ELECTRONIC SMOKING ARTICLE

• US 20150020822A1
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Published: 01/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2013
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Altria Client Services, Inc. (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Janardhan, Srinivasan, Karles, Georgios D., Pithawalla, Yezdi B., Kobal, Gerd, Li, San
• Application Number:
  US14/332,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20150020822A1
• 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 40/42 Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/48 Fluid transfer means, e.g. pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/485 Valves; Apertures
• 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 2205/3606 cooled
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2206/14 Static flow deviators in tubes disturbing laminar flow in tubes, e.g. archimedes screws

Abstract

An electronic smoking article includes a reservoir including a liquid aerosol formulation, a heater operable to at least partially volatilize the liquid aerosol formulation and form an aerosol and a spiral path insert including a channel having a spiral configuration along an outer periphery of the spiral path insert. A coating can be applied to the outer periphery of the spiral path insert.

Claims

1. An electronic smoking article operable to produce an aerosol comprising:

a reservoir including a liquid aerosol formulation;

a heater operable to at least partially volatilize the liquid aerosol formulation and form an aerosol; and

a spiral path insert (SPI) located downstream of the heater and including a channel in an outer periphery of a body of the SPI, the channel having a spiral configuration, an inlet at an upstream end of the channel and an outlet at a downstream end of the channel through which aerosol produced by the heater travels before exiting the electronic smoking article.

2. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the channel includes at least two turns about the outer periphery of the body.

3. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the SPI is formed of a plastic selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, low density polyethylene, polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and combinations thereof.

4. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the SPI is formed of stainless steel.

5. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the SPI has a length ranging from about 2 mm to about 30 mm and an outer diameter that is about the same as an inner diameter of an outer housing of the electronic smoking article.

6. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the channel has a variable width and a variable depth along a length of the SPI.

7. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the channel has a substantially uniform width and a substantially uniform depth along a length of the SPI.

8. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the channel has a width ranging from about 0.1 mm to about 2.0 mm and a depth ranging from about 0.01 mm to about 2.0 mm.

9. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, further including a coating on the channel of the SPI, the coating including an additive.

10. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the SPI includes at least two channels.

11. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, further including a mouth end insert positioned downstream of the SPI, the outlet of the at least one channel in fluid communication with the mouth end insert.

12. The electronic smoking article of claim 9, wherein the additive is selected from the group consisting of flavors, aerosol modifiers, aromatic materials, pH modifying agents, chemesthesis agents, and combinations thereof.

13. The electronic smoking article of claim 12, wherein the additive is encapsulated or microencapsulated.

14. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the heater comprises a capillary in fluid communication with the reservoir.

15. The electronic smoking article of claim 14, wherein the reservoir is pressurized and includes a mechanically or electrically operated valve at an outlet of the reservoir.

16. The electronic smoking article of claim 14, wherein the reservoir is compressible such that the liquid material is manually pumped to the capillary.

17. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the heater is a coil heater in communication with a filamentary wick which draws liquid from the reservoir via capillary action.

18. The electronic smoking article of claim 17, wherein the electronic smoking article further comprises:

an outer tube extending in the longitudinal direction;

an inner tube within the outer tube; and

the reservoir comprising the liquid aerosol formulation contained in an annulus between the outer tube and the inner tube,

wherein the coil heater is located in the inner tube and the filamentary wick is in communication with the reservoir and surrounded by the coil heater such that the filamentary wick delivers the liquid aerosol formulation to the coil heater and the coil heater heats the liquid aerosol formulation to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid aerosol formulation and form an aerosol.

19. The electronic smoking article of claim 18, wherein the electronic smoking article comprises a first section attachable to a second section and wherein the filamentary wick, the reservoir and the SPI are contained in the first section and a power supply operable to apply voltage across the heater is contained in the second section.

20. A method of reducing temperature of an aerosol being drawn from an electronic smoking article comprising:

generating an aerosol with a heater of an electronic smoking article; and

drawing said generated aerosol through a spiral path insert (SPI).

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising eluting an additive from said SPI into said aerosol during said drawing.