Vaporizable material insert for vaporizer device

Abstract

To provide: a system for generating inhalable aerosol, and a vaporizable material insert for use with a vaporizer device to form inhalable aerosol.SOLUTION: A vaporization device includes a vaporizer body including a vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 configured to receive a vaporizable material insert 220. The vaporizable material insert 220 can include a vaporizable material component 222 including a vaporizable material 102, such as a non-liquid vaporizable material 102. Various embodiments of the vaporizable material component 222 are described that include one or more features for preventing an airflow into the vaporizable material component 222 and / or through the vaporizable material component 222, and for achieving efficient and effective heating of the vaporizable material 102 and formation of inhalable aerosol.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2B

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 884,668, entitled “VAPORIZABLE MATERIAL INSERT FOR VAPORIZER DEVICE,” filed August 8, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Technical Field The subject matter described herein relates to various embodiments of a vaporizable material insert for use with a vaporizer device.

[0003] background Vaporizer devices, which may also be referred to as vaporizers, electronic vaporizer devices, or e-vaporizer devices, can be used to deliver an aerosol (e.g., gas-phase material and / or condensed-phase material suspended in a fixed or variable mass of air or some other gaseous carrier) containing one or more active ingredients, via inhalation of the aerosol by a user of the vaporizer device. For example, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) include a class of vaporizer devices that are powered by a battery power source and can be used to simulate the experience of smoking. Vaporizers are becoming increasingly popular in prescription medical use, i.e., for the delivery of drugs, as well as in the consumption of tobacco, nicotine, and other plant-based substances. Vaporizer devices can be portable, self-contained, and / or convenient to use.

[0004] In using a vaporizer device, a user inhales an aerosol, commonly referred to as "vapor," which may be generated by a heating element that vaporizes the vaporizable material, for example by at least partially transitioning the vaporizable material to a gas phase. The vaporizable material may be a liquid, solution, solid, paste, wax, and / or any other form that is compatible for use with a particular vaporizer device. Furthermore, the vaporizable material used in a vaporizer may be provided in a vaporizer cartridge, which may be a separable part of the vaporizer device that contains the vaporizable material and has an outlet (e.g., a mouthpiece) for delivering the aerosol generated by the vaporization of the vaporizable material to the user.

[0005] To receive the inhalable aerosol generated by the vaporizer device, a user may activate the vaporizer device, in certain instances, by taking a puff, by pressing a button, and / or by some other approach. As used herein, a puff may refer to an inhalation by a user to draw a predetermined amount of air into the vaporizer device such that an inhalable aerosol is generated when the vaporized vaporizable material is combined with the predetermined amount of air.

[0006] An approach by which a vaporizer device produces an inhalable aerosol from a vaporizable material involves heating the vaporizable material in a vaporization chamber (e.g., a heater chamber) to convert the vaporizable material to a gas (or vapor) phase. A vaporization chamber can refer to a region or volume within a vaporizer device within which a heat source (e.g., a conductive, convective, and / or radiative heat source) heats the vaporizable material to produce a mixture of air and the vaporizable material such that a vapor is formed for a user of the vaporizer device to inhale the vaporizable material.

[0007] In some embodiments, vaporizer cartridges configured to heat solid vaporizable material (e.g., plant material such as tobacco leaf and / or tobacco leaf portions) require higher temperatures in the interior tobacco region to reach the minimum temperature required for vaporization, which may result in the generation of undesirable by-products (e.g., chemical elements or compounds) from burning the solid vaporizable material at such high peak temperatures.

[0008] Vaporizer devices can be divided into two classes: those heated by conduction and those heated by convection. For example, a conduction-based vaporizer device can be configured to vaporize a liquid vaporizable material using a heating element that contacts the liquid vaporizable material. The liquid vaporizable material can therefore contaminate the heating element, thereby impairing the performance of the vaporizer device. In some vaporizers, the heating element can be incorporated into the disposable portion of the vaporizer device (e.g., the cartridge), which can reduce contamination of the heating element by replacing it with each new cartridge, but cannot eliminate this contamination. However, this can increase the manufacturing effort and costs associated with disposables. Furthermore, uniform heating of the vaporizable material in a current conduction-based vaporizer can be difficult to achieve due to the low thermal conductivity of certain vaporizable materials (e.g., plant materials such as tobacco).

[0009] Some vaporizable materials, including plant materials such as tobacco, have low thermal conductivity and therefore may be difficult to heat evenly. Furthermore, such vaporizable materials may contain numerous voids that limit the heat from penetrating completely through the vaporizable material. Current vaporizer devices therefore attempt to overcome such heating difficulties by overheating vaporizable material near the heater and underheating vaporizable material further from the heater. Such uneven heating can result in insufficient vapor production, unpleasant odors from the overheated tobacco, and / or increased release of harmful or potentially harmful chemicals.

[0010] Other vaporizer devices may include a heating element within a reusable or wearable portion of the vaporizer device, such that the heating element is configured to be reused over the life of the vaporizer device, however, heaters within such vaporizer devices often fail and require cleaning.

[0011] Summary of the Invention Aspects of the present subject matter relate to a system for generating an inhalable aerosol. The system can include a vaporizable material insert for use with a vaporizer device to form the inhalable aerosol.

[0012] In one aspect, the vaporizable material insert may include a housing including an inlet and an outlet, and a vaporizable material component. The vaporizable material component may include a vaporizable material that forms a portion of an inhalable aerosol as a result of heating. The vaporizable material component may extend within the housing between the inlet and the outlet. The vaporizable material component may further include an air flow passage extending along the vaporizable material component and that may be defined at least in part by a wall of the vaporizable material component. The wall of the vaporizable material component may prevent air traveling along the air flow passage from traveling into the vaporizable material component. Additionally, the wall may allow an inhalable aerosol to form in the air flow passage and travel through the outlet for inhalation by a user.

