RU2800811C2 - Cartridge for evaporation device (variants) and evaporation device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: tobacco industry.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to the systems simulating the process of smoking. The vaporizer cartridge comprises a primary reservoir having a first pressure state and a second pressure state. The primary reservoir is configured to expel vaporized matter in response to an increase in free space above the matter while in the second pressure state. The secondary reservoir is in fluid communication with the primary reservoir. The secondary reservoir is made of absorbent material, which is configured to receive the first volume of the vaporized substance from the primary reservoir in the first pressure state and to receive the second volume of the vaporized substance from the primary reservoir in the second pressure state, the second volume being larger than the first volume. The evaporation chamber is in communication with the secondary reservoir and includes a first absorbent element configured to draw vaporized matter from the secondary reservoir chamber into the evaporation chamber for evaporation by means of a heating element. The primary reservoir is configured to store a larger proportion of the volatilized substance in the first pressure state compared to the secondary reservoir. According to the second variant of the cartridge, the first absorbent element extends between the primary and secondary reservoirs and is configured to draw the vaporized substance from the primary reservoir into the secondary reservoir. The evaporation chamber is in communication with the secondary reservoir and includes a second absorbent element configured to draw vaporized matter from the secondary reservoir into the evaporation chamber for evaporation by means of a heating element. An evaporator device is claimed.

EFFECT: prevention of leakage of the evaporated substance due to the absorption of its excess.

20 cl, 7 dwg

Description

Cross-references to related applications

[0001] The application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/755,895, filed Nov. 5, 2018, entitled "Cartridges For Vaporizer Devices", the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, to the extent permitted.

The technical field to which the invention belongs

[0002] The subject matter described herein relates to evaporator devices including evaporator cartridges.

State of the art

[0003] Vaporizers, which may also be referred to as evaporators, electronic evaporators, or electroevaporators, can be used to deliver an aerosol (e.g., a substance in the vapor phase and/or condensed phase suspended in a stationary or moving body of air or some other gaseous carrier ) containing one or more active ingredients by inhalation of the aerosol by the user of the vaporizer. For example, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) include a class of battery powered vaping devices that can be used to simulate the sensation of smoking but without burning tobacco or other substances. Vaporizing devices are becoming increasingly popular for both prescriptive medical use, in drug delivery, and for the consumption of tobacco, nicotine, and other herbal substances. Vaporizers may be portable, self-contained, and/or convenient to use.

Such evaporation devices are known, for example, from RU 2655188 C2, RU 107026 U1, EA 28687 B1, US 2016334119 A1, WO 2018125934 A1, EP 2925395 A4.

[0004] When using a vaporizer, the user inhales an aerosol, colloquially referred to as "vapor," which can be generated by a heating element that vaporizes (e.g., causes a liquid or solid to at least partially go into a gaseous phase) the vaporized substance , which may be a liquid, solution, solid, paste, wax, and/or any other form compatible with use with a particular evaporator device. The vaporizer used with the vaporizer may be provided in a cartridge, for example, a detachable portion of the vaporizer that contains the vaporizer, which includes an outlet (eg, mouthpiece) for inhalation of the aerosol by a user.

[0005] To receive an inhalable aerosol generated by the vaporizer, the user may, in some examples, activate the vaporizer by puffing, pressing a button, and/or through some other approach. A puff, as used herein, may refer to the inhalation by the user in a manner that causes a volume of air to be drawn into the vaporizer such that an inhaled aerosol is formed by combining the vaporized vaporized material with the air volume.

[0006] The approach by which a vaporizer generates an inhalable aerosol from a vaporized material involves heating the vaporized material in a vaporization chamber (e.g., a heater chamber) to cause the vaporized material to change into a gaseous (or vapor) phase. A vapor chamber may refer to an area or volume in a vaporization device in which a heat source (e.g., a conductive, convective, and/or radiant heat source) causes vaporized matter to be heated to create a mixture of air and vaporized matter to form vapor for the vaporized matter to be inhaled by a user. evaporator device.

[0007] Evaporative devices may be controlled by one or more controllers, electronic circuits (eg, sensors, heating elements), and/or the like. on the evaporator. Evaporative devices can also communicate wirelessly with an external controller, such as a computing device such as a smartphone).

[0008] In some implementations, the vaporized material may be drawn from the reservoir and into the evaporation chamber through an absorbent element (eg, a wick). The drawing of evaporable material into the evaporation chamber may be at least in part due to the capillary action provided by the absorbent element when the absorbent element pulls the evaporable substance along the absorbent element towards the evaporation chamber. However, when vaporized matter is drawn from the tank, the pressure inside the tank is reduced, thereby creating a vacuum and acting against capillary action. The ambient air then takes the place of the vacuum created in the empty space of the tank. It is noteworthy that frequently unused cartridges also include some air (eg bubbles) as filling the cartridge reservoir completely remains a manufacturing challenge.

[0009] The application of heat, manual pressure, or any type of negative pressure event (eg, a pressure drop inside an aircraft cabin) can cause the volume of air or bubbles in the cartridge reservoir to expand when ambient pressure becomes negative relative to internal pressure. Unfavorably, such pressure changes result in an overflow of the volatilized material from the body of the cartridge where the opening is present. These unwanted leaks typically occur at the end where the cartridge reservoir connects to the mouthpiece, or in the region of the cavity where the cartridge's electrical ports are positioned to couple to the power supply.

[0010] Leaks of fumes are problematic because such leaks typically interfere with the functionality and cleanliness of the evaporator device (eg, leaked fumes clog electrical ports or create dirt that requires cleaning). Additionally, the user's experience is adversely affected by leakage of vaporized matter from the cartridge due to the possibility of soiling or damaging other articles or fabrics in the vicinity of the leaking cartridge. Leaks in some parts of the cartridge or vaporizer may also cause the liquid vaporizer to bypass the vaporizer chamber, thereby causing the user to experience the discomfort of inhaling the vaporizer in liquid form.

[0011] Accordingly, evaporator devices and/or evaporator cartridges that eliminate one or more of these problems are desirable.

The essence of the invention

[0012] Aspects of the present subject matter relate to vaporizers and cartridges for use in a vaporizer.

[0013] In some variations, one or more of the following features may optionally be included in any possible combination.

[0014] In one exemplary embodiment, a cartridge is provided that includes a primary reservoir having a first pressure state and a second pressure state, a secondary reservoir in fluid communication with the primary reservoir, and a flash chamber in communication with the secondary reservoir. The primary reservoir is configured to store most of the vaporized material inside when in the first pressure state and is configured to expel the vaporized material in response to an increase in free space above the material when in the second pressure state. The secondary reservoir is formed from an absorbent material. The absorbent material is configured to receive a first volume of vaporizable material from the primary reservoir in a first pressure state and to receive a second volume of vaporizable material from the primary reservoir in a second pressure state in which the second volume is greater than the first volume. The evaporator chamber includes a first absorbent element that is configured to draw evaporative material from the secondary chamber of the reservoir into the evaporator chamber for evaporation by means of a heating element.

[0015] In some embodiments, the implementation of the second state of pressure may be associated with the presence of negative pressure.

[0016] In some embodiments, in the first pressure state, the internal pressure of the primary reservoir may be less than or equal to the ambient pressure.

[0017] In some embodiments, in the second pressure state, the internal pressure of the reservoir may be greater than the ambient pressure.

[0018] In some embodiments, the implementation of the cartridge may include a second absorbent element extending from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir. The second absorbent element may be configured to draw vaporized material from the primary reservoir into the secondary reservoir.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first volume of volatilized material may flow from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir at the first flow rate. In such embodiments, the second volume of vaporized material may flow from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir at a second flow rate that is greater than the first flow rate.

