E-vapor device including heater structure with recessed shell layer

• US 10,721,965 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2016
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lipowicz, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Fuqua, Shawntina T
• Application Number:
  US15/208,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20170027227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/40 Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/46 Shape or structure of electric heating means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/042 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/06 Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3653 by Joule effect, i.e. electric resistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0297 Heating of fluids for non specified applications
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/003 using serpentine layout
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/014 Heaters using resistive wires or cables not provided for in H05B3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/021 Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/12 characterised by the composition or nature of the conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/34 flexible, e.g. heating nets or webs
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/40 Heating elements having the shape of rods or tubes H05B3/62, H05B3/68, H05B3/78 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/42 non-flexible

Abstract

An e-vapor device may include a pre-vapor sector and a heater structure arranged in thermal contact with the pre-vapor sector. The pre-vapor sector is configured to hold and dispense a pre-vapor formulation. The heater structure includes a base wire and a shell layer coating the base wire. The base wire is insulated from the shell layer. The shell layer includes at least one recessed portion between a first unrecessed portion and a second unrecessed portion. The at least one recessed portion is a thinner section of the shell layer that is configured to vaporize the pre-vapor formulation to generate a vapor. As a result of the heater design, the heater structure is stiffer and more robust than other related heaters in the art, thus allowing more options for its implementation.

Claims

1. An e-vapor device, comprising:

a pre-vapor sector configured to hold and dispense a pre-vapor formulation; and

a heater structure arranged in thermal contact with the pre-vapor sector, the heater structure including a base wire and a shell layer coating the base wire, the base wire being insulated from the shell layer, the shell layer including at least one recessed portion between a first unrecessed portion and a second unrecessed portion, the at least one recessed portion being a thinner section of the shell layer that is configured to vaporize the pre-vapor formulation to generate a vapor, a thickness of the at least one recessed portion of the shell layer ranging from 0.01 to 1 μ

m.

2. The e-vapor device of claim 1, wherein the pre-vapor sector includes a reservoir and a dispensing interface.

3. The e-vapor device of claim 2, wherein the at least one recessed portion of the shell layer is arranged to press against the dispensing interface of the pre-vapor sector.

4. The e-vapor device of claim 1, wherein the heater structure has a yield strength ranging from 50 to 600 MPa.

5. The e-vapor device of claim 1, wherein

the base wire is an anodized wire.

6. The e-vapor device of claim 5, wherein the anodized wire is an object wire coated with an anodic layer.

7. The e-vapor device of claim 6, wherein the object wire is an aluminum wire, a titanium wire, a zinc wire, a magnesium wire, a niobium wire, a zirconium wire, a hafnium wire, or a tantalum wire.

8. The e-vapor device of claim 6, wherein the anodic layer has a dielectric strength of at least 150 V.

9. The e-vapor device of claim 6, wherein the anodic layer has a thickness ranging from 500 to 10,000 nm.

10. The e-vapor device of claim 1, wherein

the base wire is a transition metal-based wire coated with vitreous enamel.

11. The e-vapor device of claim 10, wherein the transition metal-based wire is a nickel wire, a nickel-chromium wire, or a stainless steel wire.

12. The e-vapor device of claim 1, wherein the first unrecessed portion is separated from the second unrecessed portion by the at least one recessed portion of the shell layer, the at least one recessed portion configured to reach a temperature that is at least double a temperature of the first and second unrecessed portions when a current flows through the shell layer.

13. The e-vapor device of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the first and second unrecessed portions of the shell layer ranges from 10 to 100 μ

m.

14. The e-vapor device of claim 1, wherein the first and second unrecessed portions of the shell layer are connected to opposite terminals of a power source.

15. The e-vapor device of claim 1, wherein the at least one recessed portion of the shell layer has a resistivity ranging from 0.02 to 0.2 μ

m.

16. The e-vapor device of claim 1, wherein the shell layer is formed of platinum or gold.

17. The e-vapor device of claim 1, wherein the at least one recessed portion is in a form of a first recessed portion and a second recessed portion, the first and second recessed portions being between opposite sides of the first and second unrecessed portions, the first and second recessed portions coiling around the base wire.

18. A method of generating a vapor for an e-vapor device, the method comprising:

thermally contacting a pre-vapor sector within the e-vapor device with a heater structure, the heater structure including a base wire and a shell layer coating the base wire, the base wire being insulated from the shell layer, the shell layer including at least one recessed portion between a first unrecessed portion and a second unrecessed portion, a thickness of the at least one recessed portion of the shell layer ranging from 0.01 to 1 μ

m.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the thermally contacting includes heating a pre-vapor formulation of the pre-vapor sector with the at least one recessed portion of the shell layer to generate the vapor.