JP2023099153A - Aerosol generating system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an aerosol generating system comprising a consumable unit having a plurality of air flow paths therethrough.SOLUTION: There is provided an aerosol generating system 100 comprising: a consumable unit 110 having a plurality of air flow paths 112 therethrough, each of the plurality of air flow paths being associated with at least a respective one of a corresponding plurality of sources of aerosol generating medium 114; and a housing 120 for housing the consumable unit, the housing having an air inlet 122 and an air outlet 124, wherein the system is configured so that any of the air flow paths can be selectively brought into contact with the inlet and the outlet to form an air flow path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an aerosol-generating system, an aerosol-generating device, a consumable part for use in an aerosol-generating device, a housing for an aerosol-generating device, and a method of generating an aerosol in the aerosol-generating device.

Aerosol generating devices are known. A typical device uses a heater to generate an aerosol from a suitable medium, which is inhaled by the user. Current devices offer users a wide variety of media that can generate an inhalable aerosol. The generated aerosol may deposit on components within the device.

Various techniques are described herein that are intended to help address or alleviate at least some of the problems discussed above.

Aspects of the invention are defined in the appended claims.

According to some embodiments described herein, a consumable unit having a plurality of airflow paths, each of the plurality of airflow paths being one of a corresponding plurality of sources of aerosol-generating medium. and a housing for containing the consumable unit, the housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein the air flow path is selectively configured to An aerosol generating system is provided that is configured to form an airflow path to an inlet and an outlet.

According to some embodiments described herein, a consumable unit having a plurality of airflow paths, each of the plurality of airflow paths being one of a corresponding plurality of sources of aerosol-generating medium. An aerosol-generating device configured to receive consumable units each associated with one, a housing for containing the consumable units, the housing having an air inlet and an air outlet; An aerosol generating device is provided that is configured to selectively match any of the flow paths to the inlet and outlet to form an air flow path.

According to some embodiments described herein, a consumable portion is provided for use in an aerosol generating device.

According to some embodiments described herein, a housing portion for an aerosol generating device is provided.

According to some embodiments described herein, a method of generating an aerosol in an aerosol generating device, the consumable unit having a plurality of airflow paths, each of the plurality of airflow paths comprising: providing a consumable unit associated with each one of the corresponding plurality of sources of aerosol-generating medium; and a housing for containing the consumable unit, the housing having an air inlet and an air outlet. and selectively aligning the airflow path with the air inlet and the air outlet to form the airflow path.

According to some embodiments described herein, a consumable unit having a plurality of airflow paths, each of the plurality of airflow paths being one of a corresponding plurality of sources of aerosol-generating medium. An aerosol-generating device configured to receive consumable units each associated with one, a housing for containing the consumable units, the housing having an air inlet and an air outlet; An aerosol generating device is provided that is configured to selectively match any of the flow paths to the inlet and outlet to form an air flow path.

According to some embodiments described herein, a consumable unit for use with an aerosol generating device configured to receive the consumable unit, the device for containing the consumable unit having a housing with an air inlet and an air outlet, the consumable unit having a plurality of air flow paths, each of the plurality of air flow paths for a corresponding aerosol-generating medium. The consumable unit is associated with at least one of each of the plurality of supplies and arranged to selectively align any of the airflow paths with the air inlet and the air outlet to form an airflow path. A consumable unit is provided.

According to some embodiments described herein, a consumable unit having a plurality of air flow means, each of the plurality of air flow means being one of a plurality of sources of corresponding aerosol generating means. and a housing for containing the consumable unit, the housing having air inlet means and air outlet means, wherein the air flow path is selected from An aerosol delivery means is provided wherein the system is configured to form an airflow path specifically to the inlet and outlet.

This teaching will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following figures. In the figures, like parts are indicated by like reference numerals.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of an example aerosol generating system; FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of an example aerosol generating system; FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of an example aerosol generating system; FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a consumable unit for an aerosol generation system according to one example; FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a consumable unit for an aerosol generation system according to one example; FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a consumable unit for an aerosol generation system according to one example; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of two consumable units for an aerosol generation system according to one example; FIG.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. However, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed description of the particular embodiments are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed. On the contrary, the invention covers all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Aspects and features of specific examples and embodiments are discussed/described herein. Certain aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be conventionally implemented and will not be discussed/described in detail for the sake of brevity. Accordingly, aspects and features of the apparatus and methods discussed herein that are not described in detail may be implemented according to any conventional technique for implementing such aspects and features.

The present disclosure relates to aerosol generating systems, such as e-cigarettes, which may also be referred to as aerosol generating systems. Throughout the following description, the term "e-cigarette" or "electronic cigarette" may be used interchangeably with aerosol-generating systems/devices and electronic aerosol-generating systems/devices. Good thing is understood. Further, as is common in the art, the terms "aerosol" and "vapor" and related terms such as "vaporize", "volatilize" and "aerosolize" are generally used interchangeably. may be used.

