Cigarette holder hidden type oil leakage prevention electronic atomization device
By incorporating airflow channels and sliding components within the mouthpiece, the problems of oil leakage and dust accumulation in electronic atomizing devices during transportation are solved. This achieves a concealed, leak-proof, and dust-proof effect for the mouthpiece, enhancing the device's safety and lifespan.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202520255193.9
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-18
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-23
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-02-18
AI Technical Summary
Existing electronic atomizing devices are prone to leaking oil from the mouthpiece during transportation due to high altitude and low pressure or bumps. Furthermore, the mouthpiece is easily exposed to the outside for a long time, which can cause dust to accumulate and affect hygiene.
Design a leak-proof electronic atomizing device with a concealed mouthpiece. By setting an airflow channel and a sliding component inside the mouthpiece, the mouthpiece extends to open the atomizing core when in use and retracts to prevent e-liquid leakage when not in use. The mouthpiece is also covered by a cover to prevent dust from entering.
It effectively prevents e-liquid leakage, keeps the mouthpiece clean, and improves safety and lifespan.
Smart Images
Figure CN223694948U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of electronic atomization device, specifically is a cigarette holder hidden type's oil leakage prevention electronic atomization device. BACKGROUND
[0002] Electronic atomization device, it is a kind of electronic product imitating cigarette, has similar smoke, taste and feeling with cigarette, electronic atomization device is by the smoke oil made of chemical substance and various flavoring agents heating atomization produces smoke, reach control nicotine content by controlling smoke oil composition, so mainly used for electronic cigarette for smoking cessation and alternative cigarette is rapidly popularized and used.
[0003] The existing disposable electronic atomization device can be transported by air transport during transportation, and in air transport, high-altitude low pressure condition can be generated, or in the transportation bump of conventional section, the risk of oil leakage at cigarette holder is easily caused, and cigarette holder is easily dusty in the unused state and is exposed to the outside, it is not sanitary, therefore it is necessary to design a product that can solve the above problems.
[0004] Therefore, the prior art needs to be improved. INVENTION CONTENTS
[0005] In order to make up for the problems of prior art, the present application provides a cigarette holder hidden type's oil leakage prevention electronic atomization device.
[0006] The utility model solves its technical problem and adopts the following technical scheme:
[0007] A cigarette holder hidden type's oil leakage prevention electronic atomization device, including shell, oil storage cavity, airflow duct and sliding piece, the oil storage cavity is arranged in the shell, the bottom of the oil storage cavity is provided with atomization core, the airflow duct is slidably arranged in the oil storage cavity, one end of the airflow duct is abutted to the bottom of the oil storage cavity, and is sleeved on the atomization core of the oil storage cavity, the other end is stretched out from the oil storage cavity, the sliding piece is arranged on the shell, the sliding piece is connected with the one end of the airflow duct stretched out from the oil storage cavity, so that the airflow duct slides in the direction away from or close to the bottom of the oil storage cavity
[0008] Preferably, the oil storage cavity is formed with a containing cavity with the inner wall of the upper side of the shell, a cigarette holder is movably arranged in the containing cavity, the inner wall of the cigarette holder is used for inserting the one end of the airflow duct stretched out from the containing cavity, the shell is provided with a through hole at the top of the containing cavity for sliding out the cigarette holder, the cigarette holder is connected with the sliding piece, when the cigarette holder is stretched out from the through hole, the airflow duct is synchronously upwardly slid.
[0009] Preferably, the top surface of the oil storage cavity is provided with a placing groove, one side wall of the placing groove is provided with an opening, and the placing groove is used for placing the cigarette holder.
[0010] Preferably, the shell is provided with a sliding hole in the side wall of the accommodating cavity, the sliding member includes a sliding plate and a sliding block, the sliding plate is arranged in the accommodating cavity, one side surface of the sliding plate is connected with the cigarette holder, the sliding block is arranged on the other side surface of the sliding plate, and the sliding block extends out of the shell through the sliding hole.
[0011] Preferably, the airflow duct is provided with a sliding groove in the side wall of one end of the oil storage cavity, the extending direction of the sliding groove is along the length direction of the airflow duct, and the inner wall of the cigarette holder is provided with a sliding block which slides in the sliding groove.
