Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AEROSOL GENERATION DEVICE
The present invention relates to an aerosol generation device.
Field of the invention
Known aerosol generation devices often use a heating component, or heater, to
heat an
aerosol generating liquid in order to generate an aerosol, or vapour, for
inhalation by a user.
The heating component is typically made of an electrically conductive
material. The electrical
resistance of the conductive material causes dissipation of heat through Joule
effect as the
electric current passes through the material, a process commonly known as
resistive heating.
Generally, such devices comprise a liquid store and a liquid transport element
or "wick"
formed of a capillary material arranged to transport liquid from the liquid
store to the heating
element. However, in these devices the close proximity of the wick to the
heating element
leads to thermal degradation of the wick, thereby reducing the effective
lifespan of the device.
In one known type of aerosol generating device, the heating element itself
comprises a
capillary material, for example a mesh of conducting fibres to transport and
heat aerosol
generating liquid. However, such heating elements are known to provide
inconsistent wicking
and variable levels of heating performance, leading to unpredictable aerosol
generating
properties of the aerosol generating device.
An object of the present invention is therefore to address some of these
issues.
Furthermore, in some aerosol generating devices, the heating component is
supplied as a
component of the cartridge and therefore, is a disposable component. However,
the heater is
a relatively expensive component and also has a lifetime far beyond the point
it is discarded
with the used cartridge. This means that the heater is still in good condition
when the cartridge
is expended.
It is also an object of the present invention to leverage the cost of
cartridges and heaters.
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Summary of the invention and object
According to the present invention, there is provided an aerosol generation
system
comprising:
a consumable comprising a vaporizable material,
a heating device comprising a heating receptable for receiving, in use, the
consumable
and comprising a heating element;
wherein,
at least one intermediate element is positioned between the consumable and the
heating
element for absorbing vaporizable material and for acting as a heatshield
between the heating
and the consumable.
Providing a device with a removable consumable and a heating receptacle as
above-defined,
the heater element is not provided in the consumable. Furthermore, since the
vaporizable
material is included in the consumable, the heating element in the heating
receptacle can be
used for an extended period of time rather than being thrown away with each
new
consumable, therefore reducing waste and costs for manufacturing and also for
users.
Advantageously, the intermediate element comprises at least two portions, the
first portion in
contact with the consumable or the vaporizable material and configured to
ensure a wicking
of the vaporizable material through the second portion and the second portion
in close contact
with the heating element and configured to optimize the heat transfer and the
vaporization
process of the vaporizable material. Advantageously, the intermediate element
is further
configured such that the vaporization of the vaporizable material occurs in
the intermediate
element. By providing an intermediate element as above-defined, the heatshield
avoids a
close proximity of the vaporizable material absorber to the heating element,
preventing thus
thermal degradation of the wick or the vaporizable material as not being in
direct contact with
the heating element while ensuring optimized heat transfer and vaporization
process of the
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vaporizable material by the heatshield, thereby further improving the
effective lifespan of the
device.
In embodiments of the invention, the consumable comprises:
a hollow body having at least one wall configured to hold a vaporizable
material and,
the heating receptacle comprises:
a wall defining a chamber configured to removably receive at least a portion
of the
consumable and the wall further comprising the heating element for evaporating
the at least
one vaporizable material when in use.
In embodiments of the invention, the first portion is adapted to cooperate in
one side which
faces the consumable, with an outside surface of at least one wall of the
consumable and the
second portion is adapted to cooperate in a second side which faces the
consumable, with
the heating element.
This improves design freedom and increases the range of possible component
configurations
within the device, enhancing spatial efficiency and allowing for a reduction
in the size of the
device without impairing its aerosol generating properties.
According to embodiments of the invention the first portion is configured to
act as a
vaporizable material retention medium and the second portion is configured to
act as a
heatshield.
This prevents direct contact of the vaporizable material with the heating
element. In other
words, the thermal buffer ensured by the second portion allows to have a
thermal gap
between the vaporizable material and the heating element. Therefore,
preventing degradation
of the vaporizable material.
Preferably, the first portion and the second portion are made of distinct
materials.
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More preferably, the first portion is a heat resistant mesh that resists to
temperatures up to
400 C, advantageously up to 350 'C.
In this way the wall of the consumable will not heat, as well, when in use.
Therefore, it is
avoided that the vaporizable material vaporizes as a whole within the
consumable when in
use. The mesh element has a wicking function, i.e., to transport vaporizable
material from the
liquid store, i.e., from the consumable article to the heating apparatus.