[0013] In some variations, one or more of the following features may be included as options in any possible combination: In some embodiments, the air flow passage may extend through the vaporizable material component such that walls define the air flow passage. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert may further include a heating element extending along the vaporizable material component. The vaporizable material component may be disposed between the heating element and the air flow passage. In some embodiments, the heating element may extend through and along a longitudinal axis of the vaporizable material component.

[0014] In some embodiments, the vaporizable material component may have a cylindrical shape. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material component may have a planar shape. The vaporizable material component may be formed from a vaporizable material and a guar gum material. The vaporizable material component may also be formed from a vaporizable material and a laponite material. The vaporizable material may include a tobacco material. The tobacco material may include tobacco powder. The housing may be formed from a paper material. The housing may include a heating element configured to heat the vaporizable material component. The vaporizable material component may include thermally conductive particles in direct contact with the vaporizable material and contained within the vaporizable material component. The thermally conductive particles may be formed from a metallic material. In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the vaporizable material component may have a range of about 0.2 W / mK to about 0.6 W / mK.

[0015] In another aspect, a system for generating an inhalable aerosol may include a vaporizable material insert and a vaporizer device. The vaporizable material insert may include a housing including an inlet and an outlet, and a vaporizable material component. The vaporizable material component may include a vaporizable material that forms a portion of the inhalable aerosol as a result of heating. The vaporizable material component may extend within the housing between the inlet and the outlet. The vaporizable material component may further include an air flow passage extending along the vaporizable material component and that may be defined at least in part by a wall of the vaporizable material component. The wall of the vaporizable material component may prevent air traveling along the air flow passage from traveling into the vaporizable material component. Additionally, the wall may allow an inhalable aerosol to form in the air flow passage and travel through the outlet for inhalation by a user.

[0016] In some embodiments of the system, the vaporizer device can include a vaporizable material insert receptacle configured to receive the vaporizable material insert. The vaporizer device can also include a power source that provides power to a heating element to heat the vaporizable material insert to form an inhalable aerosol.

[0017] In some variations, one or more of the following features may be included as options in any possible combination: In some embodiments, the vaporizer device may include a heating element. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert may include a heating element. The vaporizable material insert receptacle may provide a slide fit with the vaporizable material insert. The vaporizable material component may be formed from a vaporizable material and a guar gum material. The vaporizable material component may also be formed from a vaporizable material and a laponite material. The vaporizable material may include a tobacco material. The tobacco material may include tobacco powder.

[0018] In another related aspect of the present subject matter, a method includes receiving a vaporizable material insert into a compartment of a vaporizer device. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert can include a housing including an inlet and an outlet, and a vaporizable material component. The vaporizable material component can include a vaporizable material that forms a portion of an inhalable aerosol as a result of heating. The vaporizable material component can extend into the housing between the inlet and the outlet. The vaporizable material component can further include an air flow passage extending along the vaporizable material component and that can be defined at least in part by a wall of the vaporizable material component. The wall of the vaporizable material component can prevent air moving along the air flow passage from moving into the vaporizable material component. Additionally, the wall can allow an inhalable aerosol to form in the air flow passage and move through the outlet for inhalation by a user. The method can further include activating a heating element configured to heat the vaporizable material component of the vaporizable material insert and form an inhalable aerosol as a result of heating the vaporizable material component.

[0019] Details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages described herein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. The claims following this disclosure are intended to define the scope of the subject matter to be protected.

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate certain aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and, together with the description, aid in explaining some of the basic schemes associated with implementing the disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a vaporizer device consistent with implementations of the present subject matter. [Figure 2A]2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a vaporizable material insert usable with the vaporizer device of FIG. 1. [Figure 2B] 2B is a cross-sectional view showing the vaporizable material insert of FIG. 2A inserted into one embodiment of a vaporizable material insert receptacle of a vaporizer device. [Figure 3A] 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a vaporizable material insert usable with the vaporizer device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3B] 3B is a cross-sectional view showing the vaporizable material insert of FIG. 3A inserted into one embodiment of a vaporizable material insert receptacle of a vaporizer device. [Figure 4A] 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of a vaporizable material insert usable with the vaporizer device of FIG. [Figure 4B] 4B is a perspective view showing the vaporizable material insert of FIG. 4A inserted into one embodiment of a vaporizable material insert receptacle of a vaporizer device.

[0022] In practice, like reference numbers indicate like structures, features or elements.

[0023] Detailed Description Implementations of the subject matter include devices and methods for vaporizing one or more vaporizable materials for inhalation by a user. For example, various embodiments of vaporizable material inserts for use with vaporizer devices are described herein. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert includes a vaporizable material component formed from one or more materials including a vaporizable material. The vaporizable material component can be configured to block airflow therethrough to achieve efficient and effective thermal conductivity. For example, the vaporizable material component can have no or a minimal amount of air pockets, which allows the vaporizable material component to efficiently and effectively heat its vaporizable material.

[0024] In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert may be configured such that the vaporizable material component may be placed in direct contact with and / or in close proximity to the heating element to allow efficient and effective heat transfer from the heating element to the vaporizable material component. Thus, the vaporizable material inserts described herein may provide more efficient heating and require less power to heat and vaporize the vaporizable material compared to some currently available vaporizable material inserts. Other advantages are described herein and are within the scope of the present disclosure. Various embodiments of vaporizable material inserts having vaporizable material components, as well as embodiments of vaporizer devices configured to heat the vaporizable material inserts, are described in more detail below.

[0025] The term "vaporizer device" as used in the following description and claims refers to either a self-contained device, a device that includes two or more separable parts (e.g., a vaporizer body including a battery and other hardware, and a cartridge or insert that includes a vaporizable material), and / or the like. As used herein, a "vaporizer system" can include one or more components, such as a vaporizer device. Examples of vaporizer devices consistent with implementations of the present subject matter include electronic vaporizers, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), and / or the like. In general, such vaporizer devices are handheld devices that heat a vaporizable material (e.g., by convection, conduction, radiation, and / or some combination thereof) to provide an inhalable dose of the material.

