HEATING ELEMENTS FORMED FROM A SHEET OF A MATERIAL AND INPUTS AND METHODS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ATOMIZERS

• US 20140270729A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC. (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Original Assignee: R J Reynolds Tobacco Company (R. J. Reynolds Tobacco)
• Inventors: DePiano, John, Smith, David, Novak, Charles Jacob III, Silveira, Frank S., Laine, Michael, Metcalfe, Robert Alden, Wolber, John William
• Granted Patent: US 9,491,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 392/397
• 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: A24F 40/70 Manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/017 Manufacturing methods or apparatus for heaters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/021 Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/46 heating conductor mounted on insulating base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49387 Boiler making

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an input for production of atomizers and atomizers formed from a sheet of a material, and which may be employed in an aerosol delivery device such as a smoking article. The input may include a carrier and heating elements coupled thereto. The heating elements may include first and second ends and interconnected alternating loops disposed therebetween. The heating elements may be oriented parallel to a longitudinal axis of the carrier, or perpendicular thereto. The heating elements may be coupled to a liquid transport element by bending the interconnected loops at least partially around the liquid transport element. The ends of the heating element may be coupled to heater terminals. A related method for forming atomizers is also provided.

Claims

1. An input for production of a plurality of atomizers, the input comprising:

a carrier defining a plurality of access windows spaced apart along a longitudinal axis of the carrier; and

a plurality of heating elements that are coupled to the carrier and respectively received in the access windows,

wherein the carrier and the heating elements are integrally formed from a sheet of a material.

2. The input for production of atomizers of claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises a first side strip and a second side strip extending parallel to the longitudinal axis.

3. The input for production of atomizers of claim 2, wherein a first end and a second end of each of the heating elements are respectively coupled to one of the first side strip and the second side strip.

4. The input for production of atomizers of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first side strip and the second side strip defines a plurality of apertures extending therethrough.

5. The input for production of atomizers of claim 2, wherein the carrier further comprises a plurality of connecting strips extending between the first side strip and the second side strip and separating the access windows.

6. The input for production of atomizers of claim 5, wherein a first end and a second end of each of the heating elements are respectively coupled to one of the connecting strips.

7. The input for production of atomizers of claim 1, wherein the heating elements define a plurality of longitudinal axes and each of the heating elements comprises a plurality of interconnected loops oriented transversely to the longitudinal axes and alternatingly disposed with respect thereto.

8. The input for production of atomizers of claim 7, wherein the longitudinal axes of the heating elements are coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the carrier.

9. The input for production of atomizers of claim 7, wherein the longitudinal axes of the heating elements are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the carrier.

10. A heating element, comprising:

a first end;

a second end; and

a plurality of interconnected loops coupled to the first end and the second end, the interconnected loops being oriented transversely to a longitudinal axis extending between the first end and the second end and alternatingly disposed with respect thereto,

wherein the first end, the second end, and the plurality of interconnected loops are integrally formed from a sheet of a material.

11. The heating element of claim 10, wherein the interconnected loops are bent toward one another.

12. The heating element of claim 11, wherein a plurality of tips of the interconnected loops are positioned adjacent one another and the interconnected loops define a substantially cylindrical void extending parallel to the longitudinal axis.

13. The heating element of claim 10, wherein the first end and the second end define a width that is greater than a width of the material defining the interconnected loops.

14. A method of forming a plurality of atomizers, comprising:

providing a sheet of a material;

forming the sheet of the material into a carrier defining a plurality of access windows spaced apart along a longitudinal axis of the carrier; and

forming the sheet of the material into a plurality of heating elements that are coupled to the carrier and respectively received in the access windows.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the sheet of the material into the carrier comprises forming a first side strip and a second side strip extending parallel to the longitudinal axis.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein forming the sheet of the material into the carrier and forming the sheet of the material into the heating elements comprises retaining a plurality of connections between a first end and a second end of the heating elements and the first side strip and the second side strip.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein forming the sheet of the material into the carrier comprises forming a plurality of apertures extending through at least one of the first side strip and the second side strip.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein forming the sheet of the material into the carrier comprises forming a plurality of connecting strips extending between the first side strip and the second side strip and separating the access windows.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein forming the sheet of the material into the carrier and forming the sheet of the material into the heating elements comprises retaining a plurality of connections between a first end and a second end of each of the heating elements and the connecting strips.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the sheet of the material into the heating elements comprises forming a plurality of interconnected loops oriented transversely to a plurality of longitudinal axes of the heating elements.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein forming the sheet of the material into the heating elements comprises forming the heating elements such that the longitudinal axes thereof are coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the carrier.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein forming the sheet of the material into the heating elements comprises forming the heating elements such that the longitudinal axes thereof are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the carrier.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising providing a liquid transport element;

and

bending the interconnected loops about the liquid transport element such that a plurality of tips of the interconnected loops are positioned adjacent one another and the interconnected loops define a substantially cylindrical void extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the carrier in which the liquid transport element is received.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising decoupling the heating elements from the carrier;

and

connecting a first end and a second end of each of the heating elements to a plurality of heater terminals.