Preferably, the first portion comprises at least one of: cotton, glass fiber.
Advantageously the
first portion has a thickness between 1 to 8 mm, preferably 2 to 4 mm.
Cotton has higher liquid retention properties than metal or glass fiber.
Preferably, the second portion is a mesh made of a mesh material wherein the
pore diameters
of the mesh material are higher than the pore diameters of the material from
which the first
portion is made of.
Material with higher pore diameters will have higher liquid retention
properties.
Preferably, the second portion is made of open cell metallic foam or sintered
metal. More
preferably, the second portion is made of aluminium or steel and their alloys
or conductive
ceramic materials.
These materials have good heat transfer properties. Thus, this will permit
vaporization of the
vaporizable material through the second portion without direct contact of the
vaporizable
material with the heating element.
Advantageously, the open cell metallic foam has a thickness between 1 to 8 mm,
preferably
2 to 6mm. This permits the second to experience a temperature gradient through
it allowing
thus to vaporize the vaporizable material at its boiling point.
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More advantageously, the open cell metallic foam has a porosity comprised
between 0.8 and
0.7, preferably between 0.8 and 0.5 and a thermal conductivity between 1 W/mk
and
20 W/mk.
More specifically, as the intermediate element is made of distinct materials,
there are different
temperatures reached in both portions of the intermediate element, in contact
to each other,
due to the heat transfer process happening between the two portions.
Advantageously, the
temperature in the first portion is lower than in the second portion and
should not be sufficient
to vaporize the consumable and therefore vaporize the vaporizable material,
thanks to the
difference in thickness of both portions and their porosity level. The
temperature in the heater
is the highest but the consumable is not in contact with this latter. However,
the temperature
in the second portion is aligned with a boiling point of the vaporizable
material in the
consumable. In fact, temperature gradient experienced by the second portion
allows different
components of the e-liquid while emerging through the second portion.
Therefore, It is in this
second portion that the vaporization of consumable or the vaporizable material
occurs.
Therefore, avoiding the whole reservoir to be heated and furthermore increase
user
experience. The boiling point temperature can be around 200 C.
Preferably, the heating element extends along at least an inner portion of the
wall, and
preferably forms at least a part of the wall of the chamber.
This improves design freedom and increases the range of possible component
configurations
within the device.
According to the invention, the consumable further includes a vaporizable
material outlet
configured to release the vaporizable material to the intermediate element.
Preferably, the vaporizable material outlet is configured to release the
vaporizable material
from the inside of the hollow body to the at least one first portion.
Advantageously, the vaporizable material transfer means including one of:
opening, hole,
perforation, porous mesh. In this way there is no need of extra elements to
allow
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transportation of the liquid from the consumable article to the outside
surface of the
consumable, preferably to the mesh element.
According to the invention, the second portion is in thermal contact with the
at least one
heating element such that, when in use, heat is transferred from the heating
element to the
second portion, thus allowing vaporization of the vaporizable material
released therein by
capillary action from the first portion.
According to the invention, the intermediate element is connected to the wall
of the
consumable, such that, the first portion extends over at least a portion of
the wall of the
consumable.
Preferably, the intermediate element is connected to the heating element of
the heating
receptacle such that the second portion is in thermal contact with the at
least one heating
element.
According to the invention, the device further comprises an airflow channel
configured to
enabling air flowing from an air inlet to an outlet disposed at opposite ends
of the device.
Preferably, the consumable comprises a longitudinal opening aligned along a
longitudinal axis
of the consumable wherein air can flows along from the air inlet to an
opposite end of the
device when in use.
Additionally or alternatively the consumable further comprises at least one
groove extending
into the wall of the consumable and forming part of the airflow channel to
allow air to flow
from the air inlet to an opposite end of the device when in use.
Alternatively, the consumable comprises a plurality of consumables, wherein
each
consumable has a stackable means configured to stack together one consumable
article with
another consumable article, in a way that the grooves of each consumable are
longitudinally
aligned along a longitudinal axis of the consumable in a way that air can flow
along the
grooves when in use.
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Preferably, each consumable can hold different vaporizable materials including
flavourants.
This gives choice to the consumer to select which flavourant to use, thus
improves user
experience.
Preferably, the stackable means includes one of: clip, screw, bayonet.
According to the invention, the heating device further comprises a power
supply section
comprises a battery unit to supply power to the at least one heating element
and also a
controller unit.
