RU2822186C2 - Aerosol delivery device with conductive inserts - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: aerosol delivery devices.

SUBSTANCE: aerosol delivery device comprises an aerosol source element that defines an outer surface and an inner region and includes a substrate material having an aerosol precursor composition associated therewith, a control housing having a housing that is configured to receive the element in the form of an aerosol source, and a source of electricity.

EFFECT: heating assembly includes a plurality of protrusions that can be articulated between a retracted position in which the plurality of protrusions is not in contact with the element in the form of an aerosol source and a heating position in which the plurality of sharp protrusions pierces the outer surface of the substrate material and part of its inner area.

15 cl, 8 dwg

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to aerosol delivery products and their use for producing tobacco components or other materials in an inhalable form. More specifically, the present invention relates to an aerosol delivery device that uses electrically generated heat to heat tobacco or non-tobacco material, preferably without significant combustion, to provide a respirable substance in aerosol form for human consumption.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

Over the years, many smoking products have been proposed as an improvement or alternative to smoking products based on combustion of tobacco. Typical alternatives include devices that burn solid or liquid fuel to transfer heat to the tobacco, or that use a chemical reaction to provide such a heat source. Examples include smoking articles described in US Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The rationale for improvements or alternatives to smoking products has generally been to provide the experience associated with smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes, but without delivering significant amounts of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products.

To this end, a variety of smoking products, flavor generators and medicinal inhalers have been proposed that use electrical energy to vaporize or heat volatile material or attempt to provide the sensation of smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes without substantially burning the tobacco. See, for example, various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and heat generating sources disclosed in the prior art as described in US Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al. and US Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0255702 by Griffith Jr. et al. and No. 2014/0096781 by Sears et al., which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Also see, for example, the various types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electrically powered heat generating sources referenced by trademark and trade information in US Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0220232 by 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 are referenced by trademark and commercial reference in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0245659 by DePiano et al., which is also incorporated in its entirety. this document by reference. Other representative cigarettes or smoking articles that have been described and, in some cases, made commercially available include those described in US Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; US patents No. 4,922,901, No. 4,947,874 and No. 4,947,875 by Brooks et al.; US Patent No. 5,060,671 by Counts et al.; US Patent No. 5,249,586 by Morgan et al.; US Patent No. 5,388,594 by Counts et al.; US Patent No. 5,666,977 by Higgins et al.; US Patent No. 6,053,176 by Adams et al.; US Patent No. 6,164,287 by White; US Patent No. 6,196,218 by Voges; US Patent No. 6,810,883 by Felter et al.; US Patent No. 6,854,461 by Nickols; US Patent No. 7,832,410 by Hon. US Patent No. 7,513,253 by Kobayashi; US Patent No. 7,726,320 by Robinson et al.; US Patent No. 7,896,006 by Hamano; US Patent No. 6,772,756 by Shayan; publication of US patent application No. 2009/0095311 by Hon; publications of US patent applications No. 2006/0196518, 2009/0126745 and 2009/0188490 by Hon; in US Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0272379 by Thorens et al.; in US Patent Application Publications No. 2009/0260641 and 2009/0260642 by Monsees et al.; in US Patent Application Publications No. 2008/0149118 and 2010/0024834 by Oglesby et al.; in US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0307518 by Wang; in PCT publication patent application WO 2010/091593 by Hon, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Representative products that are similar in many attributes to traditional types of cigarettes, cigars or smoking pipes are commercially available as ACCORD®, manufactured by Philip Morris Incorporated; ALPHA™, JOYE 510™ and M4™ manufactured by InnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS™ and FLING™, manufactured by White Cloud Cigarettes; BLU™, manufactured by Fontem Ventures B.V.; COHITA™, COLIBRI™, ELITE CLASSIC™, MAGNUM™, PHANTOM™ and SENSE™ manufactured by EPUFFER® International Inc.; DUOPRO™, STORM™ and VAPORKING® manufactured by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc.; EGAR™, manufactured by Egar Australia; eGo-C™ and eGo-T™ manufactured by Joyetech; ELUSION™, manufactured by Elusion UK Ltd; EONSMOKE®, manufactured by Eonsmoke LLC; FIN™TM, manufactured by FIN Branding Group, LLC; SMOKE® manufactured by Green Smoke Inc. USA; GREENARETTE™, manufactured by Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN™, HENDU™, JET™, MAXXQ™, PINK™ and PITBULL™ manufactured by Smoke Stik®; HEATBAR™ manufactured by Philip Morris International, Inc.; HYDRO IMPERIAL™ and LXE™, manufactured by Crown7; LOGIC™ and THE CUBAN™, manufactured by LOGIC Technology; LUCI®, manufactured by Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO®, manufactured by Nicotek, LLC; NJOY® and ONEJOY™ manufactured by Sottera, Inc.; NO. 7™ manufactured by SS Choice LLC; PREMIUM ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE™ manufactured by PremiumEstore LLC; RAPP E-MYSTICK™ manufactured by Ruyan America, Inc.; RED DRAGON™, manufactured by Red Dragon Products, LLC; RUYAN®, manufactured by Ruyan Group (Holdings) Ltd.; SF® manufactured by Smoker Friendly International, LLC; GREEN SMART SMOKER®, manufactured by The Smart Smoking Electronic Cigarette Company Ltd.; SMOKE ASSIST®, manufactured by Coastline Products LLC; SMOKING EVERYWHERE®, manufactured by Smoking Everywhere, Inc.; V2CIGS™ manufactured by VMR Products LLC; VAPOR NINE™, manufactured by VaporNine LLC; VAP0R4LIFE®, manufactured by Vapor 4 Life, Inc.; VEPPO™, manufactured by E-CigaretteDirect, LLC; VUSE®, manufactured by R. J. Reynolds Vapor Company; Mistic Menthol products manufactured by Mistic Ecigs; and the Vype product, manufactured by CN Creative Ltd.; IQOS™, manufactured by Philip Morris International and GLO™, manufactured by British American Tobacco. Still other electrical aerosol delivery devices, and in particular devices that have been characterized as so-called electronic cigarettes, have been marketed under the brand names COOLER VISIONS™; DIRECT E-CIG™; DRAGONFLY™; EMIST™; EVERSMAKE™; GAMUCCI®; HYBRID FLAME™; KNIGHT STICKS™; ROYAL BLUES™; SMOKETIP® and SOUTH BEACH SMOKE™.

Products that produce the taste and sensation of smoking by electrically heating tobacco, tobacco-derived materials, or other plant-derived materials have inadequate performance characteristics. For example, some products have an inappropriate release of fragrances or other respirable materials. Accordingly, it may be advantageous to provide a smoking article that can provide the smoking experience of cigarettes, cigars, or pipes without significant combustion of the support material, without the need for combustion of a heat source, and at the expense of increased performance.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In various embodiments, the present invention provides an aerosol delivery device. The present invention includes, without limitation, the following example implementations.

Implementation Example 1: An aerosol delivery device comprising an aerosol source element that defines an outer surface and an internal region and includes a support material having an aerosol precursor composition associated therewith, a control housing having a housing that is configured to receive the element into form of an aerosol source, an electrical power source coupled to the housing, and a heating assembly operatively coupled to the electrical power source, the heating assembly including a plurality of sharp projections that are articulated between a retracted position in which the plurality of sharp projections are not in contact with an aerosol source element, and a heating position in which a plurality of sharp projections pierce the outer surface of the support material and a portion of its interior region.

Implementation Example 2: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the outer surface of the support material includes a plurality of spaced apart conductive strips.

Implementation Example 3: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein each of the spaced apart conductive strips surrounds the entire outer surface of the substrate material.

Implementation Example 4: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein each of the spaced apart conductive strips extends around a limited portion of the outer surface of the support material and may define a first end and a second end.

Implementation Example 5: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein in the heating position, respective sharp projections of a plurality of thermally conductive sharp projections contact the first and second ends of spaced apart conductive strips.

Implementation Example 6: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the plurality of sharp projections comprises a heating element of the heating assembly.

Implementation Example 7: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein a plurality of spaced apart conductive strips comprises a heating element of the heating assembly.

Implementation Example 8: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the aerosol source element also comprises a second support material that defines an outer surface and an internal region, the second support material substantially surrounding the first material substrates.

Implementation Example 9: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the outer surface of the first support material includes a plurality of spaced apart conductive strips.

Implementation Example 10: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein each of the spaced apart conductive strips surrounds the entire outer surface of the substrate material.

Implementation Example 11: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein each of the spaced apart conductive strips extends around a portion of the outer surface of the support material and defines a first end and a second end.

Implementation Example 12: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein in the heating position, respective sharp projections of a plurality of sharp projections contact the first and second ends of spaced apart conductive strips.

Implementation Example 13: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the plurality of sharp projections comprises a heating element of the heating assembly.

Implementation Example 14: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein a plurality of spaced apart conductive strips comprises a heating element of the heating assembly.

Implementation Example 15: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the support material comprises at least one of tobacco material and tobacco-derived material.

Implementation Example 16: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the support material comprises a non-tobacco material.

Implementation Example 17: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the first support material comprises a first composition, the second support material contains a second composition, and the first composition is different from the second composition.

Implementation Example 18: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the support material comprises at least one of the following: pieces of tobacco material, balls of tobacco material, an extruded structure of tobacco material, a compressed sheet of tobacco material, and their combinations.

Implementation Example 19: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the first support material comprises at least one of the following: pieces of tobacco material, beads of tobacco material, an extruded structure of tobacco material, a compressed sheet of tobacco material and their combinations.

Implementation Example 20: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the second support material comprises at least one of the following: pieces of tobacco material, beads of tobacco material, an extruded structure of tobacco material, a compressed sheet of tobacco material and their combinations.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the disclosure of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having therefore described aspects of the present invention in the foregoing general terms, reference is made below to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, in which:

in FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an aerosol delivery device comprising a control body, an aerosol source element and a heating unit according to an example embodiment of the present invention;

in FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a portion of a heated end of an aerosol source element and a portion of a heating assembly according to an example embodiment of the present invention;

in FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of a heated end of an aerosol source element and a portion of a heating assembly according to an example embodiment of the present invention;

in FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of a heated end of an aerosol source element according to an example embodiment of the present invention;

in FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of a heated end of an aerosol source element and a portion of a heating assembly according to an example embodiment of the present invention;

in FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of a heated end of an aerosol source element and a portion of a heating assembly according to an example embodiment of the present invention;

in FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of a heated end of an aerosol source element and a portion of a heating assembly according to an example embodiment of the present invention;

in FIG. 8 is a schematic top view of a heated end of an aerosol source element and a portion of a heating assembly according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is described in more detail below with reference to examples of its implementations. These exemplary implementations are described in such a way that this disclosure is exhaustive and complete and fully conveys the scope of the invention to one skilled in the art. In fact, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments given herein; rather, these embodiments are provided to ensure that the present invention complies with applicable legal requirements. In this specification and in the accompanying claims, grammatical construction indicating that an element is in the singular also implies the plural unless the context of the invention clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, while reference may be made herein to quantities, values, geometric relationships or the like, unless otherwise indicated, any one or more, if not all of them, may be absolute or approximate to account for acceptable variations that may occur, for example, due to technical tolerances or the like.

As described below, example implementations of the disclosure of the present invention relate to aerosol delivery devices for use with aerosol source elements. Aerosol delivery devices according to the disclosure of the present invention use electrical energy to heat a material (preferably without burning the material to any significant extent) to produce an inhalable substance; and the components of such systems are in the form of products that are compact enough to be considered portable devices. In other words, the use of the components of the preferred aerosol delivery devices does not produce smoke in the sense that the aerosol arises primarily from by-products of combustion or pyrolysis of tobacco, but rather, the use of the preferred systems results in the formation of vapors generated by the evaporation or evaporation process of certain components included in them. In some exemplary embodiments, components of aerosol delivery devices may be characterized as electronic cigarettes, and said electronic cigarettes most preferably include tobacco and/or tobacco-derived components and thereby deliver tobacco-derived components in an aerosol form.

