KR20240090769A - Refilling device having a ventilation nozzle, and refilling device - Google Patents

Abstract

A refilling device for filling an article from a reservoir includes an article interface for receiving the article of the aerosol delivery system, the article having a storage area for the fluid; and a venting nozzle configured to engage an article contained in the article interface for venting air from the storage region while the storage region is being filled with fluid, the venting nozzle comprising a channel for outward flow of air from the storage region, The channel has a cross-sectional area perpendicular to the outward air flow direction that increases with distance from the air inlet of the channel over a tapered portion of the channel extending from the air inlet.

Description

Refilling device having a ventilation nozzle, and refilling device

The present disclosure relates to a refilling device having a venting nozzle, and also to a device for refilling a reservoir of an electronic aerosol delivery system, and more specifically to refilling a reservoir of an electronic aerosol delivery system. It is about the design of a device for

Electronic aerosol delivery systems, commonly comprised of so-called electronic cigarettes, can be of a single type, with all the elements of the system in a common housing, or of multiple types, with the elements distributed between two or more housings that can be combined together to form a system. It can have a component format. A common example of the latter type is a two-component system containing devices and articles. The device typically includes an electrical power source for the system, such as a battery, and control electronics to operate the elements to generate the aerosol. The article, also referred to by terms including cartridge, cartomizer, consumable and clearomizer, typically contains a storage volume or area to maintain a supply of aerosolizable material from which an aerosol is generated. , in some cases comprising an aerosol generator, such as a heater, operable to vaporize the aerosolizable material. A similar three-component system may include a separate mouthpiece that is attached to the article. In many designs, the article is designed to be disposable, in that the aerosolizable material is intended to be separated from the device and discarded once consumed. The user obtains a new item pre-filled with aerosolizable material by the manufacturer and attaches it to the device for use. On the other hand, the device is intended to be used with multiple serial items and has the ability to recharge batteries, allowing long-term operation.

Disposable items, which may be referred to as consumables, are convenient for users, but they can be considered harmful to the environment as they waste natural resources. Accordingly, alternative designs of articles are known that are configured to be refilled with aerosolizable materials by the user. This can reduce waste and save users the cost of using electronic cigarettes. For example, aerosolizable material may be provided in a bottle, from which the user squeezes or drops a specific amount of material into the article through a refill orifice on the article. However, because the items are small and the volume of material involved is typically small, the act of refilling can be awkward and inconvenient. Aligning the joint between the bottle and the item can be difficult and, if inaccurate, can lead to spillage of material. Not only is this wasteful, it can also be dangerous. Aerosolizable materials often contain liquid nicotine, which can be toxic if it comes in contact with the skin.

Accordingly, refilling units or devices have been proposed, configured to receive a bottle or other reservoir containing aerosolizable material and a refillable cartridge and to automatically transfer the material from the former to the latter. Accordingly, alternative, improved or improved features and designs of these refill devices are of interest.

According to a first aspect of some embodiments described herein, a refilling device for filling an article from a reservoir is provided, comprising: an article interface for receiving the article of an aerosol delivery system, the article having a storage area for a fluid; Having - ; and a ventilation nozzle configured to engage an article received at the article interface to expel air from the storage area while filling the storage area with a fluid, the ventilation nozzle comprising a channel for outward flow of air from the storage area, the channel being an air inlet. having a cross-sectional area orthogonal to the outward air flow direction that increases with distance from the air inlet of the channel over a tapered portion of the channel extending from.

According to a second aspect of certain embodiments, there is provided an aerosol-generating material storage container configured to store aerosol-generating material and engage a refill device configured to refill an article with aerosol-generating material, the container configured to store aerosol-generating material. storage area for; a valve arrangement in communication with the storage region, the valve arrangement comprising: a spigot including a first opening and a second opening coupled together through a flow channel for passage of the aerosol generating material; a valve housing, the valve housing arranged to receive the spigot so that the spigot is movable relative to the valve housing, the spigot having a first position where the first opening is blocked by the valve housing; , the storage region is movable between a second position in fluid communication with an environment external to the aerosol generating material storage container through a flow channel.

According to a third aspect of certain embodiments, a refilling device is provided for refilling an article for use with an aerosol providing device with an aerosol-generating material, the refilling device comprising: aerosol-generating material from a refill reservoir; a transport mechanism for transporting the aerosol generating material to a storage area; a spigot actuating mechanism configured to actuate a spigot of a valve arrangement of an aerosol-generating material storage container for storing aerosol-generating material; and a nozzle, wherein the nozzle is arranged such that the aerosol-generating material is delivered to the article by the nozzle through a valve arrangement of the aerosol-generating material storage container, wherein the spigot actuation mechanism moves relative to the refill device. The spigot actuation mechanism is configured to, when engaged with the valve arrangement of the aerosol generating material storage container, cause the valve arrangement to open or close as a result of movement of the spigot actuation mechanism.

According to a fourth aspect of certain embodiments, a method is provided for using a refill device to refill an article for use with an aerosol-providing device with an aerosol-generating material from a refill reservoir, wherein one or both of the article and the refill reservoir are provided. includes a storage region for storing aerosol-generating material, and a valve arrangement in communication with the storage region, the valve arrangement comprising a first opening and a second opening joined together through a flow channel for passage of the aerosol-generating material. A spigot comprising: and a valve housing, the valve housing being arranged to receive the spigot such that the spigot is movable relative to the valve housing, the method comprising: connecting the spigot actuating mechanism of the refill device to the valve arrangement; engaging the spigot of; moving the spigot between a first position where the first opening is blocked by the valve housing and a second position where the first opening is in fluid communication with an environment outside the aerosol generating material storage container through a flow channel; Performing refilling of the article by transferring aerosol-generating material from the refill reservoir to the storage area of the article using the conveying mechanism of the refill device, wherein the aerosol-generating material is conveyed through a nozzle of the refill device and through a flow channel of the valve arrangement. - Includes.

According to a fifth aspect of certain embodiments, there is provided an aerosol-generating material storage container configured to store aerosol-generating material and engage a refill means configured to refill an article with aerosol-generating material, the container configured to store aerosol-generating material. means of storage for; comprising valve means in communication with the storage means, the valve means comprising: spigot means comprising a first opening and a second opening joined together through a flow channel for passage of the aerosol generating material; valve housing means, the valve housing means arranged to receive the spigot means so that the spigot means is movable relative to the valve housing means, the spigot means being positioned in a first position where the first opening is blocked by the valve housing means; and, the storage means is movable between a second position in fluid communication with an environment external to the aerosol generating material storage vessel through a flow channel.

According to a sixth aspect of certain embodiments, refill means are provided for refilling an article for use with an aerosol providing device with an aerosol-generating material, the refilling means comprising: aerosol-generating material from a refill reservoir; transfer means for causing the aerosol generating material to be transferred to the storage means; spigot operating means configured to actuate the spigot means of the valve means of the aerosol-generating material storage container for storing the aerosol-generating material; and nozzle means, wherein the nozzle means is arranged such that the aerosol-generating material can be conveyed by the nozzle means to the article through the valve means of the aerosol-generating material storage container, wherein the refill means is such that the spigot actuating means is positioned relative to the refill means. Configured to move, the spigot actuating means, when engaged with the valve means of the aerosol generating material storage container, is configured to cause the valve means to open or close as a result of movement of the spigot actuating means.

These and additional aspects of certain embodiments are set forth in the appended independent and dependent claims. It will be understood that the features of the dependent claims may be combined with each other and with the features of the independent claims in combinations other than those explicitly recited in the claims. Additionally, the approach described herein is not limited to the specific embodiments as described below, but includes and contemplates any suitable combination of features presented herein. For example, a refill device and/or refill apparatus may be provided in accordance with the approaches described herein suitably including any one or more of the various features described below.

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail by way of example only with reference to the following drawings:
1 shows a simplified schematic cross-section through an exemplary electronic aerosol delivery system to which embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied;
Figure 2 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a refilling device in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;
3 shows a simplified schematic cross-sectional view of an example of an article of an aerosol delivery system engaged for refilling in a refill device with ventilation through a ventilation nozzle according to examples of the present disclosure;
4-9 show schematic longitudinal cross-sectional views of ventilation nozzles according to various examples of the present disclosure;
10 and 11 show simplified schematic cross-sectional views of example articles engaged for refilling in a refill device with ventilation through a ventilation nozzle in accordance with further examples of the present disclosure;
12 illustrates a nozzle arrangement including a nozzle and an article having a valve arrangement including a spigot configured to be moved by the nozzle from a first closed position to a second open position for refilling of the article according to an example of the present disclosure. shows a simplified schematic cross-sectional view of;
Figure 13 schematically shows in exploded view the valve arrangement of the article shown in Figure 12, showing in particular the valve housing and spigot in more detail;
FIGS. 14A and 14B schematically illustrate individual views of a valve arrangement of an article in an open position (FIG. 14A) and a closed position (FIG. 14B), wherein FIGS. 14A and 14B each illustrate aspects of the present disclosure. The valve arrangement is shown in a side view (bottom of the figures) and a cross-sectional side view (top of the figures) according to the figures;
15A-15C schematically show three snapshots of the relative movement of the spigot's engagement ring and the recessed portion of the valve housing, resulting in both rotational and axial movement of the spigot. Explains the principle of single input movement. Figure 15a shows the relative positions of the engaging ring and the recessed portion when the spigot is in the closed position, Figure 15c shows the relative positions of the engaging ring and the recessed portion when the spigot is in the open position, Figure 15b shows the relative positions of the engaging ring and the recessed portion when the spigot is midway between the closed and open positions;
16 illustrates an example method for refilling an article of the present disclosure using a corresponding refill device of the present disclosure;
FIGS. 17A and 17B schematically illustrate respective views of a valve arrangement of a refill reservoir in an open position (FIG. 17A) and a closed position (FIG. 17B), wherein FIGS. 17A and 17B each represent an aspect of the present disclosure. The valve arrangement is shown in a side view (bottom of the figures) and a cross-sectional side view (top of the figures) according to the figures;
18 schematically illustrates an alternative configuration of the valve arrangement in an open position and for actuating a spigot of the valve arrangement and a separate nozzle for supplying aerosol generating material to an article in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. A spigot operating mechanism is provided.

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

As described above, the present disclosure relates to electronic aerosol or vapor delivery systems such as, but not limited to, e-cigarettes. Throughout the following description, the terms “e-cigarette” and “electronic cigarette” may be used occasionally; However, it will be understood that these terms may be used interchangeably with aerosol (vapor) delivery system or device. These systems are intended to generate an inhalable aerosol by vaporizing a substrate (aerosol-generating material) in liquid or gel form, which may or may not contain nicotine. Additionally, hybrid systems may include a liquid or gel matrix and a solid matrix that is heated. The solid substrate can be, for example, cigarettes or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine. As used herein, the terms "aerosol-generating material" and "aerosolizable material" (the terms may be used interchangeably) refer to a material capable of forming an aerosol through the application of heat or some other means. It is intended to refer to those. The term "aerosol" may be used interchangeably with "vapour".

As used herein, the terms “system” and “delivery system” include systems that deliver a substance to a user, such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and aerosols using a combination of aerosolizable materials. non-flammable aerosol delivery systems that release compounds from the aerosolizable material without combusting the aerosolizable material, such as hybrid systems that generate It is intended to include articles configured for use in. According to the present disclosure, a “non-flammable” aerosol delivery system is one in which the aerosol-generating materials that make up the aerosol delivery system (or components thereof) are not combusted or burned to facilitate delivery to a user. In some embodiments, the delivery system is a non-flammable aerosol delivery system, such as a powered non-flammable aerosol delivery system. In some embodiments, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery (END) system, although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol generating material is not a requirement. Let's do it. In some embodiments, the non-flammable aerosol delivery 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, a non-flammable aerosol delivery system is a hybrid system that generates an aerosol using a combination of aerosolizable materials, one or more of which can be heated. Each of the aerosolizable materials may be in solid, liquid or gel form, for example, and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system includes a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. Solid aerosol generating materials may include, for example, tobacco or non-tobacco products.

Typically, a non-flammable aerosol delivery system may include a non-flammable aerosol delivery device and articles (consumables) for use with the non-flammable aerosol delivery device. In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to consumables that include an aerosol generating material and are configured for use with non-flammable aerosol presentation devices. These consumables are sometimes referred to as articles throughout this disclosure. However, it is expected that articles which themselves contain an aerosol generator or means for powering an aerosol generating component may themselves form a non-flammable aerosol delivery system. In some embodiments, a non-flammable aerosol delivery device can include a power source and controller. The power source may be, for example, an electrical power source. In some embodiments, an article for use with a non-flammable aerosol delivery device includes an aerosol-generating material, an aerosol-generating component (aerosol generator), an aerosol-generating region, a mouthpiece, and/or an area for receiving and retaining the aerosol-generating material. may include.

In some systems, the aerosol generating component or aerosol generator includes a heater capable of interacting with the aerosolizable material to release one or more volatile substances from the aerosolizable material to form an aerosol. However, the present disclosure is not limited in this respect and also applies to systems that form aerosols using other approaches, such as a vibrating mesh.

In some embodiments, articles for use with a non-flammable aerosol delivery device may include an aerosolizable material or a region for receiving an aerosolizable material. In some embodiments, an article for use with a non-flammable aerosol delivery device may include a mouthpiece. The area for receiving the aerosol-generating material may be a storage area for storing the aerosol-generating material. In the present disclosure, articles have storage areas for fluids, such as storage areas for containing and storing aerosolizable materials. For example, the storage area may be a reservoir capable of storing liquid aerosol generating materials. In some embodiments, the storage area for receiving aerosolizable material may be separate from or combined with the aerosol generating area (the area in which the aerosol is generated). In some embodiments, articles for use with a non-flammable aerosol presentation device may include an aerosol modifier and/or filter through which the generated aerosol passes before being delivered to the user.

As used herein, the term “component” refers to a part, section, unit, of an electronic cigarette or similar device, possibly incorporating several smaller parts or elements within an external housing or wall. Can be used to refer to a module, assembly, or similar thing. Aerosol delivery systems, such as electronic cigarettes, may be formed or constructed from one or more of these components, such as articles and devices, which may be removably or separably connected to each other, or may be permanently connected during manufacturing to define the overall system. can be combined together. The present disclosure provides, for example, articles in the form of aerosolizable material delivery components (alternatively referred to as cartridges, cartomizers, pods or consumables) that hold liquid or other aerosolizable materials, and comprising two components separably connectable to each other, configured as an aerosol generating component for generating a vapor/aerosol from an aerosolizable material or as a device with a battery or other power source for providing electrical power for operating the aerosol generator Applicable to (but not limited to) systems that: A component may include more or fewer parts than those included in the examples.

The present disclosure provides an aerosol delivery system utilizing an aerosolizable material in the form of a liquid or gel (fluid) that is absorbed into a carrier substrate or retained in a storage area such as a reservoir, tank, vessel or other receptacle included in the system. and its components. An arrangement is included for transferring aerosolizable material from a reservoir or aerosolizable material storage area for the purpose of providing it to an aerosol generator for vapor/aerosol generation. Terms such as “liquid,” “gel,” “solid,” “fluid,” “source liquid,” “source gel,” “source fluid,” and the like refer to terms having a form that can be stored and delivered according to examples of the present disclosure. Terms such as “aerosol-generating material,” “aerosolizable material,” “aerosolizable substrate material,” and “substrate material” may be used interchangeably to refer to materials.

As used herein, 'aerosol generating material' means a material capable of generating an aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated, or energized in any other way. For example, aerosol-generating materials may be in the form of solids, liquids or gels that may or may not contain active substances and/or flavoring agents. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may comprise an “amorphous solid,” which may alternatively be referred to as a “monolithic solid” (i.e., non-fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dried gel. Amorphous solids are solid materials that can retain some fluid, such as a liquid, within them. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may comprise, for example, about 50 wt%, 60 wt%, or 70 wt% amorphous solids to about 90 wt%, 95 wt%, or 100 wt% amorphous solids. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may include one or more active ingredients, one or more flavors, one or more aerosol former materials, and/or one or more other functional materials. As used herein, an active agent may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active substance may be chosen, for example, from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactive substances. The active substances may occur naturally or be obtained synthetically. The active substance may include, 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 include one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, cannabis or other botanicals. As used herein, the terms "flavor" and "flavor" refer to any term that may be used to produce a desired taste, aroma or other somatosensorial sensation in products intended for adult consumers, where local regulations permit. Refers to materials. This may include naturally occurring flavor ingredients, herbal medicines, extracts of herbal medicines, synthetically obtained ingredients, or combinations thereof. The aerosol former material may include one or more constituents capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol former material is glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, May include one or more of diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate. there is. One or more other functional ingredients may include one or more of pH adjusters, colorants, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.

