Personal vaporizer with liquid supply by suction

• US 9,642,397 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Westfield LLC (Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield SE)
• Original Assignee: Westfield LLC (Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield SE)
• Inventors: Dai, Wei, Xu, Yongjie James
• Primary Examiner(s): CALANDRA, ANTHONY J
• Application Number:
  US14/231,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20150272216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• 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 40/485 Valves; Apertures
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/06 Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/0277 using negative pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 1/284 with water in reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0297 Heating of fluids for non specified applications

Abstract

A personal vaporizer including a pressure-induced liquid transport device that allows a user to draw liquid from a liquid reservoir through applying a suction force on the mouthpiece. The amount of liquid drawn is proportional to the pressure induced, and proportional to the amount of vaporization a user may desired.

Claims

1. A personal vaporizer comprising:

a mouthpiece having an air passage;

a vaporization chamber sealed except for an opening to the air passage of the mouthpiece, an opening to an air duct open to the atmosphere and an opening to a liquid reservoir;

a heating element within the vaporization chamber;

a liquid storage chamber, separate from the vaporization chamber, wherein the liquid storage chamber contains atmospheric air and maintains at atmospheric pressure by being open to the atmosphere;

the liquid reservoir is a collapsible bladder and is adapted to contain a liquid at an atmospheric pressure, wherein the bladder is configured to shrink under atmospheric pressure as liquid is drawn from the bladder; and

a liquid transport device proximate to the heating element and coupled to the opening to the liquid reservoir, but does not extend into the liquid reservoir.

2. The personal vaporizer as in claim 1 further comprising a housing enclosing the vaporization chamber, liquid reservoir and a battery, wherein the housing is connected to the mouthpiece.

3. The personal vaporizer of claim 2 wherein the housing is cylindrical, and the housing has a length of between about 75-120 mm, and a diameter of no greater than 12 mm.

4. The personal vaporizer in claim 1 further comprising a one-way valve coupled to the liquid transport device and the opening to the liquid reservoir.

5. The personal vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the vaporizer is substantially cylindrical.

6. The personal vaporizer of claim 1 further comprising a mouthpiece membrane in the air passage of the mouthpiece, wherein the membrane is formed of at least one of a porous material, a non-fibrous material, a woven material, a non-woven fibrous material, and a highly absorbent breathable material.

7. The personal vaporizer of claim 6, wherein the mouthpiece membrane has the capability to absorb up to ¼

of the liquid amount based on the total liquid volume of the liquid reservoir.

8. The personal vaporizer of claim 6, wherein the mouthpiece membrane is disc shaped, rectangular shaped, triangular shaped, or a combination thereof, and fills an interior diameter of the mouthpiece entirely.

9. The personal vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the opening to the air passage of the mouthpiece has a throat diameter greater than a throat diameter of the air duct.

10. The personal vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the opening to the air passage of the mouthpiece has a throat diameter of at least 3 mm and a throat diameter of the air duct of no greater than 3 mm.

11. The personal vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the liquid transport device and a one-way valve coupled to the liquid transport device are configured to allow fluid flow based on reduced air pressure induced in the mouthpiece.

12. The personal vaporizer of claim 11, wherein the liquid transport device and the one-way valve allow an amount of fluid flow that is directly related to the amount of pressure difference induced in the mouthpiece.

13. The personal vaporizer of claim 11, wherein the reduced pressure is applied by a user applying suction to the mouthpiece.

14. The personal vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the liquid reservoir is filled with only liquid and shrinks as liquid depletes from the reservoir.

15. The personal vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the liquid transport device includes an opening for liquid flow that is less than 2.5 mm.

16. An electronic cigarette comprising:

a mouthpiece of an electronic cigarette having; and

a mouthpiece casing;

a mouthpiece opening at a first end of the mouthpiece casing;

a proximal housing support at a second end of the mouthpiece casing;

a mouthpiece membrane between the mouthpiece opening and the proximal housing support, and

a vaporization chamber defined by the mouthpiece casing, the mouthpiece membrane, and the proximal housing support, the vaporization chamber including;

a heating element;

a liquid transport device located in close proximity to the heating element, and through the proximal housing support;

a one-way valve connected to the liquid transport device, and

an opening in the proximal housing support that is configured to brace an air duct;

a proximal cylindrical housing section operatively connected to a side of the proximal housing support opposite from the mouthpiece casing, the proximal cylindrical housing section having;

a proximal cylindrical housing casing, having a first end that is operatively connected to the proximal housing support, and a second end that is operatively connected to a distal housing support;

a liquid storage chamber defined by the proximal housing support, the proximal cylindrical housing casing, and the distal housing support;

an air duct operatively connected to an opening in the proximal housing support that is configured to communicate between the liquid storage chamber and the vaporization chamber; and

a liquid reservoir operatively connected to the liquid transport device through the proximal housing support that supplies liquid to the liquid transport device.

17. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the electronic cigarette has a length of between about 75-120 mm, and a diameter of about 10 mm.

18. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the electronic cigarette is substantially cylindrical.

19. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the mouthpiece opening is hollow and allows vapor to pass from the electronic cigarette into a mouth of a user.

20. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the mouthpiece membrane is made of one of a porous material, a non-fibrous material, a woven material, a non-woven fibrous material, a highly absorbent breathable material, or a combination thereof.

21. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the mouthpiece membrane is configured to have the capability to absorb up to ¼

of the liquid amount based on the total liquid volume of the liquid reservoir.

22. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the mouthpiece membrane is disc shaped, rectangular shaped, triangular shaped, or a combination thereof, and fills an interior diameter of the mouthpiece entirely.

23. The electronic cigarette of claim 16 further comprising a vent in the distal cylindrical housing section.

24. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the distal housing support is configured to allow air communicate between the distal cylindrical housing section and the proximal cylindrical housing section.

25. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the liquid transport device and the one-way valve are configured to allow fluid flow in one direction only.

26. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the liquid transport device and the one-way valve are configured to allow fluid flow based on an amount of air pressure difference induced in the mouthpiece.

27. The electronic cigarette of claim 26, wherein the liquid transport device and the one-way valve allow an amount of fluid flow that is directly related to the amount of pressure difference induced in the mouthpiece.

28. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the liquid transport device includes an opening that is less than 2.5 mm.

29. The electronic cigarette of claim 26, wherein the amount of pressure induced is controlled by a user of the electronic cigarette by applying an amount of suction force on the mouthpiece opening.

30. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the liquid reservoir is collapsible or shrinkable.

31. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the liquid reservoir is a bladder that is made of a plastic, a little or non-elastic thin film.

32. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the liquid reservoir is filled with only liquid, without any gases, and may collapse or shrink as liquid depletes from the reservoir.

33. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the liquid reservoir is only open to the atmosphere at an opening operatively connected to the liquid transport device and one-way valve.

34. The electronic cigarette of claim 16, wherein the opening in the liquid transport device is less than or about 1 mm in diameter.

35. The electronic cigarette of claim 16 further comprising a distal cylindrical housing section operatively connected to a side of the distal housing support opposite from the proximal cylindrical housing casing.

36. The electronic cigarette of claim 35 further comprising a battery in the distal cylindrical housing section.

37. A liquid transport device in an electronic cigarette comprising:

a support body of a liquid transport device;

a cavity on a first side of the support body;

an opening in the cavity that provides fluid communication between a first side of the support body and a second side of the support body;

a plunge valve, and

a bleed valve

wherein the cavity is adapted to be situated in close proximity to the heating element; and

wherein the liquid transport device is adapted to draw an amount of liquid from the first side of the support body to the second side of the support body through the opening to supply the amount of liquid to the heating element, the amount of liquid includes an amount that is less than the amount needed to form a liquid droplet, the droplet being a small quantity of the liquid formed as a spherical mass at atmospheric pressure.

38. The liquid transport device of claim 37, wherein the plunge valve supplies liquid to the heating element.

39. The liquid transport device of claim 37, wherein the bleed valve releases air when air pressure difference induced in the electronic cigarette exceeds a maximum air pressure threshold.

40. A micro-vaporizer comprising:

a mouthpiece having an air passage;

a vaporization chamber sealed except for an opening to the air passage of the mouthpiece, an opening to an air duct and an opening to a liquid reservoir; and

a liquid storage chamber housing the air duct and the liquid reservoir, operatively connected to the vaporization chamber;

wherein the vaporization chamber is adapted to have a lower pressure than the liquid storage chamber, and

wherein the air duct is adapted to communicate between the vaporization chamber and the liquid storage chamber.

41. The micro-vaporizer of claim 40, wherein the vaporization chamber and the liquid storage chamber have a pressure difference.

42. The micro-vaporizer of claim 40, wherein pressure in the vaporization chamber is lowered by a user applying a suction force on the mouthpiece air passage.

43. The micro-vaporizer of claim 40, wherein an amount of liquid is drawn from the opening of the liquid reservoir when a lower pressure is induced in the vaporization chamber as compared to the pressure in the liquid storage chamber and the liquid reservoir.

44. The micro-vaporizer of claim 43, wherein the amount of liquid drawn from the liquid reservoir is proportional to the pressure difference between the vaporization chamber and the liquid storage chamber.

45. A micro-vaporizer comprising:

a mouthpiece having an air passage;

a vaporization chamber sealed except for an opening to the air passage of the mouthpiece, an opening to an air duct and an opening to a liquid reservoir; and

a liquid storage chamber housing the air duct and the liquid reservoir, operatively connected to the vaporization chamber;

wherein the vaporization chamber is adapted to have a lower pressure than the liquid storage chamber, and

wherein the air duct is adapted to equalize the pressure difference between the vaporization chamber and the liquid storage chamber.