JP7746336B2 - Electronic Aerosol Delivery System - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a non-combustible aerosol delivery system.

Electronic aerosol delivery systems, such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), generally include a reservoir of liquid feedstock, typically comprising a nicotine-containing formulation, from which an aerosol is generated, e.g., by thermal vaporization. Accordingly, an aerosol source for an aerosol delivery system may include a heater having a heating element positioned to receive the liquid feedstock from the reservoir, e.g., by wicking/capillary action. While a user draws on the device, power is supplied to the heating element to vaporize the liquid feedstock proximate the heating element and generate an aerosol for inhalation by the user. Such devices typically include one or more air inlet holes positioned away from the mouthpiece end of the system. When a user draws on a mouthpiece connected to the mouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn through the inlet holes and passes through the aerosol source. A flow path connects the aerosol source and the mouthpiece opening, such that air passing through the aerosol source continues to be drawn along the flow path into the mouthpiece opening, carrying a portion of the aerosol from the aerosol source. The aerosol-carrying air exits the aerosol delivery system through the mouthpiece opening for inhalation by the user.

Other aerosol delivery devices generate aerosol from solid materials, such as tobacco or tobacco derivatives. Such devices operate in much the same manner as the liquid-based systems described above, in that the solid tobacco material is heated to vaporization temperatures to generate an aerosol, which is then inhaled by the user.

With most aerosol delivery devices, users expect consistent delivery from puff to puff, so that each puff tastes the same and/or provides the same desired effect. However, such devices are not always able to provide consistent delivery.

We describe various approaches that attempt to help address some of these challenges.

According to a first aspect of certain embodiments, an aerosol delivery device for generating an aerosol from an article comprising a portion of aerosol-generating material is provided. The device includes a receptacle for receiving an article comprising a portion of aerosol-generating material; an outlet fluidly coupled to the receptacle; at least one aerosol-generating component configured to perform an aerosolization process on one or more of the portions of aerosol-generating material when the article is received in the receptacle; and control circuitry for controlling the aerosol-generating component. The control circuitry is configured to cause the at least one aerosol-generating component to generate a quantity of aerosol from each portion of the aerosol-generating material based on a distance from the outlet to the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material.

In some examples, the control circuitry is configured to generate a volume of aerosol from each portion of the aerosol-generating material such that a substantially constant volume of aerosol passes through the outlet, regardless of the distance of each portion of the aerosol-generating material from the outlet.

In some examples, the control circuitry is configured to cause the aerosol generating component to generate a greater amount of aerosol from each portion of the aerosol generating material the farther the portion of the aerosol generating material is positioned from the outlet.

In some examples, the control circuitry is configured to cause the aerosol-generating component to generate a quantity of aerosol from the portion of aerosol-generating material based on a function of the distance from the outlet to the portion of aerosol-generating material.

In some examples, the at least one aerosol-generating component is at least one heating element positioned to heat a portion of the aerosol-generating material.

In some examples, the control circuitry is configured to set the operating temperature of at least one heating element based on the distance of each portion of the aerosol-generating material from the outlet.

In some examples, the control circuit is configured to set the operating temperature of heating elements closer to the outlet lower than the operating temperature of heating elements further from the outlet.

In some examples, the control circuitry is configured to set a heating time for at least one heating element based on the distance of each portion of the aerosol-generating material from the outlet.

In some examples, the portions of aerosol-generating material, when received in the receptacle, are arranged in an N x M array relative to the outlet, and the control circuitry is configured to cause the aerosol-generating component to generate X different amounts of aerosol, where X is

is determined in accordance with

In some examples, the at least one aerosol generation component comprises a plurality of aerosol generation components arranged in an N x M array, and the control circuitry is configured to cause each of the plurality of aerosol generation components to operate at one of X different power levels, where X is

is determined in accordance with

According to a second aspect of certain embodiments, there is provided an aerosol delivery system comprising an aerosol delivery device according to the first aspect and further comprising an article comprising a portion of aerosol-generating material.

In some instances, each portion of aerosol-forming material is substantially the same.

In some examples, the properties of the aerosol-generating material vary based on the distance from the outlet when the aerosol-generating material is received in the receiving portion.

In some instances, the aerosol-forming material is an amorphous solid.

According to a third aspect of certain embodiments, there is provided a method for generating an aerosol using an aerosol-generating device. The method includes determining a distance between a portion of aerosol-generating material and an outlet of the device through which the generated aerosol can be inhaled by a user; setting an amount of aerosol generated from the portion of aerosol-generating material based on the determined distance; and generating an aerosol from the portion of aerosol-generating material.

In a fourth aspect of certain embodiments, an aerosol supply means is provided for generating an aerosol from an article comprising a portion of aerosol-generating material. The means comprises receiving means for receiving an article comprising a portion of aerosol-generating material, outlet means fluidly coupled to the receiving means, at least one aerosol-generating means configured to subject one or more of the portions of aerosol-generating material to an aerosolization process when the article is received by the receiving means, and control means for controlling the aerosol-generating means. Here, the control means is configured to cause the at least one aerosol-generating means to generate a quantity of aerosol from each portion of aerosol-generating material based on a distance from the outlet means to the respective portion of aerosol-generating material.

It will be appreciated that the features and aspects of the invention described above with respect to the first and other aspects of the invention are equally applicable to embodiments of the invention according to other aspects of the invention and may be combined therewith as appropriate, without being limited to the specific combinations set forth above.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an aerosol delivery system including an aerosol delivery device and an aerosol-generating article, the device including multiple heating elements and the article including multiple portions of aerosol-generating material. 2A and 2B are views of the aerosol supply of FIG. 1 from different angles. 2A and 2B are views of the aerosol supply of FIG. 1 from different angles. 2A and 2B are views of the aerosol supply of FIG. 1 from different angles. 2 is a cross-sectional top view of a heating element of the aerosol delivery device of FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a top view of an exemplary touch-sensitive panel for operating various functions of the aerosol delivery system. 3 with the addition of arrows indicating the distance between the heating element and the outlet of the device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional example of an aerosol delivery system including an aerosol delivery device and an aerosol generating article, the device including multiple inductive action coils, and the article including multiple portions of aerosol-generating material and corresponding susceptor portions. 7A and 7B are views of the aerosol supply of FIG. 6 from different angles. 7A and 7B are views of the aerosol supply of FIG. 6 from different angles. 7A and 7B are views of the aerosol supply of FIG. 6 from different angles.

Aspects and features of particular examples and embodiments are discussed/described herein. Some aspects and features of particular examples and embodiments may be conventionally implemented and will not be discussed/described in detail for the sake of brevity. Therefore, it will be recognized that aspects and features of the devices and methods discussed herein that are not described in detail may be implemented in accordance with any conventional techniques for implementing such aspects and features.

The present disclosure relates to "non-combustible" aerosol delivery systems. A "non-combustible" aerosol delivery system is one that does not burn or combust the aerosolizable material constituents (or components thereof) of the aerosol delivery system to facilitate delivery of the aerosol to a user. Furthermore, as is common in the art, the terms "vapor" and "aerosol," as well as related terms such as "vaporize," "volatilize," and "aerosolize," can be used generally interchangeably.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), although it should be noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosolizable material is not a requirement. Throughout the following description, the terms "e-cigarette" or "electronic cigarette" may be used, and these terms can be used interchangeably with aerosol (vapor) delivery system.

Typically, a non-combustion aerosol delivery system may include a non-combustion aerosol delivery device and articles (sometimes referred to as consumables) for use with the non-combustion aerosol delivery device. However, it is contemplated that an article that itself includes a means for powering an aerosol generating component may itself form a non-combustion aerosol delivery system.

The article is intended to be consumed, in part or in whole, by a user during use. The article may include or consist solely of an aerosolizable material. The article may also include one or more other elements, such as a filter or an aerosol modifier (e.g., an ingredient for adding flavor or otherwise altering the properties of the aerosol that passes through or over the aerosol modifier).

Non-combustible aerosol delivery systems often, but not always, comprise modular assemblies that include both a reusable aerosol delivery device and replaceable articles. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol delivery device may comprise a power source and a controller (or control circuitry). The power source may be, for example, a power source such as a battery or a rechargeable battery. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol delivery device may also comprise an aerosol generating component. However, in other embodiments, an article may partially or completely comprise the aerosol generating component.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating component is a heater that can interact with the aerosolizable material to release one or more volatile components from the aerosolizable material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating component can generate an aerosol from the aerosolizable material without applying heat. For example, the aerosol-generating component can generate an aerosol from the aerosolizable material without applying heat, e.g., by one or more of vibrational, mechanical, pressurized, or electrostatic means.

In some embodiments, the heater may comprise one or more electrical resistance heaters, including, for example, one or more nichrome resistance heater(s) and/or one or more ceramic heater(s). The one or more heaters may comprise one or more induction heaters, including a configuration comprising one or more susceptors that, in use, can form a chamber into which an article comprising the aerosolizable material is inserted or otherwise disposed. Alternatively, or in addition, the one or more susceptors may comprise the aerosolizable material. Other heater configurations may also be used.

Articles for use with non-combustible aerosol delivery devices generally comprise an aerosolizable material. An aerosolizable material, sometimes referred to herein as an aerosol-generating material, is a material that can generate an aerosol when, for example, heated, irradiated, or otherwise energized. The aerosolizable material may be in the form of, for example, a solid, liquid, or gel, and may or may not contain nicotine and/or flavorings. In the following disclosure, the aerosolizable material is described as including an "amorphous solid," which may alternatively be referred to as a "monolithic solid" (i.e., non-fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dry gel. An amorphous solid is a solid material that can retain some fluid, such as a liquid, within it. In some embodiments, the aerosolizable material may comprise, for example, from about 50%, 60%, or 70% by weight up to about 90%, 95%, or 100% by weight of an amorphous solid. However, it should be appreciated that the principles of the present disclosure may be applied to other aerosolizable materials, such as tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, and liquids such as e-liquids.

If desired, the aerosolizable material may include any one or more of an active ingredient, a carrier ingredient, a flavoring agent, and one or more other functional ingredients.