1 is a very schematic diagram (not to scale) of a typical exemplary electronic aerosol/vapour delivery system, such as an e-cigarette 10, illustrating the relationships between the various components of a typical system and illustrating the general principles of operation. It was presented for the purpose of: It is noted that the present disclosure is not limited to systems configured in this manner, and features may be modified in accordance with various alternatives and definitions described above and/or apparent to those skilled in the art. The e-cigarette 10 has a generally elongated shape extending along a longitudinal axis, indicated in the present example by a dashed line, and has two main components: an aerosol presentation device, or simply device 20 (control or power component, sections or units), and articles or consumables 30 (cartridge assemblies or sections, sometimes referred to as cartomizers, clearomizers or pods) that hold aerosol generating material and are operable or operable to generate vapors/aerosols. . In the following description, the aerosol delivery system 10 is configured to generate an aerosol from a liquid aerosol generating material (source liquid), and the disclosure described above will use this example to illustrate the principles of the disclosure. However, the present disclosure is not limited to aerosolizing liquid aerosol-generating materials, and features may be used above for aerosolizing different aerosol-generating materials, such as solid aerosol-generating materials or gel aerosol-generating materials, as described above. Modifications may be made in accordance with various alternatives and definitions described and/or apparent to those skilled in the art.

Article 30 includes a storage area, such as reservoir 3, containing source liquids or other aerosol-generating materials, including, for example, nicotine, a liquid from which an aerosol is generated, or a gel-like formulation. For example, the sauce liquid may contain about 1% to 3% nicotine and 50% glycerol, with the remainder containing approximately equal amounts of water and propylene glycol, and possibly also other ingredients such as flavors. may also be included. Nicotine-free sauce liquids may also be used to deliver flavors. In some embodiments, a solid substrate (not illustrated) may also be included, such as a portion of tobacco or other flavoring element through which vapor generated from the liquid passes. Reservoir 3 may take the form of a storage tank and is a container or receptacle capable of storing a source liquid such that the liquid moves and flows freely within the boundaries of the tank. In other examples, the storage area may include absorbent material (inside a tank, etc., or positioned within an external housing of the article) that retains the aerosol-generating material. For consumable items, reservoir 3 may be filled and sealed during manufacturing to ensure it is disposable after the source liquid is consumed. However, the present disclosure relates to refillable articles having an inlet port, orifice, or other opening (not shown in FIG. 1) through which new source liquid can be added to enable reuse of the article 30. The article 30 also includes an aerosol generator 5, in this example an electrically driven heating element or heater 4 and an aerosol-generating material transfer component 6 (aerosolizing the aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage area). an aerosol generating component that may take the form of an aerosol generating component (designed to be delivered to a generator). The heater 4 is located external to the reservoir 3 and is operable to vaporize the source liquid by heating to create an aerosol. The aerosol-generating material transport component (6) is a transport or delivery arrangement configured to transfer the aerosol-generating material from the reservoir (3) to the heater (4). In some examples, this may take the form of a wick or other porous element. The wick 6 may have one or more portions located within the reservoir 3, or may otherwise be in fluid communication with the liquid within the reservoir 3 to absorb the source liquid and heat the heater by wick or capillary action. It can be transferred to other parts of the wick (6) adjacent to or in contact with (4). The wick may be formed of any suitable material capable of causing wicking of the liquid, such as glass fibers or cotton fibers. This wicked liquid is heated and vaporized and, through continuous capillary action, a replacement liquid is drawn from the reservoir (3) to be conveyed by the wick (6) to the heater (4). The wick can be thought of as a conduit between the reservoir 3 and the heater 4 that conveys or transfers liquid from the reservoir to the heater. In some designs and implementations, heater 4 and aerosol generating material delivery component 6 are integral or monolithic and formed of the same material that can be used for both transporting and heating the liquid, such as a porous and conductive material. In still other cases, the aerosol generating material transport component may be configured in another manner other than by capillary action, for example comprising an arrangement of one or more valves through which liquid can exit the reservoir (3) and be delivered to the heater (4). It can work.

The heater and wick (or similar) combination, referred to herein as the aerosol generator 5, may sometimes be referred to as an atomizer or atomizer assembly, and the reservoir containing the source liquid and atomizer may collectively be referred to as the aerosol source. You can. Various designs are possible, and the parts may be arranged differently compared to the very schematic representation in Figure 1. For example, as mentioned above, the wick 6 may be a completely separate element from the heater 4, or the heater 4 may be porous and configured to perform at least part of the wick function directly. (e.g. metal mesh).

In this example, the system is an electronic system and the heater 4 may comprise one or more electrical heating elements operating by ohmic/resistive (Joule) heating, but induction heating may also be used, in which case The heater includes a susceptor in an induction heating arrangement. The article 30 may include electrical contacts (not shown) at an interface of the article 30 that electrically engage electrical contacts (not shown) at the interface of the aerosol presentation device 20 . Accordingly, electrical energy can be transferred to the heater 4 via the electrical contacts from the aerosol presentation device 20 to cause heating of the heater 4 . In other examples, the heater 4 may be inductively heated, in which case the heater may comprise a susceptor in an induction heating arrangement which may comprise a suitable drive coil through which an alternating current is passed. This type of heater may be constructed according to the examples and embodiments described in more detail below.

Thus, generally, in this context, an atomizer or aerosol generator is an aerosol or vapor generating element capable of generating vapor by heating a source liquid (or other aerosol generating material) delivered thereto, and wicking/capillary forces. etc. may be considered as one or more elements that implement the function of a liquid transport or delivery element capable of transferring or transporting liquid from a reservoir or similar liquid reservoir to the vapor generating element. The aerosol generator is typically housed in article 30 of the aerosol generation system as in FIG. 1 , but in some examples, at least a heater portion may be housed in device 20 . Embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to all and any such configurations consistent with the examples and descriptions disclosed herein.

Returning to Figure 1, the article 30 also includes a mouthpiece or mouthpiece portion 35 having an opening or air outlet through which a user can inhale the aerosol produced by the heater 4.

The aerosol delivery device 20 comprises a cell or battery 7 (hereinafter) to provide electrical power for the electrical components of the aerosol delivery system (e-cigarette) 10, in particular for operating the heater 4. Includes power sources such as batteries (which may or may not be rechargeable). There is also control circuitry or controller 8, such as a printed circuit board and/or other electronics or circuitry, for generally controlling the aerosol delivery system (e-cigarette) 10. Control circuitry or controller 8 may include a processor programmed with software, which may be modified by the system user. The control electronics/circuitry/controller 8, in one aspect, uses power from the battery 7 to operate the heater 4 when steam is needed. At this time, the user inhales onto the system 10 through the mouthpiece 35, and air A is introduced through one or more air inlets 9 on the wall of the device 20 (the air inlets are alternatively may be individually or additionally located within the article 30). When the heater (4) is actuated, it vaporizes the source liquid delivered from the reservoir (3) by the aerosol generating material delivery component (6) to entrain the vapor into the air flowing through the system, creating an aerosol, which is then transferred to the mouthpiece. It is inhaled by the user through the opening of (35). The aerosol is released from the aerosol generator 5 along one or more air channels (not shown) connecting the air inlets 9 with the aerosol generator 5 and the air outlet when the user inhales from the mouthpiece 35. It is transported as a piece (35).

More generally, the control circuitry or controller 8 may include any specific functionality described in accordance with embodiments and examples of the present disclosure as part of the foregoing disclosure and/or as further described herein. , may be suitably configured/programmed to control the operation of the aerosol delivery system 10 in accordance with established techniques for controlling such devices to provide typical operational functions of the aerosol delivery system. The control circuitry or controller 8 is comprised of various subunits/circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the operation of the aerosol delivery system according to the principles described herein and other conventional aspects of operation of aerosol delivery systems, e.g. For example, it may be considered to logically include display driving circuitry for systems that may include a user display (screen or indicator, etc.) and user input detections via one or more user-operable controls 12, etc. The functionality of the control circuitry or controller 8 may include, for example, one or more suitably programmed programmable computers and/or one or more suitably configured custom integrated circuits/circuitry/chips configured to provide the desired functionality. It will be appreciated that using /chipsets, they can be provided in a variety of different ways.

The device 20 and the article 30 are separate connectable parts that are separated from each other in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis, as indicated by the double-headed arrows in FIG. 1 . Components 20, 30 include cooperating engagement elements 21, 31 (e.g. For example, they are joined together by screws or bayonet fittings. If the heater (4) operates by ohmic heating, an electrical connection is required to allow current to pass through the heater (4) when the heater is connected to the battery (5). In systems using induction heating, electrical connections may be omitted if components requiring electrical power are not located in the article 30. An inductively operated coil may be housed in the device 20 and supplied with power from a battery 5, and the article 30 and device 20 are such that when they are connected, the heater 4 causes the heater 4 to react to the material of the heater. It can be shaped to be appropriately exposed to the magnetic flux generated by the coil for the purpose of generating current flow. The design of FIG. 1 is only an example arrangement, and various parts and features may be distributed differently between device 20 and article 30, and other components and elements may be included. The two sections may be connected together end-to-end, either in a longitudinal configuration as shown in Figure 1 or in a different configuration such as a parallel, side-by-side arrangement. The system may or may not be generally cylindrical and/or may have a generally longitudinal shape. One or both of the sections or components may be intended to be discarded and replaced when exhausted, or may be intended for multiple uses enabled by operations such as storage refilling and battery recharging. In other examples, system 10 may be monolithic in that the parts of device 20 and article 30 are contained in a single housing and cannot be separated. Embodiments and examples of the present disclosure are applicable to any of these configurations and other configurations recognizable to those skilled in the art.

The present disclosure relates to refilling a storage area for aerosol-generating material in an aerosol delivery system so that a user can conveniently provide new aerosol-generating material to the system when previously stored quantities have been exhausted. The aerosol-generating material may be a liquid, or possibly a gel, and may generally be referred to as a fluid, although in this context this term is not intended to include gases, especially air. It is proposed that the replenishment of aerosol-generating material is carried out automatically by the provision of a device, referred to herein as a refill device, a refill unit, a refill station, or simply a dock. The refill device is configured to receive articles from an aerosol delivery system, or more conveniently, an aerosol delivery system having an empty or only partially filled storage area and a larger reservoir holding aerosol generating material. A fluid communication flow path is established between the larger reservoir and the storage area, and a controller of the refill device employs an operable transfer mechanism or arrangement to move the aerosol-generating material from the larger reservoir within the refill device to the storage area along the flow path. Control. The transfer mechanism may be activated in response to a user inputting a refill request to the refill device, or may be activated automatically in response to a particular state or condition of the refill device detected by the controller. For example, a refill may be performed if both the item and the larger reservoir are properly positioned within or otherwise coupled to the refill unit. Once the storage area has been replenished with the desired amount of aerosol-generating material (e.g., the storage area has been filled or a user-specified amount of material has been transferred to the article), the transfer mechanism is deactivated and transfer is stopped. Alternatively, the delivery mechanism may be configured to automatically dispense a fixed amount of aerosol-generating material in response to activation by a controller (e.g., a fixed amount consistent with the capacity of the storage region). The transfer of aerosol generating material by the refill device may be referred to as a refill operation or a filling operation.

Figure 2 shows a very schematic representation of an example refilling device. The refill device is shown only in simplified form to illustrate the various elements and the relationships between them. More specific features of one or more of the elements associated with the present disclosure will be described in more detail below.

The refill device 50 will hereinafter be referred to as a “dock” for convenience. This term is applicable because the reservoir and items are accommodated or “docked” in the refill device during use. Dock 50 includes an external housing 52. Dock 50 is expected to be useful for refilling items at home or at work (rather than on portable or commercial devices, although these options are not excluded). Thus, the outer housing, for example made of metal, plastic or glass, can be designed with an attractive outward appearance suitable for permanent and convenient access, for example on a shelf, desk, table or counter. The housing may be of any size suitable to accommodate the various elements described herein, for example, may have dimensions of about 10 cm to 20 cm, although smaller or larger sizes may be desirable. Two cavities or ports 54 and 56 are defined inside the housing 50. First port 54 is shaped and dimensioned to receive and interface with refill reservoir 40 . The first or refill reservoir port 54 is configured to enable an interface between the refill reservoir 40 and the dock 50, and may therefore alternatively be referred to as a refill reservoir interface. Primarily, the refill reservoir interface is for moving aerosol-generating material out of the refill reservoir 40, but in some cases, as described below, the interface provides communication and refill between the refill reservoir 40 and the dock 50. Additional functions may be enabled, such as electrical contacts and sensing functions for determining properties and characteristics of reservoir 40.

Refill reservoir 40 includes a wall or housing 41 that defines a storage area for holding aerosol generating material 42. The volume of the storage area is large enough to accommodate several or multiple times the storage area/reservoir 3 of items 30 intended to be refilled at the dock 50 . Accordingly, a user can purchase a reservoir 40 filled with a preferred aerosol generating material (flavor, strength, brand, etc.) and use it to refill the article 30 multiple times. A user may obtain multiple reservoirs 40 of different aerosol generating materials, making convenient choices available when refilling items. Refill reservoir 40 includes an outlet orifice or opening 44 through which aerosol-generating material 42 can escape out of refill reservoir 40 . In the present context, the aerosol-generating material 42 has a liquid or gel form and can therefore be considered an aerosol-generating fluid. The term “fluid” may be used herein for convenience to refer to a liquid or gel material; When the term “liquid” is used herein, it should similarly be understood to refer to a liquid or gel material, unless it is clear from the context that only liquid is intended.

A second port 56, which may be defined within the housing, is shaped and dimensioned to accommodate and interface with the article 30. The second or article port 56 is configured to enable an interface between the article 30 and the dock 50 and may alternatively be referred to as an article interface. Primarily, the article interface is for receiving aerosol-generating material into article 30 and, in some cases, the interface is for communicating between article 30 and dock 50 and determining properties and characteristics of article 30. Additional functions, such as electrical contacts and sensing functions, may be enabled.

The article 30 itself comprises a wall or housing 31, within which is a storage area 3 for holding aerosol-generating material (although it may not occupy all of the space within the wall 31). Because the volume of the storage area 3 is many times or several times smaller than the volume of the refill reservoir 40, the article 30 can be refilled multiple times from a single refill reservoir 40. The article also includes an inlet orifice or opening 32 through which aerosol-generating material may enter the storage area 3. As discussed above with respect to FIG. 1 , various other elements may be included in article 30 . For convenience, the article 30 may be referred to as a pod 30 hereinafter.

The housing also accommodates a fluid conduit 58, which is a passageway or flow path through which the reservoir 40 and the storage area 3 of the articles 30 are placed in fluid communication and the refill reservoir 40 and the articles 30. All of this, when accurately positioned within dock 50, allows aerosol generating material to move from refill reservoir 40 to article 30. Once the refill reservoir 40 and the article 30 are placed within the dock 30, a fluid conduit 58 is connected between the outlet orifice 44 of the reservoir 40 and the inlet orifice 32 of the article 30. Locate and engage them. In some examples, all or a portion of fluid conduit 58 may be formed by portions of refill reservoir 40 and article 30 such that the fluid conduit allows refill reservoir 40 and/or article 30 to be formed. Note that it is created and defined only when placed within dock 30. In other cases, fluid conduit 58 may be a flow path defined within housing 52 of dock 50, with individual orifices engaged at each end.

Access to storage port 54 and product port 56 may be achieved through any convenient means. The housing 52 of the dock 50 may be provided with holes through which the refill reservoir 40 and the articles 30 may be placed or pushed. Refill reservoir 40 and/or article 30 may be contained entirely within the individual apertures, or portions of refill reservoir 40 and/or article 30 may protrude from individual ports 54, 56. It may be partially included if possible. In some cases, doors may be included to cover the openings to prevent dust or other contaminants from entering the openings. When refill reservoir 40 and/or article 30 is fully contained in ports 54, 56, doors, etc. may be required to be placed in the closed position to allow refilling to occur. Sliding access elements, such as doors, hatches and other hinged coverings, or drawers or trays, allow storage 40 or article 30 into the housing when the door, etc. is closed. It may include tracks, slots or recesses shaped to receive and retain the bin 40 or article 30, bringing it into proper alignment. Alternatively, the housing of dock 50 may be formed to include recessed portions into which items 30 or refill reservoirs 40 may be inserted. These and other alternatives will be apparent to those skilled in the art and do not affect the scope of the disclosure.

Dock 50 also includes an aerosol generating material (“liquid” or “fluid”) transfer mechanism, arrangement, device or means 53 that directs the fluid out of refill reservoir 40 and along conduit 58. It may be actuated to move or cause movement within the article 30. Various options for the transfer mechanism 53 are contemplated. By way of example, delivery mechanism 53 may include a fluid pump, such as a peristaltic pump. The peristaltic pump may be arranged to rotate and compress portions of the conduit 58 to force the source liquid along the length of the conduit toward the inlet orifice 32 of the article 30 according to conventional techniques for peristaltic pump operation. .