As used herein, the term "multiple sources of aerosol-generating medium" may be used interchangeably with "a portion of the aerosol-generating medium" and the term "device" refers to the device as a stand-alone tool. and may be used interchangeably with "system" with the understanding that the system is a tool with consumables.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of part of an aerosol generation system 100 . System 100 has a consumable unit 110 within device 100 . The consumable unit 100 has a plurality of airflow paths 112 , each of the plurality of airflow paths 112 being associated with a respective one of a corresponding plurality of sources of aerosol-generating medium 114 . . The consumable unit 110 in this example includes an upper wall and an opposite lower wall separated by a gap through which an air flow path 112 is positioned. , substantially formed by this gap. Device 100 has a housing 120 for containing consumable unit 110 . Housing 120 has an air inlet 122 and an air outlet 124 . System 100 is configured such that any of airflow paths 112 can be selectively aligned with inlet 122 and outlet 124 to form an airflow path from inlet 112 to outlet 124 .

In one example, from the air inlet 122 of the housing 120 to the air outlet 124 of the housing 120 through a selected one of the plurality of airflow paths 112 through the consumable unit 110, 112A, 112B, 112C, 112D, 112E. The consumable unit 110 is selectively moveable relative to the housing 120 to form an airflow path.

In another example, the housing 120 is selectively oriented such that the airflow path of the consumable unit 110 can be selectively aligned with at least one of the inlet 122 and the outlet 124 to form an airflow path through the system 100 . can be moved to

In another example, inlet 122 is selected such that the airflow path of consumable unit 110 can be selectively aligned with at least one of inlet 122 and outlet 124 to form an airflow path through system 100 . can move freely.

In another example, outlet 124 is selected such that the airflow path of consumable unit 110 can be selectively aligned with at least one of inlet 122 and outlet 124 to form an airflow path through system 100 . can move freely.

As shown in the example of FIG. 1, consumable unit 110 (or housing 120) moves along a direction indicated by arrow D to create an airflow path through housing 120 and consumable unit 110. You may This relative movement aligns air inlet 122 with one of airflow paths 112A, 112B, 112C, 112D, 112E, thereby allowing air to enter device 100 from the outside environment. Device 100 may have a heater (not shown) or the like disposed therein to heat either the aerosol-generating medium or the airflow prior to passing over or through the aerosol-generating medium.

The heater may be an electrical resistance heater. The heater may be a chemically activated heater, which may or may not be activated by an exothermic reaction or the like. The heater imparts thermal energy, ie heat, to the environment surrounding the heater. At least a portion of the consumable unit 110 is within the active area of the heater. A heater's active area is the area in which the heater can provide heat to the consumable unit 110 . The heater may be a heating energy source that may be part of an induction heating system, the heating energy source being an induction heating energy source, the consumable unit 110 being a susceptor or the like. Alternatively, it may include a susceptor or the like. The susceptor may be, for example, a sheet of aluminum foil.

In one example, system 100 may have substantially the same distance from consumable unit 110 to heaters to provide a more consistent user experience. In one example, the aerosol-generating medium 114 is 0.010 mm, 0.015 mm, 0.017 mm, 0.020 mm, 0.023 mm, 0.025 mm, 0.05 mm, 0.075 mm, 0.1 mm from the heating energy source. , about 4 mm, 3.5 mm, 3 mm, 2.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 0.5 mm, or 0.3 mm. be. In some cases, a distance of at least about 10 μm, 15 μm, 17 μm, 20 μm, 23 μm, 25 μm, 50 μm, 75 μm, or 0.1 mm between the heating energy source and the aerosol-generating medium in consumable unit 110. There may be a minimum spacing.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the aerosol-generating device 100 in use. Consumable unit 110 is moved relative to housing 120 to create an air path through device 100 . The user then inhales on device 100 . The arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the general direction of airflow through device 100 . Air enters through air inlet 122 of housing 120 and passes along airflow path 112D. The airflow then passes over an aerosol-generating medium 114D associated with airflow path 112D. As indicated by the series of arrows in FIG. 2, components from aerosol-generating medium 114D are entrapped in the airflow in airflow path 112D and conveyed to air outlet 124 of housing 120. As shown in FIG.

The consumable unit 110 shown in FIG. 2 has a plurality of bulkheads 116 . A plurality of airflow paths 112 through the consumable unit 110 are separated from each other by the plurality of partitions 116 . When there is relative movement between consumable unit 110 and housing 120, certain air flow paths 112A, 112B, 112C, 112D, 112E are moved into fluid communication with air inlets 122 of housing 120 and are in fluid communication. moved to disappear. When airflow path 112 is not in fluid communication with air inlet 122, the airflow path through device 100 from air inlet 122 to air outlet 124 is blocked. This isolation may be provided by bulkhead 116 of consumable unit 110 .