The aerosol-generating components of certain preferred aerosol delivery devices may provide a variety of sensations (eg, inhalation and exhalation rituals, types of tastes and aromas, sensory effects, physical sensation, usage rituals, visual cues such as those provided by a visible aerosol, and the like ) smoking a cigarette, cigar or pipe that involves lighting and burning tobacco (and then inhaling tobacco smoke) without any significant combustion of any of its components. For example, a user of an aerosol delivery device in accordance with some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may hold and use the component in the same manner as a smoker would use a traditional type of smoking article by inhaling through one end of said means to inhale the aerosol generated by the means, performing or performing puffs at selected intervals and the like.

While these systems are generally described herein in terms of embodiments associated with aerosol delivery devices such as so-called “electronic cigarettes” or “heating tobacco products,” it should be understood that the mechanisms, components, features, and methods may be implemented in many different forms and are associated with various products. For example, the disclosure herein may be used in conjunction with embodiments of traditional smoking products (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), heated but non-burning cigarettes, and associated with packaging for any of the products disclosed herein. this document. Accordingly, it should be understood that the descriptions of the mechanisms, components, features and methods disclosed herein are in terms of embodiments relating to aerosol delivery devices by way of example only and may be implemented and used in various other products and methods.

The proposed aerosol delivery devices can also be characterized as vapor-generating products or drug delivery products. Thus, such articles or devices may be adapted to deliver one or more substances (eg, flavoring agents and/or pharmaceutical active ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, inhaled substances may be essentially in the form of a vapor (eg, a substance that is in the gaseous phase at a temperature below its critical point). Alternatively, the inhaled substances may be in aerosol form (ie, a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas). For the sake of simplicity, as used herein, the term “aerosol” is intended to refer to vapors, gases and aerosols of a form or type suitable for human inhalation, whether or not visible and whether or not in a form that can be considered "smoke-like". The physical form of the respirable substance is not necessarily limited by the nature of the devices of the invention, but rather may depend on the nature of the substance and the respirable substance itself as to whether the substance is in a vapor state or an aerosol state. In some implementations, the terms may be used interchangeably. Thus, for simplicity, the terms used to describe aspects of this invention should be understood as interchangeable unless otherwise noted.

Aerosol delivery devices according to the disclosure of the present invention generally comprise a number of components located within an outer housing or shell, which may be referred to as a housing. The overall design of the outer housing or shell may vary, and the configuration and format of the outer housing, which may define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device, may also vary. Typically, an elongated cigarette- or cigar-shaped housing or a key fob-shaped housing may be formed from one single housing, or the housing may be formed from two or more separable housings. For example, an aerosol delivery device may comprise an oblong casing or body that may be substantially tubular in shape and thus resemble the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar. In another example, the aerosol delivery device may be box or key fob shaped. In one example, all components of the aerosol delivery device are located in a single housing. Alternatively, the aerosol delivery device may comprise two or more housings that are connected and removable. For example, an aerosol delivery device may have a control housing comprising a housing containing one or more reusable components (e.g., a battery such as a rechargeable battery and/or a rechargeable supercapacitor, and various electronic equipment for controlling the operation of the product) capable of being connected thereto. removing a disposable part (for example, an element in the form of an aerosol source containing a fragrance). More specific formats, configurations and arrangements of components located within single housing type units or within a releasably multi-part housing type unit will be apparent in light of the further disclosure of the invention presented below. In addition, the configuration of various aerosol delivery devices and the arrangement of components can be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

As will be described in more detail below, aerosol delivery devices according to the disclosure of the present invention may comprise some combination of a power source (e.g., an electrical power source), at least one control component (e.g., means for actuating, controlling, regulating, and stopping power for generating heat, for example, by controlling the flow of electrical current from a power source to other components of the device - for example, a microprocessor, separate or as part of a microcontroller), a heater or heat generating element (for example, an electrical resistive heating element or other component, and/or an inductive coil or other appropriate components and/or one or more radiant heating elements) and an aerosol source element that contains a support material capable of generating an aerosol when sufficient heat is applied. In various embodiments, the aerosol source element may include a mouthpiece end or tip configured to allow puffing through the aerosol delivery device to inhale the aerosol (e.g., providing a predetermined path for air flow through the device so that the generated aerosol can be discharged from it after tightening).

In various embodiments of the proposed aerosol delivery device, the alignment of the components may be different. In some embodiments, the aerosol source element substrate material may be positioned proximal to the heating element so as to enhance delivery of the aerosol to the user. However, other configurations are not excluded. In general, the heating element may be located sufficiently close to the support material such that heat from the heating element can vaporize the support material (and, in some embodiments, one or more flavorings, medications, and the like that may also be provided for delivery to the user), and form an aerosol for delivery to the user. When the heating element heats the substrate material, an aerosol is formed, released or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by the consumer. It should be noted that the above terms should be considered interchangeable, so that forms of the above term such as "release", "release", "releases" or "released" include forms such as "form" or "generate", "forming" or "generating", "forming" or "generating" and "formed" or "generated". In particular, the respirable substance is released as a vapor or aerosol or a mixture thereof, which conditions are also used interchangeably herein unless otherwise indicated.

As noted above, the aerosol delivery device of various embodiments may include a battery and/or other power source to supply sufficient electrical current to provide various functions of the aerosol delivery device, such as powering a heating element, powering control systems, powering indicators, and the like. As will be described in more detail below, the power source may have various embodiments. Preferably, the electrical power source may be configured to supply sufficient energy to quickly activate the heating element to form an aerosol and power the aerosol delivery device for use for the required period of time. The electrical power source is preferably sized to fit comfortably within the aerosol delivery device such that the aerosol delivery device can be conveniently operated.

In additional embodiments, the power source may also include a capacitor. Capacitors can discharge faster than batteries and can be charged between puffs, allowing the battery to discharge into the capacitor at a lower rate than if it were used to directly power the heating element. For example, a supercapacitor—such as an electrical double-layer capacitor (EDLC)—can be used alone or in combination with a battery. When used separately, the supercapacitor can be charged before each use of the device. Thus, the device may also include a charger component that can be attached to the smoking device between uses to replenish the supercapacitor.

Additional components may be used in the proposed aerosol delivery device. For example, an aerosol delivery device may include a flow sensor that is sensitive to either changes in pressure or changes in air flow when a user takes a puff through the device (eg, a puff actuated switch). Other possible current on/off mechanisms may include a temperature actuated on/off switch or a lip pressure actuated switch). An example of a mechanism that can provide such pinch actuation capability includes the Model 163PC01D36 silicon sensor manufactured by the MicroSwitch Division of Honeywell, Inc., Freeport, Illinois. Representative flow sensors, electrical current control components, and other electrical current control components, including various microcontrollers, sensors, and switches for aerosol delivery devices, are described in US Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; No. 4,922,901, No. 4,947,874 and No. 4,947,875 by Brooks et al.; No. 5,372,148 by McCafferty et al.; No. 6,040,560 by Fleischhauer et al.; No. 7,040,314 by Nguyen et al.; No. 8,205,622 by Pan, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Reference is also made to various control schemes described in US Patent No. 9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In another example, the personal vaporizer unit may include a first conductive surface configured to contact a first body portion of a user holding the personal vaporizer, and a second conductive surface electrically insulated from the first conductive surface configured to contact a second body portion of the user. Thus, when the personal vaporizer unit senses a change in conductivity between the first conductive surface and the second conductive surface, the vaporizer is activated to vaporize the substance so that the vapor can be inhaled by the user holding the unit. The first body part and the second body part may be a lip or parts of the arm(s). The two conductive surfaces can also be used to charge the battery contained in the personal vaporizer unit. The two conductive surfaces may also form or be part of a connector that may be used to output data stored in memory. Reference is also made to US Patent No. 9,861,773 to Terry et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In addition, US Pat. No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al. discloses indicators for smoking articles; US Patent No. 5,261,424 by Sprinkel Jr. discloses piezoelectric sensors that may be provided on the oral end of the device to detect the activity of the user's lips associated with the execution of a puff, followed by initiation of heating; US Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. discloses a tightening sensor for controlling the flow of energy in a thermal load array in response to the tightening resistance of a mouthpiece; US Pat. No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al. discloses receptacles in a smoking device that include an identifier that detects a discontinuity in the infrared transmittance value of an inserted component and a controller that executes a detection program when the component is inserted into the receptacle; US Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. describes a specific executable power cycle with multiple differential phases; US Patent No. 5,934,289 by Watkins et al discloses photonic-optocoupler components; U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al. discloses means for varying draw resistance through a smoking device; US Pat. No. 6,803,545 to Blake et al. discloses certain battery configurations for use in smoking devices; US Pat. No. 7,293,565 to Griffen et al. discloses various charging systems for use with smoking devices; U.S. Patent No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al discloses computer communications for smoking devices designed to facilitate charging and allow automated control of the device; US Pat. No. 8,689,804 to Fernando et al. discloses identification systems for smoking devices; and PCT patent application publication WO 2010/003480 by Flick discloses a fluid flow detection system indicating the presence of a puff in an aerosol generation system; and the contents of all of the above inventions are fully incorporated into this application by reference.

Further examples of components associated with electronic aerosol delivery products and disclosing materials and components that may be used in the present device are described in US Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; No. 5,249,586 by Morgan et al.; No. 5,666,977 by Higgins et al.; No. 6,053,176 by Adams et al.; No. 6,164,287 by White; No. 6,196,218 by Voges; No. 6,810,883 by Felter et al.; #6,854,461 by Nickols; No. 7,832,410 by Hon; #7,513,253 by Kobayashi; No. 7,896,006 by Hamano; No. 6,772,756 by Shayan; No. 8,156,944 and No. 8,375,957 by Hon; No. 8,794,231 by Thorens et al.; No. 8,851,083 by Oglesby et al.; No. 8,915,254 and 8,925,555 by Monsees et al.; No. 9,220,302 by DePiano et al.; publications of US patent applications No. 2006/0196518 and No. 2009/0188490 by Hon; publication of US patent application No. 2010/0024834 by Oglesby et al.; US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0307518 by Wang; PCT Patent Application Publication WO 2010/091593 by Hon and PCT Patent Application Publication W0 2013/089551 by Foo, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Additionally, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0099877 by Worm et al., filed Oct. 13, 2015, discloses capsules that can be included in aerosol delivery devices and configurations for key fob-shaped aerosol delivery devices and is fully included incorporated into this document by reference. The various materials disclosed in the foregoing documents may be incorporated into the present devices in various embodiments, and all of the foregoing disclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

More specific formats, configurations and arrangements of various support materials, aerosol source elements and components in aerosol delivery devices in accordance with the present invention will be apparent in light of the further disclosure of the invention presented below. In addition, the selection of various components of aerosol delivery devices can be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Further, the arrangement of components within the aerosol delivery device can also be assessed by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

A front schematic view of an example implementation of an aerosol delivery device 100 according to the disclosure of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. In general, the aerosol delivery device 100 of the illustrated embodiment includes a control housing 102, which includes a housing 104 configured to accommodate an aerosol source element 200. In the illustrated embodiment, the control housing 102 may also include a control component 106 (e.g., a microprocessor that is itself or is part of a microcontroller, a printed circuit board (PCB) that contains a microprocessor and/or a microcontroller, the like) and a power source 108 (eg a battery, which may be rechargeable, and/or a rechargeable supercapacitor). In various embodiments, one or both of the control component 106 and the electrical power source 108 may be coupled to the housing 104. For purposes of this application, the phrase "connected to" when used with respect to one component relative to another may include implementations in which one component is located within another component, and/or embodiments in which one component is separate but otherwise functionally connected to another component. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, both of the control component 106 and the power source 108 are located within the housing, however, in other embodiments, one or both of the control component 106 and the power source 108 may be separate components. Additional information regarding the control component 106 and the power source 108 is provided below. In some embodiments, housing 104 may also include a button configured to activate specific operations of device 100, such as, for example, turning on the device and initiating heating of the heating element. In various embodiments, the aerosol source element 200 may include a heated end 202 that is insertable into the control housing 102 and a mouthpiece end 204 that a user draws on to create an aerosol. It should be noted that although the aerosol delivery device of FIG. 1 is shown as having a substantially rectangular control housing 102 or "fob-shaped" for ease of illustration, in other embodiments the control housing 102 may have any other shapes, including an elongated shell or housing that may be substantially tubular in shape and thus , resemble the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar, and thus the components described below may be sized and configured to be housed within the elongated housing.