A controller 55 is also included in the dock 50 and is operable to control components of the dock 50 and, in particular, to generate and transmit control signals for operating the transport mechanism 53 . As described above, this may be in response to user input, such as actuation of a button or switch (not shown) on housing 52, or both refill reservoir 40 and article 30 may be connected to respective ports 54, 56) It can automatically respond to what it detects as being present inside. Accordingly, the controller 55 may be used to obtain data from the ports and/or refill reservoir 40 and article 30 that can be used to generate control signals for operating the transfer mechanism 53 56) may communicate with contacts and/or sensors (not shown). Controller 55 may include a microcontroller, microprocessor, or any other configuration of circuitry, hardware, firmware, or software desired; Various options will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Finally, the dock 50 has a power source 57 for providing electrical power to the controller 53 and user inputs such as sensors, switches, buttons or touch panels, and, if present, Includes any other electrical components that may be included in the dock, such as display elements such as light emitting diodes and/or display screens to convey information about the operation and status of the dock to the user. Additionally, the transport mechanism may be electrically driven. Because the dock may be permanently located in a home or office, the power source 57 may include a receptacle for connecting an electrical mains cable to the dock 50, allowing the dock 50 to "plug in" to the mains electricity. (plug in)". Any suitable electrical converter may be provided on the main cable or within dock 50 to convert the mains electricity into a suitable operating electrical supply for dock 50. Alternatively, the power source 57 may include one or more replaceable or rechargeable batteries, in which case the dock 50 may be configured to provide a charging cable adapted to recharge the battery or batteries while housed within the dock. It may also contain socket connections.

Refilling device with venting nozzle

A refilling device with a ventilation nozzle is explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 mentioned above and FIGS. 3 to 11 mentioned below.

Additional details related to fluid conduits will now be described. As discussed above, the fluid conduit may be formed in whole or in part by portions of refill reservoir 40 (hereinafter simply referred to as “reservoir 40”) and article 30. In particular, an exemplary arrangement of fluid conduits 58 is a fluid nozzle or hollow needle, which is a fluid flow channel through which fluid aerosol generating material dispensed from reservoir 40 is delivered to storage region 3 of article 30. provides. The fluid nozzle can be provided as an element of the dock, such that when the reservoir is installed in the dock, the outlet orifice of the reservoir is coupled to the first end of the fluid nozzle. Alternatively, the fluid nozzle may be implemented as an integral part of the reservoir to provide an outlet orifice. This ensures that the fluid nozzle is only associated with a specific reservoir and its contents, preventing any cross-contamination that may occur when using the same fluid nozzle with reservoirs of different aerosol generating materials. Intermediate arrangements are also possible, such that a portion of the fluid nozzle is integrated with the reservoir and is configured to engage with a portion of the fluid nozzle serving as an element of the dock 50 . In all configurations, the fluid nozzle engages the inlet orifice 32 of the article 30 to transfer fluid from the reservoir to the article. Engagement may be achieved by moving article 30 and storage 40 relative to each other, for example when both are installed on dock 50 .

To prevent leakage of fluid from the article when the article is in use, the inlet orifice 32 of the article 30 is sealed when the article is not being refilled, but accommodates a fluid nozzle in the fluid conduit 58 when refilling is required. It is structured so that it can be done. Any type of suitable valve or membrane may be used to close the inlet orifice in a leak-tight, fluid-tight manner when not in use and to accommodate the fluid outlet end of the fluid nozzle for refilling. It can be opened and closed again when the fluid nozzle is withdrawn after refilling. Typically, the inlet orifice, which may include, for example, a diaphragm valve, will fit tightly or fairly tightly around the outer surface of the engaged fluid nozzle. As the fluid is delivered to the storage region 3 of the article 30, the pressure inside the storage region 3 increases as the fluid displaces the air already in the storage region 3. This pressure increase is undesirable as it may cause leaks or prevent further fluid from entering the storage area 3. Accordingly, a venting arrangement is provided to allow displacement air to escape from the storage region 3 so that the pressure within the storage region 3 remains substantially constant and allows for smooth refilling through uninterrupted inflow of fluid.

3 shows a simplified schematic cross-sectional view of an example article engaged for refilling in a refill device (not shown). The article 30 has a storage area 3 for holding fluid 33 delivered by the refill device as previously described. The article also has an inlet orifice 32 as previously described, which is in fluid communication with the storage area 3, such as leading directly into the storage area 3 as in the depicted example. The fluid nozzle 34 has a fluid outlet end 34a that protrudes through the inlet orifice 32 and into the storage region 3. The fluid nozzle 34 leads from a reservoir (not shown) of a refill device, all or part of a fluid conduit (indicated by dotted lines), thereby discharging fluid from the reservoir along a fluid flow channel defined in the fluid nozzle 34. Allows fluid F to flow from the fluid outlet end 34a of the nozzle 34 into the storage region 3.

In order to allow air to vent from the storage area 3 during refilling, the article 30 is additionally provided with a ventilation orifice 63 which, like the inlet orifice 32, is provided to prevent or suppress leakage from the article 30. (30) is configured to be sealed when not sealed. Any type of suitable valve or membrane may be used to close vent orifice 63 in a leak-proof, oil-tight manner when not in use. For example, vent orifice 63 may be covered with or include a diaphragm valve or self-healing membrane.

When the article 30 is received in the refill dock for refill and engages the fluid nozzle 34, it also engages the vent nozzle or hollow needle 60. The vent nozzle 60 is an element of the refill dock and is positioned to align with the vent orifice 63 of the article at the article interface of the refill dock. Vent nozzle 60 penetrates vent orifice 63 to communicate airflow with the interior of storage region 3 of articles 30 (e.g., by extending directly into storage region 3 as depicted). It has an air inlet end 60a located away from the article 30 and an air outlet end 60b located away from the article 30. A channel 61 is defined through a ventilation nozzle 60 from the air inlet end 60a to the air outlet end 60b. The air outlet end 60b can be located at any convenient position inside or outside the refill dock so that the vent nozzle 60, when engaged with the article 30, flows through the channel 61 into the storage area. for an outward flow of air A from the interior of (3) to the ventilation nozzle 60 by the air inlet end 60a, along the channel 61 and into the surrounding environment through the air outlet end 60b. Provide a passage. Therefore, as the amount of fluid 33 in the storage area 3 increases during charging, the air displaced by the fluid may enter the ventilation nozzle and be guided out of the storage area 3, so that the inside of the storage area 3 An increase in pressure can be avoided.

The article 30 and the fluid nozzle 34 and ventilation nozzle 60 may be moved toward the nozzles 34 and 60, as indicated by arrows E in FIG. 3, or toward the nozzles 34 and 60. 34 , 60 may be brought into engagement when the article 30 is placed in the refill dock by moving toward the article 30 , or by both movements. The mechanism(s) for accomplishing movement may be in any convenient arrangement and are outside the scope of this disclosure. The relative movement forces the fluid outlet end 34a of the fluid nozzle 34 against the inlet orifice 32 and then passes through the inlet orifice 32 into the storage area 3, and similarly causes the aeration nozzle ( It acts to force the air inlet end 60a of the air inlet end 60a against the ventilation orifice 63 and then penetrate the ventilation orifice 63 into the storage area 3. If movement of the nozzles 34, 60 is used for engagement, the nozzles 34, 60 may be moved individually or together. For example, these may be mounted or otherwise held (or formed integrally) with the same nozzle element, for example two nozzles, and held on a mounting block that is itself included in the refill device. Accordingly, the nozzle element engages the article 30 to bring two nozzles 34, 60 into engagement with respective orifices 32, 63 of the article 30. Similarly, a common nozzle element can hold two nozzles 34, 60 in a fixed position for engagement by movement of the article 30 toward the nozzle element.

Referring further to Figure 3, in this example, the vent orifice 63 is positioned on the article 3 so that it is on the uppermost surface or wall 31 of the article 3 when the article 3 is received at the article interface. It will be seen that the vent nozzle 60 has a linear geometry (channels 61 are straight) and is oriented vertically above the article 30 . That is, the longitudinal axis of the channel 61 is vertical. Accordingly, the relative vertical movement E causes the ventilation nozzle 60 and the article 30 to engage. This configuration places the air inlet end 60a of the ventilation nozzle 60 above the surface 33a of the fluid 33 in the storage region 3 when the storage region 3 is not full.

During filling, the surface 33a of the fluid 33 rises and approaches the air inlet end 60a of the ventilation nozzle 60, and may reach or pass through the air inlet end 60a. Additionally, during filling, the fluid may splash as it flows out of the fluid outlet end 34a of the fluid nozzle. Additionally, the refill dock may be moved, knocked, or jolted during refilling or while the article 30 is at the article interface, causing disruption of the fluid surface 33a. Accordingly, there are various ways in which fluid can contact the air inlet end of the vent nozzle 60. The vent nozzle is narrow to be compatible with the relatively small size of storage areas within the articles for aerosol delivery systems. Therefore, the channel 61 of the nozzle 60 is also narrow. Accordingly, channel 61 may become clogged or blocked by fluid contacting the air inlet end, and surface tension may retain fluid within channel 61. This may impede or block air from escaping the storage area, reducing or eliminating ventilation. The vertical orientation of the vent nozzle 61 helps solve this problem by allowing gravity to act on any fluid within the channel 61 in a direction that carries the fluid downward and out through the air flow inlet 60a. This can be.

Additionally, the narrowness of channel 61 provides capillary forces to pull any fluid present at air inlet end 60a into channel 61 and further pull fluid present in channel 61 upstream of the channel. You can pull it. Accordingly, fluid may track undesirably along channel 61. This may block or impede the air flow along the channel, reducing or preventing the outward flow of air and ventilation and increasing the pressure inside the storage area 3. Additionally, if the fluid is able to travel the entire length of the channel 61, it will eventually exit the vent nozzle 60 through the air outlet end 60b and into or out of the refill dock, depending on the arrangement of the vent nozzle 60. It may leak.

Clearly any or all of these events are undesirable. Accordingly, it is proposed to solve this problem by configuring the channel 61 of the ventilation nozzle 60 so that its taper increases with the distance from the air inlet end 60a of the ventilation nozzle 60. That is, the bore of the ventilation nozzle 60 defined by the channel 61 becomes larger along its length in the outward air flow direction.

Other advantages may be provided by venting nozzles with tapered bores. The use of a taper allows the air outlet end of the vent nozzle to be wider (larger in cross-section), which reduces the pressure drop across the nozzle, which in turn helps reduce pressure within the storage area during filling. The tapered bore is conveniently reflected in the external shape of the ventilation nozzle, allowing the air inlet end to be narrowed and the external profile to be tapered. This allows the valve/membrane to press tighter around the outside of the vent nozzle, thereby improving the sealing effect of the valve or membrane at the vent orifice around the inserted vent nozzle. Additionally, narrower air inlet ends require a smaller opening for the vent nozzle to pass through the vent orifice, thereby improving valve or membrane life. These factors are particularly relevant when diaphragm seals are used.

In the following figures showing examples of various venting nozzles, it should be noted that the taper may be exaggerated for clarity and that the nozzles are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Figure 4 shows a longitudinal cross-section (i.e., side view) of a first example of a tapered vent nozzle. The ventilation nozzle 60 is formed with a tubular side wall 62 surrounding a hollow space forming a through channel 61 for outward air flow along the nozzle. As previously explained, the vent nozzle 60 has an air inlet end 60a at a first end of the channel 61 shown as the lower end in this vertical orientation depiction, and an opposite end of the channel 61 shown as the upper end. It has an air outlet end 60b at the second end. Accordingly, the channel 61 extends from the air inlet end 60a to the air outlet end 60b, and the aerated air flows outward from the air inlet to the air outlet along the channel 61 in direction A.

The channel 61 is straight and its cross-sectional area can be defined in a plane orthogonal to the direction of air flow and thus orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the channel 61 . In plane i, at or towards the air inlet end 60a, the channel has a circular cross-sectional area Ai, as shown in Figure 4. In plane (ii), at or towards the air outlet end 60b, the channel 61 has a circular cross-sectional area Aii, which is larger than the area Ai of the inlet end. Accordingly, the cross-sectional area of channel 61 increases with distance from the air inlet end.

Increasing the cross-sectional area provides a larger bore inside the vent nozzle. This reduces capillary forces, thereby reducing the ability of the aeration nozzle 60 to attract any suspended liquid that may enter channel 61 along the channel 61 . The larger the bore towards the outlet end 60b of the channel 61, the larger the capillary force decreases with distance along the vent nozzle 60, so that the liquid tracks along the vent nozzle 60 and exits the air outlet end 60b. The likelihood of exit is further reduced. The tapered configuration is advantageous in providing this reduced capillary force compared to a non-tapered but wider nozzle, as the air inlet end 60a is limited in size available for ventilation orifices of articles which are necessarily relatively small in size. This is because the width can be kept smaller to improve compatibility with the area, and it is easy for the air inlet end 60a to penetrate through the ventilation orifice when the article and the ventilation nozzle are engaged together.

In the example of Figure 4, side walls 62 are straight and slope outward along the entire length of vent nozzle 60. The outward slope provides an increase in internal cross-section, and since the slope extends over the length of the vent nozzle, the entire vent nozzle is tapered. Straight sidewalls 62 provide a linear increase in cross-sectional area. Additionally, the slope is continuous, providing a continuous increase in cross-sectional area without interruption. This makes the inner surface of the channel 61 smooth (the vent nozzle is smoothly bored), without edges, bumps or discontinuities where unwanted liquid could stick. Starting from the air inlet end 60a, a tapered portion T can be defined where the taper extends, ie the cross-sectional area of the channel 61 increases. In this example, the tapered portion T is the complete or entire length of the ventilation nozzle 60 (defined as the distance between the air inlet end 60a and the air outlet end 60b), from narrow end to wide end. extends across. This configuration may be suitable for cases where the taper is relatively shallow (the rate of increase in cross-sectional area is low) and/or when the overall length of the ventilation nozzle 60 is not large. These factors mean that the area and therefore the width of the ventilation nozzle 60 does not become too large at the air outlet end, which may be inconvenient to accommodate the nozzle in some refill device designs.

Figure 5 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a second example of a tapered vent nozzle. In this example, the tapered portion T extends only over a portion of the length of the ventilation nozzle 61. As before, the tapered portion T starts at the air inlet end 60a, where in plane i the channel 61 has a cross-sectional area Ai. The tapered portion T extends along the ventilation nozzle 60 to a midpoint before the air outlet end 60b. At this midpoint, in plane ii at the end of the tapered portion T, the channel has a cross-sectional area Aii greater than the area Ai of the air inlet end 60a. The side wall 62 is again straight across the tapered portion T and slopes outward, so that the cross-sectional area increases linearly. Along the tapered portion T and thus beyond the end of the tapered portion T, the side wall 62 continues in a straight line but stops sloping outward. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the channel 61 no longer increases, but remains constant, and the cross-sectional area of the plane iii of the air outlet end 60b also becomes Aii, which is equal to the area of the wide end of the tapered portion T. . This configuration, in which the tapered portion is defined toward the air inlet end 60a of the ventilation nozzle 60, is used when a deep taper (large increase in cross-sectional area with length) and/or a long ventilation nozzle 60 is required - in which case If the overall taper extends along the entire length of the vent nozzle 60, it may allow the cross-sectional area of the vent nozzle 60 to increase to unsuitably or uncomfortably large values - (at the wide end of the tapered portion T). It can be useful to limit the maximum width of .

Accordingly, the size of the tapered portion T relative to the total length of the vent nozzle 60, which is equal to the total length of the channel 61, is, for example, compatible with particular designs and configurations of both the article and the refill device. For this purpose, it can be selected according to the length and width/area requirements required for the ventilation nozzle.

Figure 6 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a third example of a tapered vent nozzle. In this example, the side walls 62 of the vent nozzle 60 are sloped outward as before to provide an increasing cross-sectional area defining the tapered channel 61. However, the side wall 62 is not straight, but is curved and slopes outward at a rate that increases with distance from the air inlet end 60a. Accordingly, the cross-sectional area of the channel 61 increases non-linearly over the tapered portion T (in this example extending over the entire vent nozzle length), particularly at a rate that increases with distance from the air inlet end 60a. increases to This longitudinal curvature of the side wall 62 can be used to achieve further customization of the vent nozzle shape. For example, a gradual increase in area/width at and near the air inlet end 60a would allow a narrower nozzle to facilitate drilling or piercing of the vent orifice while allowing for a larger area/width to direct fluid to the air outlet end (60a). It may hinder movement toward 60b).

Figure 7 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a fourth example of a tapered vent nozzle. In common with the example of Figure 6, the outwardly inclined side wall 62 of the ventilation nozzle 60 spanning the tapered portion T is curved. However, in this example, the side wall 62 slopes outward at a decreasing rate, and once the outward slope reaches zero at the end of the tapered portion, it continues without further slope until the air outlet end 60b. Accordingly, the cross-sectional area of the channel 61 increases non-linearly and at a decreasing rate with distance from the air inlet end 60a. In this way, a relatively rapid increase in bore area can be achieved near the air inlet end 60a, minimizing the inflow and tracking of fluid into the channel 60, but increasing the area over the length of the tapered portion T. It does not continue to grow to this uncomfortably large size. A non-tapered portion between the tapered portion (T) and the air outlet end (60b) may be included to continue the channel (61) and lengthen the ventilation nozzle (60) as required, or outside of the side wall (62). It may be omitted if the appropriate length is achieved at or before the slope decreases to zero.