FIG. 3 shows an example of a portion of the aerosol generating device 100. As shown in FIG. Consumable unit 110 has a plurality of air inlet holes 117 and a plurality of air outlet holes 118 . A source of aerosol-generating medium 114 is positioned between one air inlet hole 117 and one air outlet hole 118 .

Consumable unit 110 is positioned relative to housing 120 to form an airflow path through device 100 from air inlet 122 to air outlet 124 . Incoming air enters through air inlet 122 and is indicated by arrow A. Air passes over or through a source of aerosol-generating medium 114 to form an aerosol or aerosols. The aerosol or subsequent airflow of the aerosol is indicated by arrow B as it exits airflow path 112 through consumable unit 110 toward air outlet 124 in housing 120 . The aerosol-generating medium 114 disposed within the consumable unit 110 is consumable such that any airflow must pass through the aerosol-generating medium 114 to exit the consumable unit 110 (in the direction of the airflow). It may be arranged to block a portion of the path through the product unit 110 . See, for example, aerosol-generating medium 114E positioned between air inlet hole 117E and air outlet hole 118E. Here "between" is taken to mean along the route of the airflow path, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the aerosol-generating medium 114 may be positioned such that the airflow simply passes over the aerosol-generating medium 114 as it passes through the consumable unit 110 (in the direction of airflow). See, for example, aerosol-generating medium 114A positioned between air inlet hole 117A and air outlet hole 118A.

The consumable unit 110 shown in FIG. 3 has a plurality of holes 117,118. These holes 117 , 118 allow airflow to enter the consumable unit 110 . Accordingly, holes 117 , 118 may be replaced by a portion of air permeable material that allows air to enter consumable unit 110 . The air permeable material should have adequate resistance to air flow so that excessive suction pressure is not required to draw the air flow through the material.

In one example of the consumable unit 110, any (or all) of the holes 117, 118 or equivalent may have filter material disposed therein or thereon. The filter material should have adequate resistance to airflow so that excessive suction pressure is not required to draw airflow through the filter material. Filters can help remove particles and the like from incoming air or outgoing aerosol.

Consumable unit 110 is positioned within device 100 such that airflow entering device 100 through air inlet 122 can enter airflow path 112 of consumable unit 110 . If the consumable unit 110 is placed in the device 100 with too great a distance between the air inlet 122 and the air inlet hole 117 of the consumable unit 110, the incoming airflow will not pass through the consumable unit 110, Rather, it may go around the consumable unit 110 to the air outlet 124 . In this arrangement, device 100 cannot generate an aerosol for inhalation.

In one example, the airflow is controlled by one specific airflow path so that depletion of the supply of aerosol-generating medium 114 contained in each specific airflow path 112A, 112B, 112C, 112D, 112E, respectively, can be controlled. It is desirable to ensure that only paths 112A, 112B, 112C, 112D, 112E are traversed.

The problems identified above are overcome by abutting (abutting) certain air inlet holes 117A, 117B, 117C, 117D, 117E of consumable unit 110 with air inlet 122 of housing 120. can be done. This ensures that, at the time of user inhalation, air is drawn into the specific airflow path 112A, 112B, 112C, 112D, 112E of the specific air inlet hole 117A, 117B, 117C, 117D, 117E adjacent to the air inlet 122 of the housing 120. It is ensured that incoming air passes over the contained aerosol-generating medium 114 .

Consumable unit 110 may be positioned substantially near air outlet 124 of housing 120 . The closer the consumable unit 110 is to the air outlet 124 of the housing 120 , the shorter the distance the aerosol will travel while inside the device 100 but outside the consumable unit 110 . Reducing this distance reduces the area inside the device 100 where the aerosol can condense. Aerosol condensation by the device 100 is undesirable because the aerosol can damage components within the device 100 and thus, more generally, shorten the life of the device 100 . Therefore, the arrangement described above can extend the life of the device 100 .

In the example of FIG. 3, a particular air inlet hole 117A and corresponding air outlet hole 118A of consumable unit 110 are arranged at an angle with respect to each other. In the example shown, a particular air inlet hole 117A is arranged perpendicular to the corresponding air outlet hole 118A. In another example, some air inlet holes 117 may be arranged at different angles with respect to some air outlet holes 118 . The arrangement of air inlet holes 117 and air outlet holes 118 may be varied to suit the desired shape of housing 120 . Alternatively, the arrangement may be manipulated to reduce the size of consumable unit 110, allowing for a compact and efficient design.