Preferably, the heating device further comprises a mouthpiece removably
connected to the
consumable.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided method
for
manufacturing the intermediate element according to any of the preceding
claims, wherein
the method comprises surface treatment techniques including one of:
Electroplating,
Electroless Plating, Chemical Coating, Anodic Oxidation Process, Hot Dipping,
Vacuum
Plating, Thermal Spraying, Metallic Cementation.
Brief description of the drawings:
Embodiments of the invention are now described, by way of example, with
reference to the
drawings, in which:
Figure 1A shows a schematic view of the aerosol generation device according to
an
embodiment of the invention.
Figure 1B shows a schematic view of the aerosol generation device according to
an
embodiment of the invention.
Figure 2 shows a schematic transversal view of a consumable according to an
embodiment
of the invention, wherein the intermediate element is located on an outside
surface of the
consumable.
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Figure 3 shows a schematic transversal view of a heating receptacle according
to one
embodiment of the invention, wherein the intermediate element is located in
the heating
receptacle.
Figure 4 shows a schematic view of the aerosol generation device according to
another
embodiment of the invention.
Figure 5 shows an example of a temperature gradient through both portions 502
and 504
versus distance from heater according to an embodiment of the invention.
Detailed Description of the invention:
Figure 1 shows an aerosol generating system 1000 in an embodiment of the
invention. The
system 1000 comprises a consumable 100, comprising a hollow body 102
configured to
contain a vaporizable material. The system 1000 further comprises a heating
device 400
configured to receive the consumable 100 or the vaporizable material itself,
in order to
produce an aerosol through heating of the vaporizable material contained in
the consumable.
To that aim the heating device 400 comprises a heating receptacle 200 defining
an inner
chamber 202, a heating element 204 and an intermediate element 500. The inner
chamber
202 has a top opening for insertion of the consumable. The intermediate
element 500 is
adjacently arranged in an inner wall of the chamber 202. The heating device
400 further
comprises a power supply portion. The power supply portion comprises a power
supply unit
406, such as a battery and electrical circuitry 408, which enables operation
of the heating
device 400. The power supply portion is thus configured to supply power to the
heating
element 204 in the heating device 400 via electrical circuitry 408 comprising
a memory 402
and a controller 404. The system 1000 preferably also comprises a mouthpiece,
which is not
shown in the drawing. The mouthpiece is connectable to an upper part of the
heating device
400.
The consumable 100 may be embodied as cartridge, pod, capsule, article or the
like.
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Vaporizable material may be any material that is vaporizable at a temperature
up to 400 C,
preferably up to 350 C. For example, the vaporizable material may be an
aerosol generating
liquid, a gel, a wax or the like.
In use, the heating element 204 is arranged to receive electrical energy from
the battery 406
in order to generate an aerosol by heating the vaporizable material released
from the
consumable through an outlet arranged in the hollow body 102 thereof and
adsorbed into the
intermediate material 500 through resistive heating. The intermediate element
500 is
arranged between the consumable and the heating element 204. The intermediate
element
500 is configured to adsorb or retain vaporizable material transferred therein
from the
consumable 100 for e.g. by capillary action and also for acting as a
heatshield to create a
heat gap between the vaporizable material and the heating element 204. To
ensure controlled
release of the vaporizable material, the outlet of the consumable may be
formed, as known
in the art, as a hole or a plurality of holes and/or comprise a mesh for
wicking vaporizable
material to the intermediate material 500 once inserted in the chamber 202.
In this example, the consumable 100 is disposed within the chamber 202 of the
heating
receptacle 200. One or more air flow channels (not shown) are provided through
the heating
device 400 and the consumable 100, and configured to, on user inhalation,
direct air from
outside the aerosol generating system 1000 through the air flow channels and
toward the
mouthpiece. This means that aerosol that has been generated by heating
vaporizable
material on the heating element 204 will be carried along the air flow channel
to exit the device
through the mouthpiece.
The heating element 204 comprises a mesh of electrically conductive fibres. In
this
embodiment, the mesh is planar with a thickness many times smaller than its
length, in
particular between 5% and 20% of its length. The skilled person will
appreciate that alternative
arrangements of electrically conductive fibres may also be used which are not
flat or planar.
For example, the mesh may be folded, wrapped, or resemble a rod-like heating
element. The
fibres form a porous network, thereby providing the heating element 204 with
wicking
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properties. This also allows air to flow through the heating element 204,
thereby forming part
of the air flow channels as described above.
