Inhalation device and method for manufacturing the same
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023580376
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2021-08-13
- Filing Date
- 2022-08-09
- Publication Date
- 2025-08-13
AI Technical Summary
Existing inhalation devices lack a combination of a simple internal structure with a high-quality, luxurious appearance and durable connection between hard materials, often using soft plastics that compromise the device's impression of quality and durability.
The device incorporates a housing made partially of hard materials like ceramic or metal, with a button attached via a resilient material inside, ensuring flexibility for operation while maintaining a simple structure, and using elastic materials like elastomers or silicones for durability and a smooth surface.
The solution provides a durable, high-quality appearance with a luxurious feel, enhancing the device's durability and maintaining a smooth, continuous exterior while allowing easy actuation of the button.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to an inhalation device and a method for manufacturing an inhalation device.
[0002] In recent years, traditional smoking products have increasingly been replaced by aerosol generating devices in which liquid is vaporized and can be inhaled by the user. In this regard, it is desirable to use relatively hard materials for many parts of the exterior housing of the device, as these materials provide a luxurious and heavy feel to the user. [Background technology]
[0003] US 10765148 B2 relates to an inhalation device in which the housing and / or button structure may be made from metal or ceramic, and the push button shown in US 10412785 B1 may also be made from metal. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] Nevertheless, there remains a need to provide an inhalation device and a method for its manufacture which gives a high quality impression of the device in combination with a simple internal structure. [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] This problem is firstly solved by the subject matter of claim 1.
[0006] Thus, the housing is at least partially made of a rigid material, and at least one button provided in the opening of the housing is at least partially made of a material that is substantially as rigid as or more rigid than the material of the housing, and the button is attached to the interior of the housing and / or device by a resilient material inside the housing.
[0007] The latter feature allows a relatively stiff button to have the necessary flexibility to initiate a particular action upon depression while maintaining a relatively simple structure. The resilient material may be provided, for example, in the form of a sheet or thin plate, which may be adhered to the inner surface of the housing by an adhesive such as glue and / or ultrasonic bonding.
[0008] Thus, the resilient material may be provided directly on the inside of the housing, although alternatively or additionally, the button may be attached to the interior of the device, such as a printed circuit board (PCB). Further, the button may have a step, as described in more detail below, to prevent slippage from the device, and / or the button may be glued to a portion of the resilient material. Further, a switch may be mounted on the PCB, with the button attached to the PCB with the resilient material in such a way that displacing the button towards the inside of the device activates the switch.
[0009] Either of the above methods ensures the durability of the connection between the resilient material and the interior of the housing, and therefore the durability of the interior structure including the relatively rigid button. As mentioned above, such a button in combination with a housing made at least partially of a rigid material gives the impression of a high quality and "authentic" product.
[0010] It should also be mentioned that the device described herein differs from previously known devices in that the button is separate from the housing, unlike common devices where the button is integrated into the housing and can be pressed using the flexibility of the relatively soft plastic material commonly used. As described herein, flexibility is achieved by an elastic material attaching the button to the housing, allowing the button to move less than 1 mm for actuation, which can be easily ensured by the properties of the elastic material. In this regard, the housing and / or button and / or plastic chassis, which will be described in more detail below, can have a maximum thickness of about 0.8 mm, and the elastic material or sheet can have a maximum thickness of about 0.3 mm in these areas, and is attached to the inside of the case.
[0011] Preferred embodiments are set forth in the further claims.
[0012] The above dimensions can be advantageously achieved if the housing and / or buttons are made of ceramic or metallic materials, resulting in a high quality or premium feel for the product. In general, the use of such hard materials also has the advantage of increasing the durability of the device.
[0013] With regard to the specific elastic materials preferred, elastomers, especially rubber and / or silicone, are expected to provide good properties.
[0014] The above-mentioned rigid materials, also used for the housing, may not have inherent properties that allow light to be transmitted therethrough. The housing may have at least one locally thinned area to allow light from one or more light sources inside the device to be visible from the outside.
[0015] A particularly simple and durable construction of the device can be achieved if the housing has a removable front cover in which the above-mentioned at least one button is provided.
[0016] The housing can be made at least partially along its entire thickness from a relatively rigid material such as metal or ceramic, but if the housing has an at least partially plastic chassis, this brings the economic advantage that the described material can be glued to form the outside of the device. This reduces the amount of said rigid material, which is generally more expensive than plastic, required. The chassis can be attached to the housing before attaching the elastic material, and preferably also before attaching the buttons. All connections can be made by adhesive such as glue.
[0017] With regard to the desired premium appearance of the housing and / or buttons, currently a hardness of at least HV19 and / or up to HV2350 is preferred, the latter hardness corresponding to the use of ceramic materials, where lower values are also expected to provide a desirable feel and impression to the user.
[0018] A simple, uniform and reliable structure can be achieved if the button, as seen in a cross-section of the housing, has at least one step that prevents it from protruding beyond the outer surface of the housing, giving the outer surface a smooth and continuous impression while at the same time allowing the button to be pressed.
[0019] The above object underlying the present invention is further solved by a method according to claim 10. Corresponding to the features of the device, the method comprises providing a housing at least partly made of a rigid material, providing at least one button at least partly made of a material as rigid or more rigid than the material of the housing, and attaching the at least one button to an opening in the housing by means of a resilient material attached to the inside of the housing and / or to the interior of the device. Preferred features of the methods described herein correspond to the features of the inhalation devices described, and any features described only with respect to the device and method are equally applicable to the method and device, respectively.
[0020] With regard to the manufacturing sequence, at least one chassis of plastic may be attached to at least a portion of the housing before the buttons are attached.