As used herein, an active ingredient may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active ingredient may be selected from, for example, dietary supplements, nootropics, and psychotropic drugs. The active ingredient may be naturally occurring or synthetically derived. The active ingredient may include, for example, nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins (such as B6, B12, or C), melatonin, cannabinoids, or components, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The active ingredient may include one or more components, derivatives, or extracts of tobacco, cannabis, or another botanical material. As described herein, the active ingredient may include one or more components, derivatives, or extracts of cannabis, such as one or more cannabinoids or terpenes.

In some embodiments, the aerosolizable material or amorphous solid is cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), or acid), cannabinol (CBN), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabicyclol (CBL), cannabivarin (CBV), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), cannabidivarin (CBDV), cannabichromevarin (CBCV), cannabigerovarin (CBGV), cannabigerol monomethyl ether (CBGM) It contains one or more cannabinoid compounds selected from the group consisting of cannabinoid ether, cannabielsoin (CBE), and cannabicitran (CBT).

The aerosolizable material or amorphous solid may include one or more cannabinoid compounds selected from the group consisting of cannabidiol (CBD) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

The aerosolizable material or amorphous solid may include cannabidiol (CBD).

The aerosolizable material or amorphous solid may include nicotine and cannabidiol (CBD).

The aerosolizable material or amorphous solid may include nicotine, cannabidiol (CBD), and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

In some embodiments, the active ingredient includes nicotine. In some embodiments, the active ingredient includes caffeine, melatonin, or vitamin B12.

As described herein, the active ingredient may include or be derived from one or more botanical materials, or components, derivatives, or extracts thereof. As used herein, the term "botanical material" includes any material derived from a plant, including, but not limited to, extracts, leaves, bark, fiber, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruit, pollen, husks, peels, and the like. Alternatively, the material may include active compounds naturally occurring in the botanical material or synthetically obtained. The material may be in the form of a liquid, gas, solid, powder, dust, crushed particles, granules, pellets, fragments, shreds, sheets, and the like. Examples of plant materials include tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise, hemp, cacao, cannabis, fennel, lemongrass, peppermint, spearmint, rooibos, chamomile, flax, ginger, ginkgo, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, licorice, matcha, yerba mate, orange peel, papaya, rose, sage, tea (such as green tea or black tea), thyme, cloves, cinnamon, coffee, aniseed, basil, bay leaf, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lavender, Lemon peel, mint, juniper, elderflower, vanilla, wintergreen, shiso, turmeric, sandalwood, cilantro, bergamot, orange blossom, myrtle, blackcurrant, valerian, pimento, mace, damiana, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chives, Calvi, verbena, tarragon, geranium, mulberry, ginseng, theanine, theacrine, maca, ashwagandha, damiana, guarana, chlorophyll, baobab, or any combination thereof. Mint may be any of the following mint varieties: common mint (Mentha arventis), grapefruit mint (Mentha c.v.), Egyptian mint (Mentha niliaca), peppermint (Mentha piperita), lime mint (Mentha piperita citrate c.v.), chocolate mint (Mentha piperita c.v.), curly mint (Mentha spicata crispa), wild mint (Mentha cardifolia), horse mint (Mentha longifolia), pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens variegata), pennyroyal mint (Mentha pulegium), English spearmint (Mentha spicata c.v.), and apple mint (Mentha suaveolens).

In some embodiments, the active ingredient comprises or is derived from one or more plant materials, or components, derivatives, or extracts thereof, and the plant material is tobacco.

In some embodiments, the active ingredient comprises or is derived from one or more botanical materials, or components, derivatives, or extracts thereof, the botanical materials being selected from eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, and hemp.

In some embodiments, the active ingredient comprises or is derived from one or more botanical materials, or components, derivatives, or extracts thereof, and the botanical materials are selected from rooibos and fennel.

In certain embodiments, the aerosolizable material or amorphous solid comprises a gelling agent. The gelling agent may comprise one or more compounds selected from cellulosic gelling agents, non-cellulosic gelling agents, guar gum, acacia gum, and mixtures thereof.

In some embodiments, the cellulose-based gelling agent is selected from the group consisting of hydroxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, cellulose acetate (CA), cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP), and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the gelling agent includes (or is) one or more of hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), carboxymethyl cellulose, guar gum, or acacia gum.

In some embodiments, the gelling agent comprises (or is) one or more non-cellulosic gelling agents, including, but not limited to, agar, xanthan gum, gum arabic, guar gum, locust bean gum, pectin, carrageenan, starch, alginate, and combinations thereof. In preferred embodiments, the non-cellulosic gelling agent is alginate or agar.

The aerosolizable material or amorphous solid may include an acid. The acid may be an organic acid. In some of these embodiments, the acid may be at least one of a monobasic acid, a dibasic acid, and a tribasic acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may include at least one carboxyl functional group. In some such embodiments, the acid may be at least one of an alpha-hydroxy acid, a carboxylic acid, a dicarboxylic acid, a tricarboxylic acid, and a keto acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may be an alpha-keto acid.

In some such embodiments, the acid may be at least one of succinic acid, lactic acid, benzoic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, levulinic acid, acetic acid, malic acid, formic acid, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, propanoic acid, and pyruvic acid.

Preferably, the acid is lactic acid. In other embodiments, the acid is benzoic acid. In other embodiments, the acid may be an inorganic acid. In some of these embodiments, the acid may be a mineral acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may be at least one of sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, boric acid, and phosphoric acid. In some embodiments, the acid is levulinic acid.

In certain embodiments, the aerosolizable material or amorphous solid comprises a gelling agent, including a cellulosic gelling agent and/or a non-cellulosic gelling agent, an active agent, and an acid.

In some embodiments, the aerosolizable material includes a fragrance (or flavoring).

As used herein, the terms "flavoring" and "flavoring agent" refer to materials that can be used to create a desired taste, aroma, or other somatic sensation in products for adult consumers, where permitted by local regulations. They include naturally occurring flavoring materials, botanical materials, extracts of botanical materials, synthetically derived materials, or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice, hydrangea, eugenol, magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, maple, matcha green tea, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed (aniseed), cinnamon, turmeric, Indian spice, Asian spice, herb, wintergreen, cherry, berry, red berry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, clementine, lemon, lime, tropical fruit, papaya, lemongrass, and lemongrass). Barb, grapes, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruits, Drambuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, aloe vera, cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, khat, naswar, betel quid, shisha, pineapple, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange blossom, cherry blossom, cassia, caraway Cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage, fennel, wasabi, bell pepper, ginger, coriander, coffee, hemp, mint oil obtained from any species of mint, eucalyptus, star anise, cacao, lemongrass, rooibos, flax, ginkgo, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, yerba mate, orange peel, rose, tea (green tea, black tea, etc.), thyme, juniper, elderflower, basil, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, shiso, curcuma, cilantro, myrtle, black currant, valerian, pimento , mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chives, Calvi, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene), flavor enhancers, bitter taste receptor site blockers, sensory receptor site activators, or stimulants, sugars and/or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharin, cyclamate, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanical materials, or breath fresheners. They may be imitation, synthetic, or natural ingredients, or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example, a liquid (e.g., an oil), a solid (e.g., a powder), or a gas.

In some embodiments, the flavoring includes menthol, spearmint, and/or peppermint. In some embodiments, the flavoring includes cucumber, blueberry, citrus, and/or red berry flavor components. In some embodiments, the flavoring includes eugenol. In some embodiments, the flavoring includes flavor components extracted from tobacco. In some embodiments, the flavoring includes flavor components extracted from cannabis.

In some embodiments, the flavoring agent may include a sensory agent intended to achieve somatic sensations typically chemically induced and perceived by stimulating the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve) in addition to, or instead of, the olfactory or gustatory nerves, and these may include agents that provide a heating, cooling, tingling, or numbing effect. Suitable heating agents may include, but are not limited to, vanillyl ethyl ether, and suitable cooling agents may include, but are not limited to, eucalyptol and WS-3.

The carrier component may include one or more components capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the carrier component may include one or more of glycerin, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, mesoerythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate.

In some embodiments, the carrier component includes one or more polyhydric alcohols (such as propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, and glycerin), esters of polyhydric alcohols (such as glycerol monoacetate, glycerol diacetate, or glycerol triacetate), and/or aliphatic esters of monocarboxylic, dicarboxylic, or polycarboxylic acids (such as dimethyl dodecanedioate and dimethyl tetradecanedioate).

The one or more other functional ingredients may include one or more of a pH adjuster, a colorant, a preservative, a binder, a filler, a stabilizer, and/or an antioxidant.

The aerosolizable material may be present on or in a carrier support (or carrier component) to form a substrate. The carrier support may be or include, for example, paper, card, corrugated board, cardboard, recycled aerosolizable material, plastic material, ceramic material, composite material, glass, metal, or alloy.

In some embodiments, an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol delivery device may comprise an aerosolizable material or an area for receiving an aerosolizable material. In some embodiments, an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol delivery device may comprise a mouthpiece, or alternatively, the non-combustible aerosol delivery device may comprise a mouthpiece in communication with the article. The area for receiving an aerosolizable material may be a storage area for storing the aerosolizable material. For example, the storage area may be a reservoir.

Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an aerosol delivery system 1 according to a particular embodiment of the present disclosure. The aerosol delivery system 1 comprises two main components: an aerosol delivery device 2 and an aerosol generator 4.

The aerosol delivery device 2 comprises an outer housing 21, a power source 22, a control circuit 23, a plurality of aerosol generating components 24, a receptacle 25, a mouth end 26, an air inlet 27, an air outlet 28, a contact-sensitive panel 29, a suction sensor 30, and an end-of-use indicator 31.

The outer housing 21 may be formed from any suitable material, for example, a plastic material. The outer housing 21 is configured so that the power source 22, control circuitry 23, aerosol generating component 24, receptacle 25, and suction sensor 30 are disposed within the outer housing 21. The outer housing 21 also defines an air inlet 27 and an air outlet 28, which are described in more detail below. A touch-sensitive panel 29 and an end-of-use indicator are disposed on the exterior of the outer housing 21.

The outer housing 21 further includes a mouth end 26. The outer housing 21 and mouth end 26 are formed as a single component (i.e., the mouth end 26 forms part of the outer housing 21). The mouth end 26 is defined as the area of the outer housing 21 that includes the air outlet 28 and is shaped so that a user can comfortably place their lips around the mouth end 26 to engage the air outlet 28. In FIG. 1, the thickness of the outer housing 21 tapers toward the air outlet 28, providing a relatively thin portion of the device 2 that can be more easily accommodated by the user's lips. However, in other embodiments, the mouth end 26 may be a removable component that is separate from but connectable to the outer housing 21, and that can be removed for cleaning and/or replacement with another mouth end 26.

