EP4684658A1

EP4684658A1 - Delivery systems, devices and methods

Info

Publication number: EP4684658A1
Application number: EP24190063.8A
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; Colin Dickens
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: WO2026022466A1

Abstract

Aerosol delivery system (1) including an aerosol-generating material storage portion (144), an aerosol generator (48), an air pathway (52) fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion; and a second material storage portion for storing a second material, arranged such that the second material is capable of being delivered to an outlet of the aerosol delivery system via a second material air pathway (52b). The second material storage portion comprises first (146a) and second (146b) porous substrate materials provided in an arrangement such that the first porous substrate material is exposed to the second material air pathway, and wherein the second porous substrate material has a greater capillary potential than the first porous substrate material, such that the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent preferentially held in the second porous substrate material. Also described is a second material storage portion 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 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 second material storage portion comprises a first porous substrate material adapted to store the second material and a second porous substrate material adapted to store the second material. The first porous substrate material and second porous substrate material are provided in an arrangement such that the first porous substrate material is exposed to the second material air pathway. The second porous substrate material has a greater capillary potential than the first porous substrate material, such that the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent in the second porous substrate material.
In some examples, the aerosol-generating material is a liquid aerosol-generating material, such as an e-liquid, a gel aerosol-generating material, such as an amorphous solid, or a solid aerosol-generating material.
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 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 difference in capillary potential between the first porous substrate and the second porous substrate is 20% or greater, 30% or greater, 40% or greater, 50% or greater, 60% or greater, 70% or greater, 80% or greater, 90% or greater, 100% or greater, 110% or greater, 120% or greater, 130% or greater, 140% or greater or 150% or greater.
In some examples, in use, second material is stored in both the first porous substrate material and the second porous substrate material, and wherein the first and second porous substrate materials are configured such that second material that is vaporised from the first porous substrate material as air passes through the second material air pathway is replenished with second material from the second porous substrate material.
In some examples, the second porous substrate material is embedded in and surrounded by the first porous substrate material.
In some examples, the second porous substrate material is completely surrounded by the first porous substrate material.
In some examples, the second porous substrate material comprises one or more spherical balls.
In some examples, the second porous substrate material is provided adjacent the first porous substrate material such that each of the surfaces of the second porous substrate material are contacted by at least one of the first porous substrate material and a wall of the second material storage portion.
In some examples, the first and second porous substrate materials each comprise a plurality of pores, wherein the average pore diameter of the second porous substrate material is less than the average pore diameter of the first porous substrate material.
In some examples, the surface energy of the second porous substrate material is greater than the surface energy of the first porous substrate material.
In some examples, the first and second porous substrate materials are integrally formed with one another to provide a single component.
In some examples, the first and second porous substrate materials comprise or consist of a sponge material, a fibrous material, a porous thermoplastic polymer, or combinations thereof.
In some examples, 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.
In some examples, the sponge material consists of polyurethane and/or the fibrous material consists of cellulose acetate.
In some examples, the porous thermoplastic polymer is selected from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, natural rubber, nylon 6, polyamide, polyamideimide, polyarylate, polycarbonate, polydimethyl siloxane, polyetheretherketone, polyetherimide, polyethersulphone, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethylmethacrylate, polyoxymethylene, polyphenylene sulphide, polypropylene, polystyrene, polysulphone, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylchloride, and mixtures thereof.
In some examples, the aerosol delivery system further comprises the second material.
In some examples, wherein the first porous substrate material and the second porous substrate material are configured such that the first porous substrate material and the second porous substrate material both exert a capillary force on the second material.
In some examples, the second material comprises an active and/or other substance(s) having boiling points in the range of from 50°C to 300°C, or from 100°C to 300°C, and/or having a vapour pressure of from 0.0001 mmHg to 15 mmHg, or from 0.0001 mmHg to 12 mmHg.
In some examples, the second material comprises one or more solvents, which may be 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.
According to a second aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a second material storage portion for use with 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, and 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. The second material storage portion is for storing a second material, the second material storage portion 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 second material storage portion comprises a first porous substrate material adapted to store the second material and a second porous substrate material adapted to store the second material. The first porous substrate material and second porous substrate material are provided in an arrangement such that the first porous substrate material is exposed to the second material air pathway. The second porous substrate material has a greater capillary potential than the first porous substrate material, such that the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent in the second porous substrate material.
According to a third aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a method for manufacturing an aerosol delivery system for providing an aerosol to a user, the method including: providing an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material; providing an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material; providing 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 providing 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 providing the second material storage portion with a first porous substrate material adapted to store the second material and a second porous substrate material adapted to store the second material. The first porous substrate material and second porous substrate material are provided in an arrangement such that the first porous substrate material is exposed to the second material air pathway. The second porous substrate material has a greater capillary potential than the first porous substrate material, such that the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent in the second 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, 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 according to aspects of the present disclosure;
Figure 3 is a schematic cross-section view of a part of the second cartridge and second material reservoir of Figure 2, showing in particular an arrangement of first and second porous substrate materials according to a first implementation;
Figure 4 is a schematic cross-section view of a part of the first porous substrate material and the second porous substrate material showing the first and second porous substrate materials having different pore sizes or diameters;
Figure 5 is a schematic cross-section view of a part of the first porous substrate material and the second porous substrate material showing the first and second porous substrate materials being formed from different materials having different surface energies;
Figure 6 is a schematic cross-section view of a part of the second cartridge and second material reservoir of Figure 2, showing in particular an arrangement of first and second porous substrate materials according to a second implementation; and
Figure 7 is an example method for manufacturing the aerosol delivery system including the first and second porous substrate materials according to aspects of the present disclosure.