Either air inlet holes 117 or air inlet holes 117 may be arranged at an angle to either air outlet holes 118 . In some examples, the angle is at least 15°, at least 20°, at least 25°, at least 30°, at least 35°, at least 40°, at least 45°, at least 50°, at least 55°, at least 60°, at least 65° °, at least 70°, at least 75°, at least 80°, at least 85°, or at least 90°.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic example of a consumable unit 110 according to one example. The consumable unit 110 of FIG. 4 has multiple (three) air flow paths 112 through the consumable unit 110 . Consumable unit 110 is shown as being in use. An incoming airflow, indicated by arrow A, enters consumable unit 110, passes over aerosol-generating medium 114, and exits as outgoing aerosol, indicated by arrow B. FIG. After use of the device 100 has ended, i.e., when the air flow has decreased to the point where the use of the device 100 is considered finished, biasing caps for covering the air inlet holes 117 and air outlet holes 118, respectively, of the consumable unit 110 are provided. , the consumable unit 110 in this example has. Airflow during the normal phase of a session of use (sometimes known as a smoking or vaping session) causes cap 119 to move from the closed position (where cap 119 blocks airflow path 112 at rest). The bias level of the cap 119 may be set to allow movement to the open position (where the cap 119 moves to open the airflow path). This bias has adequate resistance to airflow pressure so that excessive suction pressure is not required to move cap 119 to the open position, thus allowing air to be drawn through device 100. should be assumed.

After the device 100 has been used, the caps 119 of the associated air inlet holes 117 and air outlet holes 118 move to the closed position under the bias of the caps 119 . This prevents aerosols generated at or after a session of use that may not exit the device 100 from exiting the consumable 110 and then condensing inside the device 100 . As noted above, this can extend the life of device 100 . When the supply of aerosol-generating medium 114 is completely depleted, the consumable unit 110 may be replaced. Thus, removal of consumable unit 110 removes agglomerated aerosol contained within consumable unit 110 .

Biasing caps 119 need not be positioned at air inlet holes 117 and air outlet holes 118 and may be positioned within consumable unit 110 . Similarly, multiple biasing caps 119 may be used for each route from air inlet hole 117 to air outlet hole 118 . FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic example of a consumable unit 110 according to one example. Consumable unit 110 has seven bias caps 119 . Consumable unit 110 also has three air inlet holes 117 and one air outlet hole 118 . It should be noted that the aerosol produced by one source of aerosol-generating medium 114 in one route within consumable unit 110 may follow a desired route to reach air exit hole 118 without entering another route. This is ensured by the use of force cap 119 . This is desirable to ensure that the source of aerosol-generating medium 114 is used only when desired by the user. The use of multiple biasing caps 119 as in the example of FIG. 5 is useful when there are multiple routes within the consumable unit 110 that are in fluid communication with each other within the consumable unit 110 .

The example shown in FIG. 5 may also be useful if the sources of aerosol-generating medium 114 are of different perfumes or compositions. A plurality of biased caps 119 allow hot aerosol from one source of aerosol-generating medium 114 to enter different routes, past a second source of aerosol-generating medium 114 , and to a second source of that aerosol-generating medium 114 . to prevent vaporization of the source of This prevents the generation of mixed perfumes from two different sources of aerosol-generating medium 114, thereby not providing an optimal user experience for the device 100. FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, central air inlet hole 117 is aligned with air inlet 122 (not shown) of housing 120 . Incoming air, indicated by arrow A, moves one biased cap 119 to the open position. The incoming air then passes over the source of aerosol-generating medium 114 to capture components from the source of aerosol-generating medium 114 . This subsequent aerosol, indicated by arrow B, then moves the second biasing cap 119 to the open position. The aerosol then travels toward the air exit holes 118 and exits the consumable unit 110 by moving the biasing cap 119 covering the air exit holes 118 to the open position.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of consumable unit 110 according to an example. This consumable unit 110 does not have the biasing caps 119 shown, but these biasing caps 119 may or may not be used in this or other examples. The consumable unit 110 shown in FIG. 6 is surrounded by a rotatable outer element 130 . This outer element 130 may be part of the consumable unit 110 or part of the housing 120 . Outer element 130 may be moved in a rotational movement indicated by arrow R. By rotating this outer element 130 , the openings 132 , 134 allow air to selectively flow through one route within the consumable unit 110 to the air exit holes 118 . The distance between openings 134 reflects the distance that opening 132 must move to align with the next air inlet hole 117 in consumable unit 110 . Thus, air is prevented from entering through more than one air inlet hole 117, so only one source of aerosol-generating medium 114 is used at a time. Similar to above, a biasing cap 119 may be used to prevent airflow from passing through the two sources of aerosol-generating medium 114 if desired.

FIG. 7 shows perspective views of two examples of consumable unit 110 . The consumable unit 110 has a thin cylindrical shape and has five air inlet holes 117 and one air outlet hole 118 in FIG. 7(i). Five air inlet holes 117 are located on the outer curved surface of the cylindrical consumable unit 110 and one air outlet hole 118 is located centrally on the flat end surface of the cylindrical consumable unit 110. there is In this example, consumable unit 110 is rotatable to expose one of air inlet holes 117 to air inlet 122 (not shown in FIG. 7) of housing 120 . Device 100 may then be used. Airflow will enter through selected air inlet holes 117 and airflow exiting consumable unit 110 will pass through air outlet holes 118 . As noted above, air exit holes 118 may be positioned to be proximate air exit holes 124 of housing 120 . Rotation may be about the central longitudinal axis of consumable unit 110 . Thus, the centrally located air outlet holes 118 do not move during the movement of the air inlet holes 117 located on the side of the consumable unit 110 . This makes it easier to control where the aerosol exits the consumable unit 110 .