The power source 22 is configured to provide operating power to the aerosol delivery device 2. The power source 22 may be any suitable power source, such as a battery. For example, the power source 22 may comprise a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium-ion battery. The power source 22 may be removable or may form an integral part of the aerosol delivery device 2. In some embodiments, the power source 22 may be recharged by connecting the device 2 to an external power source (such as a mains power supply) via an associated connection port, such as a USB port (not shown), or via a suitable wireless receiver (not shown).

The control circuitry 23 is suitably configured/programmed to control the operation of the aerosol delivery device 2 to provide specific operational functions of the aerosol delivery device 2. The control circuitry 23 may be considered to logically comprise various subunits/circuit elements associated with various aspects of the operation of the aerosol delivery device. For example, the control circuitry 23 may comprise a logical subunit for controlling the recharging of the power source 22. In addition, the control circuitry 23 may comprise a communications logical subunit, for example, to facilitate data transfer to or from the device 2. However, the primary function of the control circuitry 23 is to control the aerosolization of the aerosol-generating material, as described in more detail below. It will be appreciated that the functionality of the control circuitry 23 may be provided in a variety of different ways, for example, using one or more suitably programmed programmable computer(s) and/or one or more suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(s)/circuit(s)/chip(s)/chipset(s) configured to provide the desired functionality. The control circuitry 23 may be connected to the power source 22, receive power from the power source 22, and distribute or control the power supply to the other components of the aerosol delivery device 2.

In the illustrated embodiment, the aerosol delivery device 2 further comprises a receptacle 25 arranged to receive the aerosol-generating product 4.

The aerosol-generating article 4 comprises a carrier component 42 and an aerosol-generating material 44. The aerosol-generating article 4 is shown in further detail in Figures 2A-2C. Figure 2A is a top view of the article 4, Figure 2B is an end view of the article 4 along its longitudinal (length) axis, and Figure 2C is a side view of the article 4 along its width axis.

Article 4 includes a carrier component 42, which in this embodiment is formed from card. Carrier component 42 forms the majority of article 4 and serves as a base on which aerosol-forming material 44 is disposed.

The carrier component 42 is generally cubic in shape, having a length l, a width w, and a thickness _tc, as shown in Figures 2A-2C. As a specific example, the length of the carrier component 42 may be 30-80 mm, the width may be 7-25 mm, and the thickness may be 0.2-1 mm. However, it should be recognized that the above are exemplary dimensions of the carrier component 42, and that in other embodiments, the carrier component 42 may have different dimensions, as desired. In some embodiments, the carrier component 42 may include one or more protrusions extending along the length and/or width of the carrier component 42 to help facilitate handling of the article 4 by a user.

In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the article 4 includes a plurality of individual portions of aerosol-generating material 44 disposed on the surface of the carrier component 42. More specifically, the article 4 includes six individual portions of aerosol-generating material 44, labeled 44a through 44f, arranged in a 2×3 array. However, it should be appreciated that in other embodiments, a greater or lesser number of individual portions may be provided and/or the portions may be arranged in a different array (e.g., a 1×6 array). In the illustrated example, the aerosol-generating material 44 is disposed at discrete, separate locations on a single surface of the component carrier 42. While the individual portions of aerosol-generating material 44 are shown as having circular footprints, it should be appreciated that the individual portions of aerosol-generating material 44 may have any other footprint, such as a square or rectangular, as desired. The individual portions of aerosol-generating material 44 have a diameter d and a thickness _ta , as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C . The thickness t _a may have any suitable value, for example, the thickness t _a may range from 50 μm to 1.5 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness t _a is from about 50 μm to about 200 μm, or from about 50 μm to about 100 μm, or from about 60 μm to about 90 μm, with about 77 μm being suitable. In other embodiments, the thickness t _a may be greater than 200 μm, for example, from about 50 μm to about 400 μm, or up to about 1 mm, or up to about 1.5 mm.

The individual portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 are separated from one another so that each individual portion can be individually/selectively energized (e.g., heated) to generate an aerosol. In some embodiments, these portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 may have a mass of 20 mg or less, such that the amount of material aerosolized at any one time by a given aerosol-generating product 24 is relatively small. For example, the mass of a single portion may be 20 mg or less, or 10 mg or less, or 5 mg or less. Of course, it should be recognized that the total mass of the article 4 may be greater than 20 mg.

In the described embodiment, the aerosol-forming material 44 is an amorphous solid. Generally, the amorphous solid may include a gelling agent (sometimes referred to as a binder) and an aerosol-forming agent (which may include, for example, glycerol). Optionally, the aerosol-forming material may include one or more of an active substance (which may include tobacco extract), a flavoring agent, an acid, and a filler. Other ingredients may also be present as desired. Suitable active substances, flavoring agents, acids, and fillers are described above in connection with the aerosolizable material.

Thus, the aerosol generating agent may include one or more of glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, mesoerythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, diacetin mixtures, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating agent includes one or more polyhydric alcohols (such as propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, and glycerin), esters of polyhydric alcohols (such as glycerol monoacetate, glycerol diacetate, or glycerol triacetate), and/or aliphatic esters of monocarboxylic, dicarboxylic, or polycarboxylic acids (such as dimethyl dodecanedioate and dimethyl tetradecanedioate).

The gelling agent may include one or more compounds selected from cellulosic gelling agents, non-cellulosic gelling agents, guar gum, acacia gum, and mixtures thereof.

In some embodiments, the cellulosic gelling agent is selected from the group consisting of hydroxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, cellulose acetate (CA), cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP), and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the gelling agent includes (or is) one or more of hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), carboxymethyl cellulose, guar gum, or acacia gum.

In some embodiments, the gelling agent comprises (or is) one or more non-cellulosic gelling agents, including, but not limited to, agar, xanthan gum, gum arabic, guar gum, locust bean gum, pectin, carrageenan, starch, alginate, and combinations thereof. In preferred embodiments, the non-cellulosic gelling agent is alginate or agar.

The aerosol-generating material may include an acid. The acid may be an organic acid. In some of these embodiments, the acid may be at least one of a monobasic acid, a dibasic acid, and a tribasic acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may include at least one carboxyl functional group. In some such embodiments, the acid may be at least one of an alpha-hydroxy acid, a carboxylic acid, a dicarboxylic acid, a tricarboxylic acid, and a keto acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may be an alpha-keto acid.

In some such embodiments, the acid may be at least one of succinic acid, lactic acid, benzoic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, levulinic acid, acetic acid, malic acid, formic acid, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, propanoic acid, and pyruvic acid.

Preferably, the acid is lactic acid. In other embodiments, the acid is benzoic acid. In other embodiments, the acid may be an inorganic acid. In some of these embodiments, the acid may be a mineral acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may be at least one of sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, boric acid, and phosphoric acid. In some embodiments, the acid is levulinic acid.

In certain embodiments, the aerosol-forming material comprises a gelling agent, including a cellulosic gelling agent and/or a non-cellulosic gelling agent, an active agent, and an acid.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises one or more cannabinoid compounds selected from the group consisting of cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabinol (CBN), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabicyclol (CBL), cannabivarin (CBV), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), cannabidivarin (CBDV), cannabichromevarin (CBCV), cannabigerovarin (CBGV), cannabigerol monomethyl ether (CBGM), cannabielsoin (CBE), and cannabicitran (CBT).

The aerosol-forming material may include one or more cannabinoid compounds selected from the group consisting of cannabidiol (CBD) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

The aerosol-forming material may include cannabidiol (CBD).

The aerosol-forming material may include nicotine and cannabidiol (CBD).

The aerosol-forming material may include nicotine, cannabidiol (CBD), and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

Amorphous solid aerosolizable materials offer several advantages over other types of aerosolizable materials commonly found in some electronic aerosol delivery devices. For example, compared to electronic aerosol delivery devices that aerosolize liquid aerosolizable materials, the likelihood of the amorphous solid leaking or otherwise flowing from where it is contained is greatly reduced. This means that the aerosol delivery device or article can be manufactured more cheaply, as these components do not necessarily need to use the same liquid-tight seals, etc.

Compared to electronic aerosol delivery devices that aerosolize solid aerosolizable materials, such as tobacco, a relatively small mass of amorphous solid material can be aerosolized to generate a comparable amount of aerosol (or provide a comparable amount of a component, such as nicotine, in the aerosol). This is due in part to the fact that the amorphous solid can be tailored to be free of undesirable components that may be found in other solid aerosolizable materials (e.g., the cellulosic materials in tobacco). For example, in some embodiments, the mass per portion of the amorphous solid is 20 mg or less, or 10 mg or less, or 5 mg or less. Accordingly, the aerosol delivery device can provide relatively less power to the aerosol generating components and/or the aerosol generating components can be relatively smaller to generate a similar aerosol, which in turn means that the energy requirements for the aerosol delivery device can be lowered.

In some embodiments, the amorphous solid comprises tobacco extract. In these embodiments, the amorphous solid may have the following components (on a dry weight basis (DWB)): a gelling agent (preferably comprising alginate) in an amount of about 1% to about 60%, or about 10% to about 30%, or about 15% to about 25% by weight; a tobacco extract in an amount of about 10% to about 60%, or about 40% to about 55%, or about 45% to about 50% by weight; and an aerosol-forming agent (preferably comprising glycerol) in an amount of about 5% to about 60%, or about 20% to about 40%, or about 25% to about 35% by weight (DWB). The tobacco extract may be from a single variety of tobacco or may be a blend of extracts from different varieties of tobacco. Such amorphous solids are sometimes called "tobacco amorphous solids" and may be designed to provide a tobacco-like experience when aerosolized.

In one embodiment, the amorphous solid comprises about 20% by weight alginate gelling agent, about 48% by weight Virginia tobacco extract, and about 32% by weight glycerol (DWB).

The amorphous solid of these embodiments may have any suitable moisture content. For example, the amorphous solid may have a moisture content of about 5% to about 15% by weight, or about 7% to about 13% by weight, or about 10% by weight.