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 Bluetooth^®, 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.

Controlled Release

In accordance with the present disclosure, the aerosol delivery system 1 is configured to permit a controlled release of the second material during use of the aerosol delivery system 1.
In particular, the aerosol delivery system 1 is arranged such that the capillary or porous material 146 storing at least a part of the second material is capable of controlled release of the second material. This is achieved by providing a first porous substrate material 146a and a second porous substrate 146b, both configured to store at least some of the second material. The first porous substrate material 146a is arranged so as to be exposed to the second material flow path 52b, so as to allow the second material held in the first porous substrate material 146a to be entrained in the air flow through the second material reservoir 144. The second porous substrate material 146b has a greater capillary potential (or capillarity) than the first porous substrate material 146a. The second material is therefore more likely to be retained in the second porous substrate material 146b than in the first porous substrate material 146a. In other words, a greater force is required to displace the second material from the second porous substrate material 146b than from the first porous substrate material 146a.
In this regard, the proportion of a give mass of second material held in either of the first or second porous substrate material 146a, 146b is in an equilibrious state. The exact proportions will depend on a variety of factors including the mass of second material and the available volume of the first and second porous material substrates 146a, 146b. As air flows along the second material flow path 52b, this air flow entrains the second material from the first porous substrate material 146a, thereby depleting or reducing the amount of second material held in the first porous substrate material 146a. Because of the equilibrious state, second material stored in the second porous substrate material 146b flows from the second porous substrate material 146b to the first porous substrate material 146a, thereby replenishing the first porous substrate material 146a with second material. The replenished second material can subsequently be entrained in air flow through the second material reservoir 144. In this way, the second porous substrate material 146b can be considered to selectively replenish the first porous substrate material 146a, i.e., when the amount of second material in the first porous substrate 146a is reduced. Because the second porous substrate material 146b is capable of retaining the second material to a greater extent than the first porous substrate material 146a, owing to the greater capillary potential, the second material is capable of being retained in the second porous material 146b to a greater extent and for a longer period of time. Therefore, the second material can be, in essence, fed to the first porous substrate material 146a over time, to help increase the longevity of the aerosol delivery system 1 (in respect of being able to deliver second material over a greater number of inhalations or uses of the aerosol delivery system 1).
Figure 3 schematically shows the second cartridge part 4b of Figure 2 in more detail. Figure 3 will be understood from Figure 2 and similar components are labelled with the same reference signs.
Figure 3 shows the second cartridge part 4b, and in particular the second material reservoir 144, in more detail. As can be seen, the second material reservoir 144 defines a volume in which is located a first porous substrate (or capillary) material 146a, shown by the less dense shading, and a second porous substrate (or capillary) material 146b, shown by the more dense shading. As noted above, the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b are both adapted to hold (e.g., absorb or otherwise retain) the second material, and are suitable arranged or configured to do so (e.g., by having pores or capillaries that are sized to received and absorb the second material). However, the first and second porous substrate (or capillary) materials 146a, 146b differ in their degree of capillary potential.
Capillary potential (or sometimes referred to as capillarity) may be defined as the force per unit area that is required to pull a unit mass of liquid from a level surface of said liquid to a point within the capillary region. Put another way, the capillary potential can be considered to represent the ability of a porous material to pull liquid into that porous material and, to an extent, retain that liquid in the porous material. There may be a number of factors that influence the capillary potential of a given porous material, including the properties of the liquid itself. However, for a given liquid aerosol-generating material, the capillary potential of the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b may be influenced at least by the pore or channel size of pores or channels of the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b and/or the material properties of the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b (and in particular, the surface energy of the material used, which may be influenced by the type of material used and/or the surface roughness or shape of the material).
Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is understood that for a given mass M of aerosol-generating material held within the porous substrate material 146, a proportion of that mass M is held in the first porous substrate material 146a, herein denoted M1, and a proportion of that mass M is held in the second porous substrate material 146b, herein denoted M2. The actual proportions M1 and M2 will be dependent on a variety of factors, including the difference in capillary potential between the two porous substrate materials 146a, 146b, where a greater difference in capillary potential will lead to a greater difference in the proportions M1 and M2, in addition to the storage volume / volume available for storing the mass of aerosol-generating material. For example, when the available storage volume of both the first porous substrate 146a and second porous substrate material 146b are the same and greater than the volume occupied by the mass M of aerosol-generating material, then the proportion of the mass M1 and M2 may be dependent only on the difference in capillary potential, whereas if, for example, the available storage volume in the second porous substrate material 146b is such that the second porous substrate material 146b is saturated with the aerosol-generating material, then any excess aerosol-generating material may be held in the first porous substrate material 146a. When the mass M1 in the first porous substrate material decreases, for example by an amount ΔM1, due to vaporisation of the amount of aerosol-generating material M1 held in the first porous substrate material 146a, the remaining mass (i.e., M minus ΔM1) is, in effect, redistributed between the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b, thereby acting to replenish the first porous substrate material 146a with aerosol-generating material from the second porous substrate material 146b.
While there may be a number of factors that influence the actual proportions of the mass M of aerosol-generating material that is stored in the first porous substrate 146a or the second porous substrate 146b, in some implementations, the difference in capillary potential between the first porous substrate 146a and the second porous substrate 146b is 20% or greater, 30% or greater, 40% or greater, 50% or greater, 60% or greater, 70% or greater, 80% or greater, 90% or greater, 100% or greater, 110% or greater, 120% or greater, 130% or greater, 140% or greater or 150% or greater. In this regard, the capillary potential of a given porous substrate may be determined based on the height a given liquid that is absorbed by the porous substrate reaches e.g., where the porous substrate may absorb a liquid, the height at which the liquid reaches in the porous substrate (i.e.., acting against gravity) can be an indicator for capillary potential. A porous substrate having 20% greater capillary potential may absorb liquid and reach a height that is 1.2 times greater. However, it should be appreciated that there may be various other techniques that are suitable for measuring the capillary potential of a given porous substrate material (e.g., the difference in pore size and/or the difference in surface energy may represent equally suitable measures of the capillary potential, where for example a porous substrate having 20% greater capillary potential may have pore sizes 20% smaller or a surface energy that is 20% greater).
In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, the first porous substrate material 146a is arranged such that at least a part of the first porous substrate material 146a either forms or is in contact with an air path through the second material reservoir 144. In Figure 3, the second material flow path 52b extends from the air inlet 128, through the second material reservoir 144, to an outlet 130 of the second material reservoir 144, and then flows parallel to the main air path 52a to the mouthpiece outlet 50. The flow of air in such an arrangement is shown by the black arrows labelled A in Figure 3. As can be seen, in the second material reservoir 144, the air flow shown by the black arrows A pass along a surface of the first porous substrate material 146a as the air flows along the second material flow path 52b. The first porous substrate material 146a can be said to be exposed, at least in part, to the air flow through the second material reservoir 144. In this particular example, the first porous substrate material 146a is formed as a hollow cylinder and is inserted into the annular second material reservoir 144. As such, it can be understood that the outer curved surface of the hollow cylindrical first porous substrate material 146a is exposed to the air flow A through the second material reservoir 144. As such, the air flow through the second material reservoir 144 is capable of receiving vaporised second material and/or in some instances, also causing the vaporisation of the second material of the first porous substrate material 146a.
In this regard, however, it should be appreciated that the first porous substrate material 146a may be arranged in any suitable manner within the second material reservoir 144 such that at least a part of the first porous substrate 146a is exposed to the air flow through the second material reservoir 144. This may include one or more outer surfaces of the first porous substrate material 146a being exposed to the air flow through the second material reservoir 144, for example as shown in Figure 3, whereby the air flow passes by or contacts the one or more outer surfaces of the first porous substrate 146a. Additionally or alternatively, the first porous substrate material 146a may be arranged, relative to the second material reservoir 144, such that the air flow is capable of directed through or into the first porous substrate material 146a. Particularly in the latter case it should be appreciated that in some instances the air flow through the first porous substrate material 146a may reach the second porous substrate material 146b. However, broadly speaking, the second porous substrate material 146b is not considered to be exposed to the air flow through the second material reservoir 144. Put another way, the majority of the air flow (e.g., greater than 80%, greater than 90%, greater than 95% or greater than 99% of the total air flow) through the second material reservoir 144 is adjacent to / through the first porous substrate material 146a. Accordingly, the first porous substrate material 146a is the primary component of the capillary material 146 that releases aerosol-generating material to the air flow through the second material reservoir 144. The first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b may occupy the entire volume of the second material reservoir 144 or, as shown in Figure 3, the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b may occupy a proportion of the second material reservoir 144 that is less than 100%.