In FIG. 7(ii), the consumable unit 110 has the same shape as the consumable unit 110 shown in FIG. 7(i). Consumable unit 110 also has five air inlet holes 117 . The consumable unit 110 has three air exit holes 118 located on the same surface as the air exit holes 118 of FIG. 7(i).

The consumable unit 110 may have a rotating inner portion housed inside a non-rotating outer portion. The source of aerosol-generating medium 114, partition 116, and airflow path 112 may be part of the rotating inner portion. The non-rotating outer portion may have an inlet and an outlet. The rotating inner portion may rotate to align specific airflow paths with inlets and outlets located on the stationary, non-rotating outer portion. In such an arrangement there would only have to be one inlet and one outlet. This further prevents contamination between sources of aerosol-generating medium 114 .

The consumable unit 110 may have multiple layers arranged within the consumable unit 110 . The multiple layers provide a series of condensation surfaces on which aerosols preferentially condense inside device 100 . Each of the plurality of sources of aerosol-generating medium 114 are disposed in one of the layers. Airflow path 112 may pass through various layers of consumable unit 110 . Multiple sources of aerosol-generating media 114 may be present in one layer of consumable unit 110 . Partitions 116 may separate multiple portions of a layer within consumable unit 110 . Multiple sources of aerosol-generating media 114 may be present in multiple layers of the consumable unit 110 .

In any of the examples discussed, consumable unit 110 or housing 120 may be moved, such as by rotation or translation, to provide relative movement between consumable unit 110 and housing 120 . Device 100 may have a gearing or displaceable/rotatable shaft coupled to consumable unit 110 or housing 120 to allow movement. The device may have a displaceable/rotatable housing 120 that can be moved in the user's hand. This movement can bring the air inlet hole 117 into contact with the air inlet 122 of the housing 120 .

Movement of consumable unit 110 relative to housing 120 may be performed by a user of aerosol generating device 100 . In this example, this may be done by the user pressing a button to activate a system within the aerosol generating device 100, or by manually moving or rotating a housing or rotating crank or the like. may be broken.

In another example, movement of consumable unit 110 relative to housing 120 is automatically initiated. The movement may be performed automatically by a controller that detects when heating of a selected one of the multiple sources of aerosol-generating medium 114 has started or ended. Alternatively or additionally, movement may be performed by the controller when the supply of aerosol-generating medium 114 is depleted or when the user session ends. This ensures that the device 100 is ready to boot again as soon as the user session ends.

In any of the examples described above, consumable unit 110 may be removable from device 100 . This allows the device 100 to be reused after the supply of aerosol-generating medium 114 of a particular consumable unit 110 has been depleted. Device 100 may have a door or cover that can be opened to access consumable unit 110 .

If it is desired to activate more than one source of aerosol-generating medium 114 at once, minor modifications can be made to the above example.

Device 100 may have multiple chambers or regions, which may or may not be separated from each other. Device 100 in any of the examples described above may include heaters (not shown) and/or movement mechanisms (e.g., not manually actuated by a user) and/or movement mechanisms, if present. It may have a power chamber (not shown) with an energy storage for supplying power. The heater may be an electrical resistance heater. The heater may be a chemically activated heater, which may or may not be activated by an exothermic reaction or the like.

The source of aerosol-generating medium 114 contained in device 100 may include at least one of tobacco and glycol, and extracts (e.g., liquorice, hydrangea, magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed, cinnamon, herbs, wintergreen, cherry, berry, peach, apple, Dranbuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, Dutch mint, mint, lavender, cardamom, celery, cascara, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium , honey extract, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang ylang, sage, fennel, pepper, ginger, anise, coriander, coffee, or from any species of the genus Mentha mint oil), flavor enhancers, bitter taste receptor site blockers, sensory receptor site activators or stimulants, sugars and/or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucrose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharin, cyclamate, lactose, sucrose, glucose). , fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol) and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath fresheners. These may be mimetic, synthetic, or natural ingredients, or mixtures thereof. They may be in any suitable form, such as oily, liquid or powdery.

The aerosol-forming layers described herein comprise an "amorphous solid," which is alternatively referred to as a "monolithic solid" (i.e., non-fibrous) or "dry gel." good too. Amorphous solids are solid materials that may retain some fluid, such as a liquid, within them. In some cases, the aerosol-forming layer comprises from about 50%, 60%, or 70% by weight amorphous solids to about 90%, 95%, or 100% by weight amorphous solids. include. In some cases, the aerosol-forming layer is composed of amorphous solids.