In specific embodiments, the control housing 102 and/or the aerosol source element 200 may be referred to as disposable or reusable. For example, the control housing 102 may have a replaceable battery or a rechargeable battery, a solid state battery, a thin film solid state battery, a rechargeable supercapacitor, and the like, and thus be combined with any type of recharging technology, including connection to a conventional wall charger, connection to a car charger (e.g. cigarette lighter socket), connection to a computer, e.g. via a cable or universal serial bus (USB) connector (e.g. USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, USB Type C), connection to a photovoltaic cell (sometimes listed as solar photovoltaic cell ) or to a solar PV panel, to a wireless charger such as a charger that uses inductive wireless charging (including, for example, wireless charging in accordance with the Qi wireless charging standard developed by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC)) or wireless radio frequency (RF) charger. Examples of inductive wireless charging systems are described in US Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0112196 by Sur et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Additionally, in some embodiments, the aerosol source element 200 may comprise a disposable device. A disposable component for use with a control housing is disclosed in US Pat. No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

As discussed above, the control housing 102 may also include a control component 106. For example, the control component 106 may include control circuitry (which may be coupled to additional components as further described herein) that may be electrically coupled to a source 108 electricity. In various embodiments, the control component 106 may control when and how the heating element receives electrical energy to heat the respirable agent to cause the respirable substance to be released for inhalation by the consumer. Such control may refer to the actuation of pressure sensitive switches or the like, which are described in more detail below. It should be noted that the terms "connected" or "coupled" should not be construed to require direct connection without an intermediate component. Instead, these terms may cover direct connection and/or connection through one or more intermediate components. Thus, in various embodiments, these terms may be understood to mean “operably coupled to” or “operably linked to.”

In various embodiments, the control component 106 may be configured to precisely control the amount of heat applied to the substrate material. Although the heat required to vaporize the aerosol-forming agent in sufficient volume to provide the desired dosage of inhalable agent in one puff may vary for each particular agent used, it may be particularly preferable for the heating element to be heated to a temperature of at least 120° C. , at least 130°C or at least 140°C. In some embodiments, the heating temperature may be at least 150°C, at least 200°C, at least 300°C to vaporize a suitable amount of aerosol-forming agent and thereby provide the desired dosage of respirable agent. or at least 350°C. However, it may be particularly preferable to avoid heating to temperatures substantially greater than about 550° C. to avoid destruction and/or excessive premature evaporation of the aerosol-forming material. In particular, heating must occur at a sufficiently low temperature and for a sufficiently short time to avoid significant combustion (preferably any combustion) of the respirable agent. The present disclosure may, in particular, provide the components of the article according to the invention in combinations and modes of use that will form an inhalable substance in desired quantities at relatively low temperatures. Thus, generation may relate to the generation of an aerosol within the product and/or delivery from the product to the consumer. In specific embodiments, the heating temperature may be from about 120°C to about 300°C, from about 130°C to about 290°C, from about 140°C to about 280°C, from about 150°C to about 250°C C or from about 160°C to about 200°C. The duration of heating can be controlled by a number of factors, as described in more detail below. The heating temperature and duration may depend on the desired volume of aerosol and the ambient air desired to be drawn through the aerosol source element, as further described herein. However, the duration may vary depending on the rate of heating of the heating element, since the product may be configured such that the heating element is provided with power only until the desired temperature is reached. Alternatively, the duration of heating may be related to the duration of the user's puff on the product. Typically, the temperature and heating time will be controlled by one or more components contained in the control housing, as described above.

The amount of respirable material released by the element as an aerosol source may vary depending on the nature of the respirable material. Preferably, the aerosol source element is configured with a sufficient amount of respirable material, a sufficient amount of any aerosol former, and capable of operating at a sufficient temperature for a sufficient time to release the desired amount during use. This amount may be provided in one puff from the aerosol source element or may be divided so that it is delivered in multiple puffs from the product over a relatively short period of time (e.g., less than 30 minutes, less than 20 minutes, less than 15 minutes, less 10 minutes or less than 5 minutes). For example, the device may provide nicotine in an amount of from about 0.05 mg to about 1.0 mg, from about 0.08 mg to about 0.5 mg, from about 0.1 mg to about 0.3 mg, or from about 0 .15 mg to approximately 0.25 mg per puff through the aerosol source element. In other embodiments, the desired amount may be characterized in relation to the amount of total volume of wet solids delivered based on puff duration and volume. For example, an aerosol source element may deliver at least 1.0 mg of total wet solids per puff for a given number of puffs (as otherwise described herein), when smoked under FTC smoking conditions for 2 seconds, 35 ml puffs. This test can be carried out on any standard smoking machine. In other embodiments, the total particulate matter (TPM) produced under the same conditions for each puff may be at least 1.5 mg, at least 1.7 mg, at least 2.0 mg , at least 2.5 mg, at least 3.0 mg, from about 1 mg to about 5.0 mg, from about 1.5 mg to about 4.0 mg, from about 2.0 mg to about 4 .0 mg or from about 2.0 mg to about 3.0 mg.

As discussed above, the aerosol delivery device 100 of some embodiments may include a button that may be associated with a control component to manually control the heating assembly 110. For example, in some embodiments, a user may use the button to provide power to the heating assembly 110. Similar functionality associated with a button, can be achieved by other mechanical means or by non-mechanical means (eg magnetic or electromagnetic). Thus, activation of the heating unit 110 can be controlled with a single button. Alternatively, a plurality of buttons may be provided to control different actions separately. One or more buttons provided may be formed substantially flush with the shell of the control housing 102.

Instead of (or in addition to) any push buttons, the aerosol delivery device 100 of the present invention may include components that provide power to the heating assembly 110 in response to a consumer taking a puff on the product (ie, puff-activated heating). For example, the device may include a switch or flow sensor (not shown) in the control housing 102 that is sensitive to either changes in pressure or changes in air flow when a user draws a puff through the product (eg, a puff actuated switch). Other suitable current on/off mechanisms may include a temperature actuated on/off switch or a lip pressure actuated switch. An example of a mechanism that can provide such pinch actuation capability includes the Model 163PC01D36 silicon sensor manufactured by the MicroSwitch Division of Honeywell, Inc., Freeport, Illinois. With such a sensor, the heating element can be quickly activated by a change in pressure when the user takes a puff through the device. Additionally, flow sensing devices, such as those that use hot-wire principles, can be used to cause the heating unit to be energized quickly enough upon detecting a change in airflow. Another pull-actuated switch that can be used is a differential pressure switch such as Model #MPL-502-V, Range A, from Micro Pneumatic Logic, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Another suitable puff-actuated mechanism is a pressure sensitive sensor (eg, equipped with an amplifier or amplification stage), which in turn is coupled to a comparator to determine a predetermined threshold pressure. Another suitable puff-actuated mechanism is a paddle that is deflected by the air flow, the movement of which is detected by the movement detection means. Another suitable actuation mechanism is a piezoelectric switch. You can also use a suitable Honeywell MicroSwitch Microbridge Air Flow Sensor, part number AWM 2100V from the MicroSwitch Division of Honeywell, Inc., Freeport, IL. Additional examples of demand-controlled electrical switches that can be used in a heating circuit in accordance with the present invention are described in US Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other suitable differential switches, analog pressure sensors, flow sensors, and the like will be apparent to one skilled in the art familiar with the present disclosure. In some embodiments, a pressure sensing tube or other conduit providing a fluid connection between the puff actuated switch and the aerosol source element 200 may be included in the control housing 102 such that changes in pressure during puff are readily sensed by the switch. . Other examples of tightening actuated devices that can be used in accordance with the present invention are disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,922,901, No. 4,947,874 and No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al.; in US patent No. 5,372,148 by McCafferty et al.; in US patent No. 6,040,560 by Fleischhauer et al.; No. 7,040,314 by Nguyen et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

When a consumer takes a puff on the mouth end of the device 100, the current driving means may allow unrestricted or continuous flow of current through the heating assembly to quickly generate heat. Because of the rapid heating, it may be useful to include current control components to (i) regulate the flow of current through the heating element to control the heating of the resistive element and the temperature it experiences, and (ii) prevent overheating and deterioration of the substrate material 210. In some embodiments, the current control circuit may be time controlled. In particular, such a circuit may include means for causing current to flow continuously through the heating element for an initial period of time during the puffing process and a timer for subsequently adjusting the flow of current until the puffing is completed. For example, subsequent control may include rapid on-off current flow (eg, approximately every 1 to 50 milliseconds) to maintain the heating element within the desired temperature range. Alternatively, regulation may simply involve allowing current to flow continuously until the desired temperature is reached, and then cutting off the current flow completely. The heating element can be reactivated by the consumer initiating another puff through the product (or by manually pressing a button, depending on the specific switch implementation used to activate the heater). Alternatively, subsequent control may include modulating the current flowing through the heating element to maintain the heating element within a desired temperature range. In some embodiments, to release the desired dose of inhalable substance, the heating element may be turned on for a period of from about 0.2 seconds to about 5.0 seconds, from about 0.3 seconds to about 4.0 seconds, from about 0 .4 seconds to about 3.0 seconds, from about 0.5 seconds to about 2.0 seconds, or about 0.6 seconds to about 1.5 seconds. One exemplary timing current control circuit may include a transistor, a timer, a comparator, and a capacitor. Suitable transistors, timers, comparators and capacitors are commercially available and will be apparent to one skilled in the art. Examples of timers are those available from NEC Electronics, such as the C-1555C, and from General Electric Intersil, Inc., such as the ICM7555, as well as various other sizes and configurations of so-called "555 Timers". An example comparator is available from National Semiconductor, such as the LM311. Additional description of such time-controlled current control circuits is provided in US Patent No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In light of the above, it can be seen that a variety of mechanisms can be used to facilitate turning on/off the flow of current to the heating element. For example, the device may include a timer to regulate the flow of current in the product (for example, while a consumer is taking a puff). The device may further include a timer sensitive switch that turns on and off the flow of current to the heating element. Controlling the flow of current may also involve using the capacitor and components to charge and discharge the capacitor at a specific rate (eg, a rate that approximates the rate at which the heating element heats and cools). The current flow may be controlled such that a continuous current flows through the heating element for an initial period of time during the puffing process, but the current flow may be switched off or cycled on and off after the initial period of time until the puffing is completed. Such cycling may be controlled by a timer, as discussed above, which may generate a preset switching cycle. In specific embodiments, the timer may generate a periodic digital waveform. The flow during the initial period of time can be further adjusted by using a comparator that compares the first voltage at the first input with a threshold voltage at the threshold input and generates an output signal when the first voltage is equal to the threshold voltage, which turns on the timer. Such embodiments may further include components for generating a threshold voltage at the threshold input and components for generating a threshold voltage at the first input after the end of the initial period of time. As noted above, the electrical power source 108 used to provide power to the various electrical components of the device 100 may have various embodiments. Preferably, the electrical power source is configured to provide sufficient energy to rapidly heat the heating assembly in the manner described above and power the device through use with a plurality of aerosol source elements 200 while still conveniently fitting within the device 100. Examples of suitable electrical power sources include lithium-ion batteries, which are preferably rechargeable (eg, a rechargeable lithium manganese dioxide battery). In particular, lithium polymer batteries can be used since such batteries can provide increased safety. Other types of batteries, such as nickel-cadmium cells, can also be used. In addition, the preferred source of electricity is made light enough and does not interfere with the desired smoking process. Some examples of possible power sources are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,484,155 to Peckerar et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0112191 to Sur et al., filed Oct. 21, 2015, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. .

One example of an electrical power source is the TKI-1550 rechargeable lithium-ion battery produced by the German company Tadiran Batteries GmbH. In another embodiment, a suitable power source may be a N50-AAA CADNICA nickel-cadmium cell manufactured by Sanyo Electric Company, Ltd., Japan. In other embodiments, multiple such batteries, for example each providing 1.2 volts, may be connected in series. Other power sources such as rechargeable lithium manganese batteries can also be used. Any of these batteries or combinations thereof can be used in a power source, but rechargeable batteries are preferred due to cost and disposal considerations associated with disposable batteries. In embodiments that use rechargeable batteries, the aerosol delivery device 100 may further include charging contacts for interfacing with corresponding contacts in a conventional charger (not shown) powered by a standard 120-volt AC outlet or other sources such like a car electrical system or a separate portable power supply. In additional embodiments, the power source may also include a capacitor. Capacitors can discharge faster than batteries and can be charged between puffs, allowing the battery to discharge into the capacitor at a lower rate than if it were used to directly power the heating element. For example, a supercapacitor - i.e. Electrical double layer capacitor (EDLC) - can be used alone or in combination with a battery. When used alone, the supercapacitor can be charged before each use of the device 100. Thus, the present invention may also include a charger component that can be attached to the device between uses to replenish the supercapacitor. In particular embodiments of the present invention, thin film batteries may be used.

