Electronic smoking article

• US 8,997,753 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• 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: Li, San, Karles, George, Mishra, Munmaya K., Li, Weiling, Smith, Barry S., Rostami, Ali A., Tucker, Christopher S., Jordan, Geoffrey Brandon
• Primary Examiner(s): Crispino, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yaary, Eric
• Application Number:
  US13/756,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20130192621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 131/194, 131/270, 131/273, 131328-330, 128/202.21
• US Class Current: 131/273
• 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 comprising an aerosol generator and a mechanical aerosol converter insert having the capacity to improve characteristics of aerosol produced by the aerosol generator, including sensory attributes.

Claims

1. An electronic smoking article comprising:

an outer tube extending in a longitudinal direction;

an aerosol generator within the outer tube which produces a condensation aerosol within the outer tube; and

a liquid supply within the outer tube delivering liquid material to the aerosol generator;

an aerosol stream forming element within the outer tube operable to produce an aerosol stream wherein the aerosol stream forming element comprises a gasket arranged such that the aerosol is drawn through a central orifice of the gasket; and

a mouth end insert comprising a mechanical aerosol converter (MAC) insert disposed downstream of said gasket, said MAC insert arranged to impart impaction upon said aerosol stream as said aerosol is being drawn from said electronic smoking article, the MAC insert including three elongated exit orifices extending circumferentially about a perimeter of an exposed end surface of the MAC insert, said MAC insert comprising a face disposed upstream of said exposed end surface, said face being spaced from said central orifice, said face and said central orifice being arranged such that at least some of said aerosol stream drawn through said central orifice strikes said face, whereby a characteristic of said aerosol is altered.

2. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the three elongated exit orifices extending circumferentially about the perimeter of the exposed end surface are disposed radially outward of said face.

3. The electronic smoking article of claim 2, wherein said face is disposed within a cylindrical body, said face is spaced from an upstream edge portion of said cylindrical body, said edge portion abutting said gasket, whereby spacing between said face and said central orifice is consistently established.

4. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of said aerosol is at least one of aerosol temperature and particle size distribution.

5. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, further comprising:

an inner tube within the outer tube, wherein the aerosol generator comprises a heater located in the inner tube;

and a wick in communication with the liquid supply and surrounded by the heater such that the wick delivers liquid material to the heater and the heater heats the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol in the inner tube, wherein the liquid supply is contained in an outer annulus between the outer tube and the inner tube.

6. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the face is porous and particles of a predetermined size are retained on the face.

7. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the face is concave.

8. The electronic smoking article of claim 5, wherein the electronic smoking article comprises a first section attachable to a second section and wherein the wick, the heater and the liquid supply are contained in the first section and a power supply is contained in the second section.

9. The electronic smoking article of claim 5, wherein the outer tube is a single tube and the wick, the heater, the liquid supply and a power supply are contained in the outer tube.

10. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the liquid supply has a nicotine content of greater than 2% by weight based on the weight of the liquid supply.

11. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein each of the three elongated exit orifices has a length ranging from about 2 mm to about 5 mm and a width ranging from about 0.5 mm to about 1 mm.

12. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the MAC insert is formed of plastic or metal foil.

13. The electronic smoking article of claim 1, wherein the MAC insert is in the form of a disk and the plurality of orifices are coplanar with the face of the MAC insert.

14. An electronic smoking article comprising:

an outer tube extending in a longitudinal direction;

an aerosol generator within the outer tube which produces a condensation aerosol within the outer tube;

a liquid supply within the outer tube delivering liquid material to the aerosol generator;

an aerosol stream forming element within the outer tube operable to produce an aerosol stream through a central orifice; and

a mechanical aerosol converter (MAC) insert comprising a monolithic cylindrical body portion having an outer diameter that is sized to provide a sliding fit with interior surfaces of the outer tube and a plurality of orifices disposed radially outward of a face, said face being aligned with and spaced from the central orifice of the aerosol stream forming element, wherein the face and inlets of the plurality of orifices are not coplanar, wherein the face of the MAC insert is arranged to impart impaction upon said aerosol stream and a characteristic of said aerosol is altered, as said aerosol is being drawn from said electronic smoking article.

15. The electronic smoking article of claim 14, wherein the aerosol generator is operable to heat a liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material to form an aerosol and the face of the MAC insert is arranged such that the characteristic of the aerosol which is altered upon impaction thereof with the face of the MAC insert is the temperature of the aerosol, wherein the temperature of the aerosol is reduced.

16. The electronic smoking article of claim 15, wherein the face of the MAC insert is arranged such that the temperature of the aerosol is reduced by 30°

C. or more.

17. The electronic smoking article of claim 14, wherein the aerosol stream forming element comprises a gasket.

18. An electronic smoking article comprising:

an outer tube extending in a longitudinal direction;

an aerosol generator within the outer tube which produces a condensation aerosol within the outer tube;

a liquid supply within the outer tube delivering liquid material to the aerosol generator;

an aerosol stream forming element within the outer tube operable to produce an aerosol stream, wherein the aerosol stream forming element comprises a constricted central channel operable to increase the velocity of the aerosol as it is drawn therethrough; and

a mechanical aerosol converter (MAC) insert comprising a monolithic cylindrical body portion having an outer diameter that is sized to provide a sliding fit with interior surfaces of the outer tube and a plurality of orifices disposed radially outward of a face, said face being aligned with and spaced from the constricted channel of the aerosol stream forming element, wherein the face and inlets of the plurality of orifices are not coplanar, wherein the face of the MAC insert is arranged to impart impaction upon said aerosol stream, and a characteristic of said aerosol is altered, as said aerosol is being drawn from said electronic smoking article.

19. The electronic smoking article of claim 18, wherein the aerosol stream forming element comprises a gasket.