1, step S4 may involve a user manually actuating the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 to the closed position, e.g., by pressing or otherwise actuating the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550, or in cases where the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 are biased to the closed position, simply removing or ceasing to apply the suitable force. Alternatively, the control circuitry 22 may cause the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 to move to the closed position, e.g., in response to detecting a button press via inputs 14, 16 of the control unit 2 or via the mechanism (e.g., a button or a puff sensor 30 or the like) no longer detecting the user's input indicative of the user wishing to generate aerosol (i.e., when the user no longer depresses the button or no longer inhales on the aerosol delivery system 1).
The method then proceeds back to step S1 for the next time a user wishes to generate and receive an aerosol. As noted above, during the time from S4 to S1, the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 prevent second material from exiting the reservoir 144 in one or both directions (e.g., towards the outlet 50 or towards the inlet 128), and subsequently any second material that is vaporised in the reservoir 144 during this time is accumulated in the reservoir 144 (and/or surrounding parts, such as the second material flow path 52b) and is capable of being delivered to the user during step S2.
In some implementations, it has been explained that the moveable element 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 may be biased to a particular, closed, position, and thus a user is to press or otherwise actuate the moveable element 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550, or the control circuitry 22 is configured to cause a suitable force to be applied to the moveable element 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550, to cause the moveable element 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 to move top the open position when the user wishes to inhale aerosol including the second material. Accordingly, it should be understood that at step S1, the suitable force is applied to the moveable element 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550, while at step S4 the suitable force is removed from the moveable element 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550.
In other implementations, the moveable element 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 may not be biased to a particular position, and thus at step S1, the user or control circuitry 22 causes a force to be applied to move the moveable element 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 to the open position, and at step S4 the user or control circuitry 22 causes another force to be applied to move the moveable element 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 to the closed position.
In some implementations, particularly when the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 are electronically controlled, the aerosol delivery system 1 may be configured to cause the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 to move to the closed position in response to a particular trigger. As discussed above, this may be in response to the control circuitry 22 determining that a user no longer wishes to generate aerosol (i.e. a button is no longer pressed or an inhalation no longer detected). Alternatively, this may be in response to a predetermined time period elapsing from the start of aerosol generation. Broadly, the aerosol delivery system in some implementations is configured to block at least a part of the second material flow path 52b a predetermined time after aerosol has been generated using the aerosol generator 48. In some examples, the predetermined time is determined from the end of activation of the aerosol generator 48 (i.e., from when the button is no longer pressed or an inhalation is no longer detected). In such examples, the predetermined time may be zero seconds (i.e., to coincide with the moment aerosol generation stops) or some time period thereafter, e.g., greater than or equal to 0.5 seconds, greater than or equal to 1 second, greater than or equal to 5 seconds, etc. which may give the user some time to move the aerosol delivery system 1 away from their mouth and/or to allow any residue to escape the aerosol delivery system 1. In other examples, the predetermined time is determined from the start of activation of the aerosol generator 48 (i.e., from the moment the button is pressed or from the moment an inhalation is detected). In such examples, the predetermined time period may be set to be at least equal to a typical inhalation on an aerosol delivery system 1, e.g., greater than or equal to 2 seconds, greater than or equal to 3 seconds, greater than or equal to 5 seconds, etc. In both implementations, the predetermined time may be set to be no greater than 60 seconds, no greater than 30 seconds, no greater than 20 seconds, no greater than 10 seconds, or no greater than 5 seconds.
In some implementations where the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 are not automatically controlled to move from one position to another, the aerosol delivery system 1 may be further configured to provide an indication to a user of the aerosol delivery system 1 to indicate to a user to block at least a part of the second material flow path 52b. In particular, the indication indicates to a user to move the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 to block at least a part of the second material flow path 52b.
Figure 13 represents a modification to the method of Figure 12. In this modification, between steps S3 and S4 is provided step S4a. At step S4a, after step S3, the aerosol delivery system 1 is configured to generate an indication to the user to block at least a part of the second material flow path 52b / to move the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 to block at least a part of the second material flow path 52b. The way in which the indication is provided to a user is not particularly limited. For example, the aerosol delivery system 1 may be configured to generate the indication using at least one of: a visual indicator (such as an LED or display screen or the like) configured to generate a visual indication, an audible indicator (such as a speaker or the like) configured to generate an audible indication, and a haptic indicator (such as a haptic motor or the like) configured to generate a haptic indication. The indication may be customised (e.g., in terms of intensity and/or type) by a user, either directly on the aerosol delivery system 1 (e.g., via buttons 14, 16) or indirectly via a remote device (such as a computer or smartphone, for example) communicatively coupled to the aerosol delivery system 1.
As described above, the indication may be provided a predetermined time after aerosol generation has ceased. Broadly, the aerosol delivery system in some implementations is configured to provide the indication a predetermined time after aerosol has been generated using the aerosol generator 48. In some examples, the predetermined time is determined from the end of activation of the aerosol generator 48 (i.e., from when the button is no longer pressed or an inhalation is no longer detected). In such examples, the predetermined time may be zero seconds (i.e., to coincide with the moment aerosol generation stops) or some time period thereafter, e.g., greater than or equal to 0.5 seconds, greater than or equal to 1 second, greater than or equal to 5 seconds, etc. which may give the user some time to move the aerosol delivery system 1 away from their mouth in order to view, or otherwise receive, the indication in a comfortable and convenient manner. In other examples, the predetermined time is determined from the start of activation of the aerosol generator 48 (i.e., from the moment the button is pressed or from the moment an inhalation is detected). In such examples, the predetermined time period may be set to be at least equal to a typical inhalation on an aerosol delivery system 1, e.g., greater than or equal to 2 seconds, greater than or equal to 3 seconds, greater than or equal to 5 seconds, etc. In both implementations, the predetermined time may be set to be no greater than 60 seconds, no greater than 30 seconds, no greater than 20 seconds, no greater than 10 seconds, or no greater than 5 seconds.
At step S4a, once the user acknowledges the indication, the user moves the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 at step S4, as described above. In some implementations, the aerosol delivery system 1 is configured to stop generating the indication when it is detected that the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 have been moved to the closed position / at least a part of the second material flow path 52b has been blocked. This may be detected via a suitable detector located in the aerosol delivery system 1 (e.g., such as a Hall sensor, or other motion detection) which may sense when the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 have been moved to the closed position.
Thus, there has generally been described an aerosol delivery system 1 for delivering an aerosol to a user. The aerosol delivery system 1 includes an aerosol-generating material storage portion, such as reservoir 44, for storing an aerosol-generating material (which may be a liquid, solid or other form of material), an aerosol generator 48 (which may be a heater) for generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material; an air pathway (e.g., flow path 52) fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and arranged so as to be fluidly coupled with an outlet 50 of the aerosol delivery system. The aerosol delivery system 1 further includes a second material storage portion, such as reservoir 144, for storing a second material (which may be a liquid or particulate). The second material storage portion is arranged such that the second material is capable of being delivered to the outlet 50 of the aerosol delivery system 1 via a second material air pathway (second material flow path 52b) extending at least from the second material storage portion and in fluid communication with the outlet 50. The aerosol delivery system 1 is configured such that at least a part of the second material air pathway is capable of being selectively blocked so as to prevent the flow of the second material along the second material air pathway.