[0020] In another exemplary embodiment, a cartridge is provided and includes a primary reservoir having an internal pressure, a secondary reservoir formed from an absorbent material, a first absorbent extending between the primary and secondary reservoirs, and a flash chamber in communication with the secondary reservoir. The primary reservoir is configured to hold the majority of the volatilized material. The first absorbent element is configured to draw the volatilized substance from the primary reservoir into the secondary reservoir. The evaporator chamber includes a second wicking element configured to draw evaporative matter from the secondary reservoir into the evaporator chamber for evaporation by means of a heating element. The absorbent material is configured to receive an excess volume of volatilized material that is expelled from the primary reservoir in response to a pressure differential that is created between the ambient pressure outside the primary reservoir and the internal pressure of the primary reservoir.

[0021] In some embodiments, the pressure drop may be associated with the presence of negative pressure.

[0022] In some embodiments, the internal pressure of the primary reservoir may be less than or equal to the ambient pressure before the pressure differential is created. In other embodiments, the ambient pressure may be less than the internal pressure of the primary reservoir when the differential pressure is created.

[0023] In some embodiments, the implementation of the second absorbent element may be configured to draw an excess volume of volatilized material from the secondary reservoir into the evaporation chamber. In other embodiments, the first absorbent may be configured to withdraw at least a portion of the excess volume of volatilized material from the secondary reservoir back to the primary reservoir in response to a reduction in pressure drop.

[0024] In some embodiments, the flash chamber may also include a third absorbent element, which may be configured to draw vaporizable material from the secondary reservoir into the flash chamber for vaporization via a heating element.

[0025] In another exemplary embodiment, a evaporator device is provided and includes a evaporator body and a cartridge that is selectively attached to and removed from the evaporator body. The cartridge includes a primary reservoir having a first pressure state and a second pressure state, a secondary reservoir in fluid communication with the primary reservoir, and a flash chamber in fluid communication with the secondary reservoir. The primary reservoir is configured to store most of the vaporized material inside when in the first pressure state and is configured to expel the vaporized material in response to an increase in headspace when in the second pressure state. The secondary reservoir is formed from an absorbent material. The absorbent material is configured to receive a first volume of vaporizable material from the primary reservoir in a first pressure state and to receive a second volume of vaporizable material from the primary reservoir in a second pressure state in which the second volume is greater than the first volume. The evaporator chamber includes a first absorbent element that is configured to draw evaporative material from the secondary chamber of the reservoir into the evaporator chamber for evaporation by means of a heating element.

[0026] The main body of the evaporator may have many configurations. In some embodiments, the implementation of the main part of the evaporator may include a power source.

[0027] In some embodiments, the second pressure state may be associated with a negative pressure event.

[0028] In some embodiments, in the first pressure state, the internal pressure of the primary reservoir may be less than or equal to the ambient pressure.

[0029] In some embodiments, in the second pressure state, the internal pressure of the reservoir may be greater than the ambient pressure.

[0030] In some embodiments, the cartridge may include a second absorbent element extending from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir. The second absorbent element may be configured to draw vaporized material from the primary reservoir into the secondary reservoir.

[0031] In some embodiments, the first volume of volatilized material may flow from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir at the first flow rate. In such embodiments, the second volume of vaporized material may flow from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir at a second flow rate that is greater than the first flow rate.

[0032] Details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and in the description below. Other features and advantages of the subject matter described herein should become apparent from the description and drawings and from the claims. The claims that follow this disclosure are intended to define the scope of the protected subject matter.

Brief description of the drawings

[0033] The accompanying drawings, which are included in and form a part of this specification, show specific aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein, and together with the description, help explain some of the principles associated with the disclosed implementations. On the drawings:

[0034] FIG. 1A is a block diagram of an evaporator device;

[0035] FIG. 1B is a plan view of an embodiment of the evaporator showing the evaporator cartridge separated from the main body of the evaporator;

[0036] FIG. 1C is a plan view of the evaporation device of FIG. 1B showing an evaporator cartridge attached to the main body of an evaporator device;

[0037] FIG. 1D is a perspective view of the evaporation device of FIG. 1C;

[0038] FIG. 1E is a perspective view of the evaporator cartridge of FIG. 1B;

[0039] FIG. 1F is another perspective view of the evaporator cartridge of FIG. 1E; And

[0040] FIG. 2 is a diagram of another embodiment of an evaporator cartridge.

[0041] Where appropriate, like reference numerals refer to like structures, features, or elements.

Detailed description of the invention

[0042] Implementations of the current subject matter include methods, devices, articles of manufacture, and systems relating to the vaporization of one or more inhalants by a user. Exemplary implementations include evaporators and systems including evaporators. The term "evaporator device", when used in the following description and claims, refers to any of a self-contained device, a device that includes two or more separable parts (for example, the main body of an evaporator that includes a battery and other hardware, and a cartridge that includes the volatilized substance), and/or the like. An "evaporator system" as used herein may include one or more components such as an evaporator. Examples of vaporizers consistent with embodiments of the current subject matter include electronic vaporizers, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), and/or the like. In general, such evaporative devices are pocket devices that heat (eg, by convection, electrical conduction, radiation, and/or some combination thereof) a vaporized substance to provide an inhalable dose of the substance.

[0043] The vaporizer used in conjunction with the vaporizer may be provided in a cartridge (e.g., the portion of the vaporizer that contains the vaporizer in a reservoir or other container) that may be refillable when empty or disposable so that a new a cartridge containing an additional vaporizer of the same or different type may be used). The vaporizer may be a cartridge vaporizer, a cartridgeless vaporizer, or a refillable vaporizer adapted for use with or without a cartridge. For example, the evaporation device may include a heating chamber (e.g., a thermal chamber or other area in which a substance is heated by a heating element) configured to receive a vaporized substance directly into the heating chamber, and/or a reservoir or the like. for the content of the evaporated substance.

[0044] In some implementations, the vaporizer may be configured for use with a liquid vaporizer (e.g., a carrier solution in which the active and/or inactive ingredient(s) are suspended or held in solution, or a liquid form of the vaporizer itself) . The liquid evaporator may be adapted to be completely vaporised. Alternatively, at least a portion of the liquid vaporizable material may remain after all of the respirable material has been vaporized.

[0045] Referring to the block diagram in FIG. 1A, vaporizer 100 may include a power supply 112 (eg, a battery, which may be a rechargeable battery) and a controller 104 (eg, a processor, circuit, etc. adapted to perform logic) to control the delivery of heat to the atomizer. 141 to cause the vaporized matter 102 to be converted from a condensed form (such as liquid, solution, suspension, a portion of at least partially untreated plant matter, etc.) to a gaseous phase. Controller 104 may be part of one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) consistent with some implementations of the current subject matter.

[0046] After converting the vaporizable substance 102 into the gaseous phase, at least some of the vaporizable substance 102 in the gaseous phase may condense into the form of solid particles, at least in partial local equilibrium with the gaseous phase as part of an aerosol, which may form some part or all of the inhaled dose delivered by the vaporizer 100 during a user puff or draw on the vaporizer 100. It should be understood that the interaction between the gaseous and condensed phases in the aerosol generated by the vaporizer 100 can be complex and dynamic due to such factors such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, chemical composition, flow conditions in the airflow paths (both within the evaporative device and in the respiratory tract of a human or other mammal) and/or the mixing of the vaporized substance 102 in the gaseous phase or in the aerosol phase with other airflows that may affect one or more physical parameters of the aerosol. In some vaporizer devices, and in particular for vaporizer devices designed to deliver volatile vaporizers, the respirable dose may exist predominantly in the gaseous phase (eg, the formation of condensed phase particles may be very limited).