The second porous substrate material 146b is generally provided such that it is not exposed to the air flow A through the second material reservoir 144. In Figure 3, the second porous substrate material 146b may similarly be a hollow cylinder but have an outer radius approximately similar to the inner radius of the first porous substrate material 146a. Consequently, as seen in Figure 3, the second porous substrate material 146b is located adjacent the first porous substrate material 146a when located in the second material reservoir 144 such that the second porous substrate material 146b is spaced from (or separated from) the air flow A through the second material reservoir 144 by the first porous substrate material 146a. More generally, the second porous substrate material 146b is provided adjacent the first porous substrate material 146a such that each of surface of the second porous substrate material 146b is contacted by at least one of the first porous substrate material 146a (e.g., the inner surface of the hollow cylinder of the first porous substrate material 146a) and a wall of the second material reservoir 144. In this way, the second porous substrate material 146b is shielded, at least directly, from the air flow A flowing through the second material reservoir 144. It should be appreciated how, from above, it should be appreciated that in some implementations the second porous substrate material 146b may be in communication with the air flow, however, the majority of the air flow (e.g., greater than 80%, greater than 90%, greater than 95% or greater than 99% of the total air flow) through the second material reservoir 144 is adjacent to / through the first porous substrate material 146a.
Although the above has described a particular arrangement of the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b, it should be appreciated that the principles of the present disclosure may extend to alternative constructions / arrangements of the aerosol delivery system 1 and in particular the second material reservoir 144. For example, in some implementations, the second material reservoir 144 may be a cylinder (as opposed to an annular / hollow cylinder arrangement as shown in Figure 2 and 3), or even a cuboid or the like, and the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b may be suitably arranged in the second reservoir 144. In particular, although not exclusively, the second porous substrate material 146a, 146b is located such that each of the surfaces of the second porous substrate material 146b are contacted by at least one of the first porous substrate material 146a and a wall of the second material reservoir 144.
As explained above, the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b are arranged such that they have different capillary potentials. In particular, the first porous substrate material 146a has a lower capillary potential than the second porous substrate material 146b. As explained above, there may be a number of factors that influence the capillary potential of the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b.
Figure 4 schematically shows a first example of a part of the porous substrate material 146 of Figure 3, according to a first example in which the average pore size of the first porous substrate material 146a is different to the average pore size of the second porous substrate material 146b. As Figure 4 only schematically shows a part of the porous substrate material 146 (and in particular, an interface between the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b) other features of Figure 3 are consequently omitted.
In the example of Figure 4, the capillary potential is a function of the pore size or average pore size of the pores 147a, 147b forming the first and second porous substrate material 146a, 146b. Figure 4 shows the first porous substrate material 146a and the second porous substrate material 146b formed form the same material, but each having pores of different sizes. In particular, it can be seen that the average pore size of the pores 147a forming the first porous substrate material 146a is larger than the average pore size of the pores 147b forming the second porous substrate material 146b. As explained above, owing to the smaller average pore size of the pores 147b of the second porous substrate material 146b, the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent in the second porous substrate material 146b.
Figure 5 schematically shows a second example of a part of the porous substrate material 146 of Figure 3, according to a second example in which the material properties of the first porous substrate material 146a are different to the material properties of the second porous substrate material 146b. As Figure 5 only schematically shows a part of the porous substrate material 146 (and in particular, an interface between the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b) other features of Figure 3 are consequently omitted.
In the example of Figure 5, the capillary potential is a function of the material properties of the first and second porous substrate material 146a, 146b. The first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b do not necessarily need to be formed of different materials, but this is one way in which a material property known as the surface energy may be changed between the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b. The surface energy of a material may be measured by through determining the contact angle or performing contact angle measurements. The contact angle is the angle between a liquid surface and a solid surface where they meet. A greater contact angle is indicative of a lower surface energy, and conversely a low contact angle is indicative of a higher surface energy. The contact angle is a function not only of the surface energy, but also of the liquid / aerosol-generating material in question. However, for a given aerosol-generating material, changing the surface energy changes the contact angle, which subsequently influences the capillary potential. In Figure 4, the first porous substrate material 146a is formed form a material having a lower surface energy (and therefore a higher contact angle) than the second porous substrate 146b. Consequently, the capillary potential is greater in the second porous substrate material 146b. Additionally or alternatively, the surface energy may be adjusted by providing a surface effect or modification, such as roughening or smoothing, particularly in the pores 147 of the porous substrate materials 146a, 146b. Put more simply, by changing the material and/or the surface characteristics of the material that the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b are formed from in order to provide a difference in surface energy. Hence, as explained above, this owing to the larger surface energy of the second porous substrate material 146b, the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent in the second porous substrate material 146b.