Other features

The system 1 may be modular, i.e. any one or more sub-components of the system 1 may be removable / replaceable. In particular, each reservoir 44, 144, may be independently removable / replaceable, optionally with or without any associated capillary material(s) 146, or aerosol generator(s) 48, 148. Similarly, any capillary material(s) 146, or aerosol generator(s) 48, 148 may each be removable / replaceable in isolation or as part of a sub-system. In particular, the reservoir or cartridge may comprise a removable closure such as an end cap to provide hot-swappable reservoirs or capillary materials.
Although the description has focused on a first cartridge 4a that includes a liquid aerosol-generating material, it should be appreciated that the first cartridge 4a may be configured to generate aerosol from any suitable aerosol-generating material, e.g., such as tobacco or tobacco derived materials.
Although the aforementioned has focused on implementations where the second material flow path 52b is either blocked or unblocked, it should be appreciated that the cross-sectional area of the second material flow path 52b, perpendicular to the direction of travel of the second material along the second material flow path 52b in normal use, may be controlled via the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550. For example, positioning the blocking elements 150a, 150b half way between the closed and open positions may restrict the cross-sectional area of the second material flow path 52b at the locations of the blocking elements 150a, 150b. This may influence the amount of the second material that is capable of being delivered to the user via the outlet 50. For example, by reducing the cross-section of the second material flow path 52b, relatively less second material may be provided to the flow path 52 via the second material flow path 52b. Suitable adaptations of the moveable elements 150a, 150b, 250a, 250b, 350, 350', 450, 550 may be made to enable control of the amount of second material delivered to the outlet 50.
For the avoidance of doubt, although the above examples illustrate and describe material delivery systems in combination with an aerosol delivery system, the material delivery system is contemplated in isolation, particularly as an aerosol-free delivery system, an aerosol delivery system, or a cartridge for / containing aerosol-generating or sensory material for use with an aerosol-free or aerosol delivery system, e.g. supplementing aerosol generated by an aerosol delivery system using an aerosol generator with a second material, in aerosol or non-aerosol form.
For the avoidance of any doubt, this disclosure explicitly encompasses permutations of features disclosed within the application as filed, particularly utilising variable porosity capillary materials with a compressible reservoir and/or a pressure delivery mechanism.
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. Any functions of a processor (e.g. controller) may be shared between processors on the various devices/systems in the wider system and/or a remote server. 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. Protection may also be sought for any features disclosed in any one or more published documents referenced herein in combination with the present disclosure.