The fibres of the heating element 204 may be made of metal, such as stainless
steel, non-
stainless steel, iron, copper, tungsten, aluminium, brass, Nichrome, Kanthal,
Cupronickel and
other alloys, or any other metal (element, compound or alloy). Alternatively,
the fibres may be
made of non-metal material such as molybdenum disilicide, silicon carbide and
other
ceramics or semiconductors, or any other non-metal.
In one example, the heating element 204 may comprise a sintered mesh with a
random
arrangement of fibres. In another example, the heating element 204 may
comprise a regular
woven pattern of fibres.
The heating device 400 may further comprise a housing 411. Both heating device
400 and
housing 411 are substantially cylindrical. Thus, as used herein, the "length"
of the heating
device 400 or housing 411 refers to the direction parallel to the axis of the
cylinder, i.e., the
dimension in which the heating device 400 or housing 411 is elongated.
Similarly, the "length"
of the heating element 204 refers to its elongate axis which points along the
cylindrical axis
of the housing 411. The skilled person will appreciate that the heating device
400 and housing
411 are not limited to be cylindrical, and may be formed in many other shapes,
with the
"length" being defined by the most elongated dimension.
The housing 411 of the device also includes inlet holes 410 for the ingress or
inlet of air into
the system 1000 when a user draws or puffs upon the mouthpiece.
The heating element 204 is mounted in the housing 411. The housing 411
includes a heating
receptacle 200 that comprises a wall 208 defining the chamber 202. The heating
element 204
extends along at least an inner portion of the wall 208 defining the chamber
202. The heating
receptacle 200 acts as a vaporisation chamber which is configured to collect
generated
aerosol within the chamber 202.
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In another embodiment, the heating element 204 may form at least a part of the
wall defining
the chamber 202. Preferably the heating element 204 is integrated in the
chamber's wall.
As previously mentioned, the mouthpiece is connectable to an upper part of the
heating
device 400. Preferably, the mouthpiece is connectable to an upper part of the
heating device
housing 411. In particular the mouthpiece is connectable to an upper rim of
outer walls 208
of the heating receptacle 200.
The intermediate element 500 is configured to cooperate with an outside
surface of a wall
104 of the hollow body 102 of the consumable 100 and with the heating element
204 for
retaining vaporizable material and for acting as a heatshield.
In one example, the intermediate element 500 comprises a first portion 502
adapted to
cooperate with an outside surface of the wall 104 of the consumable 100 and a
second portion
504 adapted to cooperate with the heating element 204. This improves design
freedom and
increases the range of possible component configurations within the device,
enhancing
spatial efficiency and allowing for a reduction in the size of the device
without impairing its
aerosol generating properties.
As previously described, the consumable 100 comprises an outlet for releasing
of the
vaporizable material from the inside of the hollow body 102 of the consumable
to the first
portion 502. In this way, the vaporizable material is released to the first
portion 502, which
acts as vaporizable material retention medium and as well as capillary wick
for transporting
liquid to the second portion 504. The second portion cooperates with the
heating element
204, such that heat generated by the heating element 204 is transferred to the
second portion
504, such that vaporizable material is vaporized by the heating from the
second portion 504.
This configuration allows vaporizable material from the consumable to be
uniformly and
reliably supplied to the intermediate element 500 while preventing the
vaporizable material to
be in direct contact with the heating element 204. Thermal buffer properties
of the second
portion 504 allow vaporizable material to be further vaporized uniformly
without degradation.
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In the embodiment of figure 1A, the intermediate element 500 can be freely
introduced into
the chamber 202 of the heating receptacle 200 followed by the consumable 100
as shown in
figure 1A. The skilled person will recognise that other embodiments of the
invention may
comprise the intermediate element as part of the consumable 100 as shown in
figure 1 B or
as part of the heating receptacle 200 or as part of both consumable and
receptacle. In this
latter embodiment the portion 502 may be part of the consumable while the
second portion
504 may be part of the heating receptacle. In other words, only a first
portion 502 of the
intermediate element 500 may be located on an outside surface of the
consumable 100 while
only a second portion 504 of the intermediate element may be located into the
heating
receptacle. In use, when the consumable 100 carrying the first portion 502 is
introduced in
the heating receptacle 200, both first and second portions 502 and 504 are in
contact
together. This ensures that, in use, the vaporizable material is kept
sufficiently distant from
the heating element 204, thus not in direct contact with the heater 204. The
thermal
degradation of the vaporizable material may in that way be avoided. More
specifically, there
are different temperatures reached in both portions of the intermediate
element 500 in contact
to each other, due to the heat transfer process between the two portions. As
can be seen in
figure 5, the temperature in the portion 502 is lower than in the portion 504
and should not be
sufficient to vaporize the consumable, therefore vaporize the vaporizable
material. The
temperature in the heater 204 is the highest but the consumable is not in
contact with this
latter. However, the temperature in the portion 504 is aligned with a boiling
point of the
vaporizable material in the consumable. In fact, temperature gradient
experienced by the
portion 504 allows different components of the e-liquid while emerging through
the portion
504. Therefore, it is in this portion 504 that the vaporization of consumable
or the vaporizable
material occurs. Therefore, avoiding the whole reservoir to be heated and
furthermore
increase user experience. The boiling point temperature in the example shown
in figure 5 is
around 200 C.