[0047] The atomizer 141 in the evaporator 100 may be configured to vaporize the vaporizable substance 102. The vaporizable substance 102 may be liquid. Examples of vaporizable material 102 include pure liquids, suspensions, solutions, mixtures, and/or the like. The atomizer 141 may include an absorbent (ie, wick) configured to transfer the volume of vaporized material 102 to the portion of the atomizer 141 that includes a heating element (not shown in FIG. 1A).

[0048] For example, the absorbent may be configured to draw vaporized matter 102 from a reservoir 140 configured to contain vaporized matter 102 such that vaporized matter 102 can be vaporized by heat delivered from the heating element. The absorbent member may also optionally allow air to enter reservoir 140 and replace the volume of vaporized material 102 removed. In some embodiments of the current subject matter, capillary action may draw vaporizer 102 into the wick to be vaporized by means of a heating element, and air may be returned to reservoir 140 through the wick. to at least partially equalize the pressure in reservoir 140. Other methods of allowing air to flow back into reservoir 140 to equalize pressure are also within the scope of the current subject matter.

[0049] As used herein, the terms "wick" or "absorbent member" include any material adapted to cause movement of a fluid through capillary pressure.

[0050] The heating element may include one or more of a conductive heater, a radiant heater, and/or a convection heater. One type of heating element is a resistance heating element, which may include a material (such as a metal or alloy, such as a nickel-chromium alloy, or a non-metal resistor) configured to dissipate electrical power in the form of heat when an electrical current is passed through one or more resistive heating element segments. In some implementations of the current subject matter, the nebulizer 141 may include a heating element that includes a resistive coil or other heating element wrapped around, internally, embedded in a three-dimensional shape, molded into thermal contact with, or otherwise configured to deliver heat. to the absorbent member to cause the vaporizable substance 102 to be drawn out of the reservoir 140 by the absorbent member to be vaporized for subsequent inhalation by the user in a gaseous and/or condensed (eg, aerosol particles or droplets) phase. Other absorbent elements, heating elements and/or atomizer assembly configurations are also possible.

[0051] A heating element may be activated in association with a user's puff (i.e., drawing in, inhaling, etc.) on the mouthpiece 130 of the vaporizer 100 to force air to flow from the air inlet, along the airflow path, which passes through the atomizer 141 (i.e., the absorbent element and the heating element). Optionally, air may flow from the air inlet, through one or more areas of condensation or chambers, to the air outlet in the mouthpiece 130. The incoming air, moving along the airflow path, moves over or through the nebulizer 141, where the vaporized substance 102 in the gaseous form is carried into the air. The heating element may be activated through the controller 104, which may optionally be part of the vaporizer main body 110, as discussed herein, causing current to flow from the power supply 112 through circuitry including a resistive heating element, which may optionally be part of the vaporizer cartridge 120, as discussed in this document. As noted herein, the entrained vaporizable substance 102 in gaseous form may condense as it travels through the rest of the airflow path so that an inhalable dose of vaporizable substance 102 in aerosol form can be delivered from an air outlet (e.g., mouthpiece 130) for inhalation by the user.

[0052] Heating element activation may be triggered by automatic puff detection based on one or more signals generated by one or more sensors 113. Sensor 113 and signals generated by sensor 113 may include one or more of the following: a pressure sensor or sensors, positioned to detect pressure along the airflow path relative to ambient pressure (or optionally to measure changes in absolute pressure), a motion sensor or sensors (e.g., an accelerometer) of the vaporizer 100, a vaporizer 100 flow sensor or sensors, a capacitive lip sensor of the vaporizer 100, detecting user interaction with vaporizer 100 via one or more input devices 116 (e.g., buttons or other tactile controls on vaporizer 100), receiving signals from a computing device in communication with vaporizer 100, and/or through other approaches to determine that a delay is occurring or is about to occur.

[0053] As discussed herein, vaporizer 100 consistent with implementations of the current subject matter may be configured to communicate (such as, for example, wirelessly or via a wired connection) with a computing device (or optionally two or more devices) in communication. with vaporizer 100. To do this, controller 104 may include communication hardware 105. Controller 104 may also include memory 108. Communication hardware 105 may include firmware and/or may be controlled by software to execute one or more cryptographic protocols for communication.

[0054] The computing device may be a component of the evaporator system that also includes the evaporator 100, and may include its own communication hardware that can establish a wireless communication link with the communication hardware 105 of the evaporator 100. For example, a computing the device used as part of the evaporative system may include a general purpose computing device (such as a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, some other portable device such as a smart watch, or the like) that executes software to create a user interface for allowing a user to interact with the evaporative device 100. In other implementations of the current subject matter, such a device used as part of the evaporative system may be a specialized piece of hardware such as a remote control or other wireless or wired device having one or more physical or software (i.e., configurable on a screen or other display device and selected through user interaction with a touch-sensitive screen or some other input device such as a mouse, pointer, trackball, cursor buttons, or the like) interface controls. Evaporative device 100 may also include one or more output devices 117 or devices for providing information to the user. For example, output devices 117 may include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to provide feedback to the user based on the status and/or mode of operation of vaporizer 100.

[0055] In an example where the computing device provides signals related to the activation of a resistive heating element, or in other examples to connect the computing device to the vaporizer 100 to implement various controls or other functions, the computing device executes one or more sets of computer instructions, to provide a user interface and underlying data processing. In one example, the computing device's detection of user interaction with one or more user interface elements may cause the computing device to signal the vaporizer 100 to activate the heating element to reach operating temperature to create an inhalable vapor/aerosol dose. Other functions of vaporizer 100 may be controlled through user interaction with a user interface on a computing device in communication with vaporizer 100.

[0056] The temperature of the resistive heating element of the vaporizer 100 may depend on a variety of factors including the amount of electrical power delivered to the resistive heater element and/or the duty cycle at which the electrical power is applied, conductive heat transfer to other parts of the electronic vaporizer 100, and /or to the environment, latent heat loss due to evaporation of the vaporized substance 102 from the absorbent element and/or atomizer 141 as a whole, and convection heat loss due to air flow (i.e., air moving through the heating element or atomizer 141 as a whole, when the user takes a puff on the vaporizer 100). As noted herein, in order to reliably activate a heating element or heat a heating element to a desired temperature, vaporizer 100 may, in some embodiments of the current subject matter, use signals from sensor 113 (e.g., a pressure sensor) to determine when the user is inhaling. The sensor 113 may be placed in the airflow path and/or may be connected (for example, via a through hole or other path) to the airflow path, containing an inlet for air to enter the vaporizer 100 and an outlet through which the user inhales the resulting the result is vapor and/or aerosol, such that sensor 113 senses changes (eg, pressure changes) simultaneously with air passing through the vaporizer 100 from the air inlet to the air outlet. In some implementations of the current subject matter, the heating element may be activated in association with a user's puff, for example, by automatic puff detection, or by a sensor 113 detecting a change (such as a change in pressure) in the airflow path.

[0057] Sensor 113 may be located on or coupled (ie, electrically or electronically connected, either physically or via a wireless connection) to controller 104 (eg, a printed circuit board assembly or other type of circuit board). In order to make measurements accurately and preserve the durability of the evaporator 100, it may be useful to provide a seal 127 that is resilient enough to separate the airflow path from other parts of the evaporator 100. The seal 127, which may be a gasket, may be configured to at least , partially surround the sensor 113 so that the connections of the sensor 113 to the internal circuitry of the evaporator 100 are separated from the portion of the sensor 113 exposed to the airflow path. In the example of a cartridge-based evaporator, seal 127 may also separate portions of one or more electrical connections between evaporator body 110 and evaporator cartridge 120. Such seal arrangements 127 in evaporator 100 may be useful in mitigating potentially detrimental effects on evaporator components resulting from interactions with environmental factors such as water in the vapor or liquid phases, other fluids such as vaporized material 102, etc. .d., and/or reduce air leakage from the designed airflow path in the evaporator 100. Unwanted air, liquid, or other fluid passing through and/or contacting the circuits of the evaporator 100 can cause various undesirable effects, such as altered pressure readings, and/or may result in the formation of undesirable matter such as moisture, excess vaporized matter 102, etc., in portions of vaporizer 100 where they may result in poor pressure signal, degradation of sensor 113 or other components and/or shorter life of vaporizer 100. Leaks in seal 127 may also result in the user inhaling air that has passed through portions of vaporizer 100 containing, or constructed from, materials that may be undesirable for inhalation.