In the examples of Figures 4 and 5, channel 61 had a circular cross-section. However, this is not essential and other cross-sectional shapes may be used. Shapes with corners, discontinuities and irregularities may be unfavorable as fluid may more easily stick to the inner surface of the channel, but such shapes are not excluded. However, curved and smooth shapes provide a smoother surface for the channel interior, which can impede liquid tracking along the vent nozzle. For example, the cross-sectional shape may be oval. Additionally, the cross-sectional shape does not need to be constant along the length of the ventilation nozzle.

Figure 8 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a fifth example of a tapered vent nozzle. Similar to the example of FIG. 4 , the side wall 62 is straight and sloping outward, with a linearly increasing cross-sectional area, and a tapered portion T extending over the entire length of the ventilation nozzle 60 . However, in this example, the cross-sectional area Ai of the plane i of the air inlet end 60a is circular, and the cross-sectional area Aii of the plane ii of the air outlet end 60b is the cross-sectional area Ai as before. It is larger and has an oval shape. The side wall 62 can be formed so that the transition between the two shapes is smooth to avoid irregularities in the inner surface of the channel 61. Conversely, the ventilation nozzle 60 may start with an oval shape at the air inlet end 60a and change to a circular shape at the air outlet end 60b. Other shapes may also be used. Using different geometries at both ends, or alternatively for the middle portion, can facilitate cooperation and integration of the vent nozzle and the article and refill dock. Additionally, FIG. 8 shows the length LT of the tapered portion T, which is the same as the length LC of the channel 61 and the ventilation nozzle 60.

Figure 9 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a sixth example of a tapered vent nozzle. Similar to the example of Figure 5, side walls 62 are initially straight and sloping outward, providing a linearly increasing cross-sectional area over a tapered portion T that extends only a portion of the length of vent nozzle 60. . However, in this example, both the cross-sectional area Ai of the plane i of the air inlet end 60a and the cross-sectional area Aii of the plane ii of the air outlet end 60b are larger than the cross-sectional area Ai as before. , has an oval shape. Accordingly, the cross-sectional shape of the channel 61 is constant along the length, and only the size changes. Other shapes may be used in a similar way. Additionally, the length LT of the tapered portion T is shown in FIG. 9 and is smaller than the length LC of the channel 61 and the ventilation nozzle 60.

With regard to dimensions, the width of the channel and indeed the outer width of the vent nozzle will typically be small to engage the small size vent orifice on a small article. For example, the cross-sectional area of the channel at the air inlet end can have a maximum width ranging from about 1.5 mm to 3 mm (the channel can have a non-circular cross-section and therefore can have more than one width size, including the maximum width). must be kept in mind). However, the width may be less than this (eg, 0.5 to 1.5 mm, or greater than 3 mm). A specific example is a ventilation nozzle having a circular bore with an internal diameter of approximately 0.8 mm at the air inlet end.

As mentioned above, the taper can be shallow or deep, depending on the length of the tapered portion and the width or area over which the cross-section of the channel is to be increased. For example, the cross-sectional area of the distal end of the tapered portion away from the air inlet end, i.e., the cross-sectional area over which the channel tapers, may have a maximum width ranging from about 1.8 mm to 4 mm. However, a narrower maximum channel bore may instead be used, such as in the 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm or 1 mm to 2 mm range, or a wider maximum channel bore may be used, such as in the 2.5 mm to 5 mm range. A vent nozzle may alternatively be described as a hollow needle whose channel bore dimensions are defined by the needle gauge, where higher values of the needle gauge correspond to narrower channel diameters. For example, the maximum channel diameter may range from 12 gauge to 32 gauge.

Alternatively, if, for example, space for a vent nozzle is limited but the effect of taper is still desired, a generally narrow but still tapered channel bore may be preferred. For example, the maximum width of the cross-sectional area of the tapered portion may not exceed 2 mm, or may not exceed 3 mm.

As previously mentioned, the taper can be shallow or steep, as defined by the rate at which the side walls of the vent nozzle slope outward and the rate at which the cross-sectional area increases. For example, the cross-sectional area may increase by less than or more than 100% over the length of the tapered portion. Particularly for shallow tapers, the cross-sectional area may increase by up to 50% over the length of the tapered portion.

The length of the vent nozzle, and therefore the length of the channel, can be appropriately selected to suit the internal design of the refill device and the location at which the vented air is desired to be discharged into the environment. For example, the length of the channel may range from 6 mm to 40 mm, although shorter or longer nozzles are not excluded. As described, the tapered portion may be the same length as the vent nozzle or shorter. Accordingly, the tapered portion may have a length ranging from 6 mm to 40 mm, or may fall within a range of shorter values, such as 3 mm to 38 mm. In the case of a tapered portion shorter than the nozzle as in the examples of FIGS. 5 and 9, the length (LT) of the tapered portion may range from 50% to 95% of the length (LC) of the channel. Proportionally shorter tapered sections may also be used.

As previously discussed, vertically oriented vent nozzles inhibit fluid from tracking along the vent nozzles with the aid of gravity. However, if the air inlet end is located toward the top of the storage area of the article received at the article interface so that the storage area can be completely or nearly completely filled with fluid before the fluid level reaches the air inlet end, the orientation of the aeration nozzle may be different. It can be set as follows. The tapered shape still provides reduced capillary forces to inhibit fluid movement along the vent nozzle channel.

10 shows a simplified schematic diagram of an exemplary tapered vent nozzle 60 engaged with an article 30 and oriented within a refill device (not shown) such that the straight channels 61 have their longitudinal axes aligned horizontally. Similarly, in this example, the fluid nozzle 34 is also arranged horizontally, and the vent orifice 63 and the inlet orifice 32 of the article 30 are located on the same wall 31 of the article 30 so that 2 The nozzles 34 and 60 are positioned side by side and parallel. This facilitates engagement of the article 30 with the nozzles 34, 60, since relative movement E can be achieved along a single direction.

11 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a tapered vent nozzle 60 engaged with an article 30 according to another example arrangement. In this example, the vent nozzles 60 are arranged vertically for gravity and reduced capillary action, while the fluid nozzles 34 are arranged horizontally. Relative movement E along two directions will be necessary to achieve engagement of the article 30 and the nozzles 34, 60. For any relative arrangement of the two nozzles, the article enters the refill device for filling in either a generally vertical orientation of the longitudinal axis (e.g., Figures 3 and 11) or a generally horizontal orientation (e.g., Figure 10). Note that it can be accommodated in the article interface for positioning.

Refilling of aerosol generating material storage areas of aerosol delivery systems and articles for aerosol delivery systems is cited as a specific use of nozzles as disclosed herein, including use in refill devices, but the concept is not so limited. That is not the case. Nozzles according to the present disclosure may be used in any situation where liquid is delivered to a substantially sealed or gas-tight space and air needs to be ventilated to avoid or reduce pressure build-ups.

refill device

The refill device is described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 mentioned above and FIGS. 12 to 18 mentioned below.

As previously discussed, fluid conduit 58 is arranged to be in fluid communication with reservoir 40 and article 30 such that source liquid may be transferred to the storage area of article 30. The article 30 is suitably configured so that it can be refilled by the dock 50, for example through the inlet orifice 32. However, article 30, on the other hand, provides for relatively easy engagement between fluid conduits 58 (or other component(s) linked to fluid conduit 58) to facilitate refilling of article 30. on the other hand, the (entire) article 30 is transitioned between the dock 50 and the aerosol delivery device (e.g., after the dock 50 has refilled the article 30 with source liquid). is arranged to prevent or reduce source liquid from escaping the article 30. Accordingly, additional details regarding article 30 and fluid conduit 58 and dock 50 are described herein.

In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, refilling of the article 30 occurs through a nozzle configured to operate in engagement with a spigot located within the opening 32 of the article 30. The spigot forms part of the valve arrangement of the article 30 and further includes a portion of the housing of the article 30 configured to receive the spigot. The spigot is positioned in a first position where the outlet opening of the spigot is blocked by the housing/valve arrangement of the article (30) and in a second position where the outlet opening of the spigot is in fluid communication with the reservoir (3) of the article (30). It is configured to move between them. When the nozzle is coupled to the spigot and the spigot is in the second position, aerosol-generating material from the refill reservoir 40 flows from the refill reservoir 40 through the fluid conduit 58 and through the hollow passage of the spigot to the reservoir 3. ) to allow the reservoir (3) to be refilled with aerosol-generating material. The above valve arrangement can be moved reliably between the first and second positions when used with a suitable dock 50 having the necessary actuating mechanisms, providing a relatively easy and simple automatic refill process. The valve arrangement can be used multiple times to enable multiple refill operations of the article 30 by virtue of the fact that relatively little (if any) damage or wear occurs by operating the valve arrangement.

Figure 12 is a very schematic representation of specific components of Figure 2, which will be described in more detail. Certain other aspects of FIG. 2 have been omitted from FIG. 12 for clarity. Figure 12 schematically shows the article 30 of Figure 2 in addition to the nozzle arrangement 160 (not shown in Figure 2).

12, the article 30 includes an article housing 31, a collar 33 of the housing 31 of the article 30 and a valve housing providing an opening 32 to the reservoir 3. , and a spigot 170 located within the collar 33/opening 32 and arranged to substantially fill the opening 32. The nozzle arrangement 160 includes a nozzle 161 coupled to the nozzle head 162 (which in turn is coupled to the fluid conduit 58) via a coupling element 163, and a motor 164 coupled to the nozzle 61. Includes.

The article 30 includes a valve arrangement formed by a spigot 170 and a collar 33 in the housing 31 of the article 30. In the described implementation, spigot 170 and collar 33 have a substantially cylindrical shape. The collar 33 can be thought of as a cylindrical hollow tubular structure formed on the edge of the article housing 31 and protruding therefrom. The central hollow section of the collar 33 forms an opening 32 which facilitates access to the reservoir 3 . The spigot 170 is of a correspondingly cylindrical shape and dimensioned so that the outer surface of the section of the spigot fits snugly into the central hollow section of the collar 33 while still allowing movement of the spigot 170 within the collar 33. has at least a section. Spigot 170, when properly actuated by nozzle 161 of nozzle arrangement 160, is positioned within collar 33 such that the outlet opening within spigot 170 is blocked by collar 33 or Movement may be permitted between a first position where it is substantially blocked and a second position where the outlet opening within the spigot 170 is not blocked by the collar 33 and is then in fluid communication with the reservoir 3 of the article 30. You can. It should also be appreciated that, in the open position, the storage area/reservoir 3 of the article 30 is in fluid communication with an external environment outside the article 30 (i.e. outside the housing 31 defining the article). .

Spigot 170 and collar 33 may be formed of any suitable materials, such as plastic or metal. The collar 33 may be formed of the same material as the article housing 31. In some implementations, collar 33 may be formed separately from article housing 31 and subsequently joined to article housing 31 via an appropriate attachment technique, such as adhesive or ultrasonic welding, although collar 33 and Depending on the material of the article housing 31, other suitable techniques may be used. In other implementations, collar 33 may be formed integrally with article housing 31, for example through suitable molding techniques. The spigot 170 may be formed of a material that may be less abrasive relative to the material used to form the collar 33, so that when the spigot 170 is moved within the collar 33, the collar 33 )/Wear of the spigot (170) can be reduced.

The valve arrangement of FIG. 12 will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 13, 14A and 14B. Figure 13 schematically shows the components of the valve arrangement in exploded view. 13 shows the collar 33 and spigot 170 in a side cross-sectional view and a top-down view of the proximal end 171 of the spigot 170. 14A and 14B show the valve arrangement in the open position (the outlet opening of the spigot 170 is in fluid communication with the reservoir 3 of the article 30) and the closed position (the outlet opening of the spigot 170 is in fluid communication with the reservoir 3 of the article 30), respectively. substantially blocked by the collar 33). In addition, FIGS. 14A and 14B are a side view of the spigot 170 and the collar 33 (bottom of FIGS. 14A and 14B) and a side cross-sectional view of the spigot 170 and the collar 33 (FIGS. 14A and 14B), respectively. The upper part of ) is shown.

As can be seen in Figures 13, 14a and 14b, collar 33 is formed as a substantially cylindrical tube with a central hollow passageway. Collar 33 is open at both ends and sized to accommodate spigot 170 (or at least a portion thereof) as described above. As shown in Figure 14b, collar 33 has an outer diameter of approximately 4 mm and an inner diameter of approximately 2 mm (and therefore has a wall thickness of approximately 1 mm). The length of collar 33 is approximately 5 to 6 mm. It should be understood that collar 33 may have different sizes/dimensions in different implementations, and that the values given above are provided to provide a specific example of the present disclosure. Collar 33 is shown in some figures as being coupled to or forming part of housing 31, as discussed above. When the collar 33 is coupled to the housing 31, the housing 31 includes an opening whose size matches the outer diameter of the collar 33 (i.e., 4 mm in this example). The central passageway of the hollow cylinder, best seen in FIGS. 14A and 14B, forms the opening 32 discussed above.

The collar 33 further includes a first opening 331 and a second opening 332. More specifically, the collar has two first openings 331 arranged on both sides of the central passage of the collar 33, and two second openings arranged on both sides of the central passage of the collar 33 ( 332). As discussed in more detail below, first openings 331 are provided to allow aerosol generating material (e.g., source liquid) to pass from spigot 170 to reservoir 3, and second openings ( 332) is provided to allow air or other fluids to escape the reservoir 3 when refilling occurs. Accordingly, the first openings 331 may be referred to as outlet openings of the valve housing/collar 33 or aerosol generating material outlet openings of the valve housing/collar 33 and the second openings 332 They may be referred to as inlet openings of the valve housing/collar 33 or air inlet openings of the valve housing/collar 33 . Although two first openings 331 and two second openings 332 are shown, in other implementations there may be fewer or more first openings 331 and second openings 332. ) may be provided, and it should be recognized that the number of first openings 331 does not need to be the same as the number of second openings 332. In some implementations, the collar 33 may be provided with only one first opening 331 and only one second opening 332.

Referring particularly to Figure 13, spigot 170 includes a proximal end 171 and a distal end 172. The proximal end 171 is referred to as the proximal end 171 due to the fact that this end engages a corresponding nozzle 161 of the nozzle arrangement 160. The proximal end 171 includes corresponding nozzle engagement features, in this example the proximal end 171 of the spigot 170 being shaped to correspond to the end of the nozzle 161 of the nozzle arrangement 160. This is the recessed portion 171a in . In Figure 4, the recessed portion 171a has a shape corresponding to a combination of a cross shape and an approximately square shape. As discussed below, the spigot 170 is designed to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the collar 33 at the cylindrical collar 33 by actuating the nozzle 161, thus the nozzle engagement characteristics of the spigot 170. The portion has a plurality of surfaces substantially perpendicular to the direction of rotation. However, shapes other than those shown in Figure 13 may be suitable to perform the same function, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Nozzle 161 has correspondingly shaped engagement features for engaging recessed portion 171a. Additionally, in other implementations, the nozzle engagement feature can be any suitable feature that can engage the nozzle 161 and facilitate desired movement of the spigot 170. For example, the engagement feature of spigot 170 may be a protrusion (rather than a recess) and the nozzle 161 may include a correspondingly shaped recess to receive the protrusion. In other implementations, engagement between the spigot and the nozzle may be via the nozzle engaging the outer surface/edge of the spigot 170, for example using a screw-threaded or grip arrangement.

As described, spigot 170 includes a generally cylindrical shaped section, generally indicated by reference numeral 173, designed to fit within the cylindrical passageway of collar 33. In the example shown in Figures 13-14B, the spigot has a diameter of approximately 2 mm to fit correspondingly within the cylindrical opening of the collar 33. However, as above, these values provide a specific example of the diameter of the cylindrical section 173 of spigot 170, with the understanding that spigot 170 may have different diameters in different applications. A flange 174 and an engaging ring 175 are provided above the cylindrical section 173 (i.e. closer to the proximal end 171). The flange 174 and engagement ring 175 have a larger diameter than the cylindrical section 173 and are therefore sized so as not to pass through the cylindrical passageway of the collar 33. For example, flange 174 may have a diameter of approximately 3 to 3.5 mm in the illustrated example, but this is provided as an example only and may be different in other implementations. That is, when the distal end 172 of the spigot 170 passes through the cylindrical passageway of the collar 33, at least the flange 174 remains visible and forms part of the outer surface of the assembled article 30. . In the closed position of spigot 170, flange 174 abuts the surface of collar 33/housing 31 of article 30. Although not shown, the flange 174 may include a resilient sealing member provided between the flange 174 and the housing 31/collar 33, which seals the flange when the spigot 170 is in the closed position. It can be slightly compressed against the housing 31/collar 33 by 174 . This may provide an additional seal to prevent contaminants (eg dust) from entering the collar 33/reservoir 3. To maintain the spigot 170 in place within the collar 33 once installed, an element having a diameter greater than the diameter of the cylindrical section 173 (e.g., greater than 2 mm) is attached to the spigot 170. It may be attached to the distal end 172. In this implementation, spigot 170 includes a recess 172a for receiving an O-ring or similar resilient, elastic material (commonly referred to as biasing element 180), where O-ring 180 seats in recess 172a and extends to a diameter greater than the diameter of cylindrical section 173 of spigot 170. In other implementations, for example, a plastic or metal disk (e.g., a washer or a more rigid element such as a clip or pin) is used to prevent the spigot 170 from being pulled out of the collar 33. In the example shown in FIGS. 13-14B, the spigot has a total length of about 7 mm (see FIG. 14B), but may be attached to the end of the spigot 170 or otherwise engaged. It should be understood that 170) may have different lengths in different implementations.