It should be appreciated that Figures 4 and 5 represent two potential mechanism for changing or setting the capillary potential for the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b. Any other suitable technique may be used in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. In addition, it should be realised that the techniques of Figures 4 and 5, i.e., different pore sizes and different surface energies of the porous substrate materials 146a, 146b, may be combined in order to provide a configuration of the porous substrate materials 146a, 146b that satisfy the design requirements.
Returning to Figure 3, as the air flow A passes through the second material reservoir 144, and vaporised second material from the first porous substrate material 146a is entrained in the air flow A, the second material stored in the second porous substrate material 146b is able to flow into the first porous substrate material 146a as described above. This is schematically shown by the white arrows in Figure 3. As such, because the second porous substrate material 146b has a greater capillary potential (e.g., smaller average pore size) than the first porous substrate material 146a, the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent in the second porous substrate material 146b. This means that the second porous substrate material146b is able to retain the second material for a relatively longer duration than the first porous substrate material 146a. Because the first porous substrate material 146a is exposed to the air path 52b, when vaporised second material escapes from the first porous substrate material 146a to the air path 52b, the equilibrium is disturbed and the second material flows to the first porous substrate material 146a to restore the equilibrium. Hence, in use, second material that is vaporised from the first porous substrate material 146a as air passes through the second material air path 52b is replenished with second material from the second porous substrate material 146b.
Figure 6 schematically shows the second cartridge part 4b of Figure 2 in more detail and in accordance with a second example. Figure 6 will similarly be understood from Figures 2 and 3 and similar components are labelled with the same reference signs.
Figure 6 similarly the second cartridge part 4b, and in particular the second material reservoir 144. In this second example, the second material reservoir 144 receives a first porous substrate (or capillary) material 146a, shown by the less dense shading, and a second porous substrate (or capillary) material 146b, shown by the more dense shading. However, in this example, the second porous substrate material 146b is formed as a series of spherical balls distributed throughout the first porous substrate material 146a (which in this example is a hollow cylinder similar to Figure 3 albeit having a smaller internal radius). However, it should be appreciated that the shape of the second porous substrate material 146b need not be spherical; for example, the second porous substrate material 146b may comprise one or more cubes, one or more cuboids, etc. distributed throughout the first porous substrate material 146a.
In this example, the second porous substrate material 146b is embedded in and surrounded by the first porous substrate material 146a, and in particular the second porous substrate material 146b is completely surrounded by the first porous substrate material 146a. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations, the second porous substrate material 146b need not be completely surrounded by the first porous substrate material 146a (for example, the second porous substrate material 146b may be arranged such that it has a surface in contact with the walls of the second material reservoir 144). By embedding the second porous substrate material 146b in the first porous substrate material146a and/or by surrounding the second porous substrate material 146b by the first porous substrate material 146a, the transfer of the second material from the second porous substrate material 146b may be improved, i.e., by providing a relatively larger proportion of the surface area of the second porous substrate material 146b in contact or fluid communication with the first porous substrate material 146a. In other words, this may facilitate a more rapid redistribution of the second material between the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b.
The way in which the implementation of Figure 6 functions, in use, is substantially the same as described with respect to Figure 3. As the air flow A passes through the second material reservoir 144, and vaporised second material from the first porous substrate material 146a is entrained in the air flow A, the second material stored in the second porous substrate material 146b is able to flow into the first porous substrate material 146a as described above (and potentially at a more rapid rate in this implementation). Again, because the second porous substrate material 146b has a greater capillary potential (e.g., smaller average pore size or greater surface energy) than the first porous substrate material 146a, the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent in the second porous substrate material 146b. Because the first porous substrate material 146a is exposed to the air path 52b, when vaporised second material escapes from the first porous substrate material 146a to the air path 52b, the equilibrium is disturbed and the second material flows to the first porous substrate material 146a to restore the equilibrium. Hence, in use, second material that is vaporised from the first porous substrate material 146a as air passes through the second material air path 52b is replenished with second material from the second porous substrate material 146b.
