Aerosol generator and methods of making and using an aerosol generator
First Claim
1. An aerosol generator, comprising:
- a flow passage having an inlet and an outlet;
a heater arranged relative to the flow passage so as to heat at least a portion of the flow passage;
a source of material to be volatilized, the inlet of the flow passage being in communication with the source of material;
a valve operatively located between the source of material and the flow passage, the valve being openable and closeable to open and close communication between the source and the inlet of the flow passage;
a source of power operating the heater and the valve; and
a control device which effects supply of power from the source of power to the heater and the valve.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An aerosol generator includes a flow passage having an inlet and an outlet, a heater arranged relative to the flow passage for heating the flow passage, a source of material to be volatilized in communication with the inlet of the flow passage, a valve to open and close communication between the source of material and the inlet of the flow passage, and a pressurization arrangement for causing material in the source of material to be introduced into the flow passage when the valve is in an open position. The aerosol generator further includes a source of power for operating the heater and the valve, and a control device for controlling supply of power from the source of power to the heater and the valve.
337 Citations
27 Claims
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1. An aerosol generator, comprising:
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a flow passage having an inlet and an outlet;
a heater arranged relative to the flow passage so as to heat at least a portion of the flow passage;
a source of material to be volatilized, the inlet of the flow passage being in communication with the source of material;
a valve operatively located between the source of material and the flow passage, the valve being openable and closeable to open and close communication between the source and the inlet of the flow passage;
a source of power operating the heater and the valve; and
a control device which effects supply of power from the source of power to the heater and the valve. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
a second flow passage having an inlet and an outlet; a second heater arranged relative to the second flow passage to heat at least a portion of the second flow passage, a source of second material to be volatilized, the inlet of the second flow passage being in communication with the source of second material, and a second valve operatively located between the source of second material and the second flow passage, the second valve being openable and closeable to open and close communication between the source of second material and the inlet of the second flow passage, and wherein the source of power supplies power to the second heater and the second valve, and the control device controls supply of power from the source of power to the second heater and the second valve.
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14. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 1, wherein material in the source of material includes two or more components mixed together before the material is volatilized.
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15. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the valve is a microvalve.
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16. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the valve, the heater, and the flow passage are a single microelectronic machine formed on a single chip.
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17. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the aerosol generator includes a first component and a second component, the second component being attachable and detachable to the first component, the first component including the flow passage, the heater, the valve, and the source of material, and the second component including the source of power and the control device.
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18. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 17, wherein the first component includes
a second flow passage having an inlet and an outlet, a second heater arranged relative to the second flow passage so as to heat the second flow passage, a second valve operatively located between the source of second material and the second flow passage, the second valve being openable and closeable to open and close communication between the source of second material and the inlet of the second flow passage, a source of second material to be volatilized, the inlet of the second flow passage being in communication with the source of second material, and wherein the source of power supplies power to the second heater and the second valve, and the control device controls supply of power from the source of power to the second heater and the second valve. -
19. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 18, further comprising a chamber, the outlets of the flow passages being disposed in the chamber proximate each other, the chamber being of sufficient size and configuration to permit mixture of volatilized materials that expand out of the outlets together with ambient air such that the volatilized material and the volatilized second material form first and second aerosols, respectively, the first and second aerosols being mixed with each other to form a combination aerosol including the first and second aerosols.
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20. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the valve comprises a solenoid valve.
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21. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control device comprises a microchip.
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22. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the source of power comprises a battery.
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23. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a manual or automatic pump which delivers a liquid material to the flow passage.
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24. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control device is programmable.
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25. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the source of material comprises solid particles suspended in a liquid material.
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26. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the aerosol generator comprises a hand-held medical inhaler device.
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27. The aerosol generator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the source of power comprises a battery and the control device is programmed to open the valve for a period of time which compensates for power level drop due to decreases in battery power.
Specification