In any of these embodiments, the amorphous solid preferably has a thickness t _a of from about 50 μm to about 200 μm, or from about 50 μm to about 100 μm, or from about 60 μm to about 90 μm, and preferably has a thickness t _a of about 77 μm.

In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may comprise 0.5 to 60% by weight of gelling agent and 5 to 80% by weight of aerosol-generating agent, calculated on a dry weight basis. Such amorphous solids may be free of fragrances, acids, and actives. Such amorphous solids are sometimes referred to as "aerosol-generating agent-rich" or "aerosol-generating agent amorphous solids." More generally, this is an example of an aerosol-generating agent-rich aerosol-generating material that is a portion of the aerosol-generating material that, as the name suggests, is designed to deliver the aerosol-generating agent when aerosolized.

In these embodiments, the amorphous solid may have the following components (DWB): a gelling agent in an amount of about 5% to about 40% by weight, or about 10% to about 30% by weight, or about 15% to about 25% by weight, and an aerosol generating agent in an amount of about 10% to about 50% by weight, or about 20% to about 40% by weight, or about 25% to about 35% by weight (DWB).

In some other embodiments, the amorphous solid may comprise, by weight calculated on a dry weight basis, 0.5 to 60% by weight of gelling agent, 5 to 80% by weight of aerosol-generating agent, and 1 to 60% by weight of flavoring. Such amorphous solids may contain flavoring but no actives or acids. Such amorphous solids are sometimes referred to as "flavoring-rich" or "flavoring amorphous solids." More generally, they are examples of flavoring-rich aerosol-generating materials, which, as the name suggests, are portions of the aerosol-generating material designed to deliver flavoring when aerosolized.

In these embodiments, the amorphous solid may have the following components (DWB): a gelling agent in an amount of about 5% to about 40% by weight, or about 10% to 30% by weight, or about 15% to about 25% by weight; an aerosol generating agent in an amount of about 10% to about 50% by weight, or about 20% to about 40% by weight, or about 25% to about 35% by weight (DWB); and a fragrance in an amount of about 30% to about 60% by weight, or about 40% to 55% by weight, or about 45% to about 50% by weight.

In some other embodiments, the amorphous solid may comprise, by weight calculated on a dry weight basis, 0.5 to 60% by weight of gelling agent, 5 to 80% by weight of aerosol-generating agent, and 5 to 60% by weight of at least one active agent. Such amorphous solids may contain an active agent but may not contain flavorings or acids. Such amorphous solids may be referred to as "active-rich" or "active-agent amorphous solids." For example, in one embodiment, the active agent may be nicotine, and thus, such an amorphous solid containing nicotine may be referred to as a "nicotine amorphous solid." More generally, this is an example of an active-agent-rich aerosol-generating material, which, as the name suggests, is a portion of an aerosol-generating material designed to deliver an active agent upon aerosolization.

In these embodiments, the amorphous solid may have the following components (DWB): a gelling agent in an amount of about 5% to about 40% by weight, or about 10% to about 30% by weight, or about 15% to about 25% by weight; an aerosol generating agent in an amount of about 10% to about 50% by weight, or about 20% to about 40% by weight, or about 25% to about 35% by weight (DWB); and an active agent in an amount of about 30% to about 60% by weight, or about 40% to 55% by weight, or about 45% to about 50% by weight.

In some other embodiments, the amorphous solid may comprise, by weight calculated on a dry weight basis, 0.5 to 60% by weight of gelling agent, 5 to 80% by weight of aerosol-generating agent, and 0.1 to 10% by weight of acid. Such amorphous solids may contain acid but may not contain active substances or flavorings. Such amorphous solids are sometimes referred to as "acid-rich" or "acid-amorphous solids." More generally, they are examples of acid-rich aerosol-generating materials, which, as the name suggests, are portions of the aerosol-generating material designed to deliver acid when aerosolized.

In these embodiments, the amorphous solid may have the following components (DWB): a gelling agent in an amount of about 5% to about 40% by weight, or about 10% to about 30% by weight, or about 15% to about 25% by weight; an aerosol generating agent in an amount of about 10% to about 50% by weight, or about 20% to about 40% by weight, or about 25% to about 35% by weight (DWB); and an acid in an amount of about 0.1% to about 8% by weight, or about 0.5% to 7% by weight, or about 1% to about 5% by weight, or about 1% to about 3% by weight.

In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may include a colorant. The addition of a colorant can change the appearance of the amorphous solid. The presence of a colorant in the amorphous solid can enhance the appearance of the amorphous solid and the aerosol-forming material. By adding a colorant to the amorphous solid, the amorphous solid can be matched to the color of other components of the aerosol-forming material or other components of the article containing the amorphous solid.

In some embodiments, various colorants may be used depending on the desired color of the amorphous solid. The color of the amorphous solid may be, for example, white, green, red, purple, blue, brown, or black. Other colors are also contemplated. Natural or synthetic colorants, such as natural or synthetic dyes, food colorants, and pharmaceutical colorants, may be used. In certain embodiments, the colorant is caramel, which may impart a brown appearance to the amorphous solid. In such embodiments, the color of the amorphous solid may resemble the color of other components (e.g., tobacco material) in the aerosol-forming material that includes the amorphous solid. In some embodiments, the addition of the colorant to the amorphous solid makes it visually indistinguishable from other components in the aerosol-forming material.

In some embodiments, the colorant may be incorporated into the amorphous solid during its formation (e.g., when forming a slurry containing the materials that will form the amorphous solid) or may be applied to the amorphous solid after its formation (e.g., by spraying it onto the amorphous solid).

Article 4 may include multiple portions of aerosol-generating material 44, all formed from the same aerosol-generating material (e.g., one of the amorphous solids described above). Alternatively, article 4 may include multiple portions of aerosol-generating material 44, at least two of which are formed from different aerosol-generating materials (e.g., one of the amorphous solids described above).

The receptacle 25 is sized to removably receive the item 4. Although not shown, the device 2 may include a hinged door or removable portion of the outer housing 21 to provide access to the receptacle 25, allowing a user to insert and/or remove the item 4 from the receptacle 25. The hinged door or removable portion of the outer housing 21 may also function to retain the item 4 within the receptacle 25 when closed. When the aerosol generation product 4 is depleted, or when the user simply desires to switch to a different aerosol generation product 4, the aerosol generation product 4 can be removed from the aerosol delivery device 2 and a replacement aerosol generation product 4 placed in its place in the receptacle 25. Alternatively, the device 2 may include a permanent opening in communication with the receptacle 25 through which the item 4 can be inserted into the receptacle 25. In such an embodiment, a retention mechanism may be provided to retain the item 4 within the receptacle 25 of the device 2.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the device 2 includes several aerosol-generating components 24. In the illustrated embodiment, the aerosol-generating components 24 are heating elements 24, more specifically, resistive heating elements 24. The resistive heating elements 24 receive an electric current and convert the electrical energy into heat. The resistive heating elements 24 may be formed from or include any suitable resistive heating material, such as nichrome (Ni20Cr80), that generates heat upon receiving an electric current. In one embodiment, the heating elements 24 may include an electrically insulating substrate having resistive paths disposed therein.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional top view of the aerosol delivery device 2 showing the arrangement of the heating element 24 in more detail. In Figures 1 and 3, the heating element 24 is arranged so that the surface of the heating element 24 forms part of the surface of the receptacle 25. That is, the outer surface of the heating element 24 is flush with the inner surface of the receptacle. More specifically, the outer surface of the heating element 24 that is flush with the inner surface of the receptacle 25 is the surface of the heating element 24 that is heated (i.e., its temperature increases) when an electric current is passed through the heating element 24.

The heating elements 24 are positioned such that, when the article 4 is received in the receptacle 25, each heating element 24 aligns with a corresponding individual portion of the aerosol-generating material 44. Thus, in this example, six heating elements 24 are arranged in a 2x3 array that roughly corresponds to the 2x3 array arrangement of the six individual portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 shown in Figures 2A-2C. However, as discussed above, the number of heating elements 24 may vary in different embodiments, such as 8, 10, 12, 14, etc. heating elements 24. In some embodiments, the number of heating elements 24 is greater than or equal to six but less than or equal to 20.

More specifically, the heating elements 24 are numbered 24a-24f in FIG. 3, and it should be understood that each heating element 24 is positioned to align with a corresponding portion of the aerosol-generating material 44, as indicated by the corresponding letter following the reference numeral 24/44. Thus, each of the heating elements 24 can be individually activated to heat a corresponding portion of the aerosol-generating material 44.

While the heating element 24 is shown flush with the inner surface of the receptacle 25, in other embodiments, the heating element 24 may protrude into the receptacle 25. In either case, when the item 4 is present in the receptacle 25, it contacts the surface of the heating element 24, such that heat generated by the heating element 24 is conducted through the carrier component 42 to the aerosol-forming material 44.

In some embodiments, to improve heat transfer efficiency, the receiver may include a component that applies a force to the surface of the carrier component 42 to press the carrier component 42 against the heater element 24, thereby increasing the efficiency of heat transfer by conduction to the aerosol-forming material 44. Additionally or alternatively, the heater element 24 may be configured to move toward/away from the article 4 and may be pressed against a surface of the carrier component 42 that does not include the aerosol-forming material 44.

In use, device 2 (and more particularly control circuitry 23) is configured to provide power to heating element 24 in response to user input. Generally, control circuitry 23 is configured to selectively apply power to heating element 24 to heat corresponding portions of aerosol-forming material 44 and generate an aerosol. When a user inhales on device 2 (i.e., inhales at mouth end 26), air is drawn into device 2 through air inlet 27, enters receptacle 25, where it mixes with the aerosol generated by heating aerosol-forming material 44, and is then drawn into the user's mouth via air outlet 28. That is, the aerosol is delivered to the user through mouth end 26 and air outlet 28.

Device 2 of FIG. 1 includes a touch-sensitive panel 29 and a suction sensor 30. Together, touch-sensitive panel 29 and a suction sensor 30 function as mechanisms for receiving user input to trigger aerosol generation and may therefore be more broadly referred to as a user input mechanism. The received user input may indicate that the user wishes to generate aerosol.