Spigot 170 further includes an aerosol generating material flow channel 176 (best shown in FIGS. 1A and 14B). The aerosol generating material flow channel 176 extends from the inlet opening 176a of the proximal end 171 of the spigot 170 along the central longitudinal axis of the spigot 170 such that, in the described implementation, the spigot 170 It extends into two outlet openings 176b positioned proximate the distal end 172 of the . The inlet opening 176a can be seen in Figure 13 and is positioned in the center of the recessed portion 171a. When the nozzle 161 engages the recessed portion 171a, the opening of the nozzle 161 is aligned with the inlet opening 176a of the spigot 170. Accordingly, more generally, the engagement feature (e.g., recessed portion 171a) has the additional function of helping to align the opening of the nozzle 161 with the inlet opening 176a of the spigot 170. can be provided. As discussed above, aerosol-generating material (e.g., source liquid) may be provided to article 30 through nozzle 161, and in particular, source liquid may be provided to article 30 from an opening in nozzle 161 through spigot 170. ) can pass through the inlet opening (176a). Source liquid passes along flow channel 176 toward outlet opening(s) 176b. The flow channel 176 is sized such that an aerosol generating material, e.g., a source liquid, can flow along the flow channel 176 when driven by the transport mechanism 53 of the dock 50. In this example, flow channel 176 is designed to facilitate transfer of source liquid and has a diameter of approximately 1 mm, however this value is an example only and other diameters/dimensions of flow channel 176 are possible in other implementations. do. Flow channel 176 is shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B as extending along the central longitudinal axis of spigot 170, but in some implementations, flow channel 176 is parallel to the longitudinal axis of spigot 170. It must be recognized that it can extend away from the center. Generally, the spigot 170 includes a flow channel 176 formed within the spigot 170—that is, the flow channel 176 extends within the spigot 170 and extends from the spigot 176 in a radial direction of the flow channel. It is a hollow flow channel surrounded by 170. Additionally, although the cross-sectional shape of the flow channel 176 is shown and described above as being generally circular, the flow channel may therefore have any cross-sectional shape.

As shown in FIG. 14A, the flow channel 176 is divided into two branches extending in opposite directions to form a “T” shape. Each of the two branches of the flow channel 176 extends into respective outlet openings 176b formed in the outer surface of the spigot 176. The number of outlet openings 176b of the flow channel 176 typically corresponds to the number of first openings 331 of the collar 33 . For example, in the described implementation, each of the two outlet openings 176b may be simultaneously fluidly connected to each of the two first openings 331 of the collar 33. However, the number of openings 331 of the collar 33 need not match the number of outlet openings 176b of the spigot 170, and the number of outlet openings 176b for the first openings 331 ) may be fewer or more.

In addition to the flow channel 176 , the spigot 170 is provided with a groove, track or cutout 177a in a portion of the outer surface of the spigot 170 , which forms part of the air channel 177 . 4, grooves 177a are shown in a portion of the outer surface of spigot 170, which runs along the length of cylindrical section 173 of spigot 170 and partially over engagement ring 175. It is extended. In this regard, the groove 177a extends from the proximal end 171 of the spigot 170 toward the distal end 172 of the spigot 170, but does not extend over the entire length of the spigot 170. No. As shown in Figure 13, groove 177a stops before outlet opening 176b of spigot 170.

When spigot 170 is assembled with collar 33, an air channel 177 is provided. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 14A , air channel 177 flows from second openings 332 of collar 33, along groove 177a formed in spigot 170, and engages ring 175. ) can exist. Broadly speaking, groove 177a creates a gap between a section of spigot 170 and collar 33, which gap is fluidly connected to second opening 332 and engages spigot 170. When open to the environment at the ring 175/proximal end 171, air flows through the gap from the second opening 332 (which coincidentally is provided in fluid communication with the reservoir 3) to the valve arrangement of the article 30. It can flow out into the environment outside the body. In this regard, when the transfer mechanism 53 is actuated to transfer aerosol-generating material to the reservoir 3 of the article 30, additional material, which may typically have a predefined volume, is added (having a specific volume). Provided in storage (3). For example, if air cannot escape from reservoir 3 (or cannot escape at a rate equal to or greater than the rate at which the aerosol-generating material is mass transferred into reservoir 3), reservoir 3 The total amount of material within increases during subsequent refills. This in turn increases the pressure in the reservoir 3 , causing leakage of the aerosol-generating material between various joints/components of the article 30 that would otherwise be impervious to the aerosol-generating material, and any sealing components within the article 30 . This may cause undesirable effects, such as, but not limited to, increased stress on components of the nozzle arrangement 160 or delivery mechanism 53. Accordingly, it may be advantageous to provide the valve arrangement of article 30 with a mechanism to allow air to escape reservoir 3 during refilling of reservoir 3 with aerosol generating material.

Finally, spigot 170 includes the previously referenced engaging ring 175. Engagement ring 175 in this example is a ring-shaped element extending around the upper portion of spigot 170, around the circumference of spigot 170 (and, as previously mentioned, cylindrical section 173). spigot 170 is provided with a surface or edge comprising a row of extending saw-shaped teeth (at a larger diameter). The engaging ring 175 may be formed and attached separately from the spigot 170, or may be formed integrally with the spigot 170. The saw-shaped teeth are provided such that the teeth are oriented in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the spigot 170. That is, the saw-tooth shaped teeth point in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spigot 170. This arrangement is best shown in Figure 13. Collar 33 includes a recessed portion 333 corresponding to the upper side of collar 33 (i.e., the side of collar 33 oriented away from reservoir 3). Recessed portion 333 is sized to accommodate engagement ring 175 when spigot 170 is placed within collar 33. Additionally, the recessed portion 333 includes a complementary saw-tooth shaped profile that can engage with the saw-tooth shaped profile of the engaging ring 175 . Accordingly, the saw-toothed teeth of the recessed portion 333 are oriented in opposite directions along the longitudinal axis of the collar 33/spigot 170.

The operation of the valve arrangement will now be described primarily with reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B.

Figure 14b shows the valve arrangement in a closed configuration. In this configuration, the spigot 170 is said to be in the first or closed position, where the outlet openings 176b of the spigot 170 are not fluidly coupled to the first openings 331 of the collar 33. No. Since the first openings 331 are fluidly coupled to the reservoir 3 of the article 30, it follows that in the closed position the outlet openings 176b are also not fluidly coupled to the reservoir 3. Accordingly, aerosol generating material (source liquid) passing along the flow channel 176 is blocked from entering the reservoir 3 . In fact, as shown in Figure 14b, opening 176b is blocked by the inner surface of collar 33, which allows any source liquid (as well as any other materials such as dust or dirt) to enter inlet opening 176a. ) to prevent passage through the reservoir (3). Likewise, in this configuration, the source liquid is prevented from exiting the reservoir 3 if it begins to flow along the first openings 331 (e.g., when the article 30 is turned over).

Additionally, when spigot 170 is in the first or closed position, groove 177a is not fluidly coupled to second openings 332. Instead, as shown in FIG. 14B, the second openings 332 are blocked by the outer surface of the cylindrical section 173 of the spigot 170. Because the cylindrical section 173 of the spigot 170 is pressed against the interior of the collar 33, any air entering the second openings 332 will not be trapped in the cylindrical section 173 of the spigot 170. Flow between the outer surface and the inner surface of the collar 33 is substantially prevented. Likewise, in this configuration, if the source liquid begins to flow along the second openings 332 (e.g., when the article 30 is inverted), the source liquid is prevented from exiting the reservoir 3. . Additionally, when the spigot is in the closed position, the saw-toothed teeth of the engaging ring 175 and recessed portion 333 are fully engaged with each other, creating an effective seal between the spigot 170 and the collar 33. forms. This seal can help reduce the likelihood of contaminants, such as dust or dirt, passing into the reservoir 3 between the spigot 170 and the collar 33 or along the groove 177a.

Accordingly, when spigot 170 is in the first or closed position, the valve arrangement of article 30 is substantially closed and aerosol generating material (source liquid) exits article 30 through the valve arrangement. is prevented or restricted. The valve arrangement may be biased to the closed position using a suitable biasing element 180. 14A and 14B, spigot 170 is bias closed using O-ring 180. Referring to FIG. 14B , O-ring 180 is positioned in recess 172a of distal end 172 of spigot 170 (where O-ring 180 is positioned so that spigot 170 has a collar ( 33) and then installed). O-ring 180 has a thickness in the longitudinal direction of spigot 170 such that the upper surface of O-ring 180 abuts the lower surface of collar 33 (see FIG. 14B). In certain implementations, O-ring 180 may be sized to be slightly compressed when installed in recess 172a (i.e., the O-ring may be compressed against the lower surface of collar 33). , which can help ensure that spigot 170 is biased to the closed position, as well as ensuring that the O-ring is retained in recess 172a. Accordingly, without applying additional force, O-ring 180 is in its most relaxed state when spigot 170 is biased to the closed position. Accordingly, the closed position of the valve arrangement/spigot 170 is the natural position of the valve arrangement/spigot 170 and is the position in which the valve arrangement/spigot 170 will remain for most of the expected life of the valve arrangement. It could be a position. Accordingly, article 30 is biased such that aerosol-generating material cannot exit article 30 through the valve arrangement in the closed position, such that article 30 can (e.g., allow a user to refill article 30 Aerosol-generating materials can be safely handled by a user with the knowledge that they are prevented or substantially prevented from escaping from the valve arrangement (either when attached to the aerosol-providing device 20 or even during normal use of the aerosol-providing device 20).

To enable refilling of article 30, valve arrangement/spigot 170 is moved to the second or open position. Figure 14A shows the valve arrangement/spigot 170 in the open position. In the open position, the outlet openings 176b of the spigot 170 are arranged to be fluidly coupled to the first openings 331 of the collar 33. This in turn causes the outlet openings 176b of the spigot 170 to be coupled to the reservoir 3 of the article 30 by the fact that the first openings 331 are fluidly coupled to the reservoir 3 of the article 30. Ensure that it is possible. More generally, it can be seen that the reservoir 3 is now also fluidly coupled to the external environment outside the article 30 by means of a flow channel 176 and an inlet opening 176a. Any aerosol-generating material (source liquid) delivered to the inlet opening 176a of the flow channel 176 flows along the flow channel 176, through the outlet openings 176b of the spigot 170, and through the collar 33. ) through the first openings 331 and finally into the storage 3 of the article 30. Figure 14A uses red arrows to depict the path the aerosol-generating material travels from the inlet opening 176a and exits the first openings 331.

Additionally, when the spigot 170 is in the second or open position, the groove 177a is now fluidly coupled to the second openings 332 and thus the second openings 332 are in the reservoir 3. It is fluidly coupled to the reservoir 3 by virtue of being fluidly coupled. Additionally, when the spigot 170 is in the open position, the engagement ring 175 and the recessed portion 333 are aligned such that the individual saw-tooth shaped teeth are no longer fully engaged (i.e., the engagement ring 175 ) and is moved so that a gap exists between the individual teeth of the recessed portion 333. This gap is effectively fluidly connected to groove 177a. Accordingly, the gap between the recessed portion 333 and the teeth of the engaging ring 175 serves as an outlet for the air channel 177. Accordingly, when the valve arrangement/spigot 170 is in the open position, air flows from the reservoir 3, through the second openings 332, along the groove 177a, and through the recessed portion 333. ) and the gap between the teeth of the engagement ring 175 are allowed to flow out into the environment outside the valve arrangement/article 30. In this way, air can be ventilated from the reservoir 3 during the refill process. Figure 5A uses blue arrows to depict the path of air traveling from the second openings 332 and exiting the valve arrangement.

As can be seen in FIG. 14A , first openings 331 (through which aerosol generating material enters reservoir 3) have second openings 332 allowing air to exit reservoir 3. Compared to , the collar 33 or the spigot 170 is positioned at a different location in the longitudinal direction. More specifically, first openings 331 are positioned below second openings 332 in Figure 5A. In this regard, the aerosol-generating material entering the reservoir 3 flows out from the first openings 331 . The article 30 is generally configured such that the valve arrangement is oriented at the top of the article 30 during refill, such that the aerosol generating material flows downward under the influence of gravity to the side of the article opposite the side containing the valve arrangement. It is composed. This configuration may be referred to as a “top filled article” in which the article is filled through the top surface of the article, relative to the direction of gravity. In these top fill configurations, providing the first openings 331 farther along the collar 33 than the second openings 332 allows the aerosol-generating material exiting the first openings 331 to then This means that it is difficult to enter the second openings 332 and escape along the air channel 177 to the external environment (for any aerosol-generating material to be able to enter the second openings 332, it is effectively subject to gravity). This is because it has to flow in opposition). However, the present disclosure is not limited to “top filled articles” wherein in the direction of gravity the surface of the housing of the article 30 containing the valve arrangement is behind the opposing surface of the housing of the article 30. It should be appreciated that so-called “bottom filled articles” may be used in which the article 30 is oriented within the article port 56 for positioning. In this configuration, the valve arrangement may be configured such that the second openings 332 are positioned farther along the longitudinal axis of the collar 33/spigot 70 than the first openings 331 .

To move from the first position to the second position, the spigot 170 is centered on the longitudinal axis of the spigot 170/collar 33 (which is simultaneously aligned when the spigot 170 is installed on the collar 33). ) is rotated and moved in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spigot 170/collar 33. More specifically, in the present example of FIGS. 14A and 14B , when spigot 170 is rotated about its longitudinal axis (e.g., by nozzle arrangement 160, described below), Engagement ring 175 rotates relative to collar 33. This relative rotational movement between engagement ring 175 and collar 33 causes the saw-toothed profiles of engagement ring 175 and collar 33 to slide relative to each other. As the saw-tooth shaped profiles of the engaging ring 175 and the collar 33 rotate relative to each other, the spigot 170 is forced to move axially, causing the engaging ring 175 to be pushed into the recessed portion ( Separated from 333, spigot 170 is effectively raised on collar 33.

15A to 15C show different states of the engagement ring 175 relative to the recessed portion 333 when the engagement ring 175 is moved in the direction M corresponding to the direction of rotation of the spigot 170. Illustrate schematically. 15A-15C omit many details about the article 30 and spigot 170 and are intended to explain only the principles of the engaging ring 175 and recessed portion 333. 15A-15C also show the profiles of the recessed portion 333 and the engaging ring 175 in a linear manner, but it should be understood that the same principles apply to the profiles when positioned about an axis.

Figure 15A schematically shows the engaging ring 175 and the recessed portion 333 when the spigot 170 is in the closed position. As shown, the individual teeth of the saw-toothed profiles of the engagement ring 175 and the recessed portion 333 mesh with little or no gap between the teeth (this gap is illustrated in Figure 15a). exaggerated for several reasons). When a force is applied to the engaging ring 175/spigot 170 causing movement in direction M, the engaging ring 175 begins to slide relative to the recessed portion 333. FIG. 15B shows the engagement ring 175 relative to the recessed portion 333 after some movement of the engagement ring 175 relative to the recessed portion 333, and FIG. 15C shows the recessed portion 333 compared to FIG. 15B. The engagement ring 175 is shown relative to the recessed portion 333 after further movement of the engagement ring 175 relative to the portion 333 . As engaging ring 175 slides in direction M relative to recessed portion 333, engaging ring 175 (and therefore spigot 170) adjusts to the angle of the individual teeth relative to direction M. It is moved in a direction perpendicular to the movement (M). As can be seen in FIGS. 15B and 15C , this causes the engagement ring 175 and the recessed portion 333 to separate and subsequently cause the spigot 170 to move upward away from the collar 33 .

Figure 15C shows the engaging ring 175 and the recessed portion 333 when the spigot 170 is in the open position. Accordingly, when the spigot 170 is rotated by an appropriate amount, the spigot 170 moves to the open position. As can be seen in Figure 15C, the amount that engagement ring 175 must move before spigot 170 is in the open position may not be sufficient to bring the points of the individual teeth into alignment - rather, Figure 15C As can be seen, there may be some overlap (Ov) of the profiles. Moving the engaging ring 175 so that the points of the individual top-tooth profiles touch may make the arrangement more unstable or difficult to maintain in the open position (even a slight movement in direction M will cause the spigot 170 to quickly (since it can be moved back to a closed position). Providing overlap (Ov) allows the open position to be maintained stably and also accommodates tolerances of actual rotational movement applied to the spigot 170.