[0026] The vaporizable material used in the vaporizer may optionally be provided in a vaporizable material insert or cartridge (e.g., the portion of the vaporizer that contains the vaporizable material) that can be refilled when empty or disposable so that a new cartridge containing the same or different type of additional vaporizable material can be used. The vaporizer device may be a vaporizer device that uses a cartridge, a vaporizer device without a cartridge, or a multi-use vaporizer device that can be used with or without a cartridge. Some cartridge embodiments may include a vaporizable material insert. For example, an embodiment of the vaporizable material insert may be at least partially composed of a non-liquid vaporizable material. Thus, some embodiments of the vaporizer device may be configured to receive a vaporizable material insert that is at least partially formed of one or more vaporizable materials that are heated to form an inhalable aerosol, as described in more detail below. In some embodiments, the vaporizer device may include a heating chamber or heating section (e.g., a vaporizable material insert receptacle) configured to receive the vaporizable material insert directly therein and heat the vaporizable material insert for the formation of an inhalable aerosol.

[0027] In some embodiments, the vaporizer device can be configured to be used with liquid vaporizable materials (e.g., carrier solutions in which active and / or inactive ingredients are suspended or held in solution, or forms in which the vaporizable material itself is liquid) and / or non-liquid vaporizable materials (e.g., pastes, waxes, gels, solids, plant materials, and / or the like). Non-liquid vaporizable materials may include plant materials that release a portion as vaporizable material (e.g., a portion of the plant material remains as waste after the material is vaporized for inhalation by the user), or, optionally, the vaporizable material itself in solid form, such that the entire solid material is ultimately vaporizable for inhalation. Similarly, liquid vaporizable materials may be completely vaporizable, or may include liquid materials that remain in part after all of the material suitable for inhalation has been vaporized.

[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a vaporizer device 100 consistent with implementations of the present subject matter. With reference to FIG. 1, the vaporizer device 100 includes a power source 112 (e.g., a battery, which may be a rechargeable battery) and a controller 104 (e.g., a processor, circuitry, etc. capable of executing logic) that controls the supply of heat from a heating element 141. The heating element 141 converts the vaporizable material 102 of the vaporizable material insert 120 from a condensed form (e.g., a solid, liquid, solution, suspension, at least partially a portion of unprocessed plant material, etc.) to a gas phase. The controller 104 may be part of one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) consistent with certain implementations of the present subject matter.

[0029] After the vaporizable material 102 is converted to a gas phase, at least a portion of the vaporizable material 102 in the gas phase can condense to form particulate matter that is at least partially in local equilibrium with the gas phase as part of the aerosol. This can form part or all of the inhalable dose provided by the vaporizer device 100 during a user's puff or inhalation at the vaporizer device 100. It should be understood that the interaction of the gas and condensed phases in the aerosol generated by the vaporizer device 100 can be complex and dynamic depending on factors such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, chemical reactions, flow conditions in the airflow path (both within the vaporizer and within the airway of a human or other animal), and / or the degree of mixing of the vaporizable material 102 in the gas or aerosol phase with other airflows. In some vaporizer devices, particularly those configured to deliver volatile vaporizable materials, the inhalable dose can exist primarily in the gas phase (e.g., formation of particles in the condensed phase can be very limited).

[0030] The heating element 141 may include one or more of a conductive heater, a radiant heater, and / or a convective heater. One type of heating element is a resistive heating element. The resistive heating element may include a material (e.g., a metal or alloy, such as a nickel-chromium alloy, or a non-metallic resistor) configured to emit power in the form of heat when one or more resistive segments of the heating element are energized. In some implementations of the present subject matter, the heating element 141 (e.g., a resistive heating element and / or the like) is configured to generate heat to vaporize the vaporizable material 102 to generate an inhalable dose of the vaporizable material 102. As described above, the vaporizable material 102 may be liquid or non-liquid (or a combination of both liquid and non-liquid). For example, the heating element 141 may be wrapped around, disposed within, integrated into a bulk form, pressed into thermal contact, or otherwise positioned to provide heat to the vaporizable material 102 so that it may be vaporized in the gas phase and / or condensed phase (e.g., aerosol particles or droplets) for subsequent inhalation by the user.

[0031] In some embodiments, the vaporizable material 102 may be a non-liquid vaporizable material including, for example, a solid phase material (e.g., gel, wax, or the like) or a plant material (e.g., tobacco leaf and / or portions thereof). When the vaporizable material 102 is a non-liquid vaporizable material, the heating element 141 may be part of or otherwise integrated into or in thermal contact with a wall of the heating chamber or heating section (e.g., vaporizable material insert receptacle 118) in which the vaporizable material insert 120 is placed. Alternatively, the heating element 141 may be used to heat air passing through or past the vaporizable material insert 120, causing convective heating of the vaporizable material 102 of the vaporizable material insert 120. In yet another example, heating element 141 may be positioned in intimate contact with vaporizable material 102 such that direct conductive heating of vaporizable material 102 of vaporizable material insert 120 occurs not only by conduction from the walls of the heating chamber (e.g., an oven and / or the like), but also from within the mass of vaporizable material 102. In some embodiments, heating element 141 may be part of vaporizer body 110 (e.g., part of a wearable or reusable portion of vaporizer 100), as shown in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, heating element 141 may be part of vaporizable material insert 120 (e.g., part of a disposable portion of vaporizer 100). For example, the vaporizable material insert 120 may include one or more vaporizable material contacts that mate with one or more vaporizer body contacts (e.g., arranged along the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118) to form a conductive path between the power source 112 of the vaporizer body 110 and the heating element 141 of the vaporizer material insert 120.