[0012] Preferably, the bottom of the oil storage cavity is provided with a plurality of limiting strips which surround the outer side wall of the airflow duct, and the inner side walls of the plurality of limiting strips are used for abutting against the outer side wall of the airflow duct.
[0013] Preferably, the shell is provided with a cover, and the cover is used for covering the through hole.
[0014] Preferably, the shell is provided with a covering hole in the side wall of the accommodating cavity, the covering hole and the sliding hole are arranged on the same side of the accommodating cavity, the covering hole is arranged above the sliding hole, a rotating shaft is arranged on the upper end of the sliding plate, the cover is rotationally connected with the sliding plate through the rotating shaft, a torsional spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft, one end of the torsional spring is connected with the sliding plate, the other end of the torsional spring is connected with the cover, the torsional spring has an elastic potential energy for rotating the cover away from the cigarette holder, a clamping notch is arranged on the outer side wall of the cover close to the rotating shaft, and the clamping notch is used for clamping the side edge of the covering hole to limit the rotation of the cover when the sliding plate is in a lower state.
[0015] Preferably, the bottom of the accommodating cavity is provided with a sliding cavity for sliding of the sliding plate, the sliding hole is arranged in the side wall of the sliding cavity, two first magnets are arranged on the side wall of the sliding cavity at intervals, a second magnet is arranged on the side surface of the sliding plate away from the sliding block, and the second magnet is used for respectively generating an adsorption effect on the two first magnets.
[0016] Preferably, the cover body comprises a connecting plate, a covering plate and extension plates, one side of the connecting plate is rotationally connected with the rotating shaft, the clamping notch is arranged on the connecting plate, the covering plate is connected with the other side of the connecting plate, the covering plate is used for covering the through hole, the extension plates are provided in two, the two extension plates are connected with the same side of the connecting plate and the covering plate respectively, and the two side surfaces of the extension plates close to each other are used for abutting against the outer side wall of the shell.
[0017] In summary, the present application has at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:
[0018] 1. Since the airflow pipe is inserted in the inner wall of the cigarette holder, and the airflow pipe moves upward together with the cigarette holder when the cigarette holder moves upward, the oil inlet hole on the atomizing core is exposed when the cigarette holder extends out of the through hole, at which time normal atomization work can be realized, and when the cigarette holder is reset, the airflow pipe abuts against the bottom of the oil storage cavity, so that the atomizing liquid in the oil storage cavity cannot enter the atomizing core from the oil inlet hole, thereby preventing the tobacco tar from flowing out of the atomizing core, and the problem of oil leakage can be solved.
[0019] 2. When the electronic atomization device is used, the sliding block is slid to drive the sliding plate to slide upward, the cover body as a whole moves upward synchronously, the rotationally connected part between the cover body and the sliding plate moves into the covering hole, at which time the position of the shell at the side of the covering hole releases the restriction on the cover body, so that the cover body is popped open under the action of the torsional spring, so that the through hole on the shell is exposed, and since the cigarette holder is connected with the sliding plate, the cigarette holder also slides upward in the process that the sliding plate slides upward, that is, the extension of the cigarette holder and the popping open of the cover body are performed synchronously, and the problem that the cigarette holder is easily covered with dust in the non-use state for a long time can be solved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained from these drawings without creative labor.
[0021] Figure 1 It is a whole schematic view of the electronic atomization device in the embodiment of the present application.
[0022] Figure 2 It is a schematic view when the cover body is opened in the embodiment of the present application.
[0023] Figure 3 It is a whole exploded view of the electronic atomization device in the embodiment of the present application.
[0024] Figure 4It is a partial exploded view of the electronic atomization device in the embodiments of the present application.
[0025] Figure 5 It is a sectional view of the electronic atomization device in the embodiments of the present application.
