E-vaping device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12471634-B2
Application number	US-202117380350-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2021
Priority date	Nov 20, 2018
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

In some example embodiments, a reservoir assembly may include a reservoir and an isolation structure. The reservoir may hold a pre-vapor formulation. The reservoir may include a first fluid port extending through a housing of the reservoir, where the first fluid port may enable fluid communication between the reservoir and an exterior of the reservoir assembly. The reservoir may be coupled to a vaporizer assembly that includes a second fluid port configured to enable fluid communication between the reservoir and vaporizer assembly, or the reservoir may be coupled to a vaporizer connector assembly that includes a second fluid port configured to enable fluid communication between the reservoir and an exterior through the vaporizer connector assembly. The isolation structure may move in relation to the reservoir and the vaporizer connector assembly to a position where it exposes one of the fluid ports and covers the other.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A vapor generator assembly comprising: a reservoir configured to hold a pre-vapor formulation, the reservoir including a first fluid port extending through a housing of the reservoir, the first fluid port configured to enable fluid communication between the reservoir and an exterior of the vapor generator assembly; a vaporizer assembly configured to vaporize the pre-vapor formulation, the vaporizer assembly including a second fluid port extending through a housing of the vaporizer assembly, the second fluid port configured to enable fluid communication between the reservoir and the vaporizer assembly; and an isolation structure configured to move in relation to both the reservoir and the vaporizer assembly to a first position where the isolation structure exposes the first fluid port and covers the second fluid port, and move in relation to both the reservoir and the vaporizer assembly to a second position where the isolation structure exposes the second fluid port and covers the first fluid port, wherein the isolation structure includes a first structure, the first structure being external to the reservoir such that the first fluid port is between the first structure and an interior of the reservoir, the first structure configured to move in relation to the housing of the reservoir to expose the first fluid port, to enable fluid communication between the reservoir and the exterior of the vapor generator assembly through the first fluid port, based on the isolation structure moving in relation to the reservoir and the vaporizer assembly to the first position.

2 . The vapor generator assembly of claim 1 , wherein the isolation structure is further configured to move in relation to both the reservoir and the vaporizer assembly to a third position where the isolation structure covers the first fluid port and covers the second fluid port.

3 . The vapor generator assembly of claim 1 , wherein the reservoir can be refilled through the first fluid port when the isolation structure is in the first position where the isolation structure exposes the first fluid port and covers the second fluid port.

4 . The vapor generator assembly of claim 1 , wherein the housing of the vaporizer assembly and the housing of the reservoir form at least a portion of a common housing.

5 . The vapor generator assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first structure includes a third fluid port extending through the first structure, the third fluid port configured to at least partially align with the first fluid port for the isolation structure to expose the first fluid port based on the isolation structure moving in relation to the reservoir and the vaporizer assembly to the first position.

6 . The vapor generator assembly of claim 5 , wherein
the isolation structure includes a second structure, the second structure including a fourth fluid port extending through the second structure, the fourth fluid port configured to at least partially align with the second fluid port for the isolation structure to expose the second fluid port, based on the isolation structure moving in relation to the reservoir and the vaporizer assembly to the second position, and the isolation structure further includes a coupling structure that couples the first structure to the second structure, such that movement of the isolation structure includes movement of the first structure together with the second structure in unison via the coupling structure.

7 . The vapor generator assembly of claim 6 , wherein
the second structure includes a cylindrical structure, the fourth fluid port extending through the cylindrical structure.

8 . The vapor generator assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a vaporizer connector assembly configured to detachably couple the vaporizer assembly and the reservoir, the vaporizer connector assembly including a fourth fluid port extending through the vaporizer connector assembly, the fourth fluid port configured to align with the second fluid port, and the isolation structure exposes the second fluid port and the fourth fluid port in the second position.

9 . An e-vaping device, comprising:
the vapor generator assembly of claim 1 ; and a power supply assembly coupled to the vapor generator assembly, the power supply assembly including a power supply, the power supply assembly configured to supply electrical power from the power supply to the vaporizer assembly.

10 . The e-vaping device of claim 9 , wherein the power supply is a rechargeable battery.

11 . The e-vaping device of claim 9 , wherein the power supply assembly is configured to decouple from the vapor generator assembly.

12 . A reservoir assembly for an e-vaping device, the reservoir assembly comprising:
a reservoir configured to hold a pre-vapor formulation, the reservoir including a first fluid port extending through a housing of the reservoir, the first fluid port configured to enable fluid communication between the reservoir and an exterior of the reservoir assembly; a vaporizer connector assembly configured to couple with a vaporizer assembly, the vaporizer connector assembly including a second fluid port extending through the vaporizer connector assembly, the second fluid port configured to enable fluid communication between the reservoir and the exterior of the reservoir assembly through the vaporizer connector assembly; and an isolation structure configured to
move in relation to both the reservoir and the vaporizer connector assembly to a first position where the isolation structure exposes the first fluid port and covers the second fluid port, and
move in relation to both the reservoir and the vaporizer connector assembly to a second position where the isolation structure exposes the second fluid port and covers the first fluid port,
wherein the isolation structure includes a first structure, the first structure being external to the reservoir such that the first fluid port is between the first structure and an interior of the reservoir, the first structure configured to move in relation to the housing of the reservoir to expose the first fluid port, to enable fluid communication between the reservoir and the exterior of the reservoir assembly through the first fluid port, based on the isolation structure moving in relation to the reservoir and the vaporizer assembly to the first position.

13 . The reservoir assembly of claim 12 , wherein the isolation structure is further configured to move in relation to both the reservoir and the vaporizer connector assembly to a third position where the isolation structure covers the first fluid port and covers the second fluid port.

14 . The reservoir assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first structure includes a third fluid port extending through the first structure, the third fluid port configured to at least partially align with the first fluid port for the isolation structure to expose the first fluid port based on the isolation structure moving in relation to the reservoir and the vaporizer assembly to the first position.

15 . The reservoir assembly of claim 14 , wherein
the isolation structure includes a second structure, the second structure including a fourth fluid port extending through the second structure, the fourth fluid port configured to at least partially align with the second fluid port for the isolation structure to expose the second fluid port, and the isolation structure further includes a coupling structure that couples the first structure to the second structure, such that movement of the isolation structure includes movement of the first structure together with the second structure

Assignees

• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• Hawes Eric
• Lau Raymond W
• Dahl Mik
• Jarantilla Jon
• Salvador Galen
• Montalvan Jose Jesus Paolo
• Kok Jeroen

Classifications

• H01M2220/30

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• A24F15/015

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• A24F40/485 Primary

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