Apparatus for generating an inhalable medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11865246-B2
Application number	US-201615553785-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 29, 2016
Priority date	Feb 27, 2015
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

Presented are apparatus and methods for generating an inhalable medium. An apparatus including a container holding a liquid, a heater for volatizing the liquid, and a plurality of discrete material elements is used. The liquid held in the container is volatized. At least one of a vapor and an aerosol formed by the volatized liquid is passed through one or more of the plurality of discrete material elements. One or more constituents of the one or more of the plurality of discrete material elements is thereby entrained in the at least one of a vapor and an aerosol to produce the inhalable medium.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for generating an inhalable medium, the apparatus comprising:
a liquid container for holding a liquid;
a heater for volatilizing the liquid held in the liquid container;
a stack comprising a plurality of discrete material elements, wherein each discrete material element of the plurality of discrete material elements is abutted with another of the plurality of discrete material elements; and
a receiving portion for receiving the stack comprising the plurality of discrete material elements,
the apparatus being arranged such that in use the liquid volatized by the heater passes, in the form of at least one of a vapor or an aerosol, through a material of one or more of the plurality of discrete material elements received by the receiving portion in use thereby to entrain one or more constituents of the one or more of the plurality of discrete material elements to produce the inhalable medium;
wherein the receiving portion comprises a receptacle having received therein said stack comprising said plurality of discrete material elements, the receiving portion having a first permeable retainer at an upstream end of the receptacle and a second permeable retainer at a downstream end of the receptacle to prevent passage of solid material through the receptacle and into a mouthpiece; and
wherein the first permeable retainer and the second permeable retainer cooperatively retain the plurality of discrete material elements within the receptacle, and wherein the second permeable retainer is removable to allow access to the plurality of discrete material elements, and wherein one of the plurality of discrete material elements is exchangeable for another discrete material element.

2. A cartridge for use with an apparatus for generating an inhalable medium, the cartridge comprising:
a container for holding a liquid;
a stack comprising a plurality of discrete material elements, wherein each discrete material element of the plurality of discrete material elements is abutted with another of the plurality of discrete material elements; and
a receiving portion for receiving the stack comprising the plurality of discrete material elements, the cartridge being arranged such that, in use, the liquid exiting the container can flow, in the form of at least one of a vapor or an aerosol, through a material of one or more of the plurality of discrete material elements received by the receiving portion in use, thereby to entrain one or more constituents of the one or more of the plurality of discrete material elements to produce the inhalable medium;
wherein the receiving portion is a receptacle having received therein said stack comprising a said plurality of discrete material elements, wherein the receptacle comprises a first permeable retainer at an upstream end of the receptacle and a second preamble retainer at a downstream end of the receptacle to retain the plurality of discrete material elements and to prevent passage of solid material through the receptacle, and wherein the second permeable retainer is removable to allow access to the plurality of discrete material elements; and
wherein one of the plurality of discrete material elements is exchangeable for another discrete material element.

3. The cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein the container and the receiving portion form an integral unit.

4. The cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein the receiving portion is connectable to, and removable from, the liquid container.

5. The cartridge according to claim 2 , the cartridge being arranged such that, in use, the liquid exiting the container passes, in the form of at least one of the vapor or the aerosol, sequentially through each of the plurality of discrete material elements received by the receiving portion in use.

6. The cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein the retainer is arranged so as to allow the vapor or the aerosol to pass there through.

7. The cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein the receiving portion is arranged to allow one or more of:
changing an order of one or more of the plurality of discrete material elements received by the receiving portion in use;
adding one or more discrete material elements to the receiving portion; and
removing one or more of the discrete material elements from the receiving portion.

8. The cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of discrete material elements are in an ordered arrangement.

9. The cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of discrete material elements is the same.

10. The cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein one of the plurality of discrete material elements has a property different to that of another of the plurality of discrete material elements.

11. The cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein each one of the plurality of discrete material elements has a property different to that of each other one of the plurality of discrete material elements.

12. The cartridge according to claim 10 , wherein the property is one of aroma or flavor.

13. The cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of discrete material elements are stacked one on top of the other.

14. The cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein one or more of the plurality of discrete material elements comprises material in solid form.

15. The cartridge according to claim 14 , wherein the material in solid form is or comprises tobacco.

16. The cartridge according to claim 14 , wherein the material in solid form is or comprises a flavored solid material.

17. An apparatus comprising the cartridge according to claim 2 , further comprising a heater for volatilizing the liquid held in the container.

18. A system for generating an inhalable medium, the system comprising:
a heater for volatilizing a liquid; and
a cartridge comprising:
a container for holding the liquid,
a stack comprising a plurality of discrete material elements, wherein each discrete material element of the plurality of discrete material elements is abutted with another of the plurality of discrete material elements, and
a receiving portion for receiving the stack comprising the plurality of discrete material elements,

the heater and the cartridge being arranged such that, in use, the liquid volatized by the heater and exiting the container can flow, in the form of at least one of a vapor or an aerosol, through a material of one or more of the plurality of discrete material elements received by the receiving portion in use, thereby to entrain one or more constituents of the one or more of the plurality of discrete material elements to produce the inhalable medium;
wherein the receiving portion is a receptacle having received therein said stack comprising a said plurality of discrete material elements wherein the receptacle comprises a first permeable retainer at an upstream end of the receptacle and a second permeable retainer at a downstream end of the receptacle to retain the plurality of discrete material elements and to prevent passage of solid material through the receptacle and into a mouthpiece, and wherein the second permeable retainer is removable to allow access to the plurality of discrete material elements; and
wherein one of the plurality of discrete material elements is exchangeable for another discrete material element.

Assignees

• Nicoventures Trading Ltd

Inventors

• Hepworth Richard
• Woodcock Dominic
• Sutton Joseph
• Goodall Sharon

Classifications

• A61M11/041 Primary

  using heaters · CPC title

• A24F40/42 Primary

  Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors · CPC title

• A61M15/06

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

• A24F40/10

  Devices using liquid inhalable precursors · CPC title

• A24F40/20

  Devices using solid inhalable precursors · CPC title