The touch-sensitive panel 29 may be a capacitive touch sensor that can be operated by a user of the device 2 by placing a finger or another suitable conductive object (e.g., a stylus) on the touch-sensitive panel. In the described embodiment, the touch-sensitive panel includes an area that the user can press to initiate aerosol generation. The control circuitry 23 may be configured to receive a signal from the touch-sensitive panel 29 and use this signal to determine whether the user is pressing (i.e., activating) this area of the touch-sensitive panel 29. If the control circuitry 23 receives this signal, the control circuitry 23 is configured to supply power from the power source 22 to one or more of the heating elements 24. Power may be supplied for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 3 seconds) from the moment contact is detected, or may be supplied corresponding to the length of time contact is detected. In other embodiments, the touch-sensitive panel 29 may be replaced by a user-actuable button or the like.

The suction sensor 30 may be a pressure sensor, microphone, or the like configured to detect a drop in pressure or airflow caused by a user inhaling on the device 2. The suction sensor 30 is disposed in fluid communication with the air flow path (i.e., in fluid communication with the air flow path between the inlet 27 and the outlet 28). In a similar manner to that described above, the control circuit 23 may be configured to receive a signal from the suction sensor and use this signal to determine whether a user is inhaling on the aerosol delivery system 1. When the control circuit 23 receives this signal, the control circuit 23 is configured to supply power from the power source 22 to one or more of the heating elements 24. Power may be supplied for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 3 seconds) from the moment inhalation is detected, or for a period corresponding to the length of time inhalation is detected.

In the illustrated example, both the contact-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30 detect a user's desire to begin generating aerosol for inhalation. The control circuit 23 may be configured to supply power to the heating element 24 only when signals from both the contact-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30 are detected. This can help prevent unintentional activation of the heating element 24 due to accidental activation of one of the user input mechanisms. However, in other embodiments, the aerosol delivery system 1 may have only one of the contact-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30.

These aspects of the operation of the aerosol delivery system 1 (i.e., puff detection and contact detection) can themselves be performed in accordance with established techniques (e.g., using conventional suction sensors and suction sensor signal processing techniques, and using conventional touch sensors and touch sensor signal processing techniques).

In some embodiments, in response to detecting a signal from either or both of the contact sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30, the control circuit 23 is configured to sequentially supply power to each of the individual heating elements 24.

More specifically, the control circuit 23 is configured to sequentially power each of the individual heating elements 23 in response to the order of detection of signals received from either or both of the contact-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30. For example, the control circuit 23 may be configured to power a first heating element 24 of the plurality of heating elements 24 when a signal is first detected (e.g., from when the device 2 is first turned on). When the signal ceases or a predetermined time has elapsed since the signal was detected, the control circuit 23 records that the first heating element 24 has been activated (and thus the corresponding individual portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 has been heated). In response to receiving a subsequent signal from either or both of the contact-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30, the control circuit 23 determines to activate the second heating element 24. Thus, when the control circuit 23 receives a signal from either or both of the contact-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30, the control circuit 23 activates the second heating element 24. This process is repeated for the remaining heating elements 24, so that all of the heating elements 24 are activated in sequence.

In effect, this operation means that for each inhalation, a different portion of the discrete portion of aerosol-forming material 44 is heated and an aerosol is generated therefrom. In other words, a single discrete portion of aerosol-forming material is heated with each inhalation by the user.

In other embodiments, the control circuit 23 may be configured to activate the first heating element 24 multiple times (e.g., twice) before determining that the second heating element 24 should be activated in response to a next signal from either or both of the contact sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30, or to activate each of the multiple heating elements 24 once, and then activate the heating elements sequentially a second time when a next signal is detected when all heating elements 24 have been activated once.

Sequential actuation in this manner is sometimes referred to as a "sequential actuation mode," which is primarily designed to deliver a consistent aerosol per inhalation (which may be measured, for example, by total aerosol generated or total components delivered). Therefore, this mode may be most effective when each portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 of the aerosol-generating product 4 is substantially identical, i.e., when portions 44a-44f are formed from the same material.

In some other embodiments, in response to detecting a signal from either or both of the contact sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30, the control circuit 23 is configured to simultaneously supply power to one or more of the heating elements 24.

In such embodiments, the control circuitry 23 may be configured to supply power to selected ones of the heating elements 24 in accordance with a predetermined configuration. The predetermined configuration may be a configuration selected or determined by a user. For example, the contact-sensitive panel 29 may include an area where the user can individually select which of the heating elements 24 to activate when the control circuitry 23 receives a signal from either or both of the contact-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30. In some embodiments, the user may also set the power level for each heating element 24 to be supplied to the heating element 24 in response to receiving the signal.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the touch-sensitive panel 29 according to such an embodiment. FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the outer housing 21 and touch-sensitive panel 29 as described above. The touch-sensitive panel 29 includes six regions 29a-29f corresponding to each of the six heating elements 24, and region 29g corresponding to an area for indicating that the user wishes to begin inhalation or generate aerosol, as described above. Each of the six regions 29a-29f corresponds to a touch-sensitive area that the user can touch to control the supply of power to each of the six corresponding heating elements 24. In the described embodiment, each heating element 24 can have multiple states, such as an off state in which no power is supplied to the heating element 24, a low-power state in which a first level of power is supplied to the heating element 24, and a high-power state in which a second level of power greater than the first level of power is supplied to the heating element 24. However, in other embodiments, fewer or more states may be available for the heating element 24. For example, each heating element 24 may have an off state in which no power is supplied to the heating element 24, and an on state in which power is supplied to the heating element 24.

Thus, before generating an aerosol, a user can configure which heating elements 24 (and subsequently which portions of the aerosol-forming material 44) to heat (and, optionally, to what extent) by interacting with the touch-sensitive panel 29. For example, the user may repeatedly tap areas 29a-29f to cycle through different states (e.g., off, low power, high power, off, etc.). Alternatively, the user may press and hold areas 29a-29f to cycle through different states, with the duration of the press determining the state.

The touch-sensitive panel 29 may include one or more indicators for each of the regions 29a-29f that indicate the current state of the heating element 24. For example, the touch-sensitive panel may include one or more LEDs or similar lighting elements, with the intensity of the LED indicating the current state of the heating element 24. Alternatively, colored LEDs or similar lighting elements may be provided, with the color indicating the current state. Alternatively, the touch-sensitive panel 29 may include a display element (e.g., located under the transparent touch-sensitive panel 29 or adjacent to the regions 29a-29f of the touch-sensitive panel 29) that displays the current state of the heating element 24.

Once the user has configured the heating elements 24, the control circuit 23 is configured to supply power to the selected heating elements 24 in accordance with the preset configuration in response to detecting signals from either or both of the contact-sensitive panel 29 (more specifically, area 29g of the contact-sensitive panel 29) and the suction sensor 30.

Such simultaneous activation of heating elements 24 is therefore sometimes referred to as a "simultaneous activation mode," which is primarily designed to deliver a customizable aerosol from a given article 4 with the intention of allowing the user to customize their experience from session to session, or even puff to puff. Therefore, this mode may be most effective when the portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 of the aerosol-generating article 4 are different from one another. For example, portions 44a and 44b may be formed of one material, and portions 44c and 44d may be formed of a different material. Therefore, in this mode of operation, the user can choose which portions to aerosolize at any given moment, and therefore which combination of aerosols to deliver.

In both the simultaneous operation mode and the sequential operation mode, the control circuit 23 may be configured to generate a warning signal indicating the end of use of the item 4, for example, when each of the heating elements 24 has been sequentially activated a predetermined number of times, or when a given heating element 24 has been activated a predetermined number of times and/or for a given cumulative activation time and/or a given cumulative activation power. In FIG. 1 , the device 2 includes an end-of-use indicator 31, which in this embodiment is an LED. However, in other embodiments, the end-of-use indicator 31 may comprise any mechanism capable of providing a warning signal to a user; i.e., the end-of-use indicator 31 may be an optical element that delivers an optical signal, a sound generator that delivers an audio signal, and/or a vibrator that delivers a tactile signal. In some embodiments, the indicator 31 may be combined with a touch-sensitive panel (e.g., when the touch-sensitive panel includes a display element) or provided in other manners. The device 2 may prevent further activation of the device 2 when the warning signal is being output. When the user replaces the item 4 and/or turns off the warning signal via manual means such as a button (not shown), the warning signal can be turned off and the control circuit 23 is reset.

More specifically, in embodiments in which a sequential mode of operation is used, the control circuitry 23 may be configured to count the number of signals received from either or both of the contact-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30 during use and determine that the article 4 has reached the end of its life when a predetermined number is reached. For example, for an article 4 having six individual portions of aerosol-generating material 44, the predetermined number may be 6, 12, 18, etc., depending on the current embodiment.

In embodiments in which the simultaneous operation mode is used, the control circuitry 23 may be configured to count the number of times one or each of the individual portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 is heated. For example, the control circuitry 23 may count the number of times the nicotine-containing portion is heated and determine the end of the life of the article 4 when that number reaches a predetermined number. Alternatively, the control circuitry 23 may be configured to separately count each individual portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 as that portion is heated. Each portion may have the same or a different predetermined number of times, and the control circuitry 23 determines the end of the life of the article 4 when any one of the numbers for each portion of the aerosol-generating material reaches the predetermined number.

In any of the embodiments, the control circuitry 23 may also take into account the length of time that a portion of the aerosol-generating material has been heated and/or the temperature to which the portion of the aerosol-generating material has been heated. In this regard, rather than counting individual actuations, the control circuitry 23 may be configured to calculate a cumulative parameter indicative of the heating conditions that each portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 has been subjected to. This parameter may be, for example, cumulative time, and the temperature of the material may be used to adjust the amount of time added to the cumulative time. For example, a portion heated to 200°C for 3 seconds may contribute 3 seconds to the cumulative time, while a portion heated to 250°C for 3 seconds may contribute 4.5 seconds to the cumulative time.

The above techniques for determining the end of life of item 4 should not be understood as an exhaustive list of methods for determining the end of life of item 4, and indeed, any other suitable method may be used in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

In the above-described embodiment of the aerosol delivery system 1, multiple (discrete) portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 are provided that can be selectively aerosolized using the aerosol-generating component 24. Such an aerosol delivery system 1 offers advantages over other systems designed to heat larger amounts of material. In particular, for a given draw, only selected portions(s) of the aerosol-generating material are aerosolized, resulting in a more energy-efficient system overall.

