US-12616805-B2 - Non-combustible aerosol delivery system, filter unit and assembly

US12616805B2US 12616805 B2US12616805 B2US 12616805B2US-12616805-B2

Abstract

There is provided a non-combustible aerosol delivery system for filtering exhaled breath, the aerosol delivery system including a power source; a mouthpiece; a removable filter unit; wherein in a first configuration, the filter unit is present and is in engagement with the non-combustible aerosol delivery system to provide an inhalate airflow path, adapted to convey vapor generated by the non-combustible aerosol delivery system to the user during an inhalation, and an exhalate airflow path, adapted to convey breath from the user during an exhalation into the non-combustible aerosol delivery system to the filter unit; wherein in a second configuration, the filter unit is not in engagement with the non-combustible aerosol delivery system.

Inventors

Hripsime Gasparyan
Simon James Copley
Daniel Thomas Ahearn
Francesca Alys STEPHENS

Assignees

Nicoventures Trading Limited

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20210616
Priority Date: 20200617

Claims (17)

1 . A non-combustible aerosol delivery system for filtering exhaled breath, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system comprising: a power source; a mouthpiece; and a removable filter unit, wherein: in a first configuration, the removable filter unit is present and is in engagement with the non-combustible aerosol delivery system to provide: an inhalate airflow path adapted to convey vapor generated by the non-combustible aerosol delivery system to a user during an inhalation, and an exhalate airflow path adapted to convey breath from the user during an exhalation into the non-combustible aerosol delivery system to the removable filter unit, and in a second configuration, the removable filter unit is not in engagement with the non-combustible aerosol delivery system, wherein the mouthpiece comprises a diverter assembly, wherein the diverter assembly comprises a multi-flap valve, and wherein the flaps of the multi-flap valve have a thickness of no greater than 0.7 mm.
2 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 1 , wherein in the first configuration the removable filter unit is disposed between the mouthpiece and the power source of the non-combustible aerosol delivery system.
3 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 1 , further comprising a unit containing a vapor-forming material.
4 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 3 , wherein the vapor-forming material comprises a plant material.
5 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 3 , wherein the vapor-forming material is a liquid.
6 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the inhalate airflow path and the exhalate airflow path are entirely distinct from each other.
7 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the mouthpiece forms both a portion of the inhalate airflow path and a portion of the exhalate airflow path, and is configured to move between an inhalation position and an exhalation position, wherein in the inhalation position the mouthpiece is in fluid communication with a remainder of the inhalate airflow path and is not in fluid communication with a remainder of the exhalate airflow path, and wherein in the exhalation position the mouthpiece is not in fluid communication with the remainder of the inhalate airflow path and is in fluid communication with the remainder of the exhalate airflow path.
8 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 7 , wherein: the mouthpiece is hinged so as to rotate between the inhalation position and the exhalation position, or the mouthpiece is rotatable to move between the inhalation position and the exhalation position.
9 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 7 , wherein the mouthpiece has an inlet port which, in the inhalation position, is in fluid communication with the remainder of the inhalate airflow path and is not in fluid communication with the remainder of the exhalate airflow path, and an outlet port which, in the exhalation position, is not in fluid communication with the remainder of the inhalate airflow path and is in fluid communication with the remainder of the exhalate airflow path.
10 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 9 , wherein: the inlet port and the outlet port are the same, or the inlet port and the outlet port are distinct from each other.
11 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the removable filter unit contains at least one filter comprising glass fiber, polypropylene, or combinations of glass fiber and polypropylene thereof.
12 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the removable filter unit further comprises a separator for separating aerosol droplets from vapor.
13 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the removable filter unit comprises at least one deodorizing filter.
14 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an electronic cigarette.
15 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an aerosol generating material heating system.
16 . The non-combustible aerosol delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the non-combustible aerosol provision system generates aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, and wherein at least one of the aerosol-generating materials is heated.
