Aerosol delivery device with a reservoir housing and a vaporizer assembly

• US 10,085,485 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2016
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC. (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Original Assignee: RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC. (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Inventors: Hunt, Eric Taylor, Nestor, Timothy Brian, Brinkley, Paul Andrew, Sears, Stephen Benson, DePiano, John, Ebbs, Matthew C., Weight, Kristen Dodds, Davis, Michael F.
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, PHUONG K
• Application Number:
  US15/202,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20180007962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 131328, 131329
• 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: A61M 11/042 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0021 Mouthpieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/06 Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3653 by Joule effect, i.e. electric resistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6045 having complementary physical shapes for indexing or registration purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/38 Devices for discharging contents containers formed by folding or erecting paper blanks B65D5/72 ; incorporated in removable or non-permanently secured closure members B65D47/00; for discharging thin flat articles B65D83/08
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/021 with elastic packing F16J15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0227 Applications
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/03 Electrodes

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol delivery device that includes a reservoir housing that defines a mouthpiece channel. The aerosol delivery device includes a sealing member configured to be received within the reservoir housing to define a reservoir chamber configured to retain an aerosol precursor composition therein. The aerosol delivery device also includes a substrate member that is configured to be received within the reservoir housing and to be directly engaged with a vaporizing assembly for forming an aerosol. The reservoir housing, sealing member, substrate member, and/or vaporizing assembly can be used for forming aerosols with precise and reproducible compositions.

Claims

1. An aerosol delivery device comprising:

a reservoir housing having a mouthend and a connecting end and being formed of an outer wall;

a mouthpiece channel within the reservoir housing, the mouthpiece channel being formed of an outer wall and extending at least partially along the length of the reservoir housing from the mouthend of the reservoir housing to a terminal end, the mouthpiece channel having an opening at the mouthend of the reservoir housing and the terminal end of the mouthpiece channel;

a sealing member in a sealing arrangement with the reservoir housing outer wall and the mouthpiece channel outer wall so as to define a reservoir chamber configured to retain an aerosol precursor composition therein, the sealing member including at least one aerosol precursor composition orifice configured for flow therethrough of the aerosol precursor composition and including a sealing member vapor orifice in communication with the opening at the terminal end of the mouthpiece channel;

a substrate member adjacent the sealing member so as to be in fluid communication with the reservoir chamber through the sealing member, and including a substrate member vapor orifice in communication with the sealing member vapor orifice; and

a vaporizing assembly including a liquid transport element in fluid communication with the substrate member and including a heating element in a heating arrangement with the liquid transport element.

2. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1 further comprising a connector housing configured to operably engage a power source.

3. The aerosol delivery device of claim 2, wherein the vaporizing assembly is arranged at least partially within the connector housing.

4. The aerosol delivery device of claim 2 further comprising an atomizer housing, wherein the atomizer housing comprises a vaporizing chamber in which the liquid transfer element and the heating element are disposed, the vaporizing chamber being in fluid communication with the substrate member vapor orifice, and the atomizer housing is operably engaged with the connector housing.

5. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the sealing member vapor orifice is configured to provide for fluid communication between the mouthpiece channel and the vaporizing assembly.

6. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the sealing member vapor orifice is configured to receive at least a portion of the mouthpiece channel therethrough.

7. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the sealing member includes a sealing element configured to be operably engaged with the outer wall of the reservoir housing.

8. The aerosol delivery device of claim 7, wherein the sealing element includes a flange portion configured to be operably engaged with the outer wall of the mouthpiece channel.

9. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece channel and the reservoir housing are substantially coaxial.

10. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the reservoir housing further includes at least one sealing member support extending along a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the reservoir housing and having a terminal end.

11. The aerosol delivery device of claim 10, wherein the terminal end of the mouthpiece channel extends beyond the terminal end of the sealing member support from the mouthend of the reservoir housing.

12. The aerosol delivery device of claim 10, wherein the terminal end of the sealing member support directly engages the reservoir housing.

13. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the vaporizing assembly further includes at least one power connector operably engaging the heating element.

14. A liquid storage tank for an aerosol delivery device, the liquid storage tank comprising:

an outer housing formed of a wall, the outer housing having a closed mouthend and an opposing end;

a central tube interior to the outer housing and formed of a wall, the central tube having a first end opening through the closed mouthend of the outer housing and having a second, opposing open end;

a sealing member sealingly engaging the wall of the outer housing and having a central orifice aligned with the second open end of the central tube in a sealing arrangement with the wall of the central tube; and

a substrate member adjacent the sealing member;

wherein the wall of the outer housing, the wall of the central tube, and the sealing member define a reservoir chamber configured for storage of an aerosol precursor composition, and the sealing member comprises at least one orifice configured for passage of the aerosol precursor composition between the reservoir chamber and the substrate member.

15. A method of manufacturing a liquid storage tank for an aerosol delivery device, the method comprising:

providing a reservoir chamber defined, in part, by an outer housing formed of a wall and a central tube interior to the outer housing and formed of a wall, the outer housing having a closed mouthend and an opposing connecting end, the central tube having a first end opening through the closed mouthend of the outer housing and a second opposing open end;

dispensing an aerosol precursor composition within the reservoir chamber and between the wall of the outer housing and the wall of the central tube from the connecting end of the outer housing;

inserting a sealing member into the outer housing from the connecting end of the outer housing, the sealing member having a sealing member vapor orifice, so as to engage a peripheral portion of the sealing member with the wall of the outer housing and the sealing member vapor orifice with the second open end of the central tube in a sealing arrangement; and

inserting a substrate member adjacent to the sealing member within the outer housing from the connecting end of the outer housing, the substrate member having a substrate member vapor orifice.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising inserting at least a portion of a vaporizing assembly within the outer housing from the connecting end of the outer housing, the vaporizing assembly including a liquid transport element, so as to engage the liquid transport element with the substrate member disposed within the outer housing.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the vaporizing assembly includes a heating element in a heating arrangement with the liquid transport element.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the sealing member further includes a substrate engaging element extending from the sealing member and along a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the outer housing, and wherein inserting the substrate member adjacent to the sealing member within the outer housing comprises inserting the substrate engaging element through at least a portion of the substrate member vapor orifice so as to provide for fluid communication between the first end opening of the central tube and the substrate member vapor orifice.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the outer housing further includes at least one sealing member support extending along a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the outer housing and having a terminal end, and wherein inserting the sealing member into the outer housing from the connecting end of the outer housing further includes inserting the sealing member so as to directly engage a portion of the sealing member with the terminal end of the sealing member support.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second opposing open end of the central tube extends beyond the terminal end of the sealing member support from the closed mouthend of the outer housing.