[0058] In some implementations, the vaporizer body 110 includes a controller 104, a power source 112 (e.g., a battery), one or more sensors 113, charging contacts (such as contacts for charging the power source 112), a seal 127, and a cartridge holder 118 configured to receive the evaporator cartridge 120 for connection to the evaporator body 110 via one or more of a plurality of attachment structures. In some examples, vaporizer cartridge 120 includes a reservoir 140 for containing vaporized material 102, and mouthpiece 130 has an aerosol outlet for delivering an inhaled dose to a user. The vaporizer cartridge 120 may include an atomizer 141 having an absorbent element and a heating element. Alternatively, one or both of the absorbent element and the heating element may be part of the main body 110 of the evaporator. In an implementation in which any part of the atomizer 141 (i.e., heating element and/or absorbent element) is part of the evaporator main body 110, the evaporator 100 may be configured to supply the evaporator 102 from the reservoir 140 in the evaporator cartridge 120 to the part (wells) of the atomizer 141 included in the main body 110 of the evaporator.

[0059] In an embodiment of the evaporator body 100, in which the power source 112 is part of the evaporator body 110, and the heating element is housed in the evaporator cartridge 120 and configured to be connected to the evaporator body 110, the evaporator device 100 may include parts of an electrical connections (eg, means for terminating a circuit) for terminating a circuit that includes a controller 104 (eg, a printed circuit board, a microcontroller, or the like), a power supply 112, and a heating element (eg, a heating element in atomizer 141). These features may include one or more contacts (herein referred to as cartridge contacts 124a and 124b) on the bottom surface of vaporizer cartridge 120 and at least two contacts (herein referred to as holder contacts 125a and 125b) located adjacent the base of the cartridge holder 118 of the vaporizer 100 so that the cartridge contacts 124a and 124b and the holder contacts 125a and 125b make electrical connections when the vaporizer cartridge 120 is inserted into and connected to the cartridge holder 118. The circuitry completed by these electrical connections may allow electrical current to be supplied to the heating element and may additionally be used for additional functions such as measuring the resistance of the heating element for use in determining and/or controlling the temperature of the heating element based on the thermal resistivity coefficient of the heating element. element.

[0060] In some implementations of the current subject matter, cartridge contacts 124a and 124b and holder contacts 125a and 125b may be configured for electrical connection in one or another of at least two orientations. In other words, one or more of the circuits required to operate the vaporizer 100 can be completed by inserting the vaporizer cartridge 120 into the cartridge holder 118 in a first rotational orientation (about the axis along which the vaporizer cartridge 120 is inserted into the cartridge holder 118 of the vaporizer body 110) so that the contact 124a of the cartridge is electrically connected to the contact 125a of the holder, and the contact 124b of the cartridge is electrically connected to the contact 125b of the holder. In addition, one or more of the circuits required to operate the vaporizer 100 may be completed by inserting the vaporizer cartridge 120 into the cartridge holder 118 in a second rotational orientation such that cartridge contact 124a is electrically connected to holder contact 125b and cartridge contact 124b is electrically connected to contact 125a of the holder.

[0061] For example, the vaporizer cartridge 120 or at least the insertion end 122 of the vaporizer cartridge 120 may be symmetrical in 180° rotation about the axis along which the vaporizer cartridge 120 is inserted into the cartridge holder 118. In such a configuration, the evaporator circuitry 100 can maintain identical operation regardless of which symmetrical orientation of the evaporator cartridge 120 occurs.

[0062] In one example of an attachment structure for attaching the vaporizer cartridge 120 to the vaporizer body 110, the vaporizer body 110 includes one or more retainers (eg, pits, protrusions, etc.) protruding inwardly from the inner surface of the cartridge holder 118 , additional material (such as metal, plastic, etc.) formed to include a portion protruding inside the cartridge holder 118, and/or the like. One or more of the outer surfaces of the vaporizer cartridge 120 may include appropriate recesses (not shown in FIG. 1A) that may fit and/or otherwise snap over such retainers or projections when the vaporizer cartridge 120 is inserted into the cartridge holder 118 of the body 110 evaporator. When the vaporizer cartridge 120 and the vaporizer body 110 are connected (for example, by inserting the vaporizer cartridge 120 into the vaporizer holder 118 of the vaporizer body 110), retainers or protrusions of the vaporizer body 110 may be fitted within and/or otherwise retained within the recesses of the vaporizer cartridge 120 to hold the vaporizer cartridge 120 in place when assembled. Such an assembly may provide sufficient support to hold the vaporizer cartridge 120 in place to ensure good contact between the cartridge contacts 124a and 124b and the holder contacts 125a and 125b, while allowing the vaporizer cartridge 120 to be removed from the vaporizer body 110 when the user pulls the vaporizer cartridge 120 with reasonable force to disengage the vaporizer cartridge 120 from the cartridge holder 118.

[0063] In some implementations, the vaporizer cartridge 120, or at least the insertion end 122 of the vaporizer cartridge 120 configured to be inserted into the cartridge holder 118, may have a non-circular cross section transverse to the axis along which the vaporizer cartridge 120 is inserted into the cartridge holder 118 . For example, a non-circular cross section may be approximately rectangular, approximately elliptical (i.e., approximately oval), non-rectangular but with two sets of opposite sides parallel or approximately parallel (i.e., having a parallelogram-like shape), or other shapes having rotational symmetry of at least second order. In this context, an approximate shape indicates that the basic resemblance to the described shape is obvious, but that the sides of the shape in question need not be completely linear and the vertices need not be completely sharp. The rounding of both or one of the edges or vertices of the cross-sectional shape is considered in the description of any non-circular cross-section referred to in this document.

[0064] Cartridge contacts 124a and 124b and holder contacts 125a and 125b may take various forms. For example, one or both sets of contacts may include conductive pins, printed contacts, contact bollards, pin or bollard receptacles, or the like. Some types of contacts may include springs or other features that provide better physical and electrical contact between the contacts on the evaporator cartridge 120 and the evaporator body 110. The electrical contacts may optionally be gold plated and/or may include other materials.

[0065] FIG. 1B-1D illustrate an embodiment of a vaporizer main body 110 having a cartridge holder 118 into which the vaporizer cartridge 120 can be removably inserted. Fig. 1B and 1C show top views of the evaporator device 100 illustrating the evaporator cartridge 120 positioned for insertion and inserted into the evaporator body 110, respectively. Fig. 1D illustrates a reservoir 140 of an evaporator cartridge 120 formed in whole or in part of a translucent material such that the level of vaporized material 102 is visible from a window 132 (eg, translucent material) on the evaporator cartridge 120. The evaporator cartridge 120 may be configured such that the window 132 remains visible when received in an insertion manner by the evaporator cartridge holder 118 of the evaporator body 110 . For example, in one exemplary configuration, the window 132 may be located between the bottom edge of the mouthpiece 130 and the top edge of the vaporizer body 110 when the vaporizer cartridge 120 is connected to the cartridge holder 118.

