Methods to add menthol, botanic materials, and/or non-botanic materials to a cartridge, and/or an electronic vaping device including the cartridge

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12446613-B2
Application number	US-202318354826-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2023
Priority date	Mar 3, 2016
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A cartridge may include a housing, a liquid supply reservoir in the housing and configured to store a pre-vapor formulation, a vaporizer, and a porous plug. The vaporizer may be in liquid communication with the liquid supply reservoir. The vaporizer may be configured to generate a vapor from heating a portion of the pre-vapor formulation. The porous plug may be connected to the housing and separated from the liquid supply reservoir. The porous plug may be permeable to the vapor. The porous plug may enclose a flavoring additive contacting a storage material. The flavoring additive may be configured to at least partially elute from the storage material or at least partially volatilize from the storage material if the vapor flows through the porous plug. An e-vaping device may include the cartridge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cartridge comprising:
a housing including a first end opposite a second end;
a liquid supply reservoir in the housing and configured to store a pre-vapor formulation;
a vaporizer in the housing and in liquid communication with the liquid supply reservoir, the vaporizer being configured to generate a vapor from heating a portion of the pre-vapor formulation;
a mouth-end insert in the housing at the first end;
an inner gasket between the liquid supply reservoir and the mouth-end insert; and
a porous plug in the housing between the vaporizer and the mouth-end insert, the porous plug being permeable to the vapor, the porous plug between the vaporizer and the inner gasket.

2. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein
the porous plug encloses a flavoring additive contacting a storage material,
the flavoring additive configured to at least partially elute from the storage material or at least partially volatilize from the storage material if the vapor flows through the porous plug,
the flavoring additive includes one of menthol, limonene, benzaldehyde, or ethyl vanoline, and
the storage material includes one of a botanic material and a non-botanic material.

3. The cartridge of claim 2 , wherein the flavoring additive includes menthol.

4. The cartridge of claim 2 , wherein
the botanic material includes one of menthol crystal, mint leaves, tea leaves, coffee powder, dry flowers, lemon grass, orange peels, star anise, and clove, and the non-botanic material includes one of paper, cellulose, zerolite, cellulose acetate with acid, cellulose acetate without acid, and a polymer.

5. The cartridge of claim 2 , wherein
a weight ratio of the flavoring additive to the storage material ranges from about 1:99 (flavoring additive: storage material) to 80:20 (flavoring additive: storage material).

6. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein
the porous plug is a bag containing a flavoring additive and a storage material, and
a material of the bag includes one of porous aluminum foil, perforated aluminum foil, nylon, filter paper, silk, plastic, and cellulose acetate.

7. The cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising:
the pre-vapor formulation in the liquid supply reservoir, wherein
the pre-vapor formulation includes nicotine and at least one of glycerin (Gly) and propylene glycol, and
the porous plug encloses a flavoring additive contacting a storage material, the flavoring additive is configured to adsorb to the storage material or absorb in the storage material.

8. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein
a volume ratio of the liquid supply reservoir to the porous plug is in a range of about 10:90 (liquid supply volume: porous plug volume) to about 90:10 (liquid supply volume: porous plug volume).

9. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein
the porous plug is spaced apart from the vaporizer.

10. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein
the porous plug is adjacent to the vaporizer,
the porous plug is spaced apart from the first end.

11. A cartridge comprising:
a housing including first and second ends that are opposite each other and in fluid communication with each other through a channel;
a liquid supply reservoir in the housing and configured to store pre-vapor formulation;
a vaporizer in the housing and in liquid communication with the liquid supply reservoir, the vaporizer being configured to generate a vapor from the pre-vapor formulation;
a mouth-end insert in the housing at the first ends and
an inner gasket between the liquid supply reservoir and the mouth-end insert; and
a porous plug in the housing between the vaporizer and the mouth-end insert, the porous plug between the vaporizer and the inner gasket the porous plug being permeable to the vapor.

12. The cartridge of claim 11 , wherein
the porous plug encloses a flavoring additive and at least one of a botanic material and a non-botanic material,
the botanic material includes one of menthol crystal, mint leaves, tea leaves, coffee powder, dry flowers, lemon grass, orange peels, star anise, and clove, and
the non-botanic material includes one of paper, cellulose, zerolite, cellulose acetate with acid, cellulose acetate without acid, and a polymer.

13. The cartridge of claim 11 , wherein
the porous plug is a bag containing a flavoring additive and a storage material,
a material of the porous plug includes one of perforated aluminum foil, porous aluminum foil, nylon, filter paper, silk, plastic, and cellulose acetate, and
the flavoring additive is adsorbed onto the storage material or absorbed in the storage material.

14. An e-vaping device comprising:
a housing;
a liquid supply reservoir in the housing and configured to store a pre-vapor formulation;
a vaporizer in the housing and in liquid communication with the liquid supply reservoir, the vaporizer being configured to generate a vapor from heating a portion of the pre-vapor formulation;
a mouth-end insert in the housing at a first end of the housing;
an inner gasket be ween the liquid supply reservoir and the mouth-end insert; a porous plug in the housing between the vaporizer and the mouth-end insert,
the porous plug between vaporizer and the inner gasket
the porous plug being permeable to the vapor; and
a power supply configured to selectively supply power to the vaporizer.

15. The e-vaping device of claim 14 , further comprising:
a cartridge; and
a battery section configured to be removably coupled to the cartridge, wherein
the cartridge includes the housing, the liquid supply reservoir, the vaporizer, the inner gasket, and the porous plug,
the battery section includes the power supply, and
the battery section is configured to provide power to the vaporizer if the battery section senses a negative pressure being applied to a first end of the cartridge.

Assignees

• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• Kobal Gerd
• Li San
• Lipowicz Peter

Classifications

• A24B15/42

  by organic and inorganic substances {(A24B15/281 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• A24B15/34

  containing a carbocyclic ring other than a six-membered aromatic ring · CPC title

• A24B15/303

  Plant extracts other than tobacco · CPC title

• A24B15/16

  of tobacco substitutes · CPC title

• A24F40/42 Primary

  Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors · CPC title