[0026] Marked for explanation: 1, the shell; 11, the containing cavity; 12, the through hole; 13, the sliding hole; 14, the covering hole; 15, the sliding cavity; 16, the first magnet; 2, the oil storage cavity; 21, the atomization core; 22, the placing groove; 23, the limiting strip; 3, the airflow duct; 31, the sliding groove; 4, the sliding piece; 41, the sliding plate; 42, the sliding block; 5, the mouthpiece; 51, the sliding block; 6, the cover body; 61, the clamping notch; 62, the connecting plate; 63, the covering plate; 64, the extension plate; 7, the rotating shaft; 8, the torsional spring; 9, the second magnet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present application.
[0028] The embodiments of the present application disclose a mouthpiece hidden type oil leakage prevention electronic atomization device.
[0029] Reference Figures 1 to 5 A mouthpiece hidden type oil leakage prevention electronic atomization device includes a shell 1, an oil storage cavity 2, an airflow duct 3, and a sliding piece 4. Specifically, the shell 1 is in the shape of a cuboid as a whole, the shell 1 is hollow inside for mounting and placing other components, the oil storage cavity 2 is arranged inside the shell 1, the oil storage cavity 2 is used for placing tobacco tar, an atomization core 21 is arranged at the bottom inside the oil storage cavity 2, the tobacco tar enters the atomization core 21 through an oil inlet hole of the atomization core 21, the airflow duct 3 is in the shape of a long strip cylindrical tube, the airflow duct 3 is slidingly arranged in the oil storage cavity 2, and the sliding direction of the airflow duct 3 is along the length direction of the airflow duct 3, one end of the airflow duct 3 abuts against the bottom wall of the oil storage cavity 2, the other end of the airflow duct 3 extends out of the top of the oil storage cavity 2, and the one end of the airflow duct 3 in the oil storage cavity 2 is sleeved on the atomization core 21, when the airflow duct 3 abuts against the bottom wall of the oil storage cavity 2, the tobacco tar in the oil storage cavity 2 can be blocked from entering the atomization core 21 through the oil inlet hole of the atomization core 21, and the sliding piece 4 is arranged on the shell 1 and connected with the one end of the airflow duct 3 extending out of the oil storage cavity 2 to drive the sliding of the airflow duct 3.
[0030] In the embodiment, the upper part of the oil storage cavity 2 and the inner wall of the upper side of the shell 1 form a containing cavity 11, the smoke nozzle 5 is movably arranged in the containing cavity 11, the inner wall of the smoke nozzle 5 is used for inserting the one end of the airflow pipe 3 extending out of the oil storage cavity 2, the top of the shell 1 is provided with a through hole 12, the through hole 12 is arranged at the top of the containing cavity 11, and the smoke nozzle 5 extends out of the shell 1, the sliding piece 4 is connected with the smoke nozzle 5, when the smoke nozzle 5 moves to extend out of the through hole 12, the airflow pipe 3 also moves away from the bottom of the oil storage cavity 2 along with the smoke nozzle 5, so as to open the oil inlet hole of the atomizing core 21, at this time, the normal atomization work can be carried out, and when the electronic atomization device is not used or in the transportation process, the smoke nozzle 5 is in the containing cavity 11, and the airflow pipe 3 abuts against the bottom wall of the oil storage cavity 2, so that the oil in the atomizing core 21 can be prevented from entering, thereby avoiding the phenomenon that the tobacco tar leaks from the smoke nozzle 5 in the high-altitude low pressure or the road bumping; meanwhile, since the smoke nozzle 5 is arranged in the containing cavity 11 in the shell 1 when not used, the smoke nozzle 5 is prevented from being exposed for a long time, dust collection is avoided, and the use safety is improved.
[0031] In addition, in the embodiment, the top surface of the oil storage cavity 2 is arranged close to the top surface of the inner wall of the shell 1, and a placing groove 22 is arranged on the top surface of the oil storage cavity 2, the groove bottom of the placing groove 22 extends towards the bottom of the oil storage cavity 2, the groove opening of the placing groove 22 is arranged in communication with the through hole 12 of the shell 1, and the shape of the placing groove 22 is matched with the smoke nozzle 5, so that the smoke nozzle 5 is placed in the placing groove 22, and an opening is arranged on one side wall of the placing groove 22 to provide a connecting space for the sliding piece 4 and the smoke nozzle 5. By the structure that the oil storage cavity 2 wraps the smoke nozzle 5, the capacity of the oil storage cavity 2 for storing tobacco tar can be improved, and the service life of the electronic atomization device can be improved.