In some cases, the amorphous solid may contain 1-50% by weight of the gelling agent, where these weights are calculated on a dry weight basis.

Amorphous solids include gelling agents from about 1%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, or 25% to about 50%, 45%, 40%, 35%, by weight. Suitably, it contains up to 30% by weight, or 27% by weight (all calculated on a dry weight basis). For example, the amorphous solid may contain 5-40%, 10-30%, or 15-27% by weight of the gelling agent.

In some embodiments, the gelling agent comprises a hydrocolloid. In some embodiments, the gelling agent is selected from the group comprising alginic acid, pectin, starch (and derivatives), cellulose (and derivatives), gums, silica or silicone compounds, clay, polyvinyl alcohol, and combinations thereof. containing one or more compounds. For example, in some embodiments, the gelling agent is alginic acid, pectin, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, pullulan, xanthan gum, guar gum, carrageenan, agarose, acacia gum, fumed silica, PDMS, sodium silicate. , kaolin, and polyvinyl alcohol. In some cases, the gelling agent includes alginic acid and/or pectin, and may be combined with a hardening agent (such as a calcium source) during formation of the amorphous solid. In some cases, the amorphous solid may comprise calcium cross-linked alginate and/or calcium cross-linked pectin.

Amorphous solids may contain from about 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20%, to about 80%, 70%, 60%, 55%, 50%, 45%, by weight of the aerosol forming agent. Suitably, up to 40%, or 35% by weight (all calculated on a dry weight basis). Aerosol-forming agents may act as plasticizers. For example, the amorphous solid may contain 10-60%, 15-50%, or 20-40% by weight of the aerosol forming agent. In some cases, the aerosol-forming agent comprises one or more compounds selected from erythritol, propylene glycol, glycerol, triacetin, sorbitol, and xylitol. In some cases, the aerosol-forming agent comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of glycerol. The inventors have found that if the plasticizer content is too high, the amorphous solid may absorb moisture, resulting in a material that does not create an adequate consumption experience during use. have proved. The inventors have demonstrated that if the plasticizer content is too low, the amorphous solid can become brittle and easily broken. The plasticizer content specified herein provides the amorphous solid with flexibility that allows the amorphous solid sheet to be wound onto a bobbin, which is useful for aerosol generation. Useful for manufacturing articles.

In some cases, amorphous solids may include perfumes. Suitably, the amorphous solids comprise up to about 60%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%, or 5% by weight perfume. In some cases, the amorphous solid may comprise at least about 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, or 30% by weight perfume ( all calculated based on dry weight). For example, the amorphous solid may contain 10-60%, 20-50%, or 30-40% by weight perfume. In some cases, the flavorant (if present) comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of menthol. In some cases, the amorphous solid does not contain perfume.

In some cases, the amorphous solid further comprises tobacco material and/or nicotine. For example, the amorphous solid may further comprise powdered tobacco and/or nicotine and/or tobacco extract. In some cases, the amorphous solids comprise tobacco material and/or nicotine from about 1%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, or 25% to about 70% by weight. , 60%, 50%, 45%, or up to 40% by weight (calculated on a dry weight basis).

In some cases, the amorphous solid comprises tobacco extract. In some cases, the amorphous solid may comprise 5-60% by weight tobacco extract (calculated on a dry weight basis). In some cases, the amorphous solids comprise tobacco extract from about 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, or 25% to about 55%, 50%, 45% by weight. %, or up to 40% by weight (calculated on dry weight). For example, the amorphous solid may comprise 5-60%, 10-55%, or 25-55% by weight tobacco extract. Amorphous solids contain nicotine from 1 wt%, 1.5 wt%, 2 wt%, or 2.5 wt% to about 6 wt%, 5 wt%, 4.5 wt%, or 4 wt% (dry weight). The tobacco extract may contain nicotine at a concentration such that it contains up to (calculated based on In some cases, no nicotine other than the nicotine obtained from the tobacco extract may be present in the amorphous solid.

In some embodiments, amorphous solids may include nicotine rather than including tobacco material. In such cases, the amorphous solid contains nicotine from about 1%, 2%, 3%, or 4% to about 20%, 15%, 10%, or 5% by weight. (calculated based on dry weight). For example, the amorphous solid may contain 1-20 wt% nicotine, or 2-5 wt%.

In some cases, the total tobacco material, nicotine, and flavor content is at least about 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 25%, or 30% by weight. may In some cases, the total tobacco material, nicotine, and flavor content may be less than about 70%, less than 60%, less than 50%, or less than 40% by weight (all (calculated based on dry weight).

In some embodiments, the amorphous solid is a hydrogel and contains less than about 20% water by weight calculated on a wet weight basis. In some cases, the hydrogel may contain less than about 15 wt%, less than 12 wt%, or less than 10 wt% moisture calculated on a wet weight basis (WWB). In some cases, the hydrogel may contain at least about 2% by weight water (WWB), or at least about 5% by weight.

