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EP-4740766-A2 - AEROSOL DELIVERY DEVICE WITH SEGMENTED ELECTRICAL HEATER

EP4740766A2EP 4740766 A2EP4740766 A2EP 4740766A2EP-4740766-A2

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an aerosol delivery device. In various implementations, the aerosol delivery device comprises a control body having an outer housing, an electrical energy source located within the housing, a control component operatively connected to the electrical energy source, a heating assembly operatively connected to the control component, and an aerosol source member that includes an aerosol generating component configured to be positioned proximate the heating assembly. The heating assembly comprises a series of heating members, and each heating member is independent and distinct and configured to heat a segment of the aerosol source member.

Inventors

  • HEJAZI, VAHID
  • SUR, Rajesh

Assignees

  • RAI Strategic Holdings, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20190822

Claims (15)

  1. An aerosol delivery device, comprising: a control body having an outer housing; an electrical energy source located within the housing; a control component operatively connected to the electrical energy source; a heating assembly operatively connected to the control component; and an aerosol source member that includes an aerosol generating component configured to be positioned proximate the heating assembly, wherein the heating assembly comprises a series of fixed heating elements that are located adjacent the aerosol source member, and wherein each heating element is independent and distinct and configured to heat a segment of the aerosol source member, and wherein the series of fixed heating elements are located adjacent the aerosol source member.
  2. The aerosol delivery device of Claim 1, wherein the aerosol source member comprises a removable cartridge and the aerosol generating component comprises a tobacco or tobacco-derived material.
  3. The aerosol delivery device of Claim 1, wherein the aerosol source member comprises a removable cartridge and the aerosol generating component comprises a liquid aerosol precursor composition.
  4. The aerosol delivery device of Claim 3, wherein the cartridge defines a series of atomizer chambers, and wherein a separate wick extends through each atomizer chamber.
  5. The aerosol delivery device of Claim 4, wherein each of the fixed heating elements is configured to be located proximate a corresponding atomizer chamber.
  6. The aerosol delivery device of Claim 1, wherein the heating elements are configured to be independently controllable.
  7. The aerosol delivery device of Claim 1, wherein the heating assembly comprises a moveable jaw and a stationary jaw, wherein the heating members are located on the moveable jaw, and wherein the moveable jaw is configured to move between an open position, in which the moveable jaw is spaced from the stationary jaw, and a closed position, in which the movable jaw is adjacent the stationary jaw.
  8. The aerosol delivery device of Claim 7, wherein the moveable jaw is configured to be automatically moveable.
  9. The aerosol delivery device of Claim 7, wherein the moveable jaw is configured to be manually moveable.
  10. An aerosol delivery device, comprising: a control body having an outer housing; an electrical energy source located within the housing; a control component operatively connected to the electrical energy source; a heating assembly operatively connected to the control component; and an aerosol source member that includes an aerosol generating component configured to be positioned proximate the heating assembly, wherein the heating assembly comprises a series of individual heating elements, wherein each heating element is independent and distinct and configured to heat a segment of the aerosol source member, wherein the heating assembly comprises two or more moveable jaws, wherein one or more of the elements is located on each moveable jaw, and wherein the moveable jaws are configured to move between an open position, in which the moveable jaws are spaced from each other, and a closed position, in which the moveable jaws are adjacent each other.
  11. The aerosol delivery device of Claim 10, wherein the heating assembly comprises three moveable jaws, and wherein the heating elements of each moveable jaw have a staggered configuration with respect to another moveable jaw.
  12. The aerosol delivery device of Claim 10, wherein the heating elements are configured, in the closed position, to extend into the aerosol source member.
  13. The aerosol delivery device of Claim 10, wherein the moveable jaws are configured to be automatically moveable.
  14. The aerosol delivery device of Claim 10, wherein the moveable jaws are configured to be manually moveable.
  15. The aerosol delivery device of Claim 10, wherein in the open position the heating elements are not in contact with the aerosol source member, and in the closed position the series of heating elements of the respective moveable jaws are in contact with the aerosol source member

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery articles and uses thereof for yielding tobacco components or other materials in an inhalable form. The articles may be made or derived from tobacco or otherwise incorporate tobacco for human consumption. More particularly, the disclosure provides aerosol delivery devices wherein tobacco, a tobacco derived material, or other material is heated, preferably without significant combustion, to provide an inhalable substance, the substance, in the various implementations, being in a vapor or aerosol form. The present disclosure also relates to aerosol delivery devices that include a reservoir and a vaporizing assembly, which may utilize electrical power to heat an aerosol precursor composition for the production of an aerosol. BACKGROUND Many smoking articles have been proposed through the years as improvements upon, or alternatives to, smoking products based upon combusting tobacco. Example alternatives have included devices wherein a solid or liquid fuel is combusted to transfer heat to tobacco or wherein a chemical reaction is used to provide such heat source. Examples include the smoking articles described in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The point of the improvements or alternatives to smoking articles typically has been to provide the sensations associated with cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking, without delivering considerable quantities of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products. To this end, there have been proposed numerous smoking products, flavor generators, and medicinal inhalers which utilize electrical energy to vaporize or heat a volatile material, or attempt to provide the sensations of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking without burning tobacco to a significant degree. See, for example, the various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and heat generating sources set forth in the background art described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al.; and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2013/0255702 to Griffith, Jr. et al.; and 2014/0096781 to Sears et al., which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. See also, for example, the various types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electrically powered heat generating sources referenced by brand name and commercial source in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0220232 to Bless et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Additional types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and electrically powered heat generating sources referenced by brand name and commercial source are listed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0245659 to DePiano et al., which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other representative cigarettes or smoking articles that have been described and, in some instances, been made commercially available include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875 to Brooks et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,594 to Counts et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,977 to Higgins et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,287 to White; U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,218 to Voges; U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,883 to Felter et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,461 to Nichols; U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,410 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi; U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,006 to Hamano; U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,756 to Shayan; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2009/0095311 to Hon; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2006/0196518, 2009/0126745, and 2009/0188490 to Hon; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2009/0272379 to Thorens et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2009/0260641 and 2009/0260642 to Monsees et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2008/0149118 and 2010/0024834 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0307518 to Wang; and WO 2010/091593 to Hon, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Representative products that resemble many of the attributes of traditional types of cigarettes, cigars or pipes have been marketed as ACCORD® by Philip Morris Incorporated; ALPHA™, JOYE 510™ and M4™ by InnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS™ and FLING™ by White Cloud Cigarettes; BLU™ by Fontem Ventures B.V.; COHITA™, COLIBRI™, ELITE CLASSIC™, MAGNUM™, PHANTOM™ and SENSE™ by EPUFFER® International Inc.; DUOPRO™, STORM™ and VAPORKING® by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc.; EGAR™ by Egar Australia; eGo-C™ and eGo-T™ by Joyetech; ELUSION™ by Elusion UK Ltd; EONSMOKE® by Eonsmoke LLC; FIN™ by FIN Branding Group, LLC; SMOKE® by Green Smoke Inc. USA; GREENARETTE™ by Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN™, HENDU™, JET™, MAXXQ™, PINK™ and PITBULL™ by SMOKE STIK®; HEATBAR™ by Philip Morris International, Inc.; HYDRO IMPERIAL™ and LXE™ from Crown7; LOGIC™ and THE CUBAN™ by LOGIC Technology; LUCI® by Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO® by Nicotek,