As noted above, in various embodiments, the aerosol delivery device 100 may include one or more indicators (not shown). In various embodiments, one or more indicators may be located at any location on the control housing 102. In some embodiments, the indicators may be lights (eg, light-emitting diodes) that may provide an indication of multiple aspects of use of the device. For example, the sequence of lights may correspond to the number of puffs for a given aerosol source element. More specifically, the lights may be illuminated sequentially with each puff such that when all lights are illuminated, the consumer is informed that the aerosol source element has been consumed. Alternatively, all of the lights may illuminate upon insertion of the aerosol source element into the housing, and the lights may be turned off with each puff such that when all lights are turned off, the consumer is informed that the aerosol source element has been consumed. In other embodiments, only one indicator may be present, and its illumination may indicate that current is flowing to the heating element and the device is actively heating. This can ensure that the consumer does not leave the device unattended in active heating mode. In alternative embodiments, one or more indicators may be a component of an aerosol source element. Although the indicators are described above with respect to visual indicators in the on/off method, other performance indicators are also covered. For example, visual indicators may also include changes in color or light intensity to show the progression of smoking. Tactile indicators and audible indicators are similarly covered by the present invention. Moreover, combinations of such indicators can also be used in one device.

In various embodiments, housing 104 may be formed from any material suitable to form and maintain a suitable shape, such as a tubular or rectangular shape, and to contain the aerosol source element therein. In some embodiments, the housing may be formed of a single wall or multiple walls, and may be formed of a material or multiple materials (natural or synthetic) that are resistant to high temperatures so as to maintain its structural integrity - e.g., not collapse - at least at a temperature which is the heating temperature provided by the electric heating element as further described herein. In some embodiments, a high temperature resistant polymer may be used. In other embodiments, ceramic materials may be used. In additional embodiments, an insulating material may be used to avoid unnecessary heat transfer from the element in the form of an aerosol source. The casing 104, when formed from a single layer, may have a thickness that is preferably from about 0.2 mm to about 5.0 mm, from about 0.5 mm to about 4.0 mm, from about 0.5 mm to about 3.0 mm or from about 1.0 mm to about 3.0 mm. Additional examples of the types of components and materials that may be used to provide the functions described above, or used as alternatives to the materials and components described above, may be of the types set forth in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/00186757 by Crooks and etc.; No. 2010/00186757 by Crooks et al.; and No. 2011/0041861 by Sebastian et al., the disclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

With reference to FIG. 1 and 2, the aerosol source element 200 defines an outer surface 206 and an internal region 208. In the illustrated embodiment, the substrate material 210 is located in the inner region 208 of the heated end 202 of the aerosol source element 200. However, in the illustrated embodiment, the support material may be located at both the heated end 202 and the mouth end 204 of the aerosol source element 200. In the illustrated embodiment, the backing material 210 has one portion, although in other embodiments, the backing material 210 may include additional portions that may have different compositions. For example, the heated end 202 of some embodiments of the aerosol source element 200 may also include a portion of a second support material (not shown). In various embodiments, one or more support materials may comprise tobacco or a tobacco-related material with an associated aerosol precursor composition. In other embodiments, non-tobacco materials such as cellulose pulp may be used. In other embodiments, the non-tobacco support material may not be a plant-derived material. Other possible compositions, components and/or additives for use in the support material (and/or support materials) are described in more detail below. It should be noted that the following discussion should apply to any support material or any portion of the support material used in the aerosol delivery devices described herein.

In various embodiments, the aerosol source element 200, or a portion thereof, may be wrapped in an outer wrapping material. In various embodiments, the mouthpiece end 204 of the aerosol source element 200 may include a filter, which, for example, may be made of cellulose acetate or polypropylene material. The filter may additionally or alternatively comprise strands of tobacco-containing material, as described in US Patent No. 5,025,814 to Raker et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In various embodiments, the filter may increase the structural integrity of the mouth end of the aerosol source element and/or provide filtration capacity, if desired, and/or provide draw resistance. The outer wrapping material may comprise a material that resists heat transfer, which may comprise paper or other fibrous material such as cellulose material. The outer wrap material may also include at least one filler material embedded in or dispersed within the fibrous material. In various embodiments, the filler material may be in the form of water-insoluble particles. Additionally, the filler material may include inorganic components. In various embodiments, the outer wrapper material may be formed from a plurality of layers, such as an underlying layer, a bulk layer, and an overlying layer, such as a typical wrapping paper in a cigarette. Such materials may include, for example, lightweight recycled fibers such as flax, hemp, sisal, rice stalks and/or esparto. The outer wrap may also include a material commonly used in a conventional cigarette filter element, such as cellulose acetate. In addition, the excess length of the outer wrap material at the mouthpiece end 204 of the aerosol source element may serve simply to separate the backing material from the consumer's mouth or to provide space for housing filter material, as described below, or to affect the puff effect on the product. or the characteristics of the flow of vapor or aerosol leaving the device during a puff. Further discussion regarding outer wrap material configurations that may be used with the present invention can be found in US Pat. No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In general, the shape and dimensions of the aerosol source element of the various embodiments described herein will depend on the size of the housing, the physical heating and mass transfer processes for the geometric design, and/or the expected number of puffs on the aerosol source element. Although many different shapes (eg, cylindrical, cuboidal, spherical, the like) and sizes are possible, in some embodiments, the aerosol source element having a cylindrical shape may have an overall diameter of approximately 5.4 mm and a length of approximately 83 mm. In other embodiments, the aerosol source element may have an overall diameter of approximately 7-8 mm (such as, for example, approximately 7.8 mm) or greater. In other embodiments, the aerosol source element having a cuboidal shape may have dimensions of approximately 70 mm x 20 mm x 6 mm. In any of these examples, sizes may vary significantly, such as ±50% difference in any size.

In various embodiments, heating the support material 210 causes the aerosol precursor composition associated with the support material 210 to aerosolize. In various embodiments, the tip end 204 of the aerosol source element 200 is configured to receive generated aerosol therethrough in response to a draw by a user through the tip end 204. As indicated, the tip end 204 of the aerosol source element 200 of some embodiments may comprise a filter configured to receive an aerosol therethrough in response to a puff applied through the mouthpiece end 204 of the aerosol source element. Preferably, the elements of the support material 210 do not undergo thermal decomposition (e.g., charring, scorching, or burning) to any significant extent, and the aerosolized components are entrained in air that is drawn through the aerosol delivery device 100, including a filter (if present), into the mouth user.

In one embodiment, the support material may contain a mixture of flavored and aromatic Tobaccos in the form of cut filler. In another embodiment, the support material may comprise reconstituted tobacco material, such as described in US Patent No. 4,807,809 to Pryor et al., US Patent No. 4,889,143 to Pryor et al., and US Patent No. 5,025,814 to Raker, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The additional reconstituted tobacco material may comprise reconstituted tobacco packaging paper described for the type of cigarette described in Chemical and Biological Studies on New Cigarette Prototypes that Heat Instead of Burn Tobacco. R. J. Reynolds (1988), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. For example, the reconstituted tobacco material may comprise sheet material containing tobacco and/or tobacco-related materials. Thus, in some embodiments, the backing material may be formed from a wound roll of reconstituted tobacco material. In another embodiment, the support material may be formed from pieces, strips of reconstituted tobacco material and/or the like. In another embodiment, the tobacco leaf may comprise a compressed sheet of reconstituted tobacco material. In some embodiments, the backing material may comprise overlapping layers (eg, a assembled web), which may or may not include thermally conductive components. Examples of backing materials that include a series of overlapping layers (eg, a assembled web) of a starting backing sheet formed by a fibrous filler material, an aerosol-forming material, and a plurality of thermally conductive constituents are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15/905,320, filed Feb. 26, 2018. and entitled Heat Conducting Substrate For Electrically Heated Aerosol Delivery Device, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In some embodiments, the support material may comprise a plurality of microcapsules, beads, granules and/or the like containing tobacco-related material. For example, a representative microcapsule may have a generally spherical shape and may have an outer coating or shell that contains a central region containing tobacco extract liquid and/or the like. In some embodiments, one or more support materials may comprise a plurality of microcapsules, each of which has a hollow cylindrical shape. In some embodiments, one or more support materials may comprise a binder material configured to maintain the structural shape and/or integrity of a plurality of microcapsules having a hollow cylindrical shape.

Useful tobacco in one or more support materials may include (or may be derived from) such tobaccos as fire-cured tobacco, burley tobacco, Eastern tobacco, Maryland tobacco, dark tobacco, dark fire-cured tobacco and shag, as well as other rare or special tobaccos, or mixtures thereof. Various representative types of tobacco, processed types of Tobacco and types of tobacco mixtures are shown in US Patent No. 4,836,224 by Lawson et al.; in US patent No. 4,924,888 by Perfetti et al.; in US patent No. 5,056,537 by Brown et al.; in US patent No. 5,159,942 by Brinkley et al.; in US Patent No. 5,220,930 by Gentry; in US patent No. 5,360,023 by Blakley et al.; in US patent No. 6,701,936 by Shafer et al.; in US patent No. 6,730,832 by Dominguez et al.; in US patent No. 7,011,096 by Li et al.; in US patent No. 7,017,585 by Li et al.; in US Patent No. 7,025,066 by Lawson et al.; in US Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0255965 by Perfetti et al.; in PCT Application Publication WO 02/37990 by Bereman and Bombick et al., Fund. Appl. Toxicol., 39, pp. 11-17, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In yet other embodiments of the present invention, the support material may include an extruded structure that includes or consists essentially of tobacco, tobacco-related material, glycerin, water and/or a binder material, although some compositions may not contain a binder material. In various embodiments, suitable binder materials may contain alginates such as ammonium alginate, propylene glycol alginate, potassium alginate and sodium alginate. Alginates, and in particular high viscosity alginates, can be used in combination with controlled levels of free calcium ions. Other suitable binders include hydroxypropyl cellulose such as Klucel H available from Aqualon Co.; hydroxypropyl methylcellulose such as Methocel K4MS available from The Dow Chemical Co.; hydroxyethylcellulose such as Natrosol 250 MRCS manufactured by Aqualon Co.; microcrystalline cellulose such as Avicel manufactured by FMC; methylcellulose such as Methocel A4M available from The Dow Chemical Co.; and sodium carboxymethylcellulose such as CMC 7HF and CMC 7H4F available from Hercules Inc. Still other possible binders include starches (eg, corn starch), guar gum, carrageenan, locust bean gum, pectins, and xanthan gum. In some embodiments, combinations or mixtures of two or more binder materials may be used. Other examples of binder materials are described, for example, in US Patent No. 5,101,839 to Jakob et al., and US Patent No. 4,924,887 to Raker et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In some embodiments, the aerosol-forming material may be provided as part of a binder material (eg, propylene glycol alginate). Additionally, in some embodiments, the binder material may comprise microcellulose or nanocellulose derived from tobacco or other biomass.

In some embodiments, the support material may include extruded material, as described in US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0042885 to Stone et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In yet another embodiment, the support material may comprise an extruded structure and/or a support formed from marumarized and/or unmarumarized tobacco. Marumarized tobacco is known, for example, from US Pat. No. 5,105,831 to Banerjee et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Marumarized tobacco comprises from about 20 to about 50 percent (by weight) of a tobacco blend in powder form with glycerin (from about 20 to about 30 weight percent), calcium carbonate (typically from about 10 to about 60 weight percent, often from about 40 to about 60 wt.%) together with the binders and/or flavoring agents described herein. In various embodiments, the extruded material may have one or more longitudinal holes.