Terminology

Delivery System

As used herein, the term "delivery system" is intended to encompass systems that deliver at least one substance to a user in use, and includes:

combustible aerosol provision systems, such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, and tobacco for pipes or for roll-your-own or for make-your-own cigarettes (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, tobacco substitutes or other smokable material);
non-combustible aerosol provision systems that release compounds from an aerosol-generating material without combusting the aerosol-generating material, such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and hybrid systems to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials; and
aerosol-free delivery systems that deliver the at least one substance to a user orally, nasally, transdermally or in another way without forming an aerosol, including but not limited to, lozenges, gums, patches, articles comprising inhalable powders, and oral products such as oral tobacco which includes snus or moist snuff, wherein the at least one substance may or may not comprise nicotine.

Combustible Aerosol Provision System

According to the present disclosure, a "combustible" aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is combusted or burned during use in order to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.
In some embodiments, the delivery system is a combustible aerosol provision system, such as a system selected from the group consisting of a cigarette, a cigarillo and a cigar. In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to a component for use in a combustible aerosol provision system, such as a filter, a filter rod, a filter segment, a tobacco rod, a spill, an aerosol-modifying agent release component such as a capsule, a thread, or a bead, or a paper such as a plug wrap, a tipping paper or a cigarette paper.

Non-Combustible Aerosol Provision System

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 an aerosol-generating material heating system, also known as a heat-not-burn system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system.
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 or an exothermic power source. In some embodiments, the exothermic power source comprises a carbon substrate which may be energised so as to distribute power in the form of heat to an aerosol-generating material or to a heat transfer material in proximity to the exothermic 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 generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a filter, a mouthpiece, and/or an aerosol-modifying agent.

Aerosol-Free Delivery System

In some embodiments, the delivery system is an aerosol-free delivery system that delivers at least one substance to a user orally, nasally, transdermally or in another way without forming an aerosol, including but not limited to, lozenges, gums, patches, articles comprising inhalable powders, and oral products such as oral tobacco which includes snus or moist snuff, wherein the at least one substance may or may not comprise nicotine.
In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered may be an aerosol-generating material or a material that is not intended to be aerosolised. 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.

Active Substance

In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered 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 one embodiment the active substance is a legally permissible recreational drug. 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. The active substance may be CBD or a derivative thereof. 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.

Flavours

In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered 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.