Amorphous solids may be made from gels, which may further comprise a solvent comprised between 0.1 and 50% by weight. However, the inventors have demonstrated that the inclusion of a solvent capable of dissolving the perfume reduces the stability of the gel and can lead to the perfume crystallizing out of the gel. Therefore, in some cases the gel does not contain a solvent capable of dissolving the perfume.

The amorphous solid contains less than 20% by weight filler, suitably less than 10% by weight or less than 5% by weight. Fillers include one or more inorganic filler materials such as calcium carbonate, perlite, vermiculite, diatomaceous earth, colloidal silica, magnesium oxide, magnesium sulfate, magnesium carbonate, and suitable inorganic adsorbents such as molecular sieves. It's okay. Fillers may include one or more organic filler materials such as wood pulp, cellulose, and cellulose derivatives. In some cases, the amorphous solid contains less than 1% by weight of filler, and in some cases no filler. In particular, in some cases amorphous solids do not include calcium carbonate, such as chalk.

In some cases, the amorphous solid may consist essentially of, or consist of, a gelling agent, an aerosol-forming agent, a tobacco material and/or nicotine source, moisture, and optionally a flavoring agent. may be

Thus, a consumable unit having a plurality of airflow paths, each of the plurality of airflow paths being associated with a respective one of a corresponding plurality of sources of aerosol-generating medium. and a housing for containing the consumable unit, the housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, through a selected one of a plurality of air flow paths through the consumable unit. An aerosol generating device has been described in which the consumable unit is selectively moveable relative to the housing to form an air flow path from the air inlet of the housing to the air outlet of the housing.

The aerosol generating device may be used in tobacco industry products, such as non-combustible aerosol delivery systems.

In one embodiment, the tobacco industry product comprises one or more components of a non-combustible aerosol delivery system, such as a heater and an aerosolizable substrate.

In one embodiment, the aerosol delivery system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device.

In one embodiment, an electronic cigarette comprises a heater, a power source capable of powering the heater, an aerosolizable substrate such as a liquid or gel, a housing, and optionally a mouthpiece.

In one embodiment, the aerosolizable substrate is contained within or on the substrate container. In one embodiment, the substrate container is associated with or includes a heater.

In one embodiment, the tobacco industry product is a heating product that releases one or more compounds by heating, but not burning, a substrate material. The substrate material is an aerosolizable material, which can be, for example, a tobacco product or other non-tobacco product, and the material may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment, the heating device product is a tobacco heating product.

In one embodiment, the heating product is an electronic device.

In one embodiment, the tobacco heating product comprises a heater, a power source capable of powering the heater, and an aerosolizable substrate such as a solid or gel material.

In one embodiment, the heated product is a non-electronic article.

In one embodiment, the heating product is capable of supplying thermal energy to the aerosolizable substrate without electronic means, such as by burning an aerosolizable substrate such as a solid or gel material and a combustible material such as charcoal. and a heat source.

In one embodiment, the heating product also comprises a filter capable of filtering the aerosol produced by heating the aerosolizable substrate.

In some embodiments, the aerosolizable substrate material may include an aerosol or aerosol-generating agent or humectant such as glycerol, propylene glycol, triacetin, or diethylene glycol.

In one embodiment, the tobacco industry product is a hybrid system for generating an aerosol by heating, but not combusting, a combination of substrate materials. Substrate materials may include, for example, solids, liquids, or gels, which may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment, the hybrid system includes a liquid or gel substrate and a solid substrate. A solid substrate may be, for example, a tobacco product or other non-tobacco product, which may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment, the hybrid system includes a liquid or gel matrix and tobacco.

To address various issues and advance the art, the entire disclosure provides examples of various embodiments that provide superior electronic aerosol delivery systems in which the claimed invention can be practiced. The advantages and features of this disclosure are merely representative examples of embodiments and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. The advantages and features of the disclosure are provided solely to facilitate understanding and teaching of the claimed features. The advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects of the disclosure may be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined by the claims or equivalents of the claims. Rather, it should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and/or spirit of the present disclosure. The various embodiments may comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, various combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc. is also appropriate. Further, the present disclosure includes other inventions not expressly claimed but which may be claimed in the future.

Claims (25)