[0021] Furthermore, by attaching the button to the elastic material before attaching it to the housing, efficient manufacturing can be ensured. If a plastic chassis is present, the elastic material can be attached to the chassis before attaching the button to the elastic material. The chassis therefore needs an opening large enough to allow the button to be attached from the outside, i.e., the opposite side of the elastic material, and a housing with a smaller opening large enough to accommodate the button can then be attached to the chassis from the outside.
[0022] The button can be cut out of any piece of material, but it is advantageous if it is cut out of the piece of material that constitutes the housing. In this way, firstly, the materials of the housing and the button match perfectly. Secondly, when cutting the button, some material is removed, which then automatically creates a suitable gap between the button and the housing material to allow the action of pressing the button down. The cutting can be done, for example, by means of a laser. If the housing and the button are provided separately, the parts can be moulded instead of cut.
[0023] The invention will be explained below with reference to exemplary embodiments and with reference to the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0024] [Figure 1] 1 shows a cutaway view of a cover forming part of the housing of the inhalation device. [Diagram 2] 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a second embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a third embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 shows the embodiment of FIG. 3 with the button pressed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] As can be seen from Figure 1, a housing part such as the cover 10 of the inhalation device can have a convex shape so as to form an internal concave surface for accommodating the interior of the device with an essentially constant thickness. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the cover 10 and the button 12 are made of ceramic, and the button 12 is separate from the cover 10 but is attached to a resilient material in the form of a sheet 14, which is attached to the interior of the cover 10. This essentially allows the button 12 to be pushed towards the interior of the device, allowing a protrusion 16 on the inside of the button 12 to operate, for example, a switch.
[0026] As can be seen, the outer surface of the cover 10 and the button 12 are essentially continuous, thus ensuring a continuous and smooth exterior of the device. This position is essentially defined by a step 18 on the button 12, which cooperates with a complementary step on the cover 10 to define the outermost position of the button 12 as shown. As can be seen, the steps can be on two opposite sides of the button 12, or can be around the entire circumference of the button 12. In the embodiment shown, the button 12 also has a constant thickness, apart from the protrusions 16 and the steps 18.
[0027] This also applies to the alternative embodiment shown diagrammatically in Figure 2, in which a plastic chassis 20 is attached to the inside of the cover 10, allowing the ceramic material of the cover 10 to be made thinner and less costly, while still maintaining the premium look of the device. In the embodiment of Figure 2, a resilient material 14 is attached to the chassis 20, and Figure 2 shows pressure being applied to the button 12 in the direction of the arrow 22 to move the button 12 slightly towards the inside of the device.
[0028] In the embodiment of Figure 3, the button 12 does not include a step, but is mounted in an opening in the cover 10 and is firmly attached to a solid portion of elastic material 14, which further comprises a sheet-like portion, in this case attached to a PCB 24, on which a switch 26 is mounted below or generally inside the button with respect to the device. The solid portion of elastic material 14, which is entirely contained within the button 12, which has an essentially inverted U-shaped cross-sectional shape, is connected to the sheet-like portion attached to the PCB 24 by relatively thin legs 28.
[0029] As can be seen in Fig. 4, when the button is pressed in the direction of the arrow 22, the thin portion 28 collapses, thus allowing the operation of the switch 26 by the solid portion of the elastic material 14, or by the button itself (not shown). It should be mentioned that the button can have any desired shape, such as a circle, in plan view, i.e., as seen from above in Figs. 3 and 4, and that the sheet-like portion of the elastic material 14 is, for example, circular, as seen from above in Figs. 3 and 4. Also, the legs 28 can be continuous all around, essentially forming a cone, or can be discontinuously formed. Moreover, all the portions of the elastic material can be integrally formed in one piece, for example of silicon.
Claims
1. 1. An inhalation device comprising a housing (10) at least partially made of a hard material, and at least one button (12) provided at an opening in the housing (10) and made at least partially of a material substantially as hard or harder than the material of the housing (10), wherein the button (12) is attached to the housing (10) and / or the interior of the device by an elastic material (14) inside the housing (10).
2. 2. The inhalation device according to claim 1, wherein the housing (10) is made of a ceramic or metallic material.
3. 3. An inhalation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the button (12) is made of a ceramic or metallic material.
4. 3. Inhalation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the elastic material (14) is made of rubber and / or silicone.
5. 3. Inhalation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing (10) has at least one locally thinned area, which in particular allows light transmission.
6. 3. An inhalation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing (10) has a removable front cover (10) provided with at least one button (12).
7. 3. An inhalation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing (10) at least partly comprises a plastic chassis (20).
8. 3. An inhalation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing (10) and / or the button (12) have a hardness of at least HV19 and / or up to HV2350.
9. 3. An inhalation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing (10) has at least one step that prevents the button (12) from protruding beyond the outer surface of the housing (10).
10. A method of manufacturing an inhalation device, comprising the steps of: providing a housing (10) at least partially made of a rigid material; providing at least one button (12) at least partially made of a material substantially as rigid as or harder than the material of the housing (10); and attaching the at least one button (12) to an opening in the housing (10) by means of a resilient material (14) attached to the inside of the housing (10) and / or the interior of the device.
11. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one chassis (20) made of plastic is attached to at least a portion of the housing (10) before attaching the button (12).
12. 12. A method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the button (12) is pre-attached to the elastic material (14).
13. 12. A method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the housing (10) is locally thinned to allow the transmission of light.
14. 12. A method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the button (12) is cut out from a piece of material that constitutes the housing (10).
15. 12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein the button (12) is prevented from protruding beyond the outer surface of the housing (10) by at least one step (18).