Aerosol-generating material

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 semi-solid (such as a gel) which may or may not contain an active substance and/or flavourants. 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.
The aerosol-generating material may comprise a binder, such as a gelling agent, and an aerosol former. Optionally, a substance to be delivered and/or filler may also be present. Optionally, a solvent, such as water, is also present and one or more other components of the aerosol-generating material may or may not be soluble in the solvent. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is substantially free from botanical material. In particular, in some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is substantially tobacco free.
The aerosol-generating material may comprise or be in the form of an aerosol-generating film. The aerosol-generating film may comprise a binder, such as a gelling agent, and an aerosol former. Optionally, a substance to be delivered and/or filler may also be present. The aerosol-generating film may be substantially free from botanical material. In particular, in some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is substantially tobacco free. The aerosol-generating film may have a thickness of about 0.015 mm to about 1 mm. For example, the thickness may be in the range of about 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm or 0.15 mm to about 0.5 mm or 0.3 mm. The aerosol-generating material may comprise more than one film, and the thickness described herein may refer to the aggregate thickness of those films.
The aerosol-generating film may be continuous. For example, the film may comprise or be a continuous sheet of material. The sheet may be in the form of a wrapper, it may be gathered to form a gathered sheet or it may be shredded to form a shredded sheet. The shredded sheet may comprise one or more strands or strips of aerosol-generating material. The aerosol-generating film may be discontinuous. For example, the aerosol-generating film may comprise one or more discrete portions or regions of aerosol-generating material, such as dots, stripes or lines, which may be supported on a support. In such embodiments, the support may be planar or non-planar.
The aerosol-generating film may be formed by combining a binder, such as a gelling agent, with a solvent, such as water, an aerosol-former and one or more other components, such as one or more substances to be delivered, to form a slurry and then heating the slurry to volatilise at least some of the solvent to form the aerosol-generating film. The slurry may be heated to remove at least about 60 wt%, 70 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt% or 90 wt% of the solvent.
The aerosol-generating material may comprise or be an "amorphous solid". In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating materiel comprises an aerosol-generating film that is an amorphous solid. The amorphous solid may be a "monolithic solid". The amorphous solid may be substantially 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 amorphous solid may, for example, comprise from about 50wt%, 60wt% or 70wt% of amorphous solid, to about 90wt%, 95wt% or 100wt% of amorphous solid.
The amorphous solid may be substantially free from botanical material. The amorphous solid may be substantially tobacco free.

Aerosol-former 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.

Functional material

The one or more other functional materials may comprise one or more of pH regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.

Substrate

The material may be present on or in a support, to form a substrate. The support may, for example, be or comprise paper, card, paperboard, cardboard, reconstituted material, a plastics material, a ceramic material, a composite material, glass, a metal, or a metal alloy. In some embodiments, the support comprises a susceptor. In some embodiments, the susceptor is embedded within the material. In some alternative embodiments, the susceptor is on one or either side of the material.

Consumable

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

Susceptor

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.

Aerosol-modifying agent

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 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.

Aerosol generator

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.
The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery systems (which may also be referred to as vapour delivery systems) such as nebulisers or e-cigarettes. Throughout the following description the term "e-cigarette" or "electronic cigarette" may sometimes be used, but it will be appreciated this term may be used interchangeably with aerosol delivery system / device and electronic aerosol delivery system / device. Furthermore, and as is common in the technical field, the terms "aerosol" and "vapour", and related terms such as "vaporise", "volatilise" and "aerosolise", may generally be used interchangeably.
Aerosol delivery systems (e-cigarettes) often, though not always, comprise a modular assembly comprising a reusable device part and a replaceable (disposable/consumable) cartridge part. Often, the replaceable cartridge part will comprise the aerosol generating material and the vaporiser (which may collectively be called a 'cartomizer') and the reusable device part will comprise the power supply (e.g. rechargeable power source) and control circuitry. It will be appreciated these different parts may comprise further elements depending on functionality. For example, the reusable device part will often comprise a user interface for receiving user input and displaying operating status characteristics, and the replaceable cartridge device part in some cases comprises a temperature sensor for helping to control temperature. Cartridges are electrically and mechanically coupled to the control unit for use, for example using a screw thread, bayonet, or magnetic coupling with appropriately arranged electrical contacts. When the aerosol generating material in a cartridge is exhausted, or the user wishes to switch to a different cartridge having a different aerosol generating material, the cartridge may be removed from the reusable part and a replacement cartridge attached in its place. Systems and devices conforming to this type of two-part modular configuration may generally be referred to as two-part systems/devices.
It is common for electronic cigarettes to have a generally elongate shape. For the sake of providing a concrete example, certain embodiments of the disclosure will be taken to comprise this kind of generally elongate two-part system employing disposable cartridges. However, it will be appreciated that the underlying principles described herein may equally be adopted for different configurations, for example single-part systems or modular systems comprising more than two parts, refillable devices and single-use disposables, as well as other overall shapes, for example based on so-called box-mod high performance devices that typically have a boxier shape. More generally, it will be appreciated certain embodiments of the disclosure are based on aerosol delivery systems which are operationally configured to provide functionality in accordance with the principles described herein and the constructional aspects of systems configured to provide the functionality in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure is not of primary significance.
Throughout the disclosure, the terms 'substantially', 'approximately' and 'about' should be considered to mean within +/- 10% unless indicated otherwise.