In various embodiments, the support material may take different forms depending on the varying amounts of materials used therein. For example, a sample of the support material may contain up to approximately 98 wt. %, up to approximately 95 wt. % or up to approximately 90 wt. % of tobacco and/or tobacco-related material. The support material sample may also contain up to approximately 25 wt. %, approximately 20 wt. % or approximately 15 wt. % water, in particular from about 2 wt. % to approximately 25 wt. %, from about 5 wt. % to approximately 20 wt. % or from about 7 wt. % to approximately 15 wt. % water. Flavorings and the like (which include medications such as nicotine) may contain up to about 10 wt. %, up to approximately 8 wt. % or up to approximately 5 wt. % aerosol delivery component.

Additionally or alternatively, the support material may include an extruded structure and/or support that includes or is substantially composed of tobacco, glycerin, water and/or a binder material and, in addition, is also configured to substantially retain its structure during processing. aerosol production. Thus, the support material may be configured to substantially maintain its shape (ie, the support material is not continuously deformed by the applied shear stress) throughout the aerosol generation process. Although such an exemplary support material may contain liquids and/or have some moisture content, the support may remain substantially solid and may maintain substantially structural integrity throughout the aerosol generation process. Exemplary tobacco and/or tobacco-related materials suitable as a substantially solid support material are described in US Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0157052 by Ademe et al.; publication of US patent application No. 2015/0335070 by Sears et al.; US Patent No. 6,204,287 by White; and US Patent No. 5,060,676 to Hearn et al., which are accordingly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In some embodiments, the amount of support material used in the aerosol delivery device may be such that the product has acceptable sensory, sensory, and performance properties. For example, in some embodiments, an aerosol precursor composition, such as, for example, glycerin and/or propylene glycol, may be used in the support material to produce a visible base aerosol that is in many ways reminiscent of tobacco smoke.

Representative additional types of aerosol precursor compositions are listed in US Pat. No. 4,793,365 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al., in US Patent No. 5,101,839 by Jakob et al., in PCT WO 98/57556 by Biggs et al., and in the monograph Chemical and Biological Studies on New Cigarette Prototypes that Heat Instead of Burn Tobacco (Chemical and Biological Studies on New Cigarette Prototypes that Heat Instead of Burn Tobacco biological studies of new prototype cigarettes that heat tobacco instead of burning it) from the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (1988), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. In some aspects, the support material may produce a visible aerosol when sufficiently heated (and, if necessary, cooled by air), and the support material may produce an aerosol that is considered "smoke-like." In other aspects, the support material may produce an aerosol that is substantially invisible but can be recognized as present by other characteristics such as odor or texture. Thus, the nature of the resulting aerosol may vary depending on the specific components of the aerosol delivery component. The support material may be chemically simple compared to the chemical nature of the smoke produced by burning tobacco.

According to another embodiment, the proposed aerosol delivery device may include a support material comprising a porous inert material, such as, for example, a ceramic material. For example, some embodiments may use ceramics of different shapes and geometries (eg, balls, rods, tubes, etc.) that have different pore morphologies. Additionally, in some embodiments, the ceramic may be loaded with non-tobacco materials, such as e-liquids. In another embodiment, the support material may include a porous inert material that does not substantially chemically and/or physically react with tobacco-related material, such as, for example, a tobacco-derived extract. In addition, extruded tobacco, such as described above, may be porous. For example, in some embodiments, the extruded tobacco material may have an inert gas, such as, for example, nitrogen, which acts as a blowing agent during the extrusion process.

As discussed above, in various embodiments, one or more support materials may contain tobacco, a tobacco component, and/or a tobacco-derived material that may be purified, processed, extracted, and/or processed to include an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., humectants such as such as propylene glycol, glycerin and/or the like) and/or at least one flavoring agent, as well as a flame/combustion retardant (for example, diammonium phosphate and/or other salt) configured to prevent ignition, pyrolysis, combustion and /or burning of the substrate material by a heat source. Various methods of incorporating tobacco into smoking articles and, in particular, smoking articles that are designed so as not to specifically burn substantially all of the tobacco in the smoking articles are described in US Pat. No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al.; US Patent No. 7,647,932 by Cantrell et al.; US Patent No. 8,079,371 by Robinson et al.; US Patent No. 7,290,549 by Banerjee et al.; and US Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0215167 to Crooks et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

As noted above, in some embodiments, flame retardant/combustion retardant materials and other additives may be included in one or more support materials and may include organophosphates, borax, aluminum hydroxide, graphite, potassium tripolyphosphate, dipentaerythritol, pentaerythritol, and polyols. Other substances are suitable, such as phosphonic acid nitrogen salts, monoammonium phosphate, ammonium polyphosphate, ammonium bromide, ammonium borate, ethanol ammonium borate, ammonium sulfamate, halogenated organic compounds, thiourea and antimony oxides, but are not preferred substances. In each aspect of the non-flammable, fire-resistant and/or burn-resistant materials used in the support material and/or other components (whether alone or in combination with each other and/or with other materials), the desired properties are most preferably provided without undesirable outgassing or melting.

In accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, the support material may also include tobacco additives of the type commonly used in the manufacture of tobacco products. These additives may include materials of the types that are used to improve the taste and aroma of Tobaccos in the manufacture of cigars, cigarettes, pipes and the like. For example, these additives may include various cigarette coatings and/or topcoat components. See, for example, US Patent No. 3,419,015 by Wochnowski; US Patent No. 4,054,145 by Berndt et al.; US Patent No. 4,887,619 by Burcham, Jr. and etc.; US Patent No. 5,022,416 to Watson; US Patent No. 5,103,842 by Strang et al.; and U.S. Patent No. 5,711,320 to Martin, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Preferred coating materials may include water, sugars and syrups (eg, sucrose, glucose, and high fructose corn syrup), humectants (eg, glycerin or propylene glycol), and flavoring agents (eg, cocoa and licorice). These added components may also include top layer materials (eg, flavoring materials such as menthol). See, for example, US Patent No. 4,449,541 to Mays et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In addition, the materials described in US Patent No. 4,830,028 to Lawson et al. and US Patent No. 8,186,360 to Marshall et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, may be added.

A variety of flavoring agents or materials that alter the sensory or organoleptic character or nature of the primary aerosol of the smoking article may be suitable for use. In some embodiments, such flavoring agents are derived from source materials other than tobacco and may be natural or artificial in nature. For example, certain flavoring agents may be applied to or incorporated into the support material and/or the aerosol-generating areas of the smoking article. In some embodiments, such substances may be supplied directly to the heating cavity or area adjacent to the heat source, or they may be provided by a support material. Examples of flavoring agents may include, for example, vanillin, ethylvanillin, cream, tea, coffee, fruit (for example, apple, cherry, strawberry, peach and citrus flavors including lime and lemon), maple, menthol, mint, peppermint, spearmint , wintergreen, nutmeg, cloves, lavender, cardamom, ginger, honey, anise, sage, cinnamon, sandalwood, jasmine, cascarrolle, cocoa, licorice and flavorings and additives of the type and nature traditionally used for flavoring cigarette, cigar tobacco and pipe tobacco. In addition, syrups such as high fructose corn syrup may also be suitable for use.

Flavoring agents may also include substances with acidic or basic characteristics (eg, organic acids such as levulinic acid, succinic acid, pyruvic acid and benzoic acid). In some embodiments, flavoring agents may be configured to be combined with elements of the support material if desired. Examples of plant-derived compositions that may be useful are described in US Patent No. 9,107,453 and US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0152265 to Dube et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Any of the materials, eg, flavorings, coatings, and the like, that may be suitable in combination with the tobacco material to modify its sensory properties, including organoleptic properties, such as those already described herein, may be combined with the support material. Organic acids, in particular, can be included in the support material to change the aroma, feel or organoleptic properties of medicinal products, such as nicotine, which can be combined with the support material. For example, organic acids such as levulinic acid, lactic acid and pyruvic acid can be included in the nicotine support material in amounts up to equimolar (based on total organic acid content) to nicotine. Any combination of organic acids may be suitable. For example, in some embodiments, the support material may include from about 0.1 to about 0.5 moles of levulinic acid per mole of nicotine, from about 0.1 to about 0.5 moles of pyruvic acid per mole of nicotine, from about 0. 1 to approximately 0.5 moles of lactic acid per mole of nicotine, or a combination thereof, up to a concentration at which the total amount of organic acid present is equimolar to the total amount of nicotine present in the support material. Various additional examples of organic acids used to prepare the support material are described in US Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0344456 to Dull et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The selection of such additional components may vary depending on factors such as sensory characteristics that are desired for the smoking article, and the present invention covers any such additional components that are readily apparent to those skilled in the art of tobacco and tobacco-related or tobacco-derived products. See: Gutcho, Tobacco Flavoring Substances and Methods, Noyes Data Corp. (1972), and Leffingwell et al., Tobacco Flavoring for Smoking Products ( 1972), the description of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In other embodiments, the support material may comprise other materials having a variety of inherent characteristics or properties. For example, the backing material may comprise plasticized material or regenerated cellulose in the form of rayon. As another example, viscose (commercially available as VISIL®), which is a regenerated cellulose product including silica, may be suitable. Some carbon fibers may include at least 95 percent carbon or more. Likewise, natural cellulosic fibers such as cotton may be suitable and may be infused with silica particles or otherwise treated with silica, carbon or metal particles to improve flame retardant properties and minimize off-gassing, in particular any unwanted off-gas components that may have a negative impact on taste (and in particular, minimizing the likelihood of any toxic off-gas products).

Cotton can be treated, for example, with boric acid or various organophosphorus compounds to provide the desired flame retardant properties by dipping, spraying, or other methods known in the art. These fibers can also be treated (by infusion coating or both, such as by dipping, spraying or vapor deposition) with organic or metal nanoparticles to impart the desired flame retardant property without the undesirable off-gassing or melting process.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cross-section of the aerosol source element 200 may be substantially circular such that the aerosol source element 200 forms a substantially cylindrical shape extending between its opposing first and second ends. However, in other embodiments, the aerosol source element 200 may define a substantially non-circular cross-section such that the aerosol source element 200 may form a substantially non-circular shape between its opposing first and second ends. In other words, in other examples, the aerosol source element 200 may form an asymmetrical cross-section about an axis.

Although not shown in the drawings, the housing 104 may include one or more passages therein to allow air from the environment to enter to be directed to the heated end 202 of the aerosol source element 200. Thus, when a consumer takes a puff on the mouthpiece end 204 of the aerosol source element 200, air may pass into the aerosol source element 200 in the vicinity of the heated end 202 and is drawn through the means as an inhalable substance for inhalation by the consumer through the mouthpiece end 204. As will be described in more detail below, in embodiments in which an outer wrap is present, the drawn air may carry respirable material through the optional filter and out of the opening of the outer wrap.

In some embodiments, the control housing 102 may include a flow sensor (not shown, for example, a puff sensor or pressure switch). In other embodiments, the control housing 102 may alternatively or additionally include an activation button (not shown). With respect to the flow sensor, specific electrical current control components and other electrical current control components, including various microcontrollers, sensors and switches for aerosol delivery devices, are described in US Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; in US patents No. 4,922,901, No. 4,947,874 and No. 4,947,875 all by Brooks et al.; in US patent No. 5,372,148 by McCafferty et al.; in US patent No. 6,040,560 by Fleischhauer et al.; in US patent No. 7,040,314 by Nguyen et al.; and US Pat. No. 8,205,622 to Pan, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Reference is also made to various control schemes described in US Patent No. 9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Other additional components may be used in the proposed aerosol delivery device. For example, US Pat. No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al. discloses indicators for smoking articles; US Patent No. 5,261,424 by Sprinkel Jr. discloses piezoelectric sensors that may be provided on the oral end of the device to detect the activity of the user's lips associated with the execution of a puff, followed by initiation of heating; US Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. discloses a tightening sensor for controlling the flow of energy in a thermal load array in response to the tightening resistance of a mouthpiece; US Pat. No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al. discloses receptacles in a smoking device that include an identifier that detects a discontinuity in the infrared transmittance value of an inserted component and a controller that executes a detection program when the component is inserted into the receptacle; US Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. describes a specific executable power cycle with multiple differential phases; US Patent No. 5,934,289 by Watkins et al discloses photonic-optocoupler components; U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al. discloses means for varying draw resistance through a smoking device; US Pat. No. 6,803,545 to Blake et al. discloses certain battery configurations for use in smoking devices; US Pat. No. 7,293,565 to Griffen et al. discloses various charging systems for use with smoking devices; U.S. Patent No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al discloses computer communications for smoking devices designed to facilitate charging and allow automated control of the device; US Pat. No. 8,689,804 to Fernando et al. discloses identification systems for smoking devices; and PCT patent application publication WO 2010/003480 by Flick discloses a fluid flow detection system indicating the presence of a puff in an aerosol generation system; and the contents of all of the above inventions are fully incorporated into this application by reference.