In this embodiment, the intermediate element 500 may be connected to the
heating element
204 by means of a clip though the skilled person will recognise that other
embodiments of the
invention may comprise other means to connect the intermediate element 500 to
the
consumable 100 and to the heating element 204.
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The skilled person will also recognise that in other embodiments of the
invention, the length
of the intermediate element 500 is such that only a section of an outside
surface of the
consumable 100 and the heating element 204 may be connected with the
intermediate
element 500. The heating element 204 may occupy only a part of the inner
surface of the
chamber 202, preferably the heating element may have similar length as the
intermediate
element 500. Different lengths of the intermediate element can be used.
The first portion 502 is a heat resistant mesh that can resist to temperatures
up to 400 C,
preferably up to 350 C. This allows the wall 104 of the consumable not to
heat as well when
in use. Therefore, avoiding the vaporizable material to vaporize as a whole
within the
consumable 100. In other words, the mesh element of the first portion 502 has
vaporizable
material retention properties, i.e., retain or keep vaporizable material
coming from a liquid
store, i.e., from the consumable.
In the embodiment of figure 1 the first portion 502 is made of cotton though
the skilled person
will recognise that other embodiments of the invention may comprise other
material which
also have heat resistant properties as described above. These materials may
include at least
one of: cotton, glass fibre. The cotton is preferable because cotton has
higher liquid retention
properties than metal or glass fiber.
The second portion 504 is a mesh made of a material having pore diameters
which are higher
than the pore diameters of the material from which the first portion 502 is
made of. Material
with higher pore diameters will have lesser liquid retention properties and
will have higher
heat conduction properties.
In the embodiment of figure 1, the material used for the mesh of the second
portion 504 is
metal, particularly open cell metallic foam. The metal has good heat transfer
properties. Thus,
that will permit vaporization of the vaporizable material without direct
contact of the
vaporizable material with the heating element. The skilled person in the art
will recognise that
other embodiments of the invention may comprise other material which are have
heat
conductor properties.
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In other embodiments of the invention, the intermediate element 500 as
described above can
be obtained by surface treatment techniques including one of: Electroplating,
Electroless
Plating, Chemical Coating, Anodic Oxidation Process, Hot Dipping, Vacuum
Plating, Thermal
Spraying, Metallic Cementation.
The embodiment of Figure 1 comprises one intermediate element 500 though the
skilled
person will recognise that other embodiments of the invention may comprise
more than one
intermediate element 500.
Furthermore, in the embodiment of the figure 1 the intermediate element 500
comprises one
first portion 502 and one second portion 504, though the skilled person will
recognise that
other embodiments of the invention may comprise more than one first portion
502 and more
than one second portion 504. The more than one first portion 502 and more than
one second
portion 504 may also have different lengths.
Configuring the aerosol generating system 1000 with a consumable 100, a
heating element
204 and intermediate element 500 arranged in this manner allows for properties
of each
component to be optimised. More specifically, as the intermediate element 500
is responsible
for retaining vaporizable material and for vaporize it, the design of the
intermediate element
500 can be focussed on its vaporizable material retention properties and
aerosol generation.
This allows the vaporizable material to be vaporized while keeping it away
from the hottest
regions of the heating element 204, thereby reducing the effects of
temperature degradation.
Furthermore, the intermediate element 500 may be reusable standalone with
different aerosol
generation device.
Alternatively, or additionally, the heating element 204 may be heated via
induction or
electromagnetic radiation heating. With reference now to Fig. 4 of the
drawings, an alternative
embodiment is shown in which the heating element 204 of the heating device 400
comprises
or forms a susceptor which is adapted to be heated by an induction coil 207.