[0032] The shell 1 is provided with a sliding hole 13 on the side wall of the containing cavity 11, the extending direction of the sliding hole 13 is parallel to the length direction of the airflow pipe 3, a sliding cavity 15 is arranged at the bottom of the containing cavity 11, the length direction of the sliding cavity 15 is vertical, the sliding hole 13 is arranged on the side wall of the sliding cavity 15, and the cross section of the sliding hole 13 viewed from one side hole opening direction is in the shape of a waist; the sliding piece 4 comprises a sliding plate 41 and a sliding block 42, the sliding plate 41 is slidably arranged in the sliding cavity 15, one side surface of the sliding plate 41 is connected with the smoke nozzle 5 through the opening of the side wall of the placing groove 22, and when the sliding plate 41 slides, the smoke nozzle 5 can be driven to extend out of or retract into the containing cavity 11, the sliding block 42 is arranged on the side surface of the sliding plate 41 away from the smoke nozzle 5, and the sliding block 42 extends out of the sliding hole 13 to be contacted by the user.
[0033] In order to ensure that the large stroke lifting of the cigarette holder 5 and the small stroke lifting of the airflow pipe 3 do not deviate from the atomizing core 21, and to achieve the lifting of the airflow pipe 3 to open and close the oil inlet hole of the atomizing core 21, a sliding groove 31 is arranged on the side wall of the airflow pipe 3. The sliding groove 31 is in the form of a ring groove in this embodiment. The sliding groove 31 is arranged at one end of the airflow pipe 3 extending out of the oil storage cavity 2. A sliding block 51 is arranged on the inner wall of the cigarette holder 5. The sliding block 51 is in the form of a ring. The sliding block 51 is coaxially arranged on the inner wall of the cigarette holder 5. The sliding block 51 is slidably sleeved in the sliding groove 31. After the cigarette holder 5 is slid upward by a distance, the sliding block 51 will abut against the upper wall of the sliding groove 31. At this time, when the cigarette holder 5 continues to move upward, it can drive the airflow pipe 3 to move upward. That is, the cigarette holder 5 first moves upward by a distance, and then drives the airflow pipe 3 to move upward. Therefore, the stroke distance of the airflow pipe 3 can be reduced, and the lifting of the airflow pipe 3 can open or close the oil inlet hole of the atomizing core 21, avoiding the airflow pipe 3 from deviating from the atomizing core 21.
[0034] In this embodiment, in order to further ensure the stability of the airflow pipe 3 during movement, a limiting strip 23 is arranged on the bottom wall inside the oil storage cavity 2. The limiting strip 23 is in the form of a long arc. The length direction of the limiting strip 23 extends along the length direction of the airflow pipe 3. A plurality of limiting strips 23 are arranged around the airflow pipe 3. The limiting strips 23 limit the airflow pipe 3 to ensure the stability of the movement of the airflow pipe 3 and avoid the phenomenon of deviation of the airflow pipe 3.