In a heating system, several parameters affect the overall effectiveness of the system in delivering a sufficient amount of aerosol to the user per puff. On the one hand, the thickness of the aerosol-generating material is important because it affects how quickly the aerosol-generating material reaches an operating temperature (and subsequently generates aerosol). This is important for several reasons, including the fact that it can lead to more efficient use of energy from the power source 22, as the heating element may not need to operate for as long as it would if a thicker portion of material were being heated. On the other hand, the total mass of the aerosol-generating material that is heated affects the total amount of aerosol that can be generated and subsequently delivered to the user. In addition, the temperature to which the aerosol-generating material is heated can also affect both how quickly the aerosol-generating material reaches an operating temperature and the amount of aerosol generated.

Amorphous solids (such as those described above) are particularly well suited for these applications, in part because they are formed from selected components/ingredients and can therefore be designed so that a relatively high percentage of the mass is useful (or deliverable) ingredients (e.g., nicotine and glycerol). Amorphous solids can therefore generate a relatively high percentage of aerosol from a given mass compared to some other aerosol-generating materials (e.g., tobacco), meaning that a relatively small portion of the amorphous solid can deliver a comparable amount of aerosol. Additionally, amorphous solids do not flow easily (if at all), meaning that issues related to leakage, for example, when using liquid aerosol-generating materials, are largely mitigated.

However, in accordance with the present disclosure, the inventors have discovered that devices 2 having an arrangement of aerosol-generating components 24 (e.g., heating elements 24) designed to heat different portions of the aerosol-generating material to generate aerosol per puff may, in some instances, result in inconsistencies in the amount of aerosol delivered to a user per puff, even when the heating conditions are substantially the same.

This may be due in part to the fact that some portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 are disposed at different spatial distances relative to the opening 28 of the mouthpiece 26, and as a result, the aerosol may have to travel different distances when it is initially formed adjacent to a portion of the aerosol-generating material.

Figure 5 replicates Figure 3 but additionally includes two arrows, labeled D1 and D2. D1 extends from heating element 24a to outlet 28 at mouth end 26, while D2 extends from heating element 24f to outlet 28. As should be appreciated, arrows D1 and D2 represent the distance traveled by aerosol generated by respective portions of aerosol-generating material 44a and 44f using respective heating elements 24a and 24f.

Generally, hot aerosols cool and condense as they travel. Therefore, the longer the distance the aerosol must travel, the greater the likelihood that the aerosol will cool and condense. Condensation can also deposit on surfaces it comes into contact with as it travels, such as the surface of receptacle 25 in the example of FIG. 5. The longer the aerosol travels, the greater the likelihood of deposition, in part because the aerosol has more opportunities to come into contact with surfaces and because the particles grow larger as the aerosol cools as it travels. In FIG. 5, D1 is seen to be significantly longer than D2; therefore, for example, the aerosol generated by portion 44a of heating element 24a is likely to have a lower aerosol mass/volume upon exiting outlet 28 of device 2 compared to the aerosol generated by portion 44f of heating element 24f. Similarly, the aerosol generated by portions 44c and 44d in heating elements 24c and 24d may likely result in a lower amount of aerosol exiting the outlet compared to the aerosol generated by portions 44e and 44f in heating elements 24e and 24f, but may likely result in a higher amount of aerosol exiting outlet 28 compared to the aerosol generated by portions 44a and 44b in heating elements 24a and 24b. This effect may become even more pronounced as the number of heating elements increases (e.g., in a 2x6 array).

Distances D1 and D2 may be evaluated relative to a common point located at outlet 28. For example, the common point may be the center of the cross-sectional area defined by outlet 28.

Accordingly, the inventors have presented a device 2 for generating an aerosol from an article 4 comprising portions of aerosol-generating material 44. The device includes a receptacle 25 for receiving the article 4, an outlet 28 fluidly coupled to the receptacle 25, at least one aerosol-generating component 24 configured to subject one or more portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 to an aerosolization process (i.e., a process by which an aerosol can be generated from the aerosol-generating material, e.g., heating) when the article 4 is received in the receptacle 25, and a control circuit for controlling the aerosol-generating component 44. Additionally, the control circuit 23 is configured to cause the at least one aerosol-generating component 24 to generate a quantity of aerosol from each portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 based on the distance of the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 from the outlet 28.

In this manner, the amount of aerosol generated from each portion of aerosol-generating material 44 can be set to compensate for the loss of aerosol due to condensation as the aerosol travels to the outlet 28.

In other words, the aerosol-generating component 24 is configured to generate a volume of aerosol from each portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 such that a substantially constant volume of aerosol passes through the outlet 28, regardless of the distance from the outlet 28 to each portion of the aerosol-generating material 44. This allows the user to have a more consistent inhalation experience.

In this regard, it should be recognized that the expression "more consistent inhalation experience" does not necessarily imply, but does not exclude, that each puff in a session will be identical in taste or proportion of delivered ingredients.

Alternatively, article 4 may comprise portions of aerosol-generating material having the same formulation/composition and may be aerosolized according to a "sequential mode" of operation. In this case, in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, each portion of aerosol-generating material 44 is aerosolized in an amount dependent on its distance from outlet 28 such that the amount of aerosol exiting outlet 28 is substantially the same as measured using a simulated standard suction (e.g., according to Coresta Recommendation 81, CRM81). In this case, each sequential operation results in substantially the same amount of aerosol exiting outlet 28.

On the other hand, if article 4 includes portions of different aerosol-generating materials such that the aerosol is customizable as described above, the principles of the present disclosure apply to portions of the same type of aerosol-generating material. In other words, for a given type of aerosol-generating material (e.g., a nicotine-rich amorphous solid), device 2 is configured to output a consistent amount of aerosol generated from that portion, regardless of that portion's distance from outlet 28. In these embodiments, the total amount of aerosol may vary (e.g., due to simultaneous heating of other portions of aerosol-generating material). In other words, the amount of aerosol contributing to the overall aerosol exiting outlet 28 is substantially the same, and therefore, delivery from that particular portion is consistent.

The amount of aerosol generated based on the distance from the outlet to the portion of the aerosol-generating material may depend on the length of the distance involved, the type of material, and the target aerosol output. However, in some embodiments, the increase in the amount of aerosol output may be 50% or less, 40% or less, 30% or less, 20% or less, or 10% or less of the target aerosol output.

With reference to FIG. 5, it should be appreciated that in most instances, the control circuit 23 is configured to cause the aerosol-generating component 24 to generate a greater amount of aerosol from each portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 the farther that portion is located from the outlet 28. Thus, by generating more aerosol from portions of the aerosol-generating material that are farther from the outlet 28, a relatively greater proportion of the carried aerosol is likely to reach the outlet 28. In other words, more aerosol is generated to compensate for the loss of aerosol as it travels to the outlet.

Additionally or alternatively, depending on the specifics of the system 1, only a portion of the aerosol-generating material may be aerosolized based on its distance from the outlet 28. For example, for a given system 1, it may be empirically found that the portions of the aerosol-generating material farthest from the outlet 28, i.e., portions 44a and 44b (corresponding to heating elements 24a and 24b), are most affected by distance from the outlet 28. That is, for example, although portions 44c-44f, when aerosolized, produce similar amounts of aerosol upon exiting the outlet 28 despite their different distances from the outlet 28, portions 44a and 44b may generate, for example, 20% less aerosol than portions 44c-44f when aerosolized. Thus, the control circuit 23 may be configured to aerosolize some portions of the aerosol-generating material according to a common aerosolization/heating profile, while the aerosolization/heating profile of the remaining portions of the aerosol-generating material is set according to their distance from the outlet 28.

Although it has been discussed that portions further from the outlet 28 are configured to be more aerosolized or heated to generate more aerosol, it should also be recognized that the control circuit 23 may be configured to generate relatively less aerosol from portions of the aerosol-generating material closer to the outlet 28.

It should be recognized that the amount of additional aerosol produced may not be exactly the same as the amount of aerosol lost. For example, assume that 4 mg of aerosol is produced from a portion of the aerosol-generating material, and that 1 mg of that aerosol is lost as the aerosol travels to the outlet 28. Controlling the aerosol-generating components to produce 5 mg of aerosol from the same portion 44 may not necessarily result in 4 mg of aerosol being output at the outlet 28. In practice, the losses that occur are expected to be proportional to the amount of aerosol produced. In the above example, 25% of the 4 mg produced is lost as the aerosol is transported to the outlet 28. Thus, if the amount of aerosol produced is increased to 5 mg, the loss is still 25%, resulting in 3.75 mg reaching the outlet 28.

More generally, the control circuitry 23 is configured to cause the aerosol-generating component 24 to generate a quantity of aerosol from the portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 based on a function of the distance from the outlet 28 to the portion of the aerosol-generating material 44.

This function can be found empirically by testing several sections of aerosol-generating material 44 to determine how aerosol loss varies with distance from the outlet. It should be recognized that this function may also generally depend on the geometry of the receiver and/or air flow path. To a first approximation, the relationship between aerosol generated and distance can be linear. For example, the amount of additional aerosol generated per 1 mm increase in distance can be set to, for example, 0.01 mg/mm.

In the above embodiment, the aerosol-generating component is a heating element 24 positioned to heat a portion of the aerosol-generating material. When attempting to adjust the amount of aerosol generated from the portion of the aerosol-generating material using the heating element 24, the target elevated temperature of the heating element 24 can be adjusted and/or the time for which the aerosol-generating material is heated can be adjusted.

That is, in some embodiments, the control circuit 23 is configured to set the operating temperature of at least one heating element 24 based on the distance of each portion of the aerosol-generating material from the outlet 28. The operating temperature may be defined as a target temperature that the heating element 24 is controlled to reach. In other words, the power supplied to the heating element 24 is set so that the power is sufficient to cause the heating element 24 to reach the target temperature. Increasing the target temperature substantially increases the amount of energy transferred to the aerosol-generating material. However, in most embodiments, an upper limit on the target operating temperature is imposed because heating the material beyond that limit may cause the aerosol-generating material 44 to char or burn.

Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the control circuitry 23 is configured to set the heating time of at least one heating element 24 based on the distance of each portion of aerosol-generating material from the outlet 28. The heating time (i.e., the time the heating element is activated) may also be set to alter the amount of aerosol generated, such that a longer heating time generally results in a larger amount of aerosol being generated. As noted above, the heating element 24 may be turned off either when the signal from one or both of the suction sensor 30 and the contact-sensitive panel 29 ceases, or a predetermined time has elapsed since receiving the signal. However, according to the above embodiments, the control unit 23 may activate the heating element 24 for a longer period of time, for example, by heating the heating element above a predetermined threshold (or alternatively, by increasing the threshold) or by continuing to heat after the signal ceases. This technique may also be combined with adjusting the operating temperature, as described above.