[0032] The heating element 141 may be activated in conjunction with a user's puff (e.g., inhalation, inhalation, etc.) at the end of the vaporizer device 100 and / or the mouthpiece to direct air from the air inlet along the air flow path that aids in the formation of an inhalable aerosol that may be delivered through the air outlet in the mouthpiece. Incoming air moving along the air flow path moves through or through the heating element 141 and / or the vaporizable material 102 where the vapor phase of the vaporizable material 102 is removed into the air. The heating element 141 may be activated by the controller 104, which may optionally be part of the vaporizer body 110 as described herein, which causes current to flow from the power source 112 through a circuit that includes the heating element 141, which may be part of the vaporizer body 110. As described herein, the removed vapor phase of the vaporizable material 102 may condense as it passes through the remainder of the air flow path so that an inhalable dose of the vaporizable material 102 in aerosol form may be delivered through the air outlet (e.g., the mouthpiece) for inhalation by the user.

[0033] Activation of the heating element 141 may be triggered upon automatic detection of a puff based on one or more signals generated by one or more sensors 113. The sensors 113 and the signals generated by the sensors 113 may include one or more pressure sensors positioned to detect pressure along the airflow path relative to ambient pressure (or optionally measure changes in absolute pressure), one or more motion sensors (e.g., accelerometers) of the vaporizer device 100, one or more flow sensors of the vaporizer device 100, a capacitance lip sensor of the vaporizer device 100, detection of user interaction with the vaporizer device 100 via one or more input devices 116 (e.g., buttons or other tactile control devices of the vaporizer device 100), reception of a signal from a computing device in communication with the vaporizer device 100 and / or other approaches to determine that a puff has occurred or is imminent.

[0034] As discussed herein, a vaporizer device 100 consistent with implementations of the present subject matter can be configured to be connected (e.g., wirelessly or via a wired connection) to a computing device (or optionally two or more devices) that communicates with the vaporizer device 100. To this end, the controller 104 can include communications hardware 105. The controller 104 can also include memory 108. The communications hardware 105 can include firmware and / or be controlled by software that implements one or more encryption protocols for communications.

[0035] The computing device may be a component of a vaporizer system that also includes the vaporizer device 100, and may include specific hardware for communication capable of establishing a wireless communication channel with the communication hardware 105 of the vaporizer device 100. For example, a computing device used as part of a vaporizer system may include a general-purpose computing device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, some other portable device, such as a smart watch or the like) that executes software that forms a user interface that allows a user to interact with the vaporizer device 100. In other implementations of the present subject matter, such a device used as part of a vaporizer system may be a dedicated piece of hardware, such as a remote control, or other wireless or wired device that has one or more physical or software interface controls (e.g., may consist of an on-screen or other display device, selectable via user interaction with a touch-sensitive screen or some other input device, such as a mouse, pointer, trackball, cursor button, or the like). The vaporizer device 100 may further include one or more outputs 117 or devices for providing information to a user. For example, the output 117 may include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to provide feedback to a user based on the status and / or operational mode of the vaporizer device 100.

[0036] In embodiments where a computing device provides signals related to the activation of the heating element, or in other embodiments where the computing device is coupled to the vaporizer device 100 for 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 embodiment, user interaction with one or more user interface elements may be detected by the computing device, causing the computing device to send a signal to the vaporizer device 100 to activate the heating element until an operating temperature for forming an inhalable dose of vapor / aerosol is reached. Other functions of the vaporizer device 100 may be controlled by user interaction with a user interface of a computing device in communication with the vaporizer device 100.

[0037] The temperature of the heating element 141 of the vaporizer device 100 may depend on many factors, including the amount of power provided to the heating element 141 and / or the duty cycle at which power is provided, conductive heat transfer to other parts of the vaporizer device 100 and / or to the environment, potential heat losses due to vaporization of the vaporizable material 102, and convective heat losses due to airflow (e.g., air moving across the heating element 141 as a user inhales on the vaporizer device 100). As described herein, so that the heating element 141 is reliably activated or heated to a desired temperature, the vaporizer device 100, in some implementations of the present subject matter, may use a signal from a sensor 113 (e.g., a pressure sensor) to determine when a user inhales. The sensor 113 may be located in an air flow path and / or connected (e.g., via a passageway or other flow path) to an air flow path that includes an inlet for air entering the vaporizer device 100 and an outlet for the user to inhale the resulting vapor and / or aerosol. This causes the sensor 113 to sense a change (e.g., a pressure change) as air passes through the vaporizer device 100 from the air inlet to the air outlet. In some implementations of the present subject matter, the heating element 141 may be activated in conjunction with a user's puff, such as by automatic detection of the puff, or by the sensor 113 detecting a change in the airflow path (e.g., a pressure change).

[0038] The sensor 113 may be disposed on the controller 104 (e.g., a printed circuit board assembly or other type of circuit board) or may be coupled (e.g., electrically or electronically connected, either physically or via a wireless connection) to the controller 104. To accurately obtain measurements and maintain durability of the vaporizer device 100, it may be beneficial to provide a seal with sufficient elasticity to isolate the air flow path from other portions of the vaporizer device 100. The seal, which may be a gasket, may be configured to at least partially surround the sensor 113 such that the connection of the sensor 113 to the internal circuitry of the vaporizer device 100 is isolated from the portion of the sensor 113 exposed to the air flow path. Such placement of the seal within the vaporizer device 100 may help in mitigating potential destructive effects on vaporizer components resulting from interaction with environmental factors, such as water in the vapor or liquid phase, and / or in reducing leakage of air from a designated air flow path within the vaporizer device 100. Unwanted passage and / or contact of air, liquid or other fluids with the circuitry of the vaporizer device 100 can cause various undesirable effects, such as changes in pressure readings and / or lead to the accumulation of undesirable materials, such as moisture, stray portions of vaporizable material 102, etc., in portions of the vaporizer device 100 that can cause degradation to the pressure signal, degradation of the sensor 113 or other components, and / or shortened life of the vaporizer device 100. Leaking seals can also cause a user to inhale air that has passed through portions of the vaporizer device 100 that contain or consist of materials that are not desired to be inhaled.

