ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE

• US 20130192615A1
• Filed: 01/14/2013
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Altria Client Services, Inc. (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tucker, Christopher S., Jordan, Geoffrey Brandon, Smith, Barry S., Rostami, Ali A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,282,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 131/328
• 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 40/44 Wicks
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/485 Valves; Apertures
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/70 Manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/001 Particle size control
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/003 by passing the aerosol trough sieves or filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/04 operated by the vapour pressure of the liquid to be sprayed or atomised air-humidification, e.g. "room humidifiers" F24F6/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/042 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/002 with air flow regulating means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/06 Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0018 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0016 by the smell sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3653 by Joule effect, i.e. electric resistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8268 Fuel storage cells
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/02 Equipment for testing the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2270/0421 Controlled or regulated
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 17/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing resistors providing fillings for housings or enclosures H01C1/02; reducing insulation surrounding a resistor to powder H01C1/03; manufacture of thermally variable resistors H01C7/02, H01C7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0244 Heating of fluids H05B1/0247 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/021 : Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/0014 : Devices wherein the heating current flows through particular resistances
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/10 : Heating elements characterised by the composition or nature of the materials or by the arrangement of the conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/12 : characterised by the composition or nature of the conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/16 : the conductor being mounted on an insulating base
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/42 : non-flexible
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/44 : heating conductor arranged within rods or tubes of insulating material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49083 : Heater type

Abstract

An electronic smoking article includes a liquid supply including liquid material, a heater operable to heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol, a wick in communication with the liquid material and in communication with the heater such that the wick delivers the liquid material to the heater, at least one air inlet operable to deliver air to a central air passage upstream of the heater, and a mouth end insert having at least two diverging outlets.

Claims

1. An electronic smoking article comprising:

an aerosol generating arrangement; and

a mouth end insert, said mouth end insert comprising at least two diverging outlet passages operable to distribute aerosol throughout a mouth of a smoker during a puff.

2. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two diverging outlet passages is angled at about 5°

to about 60°

in relation to a longitudinal axis of the electronic smoking article.

3. The electronic smoking article of claim 2, wherein each of the at least two diverging outlet passages is angled at about 40°

to about 50°

in relation to a longitudinal axis of the electronic smoking article.

4. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the mouth end insert further includes an interior surface upon which any unaerosolized drops of liquid material may impact.

5. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the mouth end insert includes two to eight diverging outlet passages.

6. The electronic smoking article of claim 5, wherein the mouth end insert further includes one or more centrally located, on-axis outlet passages.

7. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the aerosol generating arrangement comprises:

an outer tube extending in a longitudinal direction;

an inner tube within the outer tube, the inner tube including a pair of opposing slots;

a liquid supply comprising a liquid material, the liquid supply contained in an outer annulus between the outer tube and the inner tube;

a coil heater located in the inner tube;

a wick in communication with the liquid supply and surrounded by the coil heater such that the wick delivers liquid material to the coil heater and the coil heater heats the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol in the inner tube,

wherein the mouth end insert is affixed within a mouth end of the outer tube.

8. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, further including a gasket including a central orifice that is sized and spaced from the mouth end insert and operable to substantially reduce a velocity of the aerosol approaching the mouth end insert, the central orifice in communication with the inner tube and located between the mouth end insert and the heater coil.

9. The electronic smoking article of claim 8, wherein the central orifice has a diameter of about 2.0 mm to about 3.0 mm.

10. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two diverging outlet passages has a diameter ranging from about 0.015 inch to about 0.090 inch.

11. The electronic smoking article of claim 7, wherein the inner tube has a diameter of about 4 mm and each of the opposing slots has dimensions of about 2 mm by about 4 mm.

12. The electronic smoking article of claim 7, wherein the electronic smoking article comprises a first section attachable to a second section and wherein the wick, the liquid supply and the mouth end insert are contained in the first section and a power supply connected to the coil heater and operable to apply voltage across the coil heater is contained in a second section.

13. The electronic smoking article of claim 7, wherein the electronic smoking article comprises a single outer tube and wherein the wick, the liquid supply, the mouth end insert and a power supply connected to the coil heater and operable to apply voltage across the coil heater is contained in the outer tube.

14. The electronic smoking article of claim 7, wherein the inner tube is formed of woven fiberglass material.

15. The electronic smoking article of claim 14, wherein the inner tube includes a coating and the inner tube is substantially impermeable.

16. The electronic smoking article of claim 7, wherein the coil heater comprises 3 to 8 substantially uniformly spaced windings.

17. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, further including at least one air inlet formed in the outer tube operable to adjust a resistance to draw through the mouth end insert.

18. An electronic smoking article capable of producing an aerosol during a puff on the article, said article comprising:

a mouth end insert, said mouth end insert comprising at least two diverging outlet passages angled at about 5°

to about 60°

in relation to the longitudinal direction of the electronic smoking article so as to distribute aerosol throughout a mouth of a smoker during a puff; and

a gasket including a central orifice that is sized and spaced from the mouth end insert so as to substantially reduce a velocity of the aerosol when approaching the mouth end insert.

19. The electronic smoking article of claim 18, wherein the central orifice has a diameter of about 2.0 mm to about 3.0 mm.

20. The electronic smoking article of claim 18, wherein each of the at least two diverging outlet passages is angled at about 40°

to about 50°

in relation to a longitudinal axis of the electronic smoking article.

21. The electronic smoking article of claim 18, wherein the mouth end insert further includes one or more centrally located, on-axis outlet passages.

22. A method of improving organoleptic response during a puff on an electronic smoking article, said method comprising:

reducing a velocity of an aerosol produced within the smoking article by channeling the aerosol through a gasket including a central orifice and into a space upstream of a mouth end insert; and

passing the aerosol through at least one passage in the mouth end insert so as to divide the aerosol into a plurality of divergent of aerosol streams and provide a fuller mouth feel than with a smoking article producing a single coaxial aerosol stream.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising impacting entrained liquid droplets against an interior surface of the mouth end insert.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the central orifice has a diameter of about having a diameter of about 2.0 mm to about 3.0 mm.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one passage in the mouth end insert is a diverging outlet passage angled at about 5°

to about 60°

in relation to the longitudinal direction of the electronic smoking article so as to distribute aerosol throughout a mouth of a smoker during a puff.

26. An electronic cigarette comprising a mouthpiece having at least two off-axis outlets and an interior surface, the mouthpiece operable to deliver a dispersed aerosol to a smoker, the off-axis outlets and the interior surface abating presence of unaerosolized droplets in the delivered aerosol.

27. The electronic cigarette of claim 26, wherein the at least two outlets of the mouthpiece are diverging outlets which are located at the end of off-axis passages and are angled at about 5°

to about 60°

in relation to a longitudinal direction of the electronic cigarette such that at least some droplets carried in the aerosol strike sides of the off-axis passage when aerosol exits the mouthpiece.