Therefore, in accordance with the techniques described above, the ability of the aerosol delivery system 1 to provide / deliver second material to a user as part of inhalations by the user on the aerosol delivery system 1 can be improved in terms of longevity. In particular, as compared to providing a porous substrate material formed from the first porous substrate material 146a, the second material can be retained to a greater extent in the second porous substrate material 146b (i.e., preferentially retained in the second porous substrate material 146b). When the second material is held or retained in the second porous substrate material 146b, it can be considered less likely to vaporise and/or escape the porous substrate material 146 by virtue of the greater capillary potential. The second porous substrate material can be through of as a separate reservoir capable of selectively dosing the first porous substrate material 146a with the second material as the second material in the first porous substrate material 146a depletes.
In terms of the first and second porous substrate material 146a, 146b these may be formed as separate components and subsequently assembled into the structures shown in Figures 3 and 6. However, in other implementations, the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b may be integrally formed. In one example, a single material may be provided and pores engineered into the single material, where different regions of the single material form the first porous substrate material 146a (e.g., with larger diameter pores and/or lower surface energy) and the second porous substrate material 146b (e.g., with smaller diameter pores and/or higher surface energy) through applying suitable manufacturing techniques (e.g., drilling of the pores or roughening of the surfaces, etc.). In other implementations, a single porous material may be provided and a manufacturing technique applied to alter the average pore size and/or the surface energy of one region of the single porous material. In yet other implementations, the first porous substrate material 146a may be formed around the second substrate material 146b (e.g., particularly where the second porous substrate material is embedded or surrounded by the first porous substrate material 146a). How the first and second porous substrate materials are formed is not of significance to the principles of the present disclosure.
The first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b may be formed from any suitable material. In some implementations, the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b comprise or consist of a sponge material, a fibrous material, a porous thermoplastic polymer, or combinations thereof. It should be appreciated that the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b may be formed from the same or different materials. In some implementations, 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. In some implementations, the sponge material consists of polyurethane and/or the fibrous material consists of cellulose acetate. In some implementations, the porous thermoplastic polymer is selected from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, natural rubber, nylon 6, polyamide, polyamideimide, polyarylate, polycarbonate, polydimethyl siloxane, polyetheretherketone, polyetherimide, polyethersulphone, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethylmethacrylate, polyoxymethylene, polyphenylene sulphide, polypropylene, polystyrene, polysulphone, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylchloride, and mixtures thereof.
Although the above disclosure has focused on a particular configuration of the aerosol delivery system 1, as shown in Figure 2, where the second cartridge part 4b is disposed sequentially with the first cartridge part 4a such that air flow along the flow path 52a passes along the first cartridge part 4a and to the second cartridge part 4b, it should be appreciated that the aerosol delivery device may be configured in any suitable manner, and namely in which a second material reservoir 144 is provided and capable of delivering a second material to the mouthpiece outlet 50 of the aerosol delivery system 1. For example, in some implementations, the second cartridge part 4b may be provided in a parallel configuration (or side-by-side configuration) with the first cartridge part 4a, whereby airflows through both the first cartridge part 4a and the second cartridge part 4b are delivered to a common or separate mouthpiece openings 50. The specific configuration of the aerosol delivery system 1 is not significant to the principles of the present disclosure.
In addition, it should be appreciated that the second cartridge part 4b, comprising the second reservoir 144, may be a standalone and/or removable component of the aerosol delivery system 1. That is to say, the principles of the present disclosure extend, in some implementations, to a second material reservoir 144 for use with an aerosol delivery system 1 for delivering an aerosol to a user, wherein the second material reservoir 144 is for storing a second material and 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 path 52b. The second material reservoir 144 comprises a first porous substrate material 146a adapted to store the second material and a second porous substrate material 146b also adapted to store the second material. The first porous substrate material 146a and second porous substrate material 146b are provided in an arrangement such that the first porous substrate material 146a is exposed to the second material air path 52b. The second porous substrate material 146b has a greater capillary potential than the first porous substrate material 146a, such that the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent in the second porous substrate material 146b.
Figure 7 represents an example method for manufacturing an aerosol delivery system 1 according to the present disclosure.
The method starts at step S1. At step S1, the method involves providing an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material. For example, this may be the reservoir 44 of the first cartridge part 4a. The reservoir 44 may be provided in any suitable manner; for example, through injection moulding of a plastics material.