Further examples of components associated with electronic aerosol delivery devices and disclosing materials and components that may be used in the present device are described in US Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; No. 5,249,586 by Morgan et al.; No. 5,666,977 by Higgins et al.; No. 6,053,176 by Adams et al.; No. 6,164,287 by White; No. 6,196,218 by Voges; No. 6,810,883 by Felter et al.; #6,854,461 by Nickols; No. 7,832,410 by Hon; #7,513,253 by Kobayashi; No. 7,896,006 by Hamano; No. 6,772,756 by Shayan; No. 8,156,944 and No. 8,375,957 by Hon; No. 8,794,231 by Thorens et al.; No. 8,851,083 by Oglesby et al.; No. 8,915,254 and 8,925,555 by Monsees et al.; No. 9,220,302 by DePiano et al.; publications of US patent applications No. 2006/0196518 and No. 2009/0188490 by Hon; publication of US patent application No. 2010/0024834 by Oglesby et al.; US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0307518 by Wang; PCT Patent Application Publication WO 2010/091593 by Hon and PCT Patent Application Publication WO 2013/089551 by Foo, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Additionally, U.S. Patent Application No. 14/881,392 to Worm et al., filed Oct. 13, 2015, discloses capsules that can be included in aerosol delivery devices and configurations for aerosol delivery devices in the form of a key fob, and fully includes incorporated into this document by reference. The various materials disclosed in the foregoing documents may be incorporated into the present devices in various embodiments, and all of the foregoing disclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In some embodiments, an input element may be included in the aerosol delivery device (and may replace or complement an airflow or pressure sensor). A data input element may be included to allow the user to control functions of the device and/or to output information to the user. Any component or combination of components may be used as an input element to control a function of the device. For example, one or more push buttons may be used, as described in US Publication No. 2015/0245658 by Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Likewise, a touch screen may be used as described in US Patent Application No. 14/643,626, filed March 10, 2015 to Sears et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. As a further example, components configured to recognize gestures based on specified movements of the aerosol delivery device may be used as an input device. See US Publication No. 2016/0158782 by Henry et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. As another example, a capacitive sensor may be implemented on an aerosol delivery device to allow a user to provide input by, for example, touching the surface of the device on which the capacitive sensor is implemented.

As indicated, the aerosol delivery device 100 of the illustrated embodiment also includes a heating assembly 110 that receives power from an electrical power source 108 and which, in some embodiments, may be controlled by a control component 106. In various embodiments, the heating assembly 110 may include a heating element that may represent any device suitable to provide sufficient heat to promote the release of an inhalable substance for inhalation by the consumer. In specific embodiments, the electrical heating element may be a resistive heating element. Suitable heating elements may be those that have low mass, low density and moderate resistivity and are thermally stable at temperatures encountered during use. Suitable heating elements heat up and cool down quickly and thus ensure efficient use of energy. The element's rapid heating also ensures almost immediate evaporation of the aerosol-forming substance. Rapid cooling prevents significant evaporation (and therefore consumption) of the aerosol-forming material during periods when aerosol formation is not desired. Such heating elements can also provide relatively precise control of the temperature range over which the aerosol-forming material is located, especially when using time-dependent current control. Suitable heating elements are also chemically inactive (and chemically non-catalytic) towards materials containing the respirable agent to be heated so as not to adversely affect the aroma or content of the resulting aerosol or vapor. Non-limiting examples of materials that may comprise the heating element include various metals and ceramic materials. Other specific non-limiting examples include carbon, graphite, carbon/graphite composites, metal and non-metal carbides, nitrides, silicides, intermetallic compounds, cermets, metal alloys and metal foils. In particular, fire-resistant materials may be suitable. Different materials can be mixed to achieve the desired resistivity, mass and thermal conductivity and surface properties.

In some embodiments, the heating element may be in other forms, such as foil, foam, mesh, hollow sphere, hemisphere, disk, spiral, fiber, wire, film, thread, strip, tape, or cylinder. Such heating elements often contain metallic material and are configured to generate heat as a result of electrical resistance associated with the passage of electric current through them. Such resistive heating elements may be located adjacent to and/or in direct contact with the substrate portion. The heating assembly or heating element may be located in the control housing and/or aerosol source element, as will be described in more detail below. In various embodiments, the substrate portion may include components (i.e., thermally conductive components) that are incorporated into or are a part of the substrate portion, wherein the substrate portion may serve as or assist in the operation of a heating assembly. Some examples of various heating elements and elements are described in US Pat. No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Some non-limiting examples of various heating element configurations include configurations in which the heating element or element is located proximate to the aerosol source element. For example, in some examples, at least a portion of the heating element may surround at least a portion of the element as an aerosol source. In other examples, one or more heating elements may be located adjacent the exterior of the element to provide an aerosol source when inserted into the control housing. In other examples, at least a portion of the heating element may penetrate at least a portion of the aerosol source element (such as, for example, one or more contacts and/or needles that penetrate the aerosol source element) upon insertion of the aerosol source element. aerosol source into the control housing.

To form a heating element, various versions of materials can be used that are designed to generate heat when an electric current is passed through them. Examples of materials that the wire coil can be made from include fechral (FeCrAl), nichrome, nickel, stainless steel, indium tin oxide, tungsten, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), aluminum alloyed molybdenum disilicide (Mo( Si,Al)2), titanium, platinum, silver, palladium, silver-palladium alloys, graphite and graphite-based materials (e.g., carbon-based foams and filaments), conductive inks, boron silicon, and ceramics (e.g., ceramics with positive or negative temperature coefficient). The heating element may be a resistive heating element or a heating element configured to generate heat by induction. The heating element may be coated with a thermally conductive ceramic such as aluminum nitride, silicon carbide, beryllium oxide, alumina, silicon nitride, or composites thereof.

As will be described in more detail below, in some of the illustrated embodiments, the plurality of sharp projections serve as a heating element. In other embodiments shown, the plurality of spaced apart strips serve as a heating element in addition to or as an alternative to the plurality of sharp projections.

As shown in FIG. 1, heating assembly 110 includes a plurality of projections 112 that are articulated between a retracted position in which the projections are not in contact with the aerosol source element and a heating position in which the projections are in contact with element 200. as an aerosol source. In particular, in FIG. 1 shows the sharp projections 112 in the heating position. In various embodiments of the heating position, the sharp projections not only contact the aerosol source element 200, but also pierce the outer surface 206 of the aerosol source element 200 such that a portion of the sharp projections 112 extends into the substrate material 210. In various embodiments, the degree to which the sharp projections 112 extend into the substrate material may vary. For example, in some embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend a short distance into the substrate material, while in other embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend to the center of the substrate material 210, and in yet other embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend through the center of the material. 210 substrates.

In various embodiments, the plurality of projections 112 may comprise opposing rows of projections 112, such as those shown in FIG. 1 and 2, with one row located on one side of the aerosol source element 200 and the other row located on the opposite side of the aerosol source element 200. It should be noted that in some embodiments, additional rows of sharp projections 112 may be provided, such as, for example, three or more rows, which may be located around the circumference of the heated end 202 of the aerosol source element 200. In other embodiments, a single row of ridges 112 may be provided. In some embodiments, the location of individual ridges 112 may be staggered between rows, for example, as shown in FIG. 1 and 2, while in other embodiments the arrangement of the individual sharp projections 112 may be substantially aligned. In various embodiments, the articulation of the plurality of sharp protrusions 112 may occur in a variety of ways. For example, in some embodiments, a plurality of sharp projections 112 may be contained in a bi-flap housing that moves away from the aerosol source element 200 in a retracted position and towards the aerosol source element 200 in a heating position. In some embodiments, activation of the articulation motion may be triggered by a button. For example, in some embodiments, the clamshell may be actuated by a spring and a button may cause the clamshell to move from a retracted position to a heating position. In another embodiment, the user may slide the member on which one or both rows of sharp protrusions 112 are located from a retracted position to a heating position in which the sharp protrusions 112 pierce the outer surface 206 of the backing material and a portion of the inner region 208 thereof. It should be noted that although in the embodiments shown in the drawings, the sharp projections are schematically shown to be substantially cone-shaped; in various other embodiments, the sharp projections may have a variety of other shapes configured to allow the sharp projections to pierce an aerosol source element, including, for example, substantially a cylindrical shape, a substantially prismatic shape, a substantially cuboid shape, the like.

In various embodiments, the heating element of the heating assembly 110 may generate heat when receiving electrical energy from the electrical power source 108 . Thus, in some embodiments, the plurality of sharp projections 112 may include a resistive heating element that heats the substrate material 210 by contact with the substrate material 210. Because the plurality of sharp projections 112 extend into a portion of the interior region 208 of the backing material 210, the backing material 210 of the illustrated embodiment is heated from the inside out. Direct contact may be preferred in light of its ability to provide faster conductive heating requiring less thermal resistance. In various embodiments, the plurality of sharp projections 112 may be made of a thermally conductive material. For example, in some embodiments, the plurality of sharp projections 112 are chemically inactive to materials containing the heated support material so as not to adversely affect the flavor or content of the resulting aerosol or vapor. As stated above, non-limiting examples of materials that may contain a plurality of sharp projections 112 include carbon, graphite, carbon/graphite composites, metal and non-metal carbides, nitrides, silicides, intermetallic compounds, cermets, metal alloys. In some embodiments, metal foil may be used.

In some embodiments, additional heating elements may be used. For example, some additional heating elements may have other shapes that match the shape of the substrate material in the aerosol source element. Other examples of heater arrays that may be suitable for use in the present invention according to the above discussion can be found described in US Pat. No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al.; No. 5,093,894 by Deevi et al.; No. 5,224,498 by Deevi et al.; #5,228,460 by Sprinkel Jr. and etc.; No. 5,322,075 by Deevi et al.; No. 5,353,813 by Deevi et al.; No. 5,468,936 by Deevi et al.; No. 5,498,850 by Das; No. 5,659,656 by Das; No. 5,498,855 by Deevi et al.; No. 5,530,225 by Hajaligol; No. 5,665,262 by Hajaligol; No. 5,573,692 by Das et al.; and No. 5,591,368 by Fleischhauer et al., which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a heated end 302 of an aerosol source element and a portion of a heating assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the heated end 302 of the aerosol source element defines an outer surface 306 and an inner region 308. In the illustrated embodiment, the substrate material 310 is located in the inner region 308 of the heated end 302 of the aerosol source element. As discussed above, in some embodiments, the support material may be located at both the heated end 302 and the mouth end of the aerosol source element. In the illustrated embodiment, the substrate material 310 has one portion, although in other embodiments, the substrate material 310 may include additional portions that may have different compositions. In various embodiments, one or more support materials may include tobacco or a tobacco-related material with an associated aerosol precursor composition. In other embodiments, non-tobacco materials such as cellulose pulp may be used. In other embodiments, the non-tobacco support material may not be a plant-derived material. Reference is made to possible support materials, compositions, components and/or additives for use in the support material (and/or plurality of support materials) above.

As described above, heating the support material 310 causes the aerosol precursor composition associated with the support material 310 to aerosolize. In various embodiments, the mouth end of the aerosol source element is configured to receive generated aerosol therethrough in response to a puff applied by a user through the mouth end. In some embodiments, the mouth end of the aerosol source element may include a filter configured to receive an aerosol therethrough in response to a puff through the mouth end of the aerosol source element. Preferably, the elements of the support material 310 do not undergo thermal decomposition (e.g., charring, scorching, or burning) to any significant extent, and the aerosolized components are entrained in air that is drawn through the aerosol delivery device 100, including a filter (if present), into the mouth user.

