Cartridge for pump-operated aerosol-generating system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10412996-B2
Application number	US-201615388641-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2016
Priority date	Dec 22, 2015
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

An electrically operated aerosol-generating system may include a reservoir configured to hold a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, an atomizer assembly configured to vaporize the liquid aerosol-forming substrate to form an aerosol, and a pump configured to convey the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the reservoir to the atomizer assembly. The reservoir may include a substantially rigid housing and an inlet valve that is configured to allow air into the reservoir based on a pressure difference between an interior of the housing and an exterior of the housing exceeding a threshold pressure difference. This improves the reliability and efficiency of delivery of liquid to the wick. The system may further include a robust reservoir that is configured to at least partially mitigate liquid leakage between the reservoir interior and the reservoir exterior.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cartridge for an electrically operated aerosol-generating system, the cartridge comprising:
a reservoir configured to hold a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the reservoir including
a rigid housing that includes a filling port, the filling port being sealed and configured to direct the liquid aerosol-forming substrate into an interior of the reservoir,
an air inlet valve configured to allow air into the reservoir based on a pressure difference between the interior of the reservoir and an exterior of the reservoir exceeding a threshold pressure difference, and
an outlet extending through the rigid housing, the outlet including a pierceable seal;

a vaporizer configured to vaporize the liquid aerosol-forming substrate; and
a pump configured to engage with the vaporizer to convey liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the reservoir to the vaporizer, the pump being between the reservoir and the vaporizer, and the outlet of the reservoir being configured to detachably engage with the pump, such that the pierceable seal of the outlet is pierced by the pump and the outlet of the reservoir directs the liquid aerosol-forming substrate out of the reservoir.

2. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the filling port is sealed by a pierceable septum.

3. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet is configured to be sealed prior to engagement with the pump.

4. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the filling port is sealed by a removable plug.

5. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the vaporizer includes an electrical heater.

6. The cartridge according to claim 5 , wherein the vaporizer includes a capillary material configured to convey liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the electrical heater.

7. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the pump is a piezoelectric micropump.

8. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the air inlet valve is a check valve.

9. The cartridge according to claim 8 , wherein the check valve is one of a ball check valve and a duckbill check valve.

10. An electrically operated aerosol-generating system comprising:
a housing configured to define an interior space, the housing including,
an air inlet configured to direct air into the interior space of the housing, and
an air outlet configured to direct at least air out of the interior space of the housing;

a cartridge within the interior space of the housing, the cartridge including,
a liquid reservoir configured to hold a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the liquid reservoir including
a rigid housing that includes a filling port, the filling port being sealed and configured to direct the liquid aerosol-forming substrate into an interior of the liquid reservoir,
an air inlet valve configured to allow air into the liquid reservoir from the interior space of the housing of the aerosol-generating system based on a pressure difference between the interior of the liquid reservoir and an exterior of the liquid reservoir exceeding a threshold pressure difference, and
an outlet extending through the rigid housing, the outlet including a pierceable seal;

a vaporizer within the interior of the housing, the vaporizer configured to vaporize the liquid aerosol-forming substrate; and
a pump connected to the outlet of the cartridge, the pump configured to convey liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid reservoir to the vaporizer, the pump being between the liquid reservoir and the vaporizer, and the outlet of the liquid reservoir being configured to detachably engage with the pump, such that the pierceable seal of the outlet is pierced by the pump and the outlet of the liquid reservoir directs the liquid aerosol-forming substrate out of the liquid reservoir.

11. The aerosol-generating system according to claim 10 , wherein the filling port is sealed by a pierceable septum.

12. The aerosol-generating system according to claim 10 , wherein the air inlet valve is a check valve.

13. The aerosol-generating system according to claim 10 , wherein the pump is a piezoelectric micropump.

14. The aerosol-generating system according to claim 10 , wherein the vaporizer includes an electrical heater.

15. The aerosol-generating system according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a power supply configured to supply electrical power to the pump and the vaporizer.

16. The aerosol-generating system according to claim 10 , further comprising:
control circuitry configured to activate the pump based on a determination that the vaporizer is activated.

17. The aerosol-generating system according to claim 10 , wherein the aerosol-generating system is a hand held electronic vaping device.

18. A method, comprising:
detachably engaging a reservoir with a pump via an outlet of the reservoir such that a seal of the outlet of the reservoir is pierced by the pump, the reservoir including a rigid housing held within a housing of an aerosol-generating system and configured to hold a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the outlet extending through the rigid housing and being configured to direct the liquid aerosol-forming substrate out of the reservoir;
engaging a vaporizer with the pump to convey the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the reservoir to the vaporizer, the pump being between the reservoir and the vaporizer;
conveying the liquid aerosol-forming substrate out of the reservoir based on operation of the pump, the conveying including conveying the liquid aerosol-forming substrate through the outlet from the reservoir to the vaporizer, the vaporizer being configured to vaporize the liquid aerosol-forming substrate based on generating heat;
allowing air into the reservoir from an interior of the housing of the aerosol-generating system through the rigid housing based on a pressure difference between an interior of the reservoir and an exterior of the reservoir exceeding a threshold pressure difference;
piercing a seal of a filling port of the rigid housing; and
directing the liquid aerosol-forming substrate into the interior of the reservoir via the filing port.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the conveying further includes,
selectively controlling a particular supply of electrical power to the pump based on a determination that the vaporizer is activated.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the conveying further includes,
selectively controlling a separate supply of electrical power to the vaporizer, such that the vaporizer is activated, based on a determination that a flow rate of air detected by a flow sensor exceeds a threshold flow rate.

Assignees

• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• Bright Ben
• Mazur Ben

Classifications

• H05B2203/022

  Heaters specially adapted for heating gaseous material · CPC title

• B05B7/0012

  Apparatus for achieving spraying before discharge from the apparatus · CPC title

• H05B2203/021

  Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids · CPC title

• B05B7/1686

  involving vaporisation of the material to be sprayed or of an atomising-fluid-generating product · CPC title

• H05B1/0244 Primary

  Heating of fluids (H05B1/0247 takes precedence) · CPC title