At step S2, the method involves providing an aerosol generator, such as a heater 48, for generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material stored in the aerosol-generating material storage area. It should be appreciated that step S2 may be performed before, during or after step S1 depending on how the aerosol delivery system 1 is constructed, and in particular, depending on whether the reservoir 44 is moulded around the aerosol generator 48.
At step S3, the method involves providing an air pathway, such as flow path 52, that is fluidly coupled to the aerosol-generating material storage portion and arranged so as to be fluidly coupled with an outlet, such as mouthpiece outlet 50, of the aerosol delivery system 1. Again, it should be appreciated that step S3 may be performed before, after or during steps S1 and/or S2 depending on how the aerosol delivery system 1 is constructed. In some implementations, the reservoir 44 and air pathway 52 may be formed simultaneously. For example, the housing of the reservoir 44 may define, at least in part, the air pathway 52.
At step S4, the method involves providing a second material storage portion for storing a second material. The second material storage portion, which may include reservoir 144 of the second cartridge part 4b, may be formed using suitable manufacturing techniques, such as injection moulding. Step S4 may be performed independently of steps S1 to S3, particularly if the second cartridge part 4b is manufactured separately to (and is connectable with) the first cartridge part 4a. 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, such as second material flow path 52b. As noted above, the second material flow path 52b extends at least from the second material storage portion, but may also extend into and through the reservoir 144, and to the inlet 128 (if present).
At step S5, the second material storage portion is provided with a first porous substrate material 146a adapted to store the second material and a second porous substrate material 146b also adapted to store the second material. Providing the first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b may be performed in any suitable way, e.g., by manufacturing the first and second porous substrate materials 146am 146b as separate components or as an integrated single component or element and installing in the second material reservoir 144. Hence, step S5 may be performed at the same time or after step S4. In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, the first porous substrate material 146a and second porous substrate material 146b are provided in an arrangement such that the first porous substrate material 146a is exposed to the second material air path 52b of the aerosol delivery system 1. In addition, the second porous substrate material 146b is formed so as to have a greater capillary potential than the first porous substrate material 146a, such that the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent in the second porous substrate material.
Thus, there has generally been described an aerosol delivery system 1 for delivering an aerosol to a user, the aerosol delivery system 1 including an aerosol-generating material storage portion (or reservoir 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 44 and arranged so as to be fluidly coupled with an outlet 50 of the aerosol delivery system 1; and a second material storage portion (or reservoir 144) for storing a second material, the second material storage portion 144 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 52b extending at least from the second material storage portion 144. The second material storage portion 144 comprises a first porous substrate material 146a adapted to store the second material and a second porous substrate material 146b adapted to store the second material. The first porous substrate material 146a and second porous substrate material 146b are provided in an arrangement such that the first porous substrate material 146a is exposed to the second material air pathway 52b, and wherein the second porous substrate material 146b has a greater capillary potential than the first porous substrate material 146a, such that the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent in the second porous substrate material 146b.
In another aspect, the present disclosure may be summarised as aerosol delivery system 1 for delivering an aerosol to a user, the aerosol delivery system 1 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 44 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 144 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 52b extending at least from the second material storage portion 144. The second material storage portion 144 comprises a first porous substrate material 146a adapted to store the second material and a second porous substrate material 146b adapted to store the second material. The first porous substrate material 146a and second porous substrate 146b material are provided in an arrangement such that the first porous substrate material 146a is exposed to the second material air pathway 52b. The first and second porous substrate materials 146a, 146b each comprise a plurality of pores 147a, 147b, wherein the average pore diameter of the second porous substrate material 146b is less than the average pore diameter of the first porous substrate material 146a.
In another aspect, the present disclosure may be summarised as aerosol delivery system 1 for delivering an aerosol to a user, the aerosol delivery system 1 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 44 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 144 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 52b extending at least from the second material storage portion 144. The second material storage portion 144 comprises a first porous substrate material 146a adapted to store the second material and a second porous substrate material 146b adapted to store the second material. The first porous substrate material 146a and second porous substrate 146b material are provided in an arrangement such that the first porous substrate material 146a is exposed to the second material air pathway 52b. The surface energy of the second porous substrate material 146b is greater than the surface energy of the first porous substrate material 146a.