[0039] In a vaporizer in which the power supply 112 is part of the vaporizer body 110 and the heating element 141 is disposed within the vaporizable material insert 120 in a configuration configured to be coupled to the vaporizer body 110, the vaporizable material insert 120 and vaporizer 100 may include electrical connection features (e.g., electrical contacts) for completing a circuit including the controller 104 (e.g., a printed circuit board, microcontroller, or the like), the power supply 112, and the heating element 141. The circuit completed by these electrical connections allows for the supply of electrical current to the heating element 141 (e.g., a resistive heating element) and may be used for additional functions, such as measuring the resistance of the resistive heating element for use in determining and / or controlling the temperature of the resistive heating element based on the thermal coefficient of resistivity of the resistive heating element.

[0040] In some embodiments, vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 can include all or a portion of a heating element 141 (e.g., a heating coil, a resistive heating element, etc.) configured to heat a vaporizable material insert 120 received within vaporizable material insert receptacle 118, for example, to form an inhalable aerosol. For example, vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 can include a metal sheath and a resistive heater configured to receive vaporizable material insert 120. Various embodiments of vaporizable material insert 120 are described herein for use with various vaporizer bodies 110 and vaporizable material insert receptacles 118 to form an inhalable aerosol.

[0041] In some implementations, vaporizable material insert 120 may be configured to be inserted into vaporizable material insert receptacle 118, such as such that a sliding fit is formed between an outer surface of vaporizable material insert 120 and one or more inner walls of vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. For example, vaporizable material insert 120 may have the same or similar shape as vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. In some embodiments, vaporizable material insert 120 may have a circular cross-sectional shape and / or a cylindrical shape. In some embodiments, vaporizable material insert 120 may have a non-circular cross-section transverse to an axis through which vaporizable material insert 120 is inserted into vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. For example, a non-circular cross-section may be approximately rectangular, approximately elliptical (e.g., having an approximately oval shape), a shape that is non-rectangular but has two sets of parallel or approximately parallel opposing sides (e.g., having a shape similar to a parallelogram), or another shape that has rotational symmetry, for example of at least degree two. In this context, approximately shape indicates that while a basic similarity to the described shape is apparent, the sides of the shape in question need not be perfectly straight, and the vertices need not be perfectly sharp. Rounding of the edges and / or vertices of the cross-sectional shape is considered to be any non-circular cross-section referred to herein.

[0042] In some implementations, at least one of the one or more interior walls forming vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 may include heating element 141 and / or may include a thermally conductive material. For example, a configuration of vaporizable material insert 120 in which vaporizable material 120 forms a sliding fit and / or in intimate contact with vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 allows for efficient heat transfer between heating element 141 and vaporizable material insert 120, resulting in efficient and effective heating of vaporizable material 102 of vaporizable material insert 120.

[0043] Additionally, the vaporizable material insert 120 can include a compressed and / or dense configuration of the non-liquid vaporizable material 102, which can further contribute to efficient and effective heating and vaporization of the vaporizable material 102. For example, the compressed and / or dense configuration of the vaporizable material 102 can include a minimal amount of air or air pockets within the vaporizable material 102, which can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of heat transfer along the vaporizable material 102. Such a configuration can reduce power consumption because less heating power is required to effectively heat and vaporize at least the vaporizable material 102. Additionally, lower heating temperatures can be used to heat the vaporizable material 102 due to improved heating efficiency of at least the vaporizable material 102, which can also reduce power consumption and reduce the formation of harmful by-products that result from the vaporizable material being heated at higher temperatures. To achieve at least some of the above-mentioned advantages, various embodiments of vaporizable material insert 120 are described herein that include vaporizable material formed in a compressed and / or dense configuration.

[0044] 2A-2B illustrate one embodiment of a vaporizable material insert 220 that can be inserted into a receptacle of the vaporizer body 110 (e.g., vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 of FIG. 1) to heat and form an inhalable aerosol. As shown in FIG. 2A, the vaporizable material insert 220 can include a housing 260 having an interior chamber extending between an inlet 262 and an outlet 264. The vaporizable material insert 220 can include a vaporizable material component 222 that is at least partially contained within the housing 260 and extends between the inlet 262 and the outlet 264. As shown in FIG. 2A, the vaporizable material insert 220 can include an air flow passage 252 that extends through the vaporizable material component 222, for example, along a longitudinal axis of the vaporizable material component 222. Thus, an interior wall of the vaporizable material component 222 can define the air flow passage 252.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 2A, vaporizable material insert 220 can have a cylindrical shape, however vaporizable material insert 220 (including vaporizable material component 222, housing 260, and air passage 252) can have one or more of a variety of shapes and sizes without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, while vaporizable material insert 220 shown in FIG. 2A is described herein as including housing 260, vaporizable material insert 220 and any of the vaporizable material inserts described herein may not include housing 260. For example, an outer wall of vaporizable material component 222 can form an outer wall of vaporizable material insert 220. In some embodiments, housing 260 can aid in containing vaporizable material component 222 and reduce or prevent contact between vaporizable material component 222 and vaporizable material insert receptacle 118, e.g., to reduce contamination of vaporizable material insert receptacle 118.

[0046] Housing 260 may be formed from a variety of materials, including one or more of a thermally conductive material, an insulating material, a biodegradable material, a vaporizable material, and a non-vaporizable material. For example, in some embodiments, housing 260 may be formed from paper or a paper-like material.

[0047] In some embodiments, vaporizable material component 222 includes one or more vaporizable materials, such as a non-liquid vaporizable material (e.g., tobacco material, etc.) for vaporizing to form an inhalable aerosol. Vaporizable material component 222 may be dense and substantially free of air pockets. Additionally, vaporizable material component 222 may prevent airflow into and / or through vaporizable material component 222. Thus, vaporizable material component 222 may have a greater thermal conductivity compared to some currently available vaporizable material inserts and non-liquid vaporizable materials. For example, in some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of vaporizable material component 222 may range from about 0.05 W / mK to about 1 W / mK, such as from about 0.2 W / mK to about 0.6 W / mK.