[0066] FIG. 1E illustrates an exemplary air flow path 134 created during a puff by a user on vaporizer 100. Air flow path 134 may direct air into a vapor chamber 150 (see FIG. 1F) contained in a wick body where the air combines with an inhaled aerosol for delivery. to the user through the mouthpiece 130, which may also be part of the vaporizer cartridge 120. For example, when a user takes a puff on the vaporizer 100 of the device 100, air can pass between the outer surface of the vaporizer cartridge 120 (e.g., window 132 shown in FIG. 1D) and the inner surface of the cartridge holder 118 on the vaporizer body 110. Air may then be drawn into the insertion end 122 of the vaporizer cartridge 120, through the vaporization chamber 150, which includes or contains a heating element and wick, and out through the outlet 136 of the mouthpiece 130 to deliver the inhaled aerosol to the user.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 1E, this configuration causes air to flow around the insertion end 122 of the vaporizer cartridge 120 into the inside of the cartridge holder 118 and then flow back in the opposite direction after passing around the insertion end 122 (e.g., the end opposite the end including the mouthpiece 130) of the vaporizer cartridge 120 when it enters the main body of the cartridge towards the vaporization chamber 150. The air flow path 134 then moves through the interior of the vaporizer cartridge 120, for example through one or more tubes or internal passages (such as the cannula 128 shown in FIG. 1F) and through one or more outlets (such as outlet 136) formed in the mouthpiece 130. The mouthpiece 130 may be a detachable component of the vaporizer cartridge 120 or may be integrally formed with other component(s) of the vaporizer cartridge 120 (for example, formed integrally with reservoir 140 and/or the like).

[0068] FIG. 1F shows additional features that may be included in an evaporator cartridge 120 consistent with implementations of the current subject matter. For example, vaporizer cartridge 120 may include a plurality of cartridge contacts (such as cartridge contacts 124a, 124b) disposed at insert end 122. Each of cartridge contacts 124a, 124b may optionally be part of a single piece of metal that forms a conductive structure (such as conductive structure 126) connected to one of the two ends of the resistive heating element. The conductive structure may optionally form opposite sides of the heating chamber and may also act as heat shields and/or heat sinks to reduce heat transfer to the outer walls of the evaporator cartridge 120. Fig. 1F also shows a cannula 128 in the vaporizer cartridge 120 which defines a portion of the air flow path 134 between the heating chamber formed between the conductive structure 126 and the mouthpiece 130.

[0069] As mentioned above, the volume of air, and thus headspace, in a cartridge reservoir having a vaporizable material located inside can expand when the ambient pressure decreases relative to the internal pressure of the cartridge reservoir. Various events can cause the ambient pressure to decrease, such as the application of heat, manual pressure, any type of negative pressure event (eg a pressure drop inside an aircraft cabin), etc. This change in pressure increases the free space above the material in the reservoir, which causes the volatilized material to overflow from some opening of the cartridge reservoir and leak into the environment or other areas of the cartridge. For example, these unwanted leaks typically occur at the end where the cartridge reservoir connects to the mouthpiece, or in the region of the cavity where the cartridge's electrical ports are positioned for engagement with a power source. Additionally, such leaks may also result in the user inhaling air that has passed through parts of the vaporizer device containing or constructed from materials that may not be desirable to inhale. Various features and devices are described below that improve or overcome these problems. For example, various features are described herein to prevent vaporized material from flowing into other areas of the vaporizer and/or out of the vaporizer itself and into the environment. Leak elimination can provide advantages and improvements over existing approaches, while also bringing additional benefits, as described in this document.

[0070] The vaporizer cartridges described herein are configured to substantially control, substantially limit, or substantially prevent leakage of the liquid or semi-liquid vaporizable material contained in the cartridge reservoir in response to a decrease in ambient pressure (e.g. , due to a negative pressure event) relative to the internal pressure of the tank, and thus in response to an increase in free space above the material in the tank. Vaporizer cartridges generally include a primary reservoir and a secondary reservoir that are in fluid communication with each other. The primary reservoir is configured to store most of the volatilized material, and the secondary reservoir is configured to absorb excess volatilized material that is expelled from the primary reservoir in response to a pressure-related change. As discussed in more detail below, the secondary reservoir is formed from an absorbent material that is configured to absorb a first volume of volatilized material when the primary reservoir is in a first pressure state (e.g., when the ambient pressure outside the primary reservoir and the internal pressure of the primary reservoir are substantially equal), and absorbing a second volume of volatilized matter (eg, an excess or excess of volatilized matter) when the primary reservoir is in a second pressure state (eg, when the ambient pressure outside the reservoir is less than the internal pressure of the primary reservoir). As such, when in the second pressure state, excess vaporizable material flows from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir. This excess is absorbed and temporarily stored in the secondary reservoir during the second pressure state, thereby essentially preventing any leakage of it. At least part of this excess may subsequently be expelled from the secondary evaporation tank by means of a heating element. Alternatively, or additionally, some of the excess may be drawn back into the primary reservoir while the change in pressure wanes or ends. Thus, the secondary reservoir functions as a temporary buffer that allows excess volatilized material to be reused as opposed to flowing out of the vaporizer cartridge or being permanently trapped in the secondary reservoir. Additionally, when the primary reservoir is in the first pressure state, the secondary reservoir allows the vaporized material to flow through it substantially instead of diverting flow, as is the case when the primary reservoir is in the second pressure state.

[0071] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary evaporator cartridge 200 that can be optionally attached to and removed from a evaporator body, such as the evaporator body 110 shown in FIG. 1A-1D). More specifically, the vaporizer cartridge 200 includes a secondary reservoir 210 formed from an absorbent material that is configured to absorb an excess (e.g., excess volume) of vaporized material 212 that is expelled from the primary reservoir 202 when the free space 208 above the material in the primary reservoir 202 increments in response to a pressure change event. For the sake of simplicity, some components of the evaporator cartridge 200 are not illustrated.

[0072] As shown, the vaporizer cartridge 200 includes a primary reservoir 202, a secondary reservoir 210, a first absorbent member 214 extending between the primary and secondary reservoirs 202, 210, a vaporizer chamber 218, and a second absorbent member 216 extending between the vaporizer chamber 218 and secondary tank 210. Primary tank 202 includes most of the volatilized substance 212 placed therein. Free space 208 above the substance (for example, the volume of air) is between the vaporized substance 212 and the top wall 204 of the primary reservoir 202. In some implementations, ambient air may enter and/or exit the primary reservoir 202 through the first absorbent element 214 and/or other opening , such as the vent 206 as shown in FIG. 2. That is, primary reservoir 202 may be in communication with ambient air.

[0073] While the primary reservoir 202 may take many forms and configurations, the primary reservoir 202, as shown in FIG. 2 has a substantially rectangular shape. In other embodiments, the implementation of the primary reservoir 202 may have a different size and shape, including any other possible shape. As such, the amount of vaporizable material 212 placed therein depends at least in part on the size and shape of the primary reservoir 202. Additionally, depending on the amount of vaporizable material 212 and the size of the primary reservoir 202, the free space 208 above the material in the primary reservoir 202 is subject to change. One skilled in the art will appreciate that during use of the vaporizer cartridge 200, headspace 208 above the material of primary reservoir 202 will increase as vaporized material 212 is drawn from primary reservoir 202, regardless of the pressure change event.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 2, the secondary reservoir 210 is in fluid communication with the primary reservoir 202 through the first absorbent element 214. The first absorbent element 214 may be any suitable material that allows the vaporized substance 212 to flow through it under the action of capillary pressure. Non-limiting examples of suitable materials include one or more ceramics, one or more cotton fabrics, one or more polymers, and the like. In one embodiment, the first absorbent element 214 may include metal. In another embodiment, the first absorbent element 214 may be a grooved solid in a porous material. In some embodiments, secondary reservoir 210 is in fluid communication with primary reservoir 202 via two or more absorbent members.