As shown in FIG. 3, the heating assembly of the illustrated embodiment includes a plurality of projections 112 that are articulated between a retracted position in which the projections are not in contact with the aerosol source member and a heating position in which the projections are in contact. with an element in the form of an aerosol source. In particular, in FIG. 3 shows the sharp projections 112 in the heating position. In various embodiments of the heating position, the sharp projections 112 not only contact the aerosol source element, but also pierce the outer surface 306 of the aerosol source element such that a portion of the sharp projections 112 extends into the substrate material 310. In various embodiments, the degree to which the sharp projections 112 extend into the substrate material may vary. For example, in some embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend into the substrate material to a small extent, while in other embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend to the center of the substrate material 310, and in yet other embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend through the center of the material. 310 substrates.

In various embodiments, the plurality of projections 112 may include opposing rows of projections 112, such as those shown in FIG. 3, wherein one row is located on one side of the aerosol source element and the other row is located on the opposite side of the aerosol source element. It should be noted that in some embodiments, additional rows of sharp projections 112 may be provided, such as, for example, three or more rows that may be located around the circumference of the heated end of the aerosol source element. In other embodiments, a single row of ridges 112 may be provided. In some embodiments, the location of individual ridges 112 may be staggered between rows, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, whereas in other embodiments the arrangement of the individual sharp projections 112 may be substantially aligned. As noted above, in various embodiments, the articulation of the plurality of sharp protrusions 112 may occur in a variety of ways. For example, in some embodiments, a plurality of sharp projections 112 may be contained in a bi-flap housing that moves away from the aerosol source element in a retracted position and toward the aerosol source element in a heating position. In some embodiments, activation of the articulation motion may be triggered by a button. For example, in some embodiments, the clamshell may be actuated by a spring and a button may cause the clamshell to move from a retracted position to a heating position. In another embodiment, the user may slide the member on which one or both rows of sharp projections 112 are located from a retracted position to a heating position in which the sharp projections 112 pierce the outer surface of the backing material and a portion of its interior region 308.

In various embodiments, the heating element of the heating assembly may generate heat when receiving electrical energy from an electrical power source. Thus, in some embodiments, the plurality of sharp projections 112 may include a resistive heating element that heats the substrate material 310 by means of an auxiliary thermal conductive material in addition to contacting the substrate material 310. In the illustrated embodiment, the auxiliary thermal conductive material comprises a plurality of spaced apart conductive strips 320. Thus, in addition to, or as an alternative to, heating the substrate material 310 by the sharp projections 112 themselves, the substrate material 310 may be heated by the plurality of spaced conductive strips 320 due to heat transfer from the plurality of sharp protrusions 112. In some embodiments, the plurality of conductive strips 320 may be made of a metallic material such as, without limitation, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, or any combination thereof. In other embodiments, the plurality of conductive strips 320 may be made of a coated metal, such as, for example, aluminum-coated copper, or other combinations of coatings and base materials selected from the list above. In yet other embodiments, the plurality of conductive strips 320 may be made of a ceramic material such as, without limitation, aluminum oxide, beryllium oxide, boron nitride, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, or any combination thereof. In yet other embodiments, the plurality of conductive strips 320 may be made of carbon material, such as, but not limited to, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanoribbons, diamond-like carbon materials, or combinations thereof. And in yet other embodiments, the plurality of conductive strips 320 may be made of polymer composites, such as polymer materials with metal, ceramic, or carbon fibers.

For example, some embodiments may contain polyimide, epoxy, or silicone polymers with boron nitride, zinc oxide, or alumina fibers. In additional embodiments, the present invention contemplates that the plurality of conductive strips 320 may be made of any one or any combination of the above materials or composites that include two or more of the above materials.

In FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a heated end 402 of an aerosol source element; in FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the heated end 402 of the aerosol source element and part of the heating assembly; and in FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of the heated end of an aerosol source element and part of a heating assembly according to other embodiments of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the heated end 402 of the aerosol source element defines a first outer surface 406 and a first internal region 408, with a first substrate material 410 located in the first internal region 408 of the heated end 402 of the aerosol source element. As discussed above, in some embodiments, the support material may be located at both the heated end 402 and the tip end of the aerosol source element. In the illustrated embodiment, the first support material 410 has one portion, although in other embodiments, the first support material 410 may include additional portions that may have different compositions. In various embodiments, the first support material 410 may include tobacco or tobacco-related material with an associated aerosol precursor composition. In other embodiments, non-tobacco materials such as cellulose pulp may be used. In other embodiments, the non-tobacco support material may not be a plant-derived material. Reference is made to possible support materials, compositions, components and/or additives for use in the support material (and/or plurality of support materials) above.

The illustrated embodiment also includes a second backing material 412 that substantially surrounds the first backing material 410. Specifically, the second backing material 412 of the illustrated embodiment is located adjacent the first outer surface 406 of the first backing material 410 and defines its own second outer surface 416 and a second inner region 418. As with the first backing material 410, in the illustrated embodiment, the second material 412 The substrate has one portion, although in other embodiments, the second substrate material 412 may include additional portions that may have different compositions. In various embodiments, the second support material 412 may include tobacco or tobacco-related material with an associated aerosol precursor composition. In other embodiments, non-tobacco materials such as cellulose pulp may be used. In other embodiments, the non-tobacco support material may not be a plant-derived material. Reference is made to possible support materials, compositions, components and/or additives for use in the support material (and/or plurality of support materials) above. Although in some embodiments the first substrate material 410 and the second substrate material 412 may comprise the same material, in various other embodiments the first substrate material 410 and the second substrate material 412 may comprise different materials. For example, in some embodiments, the first substrate material 410 and the second substrate material 412 may include one or more respective components that are desirably stored separately. For example, in one embodiment, one of the support materials may include an ionized calcium (eg, Ca++) component, and the other support material may include an alginate component.

As described above, heating the first support material 410 and/or the second support material 412 results in aerosolization of the aerosol precursor composition(s) associated with the support materials 410, 412. In various embodiments, the mouth end of the aerosol source element is configured to receive generated aerosol therethrough in response to a puff applied by a user through the mouth end. In some embodiments, the mouth end of the aerosol source element may include a filter configured to receive an aerosol therethrough in response to a puff applied through the mouth end of the aerosol source element. Preferably, the elements of the substrate materials 410, 412 do not undergo thermal decomposition (e.g., charring, scorching, or burning) to any significant extent, and the aerosolized components are entrained in the air that is drawn through the aerosol delivery device 100, including the filter (if present), into the user's mouth.

As shown in FIG. 5 and 6, the heating assembly of the illustrated embodiment includes a plurality of projections 112 that are articulated between a retracted position in which the projections 112 are not in contact with the aerosol source member and a heating position in which the projections 112 are in contact with the element in the form of an aerosol source. In particular, in FIG. 5 and 6 show the sharp projections 112 in the heating position. In various embodiments of the heating position, the sharp projections 112 not only contact the aerosol source element, but also pierce the second outer surface 416 of the aerosol source element such that a portion of the sharp projections 112 extends into the second substrate material 412. In some embodiments, the sharp projections 112 extend only into the second backing material 412 and not into the first backing material 410. In such embodiments, the distance that the sharp projections 112 extend into the second backing material 412 may vary. For example, in some embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend into the second substrate material 412 a short distance, while in other embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend to the center of the second substrate material 412, and in yet other embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend through the second substrate material 412. In the illustrated embodiment, the sharp projections 112 extend through the second backing material 412 and further extend through the first outer surface 406 and into the first backing material 410. In such embodiments, the degree to which the sharp projections 112 extend into the first backing material 410 may vary. For example, in some embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend into the first substrate material 410 a short distance, while in other embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend to the center of the first substrate material 410, and in yet other embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend through the center of the first substrate material 410.

In various embodiments, the plurality of projections 112 may comprise opposing rows of projections 112, such as those shown in FIG. 5, wherein one row is located on one side of the aerosol source element and the other row is located on the opposite side of the aerosol source element. It should be noted that in some embodiments, additional rows of sharp projections 112 may be provided, such as, for example, three or more rows that may be located around the circumference of the heated end of the aerosol source element. In other embodiments, a single row of ridges 112 may be provided. In some embodiments, the location of individual ridges 112 may be staggered between rows, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, while in other embodiments the arrangement of the individual sharp projections 112 may be substantially aligned. As noted above, in various embodiments, the articulation of the plurality of sharp protrusions 112 may occur in a variety of ways. For example, in some embodiments, a plurality of sharp projections 112 may be contained in a bi-flap housing that moves away from the aerosol source element in a retracted position and toward the aerosol source element in a heating position. In some embodiments, activation of the articulation motion may be triggered by a button. For example, in some embodiments, the clamshell may be actuated by a spring and a button may cause the clamshell to move from a retracted position to a heating position. In another embodiment, the user may slide the member on which one or both rows of sharp projections 112 are located from a retracted position to a heating position in which the sharp projections 112 pierce the outer surface of the backing material and a portion of its interior region 408.

As discussed above, in various embodiments, the heating element of the heating assembly may generate heat when receiving electrical energy from an electrical power source. Thus, in some embodiments, the plurality of sharp projections 112 may include a resistive heating element that heats the first and second substrate materials 410, 412 by means of an auxiliary thermal conductive material in addition to contact with the substrate materials 410, 412 themselves. In the illustrated embodiment, the thermally conductive auxiliary material includes a plurality of spaced apart conductive strips 420 that are disposed between a first outer surface 406 of the first backing material 410 and an inner surface of the second backing material 412. Thus, in addition to or as an alternative to heating the first and second substrate materials 410, 412 by the spikes 112 themselves, the first and second substrate materials 410, 412 may be heated by a plurality of spaced apart conductive strips 420 due to heat transfer from the plurality of spikes 112 In some embodiments, the plurality of spaced apart conductive strips 420 may be made of a metallic material, such as, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, or any combination thereof. In other embodiments, the plurality of conductive strips 420 may be made of a coated metal, such as, for example, aluminum-coated copper, or other combinations of coatings and base materials selected from the list above. In yet other embodiments, the plurality of spaced apart conductive strips 420 may be made of a ceramic material such as, but not limited to, aluminum oxide, beryllium oxide, boron nitride, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, or any combination thereof. In yet other embodiments, the plurality of spaced conductive strips 420 may be made of carbon material, such as, but not limited to, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanoribbons, diamond-like carbon materials, or combinations thereof. And in yet other embodiments, the plurality of thermally conductive strips 420 may be made of polymer composites, such as polymer materials with metal, ceramic, or carbon fibers, including, but not limited to, polyimide, epoxy, or silicone polymers with boron nitride, zinc oxide, or carbon fibers. aluminum oxide. In further embodiments, the present invention contemplates that the plurality of conductive strips may be made of any one or any combination of the above materials or composites that contain two or more of the above materials.

It should be noted that while in the illustrated embodiments the substrate material is located below the conductive strips as well as between the conductive strips, in other embodiments the aerosol source material may be located only below the conductive strips or in other embodiments only between the conductive strips. Additionally, although in the illustrated embodiments the concentration of aerosol-forming material in the support material is relatively constant across all portions, in some embodiments the concentration of aerosol-forming materials in the support material may vary from part to part.

In FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of a heated end 502 of an aerosol source element and a portion of a heating assembly; and in FIG. 8 is a schematic top view of a heated end 502 of an aerosol source element and a portion of a heating assembly according to an example embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the heated end 502 of the aerosol source element defines a first outer surface 506 and a first internal region 508, with a first substrate material 510 located in the first internal region 508 of the heated end 502 of the aerosol source element. As discussed above, in some embodiments, the support material may be located at both the heated end 502 and the mouth end of the aerosol source element. In the illustrated embodiment, the first support material 510 has one portion, although in other embodiments, the first support material 510 may include additional portions that may have different compositions. In various embodiments, the first support material 510 may comprise tobacco or tobacco-related material with an associated aerosol precursor composition. In other embodiments, non-tobacco materials such as cellulose pulp may be used. In other embodiments, the non-tobacco support material may not be a plant-derived material. Reference is made to possible support materials, compositions, components and/or additives for use in the support material (and/or plurality of support materials) above.