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.
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, the second material storage portion 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,

wherein the second material storage portion comprises a first porous substrate material adapted to store the second material and a second porous substrate material adapted to store the second material,

wherein the first porous substrate material and second porous substrate material are provided in an arrangement such that the first porous substrate material is exposed to the second material air pathway, and

wherein the second porous substrate material has a greater capillary potential than the first porous substrate material, such that the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent in the second porous substrate material.
The aerosol delivery system of claim 1, wherein, in use, second material is stored in both the first porous substrate material and the second porous substrate material, and wherein the first and second porous substrate materials are configured such that second material that is vaporised from the first porous substrate material as air passes through the second material air pathway is replenished with second material from the second porous substrate material.
The aerosol delivery system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the second porous substrate material is embedded in and surrounded by the first porous substrate material.
The aerosol delivery system of claim 3, wherein the second porous substrate material is completely surrounded by the first porous substrate material.
The aerosol delivery system of claim 3 or 4, wherein the second porous substrate material comprises one or more spherical balls.
The aerosol delivery system of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second porous substrate material is provided adjacent the first porous substrate material such that each of the surfaces of the second porous substrate material are contacted by at least one of the first porous substrate material and a wall of the second material storage portion.
The aerosol delivery system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second porous substrate materials each comprise a plurality of pores, wherein the average pore diameter of the second porous substrate material is less than the average pore diameter of the first porous substrate material.
The aerosol delivery system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the surface energy of the second porous substrate material is greater than the surface energy of the first porous substrate material.
The aerosol delivery system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second porous substrate materials are integrally formed with one another to provide a single component.
The aerosol delivery system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second porous substrate materials comprise or consist of a sponge material, a fibrous material, a porous thermoplastic polymer, or combinations thereof.
The aerosol delivery system of any of the preceding claims, further comprising the second material.
The aerosol delivery system of claim 11, wherein the first porous substrate material and the second porous substrate material are configured such that the first porous substrate material and the second porous substrate material both exert a capillary force on the second material.
The aerosol delivery system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the second material comprises an active and/or other substance(s) having boiling points in the range of from 50°C to 300°C, or from 100°C to 300°C, and/or having a vapour pressure of from 0.0001 mmHg to 15 mmHg, or from 0.0001 mmHg to 12 mmHg.
A second material storage portion for use with 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, and 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, wherein
the second material storage portion is for storing a second material, the second material storage portion 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,

wherein the second material storage portion comprises a first porous substrate material adapted to store the second material and a second porous substrate material adapted to store the second material,

wherein the first porous substrate material and second porous substrate material are provided in an arrangement such that the first porous substrate material is exposed to the second material air pathway, and

wherein the second porous substrate material has a greater capillary potential than the first porous substrate material, such that the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent in the second porous substrate material.
A method for manufacturing an aerosol delivery system for providing an aerosol to a user, the method comprising:
providing an aerosol-generating material storage portion for storing an aerosol-generating material;
providing an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material;

providing 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

providing 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

providing the second material storage portion with a first porous substrate material adapted to store the second material and a second porous substrate material adapted to store the second material,

wherein the first porous substrate material and second porous substrate material are provided in an arrangement such that the first porous substrate material is exposed to the second material air pathway, and

wherein the second porous substrate material has a greater capillary potential than the first porous substrate material, such that the second material is capable of being retained to a greater extent in the second porous substrate material.