[0075] As such, vaporizable material 212 can be withdrawn from primary reservoir 202 by capillary action of first absorbent member 214 and into secondary reservoir 210. As discussed in more detail below, secondary reservoir 210 is configured to receive and hold a delta of first and second vaporization volumes. substance 212, which is withdrawn and displaced from the primary reservoir 202, respectively, so that at a given retraction rate, the flow rate of the volatilized substance 212 remains substantially constant. Thus, the secondary reservoir 210 serves as a buffer to contain the excess vaporized material 212 expelled from the primary reservoir 202 in the second pressure state.

[0076] While the secondary reservoir 210 may take many shapes, sizes, and configurations, the secondary reservoir 210, as shown in FIG. 2 is substantially rectangular in shape. As such, the amount of excess volatilized material that secondary reservoir 210 can temporarily hold depends at least in part on the shape and size of secondary reservoir 210. Additionally, secondary reservoir 210 may be located relative to primary reservoir 202 in a variety of different locations, and, therefore, the secondary reservoir 210 is not limited to the position shown in FIG. 2.

[0077] The secondary reservoir 210 is formed from an absorbent material. As such, the amount of excess volatilized material that can be temporarily held in secondary reservoir 210 also depends on the absorption properties of the absorbent material relative to volatilized material 212. The absorbent material may be any suitable material that is adapted to perform capillary action to allow volatilized material 212 pass through and diffuse. That is, the absorbent material has sufficient capillary propulsion to allow the vaporized material 212 to pass through and into the vaporization chamber 218 at desired times (eg, when a user takes a puff on the mouthpiece 213 connected to the vaporizer cartridge 200), while while also being adapted to temporarily store any expelled volatilized material from primary reservoir 202 in response to an undesirable increase in headspace in primary reservoir 202. Non-limiting examples of suitable absorbent materials include porous material, fibrous material, Velcro material, and etc. In some embodiments, the implementation of the absorbent material is open to the surrounding air. While the mouthpiece 213 is shown in FIG. 2, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in other embodiments, the mouthpiece 213 may be omitted and the user may directly puff on the cartridge at an outlet (such as outlet 219 of vapor chamber 218). For the sake of simplicity, some components of the evaporator cartridge 200 are not illustrated.

[0078] As shown, the secondary reservoir 210 is in communication with the evaporation chamber 218 through the second absorbent element 216. As such, the vaporized substance 212 can be removed through the second absorbent element 216 (for example, by capillary action) and into the evaporation chamber 218 for evaporation through the heating element 221, as described in more detail below.

[0079] While the absorbent material may have many configurations, the absorbent material may be designed to have a uniform degree of absorption throughout, or alternatively a varying degree of absorption, at a given pressure. In some embodiments, the absorbent material may include voids. The voids may form a substantially continuous network of holes through the absorbent material. In some embodiments, the implementation of the voids may have the same size and/or shape. In other embodiments, the dimensions and/or shapes of the voids may vary. By changing the size and/or shape of the voids, the absorbent material may have varying degrees of absorption at a given pressure.

[0080] In use, when the primary reservoir 202 is in the first pressure state, a large proportion of the volatilized substance 212 is stored therein. The first pressure state may exist, for example, when the ambient pressure is substantially equal to the internal pressure of the primary reservoir 202. In this primary pressure state, the first volume of vaporized material 212 is removed from the primary reservoir 202 through the first absorbent element 214 (for example, by capillary action) and into the secondary reservoir 210. Thereafter, the first volume is removed from the secondary reservoir 210 through the second absorbent element 216 (for example, by capillary action) and into the evaporation chamber 218 for evaporation. That is, in this first pressure state, the first volume flows from the primary reservoir 202 through the secondary reservoir 210 and into the flash chamber 218.

[0081] When a negative pressure event occurs, a pressure differential is created between the ambient pressure outside the primary reservoir 202 and the internal pressure of the primary reservoir 202, thereby forcing the primary reservoir 202 into a second pressure state. The second pressure state may exist, for example, when the ambient pressure is less than the internal pressure of the primary reservoir 202. It should be noted that other events may cause the primary reservoir 202 to be in the second pressure state (for example, changes in ambient temperature relative to the temperature in the primary reservoir 202, or deformation primary reservoir 202, expansion of vaporized matter due to changes in temperature and/or absorption of water vapor, etc.). In the second pressure state, a second volume of volatilized material 212, which is larger than the first volume, is forced out through the first absorbent element 214 (for example, due to an increase in the free space above the substance in the primary reservoir 202) and into the secondary reservoir 210. Thereafter, a portion of the volatilized material 212 is removed from of the secondary reservoir 210 through the second absorbent 216 and into the evaporation chamber 218 for evaporation, while the excess of the evaporated substance 212 (i.e., the difference in volume between the first and second volumes) is temporarily held in the secondary reservoir 210. The retained excess of the evaporated substance 212 can be drawn out of the secondary reservoir 210 either into the vapor chamber 218 (eg, when the user subsequently takes a puff on the mouthpiece 213) or back into the primary reservoir 202 (eg, when the negative pressure event subsides or ends).

[0082] As further shown in FIG. 2, the evaporator cartridge 200 includes a heating element 221 located in the evaporator chamber 218. The heating element 221 is configured to vaporize at least a portion of the volatilized substance drawn from the secondary reservoir 210 and into the second absorbent element 216, and thus , to the evaporation chamber 218. The heating element 221 may be or include one or more of a conductive heater, a radiant heater, and a convection heater. As discussed above, one type of heating element is a resistive heating element, such as a resistive coil, which may be constructed of or at least include a material (e.g., a metal or an alloy, e.g., a nickel-chromium alloy, or a non-metal resistor) , designed to dissipate electrical power in the form of heat when electrical current passes through one or more resistive segments of the heating element. As shown in FIG. 2, the heating element 221 exists in the form of a resistive coil.

[0083] In some embodiments, vaporizer cartridge 200 includes two or more cartridge contacts, such as first cartridge contact 224a and second cartridge contact 224b, for example. Two or more contacts of the cartridge can be made to connect, for example, with the contacts 125a and 125b of the holder in order to form one or more electrical connections with the main body 110 of the evaporator. The circuitry implemented by these electrical connections may provide the ability to deliver electrical current to the heating element 221. The circuitry may also serve additional functions such as, for example, measuring the resistance of the heating element 221 for use in determining and/or controlling the temperature of the heating element 221 based on thermal coefficient of resistivity of the heating element 221.

[0084] While the flash chamber 218 may have many configurations, the flash chamber 218, as shown in FIG. 2 is defined by two opposite side walls 218a, 218b and a bottom wall 218c extending between them. As shown, the air flow passageway 220 extends through the vaporization chamber 218. The airflow passageway 220 is configured to direct air, illustrated by broken line arrow 222, through the vaporization chamber 218 so that the air 222 will mix with the vaporized material to to form an aerosol, illustrated by an arrow 226 with a broken line. The airflow passage 220 further directs the aerosol 226 through the evaporation chamber 218 and into the mouthpiece 213 for inhalation by the user.