[0035] In order to avoid the phenomenon of dust accumulation at the mouthpiece 5 when the electronic atomization device is not used for a long time, a cover 6 is arranged on the shell 1, which is used to cover the through hole 12 on the shell 1 to avoid dust entering the mouthpiece 5, and the shell 1 is provided with a cover hole 14 on the side wall of the accommodating cavity 11, the cover hole 14 is arranged on the same side of the shell 1 as the sliding hole 13, and the cover hole 14 is arranged above the shell 1, a rotating shaft 7 is arranged at the upper end of the sliding plate 41, the cover 6 is rotatably connected with the sliding plate 41 through the rotating shaft 7, and a torsional spring 8 is sleeved on the rotating shaft 7, one end of the torsional spring 8 is connected with the sliding plate 41, and the other end is fixedly connected with the cover 6. The cover 6 has elastic potential energy for rotating away from the mouthpiece 5 through the torsional spring 8, and a clamping notch 61 is arranged on the outer side wall of the cover 6 close to the rotating shaft 7, which is used for clamping the side edge of the cover hole 14. When the sliding plate 41 slides downward, the cover 6 as a whole moves downward until the rotating shaft 7 reaches the part below the cover hole 14 in the accommodating cavity 11, at this time the side edge of the cover hole 14 is clamped in the clamping notch 61 of the cover 6, so as to limit the cover 6 and ensure that the cover 6 cannot easily open the through hole 12. When the electronic atomization device needs to be used, the sliding plate 41 is slid upward through the sliding block 42, so that the rotating shaft 7 slides upward, at this time the shell 1 is disconnected with the clamping notch 61, and the cover 6 is opened from the through hole 12 under the action of the torsional spring 8, and the mouthpiece 5 also extends from the through hole 12, that is, the extension of the mouthpiece 5 and the opening of the cover 6 are synchronous, which ensures that the cover 6 will not affect the extension of the mouthpiece 5, and only needs to slide the sliding plate 41 to solve the extension of the mouthpiece 5 and the opening of the cover 6, which is simple and convenient.
[0036] In order to further improve the sealing performance of the cover 6 covering the through hole 12, the cover 6 comprises a connecting plate 62, a covering plate 63 and an extension plate 64, one side edge of the connecting plate 62 is rotatably connected with the sliding plate 41 through the rotating shaft 7, the covering plate 63 is used to cover the through hole 12 of the shell 1, and the covering plate 63 is integrally connected with the side edge of the connecting plate 62 away from the sliding plate 41, so that the covering plate 63 and the connecting plate 62 look like an L as a whole. The covering plate 63 realizes the plugging of the through hole 12 through the rotation between the connecting plate 62 and the sliding plate 41, the extension plate 64 is provided with two, one extension plate 64 is connected with the same side of the connecting plate 62 and the covering plate 63, and the two extension plates 64 are arranged at intervals, and the side face of the two extension plates 64 close to each other is used to abut against the two side walls of the shell 1. The extension plate 64 increases the contact area between the cover 6 and the outer side wall of the shell 1, thereby improving the sealing performance, and the two extension plates 64 can limit the cover 6 on the shell 1, thereby improving the stability of the cover 6.
[0037] In order to improve the hand feeling of the user, the first magnet 16 is arranged in the sliding cavity 15, the first magnet 16 is provided with two, the two first magnets 16 are arranged on the side wall of the sliding cavity 15 away from the sliding hole 13, and the distribution direction of the two first magnets 16 is along the sliding direction of the sliding plate 41, and the second magnet 9 is arranged on the side of the sliding plate 41 away from the sliding block 42, when the sliding plate 41 is at the lowermost position, that is, the cigarette holder 5 is in the containing cavity 11, the second magnet 9 has an adsorption effect on the first magnet 16 below, and when the sliding plate 41 is at the uppermost position, that is, the cigarette holder 5 is out of the containing cavity 11, the second magnet 9 has an adsorption effect on the first magnet 16 above, so that the user can feel that the sliding has reached the predetermined position, improve the long-stroke sliding feeling of the sliding block 42, and in other embodiments, in order to reduce the cost, the wave point can also be arranged on the side wall of the sliding cavity 15, and the user can feel whether the sliding has reached the predetermined position through the contact between the sliding plate 41 and the wave point.
[0038] The above are preferred embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application, therefore: any equivalent changes made on the structure, shape, principle of the present application should be covered within the protection scope of the present application.
Claims
1. A leak-proof electronic atomizing device with a concealed mouthpiece, characterized in that: The utility model provides a cigarette atomizer, including casing, oil storage cavity, airflow pipeline and sliding piece, the oil storage cavity sets up in the casing, the bottom of oil storage cavity is provided with atomizing core, airflow pipeline sliding sets up in the oil storage cavity, one end of airflow pipeline abuts at the bottom of oil storage cavity and is covered on the atomizing core of oil storage cavity, the other end stretches out from the oil storage cavity, sliding piece sets up on the casing, sliding piece is connected with one end of airflow pipeline that stretches out the oil storage cavity, to make airflow pipeline slide in the direction of far away or close to the bottom of oil storage cavity.
