Electronic vaping article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9326547-B2
Application number	US-201313741254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2013
Priority date	Jan 31, 2012
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

An electronic smoking article includes an outer tube extending in a longitudinal direction, an inner tube within the outer tube and including a pair of opposing slots, a liquid supply comprising a liquid material, a coil heater, a wick and a mouth end insert. The coil heater is located in the inner tube. The coil heater is formed of an iron-free, nickel-chromium alloy and has substantially uniformly spaced windings. The wick is surrounded by the coil heater such that the wick delivers liquid material to the coil heater and the coil heater heats the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol in the inner tube.

First claim

We claim:

1. An electronic vaping article comprising:
an outer tube extending in a longitudinal direction;
an inner tube within the outer tube, the inner tube including a pair of opposing slots;
a liquid supply comprising a liquid material, the liquid supply contained in an outer annulus between the outer tube and the inner tube;
a coil heater located in the inner tube, end portions of the coil heater extending through the opposing slots in the inner tube, the coil heater being formed of an iron-free alloy and having substantially uniformly spaced windings in an essentially unbowed condition;
a wick in communication with the liquid supply and surrounded by the coil heater such that the wick delivers the liquid material to the coil heater and the coil heater heats the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form a vapor in the inner tube; and
a mouth-end insert at a mouth-end of the outer tube.

2. The electronic vaping article of claim 1 , wherein each of the opposing slots has dimensions sufficient to provide clearance between inner peripheries of the slots and the coil heater.

3. The electronic vaping article of claim 2 , wherein the inner tube has a diameter of about 4 mm and each of the opposing slots has major and minor dimensions of about 2 mm by about 4 mm.

4. The electronic vaping article of claim 1 , wherein the electronic vaping article comprises a first section attachable to a second section and wherein the wick, the liquid supply and the mouth-end insert are contained in the first section and a power supply connectable to leads of the coil heater and operable to apply a voltage across the coil heater is contained in the second section.

5. The electronic vaping article of claim 1 , further including a closure ring including an edge at an upstream end thereof, the closure ring being positioned such that the edge is proximate to portions of the wick outside the inner tube, the closure ring being operable to close portions of the opposing slots in the inner tube.

6. The electronic vaping article of claim 5 , wherein said closure ring is positioned relative to the portions of the wick and the coil heater remains essentially in an unbowed condition.

7. The electronic vaping article of claim 5 , wherein the inner tube and the closure ring are each formed of woven fiberglass material.

8. The electronic vaping article of claim 1 , wherein the electronic vaping article comprises a single outer tube and wherein the wick, the liquid supply, the mouth-end insert and a power supply connected to the coil heater and operable to apply a voltage across the coil heater are contained in the outer tube.

9. The electronic vaping article of claim 1 , wherein the coil heater comprises 3 to 8 uniformly spaced windings.

10. The electronic vaping article of claim 1 , wherein the iron-free alloy is a chromium alloy.

11. The electronic vaping article of claim 1 , wherein the iron-free alloy is a nickel chromium alloy.

12. An electronic vaping article comprising:
an outer tube extending in a longitudinal direction;
an inner tube within the outer tube, the inner tube including a pair of opposing slots;
a liquid supply comprising a liquid material, the liquid supply contained in an outer annulus between the outer tube and the inner tube;
a coil heater located in the inner tube, end portions of the coil heater extending through the opposing slots in the inner tube, the coil heater being formed of an iron-free alloy and having substantially uniformly spaced windings in an essentially unbowed condition;
a wick in communication with the liquid supply and surrounded by the coil heater such that the wick delivers the liquid material to the coil heater and the coil heater heats the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form a vapor in the inner tube;
a mouth-end insert at a mouth-end of the outer tube;
a closure ring including an edge at an upstream end thereof, the closure ring being positioned such that the edge is proximate to portions of the wick outside the inner tube, the closure ring being operable to close portions of the opposing slots in the inner tube,
wherein said closure ring is positioned relative to the portions of the wick and the coil heater remains essentially in an unbowed condition, and
wherein each of the opposing slots has dimensions sufficient to provide clearance between inner peripheries of the slots and the coil heater.

Assignees

• Altria Client Services Inc
• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• Tucker Christopher S
• Jordan Geoffrey Brandon
• Smith Barry S
• Rostami Ali A
• Mullins Michael J

Classifications

• F04C2270/0421

  Controlled or regulated · CPC title

• H05B3/42

  non-flexible · CPC title

• A61M2016/0018

  electrical · CPC title

• H05B3/0014

  Devices wherein the heating current flows through particular resistances · CPC title

• A61M15/002

  with air flow regulating means · CPC title