[0085] As shown, air 222 enters vapor chamber 218 through bottom wall 218c when a user takes a puff on mouthpiece 213. As such, bottom wall 218c is configured to allow air flow to easily pass through and into vapor chamber 218. while the bottom wall 218c may have a variety of configurations, the bottom wall 218c is perforated as shown in FIG. 2. The perforations may be of any suitable size that allows air to pass through the bottom wall 218c. In some embodiments, the size of the perforated holes may prevent the evaporator 212 and/or aerosol 226 present in the evaporator chamber 218 from passing through the bottom wall 218c and therefore prevent unwanted leakage to other areas of the evaporator cartridge 200 and/or the evaporator body, such as the evaporator main body 110 shown in FIG. 1A-1D attached to the evaporator cartridge 200. The bottom wall 218c may include any suitable number of perforations, and therefore the number of perforations is not limited to the number illustrated in FIG. 2. Alternatively or in addition, bottom wall 218c may be formed from a breathable material. Thus, the bottom wall 218c functions as an air inlet for the evaporation chamber 218.

[0086] Bottom wall 218c may also be configured to prevent air 222 in vaporizer chamber 218 from flowing back through and out of vaporizer chamber 218. That is, bottom wall 218c may be configured as a one-way valve and therefore allow air 222 only pass through and into the vapor chamber 218. In some embodiments, any of the remaining walls of the vapor chamber 218 may be perforated and/or formed from a breathable material to allow air to pass into (or out of) the vapor chamber 218 as desired.

[0087] In some embodiments, at least one wall of the evaporation chamber 218 may be formed from or coated with a water repellent material so as to prevent or reduce the accumulation of any condensate in the evaporation chamber 218. Essentially, any water that can present in aerosol 226 and air 222 can be transferred through and out of vapor chamber 218 when the user takes a puff on mouthpiece 213.

[0088] While the second absorbent element 216 may be located anywhere in the airflow passageway 220, the second absorbent element, as shown in FIG. 2 is positioned adjacent to the bottom wall 218c of the evaporation chamber 218. The second absorbent element 216 may be any suitable material that allows the evaporative material 212 to flow through under capillary pressure. For example, the second absorbent element 216 may be formed from one or more ceramic materials, one or more cotton fabrics, or one or more polymers. Alternatively, or in addition, the second absorbent member 216 may be a composite of two or more materials, such as an inner material (eg, graphite) surrounded by an outer material (eg, ceramic material). In one embodiment, the second absorbent element 216 is a striated solid in a porous material.

[0089] In some embodiments, the implementation of the second absorbent element 216 may be formed from a porous material that includes a conductive material. For example, the ceramic material of the second absorbent element 216 may be supplemented with additives to include resistive properties. Such addition of absorbent material additives (e.g., ceramic) can increase the rate of heating of the second absorbent member and thus the rate of vaporization of vaporized material 212.

[0090] Some embodiments may include a second absorbent element 216 having a cross section that varies along the length of the absorbent element. For example, a portion of the second absorbent member 216 that includes a smaller cross-section compared to another portion of the second absorbent member 216 may, for example, result in greater resistance to the flow of energy, thereby allowing faster vaporization and evaporation of the vaporized material. 212, such as for forming an aerosol for inhalation by the user. In some implementations, at least one of the cross-sectional dimensions and density of the conductive material may vary along the length of the second absorbent element, for example, to achieve variable results (eg, evaporation rate, heating rate, etc.).

[0091] While vaporizer cartridge embodiments have been discussed in the context of at least two absorbent members, alternative vaporizer cartridge embodiments may use a single wick. For example, in some embodiments, an evaporator cartridge such as evaporator cartridge 200 (FIG. 2) may include a single absorbent, such as either a first or second absorbent 214, 216 (FIG. 2), extending from the primary reservoir. , such as primary reservoir 202 (FIG. 2), through a secondary reservoir, such as secondary reservoir 210 (FIG. 2), and into a flash chamber, such as flash chamber 218 (FIG. 2).

Terminology

[0092] For the purposes of describing and defining these teachings, it is noted that, unless otherwise indicated, the term "practically" is used herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be inherent in any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. The terms "substantially" are also used herein to represent the extent to which a quantitative representation can change from an established reference without resulting in a change in the essential function of the subject matter in question.

[0093] When a feature or element is referred to herein as being "in" another feature or element, it may be directly within the other feature or element, or intermediate features and/or elements may also be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being "immediately within" another feature or element, no intermediate features or elements are present. It should also be understood that when a feature or element is referred to as "connected" or "attached" to another feature or element, it may be directly connected or attached to the other feature or element, or intermediate features or elements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as "directly connected" or "directly attached" to another feature or element, no intermediate features or elements are present.

[0094] While described or shown with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements described or shown in this manner may apply to other embodiments. Those skilled in the art should also appreciate that references to a structure or feature that is "adjacent" to another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie an adjacent feature.

[0095] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and implementations only and is not intended to be limiting. For example, as used herein, the singular forms are meant to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0096] In the above descriptions and in the claims, phrases such as "at least one of" or "one or more of" may occur followed by a conjunctive list of elements or features. The term "and/or" may also occur in a list of two or more elements or features. Unless otherwise implicitly or explicitly conflicts with the context in which it is used, such phrase is not intended to mean any of the listed elements or features alone, or any of the set forth elements or features in combination with any of the other set forth elements or features. For example, the phrases "at least one of A and B"; "one or more of A and B"; and "A and/or B" are intended to mean "only A, only B, or A and B together". A similar interpretation is also intended for lists that include three or more items. For example, the phrases "at least one of A, B and C"; "one or more of A, B and C"; and "A, B and/or C" are intended to mean "A only, B only, C only, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A and B and C together". The use of the term "based on" above and in the claims is intended to mean "at least partially based on", so that an unstated feature or element is also acceptable.

[0097] Spatially relative terms such as "front", "back", "under", "below", "bottom", "above", "top", etc., may be used herein for ease of description. to describe one element or feature relationship with respect to another element(s) or feature(s), as illustrated in the drawings. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to encompass various orientations of the device being used or operated, in addition to the orientation illustrated in the drawings. For example, if the device is inverted in the drawings, elements described as being "under" or "below" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "under" may encompass both over and under orientation. The device may be oriented differently (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly. Likewise, the terms "up", "down", "vertical", "horizontal", etc. used in this document for explanatory purposes only, unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0098] Although the terms "first" and "second" may be used herein to describe various features/elements (including steps), these features/elements should not be limited by these terms unless the context indicates otherwise. These terms can be used to distinguish one feature/element from another feature/element. Thus, the first feature/element explained below may be referred to as the second feature/element, and similarly, the second feature/element explained below may be referred to as the first feature/element, without departing from the teachings provided herein.

[0099] When used herein in the detailed description and claims, including when used in the examples, and unless otherwise expressly stated, all numbers may be read as if preceded by the word "about" or "approximately", even if term is not explicitly shown. The phrase "about" or "approximately" may be used when describing an absolute value and/or position to indicate that the value and/or position described are within a reasonable expected range of values and/or positions. For example, a numeric value may have a value that is +/-0.1% of the set value (or value range), +/-1% of the set value (or value range), +/-2% of the set value (or range), +/-5% of the set value (or range), +/-10% of the set value (or range), etc. Any numerical values given herein should also be understood to include about or approximately that value, unless the context indicates otherwise. For example, if the value "10" is disclosed, then "about 10" is also disclosed. Any range of numerical values set forth herein is intended to include all subranges included therein. It should also be understood that when a value that is "less than or equal to" a value is disclosed, "greater than or equal to the value" and possible ranges between the values are also disclosed, as will be properly understood by those skilled in the art. For example, if the value "X" is disclosed, "less than or equal to X" is also disclosed, as well as "greater than or equal to X" (eg, where X is a numeric value). It should also be understood that in this application, the data is provided in a number of different formats, and that the data represents endpoints and startpoints and ranges for any combination of datapoints. For example, if specific data point "10" and specific data point "15" are disclosed, it should be understood that greater than, greater than or equal to, less than, less than or equal to, and equal to 10 and 15 are considered to be disclosed, as well as between 10 and 15. It should also be understand that each unit between two specific units is also disclosed. For example, if 10 and 15 are disclosed, then 11, 12, 13, and 14 are also disclosed.

