Capsules including internal heaters, heat-not-burn (HNB) aerosol-generating devices, and methods of generating an aerosol

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12458063-B2
Application number	US-202318484901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2023
Priority date	Jun 23, 2020
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

A capsule for a heat-not-burn (HNB) aerosol-generating device may include a housing and a heater within the housing. The housing has interior surfaces defining a chamber configured to hold an aerosol-forming substrate. In addition, the housing has exterior surfaces constituting a first face, an opposing second face, and a side face of the capsule. The first face and the second face of the capsule are permeable to an aerosol. The heater has a first end section, an intermediate section, and a second end section. The first end section and the second end section of the heater may be external segments constituting parts of the side face of the capsule. The intermediate section of the heater is an internal segment disposed within the chamber of the housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A capsule for an aerosol-generating device, comprising:
a housing having interior surfaces defining a chamber configured to hold an aerosol-forming substrate, the housing having exterior surfaces constituting a first face defining a first opening, an opposing second face defining a second opening, and a side face of the capsule; and a heater having a first end section, an intermediate section, and a second end section, the first end section and the second end section being external segments constituting parts of the side face of the capsule, the intermediate section being an internal segment disposed within the chamber of the housing.

2 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein the first face, the second face, or both include perforated sheets.

3 . The capsule of claim 2 , wherein the perforated sheets are secured to an interior surface of the housing.

4 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein the first face, the second face, or both include mesh sheets.

5 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein the side face is between the first face and the second face.

6 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein the side face is a periphery of the capsule.

7 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a first frame and a second frame.

8 . The capsule of claim 7 , wherein
the first frame includes a first connector extending from an interior surface of the first frame, the second frame includes a second connector extending from an interior surface of the second frame, and the first connector and the second connector are configured to mate.

9 . The capsule of claim 7 , wherein
the first opening includes a plurality of first perforations in the first frame, and the second opening includes a plurality of second perforations in the second frame.

10 . The capsule of claim 7 , wherein the first end section of the heater and the second end section of the heater conform to peripheral contours of the second frame.

11 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein the first end section, the intermediate section, and the second end section of the heater are sections of a continuous structure.

12 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate section of the heater has a planar and winding form.

13 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate section of the heater has a resistance between 0.5-2.5 Ohms.

14 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein the heater is in a form of a ribbon-like strip having a length, a width, and a thickness, the width being a larger dimension than the thickness, a direction of the width being orthogonal to the first face and the second face of the capsule.

15 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein the capsule has a thickness between 1-4 mm.

16 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein the aerosol-forming substrate includes a plant material.

17 . The capsule of claim 16 , wherein the plant material includes tobacco.

18 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein an outward facing surface of the first end section and an outward facing surface of the second end section are coplanar.

19 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein the heater is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis of the capsule.

20 . The capsule of claim 1 , wherein the first end section of the heater defines a first aperture and the second end section of the heater defines a second aperture.

21 . A capsule for an aerosol-generating device, comprising:
a housing having interior surfaces defining a chamber, the housing having exterior surfaces including a first face defining a first opening, an opposing second face defining a second opening, and a side face of the capsule between the first face and the second face; and a heater having a first end section, an intermediate section, and a second end section, the heater extending through the side face of the capsule and the first end section and the second end section being external to the housing, the intermediate section being an internal segment disposed within the chamber of the housing.

22 . The capsule of claim 21 , wherein the first end section and the second end section are oriented orthogonally with respect to the intermediate section.

23 . The capsule of claim 21 , wherein the intermediate section has a thickness of about 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm.

24 . The capsule of claim 21 , wherein
the heater includes a first arm between the first end section and the intermediate section, and the heater includes a second arm between the second end section and the intermediate section.

25 . The capsule of claim 24 , wherein
the first arm defines a first aperture, the second arm defines a second aperture, and the first arm and the second arm are within a distal portion of the housing.

Assignees

• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• Blackmon Zack
• Good Patrick
• Sundar Rangaraj S
• Keen Jarrett
• Hawes Eric
• Twite Dean
• Moseley Guy
• Gallagher Niall

Classifications

• A24F40/46

  Shape or structure of electric heating means · CPC title

• A24F40/20 Primary

  Devices using solid inhalable precursors · CPC title

• A24F40/42 Primary

  Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors · CPC title