Aerosol delivery device and a related method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10405575-B2
Application number	US-201916256890-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2019
Priority date	Mar 24, 2017
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol delivery device and a related method. The aerosol delivery device includes a heating chamber having an aerosol precursor composition disposed therein. A microwave radiation emitting device is operably engaged with the heating chamber and is configured to heat the aerosol precursor composition therein with the microwave radiation to form an aerosol from the aerosol precursor composition. An outlet port is formed in a housing of the aerosol delivery device and is in fluid communication with the heating chamber. The heating chamber is responsive to a suction applied to the outlet port for the aerosol to be drawn through the outlet port outwardly from the housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aerosol delivery device, comprising:
a housing having an outlet port arranged for suction to be applied thereto and a heating chamber spaced apart from the outlet port and arranged to receive a dosage of an aerosol precursor composition therein;
an air flow passage defined by the housing and extending between a first end in fluid communication with the heating chamber and a second end in fluid communication with the outlet port;
a microwave radiation emitting device operably engaged with the heating chamber so as to heat the dosage of the aerosol precursor composition received within the heating chamber with microwave radiation to form an aerosol, the formed aerosol being transmittable through the air flow passage to the outlet port at the second end of the air flow passage in response to the suction applied to the outlet port; and
a reservoir in fluid communication with the second end of the air flow passage, and arranged to contain a supply of the aerosol precursor composition therein, the reservoir being arranged to selectively release the dosage of the aerosol precursor composition therefrom such that the dosage is directed through the air flow passage to the heating chamber at the first end of the air flow passage.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the microwave radiation emitting device comprises a magnetron disposed within an enclosure and extending about the heating chamber to emit the microwave radiation through the enclosure to heat the dosage of the aerosol precursor composition and form the aerosol.

3. The device of claim 1 , further comprising two or more reservoirs each in fluid communication with the second end of the air flow passage, and each arranged to contain a supply of distinct aerosol precursor composition therein, each of the reservoirs being arranged to selectively release a dosage of the distinct aerosol precursor composition therefrom such that the dosage is directed through the air flow passage to the heating chamber at the first end of the air flow passage.

4. The device of claim 1 , further comprising an airflow channel defined within the housing, and arranged to allow airflow between the heating chamber and ambient air external to the housing.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the outlet port or the airflow channel includes an airflow shielding element configured to cooperate with the housing to contain the microwave radiation within the housing.

6. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a hose member having a proximal end engaged with the outlet port and an opposing distal end engaged with a mouthpiece element, the mouthpiece element being arranged to receive the formed aerosol transmitted through the air flow passage to the outlet port in response to the suction applied to the mouthpiece element.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a controller element in communication between the microwave radiation emitting device and a sensing element arranged to sense a temperature of the dosage of the aerosol precursor composition received within the heating chamber, the controller element being responsive to the sensed temperature to regulate the microwave radiation emitted by the microwave radiation emitting device to heat the dosage of the aerosol precursor composition received within the heating chamber to a maximum desired temperature.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the aerosol precursor composition is selected from the group consisting of a liquid, a gel, a solid, a capsule, a colloid, a suspension, a botanical, and a combination thereof.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein one component of the aerosol precursor composition is configured to prevent superheating of the aerosol precursor composition.

10. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a wick engaged with the heating chamber, the wick being in communication with the dosage of the aerosol precursor composition received within the heating chamber, wherein the microwave radiation emitting device is arranged to heat the wick such that an amount of the aerosol formed thereby is proportional to the an amount of the dosage of the aerosol precursor composition wicked by the wick.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the heating chamber comprises a first heating sub-chamber and a second heating sub-chamber having different volumes and in fluid communication with the outlet port by a selector element, the first and second heating sub-chambers being arranged at the first end of the air flow passage to receive the dosage of the aerosol precursor composition selectively released from the reservoir, wherein the selector element is responsive to the suction applied to the outlet port to direct the formed aerosol to the outlet port from the selected one of the first and second heating sub-chambers, an amount of the formed aerosol corresponding to a magnitude of the suction.

12. The device of claim 1 , comprising an aerosol precursor processing unit in fluid communication with the heating chamber and arranged to pre-heat the aerosol precursor composition to a pre-heat temperature, the pre-heat temperature being less than a maximum desired temperature for forming the aerosol from the dosage of the aerosol precursor composition, prior to the pre-heated dosage of the aerosol precursor composition being selectively released from the reservoir to the heating chamber at the first end of the air flow passage.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the aerosol precursor processing unit comprises a heating element or an aerosol forming element arranged to interact with the aerosol precursor composition.

14. The device of claim 1 , comprising an aerosol precursor processing unit in fluid communication with the heating chamber and arranged to pre-heat a substrate material having the aerosol precursor composition associated therewith to a pre-heat temperature, the pre-heat temperature being less than a maximum desired temperature for forming the aerosol from the dosage of the aerosol precursor composition, prior to the pre-heated substrate material being selectively released from the reservoir to the heating chamber at the first end of the air flow passage.

15. The device of claim 1 , comprising an aerosol precursor processing unit in communication with the heating chamber and arranged to pre-heat a membrane comprised of the aerosol precursor composition to a pre-heat temperature, the pre-heat temperature being less than a maximum desired temperature for forming the aerosol from the dosage of the aerosol precursor composition, prior to the pre-heated membrane being selectively released from the reservoir to the heating chamber at the first end of the air flow passage.

Assignees

• Rai Strategic Holdings Inc

Inventors

• Sparklin Eric M
• Hubbard Sawyer A
• Taluskie Karen V
• Sears Stephen Benson

Classifications

• A61M11/042

  electrical · CPC title

• H05B6/802

  for heating fluids (methods of heating fluids in conventional microwave ovens H05B6/687) · CPC title

• A61M11/041

  using heaters · CPC title

• A61M15/06

  Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes · CPC title

• A61M15/0003

  with means for dispensing more than one drug · CPC title