As discussed, not only is spigot 170 rotated relative to collar 33, but spigot 170 is also moved in the direction of the axis of rotation (i.e., along the longitudinal axis of spigot 170). Referring to Figure 14A, when spigot 70 is lifted from collar 33, O-ring 180 is then compressed against the surface of collar 33 against O-ring 180. Assuming that the spigot 170 can be maintained in the open position, the O-ring 180 will compress and naturally want to relax back to its uncompressed state corresponding to the closed position of the spigot 170/valve arrangement. . Accordingly, when the spigot 170 is no longer held in the open position, the compressed O-ring 180 causes the engaging ring 175 to move back to the state shown in Figure 15A. In some implementations, spigot 170 can simply be released from the open position (i.e., any mechanism preventing further movement is released/removed, allowing spigot 170 to move into the position shown in FIGS. 15A-15C Allows free movement in the direction opposite to direction (M)). Alternatively, spigot 170 may be intentionally subjected to additional movement in direction M (e.g., once refill is complete) such that engagement ring 175 suddenly snaps into the position shown in FIG. 15A. It can be moved as much as possible.

Accordingly, by applying a rotational force to the spigot 170, the spigot 170 can be moved from the closed position to the open position. In addition, due to the arrangement of the engaging ring 175 and the recessed portion 333, when a rotational force is applied to the spigot 170, the spigot 170 not only rotates about the longitudinal axis of the spigot 170. It may also move in the axial direction of the spigot 170. This dual exercise can be beneficial. In one aspect, the movement necessary to align the spigot's outlet openings 176b and groove 177a with openings 331 and 332 may, for example, rotate or pivot spigot 170. It's bigger than moving it in that direction. This provides a relatively longer and more tortuous path for any aerosol generating material (source liquid) to travel if there are some slight leaks or defects in the sizes/tolerances of the components of the valve arrangement when in the closed position. do. That is, the valve arrangement is designed so that aerosol-generating material does not exit reservoir 3 through the valve arrangement, but in cases where small amounts of aerosol-generating material leak from parts of the valve arrangement, the aerosol-generating material It becomes more difficult to escape the valve assembly. Additionally, providing axial movement of the spigot 170 provides a relatively simple mechanism for biasing the spigot to the closed position. Additionally, the valve arrangement is also noticeably different when in the open or closed position (in the open position the spigot protrudes from the surface of the collar 33/article 30). This is especially helpful for the user to visually recognize when the valve arrangement is not properly closed when it is in the open position, for example, when ready to remove items 30 from dock 50 after refilling. It can be helpful. The user can take necessary action after identifying that the valve arrangement is not closing properly, for example, pressing/rotating spigot 170 or finding a replacement item 30.

Accordingly, the article 30 rotates from a closed position where the outlet openings 176b are blocked by the collar 33 and an open position where the outlet openings 176 are in fluid communication with the reservoir 3 of the article 30. It has been described as comprising a valve arrangement having a configured rotatable spigot (170).

Referring now again to FIG. 12, the dock 50 and, more specifically, the nozzle arrangement 160 for engaging the valve arrangement of the article 30 described above will be described in more detail.

12 shows a nozzle arrangement 160 including nozzles 161. The nozzle 161 is coupled to the nozzle head 162. Nozzle head 162 serves as a base/body for nozzle arrangement 160 to which other components, such as nozzle 161, are attached. As can be seen in Figure 12, the nozzle head 162 has a coupling element 163 designed to fluidly couple the nozzle 161 with a fluid conduit 58 (fluidically connected to the refill reservoir 40). Includes. The nozzle 161 includes an aerosol generating material flow channel 161a provided along the central axis of the nozzle 161. The coupling element 163 is, in one aspect, configured to fluidly connect the fluid conduit 58 with the aerosol generating material flow channel 161a, thereby disengaging the fluid conduit 58 from the refill reservoir 40 upon operation of the transfer mechanism 53. The aerosol-generating material passed along 58) is configured to flow out of the end of the nozzle 161 along the aerosol-generating material flow channel 161a.

As described above, spigot 170 of the valve arrangement of article 30 is configured to rotate from a closed position to an open position. Accordingly, in the described implementations, nozzle 161 is configured to couple to nozzle head 162 such that nozzle 161 can rotate about its longitudinal axis. In Figure 12, this is shown by the arrow marked B. Nozzle 161 is coupled to nozzle head 162 in any suitable manner allowing nozzle 161 to rotate about its longitudinal axis. In some implementations, coupling element 163 may include a bearing, an outer surface/side of which remains fixed relative to nozzle head 162, and an inner surface of which supports nozzle 161. do. In other implementations, the coupling element 163 may be allowed to couple to the nozzle head 162 in such a way that the coupling element 163 or a portion thereof rotates relative to the nozzle head 162. The nozzle arrangement 160 further includes a motor 164, such as a stepper motor or other mechanism for driving the rotation of the nozzle 161. The motor 164 is coupled to a suitable gearing or other drive mechanism that is correspondingly coupled to the nozzle 161, or to an element subsequently coupled to the nozzle 161 to drive rotation of the nozzle 161. In some implementations, nozzle 161 may include a gear extending radially about a proximal end of nozzle 161. The gear may mesh with a gear located on the nozzle head 162 driven by a motor. However, it should be understood that any suitable mechanism for driving rotation of nozzle 161 may be used in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. 12, the motor 164 is shown as being within the nozzle head 162, however in other implementations the motor 164 is provided separately in the nozzle head 162 and subsequently in the nozzle 161. can be combined

Coupling element 163 may be any suitable coupling element that provides a fluid connection between fluid conduit 58 and nozzle 161 and/or facilitates rotational movement of nozzle 161 . The coupling element 163 may be a clamp or the like, or may include a clamp, where the fluid conduit 58 and/or the nozzle 161 may comprise flanges that are clamped in position by the coupling element 163. The coupling element 163 instead has corresponding threads that allow the respective ends of the nozzle 161 and the fluid conduit 58 to be screwed into the nozzle head 162. A screw comprising threads may be included. Any suitable connection mechanism may be used depending on the implementation at hand. The coupling element 163 may also be coupled to a suitable sealing element such as O-rings, for example, to provide an oil-tight seal when one or both of the fluid conduit 58 and the nozzle 161 are coupled to the nozzle head 162. may include fields (not shown). Although the coupling elements 163 are shown as being positioned within the nozzle head 162, in other implementations the individual coupling elements 163 may be positioned in a fluid conduit (e.g., on the surface of the nozzle head 162). 58) and the nozzle 161, respectively. Accordingly, the nozzle head 162 may include an internal passage for coupling the individual coupling elements 163.

Although not shown, the nozzle head 162 is coupled to a suitable moving mechanism which moves the nozzle head 162 (and thus the nozzle 161) to the article in the dock 50 under appropriate control by the controller 55. It can be translated toward and away from the article 30 located at port 56 . This movement is generally indicated by arrow A in Figure 12.

When the article 30 is not engaged with the article port 56, the nozzle head 162 may be located in a first position where the nozzle 161 is maintained away from the article port 56 (e.g., nozzle 161 is positioned away from the article port 56). Head 162 may be retracted within dock 50). When an article 30 is located within the article port 56, and the controller 55 triggers a dock command to initiate a refill (e.g., automatically based on the presence of the article 30 within the article port 56) Upon determining that it is appropriate to refill the article 30 (based on receiving appropriate instructions from the user of 50), the controller 55 directs the nozzle head 162 via a moving mechanism into the article port 56. Make it move towards the product (30). More specifically, the nozzle head 162 is moved toward the article 30 such that the nozzle 161 engages the recessed portion 171a of the proximal end 171 of the spigot 170. The nozzle 161 has a distal end, which is correspondingly shaped to fit within the recessed portion 171a. The moving mechanism may continue to move the nozzle head 162 toward the article 30 until the nozzle 161 is properly located within the recessed portion 171a of the spigot 170 of the article 30. there is. When the nozzle head 162 is positioned as above, this is called the second position of the nozzle head 162. The movement mechanism can be controlled to substantially stop movement of the nozzle head 162 when the nozzle head 162 is located in the second position.

The nozzle head 162 is configured to apply a specific force to the proximal end 171 of the spigot 170, maintaining constant engagement with the proximal end 171/recessed portion 171a of the spigot 170. It can be. This may be due to two reasons: first, the flow channel 161a of the nozzle 161 is brought into fluid engagement with the inlet opening 176a of the spigot 170, thereby releasing the aerosol-generating material when the delivery mechanism 53 is activated; This may be to ensure that the gas is securely conveyed to the inlet opening 176a of the spigot, and secondly, to help ensure that engagement between the nozzle and the spigot is maintained to drive rotation of the spigot 170.

When the nozzle head 162 is moved so that the nozzle 161 engages with the recessed portion 171a of the article 30, the controller 55 of the dock 50 rotates the nozzle 161 by an appropriate amount to rotate the spigot. It is configured to move 170 from a closed position to an open position. During this movement, spigot 170 rises away from the remainder of valve arrangement/article 30, as discussed above. At this time, the nozzle head 162 may be configured to move in a direction away from the article 30 to accommodate the rise of the spigot 170. For example, the nozzle head 162 may include a sensor that detects the force applied to the spigot 170 by the nozzle 161. The nozzle head 162 may be configured to apply a constant amount of force in the axial direction (i.e., the direction indicated by arrow A). As the spigot 170 begins to rise as a result of the rotational movement, the force applied to the spigot 170 by the nozzle 161 increases, and thus the nozzle head 162 increases the force applied to the spigot 170. It may be configured to move away from the article 30 to maintain a constant force. In alternative implementations, nozzle 161 may be configured to retract into nozzle head 162 as spigot 170 begins to rise. It should be appreciated that any suitable mechanism for receiving the elevation of spigot 170 may be implemented in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

Although nozzle head 162 is described above as being configured to move toward article 30 , in other implementations, additionally or alternatively, article port 56 may be configured to move toward article port 56 (and When installed, it may be configured with a suitable moving mechanism to cause the article 30 to move toward the nozzle arrangement 60 and the nozzle 161. In these alternative implementations, the same principles described above apply. More generally, dock 50 is configured to effect relative movement of the nozzle arrangement and/or article between a first position and a second position.

Additionally, although the nozzle 161 is described above as rotating relative to the nozzle head 162, in other implementations, rotation of the nozzle 161 may be achieved by rotating the entire nozzle head 162 about the axis of the nozzle 161. It can be done. In these implementations, nozzle 161 may be effectively statically mounted relative to nozzle head 162. Additionally or alternatively, article port 56 may be configured to rotate article 30 relative to nozzle 161 or nozzle head 162 in other implementations.

Now, with reference to FIG. 16 , the operation of the dock 50 for refilling the article 30 will be described. 16 shows an example method to help explain the operating principles of dock 50 for refilling items 30.

The method begins at step S1 where the article 30 engages the article port 56. As described above, this may include coupling the article 30 to the article port 56, or both the device 20 containing the article 30 is coupled to the article port 56. It can be included.

If at least the article 30 engages the article port 56, in step S2, the controller 55 accepts instructions to refill the article 30. As noted above, these instructions may be the result of user input, e.g., through a user input device such as a button on dock 50 or through remote device communications coupled to dock 50 (e.g., via a smart phone), or may be automatically accepted by controller 55 as a result of dock 50 determining that article 30 is properly coupled to article port 56.

Optionally, although not shown, there may be an additional step before, after, or during step S2, which may include the controller 55 determining whether a refill is required, for example, the article ( If 30) is deemed to already have a sufficient amount of aerosol-generating material inside, controller 55 may determine that refilling is not necessary. Controller 55 may make this determination based on measuring or otherwise being notified of the amount of aerosol-generating material within article 30. If a refill is not needed, controller 55 may ensure that an appropriate indication is provided to the user.

In response to accepting the instructions in step S2, the controller 55 of dock 50 is configured to move the nozzle arrangement relative to the article 30 in step S3. As described above, the mechanism for causing the relative movement is not particularly limited, and in all cases, the nozzle 161 is positioned in a position of the nozzle head 162 that does not engage the recessed portion 171a of the spigot 170. From the first position, move the nozzle 161 relative to the spigot 170 to a second position where the nozzle 161 engages the spigot 170 of the article 30 located at the article port 56. Let's do it.

Once the nozzle 161 is located in the second position, the controller 55 is configured to rotate the spigot 170 from the first closed position to the second open position in step S4. The controller 55 may know in advance or be able to determine how to properly control the motor 164 for rotating the nozzle 161 to subsequently rotate the spigot 170. For example, dock 50 may be pre-calibrated such that controller 55 is programmed to supply voltage for a fixed period of time to motor 164 to rotate spigot 170 to an open position. During this step, as described above, the spigot 170 is raised relative to the remainder of the article 30 and the nozzle head 162/nozzle 161/article port 56 moves appropriately to It can be configured to accommodate an increase in (170).

At step S5, controller 55 is configured to maintain spigot 170 in the second open position. This step may be intrinsic, depending on the mechanism used to rotate spigot 170, or (e.g., by maintaining a certain level of force applied by nozzle 161 to spigot 170, e.g. Active control (ensuring that the O-ring 180 (now compressed) prevents the spigot 170 from returning to the closed position may be a necessary step.

Once the spigot 170 is maintained in the second open position in step S5, the controller 55 may cause the delivery mechanism 53 to direct aerosol generating material, e.g., source liquid, to the refill reservoir in step S6. It is configured to start transferring the goods 30 from 40) to the storage 3. More specifically, when transfer mechanism 53 is actuated, source liquid is transported (e.g., , pumping). The source liquid travels along the conduit 58 to the connecting element 163 of the nozzle arrangement 160 and from the opening of the nozzle 161 through the flow channel 161a of the nozzle 161 to the spigot 170. Move to the inlet opening 176a. The aerosol generating material/source liquid then flows through the flow channel 176, the outlet openings 176b, the first openings 331 and finally into the reservoir 3 of the article 30.

At step S7, the controller 55 is configured to determine when refilling is complete and then the transport mechanism 53 stops transporting the aerosol-generating material to the reservoir 3 of the article 30. As previously discussed, this may be achieved by means of a suitable sensor or, for example, by measuring the flow rate of the aerosol-generating material into the reservoir 3 so that a predetermined amount of aerosol-generating material is delivered to the reservoir 3 of the article 30. Determining what is present may include measuring a parameter of the article 30 that represents the amount of aerosol-generating material, for example, capacitance, etc.

Once refilling is stopped at step S7, in some implementations, controller 55 causes nozzle 161 to move away from article 30 and out of engagement with spigot 170 at step S8. . This is accomplished by moving the nozzle arrangement 160 and the article 30 relatively away from each other (along direction A in Figure 3). Again, this can be accomplished by moving the nozzle arrangement while keeping the article stationary, moving the article while keeping the nozzle arrangement stationary, or moving both the nozzle arrangement and the article. Step S8 may be performed after or simultaneously with step S7, although this may vary depending on the properties of the material transported by dock 50. For example, if found to occur for certain aerosol-generating materials, allowing any residual aerosol-generating material retained in the nozzle 161 to pass into the reservoir 3 when the delivery mechanism 53 is stopped. For this reason, there may be a delay between steps S7 and S8.

When the nozzle 161 is moved away from the spigot 170 of the article 30 in step S8, the compressed O-ring 180 begins to return to its natural state, and then the spigot 170 It can be rotated back to the closed position. Accordingly, once the nozzle 161 is moved away from the article, the valve arrangement returns to the closed position and the article is now ready to be removed from the article port 56.

At either of steps S7 and S8, controller 55 determines that the refill is complete and/or that nozzle arrangement 160 and article 30 have been successfully separated (i.e., from the second position to the first position. A display indicating that the user has returned to) may be configured to be provided to the user. This indication may be provided via a suitable device on dock 50 (e.g., an LED or other suitable indicator) or via a remote device communicatively coupled to dock 50 (e.g., a smartphone). . Once the indicator is provided to the user, the user may decide to remove the article 30 from the article port 56 and then remove the article 30 with the device 20 for the purpose of generating an aerosol for inhalation. can be used freely.

At step S8, in some implementations, instead of simply moving the nozzle 161 away from the article 30, the nozzle 161 is further rotated to move the nozzle 161 toward the article 30 as described above. It should be understood that spigot 170 can be actively moved to the first position before being moved away from it.

The above outlines a valve arrangement comprising a spigot 170 that can move both in a rotational manner about the longitudinal axis of the spigot 170 and in a linear manner along the longitudinal axis of the spigot 170. However, it should be understood that in other implementations, only rotational and longitudinal movement may be required to move the spigot from the closed position to the open position. For example, the valve housing and spigot may be configured such that the open position is achieved by pushing or pulling the spigot in an axial direction of the spigot. Alternatively, the valve housing and spigot may be configured such that the open position is achieved by rotating the spigot about its longitudinal axis.

The valve arrangement allows air to exit reservoir 3 of article 30 when nozzle 161 is actuated to deliver aerosol generating material (e.g., source liquid) to reservoir 3 of article 30. It is as explained above that it is configured to go out or be discharged. However, this may not be required for all implementations of article 30. For example, in some cases, air may escape reservoir 3 within the housing or through joints between collar 33 and spigot 170 or collar 33 and housing. Accordingly, if air can otherwise escape from reservoir 3 or can escape at a rate equal to or greater than the mass transfer rate of the aerosol-generating material into reservoir 3, openings 332 ( and correspondingly groove 177a and air channel 177) may not be needed.