Claims

An aerosol delivery system for delivering an aerosol to a user, the aerosol delivery system comprising:
an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material;
an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material;

an air pathway fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and arranged so as to be fluidly coupled with an outlet of the aerosol delivery system; and

a second material storage portion for storing a second material,
wherein the second material storage portion is arranged such that the second material is capable of being delivered to the outlet of the aerosol delivery system via a second material air pathway extending at least from the second material storage portion, and

wherein the aerosol delivery system is configured such that at least a part of the second material air pathway is capable of being selectively blocked so as to prevent the flow of the second material along the second material air pathway.
The aerosol delivery system of claim 1, wherein the aerosol delivery system is configured such that, when the at least a part of the second material air pathway is blocked, the second material is prevented from exiting the aerosol delivery system via the at least a part of the second material air pathway.
The aerosol delivery system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aerosol delivery system further comprises a second material air pathway inlet, wherein the second material air pathway is arranged so as to be fluidly coupled with the second material air pathway inlet, and wherein the aerosol delivery system is configured such that, when the at least a part of the air pathway is blocked, the second material is prevented from exiting the aerosol delivery system via the second material air pathway inlet.
The aerosol delivery system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aerosol delivery system comprises a moveable element configured to move, relative to the second material air pathway, between a first configuration in which the moveable element is configured to block the flow of second material along the second material air pathway and a second configuration in which the moveable element is configured to permit the flow of second material along the second material air pathway.
The aerosol delivery system of claim 4, wherein the moveable element is a valve, the valve being located in the second material air pathway and arranged to be in a closed state when in the first configuration and an open state when in the second configuration.
The aerosol delivery system of claim 5, wherein the valve is coupled to an actuator for actuating the valve between the closed state and the open state.
The aerosol delivery system of claim 4, wherein the moveable element comprises a section of the second material air pathway, wherein the section of the second material air pathway is capable of being moved, relative to the remaining portion of the second material air pathway, such that in the first configuration the section of the second material air pathway is not fluidly coupled to the remaining portion of the second material air pathway, and in second configuration the section of the second material air pathway is fluidly coupled to the remaining portion of the second material air pathway.
The aerosol delivery system of claim 7, wherein the moveable element is mounted in the aerosol delivery system such that the moveable element is capable of rotating about an axis, and wherein the moveable element is configured to switch between the first and second configurations by rotating the moveable element about the axis.
The aerosol delivery system of claim 7 or 8, wherein the moveable element is configured to be biased to the first configuration, and wherein the moveable element is configured to move into the second configuration when a suitable force is applied to the moveable element.
The aerosol delivery system of any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the moveable element is provided at an outlet of the aerosol delivery system, and wherein the second material air pathway extends to and into the moveable element.
The aerosol delivery system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aerosol delivery system is further configured to block the at least a part of the second material air pathway a predetermined time after aerosol has been generated using the aerosol generator.
The aerosol delivery system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aerosol delivery system is further configured to provide an indication to a user of the aerosol delivery system a predetermined time after aerosol has been generated using the aerosol generator, wherein the indication indicates to a user to block the at least a part of the second material air pathway.
In some examples, the predetermined time is determined from the end of activation of the aerosol generator.
The aerosol delivery system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aerosol delivery system is configured to receive a signal indicative of the user's desire to generate aerosol and, in response to the signal, cause the at least a part of the second material air pathway to be unblocked. In some examples, the user's desire to generate aerosol is indicated to the aerosol delivery system via a press of a button or detection of an inhalation on the aerosol delivery system.
An aerosol delivery device for coupling with an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material and a second material storage portion for storing a second material to form an aerosol delivery system for delivering an aerosol to a user, the aerosol delivery device comprising:
an air pathway fluidly capable of being fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and arranged so as to be fluidly coupled with an outlet of the aerosol delivery device; and

a second material air pathway capable of being fluidly connected to the second material storage portion, and extending at least from the second material storage portion,

wherein the aerosol delivery device is configured such that at least a part of the second material air pathway is capable of being selectively blocked so as to prevent the flow of the second material along the second material air pathway.
A method for configuring an aerosol delivery system for delivering an aerosol to a user, the aerosol delivery system comprising an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material, an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material, an air pathway fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and arranged so as to be fluidly coupled with an outlet of the aerosol delivery system, a second material storage portion for storing a second material, the method comprising:
selectively blocking at least a part of a second material air pathway extending at least from the second material storage portion to the outlet of the aerosol delivery system so as to prevent the flow of the second material along the second material air pathway.