Referring to FIG. 5, the heating elements 24 in the illustrated embodiment are arranged in an array (in this case a 2x3 array). Thus, as can be derived from FIG. 5, while there are six heating elements, for a single outlet 28 (positioned coaxially with the longitudinal axis of the receiving portion 25), there are three different path lengths between the heating element 24 (and thus the aerosol-generating portion 44) and the outlet 28. Two path lengths are indicated by arrows D1 and D2, while the third path length is the distance between heating element 24c (or heating element 24d) and the outlet 28.

Thus, in this embodiment, for a given amount of aerosol output at outlet 28, there are three different amounts of aerosol that can be generated by the aerosol-generating material. Thus, in this embodiment, control circuit 23 is configured to operate heating elements 24 to generate one of three different levels of aerosol. More specifically, heating elements 24a and 24b can be set to a first level to output a first amount of aerosol, heating elements 24c and 24d can be set to a second level to output a second amount of aerosol (less than the first amount of aerosol), and heating elements 24e and 24f can be set to a third level to output a third amount of aerosol (less than the second amount).

More generally, the heating elements and/or portions of aerosol-generating material may be arranged in an N x M array relative to a single outlet 28, where N represents the number of rows and M represents the number of columns (when viewed in an array such as FIG. 5). The control circuitry 23 is configured to cause the heating elements 24 to generate X different amounts of aerosol (i.e., to operate at one of X different power levels and/or for one of X different heater durations), where X is determined according to the following formula:

Additionally, while it was discussed above that the operation of the heating element 24 can be adjusted to account for the distance of the portion 44 from the outlet, the portion of aerosol-generating material itself may also be modified. For example, in some embodiments, the thickness and/or area coverage may be modified. The thickness may be increased for portions farther from the outlet, resulting in more starting material being aerosolized when the portion is heated to a higher temperature or for a longer time. Similarly, the area coverage of the portion of aerosol-generating material (and potentially the area coverage of the heating element) may also be increased for similar reasons. Thus, increased temperature and increased heating time may lead to relatively greater aerosol output.

Thus, the foregoing describes a device 2 that can compensate for aerosol lost during travel from the location of aerosol generation (i.e., a location at or above the aerosol-generating portion 44) by adjusting the degree of aerosolization by the aerosol-generating component at a portion of the aerosol-generating material based on the distance from the outlet 28.

The above assumes that there is one common outlet through which the aerosol passes when the user inhales on the device 2. However, the principles of the present disclosure are equally applicable to devices with multiple outlets. In this situation, the method is more complex, but the principles are nevertheless the same. In most devices, the user inhales on one mouth end 26/one outlet 28 at any given time. The control unit can be configured to determine which outlet is currently in use and adjust the degree of aerosolization accordingly.

Additionally, while the tipping tip 26 is described above as forming part of and/or being coupled to the outer housing 21, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the tipping tip 26 may form part of the article 4. This may be particularly true when the article 4 comprises a chamber through which air and/or aerosol can pass, and the chamber contains an aerosol-generating material. In these embodiments, the article 4 is disposed within the receptacle 25 and protrudes from the receptacle 25 such that the tipping tip of the article extends from the aerosol-delivery device 2. In these examples, the receptacle 25 comprises an opening through which the tipping tip 26 extends. The opening in these embodiments may be referred to as the outlet 28 of the device 2, and thus the control circuit 23 may be configured to adjust the heating profile of the portion of the aerosol-generating material based on its distance from the outlet 28 of the device 2, as described above.

Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an aerosol delivery system 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The aerosol delivery system 200 includes components broadly similar to those described in connection with Figure 1, but with the addition of 200. For efficiency, components having similar reference numbers should be understood to be substantially the same as their counterparts in Figures 1 and 2A-2C, unless otherwise noted.

The aerosol delivery device 202 comprises an outer housing 221, a power source 222, a control circuit 223, an inductive action coil 224a, a receptacle 225, a mouth end 226, an air inlet 227, an air outlet 228, a contact-sensitive panel 229, a suction sensor 230, and an end-of-use indicator 231.

The aerosol-generating article 204 comprises a carrier component 242, an aerosol-generating material 244, and a susceptor element 244b, as shown in more detail in Figures 7A-7C. Figure 7A is a top view of the article 204, Figure 7B is an end view along the longitudinal (length) axis of the article 204, and Figure 7C is a side view along the width axis of the article 204.

Figures 6 and 7 show an aerosol delivery system 200 that uses induction to heat an aerosol-generating material 244 to generate an aerosol for inhalation.

In the illustrated embodiment, the aerosol generation component 224 is formed from two parts: an inductively coupled coil 224a disposed in the aerosol delivery device 202 and a susceptor 224b disposed in the aerosol generation product 204. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, each aerosol generation component 224 comprises an element distributed between the aerosol generation product 204 and the aerosol delivery device 202.

Induction heating is the process of heating an electrically conductive object, called a susceptor, by penetrating a changing magnetic field into the object. This process is explained by Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction and Ohm's law. An induction heater may include an electromagnet and a device for passing a changing current, such as an alternating current, through the electromagnet. When the electromagnet and the object to be heated are positioned relative to one another so that the changing magnetic field generated by the electromagnet penetrates the object, one or more eddy currents are generated within the object. The object has a resistance to the flow of electric current. Therefore, when such eddy currents are generated within the object, they flow against the object's electrical resistance, thereby heating the object. This process is called Joule heating, Ohmic heating, or resistive heating.

A susceptor is a material that can be heated by the penetration of a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The heating material may be an electrically conductive material, such that the penetration of a varying magnetic field causes induction heating of the heating material. The heating material may be a magnetic material, such that the penetration of a varying magnetic field causes magnetic hysteresis heating of the heating material. The heating material may be both electrically conductive and magnetic, such that the heating material can be heated by both heating mechanisms.

Magnetic hysteresis heating is the process of heating an object made of a magnetic material by subjecting it to a varying magnetic field. Magnetic materials can be thought of as containing a large number of atomic-scale magnets, or magnetic dipoles. When a magnetic field penetrates such a material, the magnetic dipoles align themselves along the field. Thus, when a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field (e.g., produced by an electromagnet), penetrates a magnetic material, the orientation of the magnetic dipoles changes in response to the applied varying magnetic field. This reorientation of the magnetic dipoles generates heat within the magnetic material.

When an object is both conductive and magnetic, subjecting it to a fluctuating magnetic field can cause both Joule heating and magnetic hysteresis heating. Furthermore, the use of magnetic materials can intensify the magnetic field, thereby intensifying Joule heating.

In the illustrated embodiment, the susceptors 224b are formed from aluminum foil, but it should be appreciated that other metallic and/or conductive materials may be used in other embodiments. As can be seen in FIG. 7, the carrier component 242 includes several susceptors 224b whose size and position correspond to the individual portions of the aerosol-generating material 244 disposed on the surface of the carrier component 242. That is, the susceptors 224b have widths and lengths similar to the individual portions of the aerosol-generating material 244.

The susceptor 224b is shown embedded in the carrier component 242. However, in other embodiments, the susceptor 224b may be disposed on the surface of the carrier component 242.

The aerosol delivery device 202 comprises a plurality of inductive effector coils 224a, shown schematically in FIG. 6. The effector coils 224a are shown adjacent to the receiver 225 and are generally flat coils arranged such that the axis of rotation about which a given coil is wound extends within the receiver 225 and is generally perpendicular to the plane of the carrier component 242 of the article 204. It should be appreciated that the windings are not precisely shown in FIG. 6, and any suitable inductive coil may be used.

The control circuit 223 includes a mechanism for generating an alternating current through one or more of the induction coils 224a. This alternating current generates an alternating magnetic field, as described above, which increases the temperature of the corresponding susceptor(s) 224b. The heat generated by the susceptor(s) 224b is correspondingly transferred to the portion of the aerosol-generating material 244.

1 and 2A-2C, the control circuit 223 is configured to supply current to the working coil 224a in response to receiving a signal from the contact-sensitive panel 229 and/or the suction sensor 230. As previously described, any of the techniques for selecting which heating element 24 is heated by the control circuit 23 can be similarly applied to selecting which working coil 224a is energized (and thus which portion of the aerosol-generating material 244 is subsequently heated) in response to receiving a signal from the contact-sensitive panel 229 and/or the suction sensor 230 by the control circuit 223 to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user.

Although the above describes an induction heating aerosol delivery system in which the working coil 224a and susceptor 224b are distributed between the article 204 and the device 202, an induction heating aerosol delivery system may also be provided in which the working coil 224a and susceptor 224b are located solely within the device 202. For example, with reference to FIG. 6, the susceptor 224b may be provided above the induction working coil 224a and positioned such that the susceptor 224b contacts the underside of the carrier component 242 (in a manner similar to the aerosol delivery system 1 shown in FIG. 1).

FIG. 6 therefore illustrates a more specific embodiment in which the techniques described in this disclosure can be applied and in which inductive heating can be used in the aerosol delivery device 202 to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user.

While the above describes a system in which an array of aerosol-generating components 24 (e.g., heater elements) is provided to energize individual portions of aerosol-generating material, in other embodiments, the article 4 and/or the aerosol-generating components 24 may be configured to move relative to one another. That is, there may be fewer aerosol-generating components 24 than individual portions of aerosol-generating material 44 provided on the carrier component 42 of the article 4, resulting in relative movement between the article 4 and the aerosol-generating components 24 to enable each individual portion of aerosol-generating material 44 to be individually energized. For example, the movable heating element 24 may be provided within the receiver 25 such that the movable heating element 24 can move relative to the receiver 25. In this manner, the movable heating element 24 can be translated (e.g., across the width and length of the carrier component 42) so that the heating element 24 can be aligned with each individual portion of aerosol-generating material 44. This approach may reduce the number of aerosol-generating components 42 required while providing a similar user experience.

