Non-combustible smoking device and components thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11090450-B2
Application number	US-201615147454-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2016
Priority date	May 6, 2015
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

At least one example embodiment discloses a non-combustible smoking element including a pre-vapor formulation reservoir element configured to contain a pre-vapor formulation material, a pre-vapor heating element coupled to the pre-vapor formulation reservoir element and configured to heat at least a portion of the pre-vapor formulation material into a vapor and provide the vapor to a channel, a tobacco heating element configured to heat at least a portion of tobacco and generate an aroma and a tobacco housing configured to contain the tobacco and provide the aroma to the channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-combustible smoking element comprising:
a pre-vapor formulation reservoir configured to contain a pre-vapor formulation material;
a pre-vapor heater coupled to the pre-vapor formulation reservoir and configured to heat at least a portion of the pre-vapor formulation material into a vapor and provide the vapor to a channel;
a tobacco heater configured to heat at least a portion of tobacco and generate an aroma; and
a tobacco housing configured to contain the tobacco and provide the aroma to the channel, the tobacco housing and the tobacco heater being upstream from the pre-vapor heater, the tobacco housing including,
an outer housing extending in a longitudinal direction of the non-combustible smoking element, and
an inner tube in the outer housing and extending in the longitudinal direction, a space between the outer housing and the inner tube defining a space to contain the tobacco and the tobacco heater, the inner tube defining a first air channel.

2. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 1 , wherein the tobacco heater includes,
a plurality of heaters in the tobacco housing.

3. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of heaters are upstream from the pre-vapor heater.

4. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of heaters are outside the channel and the pre-vapor heater is in the channel.

5. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 1 , wherein the tobacco heater is a coil and extends around the inner tube.

6. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 5 , wherein the tobacco heater extends around the inner tube at an interval of 1-2 millimeters.

7. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 5 , wherein the tobacco housing includes,
a connecting piece at a first end of the tobacco housing, the connecting piece including at least one first air inlet to provide air to the space between the outer housing and the inner tube.

8. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 7 , wherein the connecting piece includes,
a second air inlet to provide air within the inner tube.

9. A non-combustible smoking element comprising:
a pre-vapor formulation reservoir configured to contain a pre-vapor formulation material;
a heater coupled to the pre-vapor formulation reservoir and configured to heat at least a portion of the pre-vapor formulation material into a vapor and provide the vapor to a first portion of a channel; and
tobacco at a second portion of the channel and positioned to receive the vapor, wherein the heater is in the channel,
the pre-vapor formulation reservoir includes an outer housing configured to contain the pre-vapor formulation material, an inner tube of the outer housing defining the channel, and
the tobacco is between the heater and an end of the inner tube.

10. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 9 , wherein the tobacco is downstream from the heater.

11. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 9 , wherein the heater is configured to heat the tobacco at a maximum of 200 degrees Celsius.

12. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 9 , wherein the heater is separated from the tobacco by less than thirty millimeters.

13. A non-combustible smoking element comprising:
a pre-vapor formulation reservoir configured to contain a pre-vapor formulation material;
a single heater coupled to the pre-vapor formulation reservoir the single heater configured to simultaneously heat tobacco and at least a portion of the pre-vapor formulation material into a vapor and provide the vapor to a first channel; and
a tobacco housing configured to contain the tobacco and defining at least a portion of the first channel, the tobacco housing overlapping at least a portion of the single heater, the tobacco housing being arranged to receive the vapor.

14. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 13 , wherein the tobacco housing is an annular sleeve.

15. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 13 , wherein the tobacco housing includes an inner wall and an outer wall, the inner wall being permeable and the outer wall being impermeable.

16. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 13 , further comprising:
an outer wall on the tobacco housing, the outer wall including,
an outer wall part, and
an inner wall part, the outer wall part and the tobacco housing defining portions of a second air channel.

17. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 16 , wherein the outer wall includes,
a cover at a first end of the inner wall part, the cover covering the first channel.

18. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 1 , wherein the space between the outer housing and the inner tube corresponds to an annular space configured to contain the tobacco.

19. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 9 , wherein the pre-vapor formulation reservoir is configured to surround the second portion of the channel that contains the tobacco.

20. The non-combustible smoking element of claim 13 , wherein the single heater extends in a longitudinal direction.

Assignees

• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• Li San
• Olegario Raquel
• Jupe Richard
• Tucker Christopher S
• Smith Barry S
• Cadieux Edmond J
• Bennett David
• Karles Georgios D
• Ragland Ben

Classifications

• A61M15/06 Primary

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

• A61M11/042 Primary

  electrical · CPC title

• A24F40/44

  Wicks · CPC title

• A61M2206/10

  Flow characteristics · CPC title

• A61M2205/8206

  battery-operated · CPC title