2. The oil-leakage-preventing electronic atomization device with a hidden tobacco tip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper side of the casing is provided with an inner wall forming a containing cavity above the oil storage cavity, a mouthpiece is movably arranged in the containing cavity, an inner wall of the mouthpiece is used for inserting one end of the airflow pipeline extending out of the containing cavity, the casing is provided with a through hole at the top of the containing cavity for the mouthpiece to slide out, the mouthpiece is connected with the sliding piece, when the mouthpiece extends out of the through hole, the airflow pipeline is synchronously upwardly slid.
3. The oil-leakage-preventing electronic atomization device with a hidden tobacco tip according to claim 2, characterized in that: The top surface of the oil storage cavity is provided with a placing groove, one side wall of the placing groove is provided with an opening, and the placing groove is used for placing the mouthpiece.
4. The oil-leakage-preventing electronic atomization device with a hidden tobacco tip according to claim 2, characterized in that: The casing is provided with a sliding hole on the side wall of the containing cavity, the sliding piece includes a sliding plate and a sliding block, the sliding plate is arranged in the containing cavity, one side surface of the sliding plate is connected with the mouthpiece, and the sliding block is arranged on the other side surface of the sliding plate and extends out of the casing through the sliding hole.
5. The oil leakage prevention electronic atomization device with a hidden cigarette holder according to claim 4, characterized in that: The side wall of one end of the airflow pipeline extending out of the oil storage cavity is provided with a sliding groove, the extending direction of the sliding groove is along the length direction of the airflow pipeline, and the inner wall of the mouthpiece is provided with a sliding block sliding in the sliding groove.
6. The oil-leakage-preventing electronic atomization device with a hidden tobacco tip according to claim 5, characterized in that: The bottom of the oil storage cavity is provided with a plurality of limiting strips surrounding the outer side wall of the airflow pipeline, and the inner side walls of the plurality of limiting strips are used for abutting against the outer side wall of the airflow pipeline.
7. The oil leakage prevention electronic atomization device with a hidden cigarette holder according to claim 4, characterized in that: The casing is provided with a cover, and the cover is used for covering the through hole.
8. The oil leakage prevention electronic atomization device with a hidden cigarette holder according to claim 7, characterized in that: The casing is provided with a covering hole on the side wall of the containing cavity, the covering hole and the sliding hole are arranged on the same side of the containing cavity, and the covering hole is arranged on the upper side of the sliding hole, a rotating shaft is arranged on the upper end of the sliding plate, the cover is rotationally connected with the sliding plate through the rotating shaft, a torsional spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft, one end of the torsional spring is connected with the sliding plate, the other end of the torsional spring is connected with the cover, the torsional spring has an elastic potential energy for rotating the cover away from the mouthpiece, a clamping notch is arranged on the outer side wall of the cover close to the rotating shaft, and when the sliding plate is in a lower state, the clamping notch is used for clamping the side edge of the covering hole to limit the rotation of the cover.
9. The oil leakage prevention electronic atomization device with a hidden tobacco tip according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottom of the containing cavity is provided with a sliding cavity for the sliding plate to slide, the sliding hole is arranged on the side wall of the sliding cavity, two first magnets are arranged on the side wall of the sliding cavity at intervals, a second magnet is arranged on the side of the sliding plate away from the sliding block, and the second magnet is used for respectively generating an adsorption effect on the two first magnets.
10. The oil-leakage-preventing electronic atomization device with a hidden tobacco tip according to claim 8, characterized in that: The cover body comprises a connecting plate, a covering plate and extension plates, one side of the connecting plate is rotationally connected with the rotating shaft, the clamping notch is arranged on the connecting plate, the covering plate is connected with the other side of the connecting plate, the covering plate is used for covering the through hole, the extension plates are provided in two, the two extension plates are respectively connected with the same side of the connecting plate and the covering plate, and the two side surfaces of the extension plates which are close to each other are used for abutting against the outer side wall of the shell.