Personal vaporizing inhaler assembly

• US 9,555,203 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2014
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC. (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Original Assignee: RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC. (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Inventors: Terry, Nathan Andrew, Minskoff, Noah Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Woodward, Valerie L
• Application Number:
  US14/275,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20140246017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 40/44 Wicks
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/485 Valves; Apertures
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/042 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0001 Details of inhalators; Constructional features thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/06 Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/13 with means for the detection of operative contact with patient, e.g. lip sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3553 remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3561 local, e.g. within room or hospital
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8237 Charging means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/086 Docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/213 by spraying or atomising of the liquids

Abstract

A personal vapor inhaling unit is disclosed. An electronic flameless vapor inhaler unit that may simulate a cigarette has a cavity that receives a cartridge in the distal end of the inhaler unit. The cartridge brings a substance to be vaporized in contact with a wick. When the unit is activated, and the user provides suction, the substance to be vaporized is drawn out of the cartridge, through the wick, and is atomized by the wick into a cavity containing a heating element. The heating element vaporizes the atomized substance. The vapors then continue to be pulled by the user through a mouthpiece and mouthpiece cover where they may be inhaled.

Claims

1. A personal vaporizing unit having a proximal end configured to be placed in a human mouth and a distal end, the personal vaporizing unit comprising:

a shell open at the distal end of the personal vaporizing unit;

a removable cartridge within the shell that can be removed at the opening of the distal end of the shell, the removable cartridge comprising a housing having a first end and a second end and holding a fluid to be vaporized into a mixture of air and vaporized fluid; and

a sleeve holding an atomizer, the shell configured to couple with the sleeve, at least one space between an exterior surface of said housing and an interior surface of said sleeve defining a passage for outside air without said vaporized mixture to be drawn from outside said personal vaporizing unit at the distal end, said outside air without said vaporized mixture to be drawn along said passage from said distal end to said second end for delivery to said atomizer.

2. The personal vaporizing unit of claim 1, wherein at least an end surface of said housing is translucent to diffuse light produced internally to said personal vaporizing unit.

3. The personal vaporizing unit of claim 1, wherein said at least one space is created by a flat surface on said housing and a round inner diameter of said sleeve.

4. The personal vaporizing unit of claim 1, wherein air is drawn from outside said personal vaporizing unit to said at least one space through a space determined by at least one stand-off that creates a space between said first end and said distal end of said personal vaporizing unit.

5. The personal vaporizing unit of claim 1, wherein said housing has at least one anti-vacuum channel in an interior surface that allows air into a housing chamber holding said fluid to be vaporized.

6. A personal vaporizing unit having a proximal end configured to be placed in a human mouth and a distal end, the personal vaporizing unit comprising:

a shell open at the distal end of the personal vaporizing unit; and

a removable cartridge within the shell that can be removed at the opening of the distal end of the shell, the removable cartridge holding a fluid to be vaporized into a mixture of air and vaporized fluid, the cartridge comprising;

a sleeve disposed within said personal vaporizing unit;

an atomizer held by said sleeve, the atomizer having a heating element; and

a housing held by said sleeve, said housing holding the fluid to be vaporized.

7. The personal vaporizing unit of claim 6, wherein said housing and said sleeve form at least one space between an exterior surface of said housing and an interior surface of said sleeve defining a passage for outside air without said mixture to be drawn along said passage from said distal end to said second end.

8. The personal vaporizing unit of claim 7, wherein said housing further comprises:

at least one anti-vacuum channel formed by an interior surface of said housing that, allows air into said housing to replace said fluid that is removed from said housing.

9. The personal vaporizing unit of claim 7, wherein said fluid is removed from said housing by a capillary action of a wick in contact with said fluid.

10. The personal vaporizing unit of claim 7, wherein at least an end surface of said housing is translucent to diffuse light produced internally to said personal vaporizing unit.

11. The personal vaporizing unit of claim 7, wherein said at least one space is created by a flat surface on said housing and a round inner diameter of said interior surface of said sleeve.

12. The personal vaporizing unit of claim 7, further comprising:

at least one stand-off that, when said assembly is inserted in said personal vaporizing unit, creates a space between said distal end of said personal vaporizing unit and said first end of said housing.

13. An assembly for a personal vaporizing unit, the personal vaporizing unit having a proximal end configured to be placed in a human mouth and having a shell with an opening at a distal end, the assembly comprising:

a sleeve, the sleeve having a first end and a second end, the sleeve configured to be disposed within said personal vaporizing unit;

an atomizer held by said sleeve, the atomizer having a heating element;

a housing held by said sleeve, said housing holding a fluid to be vaporized into a mixture of air and vaporized fluid by said personal vaporizing unit; and

at least one stand-off that, when said assembly is inserted in said personal vaporizing unit, creates a space between said distal end of said personal vaporizing unit and said first end of said housing;

wherein said assembly may be removably disposed, at the opening in the distal end of the shell, in said personal vaporizing unit without a seal to hold said fluid in said housing.

14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein said housing and said sleeve form at least one space between an exterior surface of said housing and an interior surface of said sleeve defining a passage for outside air without said mixture to be drawn along said passage from said distal end to said second end.

15. The assembly of claim 13, wherein said housing further comprises:

at least one anti-vacuum channel formed by an interior surface of said housing that, allows air into said housing to replace said fluid that is removed from said housing.

16. The assembly of claim 13, wherein said fluid is removed from said housing by a capillary action of a wick in contact with said fluid.

17. The assembly of claim 13, wherein at least an end surface of said housing is translucent to diffuse light produced internally to said personal vaporizing unit.

18. The assembly of claim 14, wherein said at least one space is created by a flat surface on said housing and a round inner diameter of said interior surface of said sleeve.