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EP-4498847-B1 - AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE FOR USE WITH AN AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE

EP4498847B1EP 4498847 B1EP4498847 B1EP 4498847B1EP-4498847-B1

Inventors

  • RUSCIO, DANI
  • BAUDET, LARRY SACHA

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230330

Claims (15)

  1. An aerosol-generating device for use with an aerosol-generating article (170), the device comprising a chamber (110) within a device housing (103) for removably receiving at least a portion of the aerosol-generating article (170), the chamber (110) having a chamber inner surface (113) and a proximal open end for insertion of the article (170) into the chamber (110), the device further comprising an insert sleeve (130) separate from the device housing (103), the insert sleeve (130) comprising opposite open ends and being fixedly arranged in the device such that the insert sleeve (130) is non-displaceable in the device and such that at least a portion of the insert sleeve (130) extends along at least a proximal portion (111) of the chamber inner surface (113), wherein the insert sleeve (130) comprises a sleeve outer surface (136) and a sleeve inner surface (134), wherein in a contact portion (135) of the insert sleeve (130) the sleeve inner surface (134) is configured to come into circumferentially closed contact with a circumference of the aerosol-generating article (170) when received in the chamber (110), and wherein at least a proximal portion (181) of an airflow path (180) through the device extends along the sleeve outer surface (136).
  2. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the proximal portion (181) of the airflow path (180) is formed at least partially between the sleeve outer surface (136) and the chamber inner surface (113).
  3. The aerosol-generating device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insert sleeve (130) comprises a plurality of airflow channels (132) arranged along a circumference of the sleeve outer surface (136), the airflow channels (132) forming part of the proximal portion (181) of the airflow path (180).
  4. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 3, wherein the airflow channels (132) are formed between adjacent ridges (137) arranged spaced from each other along the circumference of the insert sleeve (130), the ridges (137) preferably being in contact with the chamber inner surface (113).
  5. The aerosol-generating device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insert sleeve (130) comprises an intake portion (133) at a proximal end of the insert sleeve (130), the intake portion (133) preferably comprising one or more air inlets for air to enter the proximal portion (181) of the airflow path (180) along the sleeve outer surface (136), in particular to enter the airflow channels (132) on the sleeve outer surface (136).
  6. The aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the airflow channels (132) end in the proximal direction distal of a proximal edge of the insert sleeve (130), thus being accessible, in particular from the outside of the insert sleeve (130), in a radially inward direction, in particular only in a radially inward direction with respect to the length extension of the insert sleeve (130).
  7. The aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the airflow channels (132) extend in the proximal direction to a proximal edge of the insert sleeve (130), thus being accessible from the outside of the insert sleeve (130) in at least one of the distal direction and a radially inward direction with respect to the length extension of the insert sleeve (130).
  8. The aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the insert sleeve (130) comprises one or more through holes, in particular in the intake portion (133), the through holes allowing air to enter the proximal portion (181) of the airflow path (180), in particular to enter the airflow channels (132), from the inside of the insert sleeve (130), in particular from the inside of the intake portion (133).
  9. The aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the insert sleeve (130) comprises one or more axial recesses in a proximal edge of the insert sleeve (130), the recesses allowing air to enter the proximal portion (181) of the airflow path (180), in particular to enter the airflow channels (132), from the inside of the insert sleeve (130), in particular from the inside of the intake portion (133).
  10. The aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the insert sleeve (130) comprises a circumferential collar at the proximal end of the insert sleeve (130).
  11. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 10, wherein the circumferential collar provides a closing-off of the airflow channels (132) in the proximal direction.
  12. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the collar is a turned-over collar comprising a turned-over collar portion surrounding the intake portion (133) spaced from the sleeve outer surface (136) in the intake portion (133).
  13. The aerosol-generating device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insert sleeve (130) comprises a non-contact portion arranged distal to the contact portion (135), wherein an inner cross-sectional area of the insert sleeve (130) in the non-contact portion is larger than an inner cross-sectional area of the insert sleeve (130) in the contact portion (135).
  14. The aerosol-generating device according to the preceding claim 13, wherein the insert sleeve (130) comprises a distal sleeve portion (860) arranged distal to the non-contact portion, wherein the sleeve inner surface (134) in the distal sleeve portion (860) is configured to come into contact with a circumference of the aerosol-generating article (170), in particular with a circumference of a distal end portion of the aerosol-generating article (170), when received in the chamber (110),
  15. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 14, wherein the insert sleeve (130) comprises a first sleeve segment (856) comprising the contact portion (135), a second sleeve segment (857) comprising the non-contact portion and a third sleeve segment (858) comprising the distal sleeve portion (860), wherein the first sleeve segment (856), the second sleeve segment (857) and the third sleeve segment (858) are parts separate from each other.

