Non-combustible vaping device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12514992-B2
Application number	US-202418648983-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2024
Priority date	Jun 23, 2017
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

A vapor cartridge for a non-combustible vaping device may be configured to receive a flavor cartridge, generate a vapor, and direct the generated vapor through the flavor cartridge to provide a flavored vapor. The flavor cartridge may include an instance of electrically conductive material extending at least partially around the flavor cartridge. The vapor cartridge may include an authentication assembly including a set of electrically conductive instruments may independently and directly contact the instance of electrically conductive material of the flavor cartridge inserted into the vapor cartridge, such that the electrically conductive instruments are electrically connected to each other through the instance of electrically conductive material of the flavor cartridge. The vapor cartridge may be coupled with a base that includes a control circuitry configured to control vapor generation by the vapor generator, based on the electrically conductive instruments being electrically connected to each other through the flavor cartridge.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A flavor cartridge, comprising:
a flavor material extending along a longitudinal axis of the flavor cartridge; an outer shell at least partially enclosing the flavor material and extending coaxially with the longitudinal axis of the flavor cartridge; and one or more instances of electrically conductive material extending around the flavor material, wherein at least one instance of electrically conductive material of the one or more instance of electrically conductive material is a cylindrical disc that extends orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the flavor cartridge over a tip end surface of the flavor material, the at least one instance of electrically conductive material defining at least one gap space, and wherein the flavor cartridge is configured to be inserted into a channel space or a non-combustible vaping device, and the at least one instance of electrically conductive material is configured to be at least partially pierced based on the insertion into the channel space.

2 . The flavor cartridge of claim 1 , wherein at least one other instance of electrically conductive material of the one or more instances of electrically conductive material directly contacts an inner surface area of the outer shell and within the inner surface area of the outer shell.

3 . The flavor cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising multiple separate instances of flavor material each including a different flavorant, the multiple separate instances of flavor material sequentially stacked along the longitudinal axis of the flavor cartridge.

4 . The flavor cartridge of claim 1 , wherein at least one other instance of electrically conductive material of the one or more instances of electrically conductive material is on an outer surface area of the outer shell.

5 . The flavor cartridge of claim 4 , wherein the outer shell isolates the at least one other instance of electrically conductive material from extending through an interior of the flavor cartridge.

6 . The flavor cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the at least one gap space exposes an interior of the flavor cartridge through the tip end surface of the flavor material.

7 . The flavor cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the at least one gap space is centered on the longitudinal axis of the flavor cartridge.

8 . The flavor cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the at least one gap space is not centered on the longitudinal axis of the flavor cartridge.

9 . The flavor cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the at least one instance of electrically conductive material defines a plurality of gap spaces.

10 . The flavor cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the one or more instances of electrically conductive material extend over both a side surface of the flavor material that extends coaxially with the longitudinal axis of the flavor cartridge and an end surface of the flavor material that extends orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the flavor cartridge.

11 . The flavor cartridge of claim 10 , wherein the one or more instances of electrically conductive material extend both coaxially with the longitudinal axis of the flavor cartridge and at least partially orthogonally with the longitudinal axis of the flavor cartridge.

12 . The flavor cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the one or more instances of electrically conductive material include conductive ink.

13 . A flavor cartridge, comprising:
a flavor housing including an inner annular space and an outer annular space; a flavor matrix within the inner annular space of the flavor housing; an outer housing enclosing the flavor housing and extending coaxially with a longitudinal axis of the flavor cartridge; and one or more instances of electrically conductive material extending around the flavor housing, wherein the flavor housing includes an inner structure and an outer structure, the inner structure defining a central channel that extends into an interior of the flavor cartridge from a tip-end opening of the flavor cartridge, the outer structure extending around the inner structure such that the inner structure and the outer structure collectively define the inner annular space, and the outer structure and the outer housing collectively define the outer angular space.

14 . The flavor cartridge of claim 13 , wherein the flavor matrix is within the inner annular space.

15 . The flavor cartridge of claim 13 , wherein the inner structure includes a plurality of perforations, and the interior of the inner annular space is in fluid communication with the central channel via the plurality of perforations.

16 . The flavor cartridge of claim 13 , wherein the outer structure includes a plurality of perforations, and the interior of the inner annular space is in fluid communication with the outer annular space via the plurality of perforations.

17 . The flavor cartridge of claim 13 , wherein the one or more instances of electrically conductive material extend
at least partially around an outer surface of the outer housing and along the longitudinal axis of the flavor cartridge, along a tip-end surface of the flavor cartridge, along an inner surface of the outer housing, or along both the tip-end surface of the flavor cartridge and the inner surface of the outer housing.

18 . The flavor cartridge of claim 13 , wherein the one or more instances of electrically conductive material include conductive ink.

Assignees

• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• Bache Terry
• Newcomb Ryan
• Hawes Eric A
• Kirzhner Dmitriy
• Lau Raymond
• CRAWFORD Danielle
• Williams Dwight D
• Rabbitt William Eugene
• Stevens Carl Roy

Classifications

• A24F40/60

  Devices with integrated user interfaces · CPC title

• A24F40/53

  Monitoring, e.g. fault detection · CPC title

• A24F40/485

  Valves; Apertures · CPC title

• A24F40/42 Primary

  Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors · CPC title

• A24F40/30

  Devices using two or more structurally separated inhalable precursors, e.g. using two liquid precursors in two cartridges · CPC title