While the above describes embodiments in which discrete, spatially distinct portions of aerosol-generating material 44 are disposed on the carrier component 42, it should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may not be provided in discrete, spatially distinct portions, but may instead be provided as a continuous sheet of aerosol-generating material 44. In these embodiments, specific regions of the sheet of aerosol-generating material 44 may be selectively heated to generate an aerosol in much the same manner as described above. However, regardless of whether these portions are spatially distinct, the present disclosure describes heating (or aerosolizing) portions of aerosol-generating material 44. In particular, regions (corresponding to portions of aerosol-generating material) may be defined on the continuous sheet of aerosol-generating material based on the dimensions of the heating element 24 (or, more specifically, the surface of the heating element 24 that is designed to increase in temperature). In this regard, the corresponding regions of the heating element 24 may be considered to define regions or portions of aerosol-generating material when projected onto the sheet of aerosol-generating material. According to the present disclosure, each region or portion of the aerosol-forming material may have a mass of 20 mg or less, although the entire continuous sheet may have a mass greater than 20 mg.

While the above describes an embodiment in which device 2 can be configured or operated using a touch-sensitive panel 29 attached to device 2, device 2 may instead be configured or controlled remotely. For example, control circuitry 23 may include corresponding communications circuitry (e.g., Bluetooth) that enables control circuitry 23 to communicate with a remote device, such as a smartphone. Thus, touch-sensitive panel 29 may be essentially implemented using an app running on the smartphone, or the like. The smartphone may then transmit user input or settings to control circuitry 23, which may be configured to act based on the received input or settings.

While the above describes embodiments in which an aerosol is generated by applying energy to the aerosol-generating material 44 (e.g., heating the aerosol-generating material 44) and then inhaled by a user, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the generated aerosol may pass through or over an aerosol-modifying component to modify one or more properties of the aerosol before being inhaled by a user. For example, the aerosol delivery device 2, 202 may include an air-permeable insert (not shown) inserted in the air flow path downstream of the aerosol-generating material 44 (e.g., the insert may be located at the outlet 28). The insert may include a material that alters one or more of the flavor, temperature, particle size, nicotine concentration, etc. of the aerosol as it passes through the insert before entering the user's mouth. For example, the insert may include tobacco or processed tobacco. Such a system is sometimes referred to as a hybrid system. The insert may include any suitable aerosol-modifying material, which may include the aerosol-generating materials described above.

While the heating element 24 is described above as being configured to supply heat to the aerosol-generating material (or portions thereof) to bring the portions to an operating temperature at which aerosol is generated, in some embodiments, the heating element 24 is configured to preheat portions of the aerosol-generating material to a preheat temperature (which is lower than the operating temperature). At the preheat temperature, a smaller amount of aerosol is generated, or no aerosol is generated, when the portions are heated to the preheat temperature. In particular, in some embodiments, the control circuitry is configured to supply power/energy before the first predetermined period begins (i.e., before receiving a signal indicating the user's intent to inhale aerosol, as in step S1 above). However, a smaller amount of energy is required to raise the temperature of the aerosol-generating material from the preheat temperature to the operating temperature, thereby improving system responsiveness, but increasing total energy consumption. This may be particularly suitable for relatively thick portions of the aerosol-generating material (e.g., portions having a thickness greater than 400 μm), which require a relatively large amount of energy to be supplied to reach the operating temperature. However, in such an embodiment, energy consumption (e.g., from power source 22) may be relatively high.

While the above describes embodiments in which the aerosol delivery device 2 includes an end-of-use indicator 31, it should be appreciated that the end-of-use indicator 31 may be provided by a separate device separate from the aerosol delivery device 2. For example, in some embodiments, the control circuitry 23 of the aerosol delivery device 2 may include a communications mechanism that enables data transfer between the aerosol delivery device 2 and a remote device, such as a smartphone or smartwatch. In these embodiments, when the control circuitry 23 determines that the item 4 has reached end-of-use, the control circuitry 23 is configured to transmit a signal to the remote device, and the remote device is configured to generate a warning signal (e.g., using a display on the smartphone). Other remote devices and other mechanisms for generating a warning signal may also be used, as described above.

Additionally, when portions of aerosol-generating material are provided on the carrier component 42, these portions may, in some embodiments, include areas of weakness, such as through-holes or areas of relatively thin aerosol-generating material, in a direction generally perpendicular to the plane of the carrier component 42. This may be the case when the hottest portion of the aerosol-generating material is in direct contact with the carrier component (in other words, in a scenario where heat is applied primarily to the surface of the aerosol-generating material that contacts the carrier component 42). Thus, the through-holes can provide a path for generated aerosol to escape and be released into the airflow through the environment/device 2, rather than potentially accumulating aerosol between the carrier component 42 and the aerosol-generating material 44. Such accumulation of aerosol, in some embodiments, can cause the aerosol-generating material to lift from the carrier component 42, thereby reducing the efficiency of heat transfer to the aerosol-generating material and thereby reducing the heating efficiency of the system. Each portion of aerosol-generating material may include one or more areas of weakness, as desired.

In some embodiments, the item 4 may include an identifier, such as a readable barcode or RFID tag, and the aerosol delivery device 2 may include a corresponding reader. When the item is inserted into the receptacle 25 of the device 2, the device 2 may be configured to read the identifier on the item 4. The control circuitry 23 may be configured to recognize the presence of the item 4 (and thus authorize heating and/or reset an end-of-life indicator), or to identify the type and/or location of portions of aerosol-forming material relative to the item 4. This can affect which portions the control circuitry 23 aerosolizes and/or how those portions are aerosolized, for example, by adjusting the aerosol generation temperature and/or heating time. Any suitable technique for identifying the item 4 may be used.

Thus, an aerosol delivery device for generating an aerosol from an article comprising portions of aerosol-generating material has been described. The device comprises a receptacle for receiving an article comprising portions of aerosol-generating material, and an outlet fluidly coupled to the receptacle. At least one aerosol-generating component is configured to perform an aerosolization process on one or more of the portions of aerosol-generating material when the article is received in the receptacle. The device further comprises control circuitry for controlling the aerosol-generating component. The control circuitry is configured to cause the at least one aerosol-generating component to generate an amount of aerosol from each portion of aerosol-generating material based on the distance of the respective portion of aerosol-generating material from the outlet. Thus, the device can account for loss of aerosol during transit to a user depending on the relative location of the aerosol generation. An aerosol delivery system and a method for generating an aerosol are also described.

While the above embodiments have, in some respects, focused on certain specific exemplary aerosol delivery systems, it will be recognized that the same principles may be applied to aerosol delivery systems using other technologies. That is, the specific manner in which various aspects of the aerosol delivery system function is not directly related to the underlying principles of the examples described herein.

To address various challenges and advance the art, this disclosure illustrates various embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be practiced. The advantages and features of the present disclosure are merely representative examples of embodiments and are not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive of all advantages or features. They are presented solely to aid in the understanding and teaching of the claimed invention(s). The advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects of the present disclosure should not be construed as limiting the disclosure as defined by the claims or the equivalents thereof, and it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. It will be recognized that various embodiments may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of various combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc., other than those specifically described herein, and thus features of the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims in combinations other than those expressly set forth in the claims. This disclosure may include other inventions that are not currently claimed but may be claimed in the future.

2...aerosol delivery device, 4...article, 21...outer housing, 23...control circuit, 24...aerosol generating component, 27...air inlet, 28...outlet.

Claims (11)

1. An aerosol delivery device for generating an aerosol from an article comprising a plurality of portions of aerosol-generating material, the aerosol delivery device comprising:
a receptacle for receiving the article comprising a plurality of portions of aerosol-forming material;
an outlet fluidly coupled to the receptacle;
at least one aerosol-generating component configured to subject one or more of the portions of the aerosol-generating material to an aerosolization process when the article is received in the receptacle, the aerosol-generating component being at least one heating element positioned to heat the portions of the aerosol-generating material;
and a control circuit for controlling the aerosol generating components;
The aerosol delivery device, wherein the control circuit is configured to set an operating temperature of the at least one heating element based on a distance from the outlet to each portion of the aerosol-generating material. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to set the operating temperature of the heating elements closer to the outlet lower than the operating temperature of the heating elements farther from the outlet. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the control circuit is configured to set a heating time for the at least one heating element based on the distance from the outlet to the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material. 1. An aerosol delivery device for generating an aerosol from an article comprising a plurality of portions of aerosol-generating material, the aerosol delivery device comprising:
a receptacle for receiving the article comprising a plurality of portions of aerosol-forming material;
an outlet fluidly coupled to the receptacle;
at least one aerosol-generating component configured to subject one or more of the portions of the aerosol-generating material to an aerosolization process when the article is received in the receptacle, the aerosol-generating component being at least one heating element positioned to heat the portions of the aerosol-generating material;
and a control circuit for controlling the aerosol generating components;
The aerosol delivery device, wherein the control circuit is configured to set a heating time of the at least one heating element based on a distance from the outlet to each portion of the aerosol-generating material. the at least one aerosol generation component comprises a plurality of aerosol generation components arranged in an N×M array, and the control circuit is configured to cause each of the plurality of aerosol generation components to operate at one of X different power levels, where X is:

The aerosol delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the aerosol density is determined according to the following formula: An aerosol delivery system comprising the aerosol delivery device of any one of claims 1 to 5 , and further comprising an article comprising a plurality of portions of aerosol-generating material. 7. The aerosol delivery system of claim 6 , wherein each portion of aerosol-forming material is substantially the same. 7. The aerosol delivery system of claim 6 , wherein the properties of the aerosol-forming material differ based on the distance from the outlet when the aerosol-forming material is received in the receptacle. 9. The aerosol delivery system of claim 6 , wherein the aerosol-forming material is an amorphous solid. 1. A method for generating an aerosol using an aerosol generating device, comprising:
determining a distance between a portion of the aerosol-generating material and an outlet of the device through which the generated aerosol can be inhaled by a user;
setting an operating temperature of at least one heating element positioned to heat the portion of the aerosol-forming material based on the determined distance;
generating an aerosol from the portion of the aerosol-forming material;
A method comprising: 1. A method for generating an aerosol using an aerosol generating device, comprising:
determining a distance between a portion of the aerosol-generating material and an outlet of the device through which the generated aerosol can be inhaled by a user;
setting a heating time of at least one heating element positioned to heat the portion of the aerosol-forming material based on the determined distance;
generating an aerosol from the portion of the aerosol-forming material;
A method comprising: