Cartridge for evaporator device

Abstract

The present application relates to a cartridge for an evaporator device, the cartridge comprising: a reservoir comprising a reservoir chamber defined by a reservoir barrier, the reservoir configured to contain an evaporable material in the reservoir chamber; an evaporation chamber in communication with the reservoir and including a wicking element configured to lift the vaporizable material from the reservoir chamber to the evaporation chamber to be vaporized by a heating element; an airflow channel extending through the evaporation chamber; and at least one capillary channel adjacent to the airflow channel, each capillary channel of the at least one capillary channel being configured to receive the fluid and to direct the fluid from the first position to the second position by capillary action.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese utility model patent application No. 202321659203.2 filed on October 17, 2019, which is a divisional application of Chinese utility model patent application No. 202123367329.6 filed on October 17, 2019, which is a divisional application of Chinese utility model patent application No. 202120392208.8 filed on October 17, 2019, which is a divisional application of Chinese utility model patent application No. 201921746466.0 filed on October 17, 2019.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 915,005, filed on October 14, 2019, entitled “CARTRIDGE FOR A VAPORIZER DEVICE,” U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 812,161, filed on February 28, 2019, entitled “CARTRIDGE FOR A VAPORIZER DEVICE,” U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 747,099, filed on October 17, 2018, entitled “WICK FEED AND HEATING ELEMENTS IN A VAPORIZER DEVICE,” U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 812,148, filed on February 28, 2019, entitled “RESERVOIR OVERFLOW CONTROL WITH CONSTRICTIONPOINTS,” and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 812,149, filed on October 17, 2018, entitled “RESERVOIR OVERFLOW CONTROL WITH CONSTRICTIONPOINTS.” The present invention claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 747,055, filed on October 17, 2018, entitled “VAPORIZER CONDENSATE COLLECTION AND RECYCLING,” and U.S. Provisional Application No. 16 / 653,455, filed on October 15, 2019, entitled “HEATING ELEMENT,” each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0004] The disclosed subject matter generally relates to features of cartridges for vaporizers, and in some examples relates to management of leakage of liquid vaporizable material, control of airflow within and near the cartridge, heating of the vaporizable material to cause formation of an aerosol, and / or other assembly features of the cartridge and a device to which it may be detachably connected. Background Art

[0005] A vaporizer device, generally referred to herein as a vaporizer, comprises a device that heats a vaporizable material (e.g., a liquid, plant material, some other solid, wax, etc.) to a temperature sufficient to release one or more components from the vaporizable material into a form that can be inhaled by a user of the vaporizer (e.g., a gas, an aerosol, etc.). Some vaporizers, such as those in which at least one of the components released from the vaporizable material is nicotine, can be used as a smoking substitute for combustible cigarettes. Utility Model Content

[0006] For the purpose of summarization, certain aspects, advantages and novel features are described herein. It should be understood that not all of these advantages may be achieved according to any one particular embodiment. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter may be embodied or performed in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or a group of advantages without achieving all of the advantages taught or suggested herein. Except where otherwise infeasible based on the current disclosure and as will be understood by those skilled in the art, the various features and items described herein may be combined together or separable.

[0007] In one aspect, a vaporizer includes a reservoir configured to hold a liquid vaporizable material. The reservoir is at least partially defined by at least one wall and includes a storage chamber and an overflow volume. The vaporizer also includes a collector disposed in the overflow volume. The collector includes a capillary structure configured to maintain a volume of the liquid vaporizable material in fluid contact with the storage chamber. The capillary structure includes microfluidic features configured to prevent air and liquid from bypassing each other during filling and emptying of the collector.

[0008] In a related aspect of an evaporator that may be included in the aforementioned aspect, a microfluidic gate for controlling the flow of liquid evaporable material between adjacent overflow volumes in a storage chamber and the evaporator includes a plurality of openings connecting the storage chamber and the collector, and a condensation point between the plurality of openings. The plurality of openings includes a first channel and a second channel. The first channel has a higher capillary drive than the second channel. Optionally, the microfluidic gate may include an edge of an orifice between the storage chamber and the collector, the edge of the orifice being flatter on a first side facing the storage chamber than on a second, more rounded side facing the collector.

[0009] In another related aspect that may be combined with other aspects, a collector configured for insertion into a vaporizer cartridge includes a capillary structure configured to maintain a volume of liquid vaporizable material in fluid contact with a storage chamber of the vaporizer cartridge. The capillary structure includes microfluidic features configured to prevent air and liquid from bypassing each other during filling and emptying of the collector.

[0010] In optional variations, one or more of the following features may also be included in any feasible combination. For example, a main channel may be included to provide a fluid connection between the reservoir and an atomizer configured to convert the liquid vaporizable material into a vapor phase. The main channel may be formed through the structure of the collector.

[0011] The main channel may include a first channel configured to allow liquid vaporizable material to flow from a storage chamber to a wicking element in the atomizer. The first channel may have a cross-sectional shape having at least one irregular shape configured to allow liquid in the first channel to bypass bubbles blocking the remainder of the first channel. The cross-sectional shape may be similar to a cross. The capillary structure may include a secondary channel comprising microfluidic features, and the microfluidic features may be configured to allow the liquid vaporizable material to flow along a length of the secondary channel, only in the length where the meniscus completely covers the cross-sectional area of ​​the secondary channel. The cross-sectional area may be small enough so that, given the material forming the walls of the secondary channel and the composition of the liquid vaporizable material, the liquid vaporizable material preferentially wets the secondary channel around its entire periphery.

[0012] The reservoir and collector can be configured to maintain a continuous column of liquid vaporizable material in the collector in contact with the liquid vaporizable material in the reservoir, such that a decrease in pressure in the reservoir relative to ambient pressure causes the continuous column of liquid vaporizable material in the collector to be at least partially drawn back into the reservoir. The secondary channel can include a plurality of spaced-apart constrictions having a cross-sectional area smaller than that of the portion of the secondary channel between the constrictions. The constrictions can have a relatively flat surface oriented along the secondary channel toward the reservoir and a relatively rounded surface oriented along the secondary channel away from the reservoir.

[0013] The microfluidic gate can be located between the collector and the storage chamber. The microfluidic gate may include an edge of an orifice between the storage chamber and the collector, the edge of the orifice being flatter on a first side facing the storage chamber than on a second, more rounded side facing the collector. The microfluidic gate may include a plurality of openings connecting the storage chamber and the collector and a condensation point between the plurality of openings. The plurality of openings may include a first channel and a second channel, wherein the first channel has a higher capillary drive than the second channel. Due to the higher capillary drive in the first channel, the curved liquid surface of the gas-liquid evaporable material reaching the condensation point can be guided to the second channel, thereby forming bubbles to escape the liquid evaporable material entering the storage chamber.

[0014] The liquid vaporizable material may comprise one or more of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin.

[0015] The collector may include a main channel that provides a fluid connection between the reservoir and an atomizer configured to convert the liquid evaporable material into a vapor phase, wherein the main channel is formed through the structure of the collector. In an optional variation, the capillary structure may include a secondary channel having microfluidic features, and the microfluidic features may be configured to allow the liquid evaporable material to move along a length of the secondary channel, only during the length of the meniscus completely covering the cross-sectional area of ​​the secondary channel. The cross-sectional area of ​​the secondary channel may be sufficiently small so that, given the material forming the walls of the secondary channel and the composition of the liquid evaporable material, the liquid evaporable material preferentially wets the secondary channel around its entire periphery. The reservoir and collector may be configured to maintain a continuous column of liquid evaporable material in the collector in contact with the liquid evaporable material in the reservoir, such that a decrease in pressure in the reservoir relative to ambient pressure causes the continuous column of liquid evaporable material in the collector to be at least partially drawn back into the reservoir. The secondary channel may include a plurality of spaced-apart constrictions, the cross-sectional area of ​​the constrictions being smaller than the portion of the secondary channel between the constrictions. The pinch point may have a relatively flat surface oriented along the secondary channel toward the reservoir and a relatively rounded surface oriented along the secondary channel away from the reservoir.

[0016] In yet another related aspect, a vaporizer cartridge includes: a cartridge housing, a storage chamber disposed within the cartridge housing and configured to hold a liquid vaporizable material, an inlet configured to allow air to enter an internal airflow path within the cartridge housing, an atomizer configured to convert at least some of the liquid vaporizable material into an inhalable state, and a collector as described in the above aspects.

[0017] In an optional variation, such a vaporizer cartridge may include one or more features as described herein, such as, for example, a wicking element located within the internal airflow path and in fluid communication with the reservoir. The wicking element may be configured to draw the liquid vaporizable material from the storage chamber under capillary action. The heating element may be positioned to cause heating of the wicking element, thereby causing at least some of the liquid vaporizable material drawn from the storage chamber to be converted into a gaseous state. The inhalable state may include an aerosol formed by condensing at least some of the liquid vaporizable material from the gaseous state. The cartridge housing may include a monolithic hollow structure having a first open end and a second end opposite the first end. The collector may be insertably received within the first end of the monolithic hollow structure.

[0018] In another related aspect, a reservoir for a cartridge usable with a vaporizer device is provided. In one embodiment, the reservoir includes a storage chamber (e.g., a reservoir) for storing vaporizable material, and an overflow volume that is separable from the storage chamber and in communication with the storage chamber via a vent that opens into a passage in the overflow volume.

[0019] The channel in the overflow volume can lead to a port connected to ambient air. The storage chamber or reservoir can also include a first wicking portion supply and an optional second wicking portion supply, which are respectively implemented in the form of a first cavity and a second cavity passing through a collector disposed within the cartridge. The collector can include one or more support structures that form the channel in the overflow volume. The first and second cavities can control the flow of the vaporizable material toward the wicking portion housing configured to accommodate the wicking element.

[0020] The wicking element or wicking element housing located within the wicking portion housing can be configured to absorb vaporizable material traveling through the first and second wicking portion supplies such that, upon thermal interaction with the atomizer, the vaporizable material absorbed within the wicking element is converted into at least one of a vapor or an aerosol and flows through an outlet channel structure formed through the collector and the storage chamber to reach an opening in the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece can be formed adjacent the storage chamber.

[0021] The collector can have a first end and a second end. The first end can be connected to an opening in the mouthpiece, and the second end, opposite the first end, can be configured to accommodate a wicking portion or a wicking element. According to certain embodiments, the wicking portion housing can include a set of prongs projecting outwardly from the second end to at least partially receive the wicking element, and one or more compression ribs positioned near the first or second wicking portion supply and extending from the second end of the collector to compress the wicking element.

[0022] In an exemplary embodiment, a vent may be provided to maintain a balanced pressure condition in the reservoir of the cartridge and prevent the pressure in the reservoir from increasing to a point where the vaporizable material would flood / overflow the wicking portion housing. The balanced pressure condition may be maintained by establishing a liquid seal at the opening of the vent, which is positioned at the point where the reservoir communicates with the passageway in the overflow volume of the cartridge. The liquid seal is established and maintained at the vent by maintaining sufficient capillary pressure against the vaporizable material meniscus formed at a portion of the vent that opens into the passageway in the overflow volume.

[0023] The capillary pressure of the vaporizable material meniscus can be controlled by, for example, forming a vent structure of primary and secondary channels, which effectively constitute a fluid valve to control the condensation point in at least one of the primary or secondary channels. According to embodiments, the primary and secondary channels can have a converging geometry such that as the meniscus continues to recede, the capillary force of the primary channel decreases at a greater rate than the capillary force of the secondary channels. The gradual reduction in the capillary force of the primary and secondary channels reduces the partial headspace vacuum maintained in the reservoir.

[0024] In another related aspect, as the capillary drive of the primary and secondary channels gradually decreases relative to each other, the discharge pressure of the primary channel drops below the discharge pressure of the secondary channel. As the discharge pressure of the primary channel changes, the meniscus in the primary channel continues to discharge, while the meniscus in the secondary channel remains stationary. The discharge pressure associated with the receding contact angle of the primary channel may drop below the overflow pressure associated with the advancing contact angle of the secondary channel, resulting in the primary and secondary channels filling with the vaporizable material.

[0025] Thus, in response to the increased pressure condition within the storage chamber, the vaporizable material flows through the vent into the passageway of the collector (i.e., the overflow volume), wherein the vent is configured to maintain a liquid seal at the condensation point, desirably, at all times. In certain embodiments, the vent is configured to promote a liquid seal at the opening from which the vaporizable material flows between the storage chamber of the reservoir and the passageway of the collector in the overflow volume.

[0026] In another related aspect, one or more wicking portion feed portion channels may be implemented to control the direct flow of vaporizable material toward the wicking portion. The first wicking portion feed portion channel may be formed through a collector located in the overflow volume and independently of the primary channel and secondary channels of the above-mentioned control valve. The collector may include a support structure forming the first channel or additional wicking portion feed portion channels. The wicking portion may be positioned in the wicking portion housing so that the wicking portion is configured to absorb the vaporizable material traveling through the first channel. Depending on the embodiment, the first channel may have a cross-shaped cross-section or have a partial dividing wall. The shape of the first channel may provide one or more non-primary sub-channels and one or more primary sub-channels, wherein the one or more primary sub-channels have a larger diameter than the non-primary sub-channels.

[0027] According to embodiments, when a primary subchannel or a non-primary subchannel is restricted or blocked (e.g., due to bubble formation), the vaporizable material may flow through an alternative subchannel or the main channel. In a cross-shaped wicking section feed, the primary subchannel may extend through the center of the cross-shaped wicking section feed. When the primary subchannel is restricted due to bubble formation in a portion of the primary subchannel, the vaporizable material flows through at least one non-primary subchannel.

[0028] In some embodiments, the collector may have a first end and a second end, the first end facing the storage chamber and the second end facing away from the storage chamber and configured to include a wicking portion housing. The second wicking portion supply may be implemented in the form of a second channel to allow the vaporizable material stored in the storage chamber to flow toward the wicking portion while the vaporizable material flows through the first wicking portion supply. The second wicking portion supply may have a cross-shaped cross-section.

[0029] According to one or more aspects, a reservoir for a cartridge usable with a vaporizer device may include a storage chamber configured to hold a vaporizable material. The reservoir may be in operative relationship with an atomizer configured to convert the vaporizable material from a liquid phase to a vapor or aerosol phase for inhalation by a user of the vaporizer device. The cartridge may also include an overflow volume for retaining at least some portion of the vaporizable material, for example, when one or more factors cause the vaporizable material in the storage chamber to enter the overflow volume of the cartridge.

[0030] One or more factors may include exposure of the cartridge to a pressure state that is different from an earlier ambient pressure state (e.g., by changing from a first pressure state to a second pressure state). In some aspects, the overflow volume may include a channel connected to an opening or air control port to the outside of the cartridge (i.e., to ambient air). The channel in the overflow volume may also be in communication with the reservoir chamber so that the channel can serve as a vent to allow pressure equalization in the reservoir chamber. In response to a negative pressure event in the environment surrounding the cartridge, the vaporizable material may be drawn from the storage chamber to the atomizer and converted into a vapor phase or an aerosol phase, thereby reducing the volume of the vaporizable material retained in the storage chamber of the reservoir.

[0031] The storage chamber can be coupled to the overflow volume via one or more openings between the storage chamber and the overflow volume, for example, such that the one or more openings lead to one or more channels through the overflow volume. The flow of the vaporizable material through the openings into the channels can be controlled by the capillary properties of a fluid vent leading to the one or more channels, or by the capillary properties of the channels themselves. Furthermore, the flow of the vaporizable material into the one or more channels can be reversible, thereby allowing the vaporizable material to be transferred from the overflow volume back into the storage chamber.

[0032] In at least one embodiment, the flow of vaporizable material can be reversed in response to a change in pressure state (e.g., when the second pressure state in the cartridge returns to the first pressure state). The second pressure state can be associated with a negative pressure event. A negative pressure event can be the result of a drop in ambient pressure relative to the pressure of one or more volumes of air held in the reservoir or other portion of the cartridge. Alternatively, a negative pressure event can be generated by compression of the internal volume of the cartridge due to mechanical pressure on one or more external surfaces of the cartridge.

[0033] The heating element may include a heating portion and at least two legs. The heating portion may include at least two raking wings spaced apart from each other. The heating portion may be preformed to define an internal volume configured to accommodate the wicking element so that the heating portion secures at least a portion of the wicking element to the heating element. The heating portion may be configured to contact at least two separate surfaces of the wicking element. The at least two legs may be connected to the at least two raking wings and spaced apart from the heating portion. The at least two legs may be configured to be electrically connected to a power source. Electricity is configured to be supplied from the power source to the heating portion to generate heat, thereby evaporating the vaporizable material stored in the wicking element.

[0034] In some embodiments, the at least two legs include four legs.In some embodiments, the heating portion is configured to contact at least three separate surfaces of the wicking element.

[0035] In some embodiments, the at least two raking wings include a first side raking wing portion, a second side raking wing portion opposite the first side raking wing portion, and a platform raking wing portion connecting the first side raking wing portion and the second side raking wing portion. The platform raking wing portion can be positioned substantially perpendicular to a portion of the first side raking wing portion and the second side raking wing portion. The first side raking wing portion, the second side raking wing portion, and the platform raking wing portion define an interior volume within which a wicking element is positioned. In some embodiments, the at least two legs are positioned away from the heating portion via a bridge member.

[0036] In some embodiments, each of the at least two legs includes a cartridge contact positioned at an end of each of the at least two legs. The cartridge contact can be electrically connected to a power source. The cartridge contact can be angled and extend away from the heating portion.

[0037] In some embodiments, the at least two rake wings include a first pair of rake wings and a second pair of rake wings. In some embodiments, the rake wings of the first pair of rake wings are evenly spaced apart from one another. In some embodiments, the rake wings of the first pair of rake wings are spaced apart by a width. In some embodiments, the width of the heating element at an inner region adjacent to the platform rake wing portion is greater than the width of the heating element at an outer region adjacent to an outer edge of the first side rake wing portion opposite the inner region. In some embodiments, the evaporator device is configured to measure the resistance of the heating element at each of its four legs to control the temperature of the heating element. In some embodiments, the heating element includes a thermal barrier configured to isolate the heating portion from the body of the evaporator device. In some embodiments, the evaporator device further includes a thermal barrier configured to surround at least a portion of the heating element and isolate the heating portion from the body of a wicking portion housing, the wicking portion housing configured to surround the wicking element and at least a portion of the heating element.

[0038] In some embodiments, the heating portion is folded between the heating portion and the at least two legs to isolate the heating portion from the at least two legs. In some embodiments, the heating portion further comprises at least one protrusion extending from a side of the at least two raking wings to allow the wicking element to more easily enter the interior volume of the heating portion. In some embodiments, the at least one protrusion extends away from the interior volume at a certain angle.

[0039] In some embodiments, the at least two legs include a capillary feature. The capillary feature can cause a sudden change in capillary pressure, thereby preventing the vaporizable material from flowing beyond the capillary feature. In some embodiments, the capillary feature includes one or more bends in the at least two legs. In some embodiments, the at least two legs extend at an angle toward the interior volume of the heating portion, and the at least two angled legs define the capillary feature.

[0040] In some embodiments, the evaporator device includes a reservoir for accommodating a vaporizable material, a wicking element in fluid communication with the reservoir, and a heating element. The heating element includes a heating portion and at least two legs. The heating portion may include at least two rake wings spaced apart from each other. The heating portion may be preformed to define an internal volume configured to accommodate the wicking element, such that the heating portion secures at least a portion of the wicking element to the heating element. The heating portion may be configured to contact at least two separate surfaces of the wicking element. At least two legs may be coupled to the at least two rake wings and spaced apart from the heating portion. The at least two legs may be configured to be electrically connected to a power source. Electricity is configured to be supplied from the power source to the heating portion to generate heat, thereby evaporating the vaporizable material stored in the wicking element.

[0041] A method of forming an atomizer assembly for a vaporizer device may include securing a wicking element to an interior volume of a heating element. The heating element may include a heating portion comprising at least two rake wings spaced apart from each other and at least two legs spaced apart from the heating portion. The legs may be configured to be in electrical communication with a power source for the vaporizer device. The heating portion is configured to contact at least two surfaces of the wicking element. The method may also include attaching the heating element to a wicking portion housing configured to surround the wicking element and at least a portion of the heating element. Securing may also include sliding the wicking element into the interior volume of the heating element.

[0042] In some embodiments, an evaporator device includes: a heating portion including one or more heater traces integrally formed and spaced apart from one another, the one or more heater traces being configured to contact at least a portion of a wicking element of the evaporator device; a connecting portion configured to receive power from a power source and direct the power to the heating portion; and a plating layer having a plating material different from that of the heating portion. The plating layer can be configured to reduce contact resistance between the heating element and the power source, thereby localizing heating of the heating element to the heating portion.

[0043] In certain aspects of the present invention, challenges associated with collecting condensate along one or more internal passages and outlets (e.g., along a mouthpiece) of some evaporator devices can be addressed by including one or more features described herein or comparable / equivalent methods understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Aspects of the present invention relate to systems and methods for capturing condensate of vaporizable material in an evaporator device.

[0044] In some variations, one or more of the following features may optionally be included in any feasible combination.

[0045] Aspects of the present subject matter relate to a cartridge for an evaporator device. The cartridge may include a reservoir comprising a reservoir chamber defined by a reservoir barrier. The reservoir may be configured to hold a vaporizable material in the reservoir chamber. The cartridge may include an evaporation chamber communicating with the reservoir, and may include a wicking element configured to draw the vaporizable material from the reservoir chamber into the evaporation chamber for evaporation by a heating element. The cartridge may include an airflow channel extending through the evaporation chamber. The cartridge may include at least one capillary channel adjacent to the airflow channel. Each of the at least one capillary channel may be configured to receive a fluid and guide the fluid from a first location to a second location by capillary action.

[0046] In one aspect consistent with the present invention, each capillary channel of at least one capillary channel is narrowed in size. Narrowing in size can result in an increase in the capillary drive of each capillary channel by at least one capillary channel. Each capillary channel of the at least one capillary channel can be formed by a groove defined between a pair of walls. The at least one capillary channel can be in communication with the wicking portion fluid. The first position can be adjacent to the end and mouthpiece of the airflow channel. The at least one capillary channel can collect fluid condensate.

[0047] In a related aspect, the evaporator device may include an evaporator body including a heating element configured to heat a vaporizable material. The evaporator device may include a cartridge configured to be releasably connected to the evaporator body. The cartridge may include a reservoir including a reservoir chamber defined by a reservoir barrier. The reservoir may be configured to accommodate the vaporizable material in the reservoir chamber. The cartridge may include an evaporation chamber connected to the reservoir, and may include a wicking element configured to draw the vaporizable material from the reservoir chamber to the evaporation chamber for evaporation by the heating element. The cartridge may include an airflow channel extending through the evaporation chamber. The cartridge may include at least one capillary channel adjacent to the airflow channel. Each capillary channel of the at least one capillary channel may be configured to receive a fluid and guide the fluid from a first position to a second position by capillary action.

[0048] Each capillary channel of at least one capillary channel can be narrowed in size. Narrowing in size can cause an increase in the capillary drive of each capillary channel of at least one capillary channel. Each capillary channel of the at least one capillary channel can be formed by a groove defined between a pair of walls. The at least one capillary channel can be in communication with the wicking portion fluid. The first position can be adjacent to the end and mouthpiece of the airflow channel. The at least one capillary channel can collect fluid condensate.

[0049] In a related aspect, a method for a cartridge of an evaporation device may include collecting condensate in a first capillary channel of at least one capillary channel of the cartridge. Each of the at least one capillary channel may be configured to receive a fluid and guide the fluid from a first position to a second position by capillary action. The cartridge may include a reservoir comprising a reservoir chamber defined by a reservoir barrier. The reservoir may be configured to accommodate a vaporizable material in the reservoir chamber. The cartridge may include an evaporation chamber connected to the reservoir, and may include a wicking element configured to draw the vaporizable material from the reservoir chamber to the evaporation chamber for evaporation by a heating element. The cartridge may include an airflow channel extending through the evaporation chamber. The at least one capillary channel may be adjacent to the airflow channel. The method may include directing the collected condensate to the evaporation chamber and guiding it along the first capillary channel.

[0050] The method may include evaporating the collected condensate at an evaporation chamber. The first capillary channel may be narrowed in size. Each of the at least one capillary channel may be formed by a groove defined between a pair of walls. The at least one capillary channel may be in fluid communication with the wicking portion. The first position may be adjacent to an end of the airflow channel and the mouthpiece.

[0051] According to one aspect of the present application, there is provided an evaporator, comprising:

[0052] a reservoir configured to contain a liquid vaporizable material, the reservoir being at least partially defined by at least one wall, the reservoir comprising a storage chamber and an overflow volume; and

[0053] A collector is disposed within the overflow volume, the collector comprising a capillary structure configured to maintain a volume of liquid vaporizable material in fluid contact with the reservoir, the capillary structure comprising microfluidic features configured to prevent air and liquid from bypassing each other during filling and emptying of the collector.

[0054] Optionally, the vaporizer further comprises a main channel providing a fluid connection between the storage chamber and an atomizer configured to transform the liquid vaporizable material into a gas phase.

[0055] Optionally, the main channel is formed by the structure of the collector.

[0056] Optionally, the main channel includes a first channel configured to allow the liquid vaporizable material to flow from the reservoir toward the wicking element within the atomizer, the first channel including a cross-sectional shape having at least one irregularity configured to allow fluid within the first channel to bypass an air bubble that blocks a remainder of the first channel.

[0057] Optionally, the cross-sectional shape is similar to a cross.

[0058] Optionally, the capillary structure comprises a secondary channel comprising microfluidic features, and wherein the microfluidic features are configured to allow the liquid vaporizable material to move along a length of the secondary channel only in which the meniscus completely covers the cross-sectional area of ​​the secondary channel.

[0059] Optionally, the cross-sectional area is sufficiently small that, for the material used to form the secondary channel walls and the composition of the liquid vaporizable material, the liquid vaporizable material preferentially wets the secondary channel around the entire periphery of the secondary channel.

[0060] Optionally, the storage chamber and the collector are configured to maintain the continuous column of liquid vaporizable material in the collector in contact with the liquid vaporizable material in the storage chamber such that a pressure drop within the storage chamber relative to ambient pressure causes the continuous column of liquid vaporizable material in the collector to be at least partially drawn back into the storage chamber.

[0061] Optionally, the secondary channel comprises a plurality of spaced apart constrictions, the constrictions having a smaller cross-sectional area than the portion of the secondary channel between the constrictions.

[0062] Optionally, the pinch point has a relatively flat surface oriented along the secondary passage toward the storage compartment and a relatively rounded surface oriented along the secondary passage away from the storage compartment.

[0063] Optionally, the evaporator further comprises a microfluidic gate between the collector and the storage chamber, the microfluidic gate comprising an edge of an orifice between the storage chamber and the collector that is flatter on a first side facing the storage chamber than on a more rounded second side facing the collector.

[0064] Optionally, the microfluidic gate comprises a plurality of openings connecting the reservoir with the collector and a condensation point located between the plurality of openings, the plurality of openings comprising a first channel and a second channel, wherein the first channel has a higher capillary drive than the second channel.

[0065] Optionally, the air-liquid vaporizable material meniscus reaching the condensation point is guided to the second channel due to the higher capillary drive in the first channel, so that bubbles are formed and escape into the liquid vaporizable material in the storage chamber.

[0066] Optionally, the liquid vaporizable material comprises one or more of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin. According to another aspect of the present application, a microfluidic gate for controlling the flow of a liquid vaporizable material between a storage chamber and an adjacent overflow volume in an evaporator is provided, the microfluidic gate comprising:

[0067] a plurality of openings connecting the reservoir and the collector, the plurality of openings comprising a first channel and a second channel, wherein the first channel has a higher capillary drive than the second channel; and

[0068] A condensation point is located between the plurality of openings.

[0069] Optionally, the microfluidic gate comprises a rim of an orifice between the reservoir and the collector that is flatter on a first side facing the reservoir compartment than on a second, more rounded side facing the collector.

[0070] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a collector configured to be inserted into an evaporator cartridge, the collector comprising:

[0071] A capillary structure configured to maintain a volume of liquid vaporizable material in fluid contact with the reservoir of the vaporizer cartridge, the capillary structure including microfluidic features configured to prevent air and liquid from bypassing each other during filling and emptying of the collector.

[0072] Optionally, the collector further comprises the aforementioned microfluidic gate.

[0073] Optionally, the collector further comprises a main channel providing a fluid connection between the reservoir and an atomizer configured to transform the liquid vaporizable material into a gas phase, wherein the main channel is formed through the structure of the collector.

[0074] Optionally, the capillary structure comprises a secondary channel comprising microfluidic features, and wherein the microfluidic features are configured to allow the liquid vaporizable material to move along a length of the secondary channel only in which the meniscus completely covers the cross-sectional area of ​​the secondary channel.

[0075] Optionally, the cross-sectional area is sufficiently small that, for the material used to form the secondary channel walls and the composition of the liquid vaporizable material, the liquid vaporizable material preferentially wets the secondary channel around the entire periphery of the secondary channel.

[0076] Optionally, the storage chamber and the collector are configured to maintain the continuous column of liquid vaporizable material in the collector in contact with the liquid vaporizable material in the storage chamber such that a pressure drop within the storage chamber relative to ambient pressure causes the continuous column of liquid vaporizable material in the collector to be at least partially drawn back into the storage chamber.

[0077] Optionally, the secondary channel comprises a plurality of spaced apart constrictions, the constrictions having a smaller cross-sectional area than portions of the secondary channel between the constrictions.

[0078] Optionally, the pinch point has a relatively flat surface oriented along the secondary passage toward the storage compartment and a relatively rounded surface oriented along the secondary passage away from the storage compartment.

[0079] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided an evaporator cartridge, comprising:

[0080] a cartridge housing;

[0081] a storage chamber disposed within the cartridge housing and configured to contain a liquid vaporizable material;

[0082] an inlet configured to admit air into an internal airflow path within the cartridge housing; an atomizer configured to convert at least some of the liquid vaporizable material into an inhalable state; and

[0083] According to the aforementioned collector.

[0084] Optionally, the atomizer comprises:

[0085] a wicking element positioned in the internal airflow path and in fluid communication with the reservoir, the wicking element being configured to draw the liquid vaporizable material from the storage chamber by capillary action; and

[0086] A heating element is positioned to heat the wicking element to cause at least some of the liquid vaporizable material drawn from the storage chamber to transform into a gaseous state.

[0087] Optionally, the inhalable state comprises an aerosol formed by condensation of at least some liquid vaporizable material from the gaseous state.

[0088] Optionally, the cartridge housing comprises an integral hollow structure having an open first end and a second end opposite to the first end.

[0089] Optionally, the collector is insertably received in the first end of the unitary hollow structure.

[0090] According to another aspect of the present application, an evaporator is further provided, comprising an evaporator body and the evaporator cartridge according to the foregoing, wherein the evaporator body and the evaporator cartridge can be detachably attached to each other to form the evaporator.

[0091] Optionally, the heating element comprises:

[0092] a heating portion comprising at least two rake wings spaced apart from one another, the heating portion being pre-shaped to define an inner volume configured to receive a wicking element such that the heating portion secures at least a portion of the wicking element to the heating element, the heating portion being configured to contact at least two spaced-apart surfaces of the wicking element; and

[0093] at least two legs coupled to the at least two raking wings and spaced apart from the heating portion, the at least two legs configured to be in electrical communication with a power source,

[0094] Wherein, power is configured to be supplied from a power source to the heating portion to generate heat, thereby vaporizing the vaporizable material stored within the wicking element.

[0095] Optionally, the at least two legs include four legs.

[0096] Optionally, the heating portion is configured to contact at least three separate surfaces of the wicking element.

[0097] Optionally, the at least two rake wings include:

[0098] a first side rake wing portion;

[0099] a second side raking wing portion opposite the first side raking wing portion; and

[0100] a platform raking wing portion connecting the first side raking wing portion with the second side raking wing portion, the platform raking wing portion being positioned generally perpendicular to a portion of the first side raking wing portion and the second side raking wing portion, wherein the first side raking wing portion, the second side raking wing portion, and the platform raking wing portion define the interior volume, the wicking element being positioned in the interior volume.

[0101] Optionally, the at least two legs are positioned away from the heating portion via a bridge portion.

[0102] Optionally, each of the at least two legs comprises a cartridge contact positioned at an end of each of the at least two legs, the cartridge contact being configured to be in electrical communication with a power source, the cartridge contact being angled and extending away from the heating portion.

[0103] Optionally, the at least two rake wings include a first pair of rake wings and a second pair of rake wings.

[0104] Optionally, the rake wings of the first pair of rake wings are evenly spaced from each other.

[0105] Optionally, the rake wings of the first pair of rake wings are spaced apart by a width.

[0106] Optionally, the width of the heating element at an inner region adjacent to the platform rake portion is greater than the width of the heating element at an outer region adjacent to the outer edge of the first side rake portion opposite the inner region.

[0107] Optionally, the evaporator device is configured to measure the resistance of the heating element at each of the four legs to control the temperature of the heating element.

[0108] Optionally, a thermal barrier is further included, wherein the thermal barrier is configured to isolate the heating portion from a body of the evaporator device.

[0109] Optionally, the evaporator device further comprises a thermal barrier configured to surround at least a portion of the heating element and isolate the heating portion from a body of a wicking portion housing configured to surround the wicking element and at least a portion of the heating element.

[0110] Optionally, the heating portion is folded between the heating portion and the at least two legs to isolate the heating portion from the at least two legs.

[0111] Optionally, the heating portion further comprises at least one protrusion extending from one side of the at least two raking wings to allow the wicking element to more easily enter the inner volume of the heating portion.

[0112] Optionally, said at least one protrusion extends away from said inner volume at an angle.

[0113] Optionally, the at least two legs include capillary features that cause a sudden change in capillary pressure, thereby preventing the vaporizable material from flowing beyond the capillary features.

[0114] Optionally, the capillary feature comprises one or more bends in the at least two legs. Optionally, the at least two legs extend at an angle towards the inner volume of the heating portion, the at least two legs at an angle defining the capillary feature.

[0115] Optionally, the heating element comprises:

[0116] a heating portion comprising one or more heater traces integrally formed and spaced apart from one another, the one or more heater traces configured to contact at least a portion of a wicking element of the evaporator device;

[0117] a connecting portion configured to receive power from a power source and direct the power to the heating portion; and

[0118] A plating layer having a plating material different from that of the heating portion, the plating layer being configured to reduce contact resistance between the heating element and a power source, thereby localizing heating of the heating element to the heating portion.

[0119] Optionally, the plating layer comprises one or more layers deposited onto the connecting portion.

[0120] Optionally, the plating layer is formed integrally with the connecting portion.

[0121] Optionally, the plating layer includes an adhesive plating layer and an outer plating layer.

[0122] Optionally, at least the outer plating layer is configured to reduce contact resistance between the heating element and a power source.

[0123] Optionally, the adhesive plating layer is deposited onto the heating element to adhere the outer plating layer to the heating element.

[0124] Optionally, the material of the heating part includes nickel-chromium alloy.

[0125] Optionally, the plating layer comprises gold.

[0126] Optionally, the invention further comprises a wicking portion shell, wherein the wicking portion shell comprises:

[0127] outer wall; and

[0128] An inner volume defined by the outer wall is configured to receive a portion of the heating element and the wicking element of the vaporizer device.

[0129] Optionally, the heating element comprises a heating portion and a connecting portion, the heating portion being configured to heat the vaporizable material stored in the wicking element to generate an aerosol, the connecting portion being configured to be in electrical communication with a power source to provide power to the heating portion, and wherein the portion of the heating element is the heating portion.

[0130] Optionally, the outer wall is configured to be located between the heating portion and the connecting portion.

[0131] Optionally, the outer wall comprises two opposing short sides and two opposing long sides. Optionally, each of the two opposing long sides comprises a recessed portion configured to allow the evaporator cartridge to be releasably coupled to a corresponding feature of the evaporator body.

[0132] Optionally, the recessed portion is located adjacent to a junction between one of the two opposite long side surfaces and one of the two opposite short side surfaces.

[0133] Optionally, each of the two opposing long sides comprises two recessed portions.

[0134] Optionally, the outer wall further comprises a base positioned substantially perpendicular to the two opposing short sides and the two opposing long sides.

[0135] Optionally, the base comprises one or more slots, wherein gas pressure caused by the flow of vaporizable material within the heater portion is configured to escape through the one or more slots.

[0136] Optionally, at least one of the two opposing short sides comprises a chip recess configured to receive an identification chip.

[0137] Optionally, the chip recess includes at least two walls configured to surround and hold the identification chip.

[0138] Optionally, the at least two walls include at least four walls.

[0139] Optionally, the outer wall comprises:

[0140] two opposing short sides;

[0141] Two long, opposing sides;

[0142] a base positioned generally perpendicular to the two opposing short sides and the two opposing long sides; and

[0143] An opening opposite the base.

[0144] Optionally, the evaporator cartridge further comprises an outer rim surrounding the opening and extending away from the opening.

[0145] Optionally, the outer wall includes a capillary feature that causes a sudden change in capillary pressure between the heating element and the wick housing, thereby preventing the vaporizable material from flowing beyond the capillary feature.

[0146] Optionally, the capillary feature includes a curved surface formed at a junction between at least one of the two opposing long side surfaces and the outer edge.

[0147] Optionally, the curved surface has a radius sufficient to disrupt a point of tangency between the outer surface and the outer edge.

[0148] Optionally, the capillary feature is positioned within a cutout in the outer wall, the cutout being configured to space the heating element from the outer wall, thereby preventing excessive heat from contacting the outer wall.

[0149] Optionally, further comprising a cutout in the outer wall, the cutout being configured to space the heating element from the outer wall, thereby preventing excessive heat from contacting the outer wall.

[0150] According to another aspect of the present application, there is also provided a collector component for an evaporator for use with a liquid vaporizable material, the collector component comprising:

[0151] fluid channels;

[0152] an external port disposed at a first end of the fluid passage and configured to be in fluid communication with ambient air external to the evaporator;

[0153] a control vent disposed at a second end of the fluid passageway distal from the first end and configured to manage flow between the fluid passageway and a reservoir of the vaporizer configured to contain the liquid vaporizable material, the control vent being configured to provide at least:

[0154] a first fluid resistance when air is in the fluid passage adjacent the control vent and the void volume within the reservoir is at a lower pressure than ambient air external to the evaporator to condense air bubbles into the reservoir; and

[0155] a second fluid resistance when the void volume within the reservoir is at a higher pressure than the ambient air outside the evaporator to allow liquid vaporizable material to enter the fluid passage through the control vent; and

[0156] at least one first wicking portion supply implemented in the form of a first channel to allow the vaporizable material stored in the reservoir to flow towards the wicking portion disposed in the wicking portion housing positioned in the overflow volume,

[0157] The controlled vent maintains a state of equilibrium in the storage chamber to prevent pressure in the storage chamber from increasing to a point that would cause the vaporizable material to flood the wicking portion housing.

[0158] Optionally, the equilibrium condition is maintained by establishing a liquid seal at an opening of a control vent communicating the reservoir with a passage in the overflow volume.

[0159] Optionally, a liquid seal is established and maintained at the control vent by maintaining sufficient capillary pressure against a meniscus of vaporizable material to be formed at a portion of the passageway of the control vent opening into the overflow volume.

[0160] Optionally, the capillary pressure for the vaporizable material meniscus is controlled by a V-shaped structure forming a primary channel and a secondary channel constituting the control vent to control at least one condensation point at one of the primary channel or the secondary channel.

[0161] Optionally, the primary channel and the secondary channel have constricting geometries such that as the meniscus continues to recede, the capillary drive of the primary channel decreases at a greater rate than the capillary drive of the secondary channel.

[0162] Optionally, the gradual reduction of capillary drive in the primary and secondary channels reduces the partial headspace vacuum maintained in the reservoir.

[0163] Optionally, the discharge pressure of the primary channel drops below the discharge pressure of the secondary channel due to the capillary drive of the primary channel and the secondary channel tapering relative to each other.

[0164] Optionally, when the discharge pressure of the primary channel changes, the meniscus in the primary channel continues to discharge, while the meniscus in the secondary channel remains stationary.

[0165] Alternatively, the exhaust pressure associated with the receding contact angle of the primary channel may be dropped below the flooding pressure associated with the advancing contact angle of the secondary channel, thereby causing the primary and secondary channels to fill with the vaporizable material.

[0166] Optionally, in response to increased pressure within the storage chamber, vaporizable material flows through the vent into the channel of the collector, wherein the vent is configured to maintain the liquid seal at all times.

[0167] According to another aspect of the present application, there is also provided a cartridge for an evaporator device, the cartridge comprising:

[0168] a reservoir comprising a reservoir chamber defined by a reservoir barrier, the reservoir being configured to contain a vaporizable material in the reservoir chamber;

[0169] a vaporization chamber in communication with the reservoir and comprising a wicking element configured to draw the vaporizable material from the reservoir chamber to the vaporization chamber to be vaporized by a heating element;

[0170] an airflow channel extending through the evaporation chamber; and

[0171] At least one capillary channel is adjacent to the airflow channel, each capillary channel of the at least one capillary channel being configured to receive a fluid and direct the fluid from a first location to a second location by capillary action.

[0172] Optionally, each capillary channel of the at least one capillary channel is narrowed in size. Optionally, the narrowing in size results in an increase in capillary drive through each capillary channel of the at least one capillary channel.

[0173] Optionally, each of the at least one capillary channel is formed by a groove defined between a pair of walls.

[0174] Optionally, the at least one capillary channel is in fluid communication with the wicking portion.

[0175] Optionally, the first location is adjacent an end of the airflow channel and the mouthpiece.

[0176] Optionally, the at least one capillary channel collects fluid condensate.

[0177] According to another aspect of the present application, an evaporator device is provided, comprising:

[0178] an evaporator body comprising a heating element configured to heat the vaporizable material; and

[0179] a cartridge configured to releasably couple to the vaporizer body, the cartridge comprising: a reservoir including a reservoir chamber defined by a reservoir barrier, the reservoir configured to contain a vaporizable material in the reservoir chamber;

[0180] a vaporization chamber in communication with the reservoir and comprising a wicking element configured to draw the vaporizable material from the reservoir chamber to the vaporization chamber to be vaporized by the heating element;

[0181] an airflow channel extending through the evaporation chamber; and

[0182] At least one capillary channel is adjacent to the airflow channel, each capillary channel of the at least one capillary channel being configured to receive a fluid and direct the fluid from a first location to a second location by capillary action.

[0183] Optionally, each capillary channel of the at least one capillary channel is narrowed in size. Optionally, the narrowing in size results in an increase in capillary drive through each capillary channel of the at least one capillary channel.

[0184] Optionally, each of the at least one capillary channel is formed by a groove defined between a pair of walls.

[0185] Optionally, the at least one capillary channel is in fluid communication with the wicking portion.

[0186] Optionally, the first location is adjacent an end of the airflow channel and the mouthpiece.

[0187] Optionally, the at least one capillary channel collects fluid condensate.

[0188] According to another aspect of the present application, a method is also provided, comprising:

[0189] Condensate collected in a first capillary channel of at least one capillary channel of a cartridge of an evaporation device, each capillary channel of the at least one capillary channel being configured to receive a fluid and to direct the fluid from a first location to a second location by capillary action, the cartridge comprising:

[0190] a reservoir comprising a reservoir chamber defined by a reservoir barrier, the reservoir being configured to contain a vaporizable material in the reservoir chamber;

[0191] a vaporization chamber in communication with the reservoir and comprising a wicking element configured to draw the vaporizable material from the reservoir chamber to the vaporization chamber to be vaporized by a heating element; and

[0192] an airflow channel extending through the evaporation chamber, the at least one capillary channel being adjacent to the airflow channel; and

[0193] The collected condensate is directed toward the evaporation chamber and along the first capillary channel.

[0194] Optionally, the method further comprises evaporating the collected condensate at the evaporation chamber.

[0195] Optionally, the first capillary channel is narrowed in size.

[0196] Optionally, each of the at least one capillary channel is formed by a groove defined between a pair of walls.

[0197] Optionally, the at least one capillary channel is in fluid communication with the wicking portion.

[0198] Optionally, the first location is adjacent an end of the airflow channel and the mouthpiece.

[0199] The details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. However, the disclosed subject matter is not limited to any particular embodiment disclosed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0200] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate certain aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and, together with the description, help explain some principles associated with the disclosed implementations as provided below.

[0201] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary evaporator apparatus according to one or more embodiments;

[0202] Figure 2A shows a plan view of an exemplary evaporator body and an insertable evaporator cartridge according to one or more embodiments;

[0203] Figure 2B According to one or more embodiments, Figure 2A A perspective view of an evaporator device;

[0204] Figure 2C According to one or more embodiments, Figure 2A A perspective view of a material box;

[0205] Figure 2D According to one or more embodiments, Figure 2C Another perspective view of the material box;

[0206] Figure 2E A schematic diagram of a reservoir system configured for use with a vaporizer cartridge and / or vaporizer device for improving airflow within the vaporizer device is shown according to one or more embodiments;

[0207] Figure 2F A schematic diagram of a reservoir system according to another embodiment is shown, the reservoir system being configured for an evaporator cartridge or an evaporator device for improving airflow within the evaporator device; Figure 3A and 3B shows an exemplary planar cross-sectional view of a cartridge having a storage chamber and an overflow volume according to one or more embodiments;

[0208] Figure 4 According to one or more embodiments, Figure 3A and 3B An exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a cartridge;

[0209] Figure 5shows a planar cross-sectional side view of selected isolated portions of a cartridge according to one or more embodiments;

[0210] Figure 6A shows a cross-sectional top view of an exemplary cartridge structure according to one or more embodiments;

[0211] Figure 6B According to one or more embodiments, Figure 6A A perspective side view of an exemplary cartridge;

[0212] Figures 7A to 7D shows exemplary embodiments of a cartridge connection port having a male or female configuration according to one or more embodiments;

[0213] Figure 8 shows a top plan view of a cartridge with exemplary patterns or logos according to one or more embodiments;

[0214] Figure 9A and 9B shows perspective and plan cross-sectional views of separated portions of an exemplary cartridge according to one or more embodiments;

[0215] Figure 10A and 10B shows a closed and exploded perspective view of an exemplary filter cartridge embodiment having a detachable structure for housing a collector mechanism according to one or more embodiments;

[0216] Figures 10C to 10E shows perspective front and side views of exemplary cartridge structural components having a flow management collector having one or more flow channels according to one or more embodiments;

[0217] Figure 11A illustrates a side plan view of an exemplary single vent single channel collector structure according to one or more embodiments;

[0218] Figure 11B is a side plan view of an exemplary cartridge having a translucent housing structure containing an exemplary collector, such as Figure 11A As shown;

[0219] Figures 11C to 11E shows perspective and plan side views of an exemplary collector structure according to one or more embodiments, wherein flow management constrictors are built into the flow channels;

[0220] Figure 11F and 11Gshows front and side views of an exemplary collector structure according to one or more embodiments, wherein a flow management constriction is built into the flow channel of the collector; Figure 11H shows a perspective close-up view of an example collector structure having one or more vents that can control liquid flow between a storage chamber and an overflow volume in a cartridge, according to one or more embodiments;

[0221] Figures 11I to 11K illustrates a perspective view of an example collector structure with flow management controls according to one or more implementations;

[0222] Figures 11L to 11N shows a front plan view and close-up view of an exemplary flow management mechanism in a collector structure according to one embodiment;

[0223] Figures 11O to 11X According to one embodiment, Figures 11L to 11N A snapshot of an example of a flow of vaporizable material collected in a collector being managed to accommodate proper discharge as the meniscus of vaporizable material stored in the overflow volume continues to recede;

[0224] Figure 12A and 12B An example of a single vent multi-channel collector structure is shown according to one or more embodiments;

[0225] Figure 13 An exemplary dual vent multi-channel collector structure is shown according to one or more embodiments;

[0226] Figure 14A and 14B illustrates perspective and cross-sectional plan side views of example collector structures for a cartridge having a dual wicking section feed according to one or more embodiments;

[0227] Figures 15A to 15C showing additional perspective and cross-sectional plan side views of example collector structures for a dual wicking feed structure according to one or more embodiments;

[0228] Figures 16A to 16C A cross-sectional planar side view of an exemplary cartridge, a planar side view of an exemplary wicking element housed in a collector structure, and a perspective view of an exemplary cartridge with a collector structure are respectively shown according to one or more embodiments;

[0229] Figure 17A and 17B shows a perspective view of a first side of a cartridge and a cross-sectional view of a second side of the cartridge having a wicking element protruding into a storage chamber according to one or more embodiments;

[0230] Figures 18A to 18D shows examples of heating elements and airflow channels in an evaporator cartridge according to one or more embodiments;

[0231] Figures 19A to 19C shows examples of heating elements and airflow channels in an evaporator cartridge according to one or more embodiments;

[0232] Figures 20A to 20C shows examples of heating elements and airflow channels in an evaporator cartridge according to one or more embodiments;

[0233] Figure 21A and 21B shows a side view of an example collector structure including one or more ribs or sealing flange profiles that support certain manufacturing techniques for securing the collector to a storage chamber in a cartridge;

[0234] Figures 22A to 22B shows an example of a heating element according to one or more embodiments;

[0235] Figure 23 shows an example of a portion of a wicking portion housing according to one or more embodiments;

[0236] Figure 24 An example of an identification chip according to one or more embodiments is shown;

[0237] Figure 25 shows a perspective view, a front view, a side view, and an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of a cartridge;

[0238] Figure 26A shows perspective, front, side, bottom, and top views of an exemplary embodiment of a collector having a V-shaped vent;

[0239] Figure 26B and 26C shows perspective and cross-sectional views of an example collector structure from different perspectives according to one or more embodiments, focusing on structural details for securing the wicking element and wicking portion housing relative to placement of the atomizer toward one end of the cartridge;

[0240] Figures 26D to 26F illustrates a top plan view of an exemplary wicking portion feeder mechanism formed or constructed by a collector according to one or more embodiments;

[0241] Figure 27A and 27B illustrates an elevation view of an exemplary flow management mechanism in a collector structure according to one or more embodiments;

[0242] Figure 28shows a front view of an example cartridge including an example collector structure;

[0243] Figures 29A to 29C A perspective view, a front view, and a side view, respectively, of an exemplary embodiment of a cartridge are shown;

[0244] Figures 30A to 30F shows perspective views of an exemplary cartridge at different fill heights according to one or more embodiments;

[0245] Figures 31A to 31C shows a front view of an exemplary cartridge according to one embodiment when filled and assembled;

[0246] Figures 32A to 32C shows front, top, and bottom views of an exemplary cartridge air path;

[0247] Figure 33A and 33B shows front and top views of an exemplary cartridge having an airflow path, a liquid supply channel, and a condensation collection system;

[0248] Figure 34A and 34B shows front and side views of an exemplary cartridge body having an external airflow path;

[0249] Figure 35 and 36 shows a perspective view of a portion of an exemplary cartridge having a collector structure with an air gap at its bottom rib;

[0250] Figures 37A to 37C shows a top view of various example wicking portion feeder shapes for a cartridge;

[0251] Figure 37D and 37E is an example embodiment of a collector having a dual wicking portion feed portion arrangement;

[0252] Figure 38 showing an enlarged view of an end of a wicking portion supply positioned adjacent the wicking portion and configured to at least partially receive the wicking portion;

[0253] Figure 39 shows a perspective view of an example collector structure having a square-designed wicking portion feed with an air gap at one end of the overflow channel;

[0254] Figure 40A A rear view of a collector structure is shown with, for example, four different injection locations;

[0255] Figure 40Bshows a side view of a collector structure, particularly illustrating, for example, a clamp-shaped end of a wicking portion feed that can securely hold a wick in the path of the wicking portion feed;

[0256] Figure 40C shows a top view of a collector structure having a wicking portion feed channel for receiving vaporizable material from a reservoir of a cartridge and directing the vaporizable material toward a wicking portion, the wicking portion being held in place at the end of the wicking portion feed channel by a protruding end of the wicking portion feed channel;

[0257] Figure 40D A front plan view of the collector structure is shown. As shown, an air gap cavity may be formed in the lower portion of the collector structure at the end of the lower rib of the collector structure, where the overflow channel of the collector opens into an air control outlet that communicates with ambient air;

[0258] Figure 40E shows a bottom view of a collector structure wherein the wicking portion feed channel terminates in a clip-like protrusion configured to hold the wicking portion in place on each end; Figure 41A and 41B shows a top plan view and a side view of a collector structure wherein two respective wicking portion feeds have two clip-like ends;

[0259] Figure 42A and 42B Various perspective, top, and side views of example collectors are shown having different structural embodiments;

[0260] Figure 43A Various perspective, top, and side views of an example wicking portion housing are shown according to one or more embodiments;

[0261] Figure 43B The collector and wicking portion housing components of an exemplary cartridge are shown, wherein protruding tabs are configured in the structure of the wicking portion housing to be insertably received in receiving recesses or cavities in corresponding bottom portions of the collector;

[0262] Figure 44A shows a perspective exploded view of an example of a cartridge according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0263] Figure 44B shows a top perspective view of an example of a cartridge according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0264] Figure 44C shows a bottom perspective view of an example of a cartridge according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0265] Figure 45shows a schematic diagram of a heating element for an evaporator device consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0266] Figure 46 shows a schematic diagram of a heating element for an evaporator device consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0267] Figure 47 shows a schematic diagram of a heating element for an evaporator device consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0268] Figure 48 shows a schematic diagram of a heating element positioned in an evaporator cartridge for use in an evaporator device consistent with embodiments of the present subject matter;

[0269] Figure 49 A heating element and a wicking element consistent with embodiments of the current subject matter are shown;

[0270] Figure 50 A heating element and a wicking element consistent with embodiments of the current subject matter are shown;

[0271] Figure 51 Shown are a heating element and a wicking element located within a vaporizer cartridge consistent with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0272] Figure 52 Shown are a heating element and a wicking element located within a vaporizer cartridge consistent with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0273] Figure 53 A heating element is shown located within a vaporizer cartridge consistent with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0274] Figure 54 shows a heating element in an unbent position consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0275] Figure 55 shows a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0276] Figure 56 shows a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter; Figure 57 shows a heating element in an unbent position consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0277] Figure 58 showing a heating element in a partially bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0278] Figure 59 showing a heating element in a partially bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0279] Figure 60 showing a heating element in a partially bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0280] Figure 61 showing a heating element in a partially bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0281] Figure 62 showing a heating element in a partially bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0282] Figure 63 shows a heating element in an unbent position consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0283] Figure 64 shows a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0284] Figure 65 showing a heating element in a partially bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0285] Figure 66 showing a heating element in a partially bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0286] Figure 67 shows a heating element in a partially bent position consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0287] Figure 68 showing a heating element and a wicking element in a partially bent position consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0288] Figure 69 shows a heating element and a wicking element in a bent position consistent with embodiments of the current subject matter;

[0289] Figure 70 shows a heating element and a wicking element in a bent position consistent with embodiments of the present subject matter;

[0290] Figure 71 shows a heating element in an unbent position consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0291] Figure 72 shows a heating element in an unbent position consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0292] Figure 73 shows a heating element in an unbent position consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0293] Figure 74shows a heating element in an unbent position consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0294] Figure 75 shows a heating element coupled to a portion of a vaporizer cartridge according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0295] Figure 76 shows a heating element and a wicking element positioned within a vaporizer cartridge consistent with embodiments of the present subject matter;

[0296] Figure 77 shows a heating element in a partially bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0297] Figure 78 showing a heating element and a wicking element in a partially bent position consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0298] Figure 79 A heating element having a plated portion is shown in an unbent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0299] Figure 80 A heating element having a plated portion is shown in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0300] Figure 81 A heating element having a plated portion located within an evaporator cartridge is shown consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0301] Figure 82 shows a perspective view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0302] Figure 83 shows a side view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0303] Figure 84 shows a front view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0304] Figure 85 shows a perspective view of a heating element and a wicking element in a bent position, consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0305] Figure 86 shows a heating element located within a vaporizer cartridge consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0306] Figure 87 shows a perspective view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0307] Figure 88shows a side view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0308] Figure 89 shows a top view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0309] Figure 90 shows a front view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0310] Figure 91 shows a perspective view of a heating element in an unbent position consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0311] Figure 92 shows a top view of a heating element in an unbent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0312] Figure 93A shows a perspective view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0313] Figure 93B shows a perspective view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0314] Figure 94 shows a side view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0315] Figure 95 shows a top view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0316] Figure 96 shows a front view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0317] Figure 97A shows a perspective view of a heating element in an unbent position, consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0318] Figure 97B shows a perspective view of a heating element in an unbent position, consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0319] Figure 98A shows a top view of a heating element in an unbent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0320] Figure 98B shows a top view of a heating element in an unbent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0321] Figure 99shows a top perspective view of an atomizer assembly consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0322] Figure 100 shows a bottom perspective view of an atomizer assembly consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0323] Figure 101 shows an exploded perspective view of an atomizer assembly consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0324] Figure 102 shows a perspective view of a thermal barrier consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0325] Figure 103A shows a side cross-sectional view of an atomizer assembly consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0326] Figure 103B shows another side cross-sectional view of an atomizer assembly consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0327] Figure 104 schematically illustrates a heating element consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter;

[0328] Figure 105 shows a perspective view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0329] Figure 106 shows a side view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0330] Figure 107 shows a perspective view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0331] Figure 108 shows a side view of a heating element in a bent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0332] Figure 109 shows a top view of a substrate material having a heating element according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0333] Figure 110 shows a top view of a heating element in an unbent position consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0334] Figure 111A shows a top perspective view of an atomizer assembly consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0335] Figure 111B A close-up view of a portion of a wicking portion housing of an atomizer assembly consistent with an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0336] Figure 112 shows a bottom perspective view of an atomizer assembly consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0337] Figure 113 shows an exploded perspective view of an atomizer assembly consistent with an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0338] Figures 114A-114C shows the assembly process of an atomizer according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0339] Figures 115A-115C shows the assembly process of an atomizer according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

[0340] Figure 116 shows a process flow diagram illustrating features of a method of forming and implementing a heating element consistent with embodiments of the present subject matter;

[0341] Figure 117 One embodiment of an evaporator cartridge is shown;

[0342] Figure 118 An embodiment of an interface of a vaporizer cartridge and / or vaporizer device is shown;

[0343] Figure 119A shows a side cross-sectional view of the condensate recirculation system of the evaporator cartridge;

[0344] Figure 119B Shown Figure 119A a first perspective view of a condensate recirculation system; and

[0345] Figure 119C Shown Figure 119A A second perspective view of the condensate recirculation system.

[0346] In practice, the same or similar reference numerals may represent the same, similar or equivalent structures, features, aspects or elements according to one or more embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0347] A vaporizer configured to convert a liquid vaporizable material into a vapor phase and / or an aerosol phase (e.g., a suspension of vapor and particulate phase materials in air in a relative local equilibrium between the phases) generally includes a reservoir or storage container (also referred to herein as a reservoir, storage compartment, or storage volume) containing a volume of liquid vaporizable material, an atomizer (which may also be referred to as an atomizer assembly), a heating element (e.g., a resistive element through which an electric current is passed to cause the electric current to be converted into heat energy), the heating element heating the liquid vaporizable material to cause at least some of the liquid vaporizable material to be converted into a vapor phase, and a wicking element (which may be simply referred to as a wicking portion, but which generally refers to an element or combination of elements that applies capillary forces to draw the liquid vaporizable material from the reservoir to a position where it is heated by the action of the heating element). In some cases (depending on a variety of factors), the resulting vapor-phase liquid vaporizable material subsequently (and optionally almost immediately) begins to at least partially condense to form an aerosol in the air passing through, over, near, around, etc., the atomizer.

[0348] As the liquid vaporizable material in the wicking element is heated and converted to the gas phase (and then optionally converted to an aerosol), the volume of the liquid vaporizable material in the reservoir decreases. In the absence of a mechanism for allowing air or some other substance to enter the void space (e.g., the portion of the reservoir volume not occupied by the liquid vaporizable material) created within the reservoir when the volume of the liquid vaporizable material in the reservoir is reduced by converting to the gas / aerosol phase, a reduced pressure state (e.g., at least a partial vacuum) is created within the reservoir. This reduced pressure state may adversely affect the effectiveness of the wicking element, which is used to draw the vaporizable material from the storage compartment or reservoir to the vicinity of the heating element for evaporation into the gas phase, because the partial vacuum pressure acts in opposition to the capillary pressure generated within the wicking element.

[0349] More specifically, the reduced pressure state in the reservoir can lead to insufficient saturation of the wicking portion and ultimately a lack of sufficient vaporizable material to be delivered to the atomizer for reliable operation of the vaporizer. To counteract the reduced pressure state, ambient air can be allowed to enter the reservoir to balance the pressure between the interior of the reservoir and the ambient pressure. Allowing air to backfill the void space in the reservoir created by the evaporated liquid vaporizable material can occur in some vaporizers by allowing air to enter the reservoir via the wicking element. However, this process typically requires the wicking element to be at least partially dried. Since a dry wicking element may not be easy to achieve and / or may not be desirable for reliable operation of the vaporizer, another typical approach is to provide a vent to allow pressure balance between ambient conditions and the interior of the container.

[0350] The presence of air in the void space of the reservoir, whether through a wicking portion or through some other vent or ventilation structure, may create one or more other problems. For example, once the air pressure within the void space of the reservoir is equalized (or at least nearly equalized) with the ambient pressure, and particularly as the volume of the void space filled with air increases relative to the total reservoir volume, the creation of a negative pressure differential between the air in the void space and ambient conditions (e.g., the air in the void space is at a higher pressure than the ambient) may cause the liquid vaporizable material to leak out of the reservoir, for example, through the wicking portion, through any vent provided, etc. The negative pressure differential between the air within the reservoir and the current ambient pressure can be caused by one or more of several factors, such as heating the air within the void space (e.g., by holding the reservoir in your hand, bringing the evaporator from a cold area to a warmer area, etc.), mechanical forces that can deform the shape of the reservoir and thereby reduce the internal volume of the reservoir (e.g., squeezing on a portion of the evaporator, causing deformation of the reservoir volume, etc.), a rapid drop in ambient pressure (e.g., such as can occur in an airplane cabin during air travel, when a car or train enters or exits a tunnel, when windows are opened or closed while a vehicle is traveling at high speed, etc.), etc.

[0351] Leakage of liquid vaporizable material from the reservoir of a vaporizer such as those described above is generally undesirable because the leaked liquid vaporizable material may create an undesirable mess (e.g., by staining clothing or other items near the vaporizer), may enter the vaporizer's inhalation path and thereby be inhaled by a user, may interfere with the vaporizer's functionality (e.g., by soiling the pressure sensor, affecting the operability of circuitry and / or switches, soiling the charging port and / or connections between the cartridge and the vaporizer body, etc.), etc. Thus, leakage of liquid vaporizable material may interfere with the functionality and cleanliness of the vaporizer.

[0352] Examples of vaporizers include, but are not limited to, electronic vaporizers, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), or devices and systems having the same, similar, or equivalent structural or functional features or capabilities. Figure 1An example block diagram of an example vaporizer 100 is shown. The vaporizer 100 may include a vaporizer body 110 and a vaporizer cartridge 120 (also referred to simply as vaporizer cartridge 120). The vaporizer body 110 may include a power source 112 (e.g., a rechargeable battery) and a controller 104 (e.g., a programmable logic device, a processor, or a circuit capable of executing logic code). The controller 104 is configured to control the delivery of heat to an atomizer 141 to cause a vaporizable material (not shown) to transition from a condensed form (e.g., a solid, a liquid, a solution, a suspension, at least partially unprocessed plant material, etc.) to a vapor phase, or more generally, to transition the vaporizable material to an inhalable form or a precursor to an inhalable form. In this regard, the inhalable form may be a gas, an aerosol, or some other airborne form. The precursor to an inhalable form may include a vaporizable material in a vapor phase that at some time after forming the vapor phase (optionally immediately or nearly immediately, or alternatively, with some delay or after some amount of cooling) at least partially condenses to form an aerosol. The controller 104 may be part of one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) consistent with a particular embodiment and may be used to control certain features of the evaporator body 110 associated with one or more sensors 113 .

[0353] As shown, in some embodiments of the current subject matter, the evaporator body 110 may include one or more sensors 113, evaporator body contacts 125, a seal 115, and optionally, a cartridge receptacle 118 configured to receive at least a portion of an evaporator cartridge 120 for coupling to the evaporator body 110 via one or more of various attachment structures. Figures 7A to 7DAs discussed, either a male or female receptacle configuration, or some combination thereof, can be employed to couple the evaporator cartridge 120 to the evaporator body 110. For example, in some embodiments of the current subject matter, an interior portion of the first end of the cartridge can be received within the cartridge receptacle 118 of the evaporator body 110, while an exterior portion of the first end of the cartridge at least partially covers portions of an exterior surface of the structure on the evaporator body 110 that forms the cartridge receptacle 118. This arrangement for coupling the evaporator cartridge 120 to the evaporator body 110 can allow for a convenient, easy-to-use coupling method that also provides sufficient mechanical coupling strength to avoid undesirable separation of the evaporator cartridge 120 and the evaporator body 110. This configuration can also provide a desired resistance to flexing of the evaporator formed by coupling the evaporator cartridge 120 to the evaporator body 110. With respect to the evaporator body contacts 125, it should be understood that these contacts may also be referred to as "receptacle contacts 125," particularly in embodiments where corresponding cartridge contacts 124 (discussed below) are located on a portion of the evaporator cartridge 120 that is inserted into a receptacle or receptacle-like structure on the evaporator body 110. However, the terms "evaporator body contacts 125" and / or "receptacle contacts 125" are also used herein because aspects of the present subject matter are not limited to (and may be used to provide various advantages in a system other than those herein) electrical coupling between the evaporator cartridge 120 and the evaporator body 110 occurs between contacts within the cartridge receptacle 118 on the evaporator body 110 and on a portion of the evaporator cartridge 120 that is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118.

[0354] In some examples, the vaporizer cartridge 120 can include a reservoir 140 for containing a liquid vaporizable material and a mouthpiece 130 for delivering a dose of the vaporizable material in an inhalable form. The mouthpiece can optionally be a separate component from the structure forming the reservoir 140, or alternatively, it can be formed from the same portion or component that forms at least a portion of one or more walls of the reservoir 140. The liquid vaporizable material within the reservoir 140 can be a carrier solution in which the active or inactive ingredient can be suspended, dissolved, or maintained in a solution or pure liquid form of the vaporizable material itself.

[0355] According to one embodiment, the vaporizer cartridge 120 may include an atomizer 141, which may include a wicking portion or wicking element and a heater (e.g., a heating element). As described above, the wicking element may include any material capable of causing fluid to be absorbed through the wicking portion by capillary pressure to transfer a certain amount of liquid vaporizable material to a portion of the atomizer 141 that includes the heating element. Figure 1 The wicking portion and heating element are not shown, but at least with reference to Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 4Disclosed and discussed in further detail herein. Briefly, the wicking element can be configured to draw liquid vaporizable material from a reservoir 140 configured to hold a liquid vaporizable material, such that the liquid vaporizable material can be vaporized (i.e., converted to a vapor phase) by heat transferred from the heating element to the wicking element and to the liquid vaporizable material drawn into the wicking element. In some embodiments, in response to the removal of the liquid vaporizable material from the reservoir 140 during vapor and / or aerosol formation, air can enter the reservoir 140 through the wicking element or other openings to at least partially equalize the pressure in the reservoir 140.

[0356] like Figure 1 As shown, the pressure sensor (and any other sensors) 113 can be located on the controller 104 or coupled to the controller 104 (e.g., electrically, electronically, physically, or via a wireless connection). The controller 104 can be a printed circuit board assembly or other type of circuit board. In order to accurately perform measurements and maintain the durability of the evaporator 100, it can be beneficial to provide a resilient seal 115 to separate the airflow path from the rest of the evaporator 100. The seal 115, which can be a gasket, can be configured to at least partially surround the pressure sensor 113 so that the connection of the pressure sensor 113 to the internal circuitry of the evaporator can be separated from the portion of the pressure sensor exposed to the airflow path.

[0357] The liquid vaporizable material used with the vaporizer 100 can be disposed within a vaporizer cartridge 120 that can be refilled when empty or disposable in favor of a new cartridge containing additional vaporizable material of the same or different type. The vaporizer can be a cartridge-based vaporizer or a multi-purpose vaporizer that can be used with or without a cartridge. For example, a multi-purpose vaporizer can include a heating chamber (e.g., an oven) configured to receive the vaporizable material directly within the heating chamber and also receive a cartridge or other replaceable device having a reservoir, volume, or other functional or structural equivalent for at least partially containing the available vaporizable material.

[0358] In the example of an evaporator using a cartridge, the seal 115 can also separate one or more electrically connected components between the evaporator body 110 and the evaporator cartridge 120. This arrangement of the seal 115 in the evaporator 100 can help mitigate potentially damaging effects on evaporator components due to interaction with one or more environmental factors (e.g., condensed water, leaking from the reservoir, and / or condensed vaporizable material after evaporation), to reduce the escape of air from the designed airflow path in the evaporator, etc.

[0359] Unwanted air, liquid, or other fluid passing through or contacting the circuitry of the vaporizer 100 may cause various undesirable effects, such as altered pressure readings, or may result in the accumulation of undesirable materials (e.g., moisture, vaporizable materials, and / or the like) in portions of the vaporizer 100, where the undesirable materials may cause poor pressure signals, degradation of the pressure sensor or other electrical or electronic components, and / or a shorter life of the vaporizer. Leakage of the seal 115 may also result in a user inhaling air that has passed through portions of the vaporizer 100 that contain or consist of materials that are unfit for inhalation. Vaporizers configured to produce at least a portion of an inhalable dose of a non-liquid vaporizable material by heating the non-liquid vaporizable material are also within the scope of the disclosed subject matter. For example, instead of or in addition to the liquid vaporizable material, the vaporizer cartridge 120 may contain a mass of plant material or other non-liquid material (e.g., a solid form of the vaporizable material itself, such as a "wax") that is processed and formed to be in direct contact with at least a portion of one or more resistive heating elements (or heated by radiation and / or convection from the heating element), which may optionally be included in the vaporizer cartridge 120 or in a portion of the vaporizer body 110. The solid vaporizable material (e.g., one that includes plant material) may release only a portion of the plant material as vaporizable material (e.g., such that some portion of the plant material remains as waste after the vaporizable material is released for inhalation), or may be capable of ultimately vaporizing all of the solid material for inhalation. The liquid vaporizable material may also be capable of being completely vaporized, or may include some portion of the liquid material remaining after all of the material suitable for inhalation has been consumed.

[0360] When the vaporizer cartridge 120 is configured with a vaporizable material and a heating element, the vaporizer cartridge 120 can be mechanically and electrically coupled to the vaporizer body 110, which can include a processor, a power supply 112, and one or more vaporizer body contacts 125 for connecting to corresponding cartridge contacts 124 to complete an electrical circuit with the resistive heating element included in the vaporizer cartridge 120. Various vaporizer configurations can be implemented with one or more features described herein.

[0361] In some embodiments, the vaporizer 100 can include a power source 112 as part of the vaporizer body 110, while the heating element can be disposed in a vaporizer cartridge 120 that is configured to couple with the vaporizer body 110. So configured, the vaporizer 100 can include electrical connection features for completing an electrical circuit including the controller 104, the power source 112, and the heating element included in the vaporizer cartridge 120.

[0362] In some embodiments of the current subject matter, the connection features may include at least two cartridge contacts 124 on the bottom surface of the evaporator cartridge 120 and at least two contacts 125 disposed near the base of the cartridge receptacle of the evaporator 100, such that when the evaporator cartridge 120 is inserted into and coupled to the cartridge receptacle 118, the cartridge contacts 124 and the receptacle contacts 125 form an electrical connection. In some embodiments of the current subject matter, the evaporator body contacts 125 may be compressible pins (e.g., spring pins) that retract under pressure from corresponding cartridge contacts 124 when the evaporator cartridge is inserted and secured in the cartridge receptacle 118. Other configurations are also contemplated. For example, brush contacts may be used that form an electrical connection with corresponding contacts on a mating portion of the evaporator cartridge. Such contacts need not be electrically connected to the cartridge contacts on the bottom end of the vaporizer cartridge 120, but may instead be connected by pushing the contacts outward from one or more side walls of the cartridge receptacle 118 against cartridge contacts 124 on a portion of the side of the vaporizer cartridge 120 located within the receptacle when the vaporizer cartridge 120 is properly inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118.

[0363] The circuit completed by the electrical connections can allow current to be delivered to the resistive heating element and can also be used for additional functions, such as measuring the resistance of the resistive heating element for determining or controlling the temperature of the resistive heating element based on the thermal resistivity of the resistive heating element, and identifying the vaporizer cartridge 120 based on one or more electrical characteristics of the resistive heating element or other circuits of the vaporizer cartridge 120.

[0364] In some examples, at least two cartridge contacts 124 and at least two evaporator body contacts 125 (e.g., receptacle contacts for embodiments in which a portion of the evaporator cartridge 120 is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118) can be configured to be electrically connected in any of at least two orientations. In other words, by inserting (or otherwise engaging) at least a portion of the evaporator cartridge 120 into the cartridge receptacle 118 in a first rotational orientation (e.g., about an axis along which the end of the evaporator cartridge with the evaporator cartridge 120 is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118 of the evaporator body 110), such that a first of the at least two cartridge contacts 124 is electrically connected to a first of the at least two receptacle contacts 125, and a second of the at least two cartridge contacts 124 is electrically connected to a second of the at least two receptacle contacts 125, one or more circuits configured for operation of the evaporator 100 can be completed.

[0365] Furthermore, by inserting (or otherwise engaging) the vaporizer cartridge 120 into the cartridge receptacle 118 in a second rotational orientation such that a first of the at least two cartridge contacts 124 is electrically connected to a second of the at least two receptacle contacts 125, and the second of the at least two cartridge contacts 124 is electrically connected to a first of the at least two receptacle contacts 125, one or more circuits configured for operation of the vaporizer 100 can be completed. The vaporizer cartridge 120 can be reversibly inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118 of the vaporizer body 110, as provided in further detail herein.

[0366] In one example of an attachment structure for coupling the evaporator cartridge 120 to the evaporator body 110, the evaporator body 110 may include a stop (e.g., an indentation, a protrusion, etc.) protruding inwardly from an inner surface of the cartridge receptacle 118. One or more outer surfaces of the evaporator cartridge 120 may include corresponding recesses ( Figure 1 (not shown), when one end of the evaporator cartridge 120 is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118 on the evaporator body 110, the recess may mate or otherwise snap onto such a stop.

[0367] The evaporator cartridge 120 and the evaporator body 110 can be coupled, for example, by inserting one end of the evaporator cartridge 120 into the cartridge receptacle 118 of the evaporator body 110. A detent in the evaporator body 110 can fit into and / or otherwise be retained within a recess in the evaporator cartridge 120 to hold the evaporator cartridge 120 in place during assembly. This detent-recess assembly can provide sufficient support to hold the evaporator cartridge 120 in place, thereby ensuring sufficient contact between the at least two cartridge contacts 124 and the at least two receptacle contacts 125, while allowing the evaporator cartridge 120 to be released from the evaporator body 110 when a user pulls on the evaporator cartridge 120 with reasonable force to disengage the evaporator cartridge 120 from the cartridge receptacle 118.

[0368] In addition to the above discussion about the electrical connection between the evaporator cartridge 120 and the evaporator body 110 being reversible so that at least two rotational orientations of the evaporator cartridge 120 in the cartridge receptacle 118 are possible, in some embodiments of the evaporator 100, the shape of the evaporator cartridge 120, or at least the shape of the end of the evaporator cartridge 120 that is configured to be inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118, can have at least second-order rotational symmetry. In other words, the mechanical mating features and electrical contacts on the evaporator cartridge 120, or at least the insertable end of the evaporator cartridge 120, are symmetrical when rotated 180° about the axis along which the evaporator cartridge 120 is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118. In this configuration, the circuitry of the evaporator 100 can support the same operation regardless of how the symmetrical orientation of the evaporator cartridge 120 occurs. It will be understood that in all embodiments of the current subject matter, the entire insertable end of the cartridge need not be symmetrical. For example, an evaporator cartridge 120 having rotationally symmetrical mechanical features for cooperating with corresponding features inside or on the outside of the cartridge receptacle 118, having a shape and size suitable for being assembled within the cartridge receptacle 118 of the evaporator body 110, and also having rotationally symmetrical cartridge electrical contacts 124 and internal circuitry that is compatible by reversing the electrical contacts (which can optionally be located in one or both of the evaporator cartridge 120 and the evaporator body 110), is consistent with the present invention even if the overall shape and appearance of the insertable end of the evaporator cartridge 120 is not rotationally symmetrical.

[0369] As described above, in some exemplary embodiments, the evaporator cartridge 120 or at least one end of the evaporator cartridge 120 is configured for insertion into the cartridge receptacle 118 and may have a non-circular cross-section transverse to the axis along which the evaporator cartridge 120 is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 118. For example, the non-circular cross-section may be approximately rectangular, approximately elliptical (e.g., having an approximately oval shape), non-rectangular but having two sets of parallel or approximately parallel opposite sides (e.g., having a parallelogram shape), or other shapes having at least second-order rotational symmetry. In this context, approximately having a shape indicates that the basic similarity to the shape being described is obvious, but the sides of the shape in question do not need to be completely linear and the vertices do not need to be completely sharp. In the description of any non-circular cross-section referred to herein, a certain amount of rounding of both or either of the edges or vertices of the cross-sectional shape is contemplated.

[0370] The at least two cartridge contacts 124 and the at least two receptacle contacts 125 can take various forms. For example, one or both sets of contacts may include conductive pins, tabs, posts, receiving holes for the pins or posts, and the like. Some types of contacts may include springs or other urging features to create better physical and electrical contact between the contacts on the evaporator cartridge and the evaporator body. The electrical contacts may be gold-plated and / or comprise other materials.

[0371] A vaporizer 100 consistent with embodiments of the disclosed subject matter can be configured to connect (e.g., wirelessly or via a wired connection) to one or more computing devices in communication with the vaporizer 100. To this end, the controller 104 can include communication hardware 105. The controller 104 can also include a memory device 108. The computing device can be a component of a vaporizer system that also includes the vaporizer 100 and can include independent communication hardware that can establish a wireless communication channel with the communication hardware 105 of the vaporizer 100.

[0372] The computing device used as part of the vaporizer system may include a general-purpose computing device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, some other portable device such as a smartwatch, etc.) that executes software to generate a user interface for enabling a user of the device to interact with the vaporizer 100. In other embodiments, the device used as part of the vaporizer system may be dedicated hardware, such as a remote control or other wireless or wired device having one or more physical or soft interface controls (e.g., configurable on a screen or other display device and selectable via user interaction with a touch screen or some other input device such as a mouse, pointer, trackball, cursor buttons, etc.). The vaporizer 100 may also include one or more outputs 117 or devices for providing information to the user.

[0373] A computing device as part of a vaporizer system as defined above may be used for any of one or more functions, such as controlling dosage (e.g., dosage monitoring, dosage setting, dosage limiting, user tracking, etc.), controlling interaction (e.g., interaction monitoring, interaction setting, interaction limiting, user tracking, etc.), controlling nicotine delivery (e.g., switching between nicotine and non-nicotine vaporizable materials, adjusting the amount of nicotine delivered, etc.), obtaining location information (e.g., the location of other users, the location of retailers / business locations, the location of vaping, the relative or absolute location of the vaporizer itself, etc.), personalizing the vaporizer (e.g., naming the vaporizer, locking / password protecting the vaporizer, adjusting one or more parental controls, associating the vaporizer with a user group, registering the vaporizer with the manufacturer or warranty maintenance organization, etc.), engaging in social activities with other users (e.g., social media communication, interacting with one or more groups, etc.), etc. The terms "interaction," "interaction," "vaporizer interaction," or "vapor interaction" may be used to refer to a period dedicated to the use of the vaporizer. The period may include a time period, a number of dosages, an amount of vaporizable material, etc.

[0374] In examples where a computing device provides a signal associated with activation of a resistive heating element, or in other examples where a computing device is coupled to the vaporizer 100 for implementing various control or other functions, the computing device executes one or more sets of computer instructions to provide a user interface and underlying data processing. In one example, detection by the computing device of user interaction with one or more user interface elements may cause the computing device to send a signal to the vaporizer 100 to activate the heating element, or to a fully operational temperature for generating an inhalable dose of vapor / aerosol. Other functions of the vaporizer 100 may be controlled by user interaction with a user interface on a computing device in communication with the vaporizer 100.

[0375] In some embodiments, a vaporizer cartridge 120 that can be used with a vaporizer body 110 can include an atomizer 141 having a wicking element and a heating element. Alternatively, one or both of the wicking element and the heating element can be part of the vaporizer body 110. In embodiments where any portion of the atomizer 141 (e.g., the heating element or the wicking element) is part of the vaporizer body 110, the vaporizer 100 can be configured to supply liquid vaporizable material from the reservoir 140 in the vaporizer cartridge to a wicking portion and other atomizer components, such as, for example, the wicking element, the heating element, etc. Those skilled in the art will understand that a capillary structure including a wicking element is only one potential embodiment that can be used with the other features described herein.

[0376] Activation of the heating element may be caused by automatically detecting a puff based on one or more signals generated by one or more sensors 113, such as one or more pressure sensors configured to detect pressure relative to ambient pressure along the airflow path (or that can measure changes in absolute pressure), one or more motion sensors of the vaporizer 100, one or more flow sensors of the vaporizer 100, a capacitive lip sensor of the vaporizer 100; in response to detecting user interaction with one or more input devices 116 (e.g., a button or other tactile control device of the vaporizer 100), receiving a signal from a computing device in communication with the vaporizer 100, or by other methods for determining that a puff is occurring or is about to occur.

[0377] The heating element may be or may include one or more of a conductive heater, a radiant heater, and a convection heater. One type of heating element may be a resistive heating element, which may be composed of or at least include a material (e.g., a metal or alloy, such as nichrome, or a non-metallic resistor) configured to dissipate electrical power in the form of heat when an electrical current passes through one or more resistive segments of the heating element.

[0378] In some embodiments, the atomizer 141 may include a heating element comprising a resistive coil or other heating element that is wrapped around, positioned within, integrated into the overall shape of, pressed into thermal contact with, positioned adjacent to, configured to heat air to cause convective heating of, or otherwise arranged to transfer heat to the wicking element to cause the liquid vaporizable material drawn from the reservoir 140 by the wicking element to be vaporized for subsequent inhalation by the user in a gas and / or condensed (e.g., aerosol particles or liquid droplets) phase. Other wicking element, heating element, or atomizer assembly configurations are also possible, as discussed further below.

[0379] After the vaporizable material is converted to the vapor phase, and depending on the type of vaporizer, the physical and chemical properties of the vaporizable material, or other factors, at least some of the vapor phase vaporizable material may condense to form particulate matter in at least partial local equilibrium with the vapor phase, which, as part of an aerosol, may form some or all of the inhalable dose provided by the vaporizer 100 for a given puff or draw on the vaporizer.

[0380] It should be understood that the interaction between the gas phase and the condensed phase in the aerosol produced by the vaporizer can be complex and dynamic, because factors such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, chemistry (e.g., acid-base interactions, protonation or lack thereof of compounds released from the vaporizable material by heating, etc.), flow conditions in the airflow path (inside the vaporizer and in the airways of humans or other animals), mixing of the vaporizable material in the gas phase or aerosol phase with other air flows, etc. can affect one or more physical and / or chemical parameters of the aerosol. In some vaporizers, and particularly in vaporizers used to deliver more volatile vaporizable materials, the inhalable dose may be present primarily in the gas phase (i.e., the formation of condensed phase particles may be very limited).

[0381] As described elsewhere herein, certain vaporizers may also (or alternatively) be configured to generate an inhalable dose of vapor-phase and / or aerosol-phase vaporizable material at least in part by heating a non-liquid vaporizable material, such as, for example, a solid-phase vaporizable material (e.g., wax, etc.) or a plant material containing a vaporizable material (e.g., tobacco leaves or tobacco leaf portions). In such vaporizers, the resistive heating element may be part of, or otherwise incorporated into, or in thermal contact with, a wall of an oven or other heated chamber in which the non-liquid vaporizable material is placed.

[0382] Alternatively, one or more resistive heating elements can be used to heat air passing over or through the non-liquid vaporizable material to cause convective heating of the non-liquid vaporizable material. In still other embodiments, one or more resistive heating elements can be positioned in close contact with the plant material so that direct conductive heating of the plant material occurs from within the mass of the plant material (e.g., as opposed to conduction inward from the walls of the oven).

[0383] The heating element can be activated by a controller 104, which can be part of the vaporizer body 110. The controller 104 can pass current from a power source 112 through a circuit including a resistive heating element, which can be part of the vaporizer cartridge 120. The controller 104 can be activated in association with a user drawing (e.g., puffing, inhaling, etc.) on the mouthpiece 130 of the vaporizer 100, which can cause air to flow from the air inlet along an airflow path through the atomizer 141. The atomizer 141 can include, for example, a wicking portion in combination with the heating element.

[0384] The airflow caused by the user's puff can pass through one or more condensation regions or chambers in and / or downstream of the atomizer 141 and then toward the air outlet in the mouthpiece. The incoming air passing along the airflow path can thus pass over, through, approach, around, etc. the atomizer 141, causing vapor-phase vaporizable material (or some other inhalable form of vaporizable material) to be entrained into the air as a result of the atomizer 141 converting a certain amount of the vaporizable material into the vapor phase. As described above, the entrained vapor-phase vaporizable material can condense as it passes through the remainder of the airflow path, allowing an inhalable dose of the vaporizable material in the form of an aerosol to be delivered from the air outlet (e.g., through the mouthpiece 130 for inhalation by the user).

[0385] The temperature of the resistive heating element of the vaporizer 100 can depend on one or more of a number of factors, including the amount of electrical power delivered to the resistive heating element or the duty cycle of the delivered electrical power, conductive and / or radiative heat transfer to other parts of the vaporizer 100 or to the environment, specific heat transfer to the air and / or liquid or vapor phase vaporizable material (e.g., raising the temperature of the vaporizable material to its vaporization point or raising the temperature of a gas (e.g., air and / or air mixed with the vaporizable material)), latent heat loss due to evaporation of the vaporizable material from the wicking portion and / or the atomizer 141 as a whole, convective heat loss due to airflow (e.g., when a user inhales on the vaporizer 100, the air moves across the heating element or the atomizer 141 as a whole), and the like.

[0386] As described above, in order to reliably activate the heating element or heat the heating element to a desired temperature, in some embodiments, the vaporizer 100 can utilize a signal from a pressure sensor to determine when a user inhales. The pressure sensor can be located in an airflow path or can be connected to the airflow path (e.g., via a channel or other path) that connects an inlet for air to enter the device and an outlet through which the user inhales the generated vapor and / or aerosol, such that the pressure sensor experiences a pressure change simultaneously with the air passing through the vaporizer 100 from the air inlet to the air outlet. In some embodiments, the heating element can be activated in conjunction with a user's puff, e.g., by automatically detecting a puff, e.g., by a pressure sensor detecting a pressure change in the airflow path.

[0387] Reference Figure 1 、 Figure 2A and Figure 2B The evaporator cartridge 120 can be removably inserted into the evaporator body 110 through the cartridge receptacle 118. Figure 2A , which shows a plan view of the evaporator body 110 next to the evaporator cartridge 120, the reservoir 140 of the evaporator cartridge 120 can be formed in whole or in part of a translucent material so that the level of the liquid vaporizable material 102 in the evaporator cartridge 120 can be visible. The evaporator cartridge 120 can be configured so that when the evaporator cartridge 120 is received in the cartridge receptacle 118, the level of the vaporizable material 102 in the reservoir 140 of the evaporator cartridge 120 remains visible through a window in the evaporator body 110. Alternatively or additionally, the level of the liquid vaporizable material 102 in the reservoir 140 can be visible through a light-transmitting or translucent outer wall or window formed in the outer wall of the evaporator cartridge body 120.

[0388] Airflow Path Embodiments

[0389] Reference Figure 2C and Figure 2D , shows an exemplary vaporizer cartridge 120, wherein an airflow path 134 is created during a user's puffing of the vaporizer 100. The airflow path 134 can direct air to a vaporization chamber 150 contained in a wicking housing (e.g., see Figure 2D), in which the air is mixed with the inhalable aerosol for delivery to the user through the mouthpiece 130, which may also be part of the vaporizer cartridge 120. The vaporization chamber 150 may include and / or at least partially surround an atomizer 141 consistent with the rest of the present disclosure. For example, when a user draws on the vaporizer 100, the airflow path 134 may pass between an outer surface (e.g., window 132) of the vaporizer cartridge 120 and an inner surface of the cartridge receptacle 118 on the vaporizer body 110. The air may then be drawn into the insertable end 122 of the cartridge, through the vaporization chamber 150, which includes or houses the heating element and the wicking portion, and discharged through the outlet 136 of the mouthpiece 130, so as to deliver the inhalable aerosol to the user. Other airflow path configurations are also within the scope of the present disclosure, including but not limited to those discussed in further detail below.

[0390] Figure 2D Shown are additional features that may be included in an evaporator cartridge 120 consistent with the current subject matter. For example, the evaporator cartridge 120 may include a plurality of cartridge contacts (e.g., cartridge contacts 124) disposed on an insertable end 122 that is configured to be inserted into a cartridge receptacle 118 of the evaporator body 110. The cartridge contacts 124 may each optionally be a portion of a single sheet of metal that forms a conductive structure (e.g., conductive structure 126) connected to one of the two ends of the resistive heating element. The conductive structure may optionally form opposite sides of the heating chamber and may optionally serve as a heat shield and / or heat sink to reduce the transfer of heat to the outer wall of the evaporator cartridge 120. Further details of this aspect are described below.

[0391] Figure 2D Also shown within the vaporizer cartridge 120 is a sleeve 128 (also referred to herein as an example of a more general concept of an airflow channel) that defines a portion of an airflow path 134 that passes between a heating chamber (also referred to herein as an atomizer chamber, vaporization chamber, etc.), which may be formed at least in part by the conductive structure 126, and the mouthpiece 130. This configuration causes air to flow around the insertable end 122 of the vaporizer cartridge 120, downwardly into the cartridge receptacle 118, and then back in the opposite direction after passing around the insertable end 122 of the vaporizer cartridge 120 (e.g., the end opposite the end including the mouthpiece 130) as it enters the cartridge body toward the vaporization chamber 150. The airflow path 134 then travels through the interior of the vaporizer cartridge 120, for example, through one or more tubes or internal passages (e.g., sleeve 128) and through one or more outlets (e.g., outlet 136) formed in the mouthpiece 130.

[0392] Pressure equalizing vent

[0393] As described above, removal of the vaporizable material 102 from the reservoir 140 (e.g., by capillary extraction of the wicking element) can create at least a partial vacuum relative to ambient air pressure in the reservoir 140 (e.g., a reduced pressure created in a portion of the reservoir that has been emptied by the consumption of the liquid vaporizable material), and this vacuum can interfere with the capillary action provided by the wicking element. This reduced pressure, in some examples, can be sufficiently large in gradient to reduce the efficiency of the wicking element in drawing the vaporizable material 102 into the vaporization chamber 150, thereby reducing the efficiency of the vaporizer 100 in vaporizing a desired amount of the vaporizable material 102, for example, when a user draws on the vaporizer 100. In extreme cases, the vacuum created in the reservoir 140 may result in a failure to draw all of the vaporizable material 102 into the vaporization chamber 150, resulting in incomplete use of the vaporizable material 102. One or more venting features may be included in association with the evaporator reservoir 140 (regardless of whether the reservoir 140 is positioned in the evaporator cartridge 120 or elsewhere in the evaporator) to allow the pressure in the reservoir 140 to at least partially equalize (optionally fully equalize) with the ambient pressure (e.g., the pressure in the ambient air outside the reservoir 140) to alleviate this problem.

[0394] In some cases, while allowing the pressure within the reservoir 140 to equalize improves the efficiency of delivering the liquid vaporizable material to the atomizer 141, this is achieved by causing otherwise empty void volume within the reservoir 140 (e.g., space emptied by the use of liquid vaporizable material) to fill with air. As discussed in further detail below, this air-filled void volume may subsequently experience pressure changes relative to the ambient air, which may cause the liquid vaporizable material to leak out of the reservoir 140 under certain conditions and ultimately leak outside the vaporizer cartridge 120 and / or other portions of the vaporizer containing the reservoir 140. Implementations of the current subject matter may also provide advantages and benefits with respect to this issue.

[0395] Various features and devices that improve or overcome these problems are described below. For example, various features for controlling the airflow and flow of vaporizable material are described herein, which can provide advantages and improvements over existing methods while also introducing additional benefits as described herein. The vaporizer devices and / or cartridges described herein include one or more features that control and improve the airflow within the vaporizer device and / or cartridge, thereby increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the vaporizer device in vaporizing the liquid vaporizable material without introducing additional features that could cause the liquid vaporizable material to leak. Figure 2E and Figure 2FSchematic diagrams of first and second embodiments of reservoir systems 200A, 200B, respectively, are shown, configured for use with an evaporator cartridge (e.g., evaporator cartridge 120) and / or an evaporator device (e.g., evaporator 100) to improve pressure balance and airflow in the evaporator. More specifically, Figure 2E and Figure 2F The illustrated reservoir systems 200A, 200B improve pressure regulation within the reservoir 240, such that after a user draws on the vaporizer, the vacuum created in the reservoir 240 is released, while reducing or even eliminating the incidence of leakage of liquid vaporizable material through the vent structure. This allows the capillary action of the porous material (e.g., wicking element) associated with the reservoir 240 and vaporization chamber 242 to continue to efficiently draw the vaporizable material 202 from the reservoir 240 into the vaporization chamber 242 after each draw.

[0396] like Figure 2E and Figure 2F As shown, reservoir system 200A, 200B includes a reservoir 240 configured to accommodate liquid vaporizable material 202. Except for passing through the wicking portion housing area extending between reservoir 240 and evaporation chamber 242, reservoir 240 is sealed on all sides by reservoir wall 232. A heating element or heater can be included in evaporation chamber 242 and connected to the wicking element. The wicking element is configured to provide capillary action, which draws the vaporizable material 202 from reservoir 240 to evaporation chamber 242 so as to be evaporated into aerosol by the heater. The aerosol is then combined with the air flow 234 that travels along the air flow channel 238 of the vaporizer so as to be inhaled by the user. Reservoir system 200A, 200B also includes an air flow restrictor 244 that limits the passage of air flow 234 along the air flow channel 238 of the vaporizer, such as when the user draws air from the vaporizer. The restriction of the airflow 234 caused by the airflow restrictor 244 can allow a vacuum to form along a portion of the airflow channel 238 downstream of the airflow restrictor 244. The vacuum created along the airflow channel 238 can help draw the aerosol formed in the vaporization chamber 242 (e.g., the chamber containing at least a portion of the atomizer 141) along the airflow channel 238 for inhalation by the user. At least one airflow restrictor 244 can be included in each reservoir system 200A, 200B, and the airflow restrictor 244 can include any number of features for restricting the airflow 234 along the airflow channel 238.

[0397] like Figure 2E and Figure 2FAs shown, each reservoir system 200A, 200B may also include a vent 246 configured to selectively allow the passage of air into the reservoir 240 to increase the pressure within the reservoir 240, thereby relieving the reservoir 240 from the negative pressure (vacuum) relative to the ambient pressure created by the vaporizable material 202 being drawn from the reservoir 240, as described above. At least one vent 246 may be associated with the reservoir 240. The vent 246 may be an active or passive valve, and the vent 246 may include any number of features that allow air to enter the reservoir 240 to relieve the negative pressure created in the reservoir 240.

[0398] For example, embodiments of the vent 246 may include a vent channel extending between the reservoir 240 and the airflow channel 238, with the diameter (or, more generally, the cross-sectional area) of the vent channel being sized such that when pressure is balanced across the vent 246 (e.g., the pressure in the reservoir 240 is approximately the same as the air pressure in the airflow channel 238), the fluid tension (also known as surface tension) of the vaporizable material 202 prevents the vaporizable material 202 from passing through the channel. However, the diameter (or, more generally, the cross-sectional area) of the vent 246 and / or the vent channel is sized such that vacuum pressure generated in the reservoir 240 can overcome the surface tension of the vaporizable material 202 within the vent 246 or the vent channel, thereby allowing bubbles to be released through the vent into the reservoir 240 in response to a sufficiently low pressure within the reservoir 240 relative to ambient pressure. Accordingly, a volume of air can flow from the airflow channel 238 to the reservoir 240 and release the vacuum pressure. Once the volume of air is added to reservoir 240 , pressure again more closely equalizes across vent 246 , allowing surface tension of vaporizable material 202 to prevent air from entering reservoir 240 and vaporizable material from leaking from reservoir 240 through the vent passage.

[0399] In one exemplary embodiment, the diameter of the vent 246 or vent channel may be in the range of approximately 0.3 mm to 0.6 mm, and may also include diameters in the range of approximately 0.1 mm to 2 mm. In some examples, the vent 246 and / or vent channel may be non-circular, characterized by a non-circular cross-section along the direction of fluid flow within the vent channel. In such examples, the cross-section is defined not by diameter but by cross-sectional area. Generally speaking, regardless of whether the cross-sectional shape of the vent 246 and / or vent channel is circular or non-circular, in certain embodiments of the present subject matter, it may be advantageous for the cross-sectional area of ​​the vent 246 to vary along the path between its exposure to ambient air pressure and the interior of the reservoir 240. For example, the portion of the vent 246 closer to the external ambient pressure may advantageously have a smaller cross-sectional area (e.g., a smaller diameter in examples where the vent 246 has a circular cross-section) than the portion of the vent 246 closer to the interior of the reservoir 240. The smaller cross-sectional area closer to the exterior of the system can provide greater resistance to the escape of the liquid vaporizable material, while the larger cross-sectional area closer to the interior of the reservoir 240 can provide relatively less resistance to the escape of bubbles from the vent 246 into the reservoir 240. In some embodiments of the current subject matter, the transition between the smaller and larger cross-sectional areas can advantageously not be continuous, but rather include discontinuities along the length of the vent 246 and / or vent channel. Such a structure can be used to provide a greater overall resistance to the escape of the liquid material than equalizing the reservoir pressure by releasing bubbles from the vent 246, because the larger cross-sectional area near the reservoir can have a lower capillary drive relative to the smaller cross-sectional area exposed to ambient air.

[0400] The material of the vent 246 and / or vent channel can also help control the vent 246 and / or vent channel, for example, by affecting the contact angle between the wall of the vent 246 and / or vent channel and the vaporizable material 202. The contact angle can have an impact on the surface tension generated by the vaporizable material 202, and therefore affect the threshold pressure difference generated across the vent 246 and / or vent channel before allowing a certain volume of fluid to pass through the vent 246, such as described above. The vent 246 can include various shapes / sizes and configurations within the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, various embodiments of cartridges and portions of cartridges including one or more various venting features will be described in more detail below.

[0401] The positioning of the vent 246 (e.g., a passive vent) and the airflow restrictor 244 relative to the evaporation chamber 242 contributes to the efficient operation of the reservoir system 200A, 200B. For example, incorrect positioning of the vent 246 or the airflow restrictor 244 can result in undesirable leakage of the vaporizable material 202 from the reservoir 240. The present disclosure addresses the efficient positioning of the vent 246 and the airflow restrictor 244 relative to the evaporation chamber 242 (including the wicking portion). For example, a small or no pressure differential between the passive vent and the wicking portion can result in an efficient reservoir system for relieving vacuum pressure in the reservoir and resulting in efficient capillary action of the wicking portion while preventing leakage. The configuration of a reservoir system having the vent 246 and the airflow restrictor 244 efficiently positioned relative to the evaporation chamber 242 will be described in more detail below.

[0402] like Figure 2E As shown, the airflow restrictor 244 can be located upstream of the evaporation chamber 242 along the airflow channel 238, while the vent 246 is positioned along the reservoir 240 so as to provide fluid communication between the reservoir 240 and a portion of the airflow channel 238 downstream of the evaporation chamber 242. In this way, when a user draws on the evaporator, a negative pressure is generated downstream of the airflow restrictor 244, causing the evaporation chamber 242 to experience a negative pressure. Similarly, the side of the vent 246 that is in communication with the airflow channel 238 is also subjected to a negative pressure.

[0403] Thus, during a puff (e.g., when a user draws air from the vaporizing device), a small to nonexistent pressure differential is generated between the vent 246 and the vaporization chamber 242. However, after a puff, the capillary action of the wicking portion will draw the vaporizable material 202 from the reservoir 240 into the vaporization chamber 242 to replenish the vaporizable material 202 that was vaporized and inhaled due to the previous puff. As a result, a vacuum or negative pressure will be generated in the reservoir 240. A pressure differential will then be generated between the reservoir 240 and the airflow channel 238. As described above, the vent 246 can be configured so that the pressure differential (e.g., a threshold pressure differential) between the reservoir 240 and the airflow channel 238 allows a certain volume of air to enter the reservoir 240 from the airflow channel 238, thereby releasing the vacuum in the reservoir 240 and returning to an equilibrium pressure across the vent 246 and a stable reservoir system 200A.

[0404] In another embodiment, Figure 2F As shown, the airflow restrictor 244 can be located downstream of the evaporation chamber 242 along the airflow channel 238, and the vent 246 can be located along the reservoir 240 so that it provides fluid communication between the reservoir 240 and a portion of the airflow channel 238 upstream of the evaporation chamber 242. In this way, when a user draws on the vaporizer, the evaporation chamber 242 and the vent 246 experience little or no suction or negative pressure due to the drawing, resulting in little or no pressure differential between the evaporation chamber 242 and the vent 246. Figure 2E Similar to the situation in FIG, after drawing, the pressure differential created across the vent 246 will be the result of capillary action drawing the vaporizable material 202 into the wicking portion of the vaporization chamber 242. As a result, a vacuum or negative pressure will be created in the reservoir 240. Thus, a pressure differential will be created across the vent 246.

[0405] As described above, the vent 246 can be configured so that the pressure difference (e.g., a threshold pressure difference) between the reservoir 240 and the airflow channel 238 or the atmosphere allows a certain volume of air to enter the reservoir 240, thereby releasing the vacuum in the reservoir 240. This allows the pressure to be balanced across the vent 246 and the reservoir system 200B to be stabilized. The vent 246 can include various structures and features and can be positioned in various positions along the evaporator cartridge 120, such as to achieve various results. For example, one or more vents 246 can be positioned adjacent to or form part of the evaporation chamber 242 or the wicking portion housing. In this configuration, one or more vents 246 can provide fluid (e.g., air) communication between the reservoir 240 and the evaporation chamber 242 (when the user draws air on the evaporator, air flows through the vent, so that the vent is part of the airflow path).

[0406] Similarly, as described above, a vent 246 positioned adjacent to or forming part of the vaporization chamber 242 or wicking portion housing can allow air to enter the reservoir 240 from within the vaporization chamber 242 via the vent 246 to increase the pressure within the reservoir 240, thereby effectively releasing the vacuum pressure generated by the vaporizable material 202 being drawn into the vaporization chamber 242. In this way, the release of the vacuum pressure allows the vaporizable material 202 to continue to effectively and efficiently wick into the vaporization chamber 242 via the wicking portion to produce an inhalable vapor during subsequent puffs on the vaporizer by the user. Various exemplary embodiments of a vented vaporization chamber element (e.g., an atomizer assembly) are provided below, including a wicking portion housing 1315, 178 (which houses the vaporization chamber) and at least one vent 596 coupled to or forming part of the wicking portion housing 1315, 178 to achieve the above-described effective ventilation of the reservoir 140.

[0407] Open-faced cartridge assembly embodiment

[0408] Reference Figure 3A and Figure 3B, shows an exemplary planar cross-sectional view of an alternative cartridge embodiment 1320, wherein the cartridge 1320 includes a mouthpiece or mouthpiece region 1330, a reservoir 1340, and an atomizer (not separately shown). The atomizer can include a heating element 1350 and a wicking element 1362, together or separately, depending on the embodiment, such that the wicking element 1362 is thermally or thermodynamically coupled to the heating element 1350 for the purpose of vaporizing vaporizable material 1302 drawn from or stored in the wicking element 1362.

[0409] In one embodiment, a plate 1326 may be included to provide heating element 1350 and power source 112 (see Figure 1 An airflow channel 1338 extending through or defined on the side of the reservoir 1340 can connect the area of ​​the cartridge 1320 housing the wicking element 1362 (e.g., a wicking housing, not separately shown) to an opening to the mouthpiece or mouthpiece region 1330 to provide a route for vaporizable material 1302 to travel from the area of ​​the heating element 1350 to the mouthpiece region 1330 for vaporization.

[0410] As described above, the wicking element 1362 can be coupled to an atomizer or heating element 1350 (e.g., a resistive heating element or coil), which is connected to one or more electrical contacts (e.g., plate 1326). The heating element 1350 (and other heating elements described herein according to one or more embodiments) can have various shapes and / or configurations and can include one or more heating elements 1350, 500, or features thereof, as described below with respect to Figures 44A to 116 More details are provided.

[0411] According to one or more exemplary embodiments, the heating element 1350 of the cartridge 1320 can be made from a sheet (e.g., stamped) and curled or bent around at least a portion of the wicking element 1362 to provide a preformed element configured to receive the wicking element 1362 (e.g., the wicking element 1362 is pushed into the heating element 1350 and / or the heating element 1350 is held taut and pulled onto the wicking element 1362).

[0412] The heating element 1350 can be bent such that the heating element 1350 secures the wicking element 1362 between at least two or three portions of the heating element 1350. The heating element 1350 can be bent to conform to the shape of at least a portion of the wicking element 1362. The configuration of the heating element 1350 allows for more consistent and higher quality manufacturing of the heating element 1350. Consistency in the manufacturing quality of the heating element 1350 can be particularly important during large-scale and / or automated manufacturing processes. For example, the heating element 1350 according to one or more embodiments helps reduce tolerance issues that may arise during the manufacturing process of assembling a heating element 1350 having multiple parts.

[0413] The heating element 1350 may also improve the accuracy of measurements (e.g., resistance, current, temperature, etc.) obtained from the heating element 1350 due, at least in part, to improved consistency in the manufacturability of the heating element 1350 with reduced tolerance issues. A heating element 1350 that is made from a sheet (e.g., stamped) and rolled or bent around at least a portion of the wicking element 1362 to provide a pre-formed element desirably helps minimize heat loss and helps ensure that the heating element 1350 is predictably heated to the appropriate temperature.

[0414] In addition, as further discussed below with respect to the included embodiments involving heating elements formed from coiled metal, the heating element 1350 can be fully and / or selectively plated with one or more materials that enhance the heating performance of the heating element 1350. Plating all or a portion of the heating element 1350 can help minimize heat loss. The plating can also help concentrate heat to a portion of the heating element 1350, thereby providing a more efficiently heated heating element 1350 and further reducing heat loss. The selective plating can help direct the current provided to the heating element 1350 to the appropriate location. The selective plating can also help reduce the amount of plating material and / or the costs associated with manufacturing the heating element 1350.

[0415] In addition to or in combination with the exemplary heating elements described and / or discussed below, the heating element may include a flat heating element 1850 (see FIG. 18A ) positioned within an evaporator cartridge 1800 including two airflow channels 1838. Figures 18A-18D ), a folded heating element 1950 located within an evaporator cartridge 1900 comprising two airflow channels 1938 (see Figures 19A-19C 、 Figures 22A-22B and Figures 44A-116 ) and a folded heating element 2050 located within an evaporator cartridge 2000 comprising a single airflow channel 2038 (see Figures 20A-20C ).

[0416] As described above, in one embodiment, the heating element 1350 can include a wicking element 1362. For example, the wicking element 1362 can extend adjacent to or next to the plate 1326 and through a resistive heating element in contact with the plate 1326. A wicking portion housing can surround at least a portion of the heating element 1350 and connect the heating element 1350 directly or indirectly to the airflow channel 1338. The vaporizable material 1302 can be drawn by the wicking element 1362 through one or more channels connected to the reservoir 1340. In one embodiment, one or both of the primary channel 1382 or the secondary channel 1384 can be used to help direct or transport the vaporizable material 1302 to one or both ends of the wicking element 1362, or radially along the length of the wicking element 1362.

[0417] Overflow collector embodiment

[0418] As provided in further detail below, particularly with reference to Figure 3A and Figure 3B , the exchange of air and liquid vaporizable material into and out of the cartridge reservoir 1340 can be advantageously controlled, and the volumetric efficiency of the vaporizer cartridge (defined as the volume of liquid vaporizable material that is ultimately converted into an inhalable aerosol relative to the total volume of the cartridge itself) can also be optionally improved by incorporating a structure called a collector 1313.

[0419] According to some embodiments, cartridge 1320 can include a reservoir 1340 at least partially defined by at least one wall (which can optionally be a wall shared with the cartridge's housing), the reservoir configured to hold liquid vaporizable material 1302. Reservoir 1340 can include a storage chamber 1342 and an overflow volume 1344, which can contain or otherwise house collector 1313. Storage chamber 1342 can hold vaporizable material 1302, and overflow volume 1344 can be configured to collect or retain at least some portion of vaporizable material 1302 when one or more factors cause vaporizable material 1302 in the reservoir's storage chamber 1342 to travel into overflow volume 1344. In some embodiments of the current subject matter, the cartridge can be initially filled with liquid vaporizable material such that the void space within the collector is pre-filled with liquid vaporizable material.

[0420] In an exemplary embodiment, the volumetric size of the overflow volume 1344 can be configured to be equal to, approximately equal to, or greater than the increase in volume of the contents (e.g., vaporizable material 1302 and air) contained in the storage chamber 1342 when the volume of the contents in the storage chamber 1342 expands due to the maximum expected pressure change that the reservoir may experience relative to the ambient pressure.

[0421] In response to changes in ambient pressure or temperature or other factors, the cartridge 1320 can experience a change from a first pressure state to a second pressure state (e.g., a first relative pressure differential between the interior of the reservoir and the ambient pressure and a second relative pressure differential between the interior of the reservoir and the ambient pressure). In some aspects, the overflow volume 1344 can have an opening to the exterior of the cartridge 1320 and can be in communication with the reservoir storage chamber 1342, such that the overflow volume 1344 can serve as a vent to provide pressure equalization within the cartridge 1320 and / or collect and at least temporarily retain, and optionally reversibly return, liquid vaporizable material that may have moved out of the storage chamber in response to changes in the pressure differential between the storage chamber and the ambient air. The vaporizable material 1302 can be drawn from the storage chamber 1342 into the atomizer and converted to a vapor or aerosol phase, thereby reducing the volume of vaporizable material remaining in the storage chamber 1342 and, in the absence of some mechanism for returning air to the storage chamber to equalize the pressure in the storage chamber with the ambient pressure, resulting in at least a partial vacuum condition as discussed previously herein.

[0422] Continue to refer Figure 3A and Figure 3B , the reservoir 1340 can be implemented to include a first and a second separable region such that the volume of the reservoir 1340 is divided into a reservoir storage chamber 1342 and a reservoir overflow volume 1344. The storage chamber 1342 can be configured to store the vaporizable material 1302 and can be further coupled to the wicking element 1362 via one or more main channels 1382. In some examples, the main channel 1382 can be very short in length (e.g., a through hole from the space housing the wicking element or other parts of the atomizer). In other examples, the main channel can be part of a longer fluid-containing path between the storage chamber and the wicking element. As provided in further detail below, the overflow volume 1344 can be configured to store and accommodate a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 that can overflow from the storage chamber 1342 in a second pressure state, in which the pressure in the storage chamber 1342 is greater than ambient pressure.

[0423] In a first pressure state, the vaporizable material 1302 can be stored in the storage chamber 1342 of the reservoir 1340. The first pressure state can exist, for example, when the ambient pressure is approximately equal to or greater than the pressure within the cartridge 1320. In this first pressure state, the structural and functional characteristics of the primary channel 1382 and the secondary channel 1384 enable the vaporizable material 1302 to flow from the storage chamber 1342 toward the wicking element 1362 through the primary channel 1382, for example, under the capillary action of the wicking element drawing liquid into the vicinity in conjunction with the heating element acting to convert the liquid vaporizable material into a vapor phase. In one embodiment, in the first pressure state, no or a limited amount of the vaporizable material 1302 flows into the secondary channel 1384. In a second pressure state, the vaporizable material 1302 can flow from the storage chamber 1342 into the overflow volume 1344 of the reservoir 1340, which, for example, includes a collector 1313 to prevent or limit undesirable (e.g., excessive) flow of the vaporizable material 1302 out of the reservoir. For example, the second pressure state may exist or be caused when an air bubble expands in the storage chamber 1342 (eg, due to the ambient pressure becoming less than the pressure within the cartridge 1320 ).

[0424] Advantageously, the flow of vaporizable material 1302 can be controlled by directing the vaporizable material 1302 in a manner that forces the vaporizable material from the reservoir 1342 to the overflow volume due to the pressure increase. The collector 1313 within the overflow volume can include one or more capillary structures that contain at least some (and advantageously, all) of the excess liquid vaporizable material that is pushed out of the reservoir 1342 without allowing the liquid vaporizable material to reach the outlet of the collector 1313. The collector 1313 also advantageously includes capillary structures that enable the liquid vaporizable material that is pushed into the collector 1313 by the excess pressure in the reservoir 1342 relative to the ambient pressure to be reversibly drawn back into the reservoir 1342 when the pressure in the reservoir 1342 relative to the ambient pressure equalizes or otherwise decreases. In other words, the secondary channel 1384 of the collector 1313 can have microfluidic features or characteristics that prevent air and liquid from bypassing each other during filling and emptying of the collector 1313. That is, microfluidic features may be used to manage the flow of vaporizable material 1302 into and out of collector 1313 (ie, provide flow reversal features) to prevent or reduce leakage or entrapment of vaporizable material 1302 into reservoir 1342 or overflow volume 1344 .

[0425] Depending on the embodiment, the aforementioned microfluidic features or characteristics may be related to the size, shape, surface coating, structural features, and capillary properties of the wicking element 1362, the primary channel 1382, and the secondary channel 1384. For example, the secondary channel 1384 in the collector 1313 may optionally have different capillary properties than the primary channel 1382 that leads to the wicking element 1362 to allow a specific volume of vaporizable material 1302 to pass from the reservoir 1342 into the overflow volume 1344 during the second pressure state.

[0426] In an exemplary embodiment, collector 1313 allows an overall resistance to liquid flow that is greater than an overall wicking resistance, eg, to allow vaporizable material 1302 to flow primarily through primary channel 1382 toward wicking element 1362 during the first pressure state.

[0427] The wicking element 1362 can provide a capillary path for the vaporizable material 1302 stored in the reservoir 1340 to pass through or into the wicking element 1362. The capillary path (e.g., the main channel 1382) can be large enough to allow wicking or capillary action to displace the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 in the wicking element 1362, and can be small enough to prevent the vaporizable material 1302 from leaking out of the cartridge 1320 during a negative pressure event. The wicking portion housing or the wicking element 1362 can be treated to prevent leakage. For example, the cartridge 1320 can be coated after filling to prevent leakage or vaporization through the wicking element 1362. Any suitable coating can be used, including, for example, a heat-evaporable coating (e.g., wax or other material).

[0428] When the user inhales from the mouthpiece region 1330, for example, air flows into the cartridge 1320 through an inlet or opening in operative relationship with the wicking element 1362. The heating element 1350 may be responsive to a signal received by one or more sensors 113 (see FIG. Figure 1 ) is activated by a signal generated by the one or more sensors 113. The one or more sensors 113 may include at least one of a pressure sensor, a motion sensor, a flow sensor, or other mechanism capable of detecting changes in the airflow channel 1338. When the heating element 1350 is activated, the heating element 1350 may increase in temperature due to the flow of current through the plate 1326. Alternatively, the heating element 1350 may be activated by some other resistive portion that converts electrical energy into heat energy.

[0429] In one embodiment, the generated heat can be transferred to at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 in the wicking element 1362 by conduction, convection, or radiation, such that at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 drawn into the wicking element 1362 is vaporized. Depending on the embodiment, air entering the cartridge 1320 flows over (or around, near, etc.) the wicking element 1362 and the heated elements of the heating element 1350 and displaces the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 into the airflow channel 1338, where the vapor can optionally be condensed and delivered in the form of an aerosol, for example, through an opening in the mouthpiece region 1330.

[0430] See also Figure 3B , the storage chamber 1342 can be connected to the airflow channel 1338 (i.e., via the secondary channel 1384 of the overflow volume 1344) to allow liquid vaporizable material driven from the storage chamber 1342 by the increased pressure in the storage chamber 1342 relative to the surrounding environment to be retained and not escape from the vaporizer cartridge. Although the embodiments described herein relate to vaporizer cartridges including the reservoir 1340, it should be understood that the methods are also compatible with and intended for use in vaporizers that do not have detachable cartridges.

[0431] Returning to the example, air admitted into storage chamber 1342 can expand due to a pressure differential relative to the ambient air. This expansion of air in the void space of storage chamber 1342 can cause the liquid vaporizable material to travel through at least some portion of secondary channel 1384 within collector 1313. The microfluidic features of secondary channel 1384 can cause the liquid vaporizable material to move along a length of secondary channel 1384 within collector 1313, wherein only for this length does the meniscus completely cover the cross-sectional area of ​​secondary channel 1384 transverse to the direction of flow along the length. In some embodiments of the current subject matter, the microfluidic features can include a sufficiently small cross-sectional area to accommodate the material forming the walls of the secondary channel and the composition of the liquid vaporizable material, with the liquid vaporizable material preferably wetting the secondary channel 1384 around its entire perimeter. For examples in which the liquid vaporizable material comprises one or more of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, this liquid wetting property is advantageously considered in combination with the geometry of secondary channel 1384 and the material forming the walls of the secondary channel. In this manner, when the sign (e.g., positive, negative, or equal) and magnitude of the pressure differential between the reservoir chamber 1340 and the ambient pressure vary, a meniscus is maintained between the liquid in the secondary channel and the air entering from the ambient atmosphere, and the liquid and air cannot move past each other. When the pressure in the reservoir chamber 1342 drops sufficiently relative to the ambient pressure, and if there is sufficient void volume in the reservoir chamber 1342 to allow it, the liquid in the secondary channel 1384 of the collector 1313 can be drawn sufficiently into the reservoir chamber 1342 so that the liquid-air meniscus reaches the gate or port between the secondary channel 1384 of the collector 1313 and the reservoir chamber 1342. At this point, if the pressure differential in the reservoir chamber 1342 relative to the ambient pressure is sufficiently negative to overcome the surface tension holding the meniscus at the gate or port, the meniscus becomes detached from the gate or port wall and forms one or more bubbles, which are released into the reservoir chamber 1342 in sufficient volume to equalize the reservoir chamber pressure relative to the ambient. The above process can be reversed when the air admitted into the storage chamber 1340 as described above (or otherwise present therein) experiences elevated pressure conditions relative to the surrounding environment (e.g., due to a drop in ambient pressure such as may occur in an aircraft cabin or other high altitude location, when the windows of a moving vehicle are opened, when a train or vehicle exits a tunnel, etc., or due to an increase in internal pressure in the storage chamber 1340 such as may occur due to localized heating, mechanical pressure that deforms the shape and thereby reduces the volume of the storage chamber 1340, etc.). Liquid enters the secondary channel 1384 of the collector 1313 through a gate or port, and a meniscus forms at the leading edge of the liquid column entering the secondary channel 1384 to prevent air from bypassing and flowing against the advance of the liquid.By maintaining this meniscus due to the presence of the aforementioned microfluidic properties, when the elevated pressure in the storage chamber 1340 is subsequently reduced, the liquid column is drawn back into the storage chamber, optionally until the meniscus reaches a gate or port. If the pressure differential is sufficiently favorable to the ambient pressure relative to the pressure in the storage chamber, the aforementioned bubble formation process occurs until the pressures balance. In this way, the collector acts as a reversible overflow volume that receives liquid vaporizable material that is pushed out of the storage chamber under transient conditions of a greater storage chamber pressure relative to the surrounding environment, and allows at least some (and desirably all or most) of this overflow volume to return to the storage compartment for later delivery to the nebulizer for conversion to an inhalable form.

[0432] Depending on the embodiment, the reservoir chamber 1342 may or may not be connected to the wicking element 1362 via the secondary channel 1384. In embodiments where a second end of the secondary channel 1384 opens into the wicking element 1362, any vaporizable material 1302 that may exit the secondary channel 1384 at the second end (opposite the first end defining the point of connection to the reservoir chamber 1342) may further saturate the wicking element 1362.

[0433] The storage chamber 1342 can optionally be positioned closer to the end of the reservoir 1340 that is closer to the mouthpiece area 1330. The overflow volume 1344 can be located near the end of the reservoir 1340 that is closer to the heating element 1350, for example, between the storage chamber 1342 and the heating element 1350. The exemplary embodiments shown in the figures should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter to the positions of the various components disclosed herein. For example, the overflow volume 1344 can be positioned at the top, middle, or bottom of the cartridge 1320. According to one or more variations, the position and positioning of the storage chamber 1342 can be adjusted relative to the position of the overflow volume 1344 so that the storage chamber 1342 can be positioned at the top, middle, or bottom of the cartridge 1320.

[0434] In one embodiment, when the vaporizer cartridge 1320 is full, the volume of the liquid vaporizable material can be equal to the internal volume of the reservoir 1342 plus the overflow volume 1344 (in some examples, the overflow volume can be the volume of the secondary channel 1384 between the gate or port connecting the secondary channel 1384 to the reservoir 1340 and the outlet of the secondary channel 1384). In other words, a vaporizer cartridge consistent with embodiments of the present subject matter can be initially filled with liquid vaporizable material such that all or at least some of the internal volume of the collector is filled with the liquid vaporizable material. In such an example, the liquid vaporizable material is delivered to the atomizer as needed for delivery to the user. The delivered liquid vaporizable material can be drawn from the reservoir 1340, thereby causing liquid in the secondary channel 1384 of the collector 1313 to be drawn back into the reservoir 1340 because the meniscus maintained by the microfluidic properties of the secondary channel 1384 prevents air from flowing through the liquid vaporizable material in the secondary channel 1384, preventing air from entering through the secondary channel 1384. After sufficient liquid vaporizable material has been delivered from the storage chamber 1340 to the atomizer (e.g., for vaporization and inhalation by the user) such that the original volume of the collector 1313 is drawn into the storage chamber 1340, this occurs and bubbles of air can be released from the gate or port between the secondary channel 1384 and the storage chamber to equalize the pressure in the storage chamber as more liquid vaporizable material is used. As the air that has entered the storage chamber experiences an elevated pressure relative to the surrounding environment, the liquid vaporizable material moves out of the storage chamber 1340 through the gate or port into the secondary channel until the elevated pressure condition in the storage chamber no longer exists, at which point the liquid vaporizable material in the secondary channel 1384 can be drawn back into the storage chamber 1340.

[0435] In certain embodiments, overflow volume 1344 is large enough to contain a percentage, optionally up to approximately 100%, of vaporizable material 1302 stored in storage chamber 1342. In one embodiment, collector 1313 is configured to accommodate at least 6% to 25% of the volume of vaporizable material 1302 that may be stored in storage chamber 1342. Other ranges are possible.

[0436] The structure of the collector 1313 can be configured, constructed, molded, manufactured, or positioned in the overflow volume 1344 in various shapes and with various properties to allow the overflow portion of the vaporizable material 1302 to be at least temporarily received, contained, or stored in the overflow volume 1314 in a controlled manner (e.g., by capillary pressure) to prevent the vaporizable material 1302 from leaking from the cartridge 1320 or oversaturating the wicking element 1362. It should be understood that the above description of the secondary channel is not intended to be limited to a single such secondary channel 1384. One or, alternatively, more than one secondary channel can be connected to the reservoir 1340 via one or more gates or ports. In some embodiments of the current subject matter, a single gate or port can be connected to more than one secondary channel, or a single secondary channel can be divided into more than one secondary channel to provide additional overflow volume or other advantages.

[0437] In some embodiments of the current subject matter, an air vent 1318 can connect the overflow volume 1344 to an airflow path 1338 that ultimately leads to the ambient air environment outside of the cartridge 1320. The air vent 1318 can allow a path for air or bubbles that have formed or become trapped in the collector 1313 to escape through the air vent 1318, such as during the second pressure state when the secondary channel 1384 is filled with an overflow of the vaporizable material 1302.

[0438] According to some aspects, air vent 1318 can function as a reverse vent and provide pressure equalization within cartridge 1320 during the reversal from the second pressure state back to the first pressure state as the overflow of vaporizable material 1302 returns from overflow volume 1344 to storage chamber 1342. In such an embodiment, when the ambient pressure becomes greater than the internal pressure within cartridge 1320, ambient air can flow through vent 1318 into secondary channel 1384 and effectively help push vaporizable material 1302 temporarily stored in overflow volume 1344 back into storage chamber 1342 in the reverse direction.

[0439] In one or more embodiments, the secondary channel 1384 in the first pressure state can contain air. In the second pressure state, the vaporizable material 1302 can enter the secondary channel 1384, for example, through an opening (i.e., a vent) located at the interface point between the reservoir 1342 and the overflow volume 1344. As a result, the air in the secondary channel 1384 is displaced and can be exhausted through the air vent 1318. In some embodiments, the air vent 1318 can function as or include a control valve (e.g., a selectively permeable membrane, a microfluidic gate, etc.) that allows air to exit the overflow volume 1344 but prevents the vaporizable material 1302 from exiting the secondary channel 1384 into the air flow path 1338. As previously described, the air vent 1318 can function as an air exchange port to allow air to enter and exit the collector 1313, for example, when the collector 1313 is filled during a negative pressure event and emptied after the negative pressure event (i.e., during the transition between the first and second pressure states described above).

[0440] Thus, the vaporizable material 1302 can be stored in the collector 1313 until the pressure within the cartridge 1320 stabilizes (e.g., when the pressure returns to ambient or meets a specified equilibrium) or until the vaporizable material 1302 is removed from the overflow volume 1344 (e.g., by evaporation in an atomizer). Thus, the level of vaporizable material 1302 in the overflow volume 1344 can be controlled by managing the flow of vaporizable material 1302 into and out of the collector 1313 as the ambient pressure changes. In one or more embodiments, the overflow of vaporizable material 1302 from the storage chamber 1342 to the overflow volume 1344 can be reversed or reversible depending on the detected environmental changes (e.g., when the pressure event that caused the overflow of vaporizable material 1302 subsides or ends).

[0441] As described above, in some embodiments of the present subject matter, in a state where the pressure within cartridge 1320 becomes relatively lower than ambient pressure (e.g., when returning from the previously mentioned second pressure state to the first pressure state), the flow of vaporizable material 1302 can be reversed in a direction such that vaporizable material 1302 flows from overflow volume 1344 back into storage chamber 1342 of reservoir 1340. Thus, depending on the embodiment, overflow volume 1344 can be configured to temporarily contain an overflow portion of vaporizable material 1302 during the second pressure state. Depending on the embodiment, at least some of the overflow of vaporizable material 1302 retained in collector 1313 during or after the reversal back to the first pressure state is returned to storage chamber 1342.

[0442] To control the flow of vaporizable material 1302 within cartridge 1320, in other embodiments of the present subject matter, collector 1313 may optionally include an absorbent or semi-absorbent material (e.g., a material having sponge-like properties) for permanently or semi-permanently collecting or containing overflow of vaporizable material 1302 traveling through secondary channel 1384. In exemplary embodiments in which absorbent material is included in collector 1313, reverse flow of vaporizable material 1302 from overflow volume 1344 to reservoir 1342 may not be practical or possible compared to embodiments implemented without (or without as much) absorbent material in collector 1313. Thus, by including a greater or lesser density or volume of absorbent material in collector 1313, or by controlling the texture of the absorbent material, the reversibility or rate of reversibility of vaporizable material 1302 to reservoir 1342 can be controlled, with such properties resulting in a higher or lower absorption rate immediately or over a longer period of time.

[0443] Figure 4 13 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the cartridge 1320. As shown, the body of the cartridge 1320 can be made of two connectable (or separable) components, such as a first portion 1422 (e.g., an upper shell) and a second portion 1424 (e.g., a lower shell), which can be assembled together according to a building implementation model or assembly process on top of each other. This separable structure simplifies the assembly and manufacturing process and may not involve assembling or constructing multiple smaller components to construct a larger component. Instead, as in Figure 4 In the exemplary embodiment shown in , larger components (e.g., first portion 1422 and second portion 1424) can be connected to form, for example, external cartridge features (e.g., sides) and smaller internal cartridge components (e.g., opposing rib-like elements forming one or more of collector 1313, reservoir 1340, storage chamber 1342, overflow volume 1344, etc.).

[0444] refer to Figure 4 , the heating element 1450 can be located in a cavity or housing implemented between the first portion 1422 and the second portion 1424 of the body of the cartridge 1420. In one example, a sponge or other absorbent material 1460 can also be positioned in the mouthpiece area 1430 to collect excess liquid evaporable material that travels through the airflow channel 1438 (e.g., as formed by evaporating material and / or water vapor condensation to form larger droplets that produce an unpleasant sensation when swallowed during inhalation). Thus, the assembly or disassembly of additional components (e.g., the heating element 1450 or the sponge 1460) can be performed in a simple and efficient manner, and in the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein, a large amount of machinery or assembly automation components is not required to construct the cartridge 1320 from a small set of components into a unified, separable two-piece housing.

[0445] The separable two-piece construction described herein may provide one or more of the following exemplary advantages or improvements over alternative embodiments: lower part count, lower assembly or manufacturing costs (e.g., Figure 4 The embodiment shown requires four parts to be manufactured and assembled), no or reduced machining requirements, no or limited deep, fragile, low-slope machining cores, and relatively shallow rib structures. Depending on the embodiment, ultrasonic or laser welding techniques can be used to form a solid-state weld between the first portion 1422 and the second portion 1424 of the cartridge 1420.

[0446] Ultrasonic welding is a process commonly used for plastics in which high-frequency ultrasonic acoustic vibrations are locally applied to workpieces (e.g., first portion 1422 and second portion 1424) which are held together under pressure to form a solid-state weld. Laser welding is a welding process used to join workpieces of metal or thermoplastics using a laser beam that provides a concentrated heat source (e.g., a laser beam), thereby allowing narrow, deep welds to be made at high welding rates.

[0447] Reference Figure 5 , shows a planar cross-sectional side view of selected portions of cartridge 1320. Figure 4 and 5 , the first portion 1422 of the cartridge 1420 ( Figure 5 ) and the second portion 1424 can be molded from plastic parts by injection molding (e.g., in an embodiment molded on top of each other). In an exemplary embodiment, a line of drafting technology can be used to allow the mold halves (e.g., as Figure 4 The separation of the first portion 1422 and the second portion 1424 shown allows each portion to be ejected without any obstruction from creating undercuts, and further allows for significant mold cavitation to help shorten processing cycles and allow for more efficient manufacturing times and processes.

[0448] Reference Figure 6A and 6B, respectively, show a cross-sectional top view and a perspective side view of the cartridge 1320. As shown, a fill port 610 can be implemented in one or more embodiments of the cartridge 1320 to allow for filling of the reservoir storage chamber 1342, for example, via a fill needle 622. As shown, depending on the embodiment, the fill needle 622 can be easily and conveniently inserted into the fill port 610, for example, via a fill channel 630 leading to the storage chamber 1342 (or overflow volume 1344). Thus, for example, using the fill needle 622, the vaporizable material 1302 can be injected into the reservoir 1340 via the fill channel 630. In some embodiments, the fill channel 630 can be configured or positioned on a side of the cartridge 1320, for example, opposite the side where the airflow channel 1338 is positioned.

[0449] Figures 7A to 7D Design alternatives for the cartridge connection port are shown. Figure 7A and 7B is a perspective view of an alternative connection port embodiment, Figure 7C and 7D is a planar cross-sectional side view of an alternative connection port embodiment, which may include, by way of example, male or female engagement portions. Figure 1 , 2 and 7A-7D, at the end where the cartridge 1320 is joined to the evaporator body 110, the cartridge 1320 may have different structures. In one embodiment, as Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 2 , the evaporator body 110 may include a cartridge 1320 for detachably receiving a male port 710 (see FIG. Figure 7A and 7C ) of the cartridge receptacle 118 so that in the attached state, the cartridge contacts 124 located in the male port of the cartridge 1320 are received by corresponding receptacle contacts 125 in the cartridge receptacle 118, for example in a snap-fit ​​manner. An opposite structure can be used for a port 712 having a female configuration (see Figure 7B and 7D ) of the cartridge 1320 , the male-configured port being configured to receive the end of the evaporator body 110 including the receptacle contact 125 .

[0450] Reference Figure 8 , shows a plan view of the cartridge 1320. In one example, the cartridge 1320 can be implemented using a separable two-piece structure, wherein a relief (e.g., a trademark, serial number, patent number, etc. of the owner) or an optional decorative or ornamental feature can be embossed on the outer wall of the cartridge 1320 through a molding process. The molding process allows flexibility in designing the external shape or externally displayable logos or decorative designs without affecting the positioning or formation of internal functional components (e.g., the reservoir 1340, the storage chamber 1342, or the overflow volume 1344).

[0451] It is worth noting that Figure 8 Markings shown is a registered trademark of JUULLABS Inc., a Delaware corporation headquartered in San Francisco, California. All rights reserved by the mark's owner or assigns. Figure 8 The use of example markings in the should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosed subject matter to include such exclusive designs or markings. Certain embodiments may be unmarked or contain no ornamental or external design features whatsoever. Thus, Figure 8 An illustration of a molded relief is provided, which may appear as, without limitation, indicia or designs on one or more sides of cartridge 1320 .

[0452] Reference Figure 9A and 9B , showing perspective and plan cross-sectional views of an exemplary cartridge 1320, wherein a first portion 1422 of the cartridge 1320 is separated from a second portion 1424 (see also Figure 4 In one or more embodiments, the cartridge 1320 may be designed and manufactured by means of component segmentation. That is, according to the embodiment, multiple segmented sections of a component are connected together to form the entire component, such as Figure 4 As shown in the example.

[0453] Reference Figure 9A , the component splitting can allow for molding compatibility / plasticity, with the electrical contacts and heating elements remaining in the core housing region 910 of the cartridge 1320. Figure 9B As shown in more detail in FIG, one or more vents 920 can be drilled in the body of the cartridge 1320 in an area proximate the wicking portion shell region 910 or positioned by injection molding or other suitable methods to allow precise vapor venting or airflow to be directed to the wicking portion, for example, to help control condensation within the cartridge 1320 or affect capillary forces therein.

[0454] Reference Figure 10A and 10B , respectively, show assembled and exploded perspective views of an alternative exemplary embodiment of cartridge 1320. As previously described, a top-bottom implementation model can be employed to construct an open-faced cartridge structure having, for example, two attachable (or detachable) housings, the housing comprising a first portion 1422 and a second portion 1424. As shown, first portion 1422 (e.g., an upper housing) and second portion 1424 (e.g., a lower housing) can provide a two-piece structure having one or more internal cavities that can be used to accommodate at least one of heating element 1350, wicking element 1362, or plate 1326. It should be understood that alternative assembly methods can be used to create structures having some or all of the features described herein.

[0455] In particular, Figure 10A and 10B In the exemplary embodiment shown, instead of or in addition to molded cavities and walls forming the interior structure of the cartridge (e.g., Figure 3A Reservoir 1340 in), some features such as secondary channel 1384 (see Figure 3A ) may be implemented in a removable or attachable collector 1313 that may be independently constructed as a separate component and that may then be enclosed between a first portion 1422 and a second portion 1424 (e.g., see Figure 10A and 10B ), or alternatively inserted into an optional integral hollow cartridge body adapted to receive the collector 1313 from the open end (see Figure 10C 、 10D ,11B,13,16C,17A,22B).

[0456] Reference Figures 10A to 43B , various embodiments are disclosed that can utilize a collector 1313 that is constructed, designed, manufactured, assembled, or constructed completely or partially independently of the cartridge 1320 housing. It is worth noting that the disclosed implementations are provided as examples. In alternative embodiments or examples, the collector 1313 can be as follows: Figures 10A to 14B As shown, it has a structure that is at least semi-related or completely independent in structure from the structures of other components of the magazine 1320.

[0457] In certain interchangeable embodiments, such as Figures 10A to 14B As shown, various embodiments or types of collectors 1313 can be inserted into or enclosed in, for example, a standardized cartridge 1320 housing. As provided in further detail herein, because some of the primary functions for controlling the flow of vaporizable material 1302 in the cartridge 1320 can be accomplished by manipulating the structure of the collector 1313 or its material properties, cost savings and other efficiencies and advantages can be achieved from having a configuration that allows, for example, interchangeable collector 1313 models to fit different cartridge housings.

[0458] For example, reference Figure 10C and 10D In some embodiments, the cartridge 1320 may have a cartridge housing formed of a unitary hollow structure having a first end and a second end, rather than a Figure 10A and 10BThe detachable two-piece structure shown. The first end (i.e., the first end is also referred to as the receiving end of the cartridge housing) can be configured to receive at least one collector 1313 insertably. In one embodiment, the second end of the cartridge housing can be used as a mouthpiece having an orifice or opening. The orifice or opening can be located at a position opposite to the receiving end of the cartridge housing, at which the collector 1313 can be inserted and received. In some embodiments, the opening can be connected to the receiving end by, for example, an air flow channel 1338 extending through the body of the cartridge 1320 and the collector 1313. As in other cartridge embodiments according to the present disclosure, an atomizer, such as an atomizer comprising a wicking element and a heating element discussed elsewhere herein, can be positioned near or at least partially in the air flow channel 1338 so that the inhalable form of the liquid vaporizable material or, optionally, a precursor of the inhalable form can be released from the atomizer into the air passing through the air flow channel 1338 toward the orifice or opening.

[0459] Air exchange port embodiment

[0460] refer to Figure 11A and 11B , shows an illustrative plan side view of a single gate, single channel collector 1313. In these exemplary embodiments, the gate 1102 can be positioned at an opening toward a first portion (e.g., an upper portion) of the collector 1313, wherein the collector 1313 is in contact with or in communication with the reservoir 1342 (see also previously discussed). Figure 3A and 3B ). Gate 1102 can dynamically connect storage chamber 1342 to overflow volume 1344 formed by a second portion (e.g., a middle portion) of collector 1313.

[0461] In one embodiment, the second portion of the collector 1313 may have a rib-like or multi-fin-like structure forming the overflow channel 1104, such as Figure 11A As shown, the overflow channel 1104 spirals, narrows, or slopes in a direction away from the gate 1102 and toward the air exchange port 1106 to guide or cause the vaporizable material 1302 to move toward the air exchange port 1106 after the vaporizable material 1302 passes through the gate 1102 and enters the overflow volume 1344. The air exchange port 1106 can be connected to the ambient air through an air path or air flow channel connected to the mouthpiece. The air path or air flow channel is connected to the mouthpiece. Figure 11A Not explicitly shown.

[0462] In some embodiments, the collector 1313 is configured with a central opening or channel through which an airflow path to the mouthpiece is achieved, as provided in further detail below (e.g., see Figure 11D1344 and the mouthpiece). The airflow channel can be connected to an air exchange port 1106 so that the volume within the overflow channel of the collector 1313 is connected to the ambient air via the air exchange port 1106 and is also connected to the volume in the storage chamber 1342 via the gate 1102. Thus, according to one or more embodiments, the gate 1102 can be used as a control fluid valve to primarily control the flow of liquid and air between the overflow volume 1344 and the storage chamber 1342. For example, the air exchange port 1106 can be used to primarily control the airflow (and sometimes the liquid flow) between the overflow volume 1344 and the air path to the mouthpiece. The overflow channel 1104 can be inclined, vertical, or horizontal relative to the elongated body of the cartridge 1320.

[0463] When the cartridge 1320 is filled, the vaporizable material 1302 may have at least an initial interface with the collector 1313 via the gate 1102. This is because the initial interface between the vaporizable material 1302 and the gate 1102 can, for example, prevent air trapped in the overflow channel 1104 from entering the cartridge region (e.g., the storage chamber 1342) where the vaporizable material 1302 is stored. Furthermore, in an equilibrium state, this interface can initiate a first capillary interaction between the vaporizable material 1302 and the walls of the overflow channel 1104, allowing a limited amount of vaporizable material 1302 to flow into the overflow channel 1104 to achieve or maintain an equilibrium state.

[0464] The equilibrium state refers to a state in which vaporizable material 1302 neither flows into nor out of overflow volume 1344, or such forward or reverse flow is negligible. In at least some embodiments, capillary action (or interaction) between the walls of overflow channel 1104 and vaporizable material 1302 allows the equilibrium state to be maintained when cartridge 1320 is in a first pressure state, when the pressure within storage chamber 1342 is approximately equal to ambient pressure.

[0465] By adapting or adjusting the volumetric size of the overflow channel 1104 along the length of the channel, an equilibrium state and further capillary interaction can be established or configured between the vaporizable material 1302 and the walls of the overflow channel 1104. As provided in further detail herein, the diameter of the overflow channel 1104 (generally used herein to refer to a measure of the size of the cross-sectional area of ​​the overflow channel 1104, including embodiments of the present subject matter where the overflow channel does not have a circular cross-section) can be constricted at predetermined intervals or points, or throughout the entire length of the channel, to allow for sufficiently strong capillary interactions that provide for direct and reverse flow of the vaporizable material 1302 into and out of the collector 1313 in response to pressure changes, and further allow for a large volume of the overflow channel while still maintaining a gate point for meniscus formation to prevent air from flowing through the liquid in the overflow channel 1104.

[0466] As provided in further detail herein, the diameter of the overflow channel 1104 can be sufficiently small or narrow that a combination of surface tension forces caused by cohesive forces within the vaporizable material 1302 and wetting forces between the vaporizable material 1302 and the walls of the overflow channel 1104 can act to form a meniscus that separates the liquid from the air in a dimension transverse to the axis of flow in the overflow channel 1104, such that the air and liquid cannot pass through each other. It should be understood that the meniscus has an inherent curvature, and thus reference to a dimension transverse to the direction of flow is not intended to imply that the air-liquid interface is flat in that or any other dimension.

[0467] The wicking element 1362 can be coupled to the heating element 1350 (e.g., see Figure 3B and 11B ) is thermally or thermodynamically connected so as to cause the generation of vapor by heating the vaporizable material 1302, as previously described with reference to Figure 3A and 3B Alternatively, the air exchange port 1106 can be configured to provide a path for gas to escape, but prevent the vaporizable material 1302 from flowing out of the overflow channel 1104 .

[0468] Reference Figure 11A and 11B By implementing suitable structures (e.g., microchannel configurations) to introduce or exploit capillary properties that may exist between the vaporizable material 1302 and the retaining walls of the overflow channel 1104, the direct or reverse flow of the vaporizable material 1302 in the collector 1313 can be controlled (e.g., enhanced or reduced). For example, factors related to the length, diameter, interior surface texture (e.g., rough vs. smooth), protrusions, directional narrowing of the channel structure, constrictions or materials used to construct or coat the surfaces of the gate 1102, the overflow channel 1104, or the air exchange port 1106 can positively or negatively affect the rate at which liquid is drawn into or moved through the overflow channel 1104 by capillary action or other influential forces acting on the cartridge 1320.

[0469] Depending on the embodiment, one or more of the factors described above can be used to control the displacement of the vaporizable material 1302 in the overflow channel 1104 to introduce a desired degree of reversibility as the vaporizable material 1302 collects in the channel structure of the collector 1313. Thus, in some embodiments, by selectively controlling the various factors described above and depending on the pressure conditions inside or outside the cartridge 1320, the flow of the vaporizable material 1302 into the collector 1313 can be fully reversible or semi-reversible.

[0470] like Figure 3A 、 3B, 11A and 11B, in one or more embodiments, the collector 1313 can be formed, constructed or configured to have a single channel single vent structure. In such embodiments, the overflow channel 1104 can be a continuous passage, tube, channel or other structure for connecting the gate 1102 to the air exchange port 1106, optionally located near the wicking element 1362 (e.g., see also Figure 3A and 3B , showing a single elongated overflow channel 1104 in the overflow volume 1344). Thus, in such embodiments, vaporizable material 1302 may enter or exit collector 1313 from gate 1102 and through separately configured channels, wherein vaporizable material 1302 flows in a first direction when collector 1313 is filled and in a second direction when collector 1313 is emptied.

[0471] To help maintain a balanced state, or, depending on the embodiment, to control the flow of vaporizable material 1302 in overflow channel 1104, the shape and structural configuration of overflow channel 1104, gate 1102, or air exchange port 1106 may be adapted or modified to balance the rate of flow of vaporizable material 1302 in overflow channel 1104 under different pressure conditions. In one example, overflow channel 1104 may be narrowed so that the narrowed end (i.e., the end with a smaller opening or diameter) leads to gate 1102.

[0472] In one embodiment, the non-narrowed end (i.e., the end of the overflow channel 1104 having a larger opening or diameter) can open to an air exchange port 1106, which can be connected to the ambient environment outside the cartridge 1320, or to an air flow path from which the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 is transported to the mouthpiece (e.g., see Figure 3A , connected to air vent 1318 of air flow channel 1338. In one embodiment, the non-narrowed end may also open to an area near the wicking portion housing so that if vaporizable material 1302 exits overflow channel 1104, vaporizable material 1302 may be used to saturate wicking element 1362.

[0473] Depending on the embodiment, the narrowed channel structure can reduce or increase the restriction on the flow into the collector 1313. For example, in embodiments where the overflow channel 1104 narrows toward the gate 1102, a capillary pressure force is induced in the overflow channel 1104 that favors a reverse flow, such that when the pressure conditions change (e.g., when the negative pressure event is eliminated or subsides), the flow of the vaporizable material 1302 is directed away from the collector 1313 and into the storage chamber 1342. In particular, implementing the overflow channel 1104 with a smaller opening can prevent the vaporizable material 1302 from freely flowing into the collector 1313. The non-narrowing construction of the overflow channel 1101 in the direction leading to the air exchange port 1106 provides efficient storage of the vaporizable material 1302 in the collector 1313 during the second pressure state (e.g., negative pressure state) because the vaporizable material 1302 flows into the collector 1313 in a manner from a narrower section of the overflow channel 1104 into a larger volume section of the overflow channel 1104.

[0474] In this way, the diameter and shape of the collector structure 1313 can be achieved so that during a second pressure state (e.g., a negative pressure event), the flow of the vaporizable material 1302 through the gate 1102 and into the overflow channel 1104 is controlled at a desired rate in a manner that prevents the vaporizable material 1302 from flowing too freely (e.g., exceeding a specific flow rate or threshold) into the collector 1313 and also facilitates reverse flow back into the reservoir 1342 during a first pressure state (e.g., when the negative pressure event is alleviated). Notably, in one embodiment, the combination of the interaction between the vent 1002, the overflow channel 1104 in the collector 1313 constituting the overflow volume 1344, and the air exchange port 1106 provides for the proper venting of air bubbles that may be introduced into the cartridge due to various environmental factors, as well as a controlled flow of the vaporizable material 1302 into and out of the overflow channel 1104.

[0475] Mouthpiece embodiment

[0476] refer to Figure 11B (See also Figure 10C 、 10D ), in some embodiments, a portion of the cartridge 1320 including the storage chamber 1342 can be configured to further include a mouthpiece that can be used by a user to inhale the vaporized vaporizable material 1302. The airflow channel 1338 can extend through the storage chamber 1342, thereby connecting the vaporization chamber. Depending on the embodiment, the airflow channel 1338 can be, for example, a straw-shaped structure or a hollow cylinder that forms a channel within the storage chamber 1342 to allow the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 to pass through. Although the airflow channel can have a circular or at least approximately circular cross-sectional shape, it should be understood that other cross-sectional shapes of the airflow channel are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0477] The first end of the airflow channel 1338 can be connected to an opening at the first "mouthpiece" end of the reservoir 1342, from which a user can inhale the vaporized vaporizable material 1302. The second end of the airflow channel 1338 (opposite the first end) can be received in an opening at the first end of the collector 1313, as provided in further detail herein. Depending on the embodiment, the second end of the airflow channel 1338 can extend completely or partially through a receiving cavity that passes through the collector 1313 and connects to the wicking portion housing, where the wicking element 1362 can be housed.

[0478] In some configurations, the airflow channel 1338 can be an integral part of an integrally molded mouthpiece that includes the reservoir 1342, with the airflow channel 1338 extending through the reservoir 1342. In other configurations, the airflow channel 1338 can be a separate structure that can be separately inserted into the reservoir 1342. In some configurations, the airflow channel 1338 can be a structural extension of the body of the cartridge 1320 or the collector 1313, for example, extending inwardly from an opening in the mouthpiece portion.

[0479] Without limitation, a variety of different structural configurations can be used to connect the mouthpiece (and the airflow channel 1338 within the mouthpiece) to the air exchange port 1106 in the collector 1313. As provided herein, the collector 1313 can be inserted into the body of the cartridge 1320, which can also serve as the storage chamber 1342. In some embodiments, the airflow channel 1338 can be configured as an internal sleeve that is an integral part of the cartridge body, such that an opening in a first end of the collector 1313 can receive a first end of the sleeve structure forming the airflow channel 1338.

[0480] Reference Figures 18A-18D , some embodiments may include a vaporizer cartridge 1800 that includes a dual-barrel mouthpiece 1830 connected to two airflow channels 1838. In such embodiments, a higher dose of vaporized vaporizable material 1302 may be delivered compared to a single-barrel mouthpiece. Depending on the embodiment, the dual-barrel mouthpiece 1830 may also advantageously provide a smoother and more satisfying vaping experience.

[0481] Fluid Gate Embodiment

[0482] Reference Figures 10A to 11HDepending on the embodiment, various factors may be considered to help monitor and control the forward and reverse flow of vaporizable material 1302 into and out of collector 1313. Some of these factors may include configuring the capillary drive of the fluid vent (referred to herein as gate 1102). The capillary drive of gate 1102 may, for example, be less than the capillary drive of wicking element 1362. Additionally, the flow resistance of collector 1313 may be greater than the flow resistance of wicking element 1362. The overflow channel 1104 may have a smooth or corrugated inner surface to control the flow rate of vaporizable material 1302 through collector 1313. The overflow channel 1104 may be formed with a narrowing bend to provide appropriate capillary interactions and forces that restrict the flow rate through gate 1102 and into overflow volume 1344 during a first pressure state and promote reverse flow through gate 1102 and out of overflow volume 1344 during a second pressure state.

[0483] Additional modifications to the shape and structure of the collector 1313 components may be possible to help further regulate or fine-tune the flow of vaporizable material 1302 into and out of the collector 1313. For example, Figures 11A to 11H The smoothly curved spiral channel configuration shown (i.e., as opposed to a channel with sharp bends or edges) can allow additional features, such as one or more vents, channels, orifices, or constrictions, to be included in the collector 1313 at predetermined intervals along the overflow channel 1104. As provided in further detail herein, these additional features, structures, or configurations can help provide a higher degree of flow control of the vaporizable material 1302, for example, along the overflow channel 1104 or through the gate 1102.

[0484] It is worth noting that regardless of the various structural elements and embodiments discussed in the present disclosure, certain features and functions (e.g., capillary action between various components) can be implemented in the collector 1313 structure to help control the flow of the vaporizable material 1302 through (1) a single vent, single channel structure, (2) a single vent, multi-channel structure, or (3) a multi-vent, multi-channel structure.

[0485] refer to Figure 10E 、 11A, 11C, 11D, and 11E, exemplary structural configurations for collector 1313 are provided according to certain variations. As shown, a fully or partially inclined spiral surface can be employed to define one or more sides of the interior volume of overflow channel 1104 of collector 1313, such that vaporizable material 1302 can freely flow through overflow channel 1104 due to capillary pressure (or gravity) as vaporizable material 1302 enters overflow channel 1104. One or more optionally central channels or channels, such as central channel 1100, can be configured to extend through the longitudinal height of collector 1313, having two opposing ends.

[0486] At the first end, the central axis or central channel 1100 passing through the collector structure 1313 can interact with or be connected to the housing area in which the wicking element 1362 or the atomizer can be positioned. At the second end, the central channel 1100 can interact with, connect to, or receive one end of a conduit or tube that forms an airflow channel 1338 in the mouthpiece portion of the cartridge 1320. The first end of the airflow channel 1338 can be connected (e.g., by insertion) to the second end of the central channel 1100. The second end of the airflow channel 1338 can include an opening or orifice formed in the interface area.

[0487] According to one or more embodiments, the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 generated by the atomizer can enter through a first end of the central channel 1100 in the collector 1313, pass through the central channel 1100, and further exit the second end of the central channel 1100 into a first end of the airflow passage 1338. The vaporized vaporizable material 1302 can then travel through the airflow passage 1338 and exit through a mouthpiece opening formed at the second end of the airflow passage 1338.

[0488] The collector 1313 may be constructed as a separate piece having a structure or configuration that can be inserted into the body of the cartridge 1320 (e.g., see Figure 10C 、 11B , 11C-11E). When inserted, an airtight seal can be formed between the inner wall of the housing of the cartridge 1320 and the outer edge of the rib-like structure of the collector 1313 forming the spirally inclined surface. In other words, when the collector 1313 is inserted into the body of the cartridge 1320, the three walls of the overflow channel 1104 surrounded by the surface of the inner wall of the housing of the cartridge 1320 form the overflow channel 1104.

[0489] Thus, the overflow channel 1104 can be formed by the inner wall of the body of the cartridge 1320 surrounding the inner wall of the rib-like structure. As shown, the gate 1102 can be located at one end of the overflow channel 1104, toward where the storage chamber 1342 is located, to control and provide for the entry and exit of the vaporizable material 1302 into the overflow channel 1104 in the collector 1313. The air exchange port 1106 can be located toward the other end of the overflow channel 1104, preferably opposite the end where the gate 1102 is located.

[0490] The gate 1102 can control the flow of vaporizable material 1302 into and out of the overflow channel 1104 in the collector 1313. The air exchange port 1106 can control the flow of air into and out of the overflow channel 1104 through a connection path to ambient air to regulate the air pressure in the collector 1313, and thus regulate the air pressure in the storage chamber 1342 of the cartridge 1320, as provided in further detail herein. In certain embodiments, the air exchange port 1106 can be configured to prevent vaporizable material 1302 that may have filled the overflow channel 1104 of the collector 1313 (e.g., due to a negative pressure event) from exiting the overflow channel 1104.

[0491] In certain embodiments, the air exchange port 1106 can be configured to allow the vaporizable material 1302 to exit toward a route leading to an area where the wicking element 1362 is housed. Such an embodiment can help prevent the vaporizable material 1302 from leaking into the air flow path (e.g., the central channel 1100) leading to the mouthpiece, for example, during a negative pressure event. In some embodiments, the air exchange port 1106 can have a membrane that allows gaseous material (e.g., air bubbles) to enter and exit but prevents the vaporizable material 1302 from entering or exiting the collector 1313 through the air exchange port 1106.

[0492] See Figures 11C to 11H , the flow rate of vaporizable material 1302 into or out of collector 1313 through gate 1102 can be directly related to the volumetric pressure inside overflow channel 1104. Thus, the flow rate into and out of collector 1313 through gate 1102 can be controlled by controlling the hydraulic diameter of overflow channel 1104, such that a reduction in the overall volume of overflow channel 1104 (e.g., uniformly or by introducing multiple constrictions) can result in an increase in pressure in overflow channel 1104 and regulation of the flow rate into collector 1313. Thus, in at least one embodiment, the hydraulic diameter of overflow channel 1104 can be reduced along the length of the spiral path of overflow channel 1104, either uniformly or by introducing one or more constrictions 1111a (e.g., narrowing, constriction, or restriction).

[0493] Figures 11C to 11EBy way of example, two partial-length stages and three full-length stages are shown constructed on one or more sides of the collector 1313, wherein each full-length stage on the side shown in the figure has, for example, three pinch points 1111a. It is noted that in different embodiments, more or fewer stages or pinch points 1111a may be implemented, defined, constructed, or introduced to adjust the volume pressure in the collector 1313. For illustrative purposes, the pinch point 111a is clearly marked with a circle at an intermediate level of the collector 1313.

[0494] The constriction point 1111a can be formed or introduced along the length of the overflow channel 1104 in a variety of ways and shapes. Below, exemplary embodiments with different constriction points or shapes are disclosed to better illustrate certain features. However, it should be noted that these exemplary embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter to any particular configuration or shape.

[0495] Reference Figure 11C In one exemplary embodiment, the pinch point 1111a may be formed by a ridge, raised edge, protrusion, or projection (hereinafter referred to as a "protrusion") extending from the top or bottom or sidewall (or any or all of these) surfaces of the overflow channel 1104 (i.e., the vanes of the collector 1313). The shape of the protrusion may be defined as a ridge, finger, point, fin, edge, or any other shape that constrains the cross-sectional area transverse to the direction of flow in the overflow channel. Figure 11C In the illustration of FIG, a cross-sectional side view of a protrusion is shown, for example, similar to a shark fin shape, wherein the distal end of the protrusion narrows towards the edge.

[0496] like Figure 11C As shown, the pointed or cantilevered edge of the shark fin shape can be rounded. However, in other embodiments, the cantilevered edge can narrow to a sharp point. The sharpness, size, relative position, and placement frequency of the protrusions in the overflow channel 1104 can be controlled to further fine-tune the tendency of the meniscus separating the liquid and air to form within the overflow channel 1104.

[0497] For example, Figure 11C As shown, the protrusion may have a rounded face on one side and a flat face on the opposite side. The rounded face of the protrusion may face (i.e., point toward) the outward flow of vaporizable material 1302 (i.e., the flow exiting collector 1313 and entering storage chamber 1342), while the flat face of the protrusion may face the inward flow of vaporizable material 1302 through gate 1102 (i.e., the flow entering collector 1313 and exiting storage chamber 1342).

[0498] As described above, in various embodiments, the formation of protrusions along the overflow channel 1104 can be controlled in number, size, shape, location, and frequency to fine-tune the hydraulic / hydraulic flow rate of the vaporizable material 1302 flowing into and out of the collector 1313. For example, if it is desired to instead maintain a higher rate of incoming flow than outgoing flow in the overflow channel 1104, the protrusions can be shaped to have a flat side facing the outgoing flow and a rounded side facing the incoming flow to facilitate forming and maintaining a meniscus that prevents outward flow of liquid (e.g., away from the reservoir 1340) while allowing the meniscus to more easily break away from the side of the protrusion facing back toward the reservoir 1340. In this manner, a series of such protrusions can act as a "hydraulic ratchet" system, microfluidically encouraging liquid flow back into the reservoir relative to outward flow from the reservoir. This effect can be achieved, at least in part, by the relative tendency of the meniscus to break away from the reservoir side of the protrusion compared to the opposite side.

[0499] Reference again Figure 11C In one exemplary embodiment, in addition to (or instead of) protrusions extending from the bottom or top of the isopipe 1104, some protrusions may extend from the inner wall of the isopipe 1104. Figure 11F As shown more clearly, protrusions may extend from the inner wall of the isopipe 1104 at the same pinch point 1111a, with two additional protrusions extending from the bottom and top of the isopipe 1104, forming a C-shaped pinch point 1111a. Figure 11D and 11F The exemplary embodiment shown can more effectively adjust the microfluidic properties of the overflow channel 1104 to Figure 11C The embodiment shown promotes the flow of liquid back toward the reservoir 1340 because the hydraulic diameter of the overflow channel 1104 is Figure 11D and 11F The constriction point 1111a is shown as being more constricted (ie, narrowed).

[0500] The protrusions formed along the overflow channel 1104 do not need to be uniform in shape, size, frequency, or symmetry. That is, depending on the embodiment, different pinch points 1111a or 1111b can be implemented with different sizes, designs, shapes, locations, or frequencies along the overflow channel 1104. In one example, the shape of the pinch point 1111a or 1111b can resemble the shape of the letter C with a rounded inner diameter. In some embodiments, instead of forming the inner diameter into a rounded C shape, the inner wall of the pinch point can have corners (e.g., sharp corners), such as Figure 11F and Figure 11G Those corners shown in .

[0501] In some examples, the overflow channel 1104 may have a protrusion extending from the top of the overflow channel 1104 at a first height, and at a second height, the protrusion may extend from the bottom of the overflow channel 1104. At a third height, for example, the protrusion may extend from the inner wall. Alternatives to the above embodiments are possible by adjusting or changing the number of protrusions and the shape of the protrusions or positioning the protrusions in different orders or heights to help control the microfluidic flow effects in two directions within the overflow channel 1104. In one example, for example, a pinch point 1111a can be implemented on one or more (or all) heights, sides, or widths of the collector 1313.

[0502] refer to Figure 11E and Figure 11G In addition to defining a pinch point 1111a along the longer length of the overflow channel 1104 or the wider side of the collector 1313, one or more additional pinch points 1111b may be defined along the narrower side of the collector 1313. Figure 11D Compared with the implementation in Figure 11E and Figure 11G The exemplary embodiment shown in can improve the adjustment of the resistance in the overflow channel 1104 or promote the separation of the meniscus in a desired direction because the total hydraulic diameter (or flow) of the overflow channel 1104 is more constricted due to the addition of the additional constriction point 1111b.

[0503] refer to Figure 11F and Figure 11G For greater clarity, for example, each full height in the example shown may include three pinch points 1111a on each side, in addition to two or more pinch points 1111b. Thus, Figure 11D The collector 1313 may include a total of 18 pinch points, and Figure 11E The collector 1313 may include a total of 26 contraction points. In this example, since the capillary pressure is strengthened at the plurality of contraction points 1111a and 1111b, Figure 11E The embodiments shown in provide improved microfluidic flow control (eg, in the outward direction).

[0504] refer to Figure 11HIn some embodiments, the gate 1102 can be configured to include an orifice or opening configuration that, similar to the pinch points 1111a or 1111b, has a narrowed edge, rim, or flange that is flatter in one direction. For example, the edge of the gate 1102 orifice can be shaped to be flat on one side (e.g., the side facing the reservoir 1342) and rounded on the other side (e.g., the side facing away from the reservoir 1342). In this configuration, since the meniscus separates more easily on the less rounded side relative to the more rounded side, the microfluidic force that encourages backflow toward the reservoir 1340 to exceed flow away from the reservoir 1340 can be enhanced.

[0505] Accordingly, depending on the implementation and variations of the pinch point and the structure or configuration of the gate 1102, the resistance to flow of the vaporizable material 1302 out of the collector 1313 can be higher than the resistance to flow of the vaporizable material 1302 into the collector 1313 and toward the reservoir 1340. In certain embodiments, the gate 1102 is configured to maintain a liquid seal such that a layer of vaporizable material 1302 exists at the medium where the reservoir 1342 communicates with the overflow channel 1104 in the overflow volume 1344. The presence of the liquid seal can help maintain pressure equilibrium between the reservoir 1342 and the overflow volume 1344 to promote a sufficient level of vacuum (e.g., a partial vacuum) in the reservoir 1342, thereby preventing the vaporizable material 1302 from completely draining into the overflow volume 1344 and preventing the wicking element 1362 from losing sufficient saturation.

[0506] In one or more exemplary embodiments, a single throughflow or channel in the collector 1313 can be connected to the storage chamber 1342 by two vents so that the two vents maintain a liquid seal regardless of the positioning of the cartridge 1320. Forming a liquid seal at the gate 1102 can also help prevent air in the collector 1313 from entering the storage chamber 1342, even when the cartridge 1320 is held diagonally relative to the horizontal or when the cartridge 1320 is positioned with the mouthpiece facing downward. This is because if bubbles from the collector 1313 enter the reservoir, the pressure in the storage chamber 1342 will equalize to ambient pressure. In other words, if ambient air flows into the storage chamber 1342, the partial vacuum in the storage chamber 1342 (e.g., caused by the evaporable material 1302 being discharged through the wicking portion supply 1368) will be offset.

[0507] refer to Figures 11I to 11K, provides perspective views of alternative gate 1102 configurations for collector 1313 structures. These alternative configurations may provide advantages with respect to flow management and control of air and / or liquid vaporizable material 1302. In some instances, when the empty space in storage chamber 1342 (i.e., the headspace above vaporizable material 1302) contacts gate 1102, the headspace vacuum may not be maintained. As a result, as previously described, the liquid seal established at gate 1102 may be broken. This effect may be due to the inability of gate 1102 to maintain a fluid film when collector 1313 is evacuated and the headspace contacts gate 1102, resulting in a partial loss of headspace vacuum.

[0508] In certain embodiments, the headspace in the storage chamber 1342 may have ambient pressure, and if there is a hydrostatic offset between the gate 1102 and the atomizer in the cartridge 1320, the contents of the storage chamber 1342 may drain into the atomizer, causing the wicking cartridge to flood and leak. To avoid leakage, one or more embodiments may be implemented to remove the hydrostatic offset between the gate 1102 and the atomizer and maintain the function of the gate 1102 when the storage chamber 1342 is nearly empty.

[0509] like Figure 11I and Figure 11J As shown in the exemplary embodiment of , a miniaturized partition wall or labyrinth 1190 can be constructed around the gate 1102 to establish a high drive connection between the gate 1102 and the overflow channel 1104 in the collector 1313, thereby maintaining a liquid seal at the gate 1102. Figure 11J In the example of FIG. 1 , a groove structure 1190 is shown as a means of further improving the maintenance of a fluid seal at the gate 1102 according to one or more embodiments.

[0510] Controlled Fluid Gate Embodiments

[0511] Figures 11L to 11N A plan view and a close-up view of a controlled fluid gate 1102 in a collector 1313 structure according to one or more embodiments are shown. As shown, a passage or overflow channel 1104 in the collector 1313 can be connected to the storage chamber 1342 by, for example, a V-shaped or trumpet-shaped controlled fluid gate 1102, such that the V-shaped gate 1102 includes at least two (and desirably three) openings connected to the storage chamber 1342. As further detailed herein, a liquid seal can be maintained at the gate 1102 regardless of whether the cartridge 1320 is oriented vertically or horizontally.

[0512] like Figure 11LAs shown, on a first side of the vent, a vent path can be maintained between the overflow channel 1104 and the gate 1102, through which bubbles can escape from the overflow channel 1104 in the collector into the reservoir. On a second side, one or more high drive channels connected to the reservoir can be implemented to promote condensation at the condensation point 1122, thereby maintaining a liquid seal that prevents bubbles from prematurely exiting the overflow channel 1104 and entering the reservoir, and prevents air or vaporizable material 1302 from the reservoir from undesirably entering the overflow channel 1104.

[0513] According to an embodiment, due to the capillary pressure exerted by the liquid vaporizable material 1302 in the cartridge reservoir, Figure 11L The high drive channel shown by way of example on the right side of the is preferably kept sealed. Figure 11L The low drive channel on the upper surface of the microcontroller (shown on the left in FIG) can be configured to have a relatively lower capillary drive than the high drive channel, but still have sufficient capillary drive so that a liquid seal is maintained in both the high drive channel and the low drive channel in the first pressure state.

[0514] Accordingly, in a first pressure state (e.g., when the pressure inside the reservoir is approximately equal to or greater than ambient air pressure), a liquid seal is maintained in both the low drive channel and the high drive channel, thereby preventing any air bubbles from flowing into the reservoir. In contrast, in a second pressure state (e.g., when the pressure inside the reservoir is less than ambient air pressure), air bubbles formed in the overflow channel 1104 (e.g., by entering through the air exchange port 1106), or more generally, the leading meniscus edge of the liquid vaporizable material-air interface, can travel upward and toward the controlled fluid gate 1102. When the meniscus reaches the condensation point 1122 located between the low drive channel and the high drive channel of the vent 1104, air is preferentially directed through one or more of the low drive channels due to the higher capillary resistance present in the high drive channel.

[0515] Once the bubble has passed through the low drive channel portion of the gate 1102, the bubble enters the reservoir and causes the pressure inside the reservoir to equalize with the pressure of the ambient air. Thus, the air exchange port 1106, coupled to the controlled fluid gate 1102, allows ambient air entering through the overflow channel 1104 to enter the reservoir until an equilibrium pressure state is established between the reservoir and the ambient air. As previously described, this process can be referred to as reservoir venting. Once the equilibrium pressure state is established (e.g., transitioning from the second pressure state back to the first pressure state), a liquid seal is reestablished at the condensation point 1122 due to the presence of liquid in both the high drive channel and the low drive channel, which are supplied by the liquid evaporable material 1302 stored in the reservoir.

[0516] Figures 11O to 11X Shows when collected in Figures 11L to 11NThe air flow in the exemplary collector 1313 is managed to accommodate a snapshot of proper discharge as the meniscus of the vaporizable material 1302 continues to recede.

[0517] Figure 11O A receding meniscus is shown where the strength of the partial headspace vacuum increases as vaporizable material 1302 is removed from the reservoir into the wicking portion. This is sufficient to overcome the receding capillary drive of the meniscus, causing it to move back through the collector toward the pinch point where it will see the highest pressure differential as dictated by the geometry.

[0518] Figure 11P It shows how the meniscus passes a first junction in gate 1102 as it approaches gate 1102. At this first junction, the headspace partial vacuum is maximized because it corresponds to the minimum geometry in the gate 1102 structure, and the partial vacuum in the reservoir continues to grow until this point.

[0519] Figure 11Q The figure shows how multiple menisci recede as the headspace reaches maximum partial vacuum. The menisci are at tight bends across their major planes, and at these locations, the discharge pressures of the three channels are equal, and all three menisci recede simultaneously, as opposed to just one channel. Because the curvature of the menisci increases as they recede, the pressure differential across them decreases, and the partial vacuum in the headspace begins to decrease.

[0520] Figure 11R Shown is how the secondary meniscus begins to fill capillary channel.These channel geometrical constrictions are such that, as the meniscus continues to retreat, the capillary drive of the main channel reduces at a rate greater than the capillary drive of the secondary channel.This gradual reduction of capillary drive will reduce the partial headspace vacuum maintained.When the discharge pressure of the main meniscus drops to the discharge pressure lower than the secondary channel, the meniscus will continue to discharge, and the other meniscus remains stationary.The discharge pressure relating to the retreating contact angle of the main channel may drop to below the overflow pressure relating to the advancing contact angle of the secondary channel, thereby causing them to be refilled as shown in the figure.

[0521] Figure 11S The figure shows how a secondary meniscus from one of the two menisci in each secondary channel reaches the tangent point where the two menisci merge into one. This combined meniscus will have an increased curvature and thus a lower capillary drive. The higher drive of the primary meniscus allows the system to react instantaneously by making the primary meniscus an advancing meniscus. Subsequently, with the secondary meniscus remaining in this position, a receding of the primary meniscus may occur.

[0522] Figure 11TFigure 1 shows how the secondary meniscus moves toward the collector. With the reservoir filled with liquid, the primary meniscus will continue to recede, further reducing the partial vacuum in the headspace as its curvature increases. When the partial vacuum drops below the advancing capillary pressure of the secondary meniscus, the secondary meniscus will begin to advance again, driving to close the gap. With the reservoir empty or nearly empty, the liquid seal at gate 1102 will be stable until the bubble ruptures, connecting the headspace to the surrounding environment.

[0523] Figure 11U The diagram shows how the secondary meniscus closes the junction at gate 1102. Since the secondary meniscus will advance until it encounters the apex of the corner in the primary channel, the geometry is designed to force the secondary meniscus to split to fill both gate 1102 and the collector 1313 channel. These two newly formed menisci can be used to isolate the headspace from ambient air and thus re-establish a partial vacuum in the headspace, ensuring that leakage through the liquid supply channel is mitigated. Since the newly formed meniscus has a smaller curvature than before it split, it will continue to enter the channel due to increased capillary drive.

[0524] Figures 11V to 11X Bubbles are shown being released into reservoir 1342. As trapped bubbles in the main meniscus channel are expelled due to the imbalance created by the advancing and receding menisci, the pressure within cartridge 1320 reaches stability. Vaporizable material 1302 is then admitted through the right top channel, displacing the bubbles. Accordingly, while a high-drive channel structure can be provided via a closed groove near gate 1102, a shorter groove can alternatively be used to reduce the risk of bubble entrapment.

[0525] In some embodiments, the constricted channel can be designed to increase drive toward the controlled vent. Given the convergence of the two advancing menisci, the reservoir walls and channel floor can be configured to continue to provide drive, while the sidewalls provide a location for the menisci to converge. In one configuration, the net drive of the advancing meniscus does not exceed the net drive of the receding meniscus, thereby maintaining static stability of the system.

[0526] Multi-gate multi-channel collector embodiment

[0527] Reference Figure 12A and Figure 12B , showing an exemplary perspective side view and an exemplary plan side view of an embodiment of a single vent multi-channel collector 1200 structure. Figure 12A As shown, the collector 1200 is formed with a single gate 1202 and a plurality of channels 1204 (a) to 1204 (j). Figure 12AAs shown, in accordance with one or more embodiments, the gate 1202 can be positioned, for example, at the center or midpoint of the longitudinal width of the collector 1313 to allow the vaporizable material 1302 to enter at least a first channel 1204(a) of the collector 1313 and gradually expand into and through additional channels 1204(b) to 1204(j).

[0528] Depending on the embodiment, the location of the gate 1202 can be modified to be located in the middle, at the side, at a corner, or at any other location along the length or width of the collector 1313. The single vent, multi-channel collector 1200 structure can have the additional advantage of allowing the vaporizable material 1302 to enter through a single gate 1202 at a first flow rate and diffuse through the multiple channels 1204(a) to 1204(j) of the collector 1200 at a second flow rate (e.g., a faster rate than the first flow rate).

[0529] Advantageously, the single gate multi-channel collector 1200 structure allows the vaporizable material 1302 to flow from the storage chamber 1342 to the overflow volume 1344 (see Figure 3A ) and further allows for less controlled (e.g., less restricted) flow once the vaporizable material 1302 is in the overflow volume 1344. In certain embodiments, a multi-layer, multi-channel structure may be implemented such that, for example, Figure 12B As shown, the flow of vaporizable material 1302 in the first set of channels 1204(a) to 1204(f) is at a second rate, while the flow of vaporizable material 1302 in the second set of channels 1204(g) to 1204(k) is at a third rate. The third rate can be faster or slower than the second rate.

[0530] Accordingly, in Figure 12B In the exemplary embodiment shown, the vaporizable material 1302 can flow through the gate 1202 at a first rate, through the channels 1204(a) to 1204(f) at a second rate, and through the channels 1204(g) to 1204(k) at a third rate. In one or more embodiments, the second rate can be faster than both the first rate and the third rate, for example, such that the vaporizable material 1302 can have restricted flow through the gate 1202, less restricted flow through the first set of channels (e.g., layer 1), and relatively more restricted flow in the second set of channels (e.g., layer 2). This multi-layer configuration can help increase the flow rate through the collector 1200, but maintain controllable restriction of the rapid flow of the vaporizable material 1302 toward the wicking element 1362 once the vaporizable material 1302 enters the collector 1200.

[0531] exist Figure 12BIn the illustrated dual-layer embodiment, the first set of channels 1204(a) to 1204(f) (e.g., layer 1) may have a reversible configuration such that vaporizable material 1302 collected in the first set of channels can flow back into reservoir 1340. In contrast, the second set of channels 1204(g) to 1204(k) (e.g., layer 2) may not have a reversible configuration. In such an embodiment, because the second set of channels is close to the wicking element 1362, the vaporizable material 1302 is primarily drawn from the second set of channels and then from the first set of channels (e.g., layer 1, which acts as a retention chamber). As described above, having both reversible and irreversible configurations can help provide additional improvements to other embodiments described herein.

[0532] In some multi-layer embodiments, by configuring the second set of channels 1204(g)-1204(k) to be irreversible, additional assurance can be provided that the wicking element 1362 will not be undersupplied because the vaporizable material 1302 can be available proximate to the wicking element 1362 when stored in the second set of channels 1204(g)-1204(k) during an overflow event. Furthermore, in multi-layer embodiments, the opportunity for a strong flow of vaporizable material 1302 into the wicking portion housing during a negative pressure event can be prevented because, as previously described, the second set of channels 1204(g)-1204(k) can be configured to have a more restricted flow than the first set of channels 1204(a)-1204(f). Furthermore, due to the reversibility, the first set of channels 1204(a)-1204(f) can be free of a relatively large volume of vaporizable material 1302. In some embodiments, to increase or limit the reversibility or flow of vaporizable material 1302 in the first set of channels 1204(a) to 1204(f) or the second set of channels 1204(g) to 1204(k), an absorbent material (e.g., a sponge) may be introduced into one or both channel regions.

[0533] refer to Figure 13 , shows an exemplary perspective side view of a multi-vent multi-channel collector 1300 structure according to one or more embodiments. As shown, the collector 1300 can be positioned within the cartridge such that the collector 1300 has a dual exhaust 1301. This embodiment can allow the vaporizable material 1302 to flow into the channels 1204 at a relatively fast rate, particularly with Figure 21A and Figure 12B Compared to the single vent collector 1200 shown.

[0534] Wicking portion supply portion embodiment

[0535] Return Reference Figure 10C 、 10D, 11B, In certain variations, the collector 1313 can be configured to be insertably received by the receiving end of the storage chamber 1342. The end of the collector 1313 opposite the end received by the storage chamber 1342 can be configured to receive the wicking element 1362. For example, fork-shaped protrusions can be formed to securely receive the wicking element 1362. The wicking portion housing 1315 can be used to further secure the wicking element 1362 in a fixed position between the protrusions. This configuration can also help prevent the wicking element 1362 from significantly expanding and weakening due to oversaturation. Figure 11C 、 Figure 11D and Figure 11E Depending on the embodiment, one or more additional conduits, channels, tubes, or lumens running through the collector 1313 may be constructed or configured as a path for supplying the vaporizable material 1302 stored in the storage chamber 1342 to the wicking element 1362. In certain configurations, such as those discussed in further detail herein, the wicking supply conduit, tube, or lumen (i.e., wicking supply 1368) may extend generally parallel to the central channel 1100. In at least one configuration, there may be multiple wicking supplies extending diagonally along the length of the collector 1313, for example, independently or in association with a wicking exchange section including one or more other wicking supplies.

[0536] In some embodiments, multiple wicking portion feeds can be interconnected in a multi-linked configuration so that interchanges of feed paths, which may cross each other, can lead to the wicking portion housing region. This configuration can help prevent complete blockage of the wicking portion feed mechanism if, for example, one or more feed paths in the wicking portion feed interchange are blocked, for example, by the formation of bubbles or other types of blockages. Advantageously, the multiple feed path approach can allow the vaporizable material 1302 to safely travel through one or more paths (or cross to different but open paths) toward the wicking portion housing region even if some paths or routes in the wicking portion feed interchange are completely or partially blocked or obstructed.

[0537] According to an embodiment, the wicking portion supply path can be shaped as a tube, having, for example, a circular or multi-faceted cross-shaped diameter shape. For example, the hollow cross-section of the wicking portion supply portion can be triangular, rectangular, pentagonal or any other suitable geometric shape. In one or more embodiments, the cross-sectional periphery of the wicking portion supply portion can be a hollow cross-shaped, for example, so that the arms of the cross portion have a narrower width relative to the diameter of the central intersection of the cross portion from which the arms extend. More generally, the wicking portion supply channel (also referred to herein as the "first channel") can be a cross-sectional shape having at least one irregular portion (e.g., a protrusion, a side channel, etc.) that provides an alternative flow path for the liquid vaporizable material in the event that an air bubble blocks the rest of the cross-sectional area of ​​the wicking portion supply portion. The cross-sectional cross-section of the current example is an example of such a structure, but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other shapes consistent with the current disclosure are also considered and feasible.

[0538] A cross-shaped conduit or tube embodiment formed by the wicking portion supply path can overcome the clogging problem because the cross-shaped tube can be essentially considered to include five separate paths (e.g., a central path formed at the hollow center of the cross and four additional paths formed in the hollow arms of the cross). In such an embodiment, a blockage in the supply tube due to an air bubble, for example, would likely form at the central portion of the cross-shaped tube, leaving the sub-paths (i.e., the paths through the arms of the cross-shaped tube) open to convection.

[0539] According to one or more aspects, the wicking portion supply path can be sufficiently wide to allow the vaporizable material 1302 to freely travel through the supply path and toward the wicking portion. In some embodiments, flow through the wicking portion supply can be enhanced or regulated by designing the relative diameters of certain portions of the wicking portion supply to enhance capillary pull or pressure on the vaporizable material 1302 traveling through the wicking portion supply path. In other words, depending on the shape and other structural or material factors, some wicking portion supply paths can rely on gravity or capillary forces to cause the vaporizable material 1302 to move toward the wicking portion housing portion.

[0540] In a cross-shaped tube embodiment, for example, the feed path through the arms of the cross-shaped tube can be configured to feed the wicking portion via capillary pressure rather than relying on gravity. In such an embodiment, the central portion of the cross-shaped tube can feed the wicking portion due to gravity, for example, while the flow of vaporizable material 1302 in the arms of the cross-shaped tube can be supported by capillary pressure. Note that the cross-shaped tube disclosed herein is for the purpose of providing an exemplary embodiment. The concepts and functionality implemented in this exemplary embodiment can be extended to wicking portion feed paths having different cross-sectional shapes (e.g., a tube having a hollow star-shaped cross section with two or more arms extending from a central channel extending along the wicking portion feed path).

[0541] refer to Figure 11C , illustrates the construction of an example collector 1313 in which two wicking portion feeds 1368 are positioned on opposite sides of a central channel 1100 so that vaporizable material 1302 can enter the feeds and flow directly to a cavity area at the other end of the collector 1313 where a housing for the wicking portion is formed.

[0542] The wicking portion supply mechanism can be formed through the collector 1313 such that at least one wicking portion supply path in the collector 1313 can be shaped as a multi-faceted, cross-diameter hollow tube. For example, the hollow cross-section of the wicking portion supply can be in the shape of a plus sign (e.g., a hollow cross-shaped wicking portion supply if viewed from a top cross-sectional view), such that the arms of the cross have a relatively narrow width relative to the diameter of the central intersection of the cross from which the arms extend.

[0543] A conduit or tube having a cross-shaped diameter formed through the capillary supply path can overcome the clogging problem because the tube having the cross-shaped diameter can be considered to include five separate paths (e.g., a central path formed at the hollow center of the cross and four additional paths formed in the hollow arms of the cross). In such an embodiment, a blockage in the supply tube due to an air bubble (e.g., an air bubble) will likely form in the central portion of the cross-shaped tube.

[0544] Even if the central path is blocked by bubbles, this central positioning of the bubbles will ultimately keep the sub-paths (i.e., the paths through the arms of the cross-shaped tube) open to the flow of vaporizable material 1302. Other embodiments of the wicking portion feed channel structure are possible that can achieve the same or similar objectives as disclosed above with respect to trapping bubbles or preventing trapped bubbles from completely blocking the wicking portion feed channel.

[0545] Adding more vents to the structure of collector 1300 can allow for faster flow rates (depending on the embodiment) because a relatively larger collective volume of vaporizable material 1302 can be displaced when additional vents are available. Thus, even if not explicitly shown, embodiments with more than two vents (e.g., three-vent embodiments, four-vent embodiments, etc.) are within the scope of the disclosed subject matter.

[0546] Reference Figure 14A and 14B , some embodiments may include a collector 1400 structure having a dual supply for the wicking portion. In such embodiments, the wicking portion may have a higher degree of saturation and a lower chance of exhaustion than embodiments providing a single supply.

[0547] Reference Figure 15A 、 Figure 15B and Figure 15C, provides a perspective view and a flat side cross-sectional view of an example collector structure for a dual-feed wicking portion 1562. As shown, the wicking portion 1562 can be arranged or housed in the cartridge 1500 so as to provide at least two separate wicking portion feeds 1566 and 1568, thereby allowing the vaporizable material 1302 to travel toward the area of ​​the cartridge 1500 where the wicking portion 1562 is housed.

[0548] As previously described, the dual wicking portion supply can have the advantage of providing, for example, double the flow of vaporizable material 1302 to the wicking portion 1562 compared to the single wicking portion supply alternative. Advantageously, the dual wicking portion supply embodiment provides ample supply to the wicking portion 1562 and helps prevent the wicking portion 1562 from drying out if, for example, one of the wicking portion supplies is blocked. As shown, the lower portion of the wicking portion 1562 can extend downward into the area of ​​the cartridge 1500 that forms the heating chamber or atomizer.

[0549] Reference Figure 16A , provides a planar cross-sectional side view of an example cartridge with a dual trumpet or dual feed wicking portion 1562 positioned within a collector structure. Figure 16B is a planar cross-sectional side view of an example collector structure into which the wicking portion 1562 may be housed. Figure 16C A perspective view of an example cartridge according to one or more embodiments is provided. As shown, a first end of the wicking portion 1562 can have two or more feeds, flares, or flanged ends configured to at least partially engage two or more wicking portion openings in the divider 1513, such that at least one of the flanged ends, for example, tangentially engages or extends at least partially into the volume in the storage chamber 1542.

[0550] According to one or more embodiments, the cartridge 1500 may include a reservoir having a storage chamber 1542 for storing vaporizable material 1302. An auxiliary volume 1510, separable from the storage chamber 1542, may also be formed within the cartridge 1500. The auxiliary volume 1510 may be in communication with the storage chamber 1542 via one or more wicking supply portions 1590. The auxiliary volume 1510 may be configured to house at least a wicking portion 1562. The wicking portion 1562 may be configured to absorb vaporizable material 1302 that passes through the wicking supply portion 1590 such that, upon thermal interaction with the atomizer, the vaporizable material 1302 is absorbed into the wicking portion 1562 and converted into at least one of a vapor or an aerosol. The wicking portion 1562 may be at least partially defined by one or more heating elements of the atomizer located within the auxiliary volume 1510. A partition 1513 may be provided for at least partially separating the storage chamber 1542 from the auxiliary volume 1510 so that the flow of vaporizable material 1302 through the wicking portion supply 1590 can be controlled. At least a first portion of the wicking portion supply 1590 may be formed by at least one or more openings in the partition 1513.

[0551] At least a second portion of the wicking portion supply 1590 may include a vaporizable material passageway connecting one or more openings in the divider 1513 to the auxiliary volume 1510. An airflow passageway 1538 may be provided for connecting the auxiliary volume 1510 to the mouthpiece so that vaporizable material 1302, which has been converted to vapor, exits the auxiliary volume 1510 through the airflow passageway 1538 toward the mouthpiece.

[0552] Reference Figure 16A 、 Figure 16B 、 Figure 16C 、 Figure 17A and Figure 17B , provides a perspective view of a first side of a cartridge and a cross-sectional view of a second side of the cartridge having a wicking portion 1562 protruding into a storage chamber 1542. The wicking portion 1562 may include at least a first end 1592 and a second end 1594, the first end 1592 being proximate to the divider 1513 and the second end extending distally in a direction opposite to the first end 1592.

[0553] The first end 1592 of the wicking portion 1562 can at least partially protrude through the wicking portion opening in the divider 1530 to extend at least partially into the volume in the storage chamber 1542. In one aspect, the first end 1592 of the wicking portion 1562 can at least partially protrude through the wicking portion opening in the divider 1530 to at least tangentially engage the volume in the storage chamber 1542.

[0554] Figure 26AThe diagram illustrates a perspective view, a front view, a side view, a bottom view, and a top view of an example embodiment of a collector 1313 having a V-shaped gate 1102. Figure 25 and Figures 26A to 26D As shown, the collector 1313 can be assembled within the cavity in the cartridge 1320 along with additional components such as the wicking element 1362, the heating element 1350, and the wicking portion housing 1315. The wicking element 1362 can be located between the second end of the collector 1313 and the heating element 1350 surrounding the wicking element 1362. During assembly, the collector 1313, the wicking element 1362, and the heating element 1350 can be assembled together and covered by the wicking portion housing 1315 before being inserted into the cavity in the cartridge 1320.

[0555] The wicking portion housing 1315 can be inserted into the end of the cartridge 1320 opposite the mouthpiece along with the other mentioned components to hold the components therein in a pressure-tight or press-fit manner. The seal or fit of the wicking portion housing 1315 and the collector 1313 within the inner wall of the receiving sleeve of the cartridge 1320 is desirably tight enough to prevent leakage of the vaporizable material 1302 held in the reservoir of the cartridge 1320. In some embodiments, the pressure seal between the wicking portion housing 1315 and the collector 1313 and the inner wall of the receiving sleeve of the cartridge 1320 is also tight enough to prevent manual removal of the components by hand by a user.

[0556] Reference Figure 10C 、 Figure 10D 、 Figure 11B 、 Figure 26B and Figure 26C In some variations, the collector 1313 can be configured to be insertably received by the receiving end of the storage chamber 1342. Figure 26B and Figure 26C As shown in FIG, the end of the collector 1313 opposite the end received by the storage chamber 1342 can be configured to receive the wicking element 1362. For example, the fork-shaped protrusion 1108 can be formed to securely receive the wicking element 1362. Figure 26B and Figure 26C As shown in the cross-sectional view at the bottom of the wicking portion, the wicking portion housing 1315 can be used to further secure the wicking element 1362 in a fixed position between the prongs 1108. This configuration can also help prevent the wicking element 1362 from significantly expanding and weakening due to oversaturation.

[0557] refer to Figure 26BIn one embodiment, the wicking element 1362 can be constrained or compressed at certain locations along its length (e.g., toward the longitudinal distal end of the wicking element 1362, which is positioned directly below the wicking portion supply 1368) via compression ribs 1110 to help prevent leakage by, for example, maintaining a larger area saturated with the vaporizable material 1302 toward the end of the wicking element 1362, such that the central portion of the wicking element 1362 remains drier and less prone to leakage. Additionally, the use of compression ribs 1110 can further compress the wicking element 1362 into the atomizer housing to prevent leakage into the atomizer.

[0558] Reference Figures 26D to 26F , illustrates a top plan view of an example wicking portion feed mechanism formed by or configured to pass through collector 1313, according to one or more embodiments. Figure 26D As shown in FIG, at least one wicking section feed 1368 path in the collector 1313 can be shaped as a multi-faceted, cross-diameter hollow tube. For example, the hollow cross-section of the wicking section feed 1368 path can be in the shape of a plus sign (e.g., a hollow cross-shaped wicking section feed if viewed from a top cross-sectional view), such that the arms of the cross have a relatively narrow width relative to the diameter of the central intersection of the cross from which the arms extend.

[0559] Reference Figure 26E , a conduit or tube having a cross-shaped diameter formed through the path of the wicking portion supply 1368 can overcome the clogging problem, indicating that the tube having a cross-shaped diameter can be considered to include five separate paths (e.g., a central path formed at the hollow center of the cross and four additional paths formed in the hollow arms of the cross). In such an embodiment, a blockage in the supply tube via an air bubble (e.g., an air bubble) will likely form in the central portion of the cross-shaped tube, as shown in FIG. Figure 26E This central positioning of the bubbles will eventually allow the sub-paths (ie, the paths through the arms of the cross-shaped tube) to remain open to the flow of vaporizable material 1302 even when the central path is blocked by the bubbles.

[0560] Reference Figure 26F Other embodiments of the wicking portion supply portion 1368 path structure that can achieve the same or similar purposes as disclosed above regarding capturing bubbles or preventing captured bubbles from completely blocking the wicking portion supply portion 1368 path are also feasible. Figure 26FAs shown in the example illustration of FIG, one or more droplet-shaped protrusions 1368a / 1368b (e.g., shaped similar to one or more separate joints between which the wicking section supply section 1368 path is located) can be formed at the end of the wicking section supply section 1368 path through which the vaporizable material 1302 flows from the storage chamber 1342 into the collector 1313 to help guide the vaporizable material 1302 through the wicking section supply section 1368 path while air bubbles are trapped in the central region of the wicking section supply section 1368 path. In this way, a reasonably controllable and consistent flow of vaporizable material 1302 can flow to the wicking section, preventing the wicking section from being insufficiently saturated with vaporizable material 1302.

[0561] Heating element embodiments

[0562] Reference Figures 18A-18D The evaporator cartridge 1800 may also include a heating element 1850 (e.g., a flat heating element), as described above. The heating element 1850 includes a first portion 1850A positioned generally parallel to the airflow channel 1838 and a second portion 1850B positioned generally perpendicular to the airflow channel 1838. As shown, the first portion 1850A of the heating element 1850 may be positioned between opposing portions of the collector 1813. When the heating element 1850 is activated, heat is generated, for example due to the flow of current through the heating element 1850, thereby causing the temperature to increase.

[0563] Heat can be transferred to a quantity of vaporizable material 1302 by conductive, convective, and / or radiative heat transfer, causing at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 to vaporize. Heat transfer can occur to vaporizable material 1302 in a reservoir, to vaporizable material 1302 being drawn from a collector 1813, and / or to vaporizable material 1302 drawn into a wicking portion held by a heating element 1850. Air entering the vaporizer device flows along an air path that traverses the heating element 1850, causing the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 to be separated from the heating element 1850 and / or the wicking portion. The vaporized vaporizable material 1302 can condense due to cooling, pressure changes, etc., causing it to exit the mouthpiece 1830 through at least one of the airflow channels 1838 as an aerosol for inhalation by a user. Reference Figures 19A-19C, the vaporizer cartridge 1900 can include a foldable heating element 1950 and two airflow channels 1938. As described above, the heating element 1950 can be rolled around the wicking portion 1962 or pre-formed to receive the wicking portion 1962. The heating element 1950 can include one or more raking wings 1950A. The raking wings 1950A can be located in the heating portion of the heating element 1950 and designed so that the resistance of the raking wings 1950A matches the appropriate amount of resistance to affect localized heating in the heating element 1950, thereby more efficiently and effectively heating the vaporizable material 1302 from the wicking portion 1962.

[0564] Rake wings 1950A form fine-path heating segments or traces connected in series and / or in parallel to provide a desired amount of resistance. The specific geometry of rake wings 1950A can be selected as desired to produce a specific localized resistance for heating heating element 1950. For example, rake wings 1950A can include one or more of the various rake wing configurations and features described and discussed in greater detail below. When heating element 1950 is activated, heat is generated due to the flow of current through heating element 1950, resulting in an increase in temperature. The heat is transferred to a quantity of vaporizable material 1302 via conductive, convective, and / or radiative heat transfer, causing at least a portion of vaporizable material 1302 to evaporate. Heat transfer can occur to vaporizable material 1302 in a reservoir, to vaporizable material 1302 drawn from collector 1913, and / or to vaporizable material 1302 drawn into wicking portion 1962 held by heating element 1950. In some embodiments, vaporizable material 1302 may be vaporized along one or more edges of rake wings 1950A.

[0565] Air entering the vaporizer device flows along an air path across the heating element 1950, causing the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 to be separated from the heating element 1950 and / or the wicking portion 1962. The vaporized vaporizable material 1302 may condense due to cooling, pressure changes, etc., causing it to exit the mouthpiece through at least one of the airflow channels 1938 as an aerosol for inhalation by the user. Figures 20A-20C , the vaporizer cartridge 2000 can include a foldable heating element 2050 and a single (e.g., central) airflow channel 2038. As described above, the heating element 2050 can be rolled around a wicking portion 2062 or pre-formed to receive the wicking portion 2062. The heating element 2050 can include one or more rake wings 2050A. The rake wings 2050A can be located in the heating portion of the heating element 2050 and designed such that the resistance of the rake wings 2050A matches the appropriate resistance to effect localized heating in the heating element 2050, thereby more efficiently and effectively heating the vaporizable material from the wicking portion 2062.

[0566] The rake wings 2050A form fine path heating segments or traces connected in series and / or in parallel to provide a desired amount of resistance. The specific geometry of the rake wings 2050A can be selected as desired to produce a specific localized resistance for heating the heating element 2050. For example, the rake wings 2050A can include one or more of the various rake wing configurations described in more detail below.

[0567] When the heating element 2050 is activated, heat is generated due to the flow of current through the heating element 2050, resulting in an increase in temperature. The heat is transferred to a quantity of vaporizable material 1302 by conductive, convective, and / or radiative heat transfer, causing at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 to evaporate. The heat transfer can occur to the vaporizable material 1302 in the reservoir, to the vaporizable material 1302 drawn from the collector 2013, and / or to the vaporizable material 1302 drawn into the wicking portion 2062 held by the heating element 2050.

[0568] In some embodiments, the vaporizable material 1302 can be evaporated along one or more edges of the rake wings 2050A. Air passing through the vaporizer device flows along an air path across the heating element 2050, causing the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 to be separated from the heating element 2050 and / or the wicking portion 2062. The vaporized vaporizable material 1302 can condense due to cooling, pressure changes, etc., so that it exits the mouthpiece through at least one airflow channel as an aerosol for inhalation by the user.

[0569] Reference Figure 10C 、 Figure 11B and Figure 21A In some embodiments, the collector 1313 can be configured to include flat ribs 2102 extending from a lower periphery of the collector 1313 to create a suitable surface for welding the collector 1313 to an inner wall of the storage chamber 1342 after the collector 1313 has been inserted into a receiving cavity or receptacle in the storage chamber 1342.

[0570] Depending on the embodiment, full circumferential welding or tack welding options can be used to securely secure the collector 1313 within the receiving cavity or receptacle in the storage chamber 1342. In some embodiments, a friction-tight and leak-proof connection can be established without using welding techniques. In some embodiments, an adhesive material can be used instead of or in addition to the above-mentioned connection techniques.

[0571] Reference Figure 11B and Figure 21BAccording to one or more aspects, the sealing bead profile 2104 can be fashioned around the periphery of the spiral ribs of the collector 1313 defining the overflow channel 1104 so that the sealing bead profile 2104 can support a fast rotation injection molding process. The geometry of the sealing bead profile 2104 can be designed in various ways so that the collector 1313 can be inserted into a receiving cavity or receptacle in the storage chamber 1342 in a friction-tight manner, wherein the vaporizable material 1302 can flow through the overflow channel 1104 without any leakage along the sealing bead profile 2104.

[0572] Reference Figure 22A 、 Figure 22B and Figures 82-86 , the vaporizer cartridge 2200 can include a foldable heating element (e.g., heating element 500) and two airflow channels 2238. As described above, the heating element 500 can be rolled around the wicking portion 2262 or pre-formed to receive the wicking portion 2262. The heating element 500 can include one or more raking wings 502. The raking wings 502 can be located in the heating portion of the heating element 500 and designed such that the resistance of the raking wings 502 matches the appropriate amount of resistance to affect localized heating in the heating element 500, thereby more efficiently and effectively heating the vaporizable material 1302 from the wicking portion 2262.

[0573] The rake wings 502 form fine-path heating segments or traces connected in series and / or in parallel to provide a desired amount of resistance. The specific geometry of the rake wings 502 can be selected as desired to produce a specific localized resistance for heating the heating element 500. For example, the rake wings 502 and the heating element 500 can include one or more of the various rake wing configurations and features described in greater detail below. In some embodiments, the rake wings 502 include a platform rake wing portion 524 and a side rake wing portion 526. The platform rake wing portion 524 is configured to contact one end of the wicking portion 2262, and the side rake wing portion 526 is configured to contact the opposite side of the wicking portion 2262. The platform rake wing portion 524 and the side rake wing portion 526 form a pocket shaped to receive and / or conform to the shape of at least a portion of the wicking portion 2262. The pocket allows the wicking portion 2262 to be secured by the heating element 500 and retained within the pocket. In some embodiments, the side rake wing portions 526 and the platform rake wing portion 524 hold the wicking portion 2262 via compression. The platform rake wing portion 524 and the side rake wing portion 526 contact the wicking portion 2262 to provide multi-dimensional contact between the heating element 500 and the wicking portion 2262. The multi-dimensional contact between the heating element 500 and the wicking portion 2262 provides for a more efficient and / or faster transfer of the vaporizable material 1302 from the reservoir of the vaporizer cartridge to the heating portion (via the wicking portion 2262) to be vaporized. The heating element 500 may include one or more legs 506 extending from the rake wing 502 and a cartridge contact 124 formed at an end of the one or more legs 506 and / or as a part of at least one of the one or more legs. As an example, Figures 22A-22B and Figures 82-86 The heating element 500 is shown as having four legs 506. At least one of the legs 506 may include and / or define one of the cartridge contacts 124, which is configured to contact a corresponding one of the receptacle contacts 125 of the vaporizer. In some embodiments, a pair of legs 506 (and the cartridge contact 124) may contact a single one of the receptacle contacts 125.

[0574] The legs 506 can be spring-loaded to allow the legs 506 to maintain contact with the receptacle contacts 125. The legs 506 can include curved portions to help maintain contact with the receptacle contacts 125. Spring-loading the legs 506 and / or curvature of the legs 506 can help increase and / or maintain consistent pressure between the legs 506 and the receptacle contacts 125. In some embodiments, the legs 506 are coupled to support members 176 that help increase and / or maintain consistent pressure between the legs 506 and the receptacle contacts 125. The support members 176 can include plastic, rubber, or other material that helps maintain contact between the legs 506 and the receptacle contacts 125. In some embodiments, the support members 176 are formed as part of the legs 506.

[0575] The legs 506 may contact one or more wiping contacts configured to clean the connection between the cartridge contact 124 and other contacts or the power source 112. For example, the wiping contacts would include at least two parallel but offset bosses that frictionally engage and slide against each other in a direction parallel or perpendicular to the direction of insertion.

[0576] In some embodiments, the legs 506 include retainer portions 180 that are configured to bend around at least a portion of the wicking portion housing 178 surrounding at least a portion of the wicking portion 2262. The retainer portions 180 form the ends of the legs 506. The retainer portions 180 help secure the heating element 500 and the wicking portion 2262 to the wicking portion housing 178 (and the vaporizer cartridge).

[0577] When the heating element 500 is activated, the temperature increases due to the flow of current through the heating element 500 to generate heat. The heat is transferred to a quantity of vaporizable material 1302 by conductive, convective, and / or radiative heat transfer, causing at least a portion of the vaporizable material 1302 to evaporate. The heat transfer can occur to the vaporizable material 1302 in the reservoir, to the vaporizable material 1302 drawn from the collector 2213, and / or to the vaporizable material 1302 drawn into the wicking portion 2262 held by the heating element 500.

[0578] In some embodiments, the vaporizable material 1302 can be vaporized along one or more edges of the rake wings 502. Air entering the vaporizer device flows along an air path across the heating element 500, causing the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 to be separated from the heating element 500 and / or the wicking portion 2262. The vaporized vaporizable material 1302 can condense due to cooling, pressure changes, etc., causing it to exit the mouthpiece through at least one of the airflow channels 2238 as an aerosol for inhalation by the user. Figure 23 A cross-sectional view of a wicking portion housing 178 consistent with an embodiment of the current subject matter is illustrated. The wicking portion housing 178 can include wicking portion support ribs 2296 that extend from the outer shell of the wicking portion housing 178 toward the wicking portion 2262 when assembled. The wicking portion support ribs 2296 help prevent the wicking portion 2262 from deforming during assembly.

[0579] Figure 24 An example of a wicking portion housing 178 is illustrated that includes an identification chip 2295. The identification chip 2295 can be at least partially retained by the wicking portion housing 178. The identification chip 2295 can be configured to communicate with a corresponding chip reader located on the vaporizer.

[0580] Figure 25The diagram shows a perspective view, a front view, a side view, and an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of a cartridge 1320 having a press-fit component. As shown, the cartridge 1320 can include a mouthpiece-reservoir combination formed in the form of a sleeve, with an airflow channel 1338 defined as passing through the sleeve. An area in the cartridge 1320 accommodates the collector 1313, the wicking element 1362, the heating element 1350, and the wicking portion housing 1315. An opening at the first end of the collector 1313 leads to the airflow channel 1338 in the mouthpiece and provides a route for the evaporated vaporizable material 1302 to travel from the heating element 1350 area to the mouthpiece, where the user inhales.

[0581] Additional and / or Alternative Fluid Vent Embodiments

[0582] Reference FIG. 27A to FIG. 27B , shows a front close-up plan view of an example flow management mechanism in a collector 1313 structure. Figure 11M and Figure 11N In the flow management mechanism discussed above, in different embodiments, the flow management vent mechanism 2701 or 2702 can be implemented in various shapes. Figure 27A In the example of FIG. 1 , the channel or overflow channel 1104 in the collector 1313 may be connected to the storage chamber via, for example, a fluid vent 2701 such that the vent 2701 comprises at least two openings connected to the storage chamber of the cartridge.

[0583] As previously described, a liquid seal can be maintained at the vent 2701 regardless of the orientation of the cartridge. On one side, a vent path can be maintained between the overflow channel and the vent 2701. On the other side, a high drive channel can be implemented to promote polycondensation to maintain a liquid seal.

[0584] Figure 27B An alternative vent 2702 configuration is shown having three openings connected to the storage chamber of the cartridge using convergent paths that prevent the liquid seal between the vent 2701 and the storage chamber from being breached.

[0585] Figure 28 FIGURE 1 illustrates a management system according to one embodiment. Figure 27A or Figure 27B An instant snapshot of the flow of vaporizable material collected in the example collector to adjust to the appropriate ventilation in the cartridge storage chamber. As shown in the figure, Figure 27A The structure of the vent 2701 in the embodiment can be different from the following aspects: Figure 27B The vent 2702 in the latter embodiment is different from the vent 2702 in that the structure of the latter vent 2702 is set as an open area on one side, rather than Figure 27AThis more open embodiment provides for enhanced microfluidic interaction between the vaporizable material 1302 and the open side of the vent 2702.

[0586] Reference Figures 29A to 29C , which illustrates a perspective view, a front view, and a side view of an example embodiment of a cartridge. The cartridge, as shown, can be assembled from multiple components, including a collector, a heating element, and a wicking housing that holds the cartridge components in place when inserted into the cartridge body. In one embodiment, a laser weld can be implemented at a circumferential joint approximately at the point / location where one end of the collector structure meets the wicking housing. The laser weld prevents the liquid vaporizable material 1302 from flowing from the collector into the heating chamber where the atomizer is located.

[0587] Reference Figures 30A to 30F , depicting perspective views of example cartridges at different fill capacities. As previously described, the overflow volume can be configured to have a volumetric size equal to, approximately equal to, or greater than an increase in the volume of the contents contained within the storage chamber. When the volume of the contents within the storage chamber expands due to one or more environmental factors, if the volume of the contents contained within the storage chamber is X, then when the pressure within the storage chamber increases to Y, Z amount of vaporizable material 1302 can be displaced from the storage chamber into the overflow volume. Thus, in one or more embodiments, the overflow volume is configured to be at least large enough to contain Z amount of vaporizable material 1302.

[0588] Figure 30A Illustrated is a perspective view of an example cartridge body having a reservoir adapted to accommodate storage of, for example, a volume of approximately 1.20 mL of vaporizable material 1302 when filled. Figure 30B A perspective view of an example cartridge is illustrated in a fully assembled state, wherein the storage chamber and collector overflow channel contain a combined volume of vaporizable material 1302 of approximately 1.20 mL, for example, when both are filled. Figure 30C Illustrated is a perspective view of an example cartridge in a fully assembled state when the collector overflow channel is filled to a volume of, for example, approximately 0.173 mL. Figure 30D Illustrated is a perspective view of an example cartridge in a fully assembled state when the storage chamber is filled to a volume of approximately 0.934 mL, for example. Figure 30E A perspective view of an example cartridge is shown in a fully assembled state, with the wicking portion feed channel having a volume of, for example, approximately 0.094 mL and the airflow channels in the mouthpiece shown in cutaway. Figure 30F A perspective view of an example cartridge is shown in a fully assembled state, wherein the overflow air channel is incorporated into the portion of the collector towards the bottom rib, the flow air channel having a volume of, for example, approximately 0.043 mL. Figures 31A to 31CA front view of an example cartridge according to one embodiment is shown, wherein the collector and the closure plug are inserted into the body of the cartridge ( Figure 31B ) to form a fully assembled cartridge ( Figure 31C ) before performing a double needle filling application to fill the reservoir of the cartridge ( Figure 31A ). Figure 34A and Figure 34B The diagram shows a front view and a side view of an example cartridge body with an external airflow path. In some embodiments, one or more gates (also referred to as air inlet holes) may be provided on the evaporator body 110. The inlet holes may be located within the air inlet channel and have a width, height, and depth sized to prevent a user from inadvertently blocking each individual air inlet hole when holding the evaporator 100. In one aspect, the air inlet channel structure may be long enough so that, if, for example, a user's finger blocks an area of ​​the air inlet channel, it does not significantly block or restrict airflow through the air inlet channel.

[0589] In some configurations, the geometry of the air inlet channel can provide for at least one of a minimum length, a minimum depth, or a maximum width, for example, to ensure that a user cannot completely cover or block the air inlet holes in the air inlet channel with a hand or other body part. For example, the length of the air inlet channel can be longer than the width of an average human finger, and the width and depth of the air inlet channel can be such that when a user's finger presses on the top of the channel, the resulting skin folds do not contact the air inlet holes in the air inlet channel.

[0590] The air inlet passage can be constructed or formed to have rounded edges or shaped to wrap around one or more corners or areas of the evaporator body 110 so that the air inlet passage is not easily covered by a user's fingers or body parts. In certain embodiments, an optional cover can be provided to protect the air inlet passage so that a user's fingers do not block or completely restrict airflow into the air inlet passage. In one example embodiment, the air inlet passage can be formed at the interface between the evaporator cartridge 120 and the evaporator body 110 (e.g., at the receptacle area - see Figure 1 In this embodiment, since the air inlet passage is formed in the receptacle area, the air inlet passage can be protected from being blocked. This embodiment can also allow a configuration in which the air inlet passage is hidden from view.

[0591] Figures 32A to 32C Shown are front, top, and bottom views, respectively, of an example cartridge body having a condensation collector 3201 incorporated into the air path.

[0592] Reference Figure 33A, air or vapor can flow into the airflow path in the cartridge. The airflow path can extend longitudinally from the orifice or opening in the mouthpiece internally along the body of the cartridge so that the vaporizable material 1302 drawn through the mouthpiece passes through the condensation collector 3201. Figure 33B As shown in , in addition to the condensation collector 3201, a condensation recirculator channel 3204 (e.g., a microfluidic channel) can be formed to run, for example, from an opening in the mouthpiece to the wicking portion.

[0593] The condensation collector 3201 acts on the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 in the mouthpiece that cools and turns into droplets to collect the condensed droplets and direct them to the condensation recirculator channel 3204. The condensation recirculator channel 3204 collects condensation and large vapor droplets and returns them to the wicking portion and prevents liquid vaporizable material formed in the mouthpiece from being deposited in the user's mouth during the user's puff or inhalation from the mouthpiece. The condensation recirculator channel 3204 can be implemented as a microfluidic channel to capture any droplet condensation and thereby eliminate direct inhalation of vaporizable material in liquid form and avoid undesirable sensations or tastes in the user's mouth. About Figure 117-119C Describe and illustrate additional and / or alternative embodiments of condensate recirculator passages and / or one or more other features for controlling, collecting and / or recirculating condensate in an evaporator device. Condensate recirculator passages (and / or with respect to Figure 117-119C One or more other features described and shown) may, alone or in combination with one or more features of the evaporator cartridge, assist in controlling, collecting and / or recycling condensate in the evaporator device

[0594] Reference Figure 35 and Figure 36 , a perspective view of a portion of an exemplary cartridge is illustrated, wherein the collector structure 1313 includes an air gap 3501 at the bottom rib of the collector structure. The positioning of the air gap 3501 can be consistent with the location of the air exchange port in the collector structure 1313. As previously described, the collector structure 1313 can be configured to have a central opening through which an air flow channel leading to the mouthpiece is achieved. The air flow channel can be connected to the air exchange port so that the volume within the overflow channel of the collector 1313 is connected to the ambient air via the air exchange port and is also connected to the volume in the storage chamber via the vent.

[0595] According to one or more embodiments, the vent can be used as a control valve to primarily control the flow of liquid between the overflow channel and the storage chamber. For example, an air exchange port can be used to primarily control the airflow between the overflow channel and an air path leading to, for example, a mouthpiece. The combination of the interaction between the vent, the collector channel of the overflow channel, and the air exchange port provides for proper saturation of the wicking portion, proper ventilation of bubbles that may be introduced into the cartridge due to various environmental factors, and a controlled flow of vaporizable material 1302 into and out of the collector channel. The presence of an air gap 3501 at the air exchange port allows for a more robust ventilation process because the air gap prevents liquid vaporizable material 1302 stored in the collector from seeping into the wicking portion housing area.

[0596] Figures 37A to 37C The diagram illustrates a top view of various exemplary wicking portion feeder shapes and configurations for a cartridge according to one or more embodiments. Figure 37A A cross-shaped wicking portion feed cross section is illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 37B The wicking portion supply is shown to have an approximately rectangular cross-section. Figure 37C The wicking portion supply is shown as having an approximately square cross-section. As previously described, depending on the embodiment, one or more wicking portion supplies 3701 may be configured as a conduit, channel, tube, or cavity that travels through the collector structure 1313 as a path for the vaporizable material 1302 stored in the wicking portion supply storage chamber. In certain configurations, the wicking portion supply 3701 may extend generally parallel to the central channel 3700 in the collector 1313. Depending on the embodiment, the wicking portion supply path may be shaped as a tube, having, for example, Figure 37B and Figure 37C . A conduit or tube formed into a variable width cross-sectional shape through the wicking portion supply path can overcome the blockage problem, provided that such a shape is arranged in a multi-path configuration that allows the vaporizable material 1302 to travel through the wicking portion supply even if air bubbles form in a certain area of ​​the wicking portion supply. In such an embodiment, a blockage in the wicking portion supply tube will likely form at a portion of the wicking portion supply tube, leaving a sub-channel (e.g., an alternative channel) open to convection. According to one or more aspects, the wicking portion supply path can be wide enough to allow the vaporizable material 1302 to travel freely through the supply path and toward the wicking portion. In some embodiments, the flow through the wicking portion supply can be enhanced or regulated by designing the relative diameters of certain portions of the wicking portion supply to enhance the capillary pull or pressure on the vaporizable material 1302 traveling through the wicking portion supply path. In other words, depending on shape and other structural or material factors, some wicking portion feed paths may rely on gravity or capillary forces to cause movement of the vaporizable material 1302 toward the wicking portion housing portion.

[0597] Figure 37D and Figure 37E An example embodiment of a collector 1313 having a dual wicking portion supply 3701 embodiment is shown. At least one of the wicking portion supplies 3701 can be formed to include a partial partition wall. The partial partition wall can be configured to divide the volume of the interior of the wicking portion supply 3701 into two separate volumes (i.e., body cavities), such as Figure 37D and Figure 37E The partial wall embodiment will allow the liquid vaporizable material 1302 to flow easily from the reservoir towards the wicking portion housing area to saturate the wicking portion.

[0598] In some embodiments, a partial wall in a single wicking portion supply essentially forms two cavities in the single wicking portion supply. The cavities in the wicking portion supply can be separated by the partial wall and used separately to allow the vaporizable material 1302 to flow toward the wicking portion housing. In such an embodiment, if a bubble migrates in one cavity in the wicking portion supply, the other cavity can remain open. The cavity can be large enough to provide sufficient flow of vaporizable material 1302 toward the wicking portion for adequate saturation.

[0599] Thus, in embodiments using two wicking portion supplies 3701, four cavities are effectively available for carrying the flow of vaporizable material 1302 toward the wicking portion. Thus, in the event that bubbles form in one, two, or even three cavities, at least the fourth cavity will be available to direct the flow of vaporizable material 1302 toward the wicking portion, reducing the chance of dehydration of the wicking portion.

[0600] Reference Figure 38 , a close up of an end of a wicking portion feed portion located adjacent to the wicking portion (e.g., at an end configured to at least partially receive the wicking portion), wherein optionally, at least a portion of the wicking portion is sandwiched between two or more prongs extending from the end of the wicking portion feed portion. Figure 39 Illustrated is a perspective view of an example collector structure having a square-designed wicking feed in combination with an air gap at one end of the overflow channel.

[0601] Reference Figures 40A to 40E , which respectively illustrate the rear view, side view, top view, front view and bottom view of an example collector structure. Figure 40A A rear view of a collector structure with, for example, four different injection locations is shown. Figure 40B The figure shows a side view of the collector structure, and in particular shows, for example, a clamp-shaped end portion 4002 of the wicking portion feed portion, which can hold the wicking portion securely in the path of the wicking portion feed portion. Figure 40CAs shown in , the portion of the cartridge body extending internally from the mouthpiece to the cartridge body can be received by a central channel 3700 in the collector structure, which forms an airway passage for the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 to escape from the atomizer towards the mouthpiece.

[0602] Figure 40C The diagram shows a top view of a collector structure having a wicking portion supply channel 4001, wherein the wicking portion supply channel is used to receive the vaporizable material from the storage chamber of the material box and direct the vaporizable material toward the wicking portion at the appropriate position at the end of the wicking portion supply channel 4001, which is held by the protruding end of the wicking portion supply channel 4001 forming a clamp-shaped end portion 4002.

[0603] Figure 40D The diagram illustrates a front plan view of the collector structure. As shown, an air gap cavity can be formed in the lower portion of the collector structure at the end of the lower rib of the collector structure where the overflow channel of the collector opens into an air control vent 3902 that communicates with ambient air. The cartridge body portion extending from the mouthpiece can be received by a central channel 3700 in the collector structure, which forms an airway passage for the vaporized vaporizable material 1302 to escape from the atomizer toward the mouthpiece.

[0604] Figure 40E A bottom view of the collector 1313 structure is shown, wherein the two wicking portion supply channel ends in the form of two clamp-shaped end portions 4022 are configured to hold the wicking portion in place at the bottom end of the collector 1313. As shown, a segmented ridge, flange, or lip 4003 can optionally be formed on the surface of the bottom end of the collector 1313, wherein the collector 1313 is connected to the upper portion of the plug 760 during assembly. The lip 4003 provides a pressure-tight joint between the upper portion of the plug 760 and the lower portion of the collector 1313 that functions in a manner similar to a flexible O-ring, thereby establishing a suitable seal during assembly. In one embodiment, the bottom end of the collector 1313 can be laser welded to the upper portion of the plug 760.

[0605] Figure 41A and Figure 41B Illustrated are top and side plan views of an alternative embodiment of a collector structure having two clamp-shaped end portions 4002 and two corresponding wicking portion feeds. Figure 40A13. This alternative embodiment has a shorter height than the embodiment illustrated in FIG. This reduced height provides improved functionality due to structural changes in the shape of the collector 1313 and the length of the passageway through which the vaporizable material 1302 flows within the collector 1313. Thus, depending on the implementation, in some embodiments, the length of the passageway of the vaporizable material 1302 through the collector 1313 can be shortened to provide more effective capillary pressure and better management of the flow of the vaporizable material 1302 into the passageway of the collector 1313.

[0606] Figure 42A and 42B Various perspective, top, bottom, and side views of an example collector 1313 are shown with different structural embodiments. For example, Figure 42A The embodiment shown in includes a constriction point comprising a vertically positioned C-shaped wall. In contrast, in Figure 42B In the embodiment shown in , the C-shaped walls are diagonally positioned to promote a more controlled flow of vaporizable material 1302 along the collector 1313 channel. Figure 42B As shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG, the C-shaped wall is positioned diagonally relative to the bottom vane of the collector and is positioned perpendicularly relative to the downwardly inclined vane portion of the collector.

[0607] As previously described, the flow rate into and out of the collector 1313 is controlled by manipulating the hydraulic diameter of the overflow channel 1104 in the collector 1313 by introducing one or more constrictions, which effectively reduces the overall volume of the overflow channel 1104. As shown, the introduction of multiple constrictions in the overflow channel 1104 divides the overflow channel into multiple sections, wherein the vaporizable material 1302 can flow in a first direction or a second direction, e.g., toward or away from the air control vent 3902, respectively.

[0608] The constriction is introduced to help establish or control capillary pressure conditions in the overflow channel 1104 such that, under pressure conditions where the pressure in the cartridge reservoir is equal to or less than ambient air, the hydraulic flow of the vaporizable material 1302 toward the air control vent 3902 is minimized. Under pressure conditions where the pressure in the reservoir is less than ambient pressure (e.g., exceeds a first threshold), the constriction is configured to control the capillary pressure or hydraulic flow of the vaporizable material 1302 in the overflow channel 1104 such that ambient air can enter the overflow channel 1104 through the air control vent 3904 and travel upward toward the controlled flow gate 1102 into the reservoir to vent the cartridge (i.e., establish an equilibrium pressure condition in the cartridge).

[0609] In certain embodiments or situations, the above-described venting process may not involve or require the entry of ambient air through the air control vent 3904. In some example situations, instead of or in addition to the entry of air through the air control vent 3904, any air bubbles or gas trapped within the overflow channel 1104 may also travel upward toward the controlled flow gate 1102 to help establish an equilibrium pressure state in the cartridge by venting the reservoir as air bubbles are introduced from the overflow channel 1104 through the controlled flow gate 1102 into the reservoir, as described herein with reference to, for example, Figure 11M and Figure 11N Further details are provided. The narrowing point and C-shaped wall design formed in the path of the overflow channel 1104 (such as Figure 42A and 42B ) facilitates a more controlled flow of vaporizable material 1302 through the overflow channel 1104 by better managing capillary pressure throughout the path of the overflow control channel 1104.

[0610] Figure 43A Various perspective, top, bottom, and side views of an example wicking portion housing 1315 according to one or more embodiments are illustrated. As shown, one or more perforations or holes can be formed in the lower portion of the wicking portion housing 1315 to regulate airflow through the wicking portion located in the wicking portion housing 760 of the wicking portion housing 1315. A sufficient number of holes will promote sufficient airflow through the wicking portion housing 760 and will provide for proper and timely evaporation of the vaporizable material 1302 absorbed into the wicking portion in response to heat generated by a heating element located near or around the wicking portion.

[0611] Figure 43B The collector 1313 and wicking portion housing 760 components of an example cartridge 1320 are illustrated in accordance with one or more embodiments. As shown, the wicking portion housing 1315 (which comprises the wicking portion housing portion of the cartridge) can be implemented to include a protruding member or projection 4390. The projection 4390 can be configured to extend from an upper end of the wicking portion housing 1315 that mates with a receiving end of the collector 1313 during assembly. The projection 4390 can include one or more faces that correspond to or mate with one or more faces in a receiving recess or receiving cavity 1390, for example, in a bottom portion of the collector 1313. The receiving cavity 1390 can be configured to removably receive the projection 4390 so as to, for example, engage in a snap-fit ​​manner. The snap-fit ​​arrangement can assist in retaining the collector 1313 and wicking portion housing 1315 together during or after assembly.

[0612] In certain embodiments, the protrusions 4390 can be used to guide the orientation of the wicking portion housing 1315 during assembly. For example, in one embodiment, one or more vibration mechanisms (e.g., a vibration bowl) can be used to temporarily store or organize / stage the various components of the magazine 1320. According to some embodiments, the protrusions 4390 can help orient the upper portion of the wicking portion housing 1315 into a mechanical grip for easy engagement and proper automated assembly.

[0613] Additional and / or Alternative Heating Element Embodiments

[0614] As mentioned above, vaporizer cartridges according to embodiments of the present invention may include one or more heating elements. Figure 44A-116 An example of a heating element according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 44A-116 The features described and illustrated may be included in the various embodiments of the vaporizer cartridge described above and / or may include one or more features of the various embodiments of the vaporizer cartridge described above, but Figure 44A-116 The features of the described and illustrated heating element may additionally and / or alternatively be included in one or more other example embodiments of the vaporizer cartridge, such as those described below.

[0615] Heating elements consistent with embodiments of the present subject matter can desirably be shaped to receive a wicking element and / or be curled or extruded at least partially around a wicking element. The heating element can be bent such that the heating element is configured to secure the wicking element between at least two or three portions of the heating element. The heating element can be bent to conform to the shape of at least a portion of the wicking element. The heating element can be easier to manufacture than typical heating elements. Heating elements consistent with embodiments of the present subject matter can also be made of a conductive metal suitable for resistive heating, and in some embodiments, the heating element can include another material that is selectively plated to allow the heating element (and, therefore, the vaporizable material) to be heated more efficiently.

[0616] Figure 44A An exploded view of one embodiment of the vaporizer cartridge 120 is shown. Figure 44B shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the vap...

Claims

1. A material box for an evaporator device, characterized in that: The material box comprises: a reservoir comprising a reservoir chamber defined by a reservoir barrier, the reservoir being configured to contain a vaporizable material in the reservoir chamber; a vaporization chamber in communication with the reservoir and comprising a wicking element configured to draw the vaporizable material from the reservoir chamber to the vaporization chamber to be vaporized by a heating element; an airflow channel extending through the evaporation chamber; and At least one capillary channel is adjacent to the airflow channel, each capillary channel of the at least one capillary channel being configured to receive a fluid and direct the fluid from a first location to a second location by capillary action.

2. The material box according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each capillary channel of the at least one capillary channel is narrowed in size.

3. The material box according to claim 2, characterized in that: The narrowing in dimension results in an increase in capillary drive through each of the at least one capillary channel.

4. The material box according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the at least one capillary channel is formed by a groove defined between a pair of walls.

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