A consumable unit having a plurality of airflow paths, each of said plurality of airflow paths being associated with at least one each of a corresponding plurality of sources of aerosol-generating medium. and,
An aerosol generating system comprising a housing for containing the consumable unit, the housing having an air inlet and an air outlet,
An aerosol generating system configured to selectively align any of said airflow paths with said inlet and said outlet to form an airflow path. The consumable unit is selectively movable such that an airflow path of the consumable unit can be selectively aligned with the inlet and the outlet to form an airflow path through the system. , an aerosol generating system according to claim 1. wherein said housing is selectively movable to selectively align an airflow path of said consumable unit with said inlet and said outlet to form an airflow path through said system; 3. The aerosol generating system according to Item 1 or 2. wherein said inlet is selectively movable such that an airflow path of said consumable unit can be selectively aligned with said inlet and said outlet to form an airflow path through said system; Item 4. The aerosol generating system according to item 3. wherein said outlet is selectively movable such that an airflow path of said consumable unit can be selectively aligned with said inlet and said outlet to form an airflow path through said system; 5. The aerosol generating system according to Item 3 or 4. the consumable unit further comprising a corresponding plurality of bulkheads;
The aerosol generating system of any preceding claim, wherein the plurality of airflow paths through the consumable unit are separated from each other by the corresponding plurality of partitions of the consumable unit. the consumable unit further comprising a cover;
An aerosol generating system according to any preceding claim, wherein the cover covers a portion of the consumable unit and provides a condensation surface for the aerosol generated in the device. the consumable unit further comprising a plurality of holes through which air can flow, one hole being an air inlet hole and one hole being an air outlet hole;
An aerosol-generating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein an aerosol-generating medium is arranged between the air inlet hole and the air outlet hole. 9. The aerosol generating system of Claim 8, further comprising a filter material disposed in one of said plurality of holes through which air can flow. 10. The aerosol generating system of claim 8 or 9, wherein the air inlet holes are arranged at an angle to the air outlet holes. Claims 8-10, wherein the air inlet hole of the consumable unit abuts the air inlet of the housing to form the air flow path from the air inlet of the housing to the air outlet of the housing. The aerosol generating system according to any one of Claims 1 to 3. 12. The consumable unit according to any one of claims 8-11, wherein the consumable unit comprises a biased cap for covering the air inlet hole and the air outlet hole, respectively, of the consumable unit after use of the device has ended. an aerosol generating system as described in . An aerosol generating system according to any preceding claim, wherein the consumable unit is rotatable with respect to the housing. An aerosol generating system according to any preceding claim, wherein relative movement of the consumable unit with respect to the housing is performed by a user of the aerosol generating system. An aerosol generating system according to any preceding claim, wherein relative movement of the consumable unit with respect to the housing is automatically initiated. the consumable unit further comprising a plurality of layers providing condensing surfaces;
16. The aerosol-generating system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of said plurality of sources of aerosol-generating medium is disposed in one layer of said plurality of layers. 17. The aerosol generating system of any preceding claim, wherein the consumable unit is removable from the aerosol generating system. The consumable unit
a base on which the aerosol-generating medium is located;
sidewalls projecting from the base;
a corresponding plurality of bulkheads projecting from the base and the sidewalls, wherein the plurality of airflow paths through the consumable unit are separated from one another by the corresponding plurality of bulkheads; ,
a cover covering a portion of the consumable unit, the cover providing a condensation surface for the aerosol generated in the device;
a hole in the side wall through which air can flow, the hole contacting the air inlet of the housing;
18. The aerosol-generating system of any preceding claim, further comprising an opening in the cover through which air can flow, the opening being in fluid communication with the air outlet of the housing. A consumable unit having a plurality of airflow paths, each of said plurality of airflow paths receiving a consumable unit associated with a respective one of a corresponding plurality of sources of aerosol-generating medium. An aerosol generating device configured to:
a housing for containing the consumable unit, the housing having an air inlet and an air outlet;
An aerosol generating device configured to selectively align any of the airflow paths with the inlet and the outlet to form an airflow path. A consumable part for an aerosol generating device according to claim 19. 20. A housing part for an aerosol generating device according to claim 19. A method of generating an aerosol in an aerosol generating device, comprising:
providing a consumable unit having a plurality of airflow paths, each of said plurality of airflow paths being associated with a respective one of a corresponding plurality of sources of aerosol-generating medium. a step;
providing a housing for containing the consumable unit, the housing having an air inlet and an air outlet;
forming an airflow path selectively aligned with said air inlet and said air outlet. forming an airflow path selectively aligned with the air inlet and the air outlet;
the consumable unit;
the housing;
23. The method of claim 22, comprising selectively moving at least one of: the air inlet; and the air outlet. A consumable unit for use with an aerosol generating device, comprising:
wherein the aerosol-generating device is configured to receive the consumable unit;
the aerosol-generating device having a housing for containing the consumable unit, the housing having an air inlet and an air outlet;
the consumable unit having a plurality of airflow paths, each of the plurality of airflow paths being associated with at least one respective one of a corresponding plurality of sources of aerosol-generating medium;
A consumable unit, wherein said consumable unit is arranged such that any of said airflow paths can be selectively aligned with said air inlet and said air outlet to form an airflow path. a consumable unit having a plurality of air flow means, each of said plurality of air flow means being associated with a respective one of a plurality of sources of corresponding aerosol generating means; ,
aerosol delivery means comprising a housing for containing the consumable unit, the housing having an air inlet means and an air outlet means;
Aerosol delivery means, wherein the system is configured such that any of the airflow paths can be selectively aligned with said inlet and said outlet to form an airflow path.

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