17 . A mouthpiece for use in a non-combustible aerosol delivery system for filtering exhaled breath, wherein, in use, in a first configuration, the mouthpiece is in fluid communication with a filter of the non-combustible aerosol delivery system to provide: an inhalate airflow path adapted to convey vapor generated by the non-combustible aerosol delivery system through the mouthpiece to a user during an inhalation, and an exhalate airflow path adapted to convey breath from the user during an exhalation through the mouthpiece to the filter unit; wherein, in use, in a second configuration, the mouthpiece is not in fluid communication with the filter of the non-combustible aerosol delivery system, wherein the mouthpiece comprises a diverter assembly, wherein the diverter assembly comprises a multi-flap valve, and wherein the flaps of the multi-flap valve have a thickness of no greater than 0.7 mm.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a National Phase entry of PCT Application No. PCT/GB2021/051532, filed Jun. 16, 2021, which claims priority from Great Britain Application No. 2009252.4, filed Jun. 17, 2020, each of which is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a non-combustible aerosol delivery system, a filter unit for engagement with a non-combustible aerosol delivery system and an assembly comprising a filter unit and a unit containing a vapor forming material. BACKGROUND The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure. Non-combustible aerosol delivery system including systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are known. Some such systems contain a reservoir of a source liquid containing a formulation, typically including an active material such as nicotine, from which an aerosol is generated, e.g. through vaporization. An aerosol source for an aerosol delivery device may thus comprise an aerosol generating component such as a heater having a heating element arranged to receive source liquid from the reservoir, for example through wicking/capillary action. Other source materials may be similarly heated to create an aerosol, such as botanical matter, or a gel comprising an active ingredient and/or flavoring. Hence more generally, the e-cigarette may be thought of as comprising or receiving a payload for heat vaporization. Other systems may provide aerosols from substances which may comprise one or more active constituents, one or more flavors, one or more aerosol-former materials, and/or one or more other functional materials. While, or before, a user inhales on the device, electrical power is supplied to the heating element to vaporize a portion of aerosolizable material in the vicinity of the heating element, to generate an aerosol for inhalation by the user. Such devices are usually provided with one or more air inlet holes located away from a mouthpiece end of the system. When a user sucks on a mouthpiece connected to the mouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn in through the inlet holes and past the aerosol generating component. There is a flow path connecting between the aerosol generating component and an opening in the mouthpiece so that air drawn past the aerosol source continues along the flow path to the mouthpiece opening, carrying some of the aerosol generated by the aerosol generating component with it. The aerosol-carrying air exits the aerosol delivery device through the mouthpiece opening for inhalation by the user. In conventional systems the smoking process concludes with this aerosol-delivery stage. As of 2019 there was an estimated 3.6 million e-cigarette users in Great Britain alone (7.1% of the population). SUMMARY Improvements to this smoking process are disclosed herein. In a first aspect of the disclosure there is provided a non-combustible aerosol delivery system for filtering exhaled breath, the aerosol delivery system comprising: a power source; a mouthpiece; a removable filter unit; wherein in a first configuration, the filter unit is present and is in engagement with the non-combustible aerosol delivery system to provide an inhalate airflow path, adapted to convey vapor generated by the non-combustible aerosol delivery system to the user during an inhalation, and an exhalate airflow path, adapted to convey breath from the user during an exhalation into the non-combustible aerosol delivery system to the filter unit; wherein in a second configuration, the filter unit is not in engagement with the non-combustible aerosol delivery system. In a second aspect of the disclosure there is provided a mouthpiece for use in a non-combustible aerosol delivery system for filtering exhaled breath, wherein, in use, in a first configuration, the mouthpiece is in fluid communication with a filter of the non-combustible aerosol delivery system to provide an inhalate airflow path, adapted to convey vapor generated by the non-combustible aerosol delivery system through the mouthpiece to the user during an inhalation, and an exhalate airflow path, adapted to convey breath from the user during an exhalation through the mouthpiece to the filter unit; wherein, in use, in a second configuration, the mouthpiece is not in fluid communication with a filter of the non-combustible aerosol delivery system. The presently disclosed system enables a user to inhale an aerosol from the aerosol delivery system and then exhale through the system. In the present disclosure, the system may process the exhalate in the filter unit by filtering it. The sys