Description

The present invention relates to an aerosol-generating device configured for use with an aerosol-generating article to generate an inhalable aerosol by heating an aerosol-forming substrate contained within the article. The invention further relates to an aerosol-generating system comprising such a device and such an article. Aerosol-generating devices for use with aerosol-generating articles containing heatable aerosol-forming substrates are generally known from prior art. Such devices may comprise a receiving chamber with an insertion opening for receiving at least a portion of the article. In addition, such devices may comprise a heater, for example a resistive or an inductive heater, for heating the substrate when the article is received within the chamber. The device may be configured such that in use volatile compounds released from the heated substrate are entrained into a user generated airflow through the device to form an aerosol which may be drawn out, for example, through a mouthpiece. The receiving chamber may be configured such that a portion of the airflow path through the device extends from the insertion opening along the inner surface of the chamber towards the other end of the chamber opposite the insertion opening, where the airflow enters the article at the article distal end and further passes towards the article proximal end. In particular, the airflow path may extend along a passage formed between the inner surface of the chamber and the outer surface of the article when received in the chamber. CN 110 051 036 A discloses an electronic cigarette. The cigarette comprises a casing and a cigarette storage tube in the casing and an ejector mechanism for ejecting the cigarette storage tube from the casing and an unlocking unit controlling whether the ejector mechanism ejects the cigarette storage tube, and the unlocking unit is in transmission connection with the cigarette storage tube through the ejector mechanism. The cigarette can eject and clean the cigarette storage tube, conveniently clean the cigarette storage tube, and can perform sufficient uniform heating and atomization on a cigarette tobacco portion, the temperature is low, the heat insulation structure is simple, a local burning tobacco portion or the phenomenon of scalding an oral cavity does not appear, the speed of smoking is fast, the amount of smoke and the temperature of the smoke are stable, the cigarette does not burn hands after long time use, and the user experience is good. WO 2021/130189 A1 discloses an aerosol-generating device configured to receive an aerosol-generating article. The aerosol-generating device has a distal end and a mouth end, and comprises a housing and a heater for heating the aerosol generating article when the aerosol-generating article is received within the device cavity. The housing comprises a peripheral wall. The peripheral wall defines a device cavity for removably receiving the aerosol-generating article at the mouth end of the device. The housing also comprises a ventilation chamber. The ventilation chamber is defined within the peripheral wall. The ventilation chamber is configured to be in fluid communication with the exterior of the aerosol-generating device and the aerosol-generating article received within the device cavity. The ventilation chamber is configured to be in fluid communication with the exterior of the aerosol-generating device through a chamber inlet defined in the housing. The chamber inlet has a cross-sectional area that is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the ventilation chamber. The chamber inlet extends between the ventilation chamber and the mouth end of the aerosol-generating device. The length of the ventilation chamber is less than or equal to about 8 mm. CN 107 205 494 A discloses an elongated aerosol-generating device that is capable of receiving an aerosol-generating article and comprises a heater for heating the aerosol-generating article and an extractor for extracting an aerosol-forming article received in the aerosol-generating device. The heater extends longitudinally with respect to the elongated aerosol-generating device and is configured for penetrating an internal portion of the aerosol-generating article. The extractor is movably coupled to the aerosol-generating device between a first position and a second position, the first position being an operating position defined by the heater being in contact with the aerosol-generating article, and the second position being an extraction position defined by the heater being separated from aerosol-generating article. While such an airflow path has several advantages, for example, preconditioning of the incoming air before mixing with the volatilized substrate, the airflow can suffer pressure drops as it passes along the outer surface of the article. The pressure drops, in turn, can influence the resistance to draw (RTD) of the system. Therefore, it would be desirable to have an aerosol-generating d