[0048] In some embodiments, vaporizable material component 222 may include one or more of guar gum, laponite, and powder forms of non-liquid vaporizable materials. For example, during manufacture, vaporizable material component 222 may be molded or extruded. For example, vaporizable material component 222 may be formed by extruding a mixture of tobacco powder and guar gum. In some embodiments, vaporizable material component 222 may be formed by forcing a mixture of tobacco and laponite into a mold. Such forms of vaporizable material component 222 may have greater density and higher thermal conductivity characteristics as compared to at least some non-liquid vaporizable materials and vaporizable material inserts.

[0049] In some embodiments, vaporizable material component 222 can include thermally conductive particles that are included in the vaporizable material mixture during manufacture and contained within vaporizable material component 222. The thermally conductive particles can be in direct contact with vaporizable material 102 of vaporizable material component 222, for example to enable inductive and / or conductive heating of vaporizable material 102 to form an inhalable aerosol.

[0050] For example, during use of the vaporizable material insert 220, the vaporizable material insert 220 can be inserted into the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 such that the vaporizable material component 222 is disposed adjacent to and / or in contact with a heating element disposed along the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. For example, the housing 260 of the vaporizable material insert 220 can be in contact with the heating element 141 and can allow for the transfer of heat through the housing 260 to heat the vaporizable material component 222. The vaporizable material component 222 can be heated by the heating element to a temperature (e.g., about 250° C.) at which at least a portion of the vaporizable material 102 contained therein vaporizes. The vaporization of the vaporizable material 102 can cause the formation of an inhalable aerosol in the air flow passage 252, which can then travel along the air flow passage 252 for inhalation by a user. As described above, the vaporizable material component 222 can prevent air from entering the vaporizable material component 222, thereby increasing the thermal conductivity along the vaporizable material component 222 to achieve efficient and effective vaporization of the vaporizable material 102 of the vaporizable material component 222. Such increased thermal conductivity along the vaporizable material component 222 (e.g., as compared to some other vaporizable material inserts) can achieve improved heating along the vaporizable material component 222, e.g., more uniform heating along the vaporizable material component 222, and reduce or eliminate overheating of the vaporizable material component 222. Such improved heating can reduce waste of the vaporizable material component 222 (e.g., reducing or eliminating portions of the vaporizable material component 222 that are not effectively heated), as well as reduce the formation of harmful by-products (e.g., due to overheating of the vaporizable material component 222). Other vaporizable material insert 220 embodiments are within the scope of the present disclosure, including additional vaporizable material insert 220 embodiments described below.

[0051] In some embodiments, the housing 260 of the vaporizable material insert 220 can include the heating element 141. For example, the heating element 141 can be coupled to the vaporizable material component 222 (e.g., the housing 260 can include or be substituted for the heating element 141). Thus, the vaporizable material component 222 can be disposed between and in contact with the heating element 141 and the air flow passage 252. In this embodiment, the vaporizable material insert 220 can include one or more electrical contacts that mate with corresponding contacts along the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 to enable the provision of power from a power source in the vaporizer body to the heating element 141 of the vaporizable material insert 220. Thus, upon activation of a power source (e.g., power source 112 of FIG. 1), heating element 141 can directly heat vaporizable material component 222 to form an inhalable aerosol in airflow path 252, which can then travel along airflow path 252 for inhalation by a user. Heating element 141 can include any one or more of a variety of features, such as, for example, a resistive heating element, a thermally conductive material, etc. Heating element 141 can be disposed along one or more surfaces of vaporizable material component 222 to heat vaporizable material component 222 to form an inhalable aerosol.

[0052] 3A-3B illustrate another embodiment of a vaporizable material insert 320 including a housing 260, a vaporizable material component 222, and a heating element 141. The vaporizable material component 222, the housing 260, and the heating element 141 of the vaporizable material insert 320 of FIGS. 3A-3B can include any one or more of the features and functions described above with respect to the vaporizable material insert 220 of FIGS. 2A-2B, for example. As shown in FIG. 3A, the heating element 141 can extend through the vaporizable material component 222 such that the vaporizable material component 222 is wrapped around the heating element 141. As shown in FIG. 3B, the heating element 141 can include one or more electrical contacts 350 configured to mate with corresponding contacts along the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 such that power from a power source (e.g., power source 112 of FIG. 1) of the vaporizer body (e.g., vaporizer body 110 of FIG. 1) is provided to the heating element 141. Thus, in response to activation of power source 112, heating element 141 can directly heat vaporizable material component 222 to form an inhalable aerosol in airflow passage 352, which can then travel along airflow passage 352 for inhalation by a user. In those embodiments in which heating element 141 is part of vaporizable material insert 320, heating element 141 can be disposed of along with any remaining portions of vaporizable material insert 320 after use.

[0053] 3B, the air flow passage 352 may extend along an outer wall of the vaporizable material component 222, for example, between the outer wall of the vaporizable material component 222 and the inner wall of the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. Thus, the air flow passage 352 may not extend through the vaporizable material insert 320, as the air flow passage 352 is formed in response to the vaporizable material insert 320 being inserted into the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3A, the vaporizable material insert 320 may include a housing 260 that surrounds the outer wall of the vaporizable material component 222. Thus, the housing 260 may be formed from a material that allows the vaporized component of the vaporizable material 102 to pass through the housing 260, thereby forming an inhalable aerosol in the air flow passage 352.

[0054] 4A-4B illustrate another embodiment of a vaporizable material insert 420 including a vaporizable material component 222 and a heating element 141. The vaporizable material component 222 and the heating element 141 of the vaporizable material insert 420 of FIGS. 4A-4B can include any one or more of the features and functions described above with respect to the vaporizable material inserts 220, 320 of FIGS. 2A-3B, for example. As shown in FIG. 4A, the vaporizable material component 222 can have a planar configuration with the heating element 141 disposed along a first side of the vaporizable material component 222. The heating element 141 can be in direct contact with the vaporizable material component 222. In some embodiments, the vaporizable material insert 420 can include a housing 260 that extends around one or more portions of the vaporizable material insert 420, for example around the vaporizable material component 222 and / or the heating element 141. The heating element 141 may include one or more electrical contacts (e.g., electrical contact 350 in FIG. 3B ) configured to mate with corresponding contacts along the vaporizable material insert receptacle 118 such that power can be provided from a power source in the vaporizer body to the heating element 141. Thus, in response to activation of the power source, the heating element 141 may directly heat the vaporizable material component 222 to form an inhalable aerosol in the air flow path 352, which may then travel along the air flow path 452 for inhalation by a user.

