Smoking substitute apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12167751-B2
Application number	US-202217694128-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2022
Priority date	Sep 20, 2019
Publication date	Dec 17, 2024
Grant date	Dec 17, 2024

Abstract

A smoking substitute apparatus is disclosed, having: an air inlet; an outlet; and a flow passage formed between the air inlet and the outlet. A vaporization chamber is in communication with the flow passage, the vaporization chamber having an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol from an aerosol precursor by heating. The aerosol generator comprises a vaporizer element loaded with aerosol precursor, the vaporizer element being heatable by a heater and presenting a vaporizer element surface to air in the vaporization chamber. The air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that the cooling rate of the vapor is such that the time taken to cool to 50° C. is not less than 16 ms under certain conditions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A smoking substitute apparatus having:
an air inlet;
an outlet;
a flow passage formed between the air inlet and the outlet;
a vaporization chamber in communication with the flow passage, the vaporization chamber having an aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol from an aerosol precursor by heating,
wherein the aerosol generator comprises:
a vaporizer element loaded with aerosol precursor, the vaporizer element being heatable by a heater and presenting a vaporizer element surface to air in the vaporization chamber,
wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that:

when the aerosol precursor is an e-liquid consisting of 1.6% freebase nicotine and the remainder a 65:35 propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin mixture, the e-liquid having a boiling point of 209° C., air being drawn into the air inlet at a temperature of 25° C., and the vaporizer operated to release a vapor of total particulate mass 5 mg over a 3 second duration from the vaporizer element surface in an air flow rate between the air inlet and outlet of 1.3 L min −1 , the cooling rate of the vapor is such that the time taken to cool to 50° C. is not less than 16 ms.

2. The smoking substitute apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cooling rate of the vapor is such that the time taken to cool to 50° C. is in a range from 16 ms to 0.5 s.

3. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein, in an air flow rate between the air inlet and outlet of 1.3 L min −1 , the equivalent linear cooling rate of the vapor to 50° C. is not more than 5° C./ms.

4. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that:
when the aerosol precursor is an e-liquid consisting of 1.6% freebase nicotine and the remainder a 65:35 propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin mixture, the e-liquid having a boiling point of 209° C., air being drawn into the air inlet at a temperature of 25° C., and the vaporizer operated to release a vapor of total particulate mass 5 mg over a 3 second duration from the vaporizer element surface in an air flow rate between the air inlet and outlet of 2.0 L min −1 , the cooling rate of the vapor is such that the time taken to cool to 50° C. is not less than 16 ms.

5. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein, in an air flow rate between the air inlet and outlet of 2.0 L min −1 , the equivalent linear cooling rate of the vapor to 50° C. is not more than 5° C./ms.

6. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that:
when the aerosol precursor is an e-liquid consisting of 1.6% freebase nicotine and the remainder a 65:35 propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin mixture, the e-liquid having a boiling point of 209° C., air being drawn into the air inlet at a temperature of 25° C., and the vaporizer operated to release a vapor of total particulate mass 5 mg over a 3 second duration from the vaporizer element surface in an air flow rate between the air inlet and outlet of 2.0 L min −1 , the cooling rate of the vapor is such that the time taken to cool to 75° C. is in a range from 4.5 ms to 0.5 s.

7. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein, in an air flow rate between the air inlet and outlet of 1.3 LPM, the equivalent linear cooling rate of the vapor to 75° C. is not more than 10° C./ms.

8. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein, in an air flow rate between the air inlet and outlet of 2.0 L min −1 , the equivalent linear cooling rate of the vapor to 75° is not more than 10° C./ms.

9. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the apparatus is operable such that the aerosol has a Dv50 of more than 1 μm.

10. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the apparatus is operable such that the aerosol has a Dv50 in the range 2-3 μm.

11. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 1.3 L min −1 , the average magnitude of velocity of air in the vaporization chamber is in the range 0-1.3 ms −1 .

12. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the aerosol generator comprises:
a vaporizer element loaded with aerosol precursor, the vaporizer element being heatable by a heater and presenting a vaporizer element surface to air in the vaporization chamber,
a vaporizer element region being defined as a volume extending outwardly from the vaporizer element surface to a distance of 1 mm from the vaporizer element surface,
wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 1.3 L min −1 , the average magnitude of velocity of air in the vaporizer element region is in the range 0-1.2 ms −1 .

13. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the aerosol generator comprises:
a vaporizer element loaded with aerosol precursor, the vaporizer element being heatable by a heater and presenting a vaporizer element surface to air in the vaporization chamber,
a vaporizer element region being defined as a volume extending outwardly from the vaporizer element surface to a distance of 1 mm from the vaporizer element surface,
wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 2.0 L min −1 , the average magnitude of velocity of air in the vaporizer element region is in the range 0-1.2 ms −1 .

14. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the aerosol generator comprises:
a vaporizer element loaded with aerosol precursor, the vaporizer element being heatable by a heater and presenting a vaporizer element surface to air in the vaporization chamber,
a vaporizer element region being defined as a volume extending outwardly from the vaporizer element surface to a distance of 1 mm from the vaporizer element surface,
wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 1.3 L min −1 , the maximum magnitude of velocity of air in the vaporizer element region is in the range 0-2.0 ms −1 .

15. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the aerosol generator comprises:
a vaporizer element loaded with aerosol precursor, the vaporizer element being heatable by a heater and presenting a vaporizer element surface to air in the vaporization chamber,
a vaporizer element region being defined as a volume extending outwardly from the vaporizer element surface to a distance of 1 mm from the vaporizer element surface,
wherein the air inlet, flow passage, outlet and the vaporization chamber are configured so that, when the air flow rate inhaled by the user through the apparatus is 2.0 L min −1 , the maximum magnitude of velocity of air in the vaporizer element region is in the range 0-2.0 ms −1 .

16. A smoking substitute apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the aerosol generator comprises:
a vaporizer element loaded with aerosol precursor, the vaporizer element being heatable by a heater and presenting a vaporizer element surface to air in the vaporization chamber,
a vaporizer element region being defined as a volume extending outwardly

Assignees

• Imperial Tobacco Ltd

Inventors

• Illidge Benjamin
• Lu Huanghai
• Astbury Benjamin
• Aggarwal Nikhil
• Mckeon John
• Jones Stephen

Classifications

• A24F40/50

  Control or monitoring · CPC title

• A24F40/10 Primary

  Devices using liquid inhalable precursors · CPC title

• A24F40/485 Primary

  Valves; Apertures · CPC title

• A24F40/44

  Wicks · CPC title

• A24F40/465

  specially adapted for induction heating · CPC title