The illustrated embodiment also includes a second backing material 512 that substantially surrounds the first backing material 510. Specifically, the second backing material 512 of the illustrated embodiment is located proximal to the first outer surface 506 of the first backing material 510 and defines its own second outer surface 516 and a second inner region 518. As with the first backing material 510, in the illustrated embodiment, the second backing material 512 The substrate material has one portion, although in other embodiments, the second substrate material 510 may include additional portions that may have different compositions. In various embodiments, the second support material 512 may comprise tobacco or tobacco-related material with an associated aerosol precursor composition. In other embodiments, non-tobacco materials such as cellulose pulp may be used. In other embodiments, the non-tobacco support material may not be a plant-derived material. Reference is made to possible support materials, compositions, components and/or additives for use in the support material (and/or plurality of support materials) above.

Although in some embodiments the first substrate material 510 and the second substrate material 512 may comprise the same material, in various other embodiments the first substrate material 510 and the second substrate material 512 may include different materials. For example, in some embodiments, the first substrate material 510 and the second substrate material 512 may contain one or more respective components that are desirably stored separately. For example, in one embodiment, one of the support materials may include an ionized calcium (eg, Ca++) component, and the other support material may include an alginate component.

As described above, heating the first support material 510 and/or the second support material 512 results in aerosolization of the aerosol precursor composition(s) associated with the support materials 510, 512. In various embodiments, the mouth end of the aerosol source element is configured to receive generated aerosol therethrough in response to a puff applied by a user through the mouth end. In some embodiments, the mouth end of the aerosol source element may include a filter configured to receive an aerosol therethrough in response to a puff applied through the mouth end of the aerosol source element. Preferably, the elements of the substrate materials 510, 512 do not undergo thermal decomposition (e.g., charring, scorching, or burning) to any significant extent, and the aerosolized components are entrained in air that is drawn through the aerosol delivery device 100, including the filter (if present), into the user's mouth.

As shown in FIG. 7 and 8, the heating assembly of the illustrated embodiment includes a plurality of projections 112 that are articulated between a retracted position in which the projections 112 are not in contact with the aerosol source member and a heating position in which the projections 112 contact a plurality of spaced apart conductive strips 520 that extend around a limited portion of the outer surface of the first substrate material 510. In particular, in FIG. 7 and 8 show the sharp projections 112 in the heating position. In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of spaced apart conductive strips 520 serve as a heating element. Specifically, each of the plurality of spaced apart conductive strips 520 of the illustrated embodiment defines a first end 520a and a second end 520b. Thus, when the plurality of sharp projections 112, which are electrically coupled to the electrical power source 108, contact the respective first and second ends 520a, 520b of the plurality of spaced conductive strips 520, the plurality of resistive heating circuits are closed such that the plurality of spaced conductive strips 520 serve as heating element.

In some embodiments, the plurality of spaced apart conductive strips 520 may be made of a metallic material such as, without limitation, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, or any combination thereof. In other embodiments, the plurality of conductive strips 520 may be made of a coated metal, such as, for example, aluminum-coated copper, or other combinations of coatings and base materials selected from the list above. In yet other embodiments, the plurality of spaced apart conductive strips 520 may be made of a ceramic material such as, but not limited to, aluminum oxide, beryllium oxide, boron nitride, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, or any combination thereof. In yet other embodiments, the plurality of spaced apart conductive strips 520 may be made of carbon material, such as, but not limited to, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanoribbons, diamond-like carbon materials, or combinations thereof. And in yet other embodiments, the plurality of thermally conductive strips 520 may be made of polymer composites, such as polymer materials with metal, ceramic, or carbon fibers, including, but not limited to, polyimide, epoxy, or silicone polymers with boron nitride, zinc oxide, or carbon fibers. aluminum oxide. In further embodiments, the present invention contemplates that the plurality of conductive strips may be made of any one or any combination of the above materials or composites that contain two or more of the above materials.

In some embodiments of the heating position, the sharp projections 112 not only contact the aerosol source element, but also pierce the second outer surface 516 of the aerosol source element such that a portion of the sharp projections 112 extends into the second substrate material 512. In some embodiments, the sharp projections 112 extend only into the second backing material 512 and not into the first backing material 510. In such embodiments, the distance that the sharp projections 112 extend into the second backing material 512 may vary. For example, in some embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend into the second substrate material 512 a short distance, while in other embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend to the center of the second substrate material 512, and in yet other embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend through the second substrate material 512. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the sharp projections 112 extend through the second backing material 512 and further extend through the first outer surface 506 and into the first backing material 510. In such embodiments, the degree to which the sharp projections 112 extend into the first backing material 510 may vary. For example, in some embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend into the first substrate material 510 a short distance, while in other embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend to the center of the first substrate material 510, and in yet other embodiments, the sharp projections 112 may extend through the center of the first substrate material 510.

In various embodiments, the plurality of projections 112 may comprise a pair of rows of projections 112, such as those shown in FIG. 7, with one row located adjacent to another row on the same side of the aerosol source element. In the illustrated embodiment, the rows of sharp projections 112 are substantially aligned; however, in other embodiments, such as, for example, an embodiment in which spaced conductive strips are arranged in a helical pattern around the substrate material, the rows of sharp projections may be offset. However, it should be noted that for any of the embodiments described herein, the plurality of sharp projections need not be arranged in a pattern, and thus, in some embodiments, the plurality of sharp projections may be randomly distributed. As noted above, in various embodiments, the articulation of the plurality of sharp protrusions 112 may occur in a variety of ways. For example, in some embodiments, a plurality of sharp projections 112 may be contained in a bi-flap housing that moves away from the aerosol source element in a retracted position and toward the aerosol source element in a heating position. In some embodiments, activation of the articulation motion may be triggered by a button. For example, in some embodiments, the clamshell may be actuated by a spring and a button may cause the clamshell to move from a retracted position to a heating position. In another embodiment, the user may slide the element on which one or both rows of sharp projections are located from a retracted position to a heating position in which the thermally conductive sharp projections 112 pierce the outer surface of the backing material and a portion of the internal region 508 thereof.

For any of the above-described embodiments, the control component 106 and/or the plurality of sharp projections 112 may be configured such that the substrate material (eg, the first substrate material or the first and second substrate materials) can be heated in portions. Thus, the plurality of sharp projections 112 can be independently controlled. For example, in some embodiments, individual spikes 112, a pair of spikes 112, and/or a group of spikes 112 can be independently controlled such that different portions of the substrate material can be heated at different times. In one embodiment, individual spikes 112, a pair of spikes 112, and/or a group of spikes 112 may be independently activated (e.g., independently articulated and/or independently heated and/or independently coupled to an electrical source) such that the substrate material is sequentially warms up. This could occur through heating from sharp protrusions and/or conductive strips, as described above. In such embodiments, activation of the tines 112 may be initiated by a puff action performed by the consumer through the use of one or more different sensors, as otherwise described herein, and/or may be initiated upon termination of the puff, as determined by one or more different sensors. such as a button. Thus, in some embodiments, the number of possible heating portions may correspond to the number of puffs available from the aerosol source element 200. In some embodiments, a single aerosol source element may provide from about 4 to about 12, from about 5 to about 11, or from about 6 to about 10 puffs.

It should be noted that although the aerosol source element and the control body of the disclosure of the present invention may be provided together as a finished smoking article or pharmaceutical delivery article, typically the components may be provided separately. For example, the present invention also includes a disposable unit for use with a reusable smoking article or a reusable pharmaceutical delivery article. In specific embodiments, such a disposable unit (which may be an aerosol source element as shown in the accompanying drawings) may comprise a generally tubular-shaped body having a heated end configured to engage a reusable smoking or pharmaceutical delivery article, an opposite mouthpiece end configured to allow inhalable substance to pass to the consumer, and a wall with an outer surface and an inner surface that define an internal space. Various embodiments of an aerosol source (or cartridge) element are described in US Pat. No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

In addition to the disposable device, the present disclosure may further be characterized as providing a separate control housing for use in a reusable smoking article or a reusable pharmaceutical delivery article. In particular embodiments, the control housing may generally be a housing having a receiving end (which may include an open end receiving chamber) for receiving the heated end of a separately provided aerosol source element. The control housing may also include an electrical power source that provides power to an electrical heating element, which may be a component of the control housing or may be included in an aerosol source element to be used with the control unit. In various embodiments, the control housing may also include additional components, including a source of electrical power (e.g., a battery), components for causing current to flow into the heating element, and components for regulating such current flow to maintain a desired temperature for a desired period. time and/or cyclic flow of current or stop current flow when the desired temperature is reached or the heating element is heated for the desired period of time. In some embodiments, the control unit may also include one or more buttons associated with one or both of components for causing current to flow into the heating element and components for controlling such current flow. The control housing may also include one or more indicators, such as lights, indicating that the heater is heating up and/or indicating the number of puffs remaining for the aerosol source element that is used with the control housing.

Although the various figures described herein illustrate the control housing and the aerosol source member in an operative state, it will be understood that the control housing and the aerosol source member may exist as individual devices. Accordingly, any discussion herein with respect to components in combination should also be understood to refer to the control housing and aerosol source element as individual and separate components.

In another aspect, the present invention may be directed to kits that provide a variety of components as described herein. For example, the kit may include a control housing with one or more aerosol source elements. The kit may also include a control housing with one or more charging components. The kit may also include a control housing with one or more batteries. The kit may also include a control housing with one or more aerosol source elements and one or more charging components and/or one or more batteries. In additional embodiments, the kit may contain a plurality of elements in the form of an aerosol source. The kit may also contain a plurality of aerosol source elements and one or more batteries and/or charging components. In the above embodiments, the aerosol source elements or control housings may be provided with a heating element included therein. The kits of the invention may also include a case (or other packaging, carrying or storage component) that houses one or more additional kit components. The case can be a reusable hard or soft container. Additionally, the case may simply be a box or other packaging structure.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art to which this invention relates using the disclosures set forth in the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are used herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims (20)

1. An aerosol delivery device containing: an aerosol source element that defines an outer surface and an internal region and includes a support material having an aerosol precursor composition associated therewith, source of electricity and heating unit functionally connected to a source of electricity, wherein the heating assembly includes at least one sharp protrusion that pierces the outer surface of the substrate material and a portion of the interior region thereof, and the outer surface of the support material includes a plurality of spaced conductive strips such that said at least one sharp protrusion makes electrical contact with at least one of the plurality of spaced conductive strips. 2. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein each of the spaced apart conductive strips surrounds the entire outer surface of the support material. 3. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein each of the spaced apart conductive strips extends around a limited portion of the outer surface of the support material and defines a first end and a second end, and optionally, wherein the at least one sharp projection comprises a plurality of thermally conductive sharp projections, wherein respective sharp projections of the plurality of heat-conducting sharp projections contact the first and second ends of the spaced apart conductive strips. 4. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein at least one sharp protrusion contains a heating element of the heating unit. 5. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, in which the plurality of spaced apart conductive strips contains a heating element of the heating unit. 6. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein at least one sharp protrusion pierces the aerosol source element perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol source element. 7. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the substrate material of the aerosol source element comprises a first support material and wherein the aerosol source element also comprises a second support material that defines an outer surface and an internal region, wherein the second support material is essentially surrounds the first support material. 8. The aerosol delivery device of claim 7, wherein each of the spaced apart conductive strips extends around a portion of the outer surface of the support material and defines a first end and a second end, and optionally, wherein the at least one sharp projection comprises a plurality of sharp projections, wherein In the heating position, respective sharp projections of the plurality of sharp projections contact the first and second ends of the spaced apart conductive strips. 9. The aerosol delivery device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of sharp projections comprise a heating element of the heating assembly. 10. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of spaced apart conductive strips comprise a heating element of the heating assembly. 11. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the support material comprises at least one of a tobacco material and a tobacco-derived material. 12. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the support material comprises a non-tobacco material. 13. The aerosol delivery device of claim 7, wherein the first support material is different from the second support material. 14. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the support material comprises at least one of the following: pieces of tobacco material, beads of tobacco material, an extruded structure of tobacco material, a compressed sheet of tobacco material, and combinations thereof. 15. The aerosol delivery device of claim 7, wherein the first support material comprises at least one of the following: pieces of tobacco material, pellets of tobacco material, an extruded structure of tobacco material, a compressed sheet of tobacco material, and combinations thereof, or wherein the second support material contains at least one of the following: pieces of tobacco material, balls of tobacco material, an extruded structure of tobacco material, a compressed sheet of tobacco material, and combinations thereof.