[0055] 4B, air flow passage 452 may extend along a second side of vaporizable material component 222 (e.g., opposite the first side of vaporizable material component 222), such as between the second side of vaporizable material component 222 and an interior wall of vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. In this manner, air flow passage 452 may not extend through vaporizable material insert 420, as it is formed in response to vaporizable material insert 420 being inserted into vaporizable material insert receptacle 118. In such embodiments in which heating element 141 is part of vaporizable material insert 420, heating element 141 may be disposable along with any remaining portions of vaporizable material insert 420 after use.

[0056] Other vaporizable material insert embodiments are within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, some embodiments of the vaporizable material insert may include a vaporizable material component that includes a non-liquid vaporizable material. Additionally, some vaporizable material inserts may not have an air flow path and a heating element. Thus, the vaporizable material insert may include only a vaporizable material component or may include only a vaporizable material component and a housing. Such embodiments of the vaporizable material insert may rely on a vaporizer that includes a heating element and at least a portion of an air flow path that allows an inhalable aerosol to be formed for inhalation by a user.

[0057] term When a feature or element is referred to herein as being "on" another feature or element, the feature or element may be directly on the other feature or element, or there may be intervening features and / or elements. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being "directly on" another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements. Also, when a feature or element is referred to as being "connected," "attached," or "coupled" to another feature or element, it is understood that the feature or element may be directly connected, attached, or coupled to the other feature or element, or there may be intervening features or elements. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being "directly connected," "directly attached," or "directly coupled" to another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements.

[0058] Although described or illustrated with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements described or illustrated may be applicable to other embodiments, and those skilled in the art will understand that references to a structure or feature being located "adjacent" to another feature may also include portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

[0059] The terms used herein are used only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and implementations and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the singular indefinite and definite articles ("a", "an", "the") used herein are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it will be understood that when the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" are used herein, they specify the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items and may be abbreviated as " / ".

[0060] In the above description and in the claims, a conjunctive listing of multiple elements or features may be followed by phrases such as "at least one of" or "one or more of." The term "and / or" may also appear in a listing of more than one element or feature. Unless otherwise implicitly or explicitly contradicted by the context in which it is used, these phrases are intended to mean any of the listed elements or features individually or any of the listed elements or features in combination with other listed elements or features. For example, the phrases "at least one of A and B," "one or more of A and B," and "A and / or B" are intended to mean "A only," "B only," or "both A and B," respectively. A similar interpretation also applies to listings containing more than two items. For example, the phrases "at least one of A, B, and C," "one or more of A, B, and C," and "A, B, and / or C" are intended to mean "A only," "B only," "C only," "both A and B," "both A and C," "both B and C," or "both A and B and C," respectively. Use of the term "based on" above and in the claims is intended to mean "based at least in part on," allowing for unrecited features or elements.

[0061] Spatial relative terms such as "forward," "backward," "downward," "below," "lower," "upper," "above," and the like may be used herein to facilitate the description of the relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature as depicted in the figures. It will be understood that the spatial relative terms are intended to encompass various orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures were flipped over, an element described as "downward" or "below" another element or feature would be oriented "above" the other element or feature. Thus, the example term "downward" may encompass both upward and downward orientations. The device may be in orientations other than those depicted (rotated 90 degrees or otherwise), and the spatial relative descriptions used herein should be interpreted accordingly. Similarly, terms such as "upward," "downward," "vertically," "horizontally," and the like are used herein for descriptive purposes only, unless specifically indicated otherwise.

[0062] In this specification, the terms "first" and "second" may be used to describe various features / elements (including steps), but these features / elements are not limited by these terms unless the context indicates otherwise. These terms may be used to distinguish one feature / element from another. Thus, without departing from the teachings provided herein, a first feature / element described below may be referred to as a second feature / element, and similarly, a second feature / element described below may be referred to as a first feature / element.

[0063] All numbers used in the specification and claims, including those used in the examples without specific specification, can be read as if preceded by the words "about" or "approximately" even if these terms do not appear explicitly. When describing a size and / or location, these terms "about" or "approximately" can be used to indicate that the stated value and / or location is within a reasonable expected range of the value and / or location. For example, a numerical value can include values ​​such as + / -0.1% of a given value (or range of values), + / -1% of a given value (or range of values), + / -2% of a given value (or range of values), + / -5% of a given value (or range of values), + / -10% of a given value (or range of values), etc. Any numerical value given in this specification should be understood to include values ​​near or about that value unless otherwise specified by context. For example, if the value "10" is disclosed, "about 10" is also disclosed. Any numerical ranges recited herein are intended to include all subranges subsumed therein. It is also understood that when a value is disclosed, "less than" that value, and "more than" that value, and possible ranges between those values ​​are also disclosed, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, if a value "X" is disclosed, "less than" X and "more than" X (e.g., X is a number) are also disclosed. It is also understood that throughout this application, data is provided in many different formats, and the data represents end and starting points, and ranges for any combination of those data points. For example, if a specific data point "10" and a specific data point "15" are disclosed, it is understood that greater than 10, greater than or equal to 10, less than 15, less than or equal to 15, and equal to 10 and 15 are also considered to be disclosed, as is the range between 10 and 15. It is also understood that each unit between two specific units is also disclosed. For example, if 10 and 15 are disclosed, 11, 12, 13, and 14 are also disclosed.