[0100] While various exemplary embodiments have been described above, any of a number of changes may be made to the various embodiments without departing from the teachings herein. For example, the order in which the various described method steps are performed can often be changed in alternative embodiments, and in other alternative embodiments, one or more method steps may be omitted altogether. Optional features of various device and system embodiments may be included in some embodiments and not in others. Therefore, the foregoing description is provided primarily for exemplary purposes and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0101] One or more aspects or features of the subject matter described herein may be implemented in a digital electronic circuit, an integrated circuit, custom application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), computer hardware, firmware , software and/or a combination of the foregoing. These various aspects or features may include implementation in one or more computer programs that may be executed and/or interpreted for a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be special purpose or general purpose, connected with the ability to receive data and instructions from and transmit data and instructions to the data storage system, at least one input device and at least one output device. The programmable system or computing system may include clients and servers. The client and server are typically remote from each other and typically communicate through a communications network. The relationship between the client and the server is carried out on the basis of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship with each other.

[0102] These computer programs, which may also be referred to as "programs", "software", "applications", "applications", "components", or "code", include machine instructions for a programmable processor and may be implemented in a high-level procedural language, object-oriented programming language, functional programming language, logic programming language and/or assembly/machine language. As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" means any computer program product, hardware, and/or device, such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, memory, and programmable logic devices (PLDs), used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor including a computer-readable medium that receives the machine instructions as a computer-readable signal. The expression "machine readable signal" refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor. The computer-readable medium may store such machine instructions in a non-volatile manner, for example, in a manner similar to non-volatile semiconductor memory or a magnetic hard disk, or any equivalent storage medium. The computer-readable medium may alternatively or additionally store such machine instructions in a volatile manner, eg, in a manner similar to a processor cache or other random access memory associated with one or more physical processor cores.

[0103] The examples and illustrations included herein show, by way of illustration and not limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter of the invention may be practiced. As mentioned above, other embodiments may be used and derived from them such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Such embodiments of inventive subject matter may be referred to herein alone or collectively by the term "invention" merely for convenience and without the intention of intentionally limiting the scope of this application to any one invention or inventive concept, if more than one is actually disclosed. Thus, while specific embodiments are illustrated and described herein, any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments and other embodiments not specifically described herein should become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the foregoing description. The use of the term "based on" above and in the claims is intended to mean "at least partially based on", so that an unstated feature or element is also acceptable.

[0104] The subject matter described herein may be implemented in systems, equipment, methods, and/or articles, depending on the desired configuration. The implementations set forth in the foregoing description do not represent all implementations in accordance with the subject matter described herein. Instead, they are simply some examples in accordance with aspects related to the described subject matter. While several variations are detailed above, other modifications or additions are possible. In particular, additional features and/or variations may be provided in addition to the features and/or variations set forth herein. For example, the implementations described above may target various combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed features and/or combinations and subcombinations of several additional features disclosed above. In addition, the logical sequences of operations illustrated in the accompanying drawings and/or described herein do not necessarily require the specific order shown or sequential order in order to achieve the desired results. Other implementations may be within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (36)

1. Cartridge for vaporizer, containing: a primary reservoir having a first pressure state and a second pressure state, wherein the primary reservoir is configured to expel volatilized material in response to an increase in free space above the material while in the second pressure state; the secondary reservoir is in fluid communication with the primary reservoir, wherein the secondary reservoir is made of an absorbent material that is configured to receive a first volume of vaporizable material from the primary reservoir in a first pressure state and to receive a second volume of vaporizable material from the primary reservoir in a second pressure state, wherein the second volume is greater than the first volume; And an evaporation chamber in communication with the secondary reservoir and including a first absorbent element configured to draw vaporized matter from the secondary reservoir chamber into the evaporation chamber for evaporation by means of a heating element; moreover, the primary reservoir is configured to store in it a larger proportion of the vaporized substance when in the first pressure state compared to the secondary reservoir. 2. Cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the second pressure state occurs when negative pressure is generated outside the primary reservoir. 3. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein in the first pressure state, the internal pressure of the primary reservoir is less than or equal to the ambient pressure. 4. Cartridge according to claim 1, wherein in the second pressure state, the internal pressure of the reservoir is greater than the ambient pressure. 5. The cartridge of claim 1, further comprising a second absorbent element extending from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir, the second absorbent element being configured to draw vaporizable material from the primary reservoir into the secondary reservoir. 6. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the first volume of vaporized substance flows from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir at a first flow rate, and the second volume of vaporized substance flows from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir at a second flow rate that is greater than the first flow rate. 7. Cartridge for vaporizer, containing: a primary reservoir having an internal pressure; a secondary reservoir made of an absorbent material; a first absorbent extending between the primary and secondary reservoirs, the first absorbent being configured to draw volatilized material from the primary reservoir into the secondary reservoir; And an evaporator chamber in communication with the secondary reservoir and including a second absorbent member configured to draw volatilized matter from the secondary reservoir into the evaporator chamber for evaporation by means of a heating element; wherein the absorbent material is configured to receive an excess volume of volatilized material that is expelled from the primary reservoir in response to a pressure differential that is created between the ambient pressure outside the primary reservoir and the internal pressure of the primary reservoir; moreover, the primary reservoir is configured to hold a larger proportion of the evaporated substance in it before creating a pressure drop compared to the secondary reservoir. 8. Cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the second absorbent element is configured to draw an excess volume of volatilized material from the secondary reservoir into the evaporation chamber. 9. Cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the pressure drop occurs when a negative pressure is created outside the primary reservoir. 10. Cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the internal pressure of the primary reservoir is less than or equal to the ambient pressure before a pressure differential is created. 11. Cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the ambient pressure is less than the internal pressure of the primary reservoir when the differential pressure is created. 12. The cartridge of claim 7, wherein the first absorbent member is configured to withdraw at least a portion of the excess volume of volatilized material from the secondary reservoir back to the primary reservoir in response to a reduction in pressure drop. 13. Cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the evaporation chamber includes a third absorbent element configured to draw evaporative material from the secondary reservoir into the evaporation chamber for evaporation by means of a heating element. 14. Evaporative device, containing: the main part of the evaporator; And a cartridge that is selectively attachable to and detachable from the evaporator body, the cartridge including: a primary reservoir having a first pressure state and a second pressure state, wherein the primary reservoir is configured to expel volatilized material in response to an increase in free space above the material while in the second pressure state; the secondary reservoir is in fluid communication with the primary reservoir, wherein the secondary reservoir is made of an absorbent material that is configured to receive a first volume of vaporizable material from the primary reservoir in a first pressure state and to receive a second volume of vaporizable material from the primary reservoir in a second pressure state, wherein the second volume is greater than the first volume; And an evaporation chamber in communication with the secondary reservoir and including a first absorbent element configured to draw vaporized matter from the secondary reservoir chamber into the evaporation chamber for evaporation by means of a heating element; moreover, the primary reservoir is configured to store in it a larger proportion of the vaporized substance when in the first pressure state compared to the secondary reservoir. 15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the evaporator main body includes a power source. 16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second pressure state occurs when negative pressure is generated outside the primary reservoir. 17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein in the first pressure state, the internal pressure of the primary reservoir is less than or equal to the ambient pressure. 18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein in the second pressure state, the internal pressure of the reservoir is greater than the ambient pressure. 19. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a second absorbent extending from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir, the second absorbent being configured to draw volatilized material from the primary reservoir into the secondary reservoir. 20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first volume of volatilized material flows from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir at a first flow rate, and the second volume of volatilized material flows from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir at a second flow rate that is greater than the first flow rate.

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