In this
embodiment, the induction coil 207 may be arranged in a wall 208 of the
heating receptacle
as illustrated in Fig. 4 or in the housing 411 of the heating device 400, so
that it may generally
surround the susceptor or heating element 204. Thus, the heating device or the
heating
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receptacle 200 of this alternative embodiment typically includes the induction
coil 207 for
inducing heat in the susceptor 204. In this embodiment, therefore, the other
components and
parts of the aerosol generating system or e-cigarette 1000, however, remain
essentially
unchanged.
The heating receptacle (or a heating element thereof) may for example
alternatively or
additionally include an optical electromagnetic radiation source to provide
electromagnetic
radiation for absorption in at least one or a plurality of absorber elements
or layers provided
on the heating receptacle 200. The at least one absorber element or layer may,
for example
be provided in the same way as for the heating element 204, and surrounds at
least a portion
of the inner surface of the chamber 202. The at least one absorber element or
layer is
configured to absorb the emitted electromagnetic radiation of the optical
electromagnetic
radiation source and to generate heat energy that vaporizes the vaporizable
material present
in consumable article 100 when in use. The optical electromagnetic radiation
source may, for
example, comprise or consist of at least one laser (such as a diode laser) or
at least one high-
power LED.
Figure 2 shows a schematic transversal view of the consumable 100 and the
intermediate
element 500 in a third embodiment of the invention. The intermediate element
500 is
connected to the wall 104 of the consumable. The intermediate element 500
extends along
an outside portion of the wall 104 of the consumable 100. The intermediate
element 500 has
two portions, the first portion 502 and the second portion 504. The portions
502 and 504 are
positioned in a way that the first portion 502 extends along the wall 104. In
use, when the
consumable is placed within the chamber 202 (not shown in Figure 2) of the
heating
receptacle 200, an electric current passes through the heating element 204 to
generate heat.
The heat is transferred to the second portion 504 with thermal buffer
properties. The
vaporizable material transferred by capillary action from the consumable to
the portion 502
which has retention properties, is vaporized by the thermal buffer 504. By
ensuring that the
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vaporizable material is sufficiently distant from the heating element 204, the
temperature
degradation of the vaporizable material may be avoided. In this embodiment the
intermediate
element 500 is connected to the wall 104 of the consumable by means of a clip
though the
skilled person will recognise that other embodiments of the invention may
comprise other
means to connect the intermediate element 500 to the consumable 100.
Figure 3 shows a schematic transversal view of the heating receptacle 200 and
heating
element 204, an intermediate element 500 in a fourth embodiment of the
invention. Similar to
the previous embodiment, the heating element 204 extends an inner surface of
the wall 208
of defining the chamber 202. However, in this embodiment, the intermediate
element 500 is
connected to heating element 204. The first and second portions 502 and 504
are positioned
in a way that the second portion 504 extends along the heating element 204.
This ensures
that when in use the vaporizable material from the consumable 100 is
sufficiently distant from
the heating element 204 or is not in direct contact with the heating element
204. Therefore
the temperature degradation of the vaporizable material may be avoided. In
this embodiment
the intermediate element 500 is connected to the heating element 204 by means
of a clip
though the skilled person will recognise that other embodiments of the
invention may
comprise other means to connected the intermediate element 500 to the
consumable 100.
Additionally or alternatively, the consumable of the present invention may
further comprise at
least one groove extending into the wall 104 of the consumable and forming
part of the airflow
channel to allow air to flow from the air inlet to an opposite end of the
device when in use.
Preferably, the groove may extend on the outside surface of the wall 104.
Additionally or alternatively, the consumable 100 of the present invention may
comprise a
plurality of consumables, wherein each consumable 100 has a stackable means
configured
to stack together one consumable with another consumable 100, in a way that
the grooves
of each consumable 100 are longitudinally aligned along a longitudinal axis of
the consumable
and in a way that air can flows along the grooves when in use. The stackable
means includes
one of: clip, screw, bayonet.
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Additionally or alternatively, the mouthpiece may be removably connected to
the consumable
100 or to the heating receptacle 200.
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Reference numbers used for the figures
1000 Aerosol generating device
100 Consumable
102 Hollow portion of the
consumable
104 Wall of the consumable
200 Heating receptacle
202 Heating chamber
204 Heating element
207 Induction coil
208 Wall of the receptacle
400 Heating device
402 Memory
404 Controller
406 Battery
408 Electrical circuitry
410 Air holes
411 housing
500 Intermediate element
502 First portion of the
intermediate element
504 Second portion of the
intermediate element
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