[0064] Although various exemplary embodiments have been described above, any of numerous modifications may be made to the various embodiments without departing from the teachings herein. For example, the order in which the various method steps described are performed may often be changed in alternative embodiments, and one or more method steps may be skipped entirely in other alternative embodiments. Optional features of the various device and system embodiments may be included in some embodiments but not in others. Thus, the foregoing description has been provided primarily for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0065] One or more aspects or features of the subject matter described herein may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuits, specially designed application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various aspects or features may include implementation as one or more computer programs executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled for specific or general purpose purposes to receive data and instructions from and transmit data and instructions to a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. The programmable system or computing system may include clients and servers. The clients and servers are generally in a remote relationship with each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of clients and servers arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client / server relationship to each other.

[0066] These computer programs, which may also be referred to as programs, software, software applications, applications, components, or codes, include machine instructions for a programmable processor and may be implemented in high-level procedural languages, object-oriented programming languages, functional programming languages, logic programming languages, and / or assembly / machine languages. As used herein, the term "machine-readable medium" refers to any computer program product, apparatus, and / or device, such as magnetic disks, optical disks, memories, and programmable logic devices (PLDs), used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term "machine-readable signal" refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor. These machine-readable media may store such machine instructions non-transiently, for example, in a non-transient solid-state memory or a magnetic hard drive or any equivalent storage medium. Alternatively or additionally, the machine-readable medium may store such machine instructions temporarily, for example, in a processor cache or other random access memory associated with one or more physical processor cores.

[0067] The examples and figures contained herein illustrate, by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. As noted above, other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Such embodiments of the subject matter may be referred to herein, individually or collectively, by the term "invention" for the sake of convenience only, when more than one is actually disclosed, but this is not intended to spontaneously limit the scope of the application to any single invention or inventive concept. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments illustrated. The present disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of the various embodiments. Combinations of the above-described embodiments with other embodiments not specifically described herein will also be apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the above description.

Claims

1. 1. A vaporizable material insert for use with a vaporizer device to form an inhalable aerosol, the vaporizable material insert comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet; a vaporizable material component including a vaporizable material that forms a portion of the inhalable aerosol as a result of heating, the vaporizable material component extending within the housing between the inlet and the outlet; an air flow passage extending along the vaporizable material component and defined at least in part by a wall of the vaporizable material component; Equipped with the wall of the vaporizable material component prevents air moving along the air flow path from moving into the vaporizable material component, the wall allowing the inhalable aerosol to be formed in the air flow path and move through the outlet for inhalation by a user. Vaporizable material insert.

2. The vaporizable material insert of claim 1 , wherein the vaporizable material component has a cylindrical shape.

3. The vaporizable material insert of claim 1 or 2, wherein the air passage extends through the vaporizable material component such that the wall defines the air passage.

4. The vaporizable material insert of claim 1 , further comprising a heating element extending along said vaporizable material component, said vaporizable material component being disposed between said heating element and said air flow path.

5. The vaporizable material insert of claim 4 , wherein the heating element extends through the vaporizable material component and along a longitudinal axis of the vaporizable material component.

6. The vaporizable material insert of claim 4 , wherein the vaporizable material component has a flat shape.

7. The vaporizable material insert of claim 1 , wherein the vaporizable material component is formed from the vaporizable material and a guar gum material.

8. The vaporizable material insert of claim 1 , wherein the vaporizable material component is formed from the vaporizable material and a Laponite material.

9. The vaporizable material insert of claim 1 , wherein the vaporizable material comprises a tobacco material.

10. The vaporizable material insert of claim 9 , wherein the tobacco material comprises tobacco powder.

11. The vaporizable material insert of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the housing is formed from a paper material.

12. The vaporizable material insert of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a heating element configured to heat the vaporizable material component.

13. The vaporizable material insert of claim 1 , wherein the vaporizable material component includes thermally conductive particles in direct contact with the vaporizable material and contained within the vaporizable material component.

14. The vaporizable material insert of claim 13 , wherein the thermally conductive particles are formed from a metallic material.

15. The vaporizable material insert of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the vaporizable material component has a thermal conductivity in the range of about 0.2 W / mK to about 0.6 W / mK.

16. 1. A system for generating an inhalable aerosol, the system comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet; a vaporizable material component including a vaporizable material that forms a portion of the inhalable aerosol as a result of heating, the vaporizable material component extending within the housing between the inlet and the outlet; an airflow path extending along the vaporizable material component and defined at least in part by a wall of the vaporizable material component, the wall of the vaporizable material component preventing air moving along the airflow path from moving into the vaporizable material component, the wall allowing the inhalable aerosol to be formed in the airflow path and move through the outlet for inhalation by a user; a vaporizable material insert comprising: a vaporizable material insert receptacle configured to receive the vaporizable material insert; a power source for providing power to a heating element to heat the vaporizable material insert to form the inhalable aerosol; A vaporizer device comprising: A system comprising:

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the vaporizer device includes the heating element.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the vaporizable material insert includes the heating element.

19. 19. The system of any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the vaporizable material insert receptacle provides a sliding fit with the vaporizable material insert.

20. 20. The system of claim 16, wherein the vaporizable material component is formed from the vaporizable material and a guar gum material.

21. 20. The system of claim 16, wherein the vaporizable material component is formed from the vaporizable material and a Laponite material.

22. 22. The system of any one of claims 16 to 21, wherein the vaporizable material comprises a tobacco material.

23. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the tobacco material comprises tobacco powder.

24. 1. A method for generating an inhalable aerosol for inhalation by a user, the method comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet; a vaporizable material component including a vaporizable material that forms a portion of the inhalable aerosol as a result of heating, the vaporizable material component extending within the housing between the inlet and the outlet; an airflow path extending along the vaporizable material component and defined at least in part by a wall of the vaporizable material component, the wall of the vaporizable material component preventing air moving along the airflow path from moving into the vaporizable material component, the wall allowing the inhalable aerosol to be formed in the airflow path and move through the outlet for inhalation by a user; receiving a vaporizable material insert having the vaporizable material insert into a compartment of a vaporizer device; activating a heating element configured to heat the vaporizable material component of the vaporizable material insert; forming the inhalable aerosol as a result of heating the vaporizable material component; A method comprising:

Images