Although channel 177 is referred to herein as an air channel 177 suitable for conveying air from reservoir 3 out of the valve arrangement, air channel 177 may also be used to evacuate air from reservoir 3 during a refill operation. It may also be configured to transport other gases or fluids as needed.

Although refill device/dock 50 is described above as providing for transferring source liquid from refill reservoir 40 to article 30, as discussed, other implementations may use other aerosol generating materials (e.g., Solids such as tobacco) can be used. The principles of the present disclosure apply equally to other types of aerosol-generating materials, with suitable refill reservoirs 40 and articles 30 for storing/maintaining the aerosol-generating materials, and suitable transfer mechanism 53 therefor. Accordingly, it can be used for such implementations by those skilled in the art.

Additionally, the above has focused on implementations where the article 30 includes a valve arrangement formed by the spigot 170 and the collar 33 of the housing 31 of the article 30. However, the principles of the present disclosure are not limited to article 30, but can also be applied to other aerosol generating material storage containers, especially refill reservoirs 40.

Figures 17a and 17b schematically show a valve arrangement provided in connection with the refill reservoir 40. Figures 17a and 17b will be understood from Figures 14a and 14b, respectively, and like Figures 14a and 14b, portions of the refill reservoir 40 are omitted for clarity.

17A and 17B show a valve arrangement formed by a spigot 170 and a collar 44 of the housing 41 of the refill reservoir 40. Housing 41 defines a storage space (or storage area) for holding aerosol generating material 42. Since the spigot 170 and collar 44 are substantially the same as the spigot 170 and collar 33 of FIGS. 14A and 14B, detailed discussion is omitted here for brevity. Only the differences related to FIGS. 17A and 17B will be described here.

Collar 44 includes first openings 441 and second openings 442 . More specifically, the collar has two first openings 441 arranged on both sides of the central passage of the collar 44, and two second openings also arranged on both sides of the central passage of the collar 44. Includes (442). As discussed in more detail below, first openings 441 allow aerosol generating material (e.g., source liquid) to pass from a storage area of a refill reservoir (not shown) to spigot 170. The second openings 442 are provided to allow air or other fluids to flow into the storage area of the refill reservoir 40 when refilling the article 30 using the refill reservoir 40. Accordingly, the first openings 441 may be referred to as inlet openings of the valve housing/collar 44 or aerosol generating material inlet openings of the valve housing/collar 44 and the second openings 442 They may be referred to as outlet openings of the valve housing/collar 44 or air outlet openings of the valve housing/collar 44 . Like the collar 33 of the article 30, the collar 44 provides a substantially hollow tubular portion defining an opening 46 in the housing 41 of the refill reservoir 40. The hollow tubular portion/opening 46 of the housing 41 is sized to receive the spigot 170.

The structure of the valve arrangement of the refill reservoir 40 (as shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B) is similar to the structure of the valve arrangement of the article 30 (as shown in FIGS. 13, 14A and 14B). are substantially the same. However, the difference here is that the refill reservoir 40 is used to refill the article 30 and thus the aerosol generating material exits the storage area of the refill reservoir 40 and enters the storage area of the article 30 (reservoir 3). ) so that it can be transmitted. Accordingly, in use, the individual materials (aerosol generating material or air/gas), when used with the valve arrangement of the refill reservoir 40, flow in opposite directions compared to the valve arrangement of the article 30. It is composed.

That is, in one aspect, when the spigot 170 is in the open position (as in FIG. 17A ), the aerosol-generating material stored in the storage region of the refill reservoir 40 flows through the inlet openings 441 of the collar 44. into the spigot 170 through and (after passing through the aerosol generating material flow channel) exit the spigot through the opening 176a of the spigot. This is shown by the red arrows in Figure 17A. Accordingly, the opening 176a of the spigot 170 may be referred to as the aerosol-generating material outlet opening 176a of the spigot, and the opening 176b may be referred to as the aerosol-generating material inlet opening 176b (Figure 13, in contrast to the names of the openings in Figures 14a and 14b).

Additionally, in another aspect, when spigot 170 is in the open position (as in FIG. 17A), air (or other gases/fluids) may flow substantially similar to recessed portion 333. into the storage area of the refill reservoir 40 by entering through the recessed portion 443, passing along the air channel 177/groove 177a, and through the outlet openings 442 into the collar ( It can be introduced through 44).

Refill device/dock 50 may include a nozzle arrangement (e.g., nozzle arrangement 160) configured to engage spigot 170 (e.g., recessed portion 171a). You can. The delivery mechanism 53 may be arranged to allow aerosol-generating material to exit the refill reservoir 40 (eg, through openings 441 and 176a). For example, the delivery mechanism 53 may apply a suction or pumping action that causes aerosol-generating material within the storage region of the refill reservoir 40 to be drawn into the flow passage 176 of the spigot 170. In this regard, the openings 441 extend from the opening 441 or each opening 441 towards the bottom of the refill reservoir 40 to provide a passage through which the aerosol-generating material may pass under the application of an appropriate suction force. Can be coupled to individual hollow tubes. However, other methods of transporting aerosol-generating materials may also be utilized. When aerosol-generating material is transferred from the storage area of refill reservoir 40, the pressure within the refill reservoir may decrease (due to extraction of material), thereby allowing air (or other gases) from outside the refill reservoir to enter the recess. into the storage area of the refill reservoir 40 through the exposed portion 443, the air channel 177 and the outlet openings 442, so that the pressure within the storage area of the refill reservoir can be more equalized.

Thus, generally, the refill reservoir 40 includes a storage region for storing aerosol-generating material, and a valve arrangement in communication with the storage region, the valve arrangement providing a flow channel 176 for passage of the aerosol-generating material. A spigot (170) including an inlet opening (176b) and an outlet opening (176a) coupled together through and a valve housing arranged to receive the spigot (170) such that the spigot is movable relative to the valve housing (44). Includes (44). When refilling an article 30 for use with an aerosol presentation device with aerosol generating material from the refill reservoir 40 using a refill device, the following steps may be performed: First, on the article 30 The nozzle of the fluidically coupled refill device engages the spigot 170 of the valve arrangement of the refill reservoir 40. Second, the nozzle of the refill device is positioned such that the spigot 170 is positioned in a first position where the inlet opening 176b is blocked by the valve housing 44 and in a second position where the inlet opening 176b is in fluid communication with the storage area of the refill reservoir. Move from position. Third, refilling of article 30 is performed by transferring aerosol-generating material from the storage area of refill reservoir 40 to article 30 using transfer mechanism 53, wherein the aerosol-generating material is provided by spigot 170. is transferred from the outlet opening 176a to the nozzle engaged with the spigot 170.

Accordingly, more generally, the principles of the present disclosure relate to aerosol-generating material storage containers (e.g., article 30 and/or refill reservoir 40) that include a valve arrangement that can take the form of a spigot and a collar. )) is applied. The valve arrangement is configured to allow aerosol-generating material to exit or enter a storage region with which the valve arrangement can fluidly couple (e.g., to allow aerosol-generating material to enter a storage region of article 30). or to allow aerosol-generating material to exit the storage area of the refill reservoir 40).

Additionally, it is understood that the refill device/dock 50 may be configured to receive at least one or both of a refill reservoir 40 and an article 30 comprising a valve arrangement including a movable spigot 170. You must understand. In this regard, refill device/dock 50 may include a first nozzle for engaging a valve arrangement of article 30 and/or a second nozzle for engaging a valve arrangement of refill reservoir 40. there is. The first nozzle may be fluidly connected to the second nozzle, for example via suitable tubing, such that aerosol generating material is conveyed to and exits the first nozzle through the delivery mechanism 53. may be introduced. If a valve arrangement comprising a moveable spigot is not used with either the article 30 or the refill reservoir 40, an alternative coupling mechanism may be implemented to fluidly couple the refill reservoir to the article 30. must be recognized.

Additionally, as noted above, generally, the valve arrangement of the article 30 allows aerosol-generating material to enter the storage area of the article 30, and the valve arrangement of the refill reservoir allows the aerosol-generating material to enter the refill reservoir ( Although described as allowing exit 40 , it should be understood that the flow of aerosol-generating material may be reversed to either article 30 or refill reservoir 40 . That is, the aerosol-generating material may be extracted/removed from the article 30 (e.g., if the article 30 is overfilled) or the aerosol-generating material may be refilled (e.g., if the refill reservoir needs to be refilled). It may be inserted into storage 40. It should be understood that the valve arrangements described above are suitable for receiving a flow of aerosol generating material and/or air/gases in either direction (as can be seen with respect to FIGS. 14A and 17A).

Additionally, the above disclosure provides that spigot 170 transfers aerosol generating material to and from article 30 or refill reservoir 40 and operates spigot 170 so that spigot is positioned in first and second positions. The description focuses on embodiments configured to engage with the nozzle 161 to move between the two. That is, the nozzle 161/nozzle arrangement 160 has the dual function of actuating the spigot and supplying aerosol-generating material to and from the aerosol-generating material storage vessel. However, in other embodiments, each of these functions may be provided by separate mechanisms.

18 shows an article 930 including a valve arrangement including a spigot 970 provided on a collar 933 of a housing 931 of the article 930 to block an opening 932 of the article 930. This is a schematic representation of .

Article 930 is similar to article 30 described above; However, the article 930 has an aerosol-generating material passageway 934 formed within the housing 931 and communicating with an inlet opening 9331 of the collar 933, and an aerosol-generating material passageway 934 formed within the housing 931 and communicating with an inlet opening 9331 of the collar 933. It includes an air passage 935 communicating with the opening 9332.

The aerosol generating material passageway 934 is configured in such a way as to engage the nozzle 961 of the refill device 50 . For example, the housing 931 of the article 930 may include a suitable engagement mechanism (not shown) to allow the nozzle 961 to fluidly couple with the aerosol generating material passageway 934. Nozzle 961 is fluidly coupled to aerosol-generating material passageway 934 to direct aerosol-generating material from refill reservoir 40 into passageway 934 and inlet opening 9331 of collar 930 (and ultimately into article 930). to the storage area of).

Air passageway 935 is positioned at collar 933 to allow air or other fluids to escape from the reservoir of article 930 when refilling of article 930 occurs, in a manner similar to that described above with respect to article 30. It is provided optionally.

The aerosol generating material passageway 934 and the air passageway 935 are both provided as passageways formed in the housing 931 that communicate with the respective openings of the collar 933. As described below, the openings in collar 933 communicate with respective openings in spigot 970 to allow aerosol-generating material to enter/exit the storage area of article 930. or allowing air to exit/enter the storage area of the article 930.

Now turning to the spigot, spigot 970 is similar to spigot 70 described previously. Like spigot 70, spigot 970 includes a proximal end 971, a distal end 972, an aerosol generating material flow channel 976, and an air passageway 977.

The proximal end 971 includes corresponding engagement features, which may include a recessed portion 971a of the proximal end 971 of the spigot 970, as described above. However, unlike engagement feature 171a of spigot 170, engagement feature 971a is configured to engage spigot actuating mechanism 990 of refill device 50. The spigot actuating mechanism 990 includes an engagement feature 971a to actuate the spigot 970 between the first and second positions, e.g., like the nozzle 161 of the nozzle arrangement 160. ) may include a rotatable and/or longitudinally movable member capable of engaging. Recessed portion 971a may take any of the shapes described above with respect to recessed portion 171a, and likewise, spigot actuating mechanism 990 may have any of the shapes described above with respect to nozzle 161. It can take any of the shapes. However, unlike spigot 170, engagement mechanism 971a does not include or be located near an opening (e.g., opening 176a). More specifically, the surface of the spigot including engagement feature 971a does not include an opening in the spigot 970 that couples to the aerosol generating material flow channel 976. Rather, as can be seen in FIG. 18 , aerosol generating material flow passageway 976 is connected to opening 976b that communicates with opening 9331 of collar 933 (when spigot 970 is in the open position). It is combined. Opening 976b is provided in/on the side surface of spigot 970 as well as opening 76b of spigot 170. Opening 976b is an inlet opening when in communication with opening 9331 of the collar to allow aerosol-generating material to pass from aerosol-generating material passageway 934 to aerosol-generating material flow channel 976 of spigot 970. It acts as As can be seen in FIG. 18 , the distal end 972 of the spigot 970 includes an opening 976a that serves as an aerosol-generating material outlet opening to flow the aerosol-generating material within the aerosol-generating material flow channel 976. allows passage to exit flow channel 976 and into the storage area of article 930.

Thus, what is described is similar to the scenario of spigot 170 above, but some of the key differences are: first, the inlet opening of spigot 970 that allows aerosol generating material to pass into flow channel 976; (976b) is arranged so that it can be opened and closed by relative positioning of the collar 933 of the valve arrangement with respect to the opening 9331 based on the position of the spigot 970, and second, the inlet opening ( 976b) is positioned at a different location than the engagement feature 971a for engaging the spigot actuating mechanism 990, i.e. the mechanism for actuating the spigot between open and closed positions.

When spigot 970 is in the closed position, spigot 970 is positioned relative to collar 933 such that inlet opening 976b is not aligned with inlet opening 9331 of collar 933 (again That is, collar 933 blocks inlet opening 976b). This is the opposite scenario with the spigot 170 in the closed position being blocked by the collar 33 with the outlet opening 176b. In the arrangement of Figure 18, outlet opening 976a is always in fluid communication with the reservoir of articles 970; However, in other embodiments, the outlet opening 976a may adopt a structure similar to that shown in Figure 14A or Figure 14B, such that the flow channel 976 is arranged in a T-shape and the collar 933 It should be understood that it can be arranged to be blocked by a collar 933 (by engaging additional openings on it).

In much the same way as spigot 170, when spigot 970 is in the open position, aerosol-generating material flows from opening 9331 of article 930 and aerosol-generating material passageway 934 into opening 976b. It enters the flow channel 976 , passes along the flow channel 976 , and enters the reservoir of the article 970 from the outlet 976a provided at the distal end 972 of the spigot 970 . This is shown by the red arrows in Figure 18.

18 also shows that spigot 970 includes a recess 971a for receiving an O-ring or similar resilient, elastic material (commonly referred to as biasing element 180), wherein the O-ring 180 is shown seated in the recess 971a and extending to a diameter larger than the diameter of the spigot 970. The biasing element 180 in this example is provided on the proximal end 971 of the spigot 970 (as opposed to the distal end shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B), but acts in essentially the same way to control the spigot. Biasing the spigot 970 to the closed position (i.e., when the spigot 970 is rotated and pushed downward, i.e., when the force is removed by removing the spigot actuating mechanism 990), the spigot 970 is in the closed position. The biasing element 180 is compressed to force . However, in other implementations, biasing element 180 may be located at the distal end 972 of spigot 970, for example, in a configuration similar to FIGS. 14A and 14B, such that air (or other Additional openings are provided to allow fluids) to enter channel 977 through collar 933.

The valve arrangement also includes an optional passage 977 to allow air to escape from the storage area of the article 970, for example during refilling. Spigot 970, like groove 77a in FIGS. 13, 14A and 14B, has grooves, tracks or cutouts in a portion of the outer surface of spigot 970 that forms part of air channel 977. (977a) is provided. An air channel 977 is provided between the spigot 970 and the collar 933 (in much the same way as shown in FIGS. 13, 14A and 14B with an engaging ring 175 on the collar 33). It extends from the openings 9332 along the groove 977a formed in the spigot 970 to the outlet opening 9332. Air may then pass through the outlet opening 9332 of the collar 933, along the air passage 935 of the article 930, and into the external environment of the article 930. This is shown by the blue arrows in Figure 18.

In this regard, FIG. 18 shows spigot 970 in an open position, and when spigot 970 is provided in a closed position, spigot 970 seals with collar 933 at distal end 972. Engaged to close the openings 9333, and/or the groove 977a is moved out of alignment with the outlet opening 9332, thereby closing the channel 977 and allowing air (or other fluids) to enter the article 930. It should be understood that it is possible to prevent the data from leaving/entering the storage area.

Similar to the arrangement of FIGS. 14A and 14B , if an air flow channel 977 is provided, the air channel 977 is configured such that at least one end of the air channel 977 can be closed when the spigot is in the closed position. Arranged to prevent air (or other fluids) from entering/leaving the reservoir of articles.

Accordingly, the example of FIG. 18 shows an alternative arrangement of a valve arrangement for an article provided with a separate mechanism for actuating the spigot 970 of the valve arrangement and supplying aerosol generating material to the article 930. . If a separate mechanism is provided, the refill device 50 is provided with a suitable separate mechanism for engaging the article 930. As previously discussed, this includes a nozzle 961 (which may be engaged in a suitable nozzle arrangement similar to nozzle arrangement 160) and a spigot actuating mechanism 990. Each of these mechanisms can be individually controlled (i.e., each can individually engage individual portions of the article 930, each can be individually actuated to supply material and/or actuate the spigot). possible). However, as above, spigot 970 must be moved to the open position before aerosol generating material is supplied to article 930.

The above configuration of the valve arrangement of FIG. 18 is provided as an example only, and other configurations that comply with the principles described above may be considered.

The arrangement of Figure 18 has been described with respect to article 930. However, the valve arrangement may be applied to the refill reservoir 40 (in a manner similar to that described in FIGS. 17A and 17B) where the flow directions of the aerosol generating material and air (or other fluid) are reversed. Accordingly, more generally, the valve arrangement of FIG. 18 is applicable to aerosol-generating material storage containers.

According to the principles of the present disclosure, the spigot is positioned in a first position where one of the openings of the aerosol-generating material flow channel is blocked by the valve housing/collar, and wherein the storage area is external to the aerosol-generating material storage vessel through the flow channel. It is moveable between a second position in fluid communication with the environment. More generally, for articles 30, 930; When the spigot is in the closed position, the outlet opening 176b of the aerosol generating material flow channel 176 is blocked by the valve housing, and when the spigot is in the open position, the outlet opening 176b is connected to the storage area and the fluid communicate; or when the spigot is in the closed position, at least the inlet opening 976b of the aerosol-generating material flow channel 976 is blocked by the valve housing, and when the spigot is in the open position, the inlet opening 976b is in fluid communication with an environment external to the material storage container, wherein in either case the aerosol generating material storage container is configured to allow the aerosol generating material to pass through the inlet opening and into the storage area through the outlet opening when the spigot is in the second position. do. For the refill reservoir 40, when the spigot is in the closed position, at least the inlet opening 176b is blocked by the valve housing, and when the spigot is in the open position, the inlet opening 176b is connected to the storage area and the fluid. communicates; or when the spigot is in the closed position, at least the outlet opening 976b is blocked by the valve housing, and when the spigot is in the open position, the outlet opening 976b is in fluid communication with the environment outside the aerosol generating material storage container. and wherein in either case the aerosol-generating material storage container is configured such that the aerosol-generating material moves from the storage area through the outlet opening and through the inlet opening when the spigot is in the open position.

Accordingly, an aerosol-generating material storage container has been described configured to store aerosol-generating material and engage a refill device configured to refill an article with aerosol-generating material, the container comprising: a storage area for storing aerosol-generating material; a valve arrangement in communication with the storage region, the valve arrangement comprising: a spigot comprising a first opening and a second opening coupled together through a flow channel for passage of the aerosol generating material; a valve housing, the valve housing arranged to receive the spigot so that the spigot is movable relative to the valve housing, wherein the spigot is positioned in a first position where the first opening is blocked by the valve housing; The storage region is moveable between a second position in fluid communication with an environment external to the aerosol-generating material storage container through a flow channel. Also described are refilling devices and methods.

The various embodiments described herein are presented solely for the purpose of assisting in understanding and teaching the claimed features. These examples are provided only as a representative sample of examples and are not complete and/or exclusive. The advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects described herein are not limitations on the scope of the invention as defined by the claims or equivalents to the claims. should not be regarded as limitations, and it should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. Various embodiments of the present invention suitably include, consist of, or appropriate combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc., other than those specifically described herein. Or, it may consist essentially of these elements. Additionally, the present disclosure may include other inventions that are not currently claimed but may be claimed in the future.

Claims (60)

A refilling device for filling articles from a storage, comprising:
an article interface for receiving an article of an aerosol delivery system, the article having a storage area for a fluid; and
a venting nozzle configured to engage an article contained in the article interface for venting air from the storage region while the storage region is filled with fluid, the venting nozzle configured to engage an article contained in the article interface to allow an outward flow of air from the storage region; and a channel for, wherein the channel has a cross-sectional area perpendicular to the outward air flow direction that increases with distance from the air inlet of the channel over a tapered portion of the channel extending from the air inlet. Having,
Refill device. According to claim 1,
wherein the vent nozzle is positioned within the refill device such that the channel is substantially vertical when the vent nozzle engages the article.
Refill device. According to claim 1 or 2,
wherein the tapered portion extends over the entire length of the channel from the air inlet to the air outlet.
Refill device. According to claim 1 or 2,
wherein the tapered portion is followed by a straight portion of the channel having a constant cross-sectional area,
Refill device. According to any one of claims 1 to 4,
wherein the cross-sectional area of the channel increases continuously across the tapered portion with distance from the air inlet.
Refill device. According to clause 5,
wherein the cross-sectional area of the channel increases substantially linearly across the tapered portion with distance from the air inlet.
Refill device. According to clause 5,
wherein the cross-sectional area of the channel increases non-linearly across the tapered portion with distance from the air inlet.
Refill device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
the cross-sectional area of the channel is circular or oval,
Refill device. According to any one of claims 1 to 8,
the cross-sectional area at the air inlet of the channel has a maximum width ranging from 0.5 mm to 3 mm,
Refill device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
wherein the cross-sectional area increases with a maximum width ranging from 1.8 mm to 4 mm across the tapered portion.
Refill device. According to any one of claims 1 to 8,
the maximum width of the cross-sectional area does not exceed 2 mm across the tapered portion,
Refill device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
wherein the cross-sectional area increases by no more than 100% across the tapered portion,
Refill device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
wherein the cross-sectional area increases by no more than 50% across the tapered portion,
Refill device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
The tapered portion has a length ranging from 3 mm to 38 mm,
Refill device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
The channel has a length ranging from 6 mm to 40 mm,
Refill device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
configured to cause relative movement between the ventilation nozzle and the article interface to engage the ventilation nozzle with an article received in the article interface,
Refill device. According to claim 16,
wherein the relative movement includes movement of the article toward the ventilation nozzle,
Refill device. The method of claim 16 or 17,
wherein the relative movement includes movement of the ventilation nozzle toward the article,
Refill device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18,
further comprising a nozzle element configured to engage the article received at the article interface, the nozzle element comprising the vent nozzle and a fluid flow channel for delivering fluid to the storage region.
Refill device. An aerosol-generating material storage container configured to store aerosol-generating material and engage a refill device configured to refill an article with the aerosol-generating material, comprising:
The container is,
a storage area for storing the aerosol generating material;
comprising a valve arrangement in communication with the storage region,
The valve arrangement is,
a spigot comprising a first opening and a second opening coupled together through a flow channel for passage of aerosol-generating material;
a valve housing, the valve housing arranged to receive the spigot so that the spigot is movable relative to the valve housing,
The spigot is positioned in a first position where the first opening is blocked by the valve housing and in a second position where the storage region is in fluid communication with an environment external to the aerosol generating material storage vessel through the flow channel. capable of moving between
Aerosol-generating material storage container. According to claim 20,
The spigot is biased to the first position,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. According to claim 21,
The spigot is biased to the first position by a compressible sealing element, the compressible sealing element being configured to press against the valve housing when the spigot is moved to the second position. arranged to be compressed by a spigot,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 22,
wherein the flow channel is located inside the spigot,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 23,
wherein the spigot includes a cylindrical portion, and the valve housing includes a cylindrical collar receiving the cylindrical portion of the spigot.
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 24,
The spigot is configured to be rotatably movable about the longitudinal axis of the spigot relative to the valve housing, such that the spigot is rotated from the first position to the second position,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. According to clause 25,
wherein the valve housing includes an opening in fluid communication with the storage region, and wherein when the spigot is rotated to the second position, the opening of the valve housing is arranged to align with the first opening of the spigot.
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 26,
wherein the spigot moves axially when the spigot is moved from the first position to the second position.
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 27,
The spigot and the valve housing are configured such that the spigot simultaneously rotates about a rotation axis and moves axially along the rotation axis relative to the valve housing,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. According to clause 28,
At least one of the spigot and valve housing includes a surface having a saw-tooth shaped profile,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 29,
The valve housing includes at least one air passage opening in fluid communication with the storage region, and when the spigot is in the second position, the valve housing and/or spigot allow air to flow through the air passage opening. arranged to exit from or enter the storage area,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. According to claim 30,
wherein the spigot is configured to partially form an air flow channel with the valve housing, and in the second position, the air flow channel is in fluid communication with the air passage opening of the valve housing.
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method of claim 30 or 31,
The valve housing includes an opening in fluid communication with the storage region and configured to be fluidly coupled to the first opening of the spigot when the spigot is in the second position, wherein the air passage opening of the valve housing is positioned at a different position along a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spigot compared to the first opening,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method of claim 30 or 31,
the air passage opening of the valve housing is positioned in a different position along a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spigot compared to the second opening,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 33,
The spigot includes a flange configured to abut an outer surface of the valve housing when the spigot is in the first position, and when the spigot is in the first position, the flange is configured to contact the valve housing. sealed against the housing,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 34,
wherein the spigot includes a surface comprising an engagement mechanism configured to engage a respective spigot actuating mechanism of the refill device for actuating the spigot between the first position and the second position.
Aerosol-generating material storage container. According to clause 35,
wherein the first and/or second openings are provided on a surface of the spigot other than the surface containing the engagement mechanism,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method of claim 35 or 36,
wherein the second opening is provided on the surface of the spigot comprising the engagement mechanism, and the spigot actuating mechanism of the refill device comprises a nozzle of the refill device.
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 37,
wherein the engagement mechanism includes a recess configured to receive a portion of the spigot actuating mechanism.
Aerosol-generating material storage container. According to clause 38,
The recess is formed to facilitate rotational movement of the spigot by the spigot operating mechanism,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 39,
wherein the aerosol-generating material storage container is an article for use with an aerosol-providing device to generate an aerosol for user inhalation from the aerosol-generating material,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. According to claim 40,
the first opening of the spigot is an outlet opening and the second opening of the spigot is an inlet opening, and when the spigot is in the first position, at least the outlet opening is blocked by the valve housing, When the spigot is in the second position, the outlet opening is in fluid communication with the storage region; or
the first opening of the spigot is an inlet opening and the second opening of the spigot is an outlet opening, and when the spigot is in the first position, at least the inlet opening is blocked by the valve housing, When the spigot is in the second position, the inlet opening is in fluid communication with an environment external to the aerosol-generating material storage container, and the aerosol-generating material storage container is configured to produce aerosol-generating material storage container when the spigot is in the second position. configured to allow product material to pass through the inlet opening and into the storage region through the outlet opening,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method of claim 40 or 41,
When subject to any one of paragraphs 11 to 14,
The at least one air passage opening is an air inlet opening, and when the spigot is in the second position, the valve housing and/or spigot are moved through the air inlet opening during refilling of the aerosol generating material storage container. arranged to allow air to escape from the storage area,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 42,
The aerosol-generating material storage container is refillable for use with a refill device configured to refill articles with the aerosol-generating material from a refill reservoir for use with an aerosol-providing device for generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material for inhalation by a user. storage person,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. According to clause 43,
the first opening of the spigot is an inlet opening and the second opening of the spigot is an outlet opening, and when the spigot is in the first position, at least the inlet opening is blocked by the valve housing, When the spigot is in the second position, the inlet opening is in fluid communication with the storage region; or
the first opening of the spigot is an outlet opening and the second opening of the spigot is an inlet opening, and when the spigot is in the first position, at least the outlet opening is blocked by the valve housing, When the spigot is in the second position, the outlet opening is in fluid communication with an environment external to the aerosol-generating material storage container, and the aerosol-generating material storage container is configured to: configured to allow aerosol-generating material to pass from the storage area through the inlet opening and the outlet opening,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. According to claim 44,
When subject to any one of paragraphs 30 to 33,
The at least one air passage opening is an air outlet opening, and when the spigot is in the second position, the valve housing and/or spigot moves through the air inlet opening while emptying the aerosol generating material storage container. arranged to allow air to flow into the storage area,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. 1. A refilling device for refilling an article for use with an aerosol-providing device with an aerosol-generating material, comprising:
The refill device is,
a transfer mechanism for causing aerosol-generating material from the refill reservoir to be transferred from the refill reservoir to the aerosol-generating material storage area of the article;
a spigot actuating mechanism configured to actuate a spigot of a valve arrangement of an aerosol-generating material storage container for storing aerosol-generating material; and
a nozzle, the nozzle arranged so that the aerosol-generating material can be delivered by the nozzle to the article through the valve arrangement of the aerosol-generating material storage container,
The refill device is configured to cause the spigot actuating mechanism to move relative to the refill device, such that the spigot actuating mechanism moves relative to the spigot actuating mechanism when engaged with the valve arrangement of the aerosol generating material storage container. configured to cause the valve arrangement to open or close as a result of movement,
Refill device. According to clause 46,
The refill device is configured to cause the spigot actuation mechanism to rotate relative to the refill device, such that the spigot actuator mechanism rotates when engaging the valve arrangement of the aerosol generating material storage container. configured to cause at least a component of the valve arrangement to rotate open or closed as a result of the movement,
Refill device. The method of claim 46 or 47,
The spigot actuating mechanism is configured to move in a direction toward or away from the aerosol generating material storage container,
Refill device. According to clause 48,
wherein the refill device is configured to move the spigot actuation mechanism toward the aerosol generating material storage container and then perform a further movement to cause the valve arrangement to move from a closed position to an open position.
Refill device. According to clause 49,
The additional movement is at least one of rotational movement and axial movement,
Refill device. The method of claim 48 or 50,
The additional movement required to cause the valve arrangement to move from the closed position to the open position is calculated in advance, and when the spigot actuating mechanism engages the valve arrangement, the refill device performs the calculated additional movement. composed,
Refill device. The method according to any one of claims 46 to 51,
wherein the spigot actuation mechanism includes an engagement mechanism for engaging a corresponding nozzle engagement mechanism of the valve arrangement of the aerosol generating material storage container,
Refill device. The method according to any one of claims 46 to 52,
wherein the refill device is configured to cause the delivery mechanism to begin delivering the aerosol-generating material to the storage area of the article when the valve arrangement is opened.
Refill device. The method according to any one of claims 46 to 53,
The refill device comprises a nozzle arrangement comprising the nozzle for supplying aerosol-generating material to or removing aerosol-generating material from the aerosol-generating material storage container,
Refill device. According to claim 54,
wherein the nozzle arrangement includes the spigot actuating mechanism,
Refill device. According to item 55,
The spigot actuating mechanism includes the nozzle, the nozzle having an engagement mechanism for engaging a corresponding engagement mechanism provided on a surface of the spigot of the valve arrangement, the engagement mechanism of the valve arrangement and an opening in fluid communication with a storage region of the aerosol-generating material storage container, wherein aerosol-generating material flows into or from the aerosol-generating material storage container through the opening of the nozzle and the opening of the valve arrangement. able to escape,
Refill device. 1. A refill system for refilling articles for use with an aerosol delivery device with an aerosol generating material, comprising:
The refill system:
A refill device according to any one of claims 46 to 56; and
Comprising an aerosol-generating material storage container according to any one of claims 20 to 45,
Refill system. 1. A method for using a refill device to refill an article for use with an aerosol delivery device with aerosol generating material from a refill reservoir, comprising:
One or both of the article and the refill reservoir includes a storage region for storing the aerosol-generating material, and a valve arrangement in communication with the storage region, the valve arrangement configured to provide for passage of the aerosol-generating material. a spigot comprising a first opening and a second opening joined together through a flow channel, and a valve housing, the valve housing being arranged to receive the spigot such that the spigot is movable relative to the valve housing. Includes,
To refill the above:
engaging the spigot actuating mechanism of the refill device with the spigot of the valve arrangement;
moving the spigot from a first position where the first opening is blocked by the valve housing and a second position where the first opening is in fluid communication with an environment outside the aerosol generating material storage vessel through the flow channel. step;
performing refilling of the article by transferring aerosol-generating material from the refill reservoir to the storage area of the article using a transfer mechanism of the refill device, wherein the aerosol-generating material flows through a nozzle of the refill device and through the valve. conveyed through said flow channel of the arrangement, comprising:
How to refill. An aerosol-generating material storage container configured to store aerosol-generating material and engage a refill means configured to refill an article with the aerosol-generating material, comprising:
The container is,
storage means for storing the aerosol generating material;
Comprising a valve means in communication with the storage means,
The valve means:
spigot means comprising a first opening and a second opening coupled together through a flow channel for passage of aerosol generating material;
valve housing means, the valve housing means arranged to receive the spigot means so that the spigot means is movable relative to the valve housing means,
The spigot means is positioned between a first position where the first opening is blocked by the valve housing means and a second position where the storage means is in fluid communication with an environment external to the aerosol generating material storage vessel through the flow channel. movable from,
Aerosol-generating material storage container. A refilling means for refilling an article for use with an aerosol-providing device with an aerosol-generating material, comprising:
The refill means:
transfer means for causing aerosol-generating material from the refill reservoir to be transferred from the refill reservoir to the aerosol-generating material storage means for the article;
spigot operating means configured to actuate the spigot means of the valve means of the aerosol-generating material storage container for storing the aerosol-generating material; and
nozzle means, the nozzle means arranged so that the aerosol-generating material can be delivered by the nozzle means to the article through the valve means of the aerosol-generating material storage container,
The refill means is configured to cause the spigot actuating means to move relative to the refill means, wherein the spigot actuate means, when engaged with the valve means of the aerosol generating material storage container, is configured to cause the spigot actuating means to move relative to the refill means. configured to cause said valve means to open or close as a result,
Refill means.